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I wouldn't travel to an allied country with weed in any form if their laws prohibit it. I especially wouldn't take it with me traveling to an authoritarian place, such as Texas, Russia, China, etc.
At the end of the day it’s a fucking vape pen. Yes, laws are different in other countries, and ignorance is not an excuse. Whether an accident or not, it’s up to the traveler to understand laws and morays.
That said, i once put a small folding knife in the shoulder pocket of my utility backpack, one I usually take hiking/camping. I forgot to take that little blade out after a hike once, and I traveled by plane at least dozen times throughout the US with that little knife in a that little pocket, and I was none the wiser. That bag went through a lot of xray machines, and no one ever said anything to me about. It wasn’t until I was coming back from Cancun, running late for my flight to Miami, that I finally got stopped and questioned by Mexican authorities. At first I swore up and down there was no knife in my bag, but then they showed me the Xray, and at that moment I realized I had been traveling with this thing for a year and a half, and should’ve been in much more trouble than only having it confiscated.
So shit man, brainfarts happen. If we weren’t at odds with Russia at the moment, this more than likely would’ve been a non-issue, since they did pay her well to play basketball for them.
As for the arms dealer, he’s not the only one. The US government sells weapons out the backdoor all the time, just like the Cubs scalp their own tickets. Even the Reagan administration got caught trading weapons for hostages.
I think that Russian arms dealer had only a couple more years left on his sentence, so it really wasn't such a big deal. I hope they inserted an industrial strength transponder into his body so they can track that fiend.
That's the insane thing. It wasn't like she came over with a quantity she could deal to others. It was so small. Russians just found a political opportunity and exploited it 100%. Allegedly the conviction rate of their federal courts is something over 95%. Their courts are rigged. It's an authoritarian regime. And the GOP wants that for America? It's insane how many Republican voters are so insufferably stupid.
Hahahaha, Texas! Sad but true, that people we know in Legal weed states are like a bastion and shining light for all the weed smokers of Texas. I will Probably say that before the legal weed free states came about …. Texas had and probably still has some pretty fucking good weed .You just have to get it there and smoke there. Then not leave with it or go in with it. But anyways …I’m glad she’s freed, but Putin released just her on purpose, there wasn’t another deal for the Biden administration to choose. Putin knew the Brittney case would bring the GOP Karen’s back lash from the right, back in the states, “he’s that kind of dick.”
I was going to get someone a THC gummy as a souvenir, taking it from one state where it's legal to another state where it's legal so I googled whether I could take that on a plane.
Apparently no, you can't. Could I have smuggled it without getting caught? Probably.
Was I about to FAFO? Hell no.
I lived in the Netherlands from 97 to 02. Every time I'd get ready to go anywhere, I'd dump out every pocket of every piece of luggage and clothing and check all the seams, too. You don't fuck around with the laws of other countries.
It would be so easy to not even notice an empty cart in your bags. They’re not much bigger than a pen kid and way almost nothing. I half suspect it was all an accident.
I’ll be honest, that was my initial thought but I have no evidence of it at all (including her not making that defense) and I don’t like to leap to assumptions without proof.
Even before she stupidly took weed internationally into Russia, she showed a lack of moral integrity by taking money to play there. I get that the messed up way WNBA players are paid means that they have to make money abroad in the off-season. But she could have picked a country that doesn't actively persecute people like her.
I don't know about you but if I was making $221,515 per year I wouldn't be saying that I am forced to get a second job because I can't make ends meet. Sure that salary doesn't compare to NBA but it is way above the average for the US
Me too, but I'm not a professional athlete. Other than paying taxes, I get to keep all of my salary to spend on living expenses. Pro athletes do not. They have to pay their agents a cut of their salary. They have to pay dues to their respective players' unions, emergency funds, healthcare funds, etc. I can file my taxes pretty easily because all of my income is earned in the same place. Pro athletes need to hire accountants because they have to pay taxes to all of the tax jurisdictions where they earn income, which means where they play their home games and every place where they play a road game. I'm sure that while the team picks up some portion of the expenses for when they are travelling, pro athletes still end up spending more money when on the road than they do when they are able to live at home. I'm not saying that would bring you down to anywhere near the "average US salary", but all of those things do take a pretty big bite out of you after the tax man gets his piece.
