Rachel Maddow: Truthspeaker! VIDEO Update

(9 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

USA Journalists, Ling & Lee, held in N. Korea

Rachel Maddow just covered this in the last five minutes or so of her show tonight. I’ll look for the msnbc link to show up, and add it.

UPDATE with the video link up now

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26…

Meanwhile, McClatchy has a story up about it.

Seized U.S. journalists become ‘hostages’ in N. Korea maneuvering

BEIJING — When American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee fell into the hands of North Korean border guards two weeks ago, vanishing into the maw of the most isolated nation on Earth, their fate drew concern.

Now the complications are growing.

I believe the date they were arrested (?) was March 17.

I know this is terrible and scary and I feel for their families, but that’s not what made me sick. It was this…

North Korea said this week that it would put the two Americans on trial, and suggested that they could face years in a prison camp.

Scholars of North Korea said the women’s situation was dramatic but that Pyongyang probably would seek to exchange them for concessions rather than throw them in prison.

~snip~

“The rumor was that they are being housed at one of the guest villas,” said Han S. Park, a University of Georgia expert who was visiting North Korea as part of a private U.S. delegation after the women were captured. Park told CNN International that the North Koreans scoffed at any suggestion that the Americans were receiving harsh treatment.

“They laughed. ‘We are not Guantanamo.’ That’s what they said,” Park said.

“They laughed. ‘We are not Guantanamo.'”

I’m really upset right now, I will try to come back tomorrow with Rachel’s clip.

“We are not Guantanamo.”

Here is CNN story on it, from March 20.

Media reports have identified the women as Laura Ling and Euna Lee, from the online news outlet called Current TV, co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore. The State Department is not confirming the women’s names and is not saying where the women are being held.

Gore has asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for help, a senior administration official told CNN. “She is very engaged and is following it closely,” the official said.

“We are not Guantanamo.”

North Korea to the United States of America:  “We are not Guantanamo.”

They laughed.

Rachel is just really going for it. I chose her for my Media Pick of the Week for my new Weekly Series Diary for the piece she did on Tuesday.

Rachel Maddow March 31, 2009 with Guest Ron Suskind

“Bush officials should expect Spanish inquisition” is the clip’s title. It’s a respectable 11:41 clip and she covers all the bases of the current newsbites.

Beautifully done, thanks, Rachel!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26…

Her interview with Colin Powel aired the very next day, and was applauded in an excellent essay by Valtin.  He includes links within to the full interview transcript:

http://valtinsblog.blogspot.co…

The media blackout, okay grayout, on the facts and implications of the USA/Bush/Cheney Torture Regime of the past 8 years is despicable. Im giving her an Award!! TruthSpeaker of the Week!! Well, better would be for all of us to send her kudo’s emails.

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