A Tour of Hell

The Boston Herald's 'Big Picture' feature this week is a photo essay from a recent journalist tour inside North Korea. It's fascinating, in a depressing sort of way. Toward the end, there's a photo of central Pyongyang taken from the top of a building; it's positively unreal. I am reminded of a rotten piece of wood with a fresh coat of cheap paint.

I was afforded the opportunity to visit Czech shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, and I can tell you that as depressing and utilitarian as Soviet-era construction is, it's like a fun-filled carnival next to North Korea. This is the real end result of hardline communism. It's what those people in the 'Occupy' mobs will lead us to, are we ever foolish enough to give them any real power.