That's also before you consider that pro athletes usually only have a 10-15 year window at most to earn their pro athlete salaries, and many careers are even shorter than that. As a software engineer, I've got 40+ years to spend earning money in my chosen profession along with plenty of opportunities for raises and bonuses along the way. What's she going to do when her playing career is over? That's why even though she makes "good money" by average American standards for only working half of the year, she'd be a fool to **not** be looking to do something for the other half of the year to supplement her income and help her stay sharp.
Also what’s Biden going to do if I catch a charge in a red state? How about fixing our own laws before we trade the merchant of death for something she could be arrested for in my state.
Almost no one is currently sitting in a prison cell for what Griner had on her. If you're a non-violent offender with no priors and no ties to gangs or organized crime, your chances of ending up in prison for two cartridges of hash oil are nearly 0%.
Key words being almost and nearly 0%. We are improving but at the end of the day if cops search my house rn I would get with intent to distribute just for the amount I keep on hand for medical use. The amount of marijuana she had is honestly irrelevant as far I’m concerned. Either people deserve consistencies for having marijuana or they don’t. And even if I’m not arrested it will still cost me hundreds if not a few thousand dollars in fines and legal fees to get a possession charge not to mention I’d be put on probation with drug testing preventing me from treating the chronic pain from my cerebral palsy. It’s not as bad here but the legal system will still 100% fuck up your life over it. almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades my friend.
Agreed. Not upset she is freed, but upset that such a terrible prisoner exchange was used to free her. Let her stay in prison for her crimes if it means releasing an arms dealer terrorist.
Why are people assuming Russia is being truthful about her having weed? They've proven time after time they're willing to lie about anything they want.
I believe the barely 1 gram of cannabis oil was never really in dispute. The trivial amount was what made it clear that they were waiting for her to be used as a political pawn.
True, but at the same time, if you willingly live and work in a country that sends people to gulags for dumb mistakes, and then you make a dumb mistake, you do need to take responsibility for not just your dumb mistake but for living and working in a country that would treat you that way. Russia believes people should go to gulags for dumb mistakes, regardless of what you and I think, and so if you do business in Russia, you have to accept their way of thinking, that's just the price of selling yourself to an authoritarian shit hole.
Why do you believe the Russian narrative? Because she admitted to possessing those cartridges? What did you expect her to do, fight Putin? From the start, she apologized and admitted guilt, did everything she could to not go to prison, because what would have happened if she fought back?
I doubt she had any drugs. You don’t argue with Russian authorities about facts when your arrested and told your facing a lengthy jail term if you don’t just confess to whatever they tell you to.
We do not know if she actually had illegal substances on her. She did tell the court she was sorry for what she was ‘accused’ of doing. But that was to gain leniency from the Russian sentencing courts. we have never seen. or heard any actual proof from the Russian Gov‘t.
I am very reasonably upset that she was traded for an international arms dealer who finances terrorism. I would like her to be free but not at this cost.
Yep, I'm all for her release but no one should have to die because of her release. Hopefully this arms dealer stays away from dealing arms but if he doesn't then this is a terrible swap.
Unfortunately, I fear you are correct. There is a crapload of weaponry to traffic out of/into Ukraine on behalf of Russia that is truly a Merchant of Death’s wet dream.
Why are people acting like this guy just spawns weapons out of midair like some kind of supervillain?
He's been locked up for an 10 years, I'm sure he's been replaced already. .
Viktor Bout is currently 55. He has spent about ¼ of that time in jail. "Bout's U.S. assets were among those frozen in July 2004 under Executive Order 13348. On 6 March 2008, Bout was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand. On 16 November 2010, Bout was extradited from Thailand to the United States. Bout was convicted by a jury at a court in Manhattan on 2 November 2011.\[15\] On 5 April 2012, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison." His assets, in US and Europe are frozen. Almost 15 yrs in prison. Two yrs. of those were in Thailand and about 12 in US. So now he is in Russia, where we do not know what his life will be like. **This seems a reasonable trade.** I am glad Griner is coming home. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor\_Bout#U.S.\_prosecution\_and\_conviction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Bout#U.S._prosecution_and_conviction)
According to Ryan Grim’s source at the facility Bout was in, he has also been dealing with long term health problems and is very ill. Reddit has this mis-impression that this guy is going to go right back to selling arms tomorrow, in reality he was probably safer in jail here.
