With regards to jailed New York Times reporter Judith Miller , as an American with a US journalism degree and longstanding personal ties to Malaysia, let me clarify something about the case.

In the US, no one can be jailed for writing or printing an article, no matter what the content is. That includes ordinary citizens printing up brochures, for there is no such thing as a printing or publishing or journalist licence.

(One exception might be a religious extremist issuing printed material or other incitement to murder people - this may well result in a paid vacation at Club Fed.)

The writer can only be jailed in some cases for refusing a judge's order to reveal sources that relate to illegal activity.

That's all. But while I am here, please allow me to raise another topic. Malaysia Boleh with its postal system? Cannot-lah.

Over the past three or four years, my wife and I have sent about a dozen airmail letters and packages to friends and relatives in Malaysia and almost none of them ever arrived.

I can conceive of two possible explanations:

  1. I know it's a steamy climate - the Malaysia Boleh posters eventually peeled off the post office walls and employees subsequently sat down again to relax; or

  • They're 'making to disappear' all items mailed from the perceived enemy country, the US.

    • All right, we give up. From now on we will follow the same procedure for sending things to places like Burkina Faso and Togo. We'll use Fedex even if it does cost us, as individual consumers, over US$40 (RM160) for a packet to East Asia.