In a local story now receiving national attention, New Jersey's Secretary of State upset young high school students by yelling at them and apparently calling them racists.

TRENTON, N.J. -- A state Cabinet official whose fiery Black History Month speech apparently was too in-your-face for some listeners, issued a statement of regret Tuesday.

Secretary of State Regena L. Thomas said her March 7 presentation to 600 freshmen and sophomores at Paul VI High School in Haddonfield was not meant to belittle the predominantly white audience, as some have charged.

"My purpose was to raise the level of awareness and discourse of these issues, and to leave an impact," Thomas said in a statement issued Tuesday. "It was never meant to be personal or critical of the students or school."

Thomas was not available to be interviewed Tuesday and a written copy of her remarks was not available, said her spokeswoman, Regina Wilder.

Without written remarks, what's a blogger to do?

Sounds to me as if they're learning from the Eason affair.

Never allow taping, and never allow bloggers access to written text!