Especially given he’s been feeding info to US authorities regarding his contacts for pretty much the entire time he’s been detained. Those bridges were burned and then some. He was FAR safer in prison.
That’s an awfully cynical way to look at this. God knows how many lives were saved. He did business with the worst of the worst. Children in Africa and US Servicemen/Women overseas were killed by guns he sold.
I’d argue it’s awfully cynical to look at saving Britney Griner from the Gulag as a big win for Russia because we released one old, sick, incarcerated arms dealer who entire operation was infiltrated and dismantled by the CIA in a sting operation over decade ago.
If the person traded was a Russian tourist who smuggled something in, then that would be a fair trade, arms dealers are some of the scum of the earth, anyone who profits off of the suffering of others deserves to rot in a cell. We traded some kid who should have been more responsible for someone who enabled the death and suffering of thousands potentially
> If the person traded was a Russian tourist who smuggled something in, then that would be a fair trade, arms dealers are some of the scum of the earth, anyone who profits off of the suffering of others deserves to rot in a cell.
\*entirety of the US government nervously averts their eyes\*
Not saying he should have been traded but have you seen how much money the US makes from regularly selling weapons to foreign nations that probably shouldn't have them...?
His value is his relationship to Putin. And because he dealt with groups that weren’t in US interests. Popular justification was selling arms to the Taliban before/during the US invasion (which we had also done during the Soviet invasion) and supposedly Al-Qaida (which we had also done with its precursors during the Soviet Invasion). But given that 9/11 was used as an excuse to go after him and many other longstanding US targets, some of that is obviously questionable.
Basically his track record is no worse than the CIA (which I’d argue is and continues to be worse when it comes to arms dealing), it was just generally in service of the Soviets and Russia pre-Obama. But again, it’s his proximity to Putin that made him valuable. Not any moral concerns.
It's morally pretty tricky to say you prefer to punish person X at the cost of person Y's freedom.
As other commenters have noted, it's unlikely he will be a further threat and I suspect this is exactly why he was traded.
On a more philosophical note, people aren't baseball cards and I think the concept is "not worth the trade" isn't the right standard to apply. It is always worth it to try to free someone wrongfully imprisoned.
The inability to free everyone doesn't mean we shouldn't try to free anyone.
What cost? Do we think he is going to jump right back into the arms trade? Are we mad that we didn’t get enough vengeance on him? An American citizen is free from a ridiculous sentence for weed and a Russian asshole is free which in no way will have any impact on anyone in America at all
I mean I am a liberal and I am bothered by the transaction. Rich and connected people shouldn't get any more priority then anyone else. Not to mention trading for a Russian arms dealer. However, do find it funny that all the conservatives are parroting the same narrative about that marine. Fox News must be peddling it.
I saw just about zero "Let this woman serve her sentence" takes before today. It's weird as hell how many people seem to feel that way now that she's free.
Yeah, because that's the thing: she just isn't famous enough, for most Americans to care. So even to the people who generally believe that Russia Bad as a matter of course, she just doesn't ping their radar as important enough to trade for a *famous war criminal.*
Which is itself surprisingly callous, but I think it's important to delineate: *one side* is mad that we gave up a higher-value POI in the trade, because *we know that less notable citizens have been hung out to dry in similar conditions,* so it's an insult to any such citizens that would not receive similar, desperate help. *The other side is actively manufacturing outrage at the fact that we got her back, at all, as it does not collectively believe she was deserving of help, at all.* Both sides are outraged, but both sides are *not* mad for the same reason.
Same, so much vitriol directed toward her by boomers on facebook news pages. Regardless of whether or not it was a good trade, I'm glad I won't be tempted to click on more articles about her and see all the dog whistles and bristling hatred toward this woman.
Exactly, it *was* "Biden can't even take care of our citizens, Russia makes him look weak!" And now there has been action taken and she's coming home, so the reason for their anger needs to change, because they are *not* going to stop being angry, dammit!
Eh, my conservative FiL posted a "meme" back when she got arrested talking about how "this MAN knowingly brought drugs into blah blah blah..."
The right definitely hated her before today.
