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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency Services Missing girl's family, friends, want more info from police Couple's creativity and hard work fuel Kid Time! preschool expansion LNG project: Where the gas would flow, so would the money Time for a little winter prospecting Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Missing girl's family, friends, want more info from police Emergency Services Suspect in high-speed chase still unaccounted for Emergency services Politics and Elections State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change GMO labeling votes recounted under careful watch in Jackson County Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Education Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Logos may offer students 'fifth year' at RCC or SOU St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament Environment Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock Jackson County holds back on enforcing GMO ban for now No fish, no funding for problem dams State News Oregon missionary deported back to U.S. faces molestation charges Poverty rate in Oregon schools jumps since 2007 Northwest poultry producers fear bird flu outbreak may hurt exports John Day loggers, conservationists cut a deal to save a mill Seaside man accused in child's death Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Patricia Ann Burton Alan Leslie Kenmoen Sharon Kay Boldt David A. Schneider Dovie Mae Stout Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Harbaugh, 49ers agree to part ways Beavers' Andersen hires offensive coaches No. 10 Beavers fall to No. 8 Vols Falls comes up big for South Medford UCLA isn’t looking back after Kentucky shellacking Varsity 541 College Sports Beavers' Andersen hires offensive coaches No. 10 Beavers fall to No. 8 Vols UCLA isn’t looking back after Kentucky shellacking No. 1 Kentucky holds off No. 4 Louisville Winston is in his 'sanctuary' at Rose Bowl Pro Sports Harbaugh, 49ers agree to part ways Raptors halt Clippers' home streak NBA’s trading season has started early Ryan cleans out office, awaits his fate Garrett refused to give up on Cowboys Community Sports Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape Business Latest Stories LNG project: Where the gas would flow, so would the money Southern Oregon Surrogacy Center opens in Medford Silvio Calabi: GLA250 is a Merc for the masses Blog: The Holidays Have Arrived Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Real Estate News Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate More sales, but no change in residential housing median price People In Business People in Business, Dec. 3 Transportation Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Southern Oregon wine industry had a robust 2013 Opinion Latest Our View: Council is barking up the right tree Letters to the Editor, Dec. 28 Another View: Jeb Bush's Republican primary hurdles Dana Milbank: Larry Klayman's legal massacre Robert Samuelson: The best stats of 2014 Editorials Our View: Council is barking up the right tree Other Views: Roseburg VA director sets the right goals Our View: Thanks to four departing leaders Other Views: Yes, Virginia ... Our View: Small post offices no longer practical Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Dec. 28 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 26 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 25 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 24 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 23 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Guest Opinion: SOU pool decision short-sighted Guest Opinion: It's time for biologists to let OR-7 go dark Lifestyle Latest stories Time for a year-end memory workout This local dog has his say Blog: BOOK IT! Friday: Last 3-Team Parlay of 2014 Keeps the Empties in the Garage Longer Community blog: Why New Year�s Resolutions Don�t Work and What to Do Instead Fishing report: Friday, Dec. 26 Food Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Baking contest finalists combine cookies, candies Community blog: 'Cookbook Book' digests genre's past 300 years Community blog: Liver pat� an easy nosh for Hanukkah and beyond Home and Garden Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Bathtub or shower: What’s best for you? Home Help: Home safety tips for a safe and happy winter season How NOT to install drywall Dear Monty: Siblings dispute inherited real estate Health Community blog: Why New Year�s Resolutions Don�t Work and What to Do Instead Community blog: I Get It. Took a While. Health Watch: Small diet changes can make a big difference Community blog: Removing Barriers Is Good Insurance Health Watch: Change up your treadmill workout Hiking Biking Faith (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Hundreds enjoy Christmas dinner, gifts at St. Vincent de Paul SinceYou Asked: SBA would work with Mt. Ashland Ski Area about loan Fans, friends and family welcome home victorious SOU team at airport Wedding: Boldt-Mahon Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews SugarBeats headline an all-ages dance party at Historic Ashland Armory In the Pocket releases 'I Got News' Live Music in Local Clubs Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Theater ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning TMTO presents 'A Christmas Carol: The Musical' Music SugarBeats headline an all-ages dance party at Historic Ashland Armory In the Pocket releases 