Philharmonic says America is no better than North Korea

The Wall Street Journal Online - Best of the Web Today: "The Associated Press reports that some in the Philharmonic, including Korean-American violinist Lisa Kim, have misgivings about the trip. But Lorin Maazel, the Philharmonic's music director, waves away those concerns:

Maazel rejects such assertions, noting that he had conducted concerts in Brezhnev's Russia, Salazar's Portugal and Franco's Spain.

'I thought I was making music and stretching out a welcoming hand to the folks who might not have been believers of the regime under which they were living. I feel this way certainly about North Korea,' he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Besides, he added, 'People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw bricks, should they? Is our standing as a country--the United States--is our reputation all that clean when it comes to prisoners and the way they are treated? Have we set an example that should be emulated all over the world? If we can answer that question honestly, I think we can then stop being judgmental about the errors made by others.'"