Concerned that today's sentencing will land, if all goes horribly wrong, Current TV journos Laura Ling and Euna Lee 12 years of hard labor inside a North Korean jail, we asked formerly-jailed journalist Josh Wolf for his thoughts on the brouhaha.
"The news that Laura Ling and Euna Lee were sentenced to 12 years hard labor is absolutely horrifying, but the fact that I can't read this news at Current is almost as disheartening," Wolf tells us, going on to say, "I realize they are being quiet to appease North Korea and secure the release of their reporters through diplomatic means, but when the cost is reporting the news there will definitely be no winners."
After a Federal district court sent Wolf to the clink in 2006 for refusing to hand over a collection of videotapes he recorded during a 2005 protest, he can empathize with Lee and Ling, at least more than most of us could. "I can only imagine the isolation and despair these two women are feeling right now. My heart goes out to them and their families. The thousands of letters I received while I was incarcerated were one of the few things that gave me strength. I only wish Ling and Lee could know how many people are pulling and praying for their safe return," he explains.
In completely off-topic and somewhat related news, it's Wolf's birthday today. Have a stellar birthday, Josh. That is, if you can.