"Rodong Sinmun Condemns S. Korean Puppet Group for Hurting Dignity of DPRK Supreme Leadership"

How did the South Koreans "hurt the dignity of DPRK Supreme Leadership"? They evidently set pictures of the various Kims on fire.

The south Korean puppet group committed a thrice-cursed hideous crime of holding an anti-DPRK rally in downtown Seoul and dare torching portraits of great men symbolic of the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK, not content with viciously slandering the celebrations held in the DPRK to mark the Day of the Sun.

Rodong Sinmun Wednesday says in a bylined commentary in this regard:

It is none other than the south Korean puppet group of hooligans who are bereft of the elementary etiquette and morality, to say nothing of the nation's pride and self-esteem.

The puppet group let loose a spate of vituperation against the celebrations of the Day of the Sun and mobilized gangsters to hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK in the center of Seoul. This is an open declaration of a war against the DPRK.

Their recent act has almost triggered off a nuclear war.

No one can turn back to the present situation on the Korean Peninsula that has already crossed the threshold of a war.

To be included in the targets of retaliation are Seoul, the hotbed of politically-motivated provocation, those directly or indirectly involved in the operation of hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK and the puppet authorities and their bosses who instigated the perpetrators and connived at their crime. They are already destined to meet punishment.

We can never live with the puppet group under the same sky.

The army and the people of the DPRK will wipe out the group of traitors who committed the thrice-cursed unpardonable crime and give vent to their pent-up grudge through powerful retaliation action without notice and immediate start of just military operation.

"Immediate start"? So it should have happened by now? This is probably all bluster, but it would be insane to allow their nuclear program to get any more advanced.

"Kim Jong Un Praised by World" (Korean News)

"By World"? Even Imperialists?

One year has passed since the dear respected Kim Jong Un was elected first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK.

The whole world extended warmest congratulations to him upon hearing the news of the Fourth Conference of the WPK and the Fifth Session of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK.

He was presented with congratulatory messages and letters, floral baskets and bouquets by party and state leaders, prominent figures, political parties and organizations of China, Russia, Cuba, South Africa and various other countries and international and regional bodies.

He got a floral basket from Mahmoud Abbas according to this.

The Socialist Party of Benin convened a special enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau and adopted a decision on registering him as honorary party member.

Political parties, organizations and figures of different countries in their statements paid highest tribute to him.

The exciting news enlivened the celebrations of the centenary of birth of President Kim Il Sung (the Day of the Sun) held in different parts of the world with splendor.

The World Conference on the Juche Idea held in Pyongyang adopted the Pyongyang Declaration which evinced the will to remain true to the idea and leadership of Kim Jong Un to the last.

The participants in the international festival for celebrating the centenary of birth of Kim Il Sung and the events marking the anniversaries of the Workers' Party of Korea and the DPRK and other significant events highly lauded the undying feats Kim Jong Un performed by putting the DPRK on the status of a proud satellite manufacturer and launcher and a nuclear weapons state.

Organizations of different countries and international and regional organizations and foreigners presented him with orders, silk banners, certificates of honorary titles and gifts.

More than 12,000 media of the world vied with each other to give wide publicity to his ceaseless inspection of the front and field guidance to different fields.

Fileds need guidance.

"U.S. Slammed for Slandering DPRK's Nukes: Minju Joson" (Korean News)

Can one slander nukes? North Korea thinks so:

U.S. high-ranking politicians are letting loose a spate of invectives, terming the DPRK's access to nuclear weapons "a violation of the UN Security Council's resolutions" and "threat to global peace and security". They are appeasing the DPRK, blustering that if it gives up nukes, the U.S. will "have dialogue with north Korea and think of providing economic aid".

Minju Joson Friday says in a bylined commentary in this regard:

Lurking behind the U.S. outbursts is a vicious aim to distort the nature of the DPRK's nukes in a bid to tarnish its international image, lay an international siege to it and stifle it, the news analyst notes, and goes on:

The DPRK's access to nukes is an exercise of the legitimate right to self-defence and so, no one is entitled to slander them.

Nevertheless, the U.S. is taking issue with the DPRK over its access to nuclear weapons. This reveals the U.S. extreme disheartened spirit and fit as its hostile policy toward the DPRK does not work on.

