a quick looksee on the “Axis of Evil”
The North Korean government’s “news service” never ceases to amuse me. I am scanning the past several days’ worth of edicts to find out Kim Jong Il’s word on the breakthrough in negotiations — um… Feed the suffering Koreans his totalitarian regime is leaving derelict, and they dismantle their nuclear program, again– something which probably would have occurred a long time ago without the fingernails clutched tightly to the nearest immovable object in trepidation had we not delved into the sideshow of this “axis of evil” game in the first place. There is nothing from the “news service”, of course. That would violate the spirit of juche. There is this, though.:
Pyongyang, September 4 (KCNA) — General Secretary Kim Jong Il appreciated a performance given by the art group of families of servicemen of KPA unit 963.
Put on the stage were chorus “Our country is the large family of Songun,” trio and story-telling “We love,” poem and story-telling “Legacy of soldier family,” quintet to the accompaniment of musical instruments “Blue sky over my country,” dramatic story-telling “Mother of soldiers,” chorus “General is the destiny of the motherland” and other colorful numbers of various genres.
The performers enthusiastically sang of their worthwhile life replete with the immense pride and self-esteem of acting as dignified women revolutionaries and optimism and joy and powerfully demonstrated the fixed faith and will and indomitable spirit of the families of the servicemen to devotedly defend the headquarters of the revolution and accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche without fail while standing in the same trench with their husbands under arms.
Kim Jong Il highly appreciated the successful performance given by the members of the art group of families of servicemen of the unit, greatly pleased with their presentation rich in ideological content and high in artistry.
Among the audience were Secretary Kim Ki Nam, Department Director Kim Yang Gon and other senior officials of the WPK Central Committee and KPA commanding officers including KPA Generals Hyon Chol Hae, Kim Myong Guk and Ri Myong Su and KPA Colonel General Yun Jong Rin.
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Iran. From Kevin Drum at the Washington Monthly blog:
Is the Bush administration planning to launch a PR campaign after Labor Day to soften up the American public for an attack on Iran? I’ll be honest: Iran rumors make the rounds of the liberal blogosphere every couple of months, and they never pan out. So I’m skeptical about the latest round of stories .
The problem is the rumors tend to coincide with a Fox News lead ratcheting-up offensive. I can never quite cut through this particular Kremlinological study.