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Re:North Korea sentences US tourist to 15 years in prison by MaulingMonkey on Wednesday March 16, 2016 @12:48PM (#11298721)
> The kid simply doesn't deserve it

Nobody is saying he does.

> and it's the _right thing to do_ to help him.

Sure, but that's not the question. The question is: Is it the right thing to do to help him, at the expense of helping someone else? They don't deserve it either.

But life is unfair, and we can only do so much at once - this is basic opportunity cost. It's simply impossible for us to do everything at once - we're merely human. Even when your goal is to eventually save everyone, you have to prioritize.

Even when the stakes are as high as helping people survive North Korea. Perhaps especially then - when it matters most to do as much good as possible.

Re:North Korea sentences US tourist to 15 years in prison by crispyambulance on Wednesday March 16, 2016 @12:56PM (#11298784)
Who, exactly, are the others that will not be helped when the student gets bailed out?

There have been batch releases in the past, these releases can be "bundled."