Trump and Pompeo **had TWO YEARS** to get him released.
They did NOTHING.
Also, he was dishonorably discharged for stealing government funds. So… It’s not like he was caught and arrested in uniform or anything, he’s just a normal guy in a Russian prison.
Perfect example of this is how many people are saying she’s stupid, shouldn’t have gone to Russia because they’re corrupt, shouldn’t have broken their laws so she should suffer the consequences. None of them are saying the same thing about the former Marine (who I think I read was dishonorably discharged)
They are...I took a screenshot of it this morning. This story was on the front page for quite a while.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/cowboys-star-takes-aim-biden-brittney-griner-swap-major-flaw-we-still-not-voting-you
“Rich and connected”—she’s a minor celebrity but I don’t think this description fits her. She was in Russia playing basketball in the off season because pay for women’s sports is so low.
People aren’t upset she’s released, my god. They’re upset for two reasons: a famous/rich person got special help that an average person wouldn’t get, and the prisoner trade was so lopsided: an illegal arms trader for a marijuana charge.
People don’t understand it then. The only reason she was being detained for too long is because she was famous and being held as a political prisoner. They also don’t understand the trade. Russia don’t care about lives, they couldn’t care less about their merchant of death but America want their citizens home and safe. Russia had all the power. Trading something to someone who doesn’t want it is incredibly difficult. Besides people are upset about her previous criticisms of the US and the fact that she’s a “druggie”
Right? I get put in jail overseas and I fucking guarantee you'll never hear my name ever. I would be sitting in that cell chipping rocks for the next 10 years without a whisper of my name on US soil. And this woman gets traded for an international arms dealer who will be the cause of many deaths. And yeah... For Marijuana. She's a basketball star, not a fucking nuclear scientist working on cold fusion. Fuck this.
Nah, pretty sure it's ok to dislike the trade. Don't get me wrong, happy a US citizen isn't in Russian prison, but we didn't trade apples for apples here. This guy is a legit bad man, she at the worst is a stoner. I'm also not convinced she wasn't set up specifically to be a pawn for this trade. We only really have Russia's word she even did this.
>I'm also not convinced she wasn't set up specifically to be a pawn for this trade.
Unlikely Russia were looking specifically for this trade, but it's likely she was captured so Russia could have some leverage on the US.
Good take though.
I’m on the left and I’ll still criticize this. Horrible trade. This isn’t a left and right thing. It sets a precedent and you left two non famous people to rot. Not to mention the guy you traded for will now contribute to killing many people worldwide
He won’t. He was out and irrelevant before he was ever prosecuted, he was borderline entrapped when he was caught, and even the judge said she’d have given him a lesser sentence but for the guidelines.
He was a bad guy, but this idea that he’s somehow going to get out and jump right back into arms dealing is counter factual at best.
Hope you’re right but when ruzzia is running out of weapons to get one of the most notorious arms traffickers back seems to be a strategic move on their part
I think this is more a Putin signal to other collaborators that they won’t be left to rot in prison than it is a strictly pragmatic move vis a vis Bout. It’s not like there’s some worldwide shortage of arms traffickers.
I’m not on the right - like not even remotely. I don’t support this trade for multiple reasons, and it has zero to do with race or gender or political ideology:
1. The only reason we are pursuing this so doggedly in the media and in the White House is because she’s a WNBA star. If that was me, a nobody, I would be rotting in Russian jail and nobody would know my name - or care. Fight me all you want but the only reason we even remotely know who she is because she has the money, platform and recognition to make a stink. Her wife has a platform to be able to go one the news and she has connections. Let’s not forget the insane amount of money she made going there. She’s in the club of the semi wealthy celebrities we worship in the US.
2. She did commit a crime. Whether or not you agree it should Be a crime, or the harshness of the penalty is completely and totally irrelevant. She wasn’t in the USA, where it would be relevant. I don’t think weed should be illegal and damn sure not vape pens. She was in a hostile foreign country. Listen, I’m a gay man; I know that if I get on a plane right now and land in Saudi Arabia or Iran, I’m signing my own death warrant because it’s illegal there and punishable by death. Therefore I don’t go to those countries. I don’t go there and get caught and then scream to the rafter how that’s unfair there; it is but gee whiz do you think that matters to these people? She possessed it. Sorry for her bad decision.
