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China-Japan-Koreas
Internet can help free US reporters in NKorea: Hildebeast
2009-05-22
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday urged women students to use the Internet to campaign for the release of two American women journalists held in North Korea.

Clinton urged graduates of Barnard College, a women's university in New York City, to show their opposition to Pyongyang's detention of the two journalists who are due to go on trial on June 4. "We have two young women journalists right now imprisoned in North Korea and you can get busy on the Internet and let the North Koreans know that we find that absolutely unacceptable," Clinton told the graduation ceremony.
This is just amazing in the level of cluelessness. What should we do, Hilde, twitter the Norks?
Clinton was highlighting the new media tools that women can use to fight injustice around the world.
Oh, oh, I have an idea, even though I'm a male with an X-chromosome deficiency --

Why not have a cadre of professionals work on the problem? The government could hire them, give them offices both in our country and around the world, train them to use the various tools of language, moral suasion and economic development, and ask them to negotiate on our behalf. They could then work to defend our citizens and our values around the world. That why we wouldn't be texting the Norks on our Blackberries; we could let these highly skilled individuals resolve the problem.

What's that? We have such a group already? They're called the 'State Department'? And you're the boss? Gee, sure didn't seem that way.
North Korea announced last Thursday that it had set a June 4 trial date for the two journalists -- Euna Lee, a Korean-American, and Laura Ling, a Chinese-American -- but gave no details of the charges against them.

Clinton said afterward that the announcement of a trial date is "a signal that there can be" a resolution of the case soon, even though she said the pair should be released immediately and the charges against them are "baseless."
Posted by:Steve White

#12  Clap! Clap for Tinkerbell!
Posted by: mojo   2009-05-22 19:27  

#11  I agree with Alaska Paul. The is nothing she can do so she enlists the students and when that doesn't work she can say, "We tried". Or if for some reason the "journalists" are released she can then claim credit.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2009-05-22 16:41  

#10  Y'know, I remember doing the same kind of thing in college when I was a member (briefly) of Amnesty International.

Note to the sistahs in Barnard....you might want to kick it old school and put pen to paper. I don't think the Norks have Gmail accounts, and I'm not sure that Lil' Kimmie will take it easier on them if you "friend" him on Facebook.
Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie   2009-05-22 16:04  

#9  SoS Hillary is clueless, but not as much as you think. She probably does not give the proverbial rat's behind about the two clueless journalists in the NORK calaboose.

But she knows her base, and now she gives them busywork to do. They feel important, she feels important, and the Norks marvel at the cluelessness of these Americans, and go about their business. The two women will get their trial, the Norks get their publicity and their time in the sun. Everybody wins.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Nikolaevsk, AK   2009-05-22 11:50  

#8  Not only is the POTUS a completely clueless empty suit; his Sec. of State is a completely clueless empty dress. What a bunch of maroons.
Posted by: WolfDog   2009-05-22 10:22  

#7  Yeah, lots of internet access in North Korea.
Why don't she just try to beam them out?
Posted by: tu3031   2009-05-22 09:34  

#6  All right, this is a bit more like it:

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=Laura+Ling
Posted by: Seafarious   2009-05-22 09:18  

#5  You can see the sisterhood at Barnard jumped right on it:

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23LauraLing
Posted by: Seafarious   2009-05-22 09:17  

#4  I'm afraid your letter wasn't sternly worded enough, Sea...
Posted by: Raj   2009-05-22 08:16  

#3  Dear Democratic People's Republic of Korea:

We find that absolutely unacceptable.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Seafarious




.





.





.





Well? ::taps foot::
Posted by: Seafarious   2009-05-22 07:18  

#2  And if that doesn't work, we can form a committee!
Posted by: gorb   2009-05-22 01:36  

#1  Just get them to a land line and AlGore will upload them to the Nebuchadnezzar.
Posted by: ed   2009-05-22 01:12  

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