Lee and Ling, Forgotten

by DMC

America is failing Euna Lee and Laura Ling. These two journalists set out from California in March to spotlight the underground railroad that North Korean refugees use to reach China. They haven't returned. Captured by North Korean officers, they were tried and sentenced to 12 years in a hard labor camp. The last real bit of news coverage these two women received was on Tuesday, June 23rd when the Swedish ambassador visited briefly with the two women.

Then, on June 25th, Michael Jackson died, and both the media and America seemed to forget all about Euna Lee and Laura Ling.

Well, I haven't forgotten. This is my reminder to CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, and Hillary Clinton that there are two American women laboring in a North Korean prison. They were sentenced after a closed trial for attempting to shed light on North Korea's inhumanity. They became victims themselves of that inhumanity.

Michael Jackson's death has dominated the airwaves. Yes, he was a controversial music icon, but he is dead. For the moment, Euna Lee and Laura Ling are still alive, and they need help.

If you still need convincing, listen to the words of Gotham Chopra, who claims to have spoken to Michael Jackson just before he died. According to Chopra, the entertainer expressed a wish to help Euna and Laura. I imagine Jackson wouldn't have wanted his death to contribute to these two women spending even one more day away from their families.

North Korean's Kim Jong-il is a bully and tyrant, and those, like Euna and Laura, who try to expose his tyranny continue to pay the price. I call on America not to forget, because those who remain silent to tyranny, enable tyranny.