WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration wants North Korea's attention, so like a scolding parent it's trying to make it tougher for that country's eccentric leader to buy iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters.
The U.S. government's first-ever effort to use trade sanctions to personally aggravate a foreign president expressly targets items believed to be favored by Kim Jong Il or presented by him as gifts to the roughly 600 loyalist families who run the communist government.
I can't believe how pathetic this latest attempt at "sanctions" is. Embarrassing, really. Instead of engaging with the world, the Bush administration thinks it's everyone's cruel-but-fair father. Maybe Bush is just pissed that the North Korean leader didn't fall off his Segway.
What's next? Banning goofy sunglasses and jheri-curl products? I'd recommend a spanking, but I suspect li'l Kim Jong Il would enjoy that.
More here.
"Furthermore, as a punitive measure, all Korea-persons will be required to buy a Zune," Bush neglected to add.
Posted by: Sorghum Crow | November 29, 2006 at 12:53 PM
What do starving people need with iPods anyway?
Posted by: Lynne | November 29, 2006 at 01:18 PM
Gettin' my toys took away when I wuz a lil' kid allus werked on me. Heh heh heh heh.
Bush = fucktwit.
Posted by: Margie in Austin, Texas | November 29, 2006 at 01:41 PM
Lordy, lordy! It may prove a blessing in disguise for North Korea. After all, we have Bill O'Reilly's asssurance that the iPod is a threat:
I don’t own an iPod. I would never wear an iPod… If this is your primary focus in life - the machines… it’s going to have a staggeringly negative effect, all of this, for America… did you ever talk to these computer geeks? I mean, can you carry on a conversation with them? …I really fear for the United States because, believe me, the jihadists? They’re not playing the video games. They’re killing real people over there.
(See http://gamepolitics.com/2006/11/18/bill-oreilly-slams-playstation-3-launch-gamers-ipods-tech-not-in-that-order/ )
If all the North Korean "geeks" are NOT busily engaged with banned iPods, they'll have more time for perfecting nuclear WMDs to launch at us, right?
Is it possible for the US, which has become the world's "bad guy", to couple the role with that of being the world's "comic relief"? It seems to be Mr. Bush's aim. You know, Iago does Sid Caesar...
My head hurts.
Posted by: xristm | November 29, 2006 at 03:15 PM
Bet Li'l Kim is really regretting filling out that customer survey form now...
Posted by: bcf | November 29, 2006 at 04:10 PM
Sorghum: that was the best Tengrain impression ever.
Posted by: Pissed in NYC | November 29, 2006 at 11:21 PM