Regarding John J. Metzler's Dec. 3 article, "North Korea evokes pity and condemnation": We need to acknowledge that starvation is a means of preserving power for Pyongyang. Our sense of humanity is being manipulated by the Kim Jong Il regime. Kim created the food shortage; he alone has the power to regulate food production and distribution. When people are starving, they will naturally support and submit to those who control the food. They are grateful to "Dear Leader."
Aid from the World Food Program, for example, comes in only because Kim allows it, which makes him the savior in people's eyes, especially when they believe that such shortages are from drought or some other external reason.
As difficult as it is to admit, aid programs do more to preserve and empower the regime than they do to alleviate suffering. Despite humanitarian sentiments, I feel that giving food to the people of North Korea is a tough but poor choice. It is not good for the peace and stability of the region and world community.
It is equally difficult to admit that the regime also creates war. As a military power, Kim needs to fabricate war to further his political power objectives. Any war, real or imagined, military or economic, is designed solely as a means of maintaining the stability of the North Korean regime.
As George Orwell wrote in "1984," "If there is hope, it lies in the proles [to rebel]." Perhaps by not sending food, the people will at some point become unable to see Kim as a great leader, and they may then rise up and rebel. After that, I'm confident the world community will be more than generous to provide an abundance of economic and humanitarian aid — not just a bandaid fix that perpetuates the status quo.