Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Rodman Blows Up on CNN, Defends Basketball Game in North Korea



Rodman Blows Up on CNN, Defends Basketball Game in North Korea
Tuesday, 07 Jan 2014 09:24 AM
By Wanda Carruthers
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman Tuesday angrily defended his decision to take a team of former NBA players to play basketball in North Korea, saying the reason was because he loved his friend, leader Kim Jong Un.

"It's a great idea for the world. And, people always turn down the things I do. And, it's weird," Rodman told CNN's "New Day" host Chris Cuomo. "Why? I love my friend. I love my friend. This is my friend."

"You know, you got 10 guys here. Ten guys here that left their families to help this country in the sports nature. Does anyone understand that?" Rodman asked.

Former NBA player Charles Smith, who accompanied Rodman on the trip, explained to CNN the players were using basketball "for cultural exchange." Purportedly, the game is a birthday present for the North Korean leader.

Cuomo challenged Rodman's decision to take the players to North Korea, in light of Un's recent decision to execute his powerful uncle, Jang Song-taek, and the country's imprisoning of American Kenneth Bae.

Rodman angrily responded by asking, "Does anyone know this guy's (Un's) only 31 years old?"

He then charged Cuomo was hiding "behind his mike," and asked him if he knew the reasons why Bae was in custody.

"Do you understand what Kenneth Bae did?" Rodman charged. "You tell me, why is he held captive in this county?"

Cuomo answered North Korean authorities had not said why Bae was being held.
Rodman argued no one questions the Olympics, despite problems in the world. He said his goal in traveling to North Korea was to "open the door a little bit."

"No one ever, ever asks anyone in the world why we have Olympics. And, we have struggles around the world," Rodman said.

Rodman said the players would have to return to America and "take the abuse" for the decision to go to North Korea. He maintained their intent was to pave the way for more people to go to that country.

"Guess what? One day, one day this door is going to open, 'cause these 10 guys here, all of us . . . If we could just open the doors a little bit for people to come here, and do one thing," Rodman said.

North Korea
Kim Jong Un is the leader of North Korea, a friend of Dennis Rodman, and met with Dennis Rodman in 2013.

Note: Dennis Rodman is a friend of Kim Jong Un, met with Kim Jong Un in 2013, and was a player for the Chicago Bulls.
Henry Crown and Company is an investor in the Chicago Bulls.
Susan Crown is a VP for Henry Crown and Company, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a trustee at the Natural Resources Defense Council.  
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the American Constitution Society.
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Mario M. Cuomo is a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society, and Christopher Cuomo’s father.
Christopher Cuomo is Mario M. Cuomo’s son, and an anchor for CNN.
Walter Isaacson was the chairman & CEO for CNN, and is the president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank).
James S. Crown is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the president of Henry Crown and Company.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Lester Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the chairman for Henry Crown and Company, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Henry Crown and Company is an investor in the Chicago Bulls.
Dennis Rodman was a player for the Chicago Bulls, met with Kim Jong Un in 2013, and is a friend of Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Un met with Dennis Rodman in 2013, is the leader of North Korea, and a friend of Dennis Rodman.

No comments: