The Death of Kim Jong-Il

My first reaction was "so what?" and "who cares?"  But then I read some of the things said about him in the "mainstream" American press: 

"Smart and ruthless."

"Diplomats who dealt with him describe Kim as shrewd and calculating."

"In a demented sort of way, brilliant."

"Tactically brilliant."

"A very cunning person and very smart person."

"Was profoundly important around the world."

They say ludicrous things like this, and then they wonder why fewer and fewer people of intelligence take them seriously.

Let's get the record clear.  Kim Jong-Il was nothing but a mass-murdering thug.  We don't know exactly how many of his own people he starved to death (there were famines in North Korea in both in 1990s and 2000s and the number dead may be in excess of 2 million), but there is nothing good to say about him.  He was only in power because his father was a sycophantic puppet that Joseph Stalin put in power when the Soviet Union established a communist government in the country.  Other than that, he had no more qualifications for office than Barack Obama had.

Don't expect anything to change in North Korea.  Kim Jong-un is probably as vapid and empty-headed as his father was.  He'll make a little noise every once in awhile, because babies like to cry and be noticed.  China isn't going to let North Korea do anything stupid. 

Enough time wasted on that.