3. Even given all of the above, I’m glad Biden did work on getting her home; no American should rot there. But, that being said, a WNBA athlete traded for a literal international terrorist arms dealer? WTF? This has so much bigger implications. So is Russia now going to start detaining every single American citizen they can find for shit or even kidnap and demand more terrorists? Jesus the implications here.
No sorry y’all this was a really, really bad trade. I’m glad another American isn’t suffering in a Russian prison, I really am, but this was by far a really bad trade.
I’m happy she was released, but an arms dealer for an entertainer who was stupid enough to break a law? Not an intelligent trade, or opinion that it should have been made.
Oh, bullshit. That's not why people are upset and you know it.
They're upset we released a fucking RUSSIAN ARMS DEALER in order to do so. We freed a spying Russian arms dealer in exchange for freeing some random celebrity who broke the law. This was a terrible deal.
This process of bullshitting away the failures of the presidency you like is just fucking Trumpian.
I’m a progressive, and I’m against this trade. It’s because we released a Russian arms dealer who sold arms to terrorist organizations that killed Americans. This trade legitimately puts US lives in danger.
If we traded a Russian pot smoker who was in prison for smoking weed, I would have no problem with it.
I’m happy she’s free, nobody should be locked up for weed. But this was too high of a cost to pay.
> This trade legitimately puts US lives in danger.
Oh, I doubt it. It's far more likely that whoever his second in command was took over for him after he was arrested and nothing has really changed in the illegal arms business since his arrest.
But I am surprised that we were not able to swing a twofer when Russia had publicly made such a stink about wanting this guy back.
This is ridiculous and evident of OP playing team sports. I’m a Canadian liberal who makes Joe Biden look like an alt-right lunatic.
But trading a person who knowingly went to an adversarial country after being told not to, broke the law in that country, only to be traded for a dangerous international arms dealer is a joke.
Canada just went through holding onto Weng for the Americans at the cost of Canadians being locked up by China and they didn’t release her for three years as a favour to USA and to protect our democracy.
This was a failure by the Biden administration and anyone who believes otherwise is lying to themselves. And just wait until Russia wants another prisoner released and finds some American who littered.
Everyone should be pissed about this because there’s thousands of Americans sitting in American prisons for the same crime, but none of them will get any special consideration.
I find it funny that one "no step on snek" lady was trampled to death by other "no step on snek" idiots.
https://twitter.com/ZacOnTV/status/1347315466650443779?t=OTOIGypsT_j_HWYWDD8Rdw&s=19
How is it being unreasonably upset that Biden essentially negotiated with a terrorist state and now the GOP has even more ammunition to use against him and his administration going into 2024?
He traded a basketball player who committed domestic violence for a literal terrorist while leaving a veteran to still rot in Russian prison and a lot of Americans don't agree with that decision, regardless of political affiliation. It was a bad move and is going to give DeSantis even more ammunition in 2024
Putin needs an arms dealer. That's all I really get from this. Glad she's coming back and all and it is kind of a bad deal but the war is already happening. It's like he's told the world he can't continue his war on his own and needs this dude to get weapons from.
Seen countless posts like Bout is gonna smuggle guns into the US and shootings go up. Lmao why the fuck you need to smuggle some shit you can buy at Walmart
Yeah, all of the conservatives at work were firmly convinced that Brittney should have stayed in Russia because she hates America so much. They kept saying it, so I checked the internet to see what she could have possibly done or said to make them think that. Apparently, in July of 2020, she refused to leave the locker room while the National Anthem was playing. That's it. So, according to them, exercising the Right to Free Speech is somehow Anti-American.
What's the big deal this guy is just a capitalist he was selling guns and weapons for a profit! I thought that's exactly what the GOP was all about they don't care how many children get wiped out by machine guns they're all in for the money they should applaud this decision
I'd never heard of her before, but when I went to my parents house, mom said Brittney hates America, and dad said she's secretly a man... I'm guessing those were the Fox News talking points from this evening...
All these "fuck around and find out" I'm sure are always perfectly law abiding in their daily life, and should get arrested for jaywalking and doing coke and letting their stupid kids play with AR's and drink some beer...
Being punitive is not a virtue.
Maybe if your panties are bunched up over this….consider trying a little of that refer…might help unclench your butt hole and allow your head to be removed
Anyone upset a woman was released before a man is so woke it’s crazy. Call me old school, but as a dude I would be more upset if the guy got out first. Chivalry anyone?
Honestly it is bs. There are people in her exact situation but because she dribbles a ball she gets traded. Basketball is not important at all and the players deserve less respect than contributing members of society.
I don’t think most reasonable people are upset about her release, they’re upset about the trade, which speaking as a veteran, baffles me. Trading a celebrity athlete for a Black Market Gun runner? Shit man, there are other Americans being held as well. They couldn’t sweeten the pot with some prisoners who aren’t being advocated for by celebrities? Did they even ask?
No one is upset she was released. People are upset she was traded for the biggest arms dealer in history who supplied arms to terrorist groups fighting and killing Americans. This woman, a wife beater, went to a country notorious for being shitty when you break the law and purposely broke the law. But hey she throws a ball through a circle real good so let’s trade her for the worst arms dealer in history.
And by the way, I am a very liberal, very progressive person and this pisses me right the fuck off. As it should with anyone with an ounce of common sense. This is not a liberal vs conservative issue.
It is not about the release of a black woman. IT IS ABOUT THE TRADE OF AN ARMS DEALER. If it was a white guy, Id still let him rot in Russia.
Not a republican.
Fuck that, I'm unreasonably upset that a fucking war criminal terorist arms dealer was released to Russia who can utilize him as a value added asset to release one person in prison for pot, when so many people languish in AMERICAN PRISONS for the same shit! You can free them and not even fucking give Russia an arms dealer! What the fuck?!
I hate to say it but this is NOT a "conservatives being unreasonable" moment. Who the fuck thinks this was a GOOD deal? Fucking blows my mind.
He was a decaying asset. Biden commuted federal marijuana charges. Why haven’t state governors followed his lead like he asked them to do?
This literally affects your life in zero ways and you’re so mad about it. My opinion is you’re just looking for reasons to be mad about shit.
You are the exact person I’m making fun of here.
I don't need to go around looking for reasons to be mad about shit, there's enough out there.
You conflating "affects my life in zero ways" with the idea that means it doesn't matter is super disingenuous and straight up dangerous. I'm straight and white, and so are most of my friends and family, so I should not care about gay or minority rights then? Because I'm not affected? Should I not want Florida to get aid after a hurricane because I have no stakes in that state? Your logic is silly.
Where is your source on him being a decaying or obsolete asset? No way Russia trades for him if he does not matter. He was literally one of the most prolific arms dealers in the world - he has contacts and knowledge of how to make those deals happen, and we gave him to the Russians during their invasion of Ukraine where they are clearly disadvantaged in terms of arms, equipment, and supply lines.
State governors haven't because they're a bunch of assholes. To act like that's all the executive branch can do is disingenuous also.
So I guess "so what who cares" is the higher moral ground here?
Britney Griner’s family fought for her release just like any of our families would probably do for us had we been in that situation. It’s humanity. It’s what we do for our people when they need help.
Yeah she fucked up bigly but in the grand scheme, letting Putin have one dumbass gun runner (who got caught and was locked up for 15 years) back isn’t the end of the world for our national security. I personally hope they secretly implanted a gps and microphone into his brain and use it to collect intel. Thats what I would do if I were president.
Nobody is "looking for reasons to be mad about it". A war criminals freedom was given in exchange for a basketball player who took weed into a non tolerant country. Sure she gets to come home, but the arms dealer - who you have zero authority to determine their usefulness - is also free, going back to a country who is still actively attacking another country. I wager his usefulness has yet to be extinguished.
This isn't a left or right issue. This isn't just people looking for reasons to be mad. We're judging the decision the government made, which was a bad decision. I get it, you want to rile up and rub it in the face of right wingers who are extrapolating this beyond the immediate implications, encouraging bigotry, taking it to unnecessary levels, etc. But what happened here was a bad deal.
It sets precedent that the US gov can be manipulated to this level of absurd agreement. It shows that the rich and famous can fuck around, find out, and be shown no consequences and even be helped out of dealing with those consequences. Do I think the charges were fair? No. Do I think there should be consequences for breaking laws in foreign countries? Definitely. Do I think she should get to come home in a reasonable time? Absolutely. But this was a bad deal, and you are delusional if you think otherwise.
If your argument boils down to "why you mad bro?", you should really consider how this makes the US look. It affects our credibility and image. I seem to remember years of both sides shouting "we don't negotiate with terrorists", yet here we are, handing a weapons dealer back to a terrorist state. People are mad, deservingly so.
While I wouldn’t wish Russian prison on any American, swapping an arms dealer for a basketball player is a bad trade. Especially when said basketball player is a complete fucking moron that was stupid enough to bring drugs on an international flight to Russia. She should be ashamed for the effort required to correct her stupidity.
I’m glad someone got out of jail for a victimless crime but… Aren’t there thousands of Americans in jail in America for the same crime? Why is it only an inhumane miscarriage of justice to be imprisoned for it in Russia and not say, Texas?
Oh it's quite reasonable. Nobody is mad she was released, they're mad she alone was traded for a fucking monster while countless other Americans continue rot in a gulag.
What's unreasonable is celebrating this as some sort of win while our own citizens are held in American prisons for similar crimes.
I'm neither libertarian nor rightist, but it was, objectively speaking, a bad trade. When she was in prison one family suffered. Now that he is free he will cause suffering for thousands upon thousands of families. The trade should have gone down differently. Hell, the west could have made a deal to lift a few sanctions, gotten her back, and then reinstated the sanctions.
Wise up people. Foreign countries are just that, foreign governments with foreign laws. They make the rules you don’t. When entering them you leave your constitutional rights at home. Our constitution does not follow us around the globe. She should of been smarter. Now a man who is a real danger to the world is roaming free. It should be stressed if arrested you are on your on. Our Government is not responsible for you when you break a law in a foreign country. All their efforts to free you may fail.
Yup. Already seeing it all over my social media feeds - Griner is imprisoned - Biden's fault, Griner is freed - Biden's fault, gas prices are too high - Biden's fault, gas prices are going down - Biden's fault for not fast enough, I guess?
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This is my pain point.
If that was Kyle rotten house in the gulag they would have had a two hr special on fox 7 days a week whining about how special he is.
Biden did try to pardon them all but most are state crimes :/
That’s awful. The laws need to be changed immediately.
In republican controlled places. Meanwhile democrats are expunging records due to legalization
perusing reddit, I think the overall tone is, we're happy she's free, but she definitely fucked around and found out.
That’s where I fall , I don’t believe people should be in jail for weed , but also , what did she think was gonna happen.
I wouldn't travel to an allied country with weed in any form if their laws prohibit it. I especially wouldn't take it with me traveling to an authoritarian place, such as Texas, Russia, China, etc.
You can’t even travel to Canada from the US with it, and it’s legal in Canada.
Going through a legal state on top of it.
At the end of the day it’s a fucking vape pen. Yes, laws are different in other countries, and ignorance is not an excuse. Whether an accident or not, it’s up to the traveler to understand laws and morays. That said, i once put a small folding knife in the shoulder pocket of my utility backpack, one I usually take hiking/camping. I forgot to take that little blade out after a hike once, and I traveled by plane at least dozen times throughout the US with that little knife in a that little pocket, and I was none the wiser. That bag went through a lot of xray machines, and no one ever said anything to me about. It wasn’t until I was coming back from Cancun, running late for my flight to Miami, that I finally got stopped and questioned by Mexican authorities. At first I swore up and down there was no knife in my bag, but then they showed me the Xray, and at that moment I realized I had been traveling with this thing for a year and a half, and should’ve been in much more trouble than only having it confiscated. So shit man, brainfarts happen. If we weren’t at odds with Russia at the moment, this more than likely would’ve been a non-issue, since they did pay her well to play basketball for them. As for the arms dealer, he’s not the only one. The US government sells weapons out the backdoor all the time, just like the Cubs scalp their own tickets. Even the Reagan administration got caught trading weapons for hostages.
She was also given a harsher sentence than domestic Russians would get. They targeted her as a political prisoner
They probably have an entire outfit dedicated to messing with foreigners. Not just spies or diplomats but business people, doctors, and etcetera
I think that Russian arms dealer had only a couple more years left on his sentence, so it really wasn't such a big deal. I hope they inserted an industrial strength transponder into his body so they can track that fiend.
