Open Sources, 17 September 2012
NORTH KOREAN REFORM WATCH, PART I: Marcus Noland writes that inflation has risen sharply, and that “macroeconomic instability” has returned to North Korea:
Recent anecdotal reports of price changes conveyed in both press reports and in private communications from travelers returning from North Korea suggest a surge in inflation. Simple calculations suggest that the value of the won may have depreciated at an annualized rate of 200 percent or more over the past 6 months, with some evidence of an acceleration in the rate of depreciation over the past two months.”
Read further, and this turns out to be the result of a hokey scheme by which the banks sell rice for hard currency, which of course sucks the rice out of the markets and screws the poor. And then, there is the fear of another currency “reform.”
NORTH KOREAN REFORM WATCH, PART II: “Destitute North Korea accepts, then rejects, flood aid from South.” When offered “10,000 tons of flour, three million packets of instant noodles and medicine,” the North Korean response was, “That type of support is not needed.” What the New York Times didn’t mention is that they wanted building materials instead.
NORTH KOREAN REFORM WATCH, PART III: You know, for an AP report, this one by Tim Sullivan is a lot of things that a Jean Lee report wouldn’t be — balanced, cautious, and forthcoming about what the reporter doesn’t know and isn’t allowed to see. Even Evans Revere is quoted while saying something sensible. Plenty of people — maybe a majority of North Korea watchers — fall for the “reform” trick every time it’s tried. No one really knows the truth, but I’ll guess that some things will change, some deck chairs will be rearranged, and the effect will be to consolidate more wealth and control in Pyongyang and less everywhere else.
MISSING SAM BROWNBACK: Last week, the House finally passed the North Korean Refugee Adoption Act, which is all that remains of the “North Korean Refugee and Reconstruction Act” after the committees spent the last three years gutting it. The bill is designed to help kids hiding in shelters like these. Unfortunately, passing the House doesn’t mean much when John Kerry, the High Priest of Appeasement, is the Senate gatekeeper, and when the Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee show little interest or competence when it comes to North Korea issues.
WHY I CALL THE UNITED NATIONS THE WORLD’S GREATEST OXYMORON: Congress wants an investigation into those technology transfers to North Korea by the U.N.’s World Intellectual Property Organization — the ones that may have violated several U.N. Security Council resolutions.
THE NEW DIPLOMACY: In today’s world, instigating violent protests is the hottest new trend in diplomacy. Heck, if it can make the U.S. government back away from the First Amendment, I’m sure a few measly little islands should be an easy get.
Oh my God, Josh, I totally agree with you on this ! I am sorry I haven’t been commenting recently, I was in the hospital. I know that isn’t any excuse, but they would not let me have access to the internet. Freakin’ Nazis ! I heard of a story where a guy found out about President Kennedy’s assassination before it happened, told someone and they locked him up until it was over ! At first, I thought that was what they were doing because something was going on in North Korea. I am so happy to be able to read your blog again. It is my lifeblood.
Holy crap, Carl! — Josh made seven different random assertions about seven different things, and “you totally agree with him on this”? What did your “hospitalization” really have to do with, huh, Carl? Have you been playing a starring role in BBB movies about the prophet Mohammed? Did you get picked up on a potential parole violation for your bank fraud conviction? Then truly, you are Josh’s hero. Well done, genius.
Zerof, Do you have a point to make about the substance of one of the posts, or are you just here to harass other commenters? There are a lot of other places where you can do that.
“Heck, if it can make the U.S. government back away from the First Amendment, I’m sure a few measly little islands should be an easy get.”
I really thought you were better than this Josh. I fall on the far left of the political spectrum, and while I really like your coverage of North Korea, I have to admit that petty, uninformed quips like this make me question your integrity.
I recommend this site to a lot of people who want to learn the truth about North Korea. Your coverage is excellent, and your criticism of the mainstream American media coverage is usually spot on. That said, I don’t think that any of the necessarily falls within a right-wing political narrative. Pyongyang attempting to further concentrate wealth and power into the hands of a few oligarchs? Sounds a lot like where I live, but to a shockingly violent and nightmarish extreme.
Anyway, it’s clear that the US is not “backing away” from the First Amendment. The US government takes all sorts of positions at odds with all sorts of positions and statements taken/made by people living in the US. That doesn’t constitute anything close to an encroachment on the First Amendment.
If you don’t consider (a) the feds bringing a man in for questioning in the middle of the night for uploading a controversial film to YouTube, or (b) the White House asking YouTube to “review” whether said film should remain on its site, or (c) asking the JCS Chairman to call a paster perceived as backing said film, all following riots inspired by said film, to be backing away from the First Amendment, the we disagree. Strongly.
Whether any of this fits into the “right wing political narrative” is irrelevant to whether the criticism happens to be accurate. Indeed, if Romney were taking a more principled position on any of this, it would be a far better fit.
The feds were disguised as Los Angeles County deputies. A false flag operation! Is that Orwellian, or what? But just so you know Obama’s marxist muslim dictatorship is falling, click on Innocence of Muslims. It’s still on Youtube! The First Amendment ain’t dead yet.
And thank heaven for Mitt, who said, “Of course, we have a First Amendment. And under the First Amendment, people are allowed to do what they feel they want to do. They have the right to do that, but it’s not right to do things that are of the nature of what was done by, apparently this film.” Right is not right! Orwell rocks.
Did you read the article? The deputies went to his house at the request of the feds.
I’m also glad that YouTube displayed more respect for the First Amendment than the White House did by refusing the White House’s request. Our right to speak freely has just been outsourced to Google Corporation. In Google We Trust!
” … a crude and disgusting video sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world. I have made it clear that the United States government had nothing to do with this video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all who respect our common humanity. It is an insult not only to Muslims, but to America as well – for as the city outside these walls makes clear, we are a country that has welcomed people of every race and religion. We are home to Muslims who worship across our country. We not only respect the freedom of religion – we have laws that protect individuals from being harmed because of how they look or what they believe. We understand why people take offense to this video because millions of our citizens are among them.
I know there are some who ask why we don’t just ban such a video. The answer is enshrined in our laws: our Constitution protects the right to practice free speech. Here in the United States, countless publications provoke offense. Like me, the majority of Americans are Christian, and yet we do not ban blasphemy against our most sacred beliefs. Moreover, as President of our country, and Commander-in-Chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so. Americans have fought and died around the globe to protect the right of all people to express their views – even views that we disagree with.”
Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States of America, addressing the United Nations General Assembly, September 25, 2012
Read the whole speech at Al Jazeera.
Obama to Earth: do as I say, not as I do.
“The vile anti-Muslim video shows that the U.S. overvalues free speech.” No, I, Glans, don’t believe that. But Richard Posner, the Kirkland and Ellis Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School and the son of federal appellate judge Richard Posner, does believe it. He’s not a liberal or an Obama supporter, as you’ll see if you read what he says at Slate.