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Otto Warmbier, a young man with a bright future ahead of him, has died. As our readers know, Otto traveled to China and decided to join a tour group traveling to North Korea. While there, he made the tragic decision to take a poster, a freaking POSTER! off a wall in a hotel hallway. That decision led to his arrest, and a lousy dictatorship-style, one-hour trial. The sentence? Fifteen years of hard labor.
The sham trial and his statements were infuriating and heartbreaking to watch.
Surely there would be recourse? Couldn’t the Obama Administration stop this from happening? It seems they couldn’t…or wouldn’t help. And then we receive the announcement from Secretary of State Tillerson that Otto has been freed but will be coming home in a coma. Kim wrote about his father’s statement and the grim medical prognosis here.
Sadly, and tragically Otto Warmbier, 22 years old, died today from the injuries and damage he suffered at the hands of the North Korean government.
Breaking News: Otto Warmbier, who was held prisoner in North Korea for 17 months before coming home last week, has died, his family said. pic.twitter.com/GW9aUlSAcR
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 19, 2017
His family released a statement that was a beautiful tribute to Otto and they expressed their grateful thanks to the medical team who oversaw his care:
“It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home,” his family said in part in a statement. “Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2:20 p.m.”
“It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost — future time that won’t be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds,” the family’s statement continues. “But we choose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person. You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched — Wyoming, Ohio, and the University of Virginia to name just two — that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family.”
“When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13th he was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands. He looked very uncomfortable — almost anguished. Although we would never hear his voice again, within a day the countenance of his face changed — he was at peace. He was home and we believe he could sense that.”
Senator Rob Portman issued a statement that said, in part:
Sen. Portman: Otto Warmbier had "a bright future ahead of him. His passing today is a loss for Ohio and for all of us."
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) June 19, 2017
Many people are going to want to blame somebody…ANYBODY…for Otto’s death. But the plain truth of it is, the North Korean government is the one to blame. They didn’t have to make an example of that young man the way that they did. They could’ve and should’ve just made him leave the country. Instead they chose to thumb their noses at the United States and ‘make an example’ out of this young man.
What did the Obama Administration do? Nothing. And they ALSO told the Warmbier family to keep their mouths shut because doing otherwise would make the Norks mad.
Otto Warmbier's death is yet another reminder of the former administration's failures to protect Americans in distress overseas
— ©AM€®ON™ (@CameronBlount1) June 19, 2017
Well, guess what? That didn’t stop the Norks from torturing and killing Otto. And that especially didn’t stop them from sending this young man home in a heinous, in-your-face kind of way to all Americans.
What can President Trump do in retaliation? What should he do? The country is already starving. So economic sanctions probably won’t work. Their missile program on the other hand, needs to be shut down and shut down BIGLY. The North Koreans’ cyber warfare capabilities are increasingly problematic as well. Shut them DOWN!
Do I want President Trump to do something just so we can all feel better? NO. But a hostile nation state held an American citizen captive all because of an incredibly stupid poster! That same hostile nation state, by far the worst dictatorship regime in the world, tortured an American citizen. Otto’s death is completely due to the evil that is North Korea. In my opinion, President Trump should make North Korea understand the grave consequences of their actions. Otherwise, they will decide to inflict worse on other American citizens without impunity. The Trump Administration has a great deal to consider over the coming days in that regard.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Warmbier family. May Otto be at peace.
Kim Quade says: But there some leftist voices that say he got what was coming. White privilege, or something.
Mrs Bookout wrote:
Many people are going to want to blame somebody …ANYBODY for Otto’s death. But the plain truth of it is, the North Korean government is the one to blame. They didn’t have to make an example of that young man the way that they did. They could’ve and should’ve just made him leave the country. Instead they chose to thumb their noses at the United States and ‘make an example’ out of this young man.
Quite frankly, the person most responsible for Mr Warmbier’s death was Mr Warmbier. It has been no secret that the North Koreans will use the slightest pretext to arrest Americans, to hold them for use as bargaining chips. If the Obama Administration did not get Mr Warmbier released, then it means that they didn’t give up anything to North Korea to get him released, and that was wise, if nevertheless cold-hearted, policy.
The Trump Administration needs to announce that any American stupid enough to go to North Korea (or Iran, for that matter) is on his own! The North Koreans can use Americans as hostages and bargaining chips only if we are willing to bargain with them for those hostages. Americans who go willingly to North Korea are setting themselves us as possible weapons to be used against American policy.
Am I being hard-hearted with this? Yup, sure am! But I’m also telling you the truth.
Nina says: Hi! North Korea is no fan of the United States that’s been clear for decades.
However, Obama Administration clearly informed the family that they weren’t planning to engage much effort if any to bring the young man home. In fact, as I state in the post and as stated by Otto’s father, the Obama Administration told them to shut up about their son’s situation.
