The promotion of freedom and open societies have brought me and a large contingent of Americans to Zambia, a small, landlocked nation in Africa. We all feel helpless, numb, furious and every other emotion you can name.
There was thought of canceling this part of a two-nation trip, which has been sponsored by the Freedom Forum, a foundation that pushes the ideals of free speech and societies. But the reality was that none of us could have gone home if we wanted to. And to have canceled the Zambia stop, where we’re holding workshops and the forum is sponsoring a debate among presidential candidates, would have been to give the Sept. 11 murderers another, albeit small, victory.
The people who sponsored these mass murder live in shadows. They loathe liberty, even though they claim they are promoting it for others.
I will be talking today with African journalists from around the nation. Here, the freedom to report the truth is often in doubt. The journalists take risks simply by doing their jobs. They are heroes.
I’ll have more later.