I’m inspired that Dennis Rodman possibly played [it’s denied] a part in the release of U.S. citizen, Otto Warmbier, an American who spent 17 months detained in North Korea for allegedly removing a propaganda sign from his hotel room. North Korea means what they say! Don’t steal! [God makes difficult things happen through ordinary people.] Rodman’s notoriety is small compared to President Trump and President Kim. The fact that he and other basketball players got into North Korea is astounding! He was photographed presenting North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il Guk with a copy of Trump’s book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal.” Let’s give Rodman credit for daring tenacity, qualities possibly learned in basketball. The NBA Hall of Famer is perhaps the only person in the world who has personal relationships with both the US President — he participated on Trump’s pre-presidency reality TV show, “The Celebrity Apprentice” — and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Rodman has called Kim a “friend for life” and previously said that his relationship with the young leader — accused of executing hundreds of people to cement his authority — is primarily about basketball, not politics. [Do you think North Korea President is all about basketball when he is shooting off potentially devastating missiles?] The five-time NBA champion has traveled to North Korea for informal “basketball diplomacy” a handful of times in the past and told CNN at the airport in Beijing he hoped to do “something that’s pretty positive” before he boarded a plane bound for the reclusive state. A US national security spokesman, Michael Anton, told CNN Rodman was not acting as a representative of the US government. Rodman arrived in Pyongyang the same day news broke that Warmbier was released.
Anton said-no connection between Rodman’s visit and Warmbier’s release. The basketball star’s visit is expected to last four nights.
It’s unclear if he and Kim will meet in person On January 5, 2014 -Dennis Rodman named a team of former NBA players to participate in an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang, North Korea. Notable moments from the 2013 trip: Going to North Korea was bizarre enough in itself.
Making matters stranger—the recently completed nuclear test earlier this year. This banner in the hotel was first thought to be for the arriving Americans, but it wasn’t. Under constant supervision, [in China, we were not allowed to take pictures in the airport] the traveling party gave a basketball camp in an empty arena to North Korea’s U-18 team. That ended positively! Among those in attendance for the session was Ri Myung Hun, who was the world’s tallest basketball player for a time. And a State-sponsored tour, including a stop to the Sun Palace. This is where Kin Jong-il and Kim Il-sung rest. Teach the children!
Dr. Jeanette is an author, marriage expert –Superintendent/Founder Today’s Fresh Start Charter School 4514 Crenshaw BL., LA 90043. 323-293-9826. [email protected] (CNN)
