<p>The word I used was CONTRADICTION. You were the one who talked about the secret police. Frankly, that thought hadn’t even occurred to me. What was secret about this action? I take strong exception to your efforts to distort and polarize my remarks.</p>
<p>I’ll bite too. Exactly what was your point in trying to point out an apparent contradiction between how Rice described lack of free speech in N. Korea and what happened in the episode with the German doctor. By use of the term “contradiction” you implied that what happened to the doctor was akin to what happens in N. Korea for speaking out - i.e. guns/tanks/torture/death.</p>
<p>“you can come here and think what you want and ask me anything - the United States secretary of state - and what a wonderful thing that is.”</p>
<p>I agree with Ms. Rice that this is a wonderful thing. To me it is a contradiction to tearing up a protestor’s sign. I would like us to have more of that “wonderful thing” in the U.S., instead of the screened town hall meetings and the fake journalists in the press corps we have been seeing lately. I don’t see this country as being at all like North Korea. I do think that right now it is less like the United States of America than many of us would like it to be.</p>
<p>With as much respect as I can muster, it’s juvenile to keep asserting that the highly professional members of the State Department security team engaged in “tearing up a protestor’s sign.” I’m sure other things may have gotten torn in such a situation, including even some of the agents’ clothing.</p>
<p>In a Utopian fantasist world, we could all walk into any government meeting and shout things at them and wave our signs, I suppose. This wasn’t a town hall meeting in northern Vermont. Specific people in a dangerous area had been cleared to ask the secretary some questions. Seriously, what do you think would have happened at any White House press briefing since WWII had this clown tried this same thing there? This wasn’t a free speech issue, as you asserted by posting in the first place. And, as I said, the subject of her talk was much more important than the little scuffle this guy stirred up.</p>
<p>Sounds as though you have made up your mind. I guess we’ve defined our positions. Btw, calling someone with whom you disagree “juvenile” is not “respectful” in my book. But then again, you described the physician and aid worker as a “clown.” I guess I’m in good company!</p>