News-Notes: Kim Jong Il, Drew Brees, & Other Apotheoses
Monday, December 19, 2011 at 9:30AM | by Otter Just a few news-notes about people who are godlike, or think they are.
Kim Jong Il with his son and heir-apparent, Kim Jong Un, guiding the backward Hermit Kingdom to glorious victoryKim Jong Il, the strange leader of North Korea is dead. This ends (or rather sends into a second edition) the weirdest regime in modern history, one that transcends both ideology and reason. Note that the cult-status of a leader can lead to a certain habit of denying death: "Beloved leader... We will wait for you," CNN reports one hysterical follower as saying. Nero got similar treatment among the slaves of the East: they eagerly anticipated his return after his death.
If this freak's regime hadn't caused so much human suffering, it would have been the most amusing thing in the news.
Speaking of human suffering, after last week's Saints victory over the Tennessee Titans I became sort of interested in their downward spiral. As a lifelong Saints fan I've got huge sympathies for the train-wreck-in-slow-motion that a season can become. You come to sympathize with the people you beat. I saw the previously winless Colts beat the Titans yesterday therefore with the kind of sick feeling one gets while watching a third-grade class runt getting beat up on the playground. Never mind that it was being beat up by the runt who had wandered in from the Kindergarten.
Drew Brees looking invincible during a game against the Rams
And speaking of hysterical devotion to cult-like leaders, Drew Brees tagged the confused Vikings with five touchdown passes, bringing his season total to an astonishing 37.
If you want to redefine "home field advantage," tune in to Monday Night Football next week to watch the Saints play the Atlanta Falcons: with Brees set to shatter Dan Marino's all-time passing yards record during that game, the Superdome will be, um, energetic.
The Saints-Falcons games are always a little jumped-up in Prime Time, and the Falcons are good this year, so there are no certainties. It's a meaningful division game (the Saints are in the hunt to hold the second seed in the NFC, the Falcons are aching to get into the playoffs).
But its hard to express how good Brees is right now. He's been asked by New Orleans to take over as Supreme Beloved Leader, but has so far refused. Still, he can get away with murder in this town.
Reader Comments (2)
I heard about Kim Jong Il's death yesterday. Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to be happy or not. What'll happen next to N Korea? Who's going to be the next leader? Is it going to be Kim Jong-Un or the husband of her sister?
Saints vs. Falcons? Wow, I am torn... Psss. Don't tell my GA neighbors that though. ;-)