A monumental success.. in a perverted sort of way.

Regarding the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, Joshua Stanton over at One Free Korea writes what Laura Ling and Euna Lee should and shouldn't do now that they've regained their freedom. Here's an excerpt:

2. The only things we want to hear at LAX are how you [Laura Ling and Euna Lee] really got across the border and a few polite words of thanks for those who helped to free you. Were you abducted, did you get lost, were you lured, or are you just imbeciles who were trying to cover a story you knew absolutely nothing about? Then go home to your families and say nothing else for at least a week.

[...]

5. As a corollary to number 4, if you actually got people killed by carrying video of them into North Korea, repent what you have done. The ignorance and stupidity that killed them should weigh on you. Telling their stories is a small token of the burden of repentance that you owe them. I would much prefer, of course, that you truthfully clarify that you did no such thing.

[...]

10. If you did cross the border voluntarily, mortgage your homes now and start writing checks to repay the taxpayers for whatever your ransom cost us ("Almighty God, Please Spare Us the Retch-Inducing Stockholm Syndrome Speeches" : One Free Korea).

I don't particularly agree with all those comments about Current TV (looks as if Al Gore tried to do a lot from behind the scenes) and Larry King Live though. I think it would be wonderful if they would be able to get on Larry King and get people to watch a show for even twenty minutes about North Korea (with that said, I haven't watched television for like a year now except for certain sporting events, but I would find a television to watch just that).

And, consider the flip side to all this backlash and negative energy aimed at these three journalists. In the end, their initial goal of spreading awareness of North Korea's human rights violations was a monumental success on a level nobody could have even remotely anticipated. So much so that we are now witnessing a backlash against them receiving too much media attention and how they shouldn't appear on Oprah or Larry King Live or write a book, etc.

Them receiving media exposure should, by extension, either through them directly talking about it or by spillover, also entail North Korea's Human Rights Situation getting some exposure as well. And, to be honest, I'd probably read one of their books if--when one becomes published (And, it's been quite some time since I've read a book as well).