Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Barack Obama was able to secure the release of Alan Gross who was in a Cuban prison from 2011 to 2014. So don't say Obama didn't get Otto back because he was white.

Let's just ignore this.

Cuba and N Korea...examples of effects of Communism.

OMG. He aged 20 years in his three of captivity.

He's doing better now. He's regained his weight, replaced the teeth he lost and had a mass in his shoulder removed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have nothing but sympathy and prayers for Otto and his family. It was dumb to go to NK, but not anything deserving of what they've been through.

That said.... I do not understand why Americans are allowed to go there. We aren't allowed to go to Cuba, where by all accounts tourists will be treated just fine. Why doesn't the US place an embargo on NK just the same and just avoid the terrible (but predictable) outcomes like this.

Please tell me you are this divorced from reality. The US has a trade embargo. The US doesn't have diplomatic relations with the DPRK. You can't waltz over to its embassy in DC. Rather, you can only get a tourist visa when in China. Our government doesn't forcibly restrain its citizens from visiting and putting themselves at risk of arrest or even kidnapping and secret detention.

Surely you are not this divorced from reality.

Yes, it is complicated for Americans to go to NK. But it is NOT ILLEGAL.
Yes, pre-Obama changes Americans could skirt the law and get into Cuba (who would kindly not stamp their passport), but it WAS ILLEGAL (and still us under some circumstances)

The state dept has issued a very strongly worded Travel Warning to US Citizens against traveling to North Korea.
This is the statement about Cuba: Travel to Cuba for tourist activities remains prohibited by statute.

Different, see?

Given the gravity of what could happen to tourists in NK and the atrocities that we know about by their government, it seems that travel to NK for tourist activities should also be prohibited by statute.

Ah, so Congress has to pass a law then? Didn't someone introduce a bill in the House?

Isn't that a "nanny-state" kind of law, though? I mean, if the government shouldn't be involved in banning food that will kill people, then why should it be involved in telling people not to travel to NK?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL, based on the stupid Rs posting here, Trump would be advised to start a war in N. Korea because...Otto! Then people will not be talking about his obstruction or collusion, they'll be nodding approvingly because..war. strong. Otto.

I pay as much attention to those posters as I do to the equally vindictive posters who say the kid got what was coming to him and deserved to be beaten to a pulp. SMH.

Agreed. They are mirror images of each other from opposite ends of the spectrum, shouting at each other mindlessly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have nothing but sympathy and prayers for Otto and his family. It was dumb to go to NK, but not anything deserving of what they've been through.

That said.... I do not understand why Americans are allowed to go there. We aren't allowed to go to Cuba, where by all accounts tourists will be treated just fine. Why doesn't the US place an embargo on NK just the same and just avoid the terrible (but predictable) outcomes like this.

Please tell me you are this divorced from reality. The US has a trade embargo. The US doesn't have diplomatic relations with the DPRK. You can't waltz over to its embassy in DC. Rather, you can only get a tourist visa when in China. Our government doesn't forcibly restrain its citizens from visiting and putting themselves at risk of arrest or even kidnapping and secret detention.

Surely you are not this divorced from reality.

Yes, it is complicated for Americans to go to NK. But it is NOT ILLEGAL.
Yes, pre-Obama changes Americans could skirt the law and get into Cuba (who would kindly not stamp their passport), but it WAS ILLEGAL (and still us under some circumstances)

The state dept has issued a very strongly worded Travel Warning to US Citizens against traveling to North Korea.
This is the statement about Cuba: Travel to Cuba for tourist activities remains prohibited by statute.

Different, see?

Given the gravity of what could happen to tourists in NK and the atrocities that we know about by their government, it seems that travel to NK for tourist activities should also be prohibited by statute.

Ah, so Congress has to pass a law then? Didn't someone introduce a bill in the House?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have nothing but sympathy and prayers for Otto and his family. It was dumb to go to NK, but not anything deserving of what they've been through.

That said.... I do not understand why Americans are allowed to go there. We aren't allowed to go to Cuba, where by all accounts tourists will be treated just fine. Why doesn't the US place an embargo on NK just the same and just avoid the terrible (but predictable) outcomes like this.

I agree totally. But, something tells me that if President Trump’s state department tried to issue an embargo on traveling to ANY country, the left would go nuts. “Just another sign of this administration becoming a dictatorship,” or something along those lines.

Oh come on. I consider myself a liberal Democrat and I would be THRILLED if State issues a NK travel ban. In fact I've already called my reps/senators offices asking them to influence Tillerson on this issue.

Anonymous wrote:Research shows that young people's brains are not fully developed when it comes to impulse control until mid to late twenties. College is a particularly vulnerable time I'd say when there is more independence and autonomy but still less judgment. Most make it through safely despite themselves. He did nothing that merited that punishment; I only have sympathy for Otto and his family. I wish there were a way to ban any American from traveling to markedly inhospitable parts of the world where visitors are sometimes seized and used as geopolitical pawns. If we don't have diplomatic relations with a country, we should not allow citizens to travel there as it leads to heart rending situations such as this.

