Ping pong diplomacy played a big part in then President
Richard M. Nixon’s diplomacy with China, which stands as perhaps the only major
accomplishment of his regime. During that time period, US relations with China
and its leader Mao Zedong were not the best. But a timely meeting of table tennis
teams seemed to thaw the two leaders’ differences and heralded a new start in
U.S.-China relations.
So maybe the idea of Dennis Rodman stopping by North Korea
on a snowy evening for some basketball diplomacy isn’t so much of a stretch of the imagination than it
might seem. Maybe, just maybe Dennis will be able to do what no one else seems
to be able to do, get a point across to Kim Jong Un. It can happen, right?
Yeah right!
The idea of a hard-core dictator like Un getting along, and
perhaps even listening to, a person like Dennis is out there somewhere in deep
space. Not that it matters, mind you, but Dennis brings a certain amount of
baggage with him, from rings, piercings, tattoos, and cross dressing. I am sure
that Premier Un is liberal enough to see past all of that and realize that
Dennis comes with a message of peace and love from his own country to North
Korea.
Put down your nukes, Dennis says, and we will do likewise.
Treat the south better than we treat our own south, and the US will come to
embrace his country. Prove that your nation is truly peaceful by opening your
prisons and releasing all your political prisoners, and the US will remove
sanctions, pull back its forces in South Korea, and point the Pacific fleet at
China, where it should be, Rodman might say.
Funny how people like Dennis Rodman, Jane Fonda, a myriad of
Hollywood personalities, and other uber-rich people think they have the perfect
solution for every American political dilemma. By right of assumption they seem
to think they know best how to run the country, when in reality they have a
hard time running their own lives. But don’t let that get in the way, just look
at all my awards, you know I have to be special, right?
Truth be known, if we had some competence in Washington,
both sides of the aisle included, we might actually accomplish a few things.
But the theory of checks and balances has now become the theory of imbalanced
throttling. So many of our elected officials, both near and far, are out for
themselves with their political office merely standing in as a way to acquire
their means.
Winning a political office used to be an honor. It used to
be considered a duty to serve as a senator, congressman, or president. Now it’s
more of a goal. Unethical behavior by our elected officials is rampant. You
needn’t go very far to see it—how about just a trip to Richmond? Even in our
own backyard, dishonesty prevails. The most recent example of which, and
probably the one with the most visibility, regards the current governor Bob
McDonnell. But don’t stop there. We have plenty of examples, just look at the
current day’s news.
But let’s get back to international politics. Rodman,
naively, believes he has some influence over Un, but he really doesn’t. Whether
Un releases American missionary Kenneth Bae or not, I can assure you Rodman
will have little to do with the ultimate decision. Where the decision will
unfold is whether the North Korean powers that be feel they have weaned enough
PR out of Bae. If they think it plays better into their ultimate plans to free
Bae, then they will free him. If they think they can get more mileage out of
keeping him locked up, he will stay in prison.
What egos people like Rodman and Fonda must have to think
that their support or visit could in any way sway the views of these dictators.
It is beyond belief. In the end, their visits will only do more to support the
countries they are visiting and the regimes that are in place there. Changing a
lifetime of ideology takes more than an NBA championship ring, an Oscar
statuette, or a few trips to the collective.
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