North Korea, Environmentalism,Gun Control, Self Choice

If you were cold in your house,

would you throw another stick of wood in the wood stove or fireplace, or turn up the thermostat in the room for OIL heat or electric heat? What if you are an older person? Do you put on an extra pair of sweat pants and a extra sweater or jacket to stay warm? What if you can't afford the Oil, Propane, Electricity, or Wood? How do you cope with the cold? What if the government decided you could not cut your own firewood? What if the Environmentalists directed the government through regulations to shut down coal fired electricity generating plants because of CO2 or sulphur, or other particulate emissions. Then several years later, the price of oil (diesel, kerosene) or electricity has risen beyond your capacity to pay to heat your little room. So you do with out. Maybe no more plants were built because of environmental regulations or NO FUTURE PLANNING was done to provide ENERGY to comfortably heat your little room for a fair price?
Cold in North Korea Read about Sophies trip to North Korea.

Top Level Take-aways:

1. Go to North Korea if you can. It is very, very strange.
2. If it is January, disregard the above. It is very, very cold.
3. Nothing I'd read or heard beforehand really prepared me for what we saw.

I can't express how cold it was. Maybe 10-15 degrees F in the sunshine, not including wind chill. The cold was compounded by the fact that none of the buildings we visited were heated, which meant hour-long tours in cavernous, 30-degree indoor environments. It is quite extraordinary to have the Honored Guest Experience in such conditions: they're proudly showing you their latest technology or best library, and you can see your breath. A clue to how much is really in their control.

Ordinary North Koreans live in a near-total information bubble, without any true frame of reference. I can't think of any reaction to that except absolute sympathy. My understanding is that North Koreans are taught to believe they are lucky to be in North Korea, so why would they ever want to leave? They're hostages in their own country, without any real consciousness of it. And the opacity of the country's inner workings--down to the basics of its economy--further serves to reinforce the state's control.

The best description we could come up with: it's like The Truman Show, at country scale.

Sophie Schmidt reports what she saw on her trip.
Which gave me this idea, that North Korea is a perfect example of TRUE passionate example of the people serving the government (Slaves, with out a choice) and following Environmentalism to keep a pristine clean environment. NO HEAT! no pollution here. The leaders in power have heat in their homes, but not in your home. We the government have decided you don't need personal comfort! There is NO ENERGY for you, the people, to use. You don't have a choice in the matter. It is non existent by government decisions,
(Shut down that generating plant and don't replace it with another one. We are working to have a clean environment like North Korea, no heat, no energy, only the clothes on your back to keep you warm like a thick shaggy bear fur coat does for the bear's skin! )
or such an outrageous price that you can't afford it!
(Grandma don't throw another stick of wood in the wood stove, put another coat on like the Good Leader suggests. He is directing us to be clean living. The cold only lasts till God brings sunshine in the spring. Grin and Bear it!)

Voting has consequences! Obama has won 4 more years as President of the US of A. When your grandma is cold and you can not afford heat, remember what your vote selected?
UK Telegraph's Dry report of Eric Schmidts trip. Read Sophie's Blog more enlightening!
44 Picasa Pictures of the trip. 44 Pictures of North Korea
North Korea, I am supreme leader I have all the guns, what are you going to do. NOTHING.
Telegraph's report on Eric Schmitd's trip to North Korea

North Korean Girl tells her Story in 16/11/2010

Testimony of North Korean Girl of Persecution
North Korea escape. North Korean prisoner escaped after 23 brutal years

When President Barack H. Obama suggests that he can curb gun violence and reduce global warming, let us look over at North Korea to see the results of government control that America might expect. Cold freezing rooms to live in and a government that will incarcerate 3 generations of a family in a prison for the failure of an uncle. This will end your self choice, only the government will choose to give you clothes to wear and food to eat. Hungary? Want a little more food to eat? These thoughts can kill you in North Korea.