We neither read others' face over the nuclear force nor feel any need to gain others' approval in bolstering it in quality and quantity.

The DPRK will dynamically advance without hesitation true to the line set forth by the Workers' Party of Korea on simultaneously pushing forward the economic construction and the building of nuclear force no matter what others may say and no matter how the situation may change.

To try to change this strategic line based on the strong faith is a foolish ambition.

A Qassam paragraph from a Qassam guy

Juan Cole's writing is best appreciated in single paragraphs. Here is a choice recent one:

Gaza’s population is roughly that of Houston, where 217 people were murdered last year. Gaza’s Palestinians are far, far less violent. A few young militants send tiny home made rockets (not katyushas) over the border and almost never hit anything. (Occasionally they smuggle in a real rocket; but those don’t typically hit much either.) The Israelis justify their air strikes and other actions with reference to what they call terrorism but Palestinians call resistance. Israel offers the Palestinians nothing for making peace, and even punishes the suckers who sometimes negotiate.

Take a bow, Juan.

"More Local Army-People Meetings Held to Support Statement of KPA Supreme Command" (Korean News)

I think those "monuments to the immortality of the great Generalissimos Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il" are statues. Part of the hysteria expressed in the article involves the perception that those all-important statues (the ones that they are always putting floral baskets in front of) might be targets in an exchange of fire with South Korea. By the way, the North Korean government-controlled press has been using phrases like "merciless annihilating strike" (directed at "imperialists," of course) for years:

Army-people meetings were held in South Phyongan, Jagang and South Hamgyong provinces Monday to support the statement of the Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army and win victory in all people's final decisive battle against the aggressors including the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet group of traitors.

Speeches were made by representatives of the KPA, the Worker-Peasant Red Guards, the Young Red Guards and the discharged soldiers.

The speakers said that all the service personnel and people are fully determined to demonstrate the dignity and power of Songun Korea in the spirit of annihilating the enemies, upon hearing the statement of the KPA Supreme Command and the news that the dear respected Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un convened an urgent operation meeting on the Strategic Rocket Force's performance of duty on firepower strike.

They declared that they would devotedly protect the monuments to the immortality of the great Generalissimos Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, symbols of the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK, eternally hold them in high esteem and defend Kim Jong Un at the cost of their lives.

They stressed the need for the service personnel to round off their combat methods and operations in the direction of increasing the pivotal role of the nuclear force in all aspects of war deterrence and strategy for fighting a war and to wipe out the enemies at a single strike once they dare come in attack.

The members of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards and the Young Red Guards should tightly hold their arms and deal sledge-hammer blows at the enemies, so they may not run riot again, and devote their youth and lives to the fight for the party and leader, the country and its people, they noted.

They underlined the need for the discharged soldiers to wipe out the reckless U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet group of traitors to the last man by giving full play to the wisdom and courage of each beating a hundred enemies which they had cultivated during the days of military service.

The meetings were followed by the demonstrations of their participants.

They're having a sort of reality-hemorrage.

There are so many ways to lie for the truly creative liar

I hope you have been following the latest developments on the Mifta-affair at EOZ. As you will recall, Hanan Ashrawi's Miftah published an essay--in Arabic and over Passover--berating Obama for holding a Passover-seder ("Does Obama in fact know the relationship, for example, between 'Passover' and 'Christian blood' ..?!"). The indefatigable Elder of Ziyon pointed it out, only to be subjected to a thoroughly dishonest counter-attack as the essay was hastily deleted. Why, the offending essay was only published in the interests of free debate, and it only "briefly addressed" the blood-libel, and Miftah is being subjected to a "smear campaign," and it was only removed to "avoid misunderstanding."

Further bad publicity for Miftah and its many respectable enablers ensued, and now suddenly Miftah appears as contrite, newly appreciative of the "disgusting and repulsive phenomena of blood libel or accusation" and ready with the helpful explanation that "the article was accidentally and incorrectly published by a junior staff member." What emerges from all this, I hope you notice, is Miftah's subtle, many-hued, seemingly inexhaustible ability to vary its lying strategy. (The blood libel of the original article, let us recall, is a lie to begin with in the service of Israel-bashing propaganda.) Hats off to Hanan--you have to admire the virtuosity of it all.