Completely agree with everything here. We ban travel to Cuba but not North Korea? What the what now?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was a UVA sponsored trip? That sounds unlikely.

No, it wasn't. It was UVA to Hong Kong. The kid decided to go to North Korea (?) on his own. I've seen his family interviewed and they've taken responsibility for that decision saying "If we had known about N. Korea, we wouldn't have allowed him to go". I don't know if the kid went and told his parents as he was going or the parents OK'd it not knowing of the danger.

They really said that? Wow. Wyoming (the suburb of Cincy they are from) is home to some of the most highly educated people in the city (P&G and Kroger execs, for example) and is one of the top school districts in the country. How the hell do people like that NOT know? I mean, I know not everyone is as obsessed with politics as those in DC, but come on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Barack Obama was able to secure the release of Alan Gross who was in a Cuban prison from 2011 to 2014. So don't say Obama didn't get Otto back because he was white.

Let's just ignore this.

Cuba and N Korea...examples of effects of Communism.

OMG. He aged 20 years in his three of captivity.

Agree, it sounds like "La Sha" was raised in a hate filled home, so I am not at all surprised by her response to this tragedy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No red flags here, pun intended. I mean seriously, how is this in any way a good idea? The State Department travel warnings are issued for a reason.

http://www.youngpioneertours.com/

Whatever. The point is not how he got there, but N. Korea's actions towards this student and the fact they probably killed him. I want to know why he was left there to literally die by the Obama administration.

I'm not interested in sending abunch of 18 year olds to fight in North Korea because some spoiled, stupid 20 year old could not stay the frack out of a forbidden zone. It doesn't take a genius to realize that NK is off limits for tourism. The Chinese don't even go there for vacation

And I'm not going to have one whit of empathy for any liberal that lives on Capitol Hill and is attacked, knowing how dangerous the surrounding neighborhood is. That's spoiled and stupid behavior. It doesn't take a genius to realize you could get robbed and killed.

OMG just shut up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents wanted to put a yellow ribbon around their tree in their yard. Were told no by the Obama administration

That would go along with Obama's ridiculous mindset - don't do anything that bullies will interpret as criticism. Any 1st grader knows that bullies see that as weakness, and go after their victims even more.

Tough but serious question here: do you think Obama would have responded differently if it had been a black college student? I'm not trying to start anything here, just curious what others think. And if you think his response would have been the same regardless, I can respect that. Just curious if others think there might have been implicit bias against Otto. Just look at some of the responses here for examples.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE!

Everytime you post sh1t like this you sound like a bitter racist who HATED that Obama, a black man, was in the White House. So just SFTU.

This has EVERYTHING to do with race! It was his white privilege which created this whole situation:

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/9531122

Your link is to an opinion piece. One person's opinion, proves nothing

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents wanted to put a yellow ribbon around their tree in their yard. Were told no by the Obama administration

That would go along with Obama's ridiculous mindset - don't do anything that bullies will interpret as criticism. Any 1st grader knows that bullies see that as weakness, and go after their victims even more.

Tough but serious question here: do you think Obama would have responded differently if it had been a black college student? I'm not trying to start anything here, just curious what others think. And if you think his response would have been the same regardless, I can respect that. Just curious if others think there might have been implicit bias against Otto. Just look at some of the responses here for examples.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE!

Everytime you post sh1t like this you sound like a bitter racist who HATED that Obama, a black man, was in the White House. So just SFTU.

This has EVERYTHING to do with race! It was his white privilege which created this whole situation:

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/9531122

Anonymous wrote:Relieved to hear. I'm from Cincy and I have lit a candle for this kid every day for the last year. I blame UVA for taking the kids to a communist country. Of course, boys will always do something stupid, and they should have known that. Hope kid goes to school in OH and not hick VA

PP, I am also from Cincy and lived 10 years in DC. Your comment is ignorant to the Nth degree and only serves to reinforce the whole "flyover country" nonsense. You are in fact aware that UVA is ranked #24 among national universities, about 110 spots ahead of our hometown school, right? And I love UC, but come on. Charlottesville is a beautiful college town and UVA is a great school. Further, there is zero evidence that UVA arranged this tour or had anything to do with Otto Warmbier's travel there. Like you, I am disgusted by what happened, but spouting ignorance on the internet isn't going to fix this. Preventing Americans from traveling to NK will. If you want to do something useful, why not write some of our useless representatives and urge them to pressure the state department into issuing a tourist travel ban to NK so that this doesn't happen again?

This is so sad and what a loss to the world. Otto sounds like an all around nice person. I was humming the Macklemore tune 'Pop some tags" today and thought of Otto. He apparently loved to shop at thrift stores and then show off his new clothes. RIP Otto.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Had he tried to commit suicide the North Koreans would have told the world, used it as propaganda, called him a cowardly American, etc. and agreed for his release much sooner.

NK did this to him.

Not necessarily--NK would have been responsible for his health either way. Another scenario = cover up by those supposed to be watching him. Whatever happened, he was of some use to them as long as the US thought he was ok.

+1