To your point regarding Otto’s actual trip to North Korea and his “supposed” taking of a poster…
Again, he went with a verified travel agency. That is ALL that he did wrong!
Do we know that Otto actually stole something? No, we only have the North Korean government’s “word” on that.
Did Otto make a mistake by choosing to go on this guided tour of North Korea? Yes.
Was his subsequent arrest, sham trial, and his death HIS fault? In my opinion? NO and most definitely NO. The blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the North Korean government.
Thanks!
At this point, I don’t even care if North Korea was telling the truth about Mr Warmbier’s actions; we know that they lie all the time, and we know that they seize foreigners on the slenderest of pretexts, or perhaps no pretext at all if they want.
Was his subsequent arrest, sham trial and death his fault? Sadly, yes, it was, because he put himself in that position by going to NK in the first place. He had to have known that he was putting himself at risk just by going there.
Sure, it’s sad, and perhaps someone who is less of an [insert slang term for the sphincter here] than I am would not point out what I have, but at this point, Mr Warmbier’s greatest contribution can only be to have his fate serve as a warning to anyone else stupid enough to want to visit there.
Mrs Bookout wrote:
However, Obama Administration clearly informed the family that they weren’t planning to engage much effort if any to bring the young man home. In fact, as I state in the post and as stated by Otto’s father, the Obama Administration told them to shut up about their son’s situation.
I am no fan of President Obama and his Administration, but if that was what was done, it was the right thing to do. The only way that the Obama Administration could have gotten Mr Warmbier released is to have given North Korea some sort of ransom or tribute; to have resolved not to do that would have been wise.
Nina says: Well Dana, I guess we are just going to disagree on this.
For myself, I reserve my sadness and pity for a young man gone to soon.
I am angry at North Korea and the Obama Administration for their roles in this young American’s death.
And most importantly, I offer my condolences and prayers to Otto’s family.
Jodi Giddings says: My two: Obama has a long, documented history of caving to terrorist countries and dictators. Why release the Gitmo guys to retrieve a traitor, give pallets of cash to Iran in exchange for those they held hostage (and we KNOW the money was for the hostages; it was absolutely connected), but not lend any assistance to Otto Warmbier and his family to secure his release? For me, the comparisons are striking.
Kevin R says: Yep Jodi, pretty much exactly what I was going to say.
We (USA) do need to not push Trump though to do something brash because Hussein didn’t.
GWB says: Why Taliban and Iran, but not NK? Well, let’s sing a song I learned from Sesame Street all those years ago. Ready?
“One of these things is not like the other one, one of these things does not belong…”
Two of those things have something in common. As a matter of fact, what they have in common, they also have in common with … Indonesia. And a goodly chunk of the Middle East…….
[…] Nina Bookout of The Victory Girls wrote: […]
Scott says: Well, I’m not sure i should get into an argument between two women, that usually ends poorly, but what the hell, I’ll put in my two cents..I agree that anyone travels to NK is not all that bright, even if they use a travel agency ( the one he used was run my communists, so there’s that) I also agree that the obama admin should not have done what they usually did, ie: offering pallets of cash, or other big concessions for Mr. Warmbiers release. That being said, if every bad actor in the world didn’t realize that obumbler was a complete puss, he might have had some leverage, or the ability to intimidate third world despots into treating our people right. In addition, the fact that he would not let the family do what they could to gain freedom for their son, taking it public, etc, is unconscionable! That piece of human refuse (obama) was more than happy to welcome traitors or their families to the White-house, and pay large sums for their release, but not allow regular people to work for the better of their own family.
So I guess that’s a really long way to get into this conversation, when the only thing really left to do, is to offer condolences and prayers to the family, since they are truly the innocent victims in all this
GWB says: even if they use a travel agency
Especially one called “Young Pioneer”. Oy vey. *eyeroll*
Scott says: Ok, for that I apologize. Some names are difficult to determine, and I guess some of us revert to people we know with those names, which in this case is a woman. If i have offended on that, I apologize
Oh, I’ve faced that for 64 years now; I’ve learned to deal with it and am not offended.
My gravatar on most sites is my photo; not sure why it doesn’t show up on this one.
Kim Quade says: Otto was Jewish. In the words of the traditional Jewish saying, “May his memory be a blessing.”
[…] are reputable stories out there saying that is bullshit, but whatever). A Nina Bookout over at Victory Girls […]
J Walter says: Who in their right mind would go to NK?
sabasarge says: Gee, you don’t suppose the fact that he is (was) a Jew might have a little something to do with his treatment at the hands of these Muslim mainacs?
Funny that that little factiod is being reported…….no where.
GWB says: Uhhhh, exactly which “Muslim maniacs”? The ones in North Korea?!? o.O
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