There's dumb, and then there's this...

From the Associated Press:

North Korea's highest court sentenced an American tourist to 15 years in prison with hard labor for subversion on Wednesday, weeks after authorities presented him to media and he tearfully confessed that he had tried to steal a propaganda banner. 

Otto Warmbier, 21, a University of Virginia undergraduate, was convicted and sentenced in a one-hour trial in North Korea's Supreme Court. He was charged with subversion under Article 60 of North Korea's criminal code.

Otto, why did you do something so incredibly stupid? Even assuming you managed to get the banner, did you think you would get out of the country without them checking your luggage? You get the bear...

Next:

Before the trial, Warmbier had said he tried to steal a propaganda banner as a trophy for an acquaintance who wanted to hang it in her church. That would be grounds in North Korea for a subversion charge. He identified the church as Friendship United Methodist Church. Meshach Kanyion, pastor of the church in Wyoming, declined to comment Wednesday.

Do I even have to get into the Christian implications of "thou shalt not steal"? Even if Otto is telling the truth on this, it never occurred to him that stealing in a foreign country could have significant repercussions? This calls for a new award, because the bear doesn't cover this level of...

(hat tip to Ethical Havoc for the pic)

Finally, let's consider the possibility that Otto is innocent, and he was framed by the North Koreans. Then we have this:

Arrests of tourists are rare but the U.S. State Department strongly advises against such travel. Further complicating matters, Washington and Pyongyang do not have diplomatic relations. The Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang acts as a go-between in consular issues when U.S. citizens run afoul of North Korean authorities.

Unfortunately, there is only one level above bear and shark, and I am afraid Otto just doesn't qualify for it yet:

(hat tip to Design Download for the pic)

However, considering Otto won't be procreating for the next 15 years, we can give him a provisional Darwin Award for staying out of the gene pool for 15 years!