'I Got News' Live Music in Local Clubs Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present 'The Holly and the Ivy' Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Community Events Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dancing People Company celebrates the solstice Dance to the Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra Dining Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Our View: Council is barking up the right tree ... Suspect in high-speed chase still unaccounted for ... Southern Oregon Surrogacy Center opens in Medford ... Our View: Council is barking up the right tree ... Suspect in high-speed chase still unaccounted for ... Southern Oregon Surrogacy Center opens in Medford ... ANOTHER VIEW Kathleen Parker: North Korea and its inglorious hackers Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Dec. 26, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Dec. 26, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News If I were a cartoonist, a phrase cartoonists are loath to hear, I'd sketch a chubby imp donned in a diaper, sporting a chia mohawk and munching the last Big Mac on earth, while straddling a nuclear-armed missile that bears a striking resemblance to Dennis Rodman. The imp's pudgy hands would be caressing a palm-sized computer by which he can digitally destroy the object of his wrath du jour. His target, you might have guessed, is Hollywood. You may have surmised why I am not a cartoonist. I have no talent for drawing, but you get the point: Little Kim Jong Un, supreme leader of the Democratic (cough, cough) People's Republic of Korea, apparently wasn't able to tolerate what we nutty Americans call political satire. Or at least what Hollywood calls satire. Sony, specifically, considers it "satire" to blow up the face of the person described in paragraph one. What the movie lacks in wit is apparently compensated by the sort of antics that the mood-altered find fantastically funny. This is what earns the film the label of "stoner movie," for those who are not exactly riveted by the zeitgeist. Then again, there is  something about that face ... Thus, the mad tyrant, whose rapacious curiosity includes wondering how long people can survive on a diet of grass, turns his basilisk gaze to the West where lesser mortals dare to mock him. Enter a fifth horseman of the apocalypse — the hacker. What fun to expose the vanities of all vanities — snarky intercompany emails among the rich and famous about the rich and famous — and then to contemplate the genocide of moviegoers. How droll. This  is power. This  is revenge of the nerd. This is lunacy — and a foreshadowing of worse to come? Kim says the U.S. is behind the film and claims to know nothing of the hack. President Obama speaks earnestly about the value of free speech while suggesting some sort of response. What might this be? You hack us, we'll hack you back? A blistering lecture by the one to The Un? Such hackery only Thackeray could love. Meanwhile, the maternal mind wanders to the scene in "The Conversation" when a woman observing a homeless man sleeping on a bench wonders whether he once was someone's pride and joy. This leads to the parallel question: Was Kim Jong Un once a bundle of love in his mother's arms, a happy little toddler whose chief delight was the endless rereading of "Goodnight Moon" or its equivalent? Or did he first pull himself up from the floor only to unsheathe his tiny sword and cleave it through a kitten's neck? How the once-beloved child becomes the mass murderer is one of life's abominable mysteries. It is especially so to folks whose national mandate is to try to make life as fair as possible. That we sometimes fail does not diminish the aspiration. Though I've not shared the pleasure of The Un's company, I'm sure the supreme leader has his moments of humanity. Don't they all? But experience also suggests that Kim is endowed with a case of "the tinies." Most bullies suffer not only a lack of self-esteem and empathy but also, one suspects, a certain masculine incertitude. The "tinies" manifest themselves as follows: The tiniest infraction earns an abundance of punishment; the tiniest insult is received as a mortal affront; the tiniest bit of humor at one's expense is absorbed as an assault on one's honor — and dishonor must pay a price. How to deal with North Korea will keep us busy through the holidays, but it does seem that Obama is well-suited to the task. From my own conversations with and observations of the president, it appears that Obama is intrigued by the psychological underpinnings of human motivation. Thusly attuned, he might find Kim a tantalizing object for examination. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, Dr. Freud supposedly said. But sometimes, it's not. Whatever strategies are devised, we may indulge ourselves in one morsel of sweetness — and I buried the lede. What we have been unable to do — convince Hollywood to take seriously its role in shaping culture as well as reward loyal moviegoers with quality over cheap stunts — has been temporarily accomplished by a smug and cruel little man with the tiniest sense of humor. Even though some theaters decided they would screen the film after all, the killing of "The Interview" was a holiday gift for all the wrong reasons. Kathleen Parker's email address is [email protected]. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Dec. 26, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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