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#RODMAN
DENNIS RODMAN CONTROVERSY SPURS OBAMA ADMIN TO HELP FREE U.S. PRISONERS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Were it not for the Controversy surrounding his recent Sports Venture Trip to NORTH KOREA, the OBAMA Admin would still be doing absolutely NOTHING to help Free U.S. Prisoners held Captive in other Countries.
For ex:
KENNETH BAE.
Pursuant to RODMAN'S on-air debate Monday with CHRIS CUOMO, the OBAMA Admin is now taking ACTION to help Free U.S. Prisoners in other Countries.
So.......
THANK YOU DENNIS RODMAN!!
Sources: AP, CNN
#RODMAN
UPDATE: DENNIS RODMAN APOLOGIZES FOR HIS REMARKS & BEHAVIOR
I repeat. Dennis Rodman is NOT a Politician, Nor a Statesman.
It is Pres OBAMA'S Job to help Free KENNETH BAE, Not Dennis Rodman!
ARTICLE: "Dennis Rodman Apologizes For Kenneth Bae Comments"
Dennis Rodman apologized Thursday for comments about captive American missionary Kenneth Bae in an interview with CNN.
A day after the former basketball star sang “Happy Birthday” to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and led a squad of former NBA players in a friendly game, Rodman issued the apology through publicist Jules Feiler in an email message to The Associated Press.
“I want to apologize,” Rodman said. “I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. It’s not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed. It’s not an excuse, it’s just the truth.
“I want to first apologize to Kenneth Bae’s family. I want to apologize to my teammates and my management team. I also want to apologize to Chris Cuomo. I embarrassed a lot of people. I’m very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I’m truly sorry.”
Rodman has been slammed for not using his influence with Kim to help free Bae, the missionary in poor health who is being confined in the North for “anti-state” crimes. On CNN on Tuesday, Rodman implied Bae was at fault.
Bae’s sister, Terri Chung, said his family couldn’t believe what Rodman said.
“Here’s somebody who is in a position to do some good for Kenneth and refuses to do so,” Chung told KOMO Radio in Seattle on Wednesday. “And then after the fact, instead, he decides to hurl these unqualified accusations against Kenneth. It’s clear he has no idea what he’s talking about. I’m not sure who he’s talking to, where he’s getting his information, but he’s certainly no authority on Kenneth Bae.”
The U.S. State Department distanced itself from Rodman and said it did not want to “dignify” his activities or comments in Pyongyang by commenting on them. But spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the department was open to speaking with Rodman on his return.
“We have not reached out to him. We’ve said before, if he wants to reach out to us, we’re happy to hear from him and what he has to say,” she told reporters.
Rodman dedicated the game to his “best friend” Kim, who along with his wife and other senior officials and their wives watched from a special seating area. The capacity crowd of about 14,000 at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium clapped loudly as Rodman sang a verse from the birthday song.
Rodman said he was honored to be able to play the game in the North Korean capital and called the event “historic.” Some members of the U.S. Congress, the NBA and human rights groups, however, say he has become a public relations tool for North Korea’s government.
The government’s poor human rights record and its threats to use nuclear weapons against rival South Korea and the United States have kept it a pariah state. Kim shocked the world in December by having his uncle, once considered his mentor, executed after being accused of a litany of crimes including corruption, womanizing, drug abuse and attempting to seize power.
The 52-year-old Rodman has refused to address those concerns while continuing to forge a relationship with Kim, whose age has never been officially disclosed. The government did not say how old he turned Wednesday but he is believed to be in his early 30s.
At the start of the game, Rodman sang “Happy Birthday” to Kim, who was seated above in the stands at the stadium, and then bowed deeply as North Korean players clapped.
To keep it friendly, the Americans played against the North Koreans in the first half, but split up and merged teams for the second half.
The North Korean team scored 47 points to 39 for the Americans before the teams were mixed. Rodman played only in the first half and then sat next to Kim during the second half.
“A lot of people have expressed different views about me and your leader, your marshal, and I take that as a compliment,” Rodman told the crowd. “Yes, he is a great leader, he provides for his people here in this country and thank God the people here love the marshal.”
Rodman is the highest-profile American to meet Kim. He has carefully avoided getting involved in overtly political activities, saying that he is not a statesman and instead is seeking only to build cultural connections with the North through basketball that may help improve relations between Pyongyang and Washington.
The game is a new milestone in Rodman’s unusual relationship with Kim, who inherited power after the death of his father in late 2011 and rarely meets with foreigners. He remains a mystery to much of the outside world and until recently, his birthday was also not widely known, though it was quietly observed elsewhere around the capital Wednesday.
Along with Rodman, the former NBA players included ex-all-stars Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson and Vin Baker. Also on the roster were Craig Hodges, Doug Christie, Charles D. Smith and four non-NBA players.
Smith said he and the other players did not join Rodman in singing the birthday song.
“We always tell Dennis that he can’t sing. He is tone deaf,” Smith said. “He did it alone.”
Sources: AP, CNN, Politico
LEAVE DENNIS RODMAN ALONE
It is NOT DENNIS RODMAN'S Job to help Free KENNETH BAE.
It's Pres OBAMA'S Job!
CHRIS CUOMO vs DENNIS RODMAN: GOV'T MEDIA PROPAGANDA
It's quite obvious CHRIS CUOMO'S recent Attack on RODMAN was Planned.
DENNIS RODMAN took CHRIS CUOMO'S bait, but CNN knew he would behave in such a manner because it's well documented RODMAN has a short fuse.
FYI: Yes, CHRIS CUOMO is the Brother of NY Gov ANDREW CUOMO.
ANDREW CUOMO is a good friend of Pres OBAMA'S.
Rumor has it ANDREW CUOMO may run for U.S. President in 2016.
