Today's great leaps forward

Something called the "4th National Meeting of Agitators" came to a close in North Korea. We only tend to think of an "agitator" as something good if it is part of a washing machine. In Juche-land, however, they see political agitation as something positive:

The speakers said that brisk activities to inform the people of the policies of the Workers' Party of Korea and agitation work now under way in every work site of socialist construction are the fruition of the experienced and tested leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Il who put forward original theories and policies of information service and has energetically led the struggle to implement them.

They referred to the fact that they have educated the masses by conducting effective political work and setting examples in the van of the struggle and advance and thus powerfully encouraged them in the general march of the Songun revolution.

They underscored the need to dynamically conduct a political and ideological offensive to give full play to the might of ideology and inexhaustible mental power of all the servicepersons and people in hearty response to the militant tasks laid down in the congratulatory message of the WPK Central Committee and thus make a positive contribution to consolidating the single-minded unity of the whole society and cementing the politico-ideological position of Korean-style socialism. [...]

Elsewhere in the news, a Rodong Sinmun editorial called for "Adherence to Anti-imperialist Independent Stand." Why is this necessary?

The imperialists are increasing their political, economic and military pressure upon the anti-imperialist independent countries while staging large-scale smear campaigns against those countries in a bid to realize their wild ambition for domination and instigating anti-government forces to create and stoke the socio-political confusion . . .

Can't have that. The article explains:

The completely different fate of the peoples of Cuba and Iraq teaches a lesson that if people of a country lack a transparent anti-imperialist independent stand, they are bound to become slaves of imperialism and can neither expect the independent development of their country and nation nor survive.

So Cuba had a "a transparent anti-imperialist independent stand" and Iraq didn't? It's hard to believe Saddam Hussein had any shortcomings in the dictator business. In any event, the latest edition of Haveil Havalim at The Israel Situation is educating the masses by conducting effective political work and setting examples in the van of the struggle and advance.