To me it's a tragedy, but I can't help but realize this sort of treatment is happening on a massive scale to regular North Koreans.

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There's no doubt. And they're still holding who knows how many Americans captive for different fake "crimes". And I don't discount that the outrage over this may be more acute in certain quarters because this is a 22 year old white kid rather than an American named Kim or Park, but the way this was done was particularly cruel. "Hey, we're releasing your son. Oh, by the way, half his brain has been gone for over a year."

And in light of the way this all happened, some of the things that were previously said and written by those on the social justice left in the name of their politics seem grotesque beyond description.

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Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

Actions have consequences.

The guy gambled his life going to North Korea and lost.

Peeps? You are the worst human being I have ever met.

If Elmhurst Steve Puts on his hood and walks through Englewood, is it OK to criticize him for his actions when the inevitable happens?

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Hey, I got off pretty easy.

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Did anyone read the circumstances of his arrest, and what North Korea presented as a story? It seems completely fabricated. If we were to switch around the details, and say - police shoot unarmed man stealing a poster. Ogie would deem it another sign of needing to get rid of the government. A college kid goes on a day trip to North Korea- Darwin Award.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

I like how everyone just believes that Warmbier tried stealing the poster because the North Koreans said he did. Like, Ogie wont trust the American justice system to save his life but somehow isn't willing to question a confession achieved by obvious torture or grainy, clearly staged video of the supposed crime. But even if he did do it the penalty for such crimes isn't death.

The amount of told-you-so'ing by the boring people in this thread who barely ever leave suburban Chicago is pretty pathetic. If the riskiest thing you do every day is drive to work you're throwing your life away just as much as Warmbier did, but in a different and much more pathetic way.

Does that apply across the board or just in this instance? I mean, would you say that to a girl who got loaded at a frat party and was raped? I don't think you would. So why do it here? If this guy did anything wrong it certainly wasn't anything egregious enough to justify even a day in prison let alone the death penalty.

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Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

He visited North Korea. That was where he went wrong. Very simple concept.

MANY Americans seem okay with foreign governments torturing and killing American citizens.

SAD!

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Why are you more upset with Warmbier for being murdered than North Korea for murdering him?

Almost every tragic story is preceded by some ill-advised behavior on the part of the victim. I'm not sure what the point of hammering on such a fact is.

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Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

Did you know that two thousand years ago a Roman citizen could walk across the face of the known world free of the fear of molestation? He could walk across the Earth unharmed, cloaked only in the protection of the words civis Romanus -- I am a Roman citizen. So great was the retribution of Rome, universally understood as certain, should any harm befall even one of its citizens. Where was Otto's protection? Where is the retribution for the families, and where is the warning to the rest of the world that Americans shall walk this Earth unharmed, lest the clenched fist of the most mighty military force in the history of mankind comes crashing down on your house?! In other words, what the hell are we doing here?!

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CTE?

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

I don't have much sympathy for situations where the consequence wasn't the result of an accident.

The kid thought it'd be cool to visit an irrational dictatorship. I get it. Forbidden fruit. Bro, lemme tell you what I saw.

Well he lost. Time to move on.

Close.

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I assume any American going there is CIA cover. I think the NK believe that as well. If true, it changes the story a little but is till not worthy of a death sentence.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Let's just nuke these zipper heads already

We know everything we need to know about the DPRK by looking at Soviet technology from 40 years ago, spying on them is pretty pointless.

OK President Bartlett


Now what is the virtue of a proportional response?

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

I don't need to believe he stole the poster to think he's an idiot for visiting North Korea. You can go there, obey every law, and still end up like Mr. Wamrbier and I'll say you were a moron for going there. Of course North Korea trumps up charges on foreigners. You would know that without going there.

I'm pretty sure the State Department has had a warning against visiting there for quite some time...

https://travel.state.gov/content/passpo ... rning.html

As I said, he's a moron who found a creative way to remove himself from the gene pool. Now let's move on.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Would you say the same about someone who got into a a wrestling match with the police or carried a gun?

You seem to be pretty brazen in blaming this guy, while complaining about the oppressive government here.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

I can blame both parties. It takes a special type of stupid to travel to North Korea when it is no secret what happens to Americans who do so.

I can blame him for being a complete moron who did something incredibly stupid. I can also blame North Korea for their absolute brutality, which is why you shouldn't travel there in the 1st place.

Also your analogy is bullshit. There is no similarity between having your rights taken away by a public servant who is sworn to serve and protect and putting yourself in a position where you are at the mercy of the most brutal regime currently on this planet.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

No. In both cases the person is putting themselves into a position of risk. You've just decided that this guy's behavior needs to be ridiculed. I would say wrestling with the police is also very high risk, yet there is outrage rather than- what was he expecting fighting with a police officer.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

your argument is a false analogy. The 2 situations are nothing alike. Try harder

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

So what Ogie is basically saying is that when you are in a country you are at the mercy of however the government acts and therefore it is your fault with how they treat you? I would think a guy who has complained many times about our own government would not want to set that precedent to his posts.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

This is a false analogy

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Its in no way a false analogy. Ogie just hates white people and wants to see them suffer, his brain has been poisoned by the current news climate and there's no coming back. Killing himself is his best, last option.

*Ogie can be white and hate white people

I'm saying North Korea is a brutal regime. They should be condemned, sanctioned, etc. However, that does not absolve a moron who travels there and should know better.

Once again, I think the State Department's warning page re visiting North Korea really couldn't be any more clear.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson