Il Ill, Props Up Kid

Something's happening in North Korea. It's hard to tell exactly, since the flow if information from there is sporadic, at best.

The North Korean Leader, 68 year old Kim Jong Il is believed to be in poor health with kidney problems and diabetes, following his 2008 stroke. That's him, on the right. It is believed that he plans to transfer power to his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as he (Kim Jong Il) received the favor from his daddy. One problem, Kim Jong Un (left)is 27 and until this week held no known political or military positions. The younger Kim was promoted to the rank of 4 Star General, this week. It's been my experience that officers who receive promotions too quickly, well, usually end up having problems.

Why is all of this a big deal? After all, we don't buy any crude oil from North Korea, do we? The problem is that North Korea has nuclear weapons and they periodically test them. If you live in Japan, you know this.
Picture this: a 27 year old, third generation family, communist dictator of a poor nation with his finger on the trigger of a nuclear arsenal.

Not good.