A story in the Wall Street Journal last week caught my eye. It was about a North Korean soldier and was written in his diary after he was killed in the Ukrainian-Russia war.

The diary was found on his body and indicated the pure stupidity of the conflict and soldiers and civilians dying.

Kim Jong Un is the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and 3rd Supreme leader of North Korea. His elevation to the throne of North Korea was part of a  family dynasty going back to 1948.

Last year Kim Jong Un brokered a deal with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin. Russia reportedly paid $10,000 per North Korean soldier to bolster Russia’s depleted forces.

In reality, the Korean soldiers have often been used as fodder for drone and missile attacks on the battlefield.

In the Wall Street story by journalist sDasl Yoon in Seoul and Jane Lytvynenko in Kyiv, Ukraine, it reported:

The crude stick-figure diagram, sketched in blue ink, details how North Korean soldiers deployed to support Russia in the Ukraine war should respond to the approach of a Ukrainian drone. One soldier—referred to as “bait” in the drawing—should stand still to lure the drone so that a pair of comrades can attempt to shoot it down.

The grisly tactics were divulged in a diary taken off a slain North Korean soldier on Dec. 21, with passages containing mundane details of life at the front, descriptions of combat tactics and expressions of love for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to excerpts recently made public by Ukraine’s special-operations forces. Independent experts say the diary entries appear genuine, with penmanship, word choice and expressions of ideological fervor all common in North Korea. 

The young soldier who penned the passage about the drone died in a firefight alongside two other compatriots, according to Ukraine’s special forces.

Stop and imagine the thought process of that young North Korean soldier. He came from an oppressive society, wrought with scandal and poverty, yet he wrote in his diary about expressions of love for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. This devotion to a man and a system that has brain washed not only him, but millions of North Koreans.

History repeats itself.

If you cannot imagine such a brain washing and devotion, look no further than Nazi Germany and the millions of Germans saluting Adolph Hitler.

If you cannot imagine such a brain washing and devotion, look no further than the January 6 uprising and millions of Americans ignoring the warning signs and electing a man leading us down a similar path.

No, the millions cannot see it yet, but there will be a light bulb going on in the next few years, hopefully.

There currently is a shake-up in media. Political cartoonists fear retribution as editors stick their heads in the sand. How does a political cartoonist dare upset their readership by drawing the current administration in a bad light?

Some simply will not, and have even quit, while others attempt to push the boundaries of what is now acceptable.

Likewise there are a number of dedicated journalists that have retired, quit, or taking the careful road of quasi appeasement.

I have mentioned before that many media giants and million/billionaires owners have already succumbed to the current administration, loading millions of dollars in "gifts" and "contributions" to the current administrations causes and goals.

The media companies dumping outlets, such as MSNBC and other out-of-favor news outlets will soon become more aware, as the media soldiers line up.

Yeah, meanwhile I will still be here taking pot-shots at the right and left and giving you sometimes, the news, editorials, cartoons and jabs you don’t really want to read, or see.

Independence - the willingness to maintain free speech - is still alive... for now.