[Sandtrap328]

Thank goodness this young man is back in the USA but it unfortunately is in very poor health - due to his captivity in North Korea.

I understand that he was sentenced to prison for stealing a political poster - ridiculous to say the least.

What I do not understand is the WHY of his being in North Korea.

The State Department has travel warnings not to go there, yet he did. Why?

[jblum315]

He was lured by a Chinese company offering "cheap travel to places your mother would rather you stayed away from" in other words, irrresistable bait to a youngster

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by Sandtrap328

Thank goodness this young man is back in the USA but it unfortunately is in very poor health - due to his captivity in North Korea.

I understand that he was sentenced to prison for stealing a political poster - ridiculous to say the least.

What I do not understand is the WHY of his being in North Korea.

The State Department has travel warnings not to go there, yet he did. Why?

Yes WHY would any of the people who are imprisoned there go to N.Korea? I am not talking about the people who have gone on business and been picked up on phony charges, but these young people who think they can change the world. If they want to do good, stay here in their own country and work to change the world here, there are plenty of opportunities to help our own citizens live a better life.

At one time, my young granddaughter got all fired up about being a missionary and changing the world with a bible. Thank goodness nothing came of that.

[graciegirl]

My grandmother told me that there are things worse than death. This situation for him and his family seem to fit that criteria.

My heart aches for them.

[village dreamer]

thank god we live in the good old usa.

[Taltarzac725]

Otto Warmbier suffered brain damage in N Korea | USA News | Al Jazeera

Very sad state of affairs in North Korea and with this very young man. Absurd to be sentenced to 15 years for trying to steal a political poster.

[Boomer]

Dear TOTVers,

Please do not let this turn into one of those judgmental, flippant threads that too often happen here.

The people of this young man's neighborhood in Cincinnati have tied blue and white ribbons around their trees to welcome Otto home. Driving through there brings tears and a reminder........

Young people do not always make the best decisions, no matter how smart they are. Otto was salutatorian of his high school class at a public school known to be one of the best in Cincinnati. He then went on to UVA which has among the highest of admission standards. An academic young man, brimming with promise, made a young mistake.

Beautiful promise destroyed by unspeakable evil.

Who among us has not made a mistake.

Who among us has not hoped and prayed that the children we love will get safely through those young years -- those years when they begin to leave us to enter their lives as adults -- but not quite there yet.

I hope those who choose to post here will stop and think and try to imagine the heartbreak those parents must endure.

Truly,
Boomer

[Blessed2BNTV]

Originally Posted by Madelaine Amee

Yes WHY would any of the people who are imprisoned there go to N.Korea? I am not talking about the people who have gone on business and been picked up on phony charges, but these young people who think they can change the world. If they want to do good, stay here in their own country and work to change the world here, there are plenty of opportunities to help our own citizens live a better life.

At one time, my young granddaughter got all fired up about being a missionary and changing the world with a bible. Thank goodness nothing came of that.

Hope your granddaughter still reads the Bible. It's a very good book.

I do understand about concern for our children/grandchildren leaving the safety of our world and going to places of concern.

If someone wants to change the world, the Good News (Old then New Testament) is the best way of doing it!

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Dear TOTVers,

Please do not let this turn into one of those judgmental, flippant threads that too often happen here.

The people of this young man's neighborhood in Cincinnati have tied blue and white ribbons around their trees to welcome Otto home. Driving through there brings tears and a reminder........

Young people do not always make the best decisions, no matter how smart they are. Otto was salutatorian of his high school class at a public school known to be one of the best in Cincinnati. He then went on to UVA which has among the highest of admission standards. An academic young man, brimming with promise........

Beautiful promise destroyed by unspeakable evil.

Who among us has not made a mistake.

Who among us has not hoped and prayed that the children we love will get safely through those young years -- those years when they begin to leave us to enter their lives as adults -- but not quite there yet.

I hope those who choose to post here will stop and think and try to imagine the heartbreak those parents must endure.

Truly,
Boomer

I hope we do too. Learned last night that the 26 year old son of my Illinois cousin-- or one of the many of I have of these- committed suicide last month. Still trying to understand why someone so young would do this. And in this case it is the evil of a regime with no checks-and-balances that ruined this man's life probably. Just because of a cult of personality and almost total control of the press, police, military, etc. in North Korea.

[Sandtrap328]

You would think that family and friends would have pleaded with Otto not to go to North Korea and that common sense would have kept him from going.

The State Department warnings are very specific about what is forbidden in North Korea and that stiff prison time is the norm.

Now, this young man who had so much promise is in a vegetative state.

Why did he go?

[karostay]

Time to drop the bomb

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Sandtrap328

You would think that family and friends would have pleaded with Otto not to go to North Korea and that common sense would have kept him from going.

The State Department warnings are very specific about what is forbidden in North Korea and that stiff prison time is the norm.

Now, this young man who had so much promise is in a vegetative state.

Why did he go?

I did a lot of stupid stuff when about that age-- 22. Jerome Childress a charming black man greeted me on the University of Nevada. Reno campus outside the Humanities Building. We got to talking and he invited me to have a meeting with members of his group to talk Philosophy. He had given me his card which said Unification Church. Well I met them went back a few days later and then my parents started getting phone calls to let me go as they were corrupting me. I eventually had to use some extremely foul language to get the Moonies to stop calling my parents. I sounded like the man with the snakes on the plane. Just two meetings too and I had the presenter at the second meeting in tears. The Unification Church comes out of the teachings of another Korean -- this one from South Korea-- with a cult following. Sun Myung Moon - Wikipedia

[DonH57]

Originally Posted by Sandtrap328

You would think that family and friends would have pleaded with Otto not to go to North Korea and that common sense would have kept him from going.

The State Department warnings are very specific about what is forbidden in North Korea and that stiff prison time is the norm.

Now, this young man who had so much promise is in a vegetative state.

Why did he go?

I don't know why he went but I do wonder what those animals did to him. So sad to see this.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Sandtrap328

You would think that family and friends would have pleaded with Otto not to go to North Korea and that common sense would have kept him from going.

The State Department warnings are very specific about what is forbidden in North Korea and that stiff prison time is the norm.

Now, this young man who had so much promise is in a vegetative state.

Why did he go?

You are right, of course. But like the young man who got caned in Singapore for vandalism, kids this age don't always use a whole lot of common sense. For one thing, they think they're invincible.

I am just sick for this young man and his family. I pray for some miracle for them.

That country is run by madmen.