Community Chat

[muttmom]

Possibly I missed this but did Otto's parents  know their son went to NK?  I had the impression he had time in China before his college program began so he decided to go to NK.  Earlier in the program they mentioned he liked to travel and had been to Israel and Cuba.

[Noel7]

There is a new wave in religion which has touched some young Jewish people and young Christians.  It can encompass environmental issues.

A US conference of RC Bishops was on care for creation.  LDS have taken on environmental stewardship. Billy Graham has supported stewardship of the earth. I'm not surprised that some young Jewish people feel the same. 

[YorkieonmyPillow]

I'm not blaming the parents for what happened to him, but I wouldn't have let him go.

My son is 20. If he tells me in a year that he wants to trek to NK, I will stop him.

21 years of age may be legal adulthood but let's face it, a lot of 21-year-olds are clueless; I know I was, at that age......probably still am LOL.

[sallybusky]

My initial thought is, "of course I would want an autopsy to tell me exactly how my son died." However, I can't even pretend to know what those parents are experiencing. Burying a child is something I would not wish on my worst enemy. I have to respect their choice, even if it seems foreign to me.

[Pearlee]

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@sallybusky wrote:

My initial thought is, "of course I would want an autopsy to tell me exactly how my son died." However, I can't even pretend to know what those parents are experiencing. Burying a child is something I would not wish on my worst enemy. I have to respect their choice, even if it seems foreign to me.

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@sallybusky  Did you see my post above where the neurologist interviewed on Friday night's 20/20 show said an autopsy wouldn't have showed how that brain damage occurred?  So there was no reason for an autopsy.

[Lucky Charm]

Personally, I think that autopsy report (findings) are a huge invasion of one's privacy.

For that reason alone, I would not want one done in such a high profile case such as this young man's.

I just think that when one dies or is murdered or there is suspicions, the autopsy should be kept private.  Perhaps only for jurors to hear.  Not the world.

Especially children.  Knowing the physical trauma and only imagining the horror and pain someone went through really does no one good to know.  It's rather sick to want to know.....

[willomenia]

I don't understand why people will go to other countries, commit what is considered a crime in that country, and expect America to bail them out! I do not thing the crime called for the punishment Otto received, but that was not America, these young people have to show respect for that countries laws, whether you agree or not.

[Pearlee]

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@willomenia wrote:
I don't understand why people will go to other countries, commit what is considered a crime in that country, and expect America to bail them out! I do not thing the crime called for the punishment Otto received, but that was not America, these young people have to show respect for that countries laws, whether you agree or not.

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@willomenia  Your post is meaningful only if that was really Otto stealing the banner.   Nobody is sure if that was.  They could have all been trumped up charges, or not.

I kinda have this thinking when rescuers have to go rescue dumb people here in this country who do very dangerous and risky things.  E.g. mountain climbing, sailing when they know there is a bad storm coming, etc..

[Irshgrl31201]

I feel really sad for his family and friends. Lets be honest, he didn't have to do anything in North Korea to be charged for a crime. Kim Jung Un has put his own relatives to death and shot them with an anti aircraft gun that pulverizes people, flame throwers, etc... He has put people to death for dozing off in meetings, drinking a beverage during his fathers mourning period, not having a picture of him in their home, watching a Hollywood movie, etc... 

I will never understand why anyone from the US or anywhere really would go there. I don't know if his parents were ok with him going or not but if it would have been my child, I would have forbid it and given him the numerous examples to back up why I didn't want him to go. If he was traveling on my dime, every single card he had would have been cancelled immediately.