Vanity of Their Minds

“So, what does North Korea spend its limited resources on besides the military? Oh wait, that is all they spend their money on. They even have nuclear weapons, and intercontinental ballistic missiles with the ability to reach maybe even the United States, which is a peaceful, Pacific Ocean away.” “The leader is a real smart-less, smart-ass, swelled-head, swelled-gut, bootless, useless person who constantly keeps the world off balance with the threat of using those nuclear-armed missiles. If the leader and a few of his generals were gone, and the people allowed to have a true democratic government, it is very likely that South Korea would step up and help them, merging the two countries.” “This is not unprecedented. This same kind of merger happened in 1990 with the reunification of East Germany with West Germany to form the Federal Republic of Germany. East Germany had been a Soviet bloc country until then and like North Korea in extreme poverty. Even though reunification was not without detractors, it happened peacefully, and Germany today is an exceptional, strong democratic country. They should be praised mightily for this accomplishment.” “Olivia, my intent is to use my unique talents to rid North Korea of its leader and major military generals, continuing with this process until North Korea accepts my message that its world-threatening form of government must cease, cannot continue to exist.” “Venezuela is another unholy hell hole now. It didn’t used to be this way. Venezuela is supposed to be a Federal Presidential Republic, with the leader re-electable for two terms. Like we really believe this es verdad? The chief executive officer is the President of Venezuela who functions both as head of state and head of government. The power of the Executive Branch is exercised by the President. Legislative power is determined in the National Assembly.” “But what really happens is the military leaders are paid sufficiently to keep the President in power through “abnormal” voting in elections. To say that Venezuela is a Republic is the same as saying North Korea, Russia, and Iran are Republics. They are all totalitarian, autocratic, undemocratic, dictatorships.” “North Korea, Venezuela, and Iran are convenient places for leaders of other totalitarian states to hide their money. This money is usually, if not always, stolen from the people of the originating country. I remember the Kleptocracy of Russia under kleptomaniac, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s then completely corrupt President.” “The term “Kleptocracy” referred to Vladimir Putin pocketing anything of value, from when he was in the Russian Committee for State Security, better known as the KGB, up until he finally left the Presidential office. Estimates are he made off with one-hundred billion dollars, and along the way had many, or should I say nearly all, dissidents killed.” “He stashed much of the ill-gotten money in supportive puppet dictatorships around the world. I would guess this was why he supported those puppet states against free countries. He needed places to store the money he stole.” “Remember the New England Patriot football team? Patriot’s owner at the time, Robert Kraft, was asked by Vladimir Putin to let Putin try on the winning Patriot’s Superbowl ring.” “Robert Kraft handed the ring to Vladimir Putin, who slid it on his finger, then took it off, then slid the ring into his pocket, and finally slithered away with his bodyguards. This ring was valued at approximately twenty-five thousand dollars at the time.” “Nice guy that Vladimir Putin! He never gave the Superbowl ring back to Robert Kraft. Remember Putin’s war against Ukraine? What was he thinking? His own greed is what he was thinking. He was a mean-spirited PIG, Positively Ignorant Golem-of-a-bitch!” “As I said, publicity is the weakness of the leaders of any countries, that and the military who keep them in power. What would happen if the entire world, including North Koreans, Venezuelans, Russians, and Iranians really knew what their leaders were up to, working most often against the best interests of the countries, most often in self-serving ways? In other words, to make themselves rich at the expense of the populace. What if the military in those countries was crippled irreversibly?” “Patch” said Olivia. “Aren’t you risking your life by saying things like the leaders of North Korea, Venezuela, Russia, and Iran are crooked? I don’t want to lose you. I love you. I thought I was going to lose you after those bad shootings at The Hague.”