Can anyone please explain what does DENNIS RODMAN'S Sports-related trip to NORTH KOREA have to do with the Imprisonment of KENNETH BAE?
DENNIS RODMAN has NO business involving himself, Nor his Basketball teammates in POLITICS to help free KENNETH BAE.
DENNIS RODMAN is NOT a POLITICIAN.
Nor is DENNIS RODMAN a Statesman.
He is a former Star ATHLETE.
It is the U.S. State Dept's Job to help free KENNETH BAE.
Not DENNIS RODMAN'S!
CHRIS CUOMO knows this.
DENNIS & His Basketball Teammates were visiting NORTH KOREA on a PAID Sports-related mission PERIOD!
NOT a POLITICAL or CIA Assignment!
However since the OBAMA Admin has FAILED to help free U.S. Prisoners held captive in other countries, Pres OBAMA will do anything to Divert attention away from what his Administration has NOT done to help free U.S Prisoners.
Even it means directing the MEDIA to attack a former Star Athlete with a Short fuse......i.e., DENNIS RODMAN.
And if you don't believe Pres OBAMA'S Administration Controls the MEDIA, you are living in a Fantasy world because he DOES.
It's called GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA!
In fact EVERY legally elected U.S. President Controls the MEDIA via GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA.
I repeat.
DENNIS RODMAN is NOT a POLITICIAN.
Nor is DENNIS RODMAN a Statesman.
He is a former Star ATHLETE.
It is the U.S. State Dept's Job to help free KENNETH BAE.
Not DENNIS RODMAN'S!
CHRIS CUOMO knows this.
It is NOT DENNIS RODMAN'S Job to help Free KENNETH BAE.
It's Pres OBAMA'S Job!
LEAVE DENNIS RODMAN ALONE
ARTICLE: "Give Dennis Rodman A Break"
This week, we've been treated to the increasingly familiar sight of former NBA star and provocateur Dennis Rodman attending events in Pyongyang, North Korea. It's his fourth trip in less than 12 months.
On Tuesday, an angry Rodman defended his visit in a CNN interview straight from Pyongyang, at one point saying to "New Day" anchor Chris Cuomo, "I don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think ..." in response to question about Kenneth Bae, an American detained in North Korea.
When will we tire of this circus?
In case you don't watch cable news, you might miss that the media really loves this kind of thing. No story about North Korea is too weird to go unreported, even if there is no real information to disseminate. Recall the recent rumor that Kim Jong Un's uncle was executed by being fed to hungry dogs, which most likely was started as satire on Chinese social media but was at first reported widely in the media (CNN was unable to confirm and did not report the story).
In media discourse, North Korea is the classic enemy. The regime's injustices, quirks and dysfunctions are reassuring to Americans that their own country is just the opposite: Normal, well-functioning, a land of peace and liberty.
But add in Rodman to the North Korea story, and it's bound to produce eye-popping headlines:
"The Weird American Athlete Goes to Weird Country story is just too easy not to cover."
Rodman himself seems to be thriving on finding a strange smidgen of relevance through his visits to North Korea (and perhaps a Paddy Power paycheck). Though often described as quite shy, he has always enjoyed challenging the values of Middle America. North Korea is providing him a new avenue to be in the spotlight.
The most passive player in this tragicomedy is Rodman's home country, the United States. The U.S. State Department has deployed the rhetorical equivalent of an embarrassed teenager whose dad has shown up to dance at his prom. Something along the lines of "this has nothing to do with us" is what the State Department has said with every one of Rodman's trip. Last winter,the State Department criticized Rodman's timing as it followed a nuclear test and rocket launch. This time, it has merely said a private individual can do what he wishes.
This is an understandably cautious position. After all, Rodman has professed his love and undying affection for Kim, and he is probably not a canny enough operator to spearhead any form of political outreach along the lines of the "Ping-Pong diplomacy."
On this trip, Rodman addressed the unavoidably political nature of a relationship with North Korea, saying his visits could "open the doors" to "talk about certain things." In the CNN interview, he argued that it's a "great idea for the world."
Rodman's celebrity status and sporting prowess has given him access to Kim. At some point, when both the U.S. and North Korean governments are feeling a little brave, perhaps they can try to thaw the ice with more professional diplomats tagging along on cultural or sporting exchanges.
There are precedents. For example, the U.S.-China Ping-Pong diplomacy of the 1970s had its genesis in table tennis player by the name of Glen Cowan. Once he broke the ice, the governments began talking.
The kind of engagement that Rodman is pushing cannot always be seen as merely rewards for a naughty regime, as much as we appear locked into a carrot-and-stick way of thinking about relations with North Korea. It can be mutually beneficial. We have the potential to gain as much as they do. Breakthroughs might be sudden and surprising, but they are usually underpinned by creative thinking, dialogue and the mutual acceptance that no one can get exactly what they want.
Unfortunately, this particular trip does feel somewhat like a gift, coming as it does on Kim's birthday and less than a month after the violent and very public purge of his uncle and second-in-charge, Jang Song Thaek.
Had Rodman pulled out or delayed, the channel for opening may well have closed. If he really is in it for the long haul, he probably couldn't afford to slight the leader on his birthday.
Domestically, it is great PR for Kim. He gets to appear gregarious and inclusive in front of his people. Notwithstanding Jang's execution, this is the image he has been assiduously cultivating. He's eager to promote his friendly, approachable image while at the same time enjoying watching some former stars play his favorite sport.
For now, little will come out of Rodman's visits other than extraneous news. But as Pyongyang continues to devote resources and energy to sports development, its appetite for athletic exchanges will increase.
Let's warily hope, to use Rodman's phrase, that this can "open the doors" to other things.
Source: CNN
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