May 2, 2006
HAS THERE EVER BEEN A COMMUNIST DICTATOR THEY WOULDN'T GROVEL BEFORE? (via Rick Turley):
HARVARD LOVES A THUG (DEBORAH ORIN, May 1, 2006, NY Post)
HARVARD University has a bizarre idea of how to advance the education of its grads: Instruct them to bow down to North Ko rea's paranoid dictators and show proper "respect" for the Axis of Evil.It's the ultimate in radical Stalinist chic - the Harvard Alumni Association's $636-a-night totalitarian luxury tour of a rogue nation where thousands are deliberately starved to death.
"Demonstrations of respect for the country's late leader, Kim Il Sung, and for the current leader, Kim Jong Il, are important," instructs the Harvard Alumni Association's tour memo.
"You will be expected to bow as a gesture of respect at the statue of Kim Il Sung and at his mausoleum."
In a related story, if you go on the Zimbabwe Study Group expect to floss Mugabe's butt.
Posted by Orrin Judd at May 2, 2006 4:00 PM
I guess this answers the question of whether education has anything to do with intelligence and whether intelligence has anything to do with common sense.
Posted by: Mikey at May 2, 2006 4:29 PMWow. And just earlier today I made a comment about the Left's willingness to treat other people's poverty and misery as a source of entertainment. I was going to add North Korea to my list of places menitoned, but concluded there was no rational reason any person would want to go there as a tourist. Was I wrong.
Rail fans have "rare miles" excursions, where they are taken on lines that normally don't get passenger trains, so they can make the claim of having been there. Maybe that's the case here, where Thug Groupies get that opportunity to add to their list of Dear Leaders they've groveled before.
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at May 2, 2006 5:28 PMReminds me of the time I almost got killed for refusing to stand up for the national anthem in China.
File this story under "Potemkin Village Tourism" or "Taliban at Yale" ...
Posted by: Rick at May 2, 2006 5:37 PMWe don't even allow the wife of the Ambassador to the Court of Saint James to curtsy to the Queen, and she's an ally.
Posted by: Fred Jacobsen (San Fran) at May 2, 2006 6:14 PMMake no mistake about what they'll see. All glitter and glow will be on the itinerary. The model farm with the model farm family, a colorful happy peasant or two with a cart full of plastic vegetables, sure. The dust free square with selected colorful natives, sure. They'll not see North Korea as it is. But, upon their return you can bet your last dime they'll sing the praises of how N. Korea is misjudged and misrepresented by the West. Kim is a lot smarter than they are.
Posted by: Tom Wall at May 2, 2006 8:23 PMHere's a photo album and commentary on one fellow's travels in "Kimland," the world's most repressive theme park.
Posted by: Mike Morley at May 2, 2006 8:31 PMJust a question - is Bishop Griswold going with them? I don't think he's apologized to the Dear Leader yet.
Posted by: Mikey at May 3, 2006 8:35 AM