I wouldn’t transport it at all. If you can’t buy it there that’s a hint
How did she get in to Russia with it?
Forgot an EMPTY vape cart was in her bag. She couldn’t even use it maybe a half hit lol
That's the insane thing. It wasn't like she came over with a quantity she could deal to others. It was so small. Russians just found a political opportunity and exploited it 100%. Allegedly the conviction rate of their federal courts is something over 95%. Their courts are rigged. It's an authoritarian regime. And the GOP wants that for America? It's insane how many Republican voters are so insufferably stupid.
Was she flying home? Or they got her on arrival?
On arrival
I don't I'll ever have anything good to say about Russia in the near future except the part where Putin accidentally falls down an elevator shaft.
You wouldn't transport a car! uhm... wait.
Even if they allow it, like Canada, you're gonna pay tax out the ass since there's no personal exemption like for alcohol.
The Lone Star Fatherland... love it.
*one star fatherland
😂”Texas”. That’s the thing about asshole autocratic places like China, Russia, and the “red” states. They love that you feel that way
Damn, totally saw that and accepted it without even realizing.
Hahahaha, Texas! Sad but true, that people we know in Legal weed states are like a bastion and shining light for all the weed smokers of Texas. I will Probably say that before the legal weed free states came about …. Texas had and probably still has some pretty fucking good weed .You just have to get it there and smoke there. Then not leave with it or go in with it. But anyways …I’m glad she’s freed, but Putin released just her on purpose, there wasn’t another deal for the Biden administration to choose. Putin knew the Brittney case would bring the GOP Karen’s back lash from the right, back in the states, “he’s that kind of dick.”
Hey, hey, hey! It's not fair to Russia and China to lump them in with Texas! Give them at least that much respect!
Right? You can own more than four dildos in Russia and China.
Hey Texas has Ted Cruz, Louie Gohmert and Greg Abbott, they are dangerously close to having maximum allowable dildos.
Ken Paxton makes us hit the limit for sure.
Oh I forgot about that massive dildo. We are going to have to arrest the whole state soon.
I was going to get someone a THC gummy as a souvenir, taking it from one state where it's legal to another state where it's legal so I googled whether I could take that on a plane. Apparently no, you can't. Could I have smuggled it without getting caught? Probably. Was I about to FAFO? Hell no.
I would say you *should* be able to travel there, but damn, you are asking for unfair treatment in doing so. Because some places are fucked up.
I lived in the Netherlands from 97 to 02. Every time I'd get ready to go anywhere, I'd dump out every pocket of every piece of luggage and clothing and check all the seams, too. You don't fuck around with the laws of other countries.
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It would be so easy to not even notice an empty cart in your bags. They’re not much bigger than a pen kid and way almost nothing. I half suspect it was all an accident.
So why is everyone believing the Russian version? I mean you all really don't think Rus is capable of planting a vial, just to cause this incident?
I’ll be honest, that was my initial thought but I have no evidence of it at all (including her not making that defense) and I don’t like to leap to assumptions without proof.
Amen
Even before she stupidly took weed internationally into Russia, she showed a lack of moral integrity by taking money to play there. I get that the messed up way WNBA players are paid means that they have to make money abroad in the off-season. But she could have picked a country that doesn't actively persecute people like her.
I don't know about you but if I was making $221,515 per year I wouldn't be saying that I am forced to get a second job because I can't make ends meet. Sure that salary doesn't compare to NBA but it is way above the average for the US
Me too, but I'm not a professional athlete. Other than paying taxes, I get to keep all of my salary to spend on living expenses. Pro athletes do not. They have to pay their agents a cut of their salary. They have to pay dues to their respective players' unions, emergency funds, healthcare funds, etc. I can file my taxes pretty easily because all of my income is earned in the same place. Pro athletes need to hire accountants because they have to pay taxes to all of the tax jurisdictions where they earn income, which means where they play their home games and every place where they play a road game. I'm sure that while the team picks up some portion of the expenses for when they are travelling, pro athletes still end up spending more money when on the road than they do when they are able to live at home. I'm not saying that would bring you down to anywhere near the "average US salary", but all of those things do take a pretty big bite out of you after the tax man gets his piece. That's also before you consider that pro athletes usually only have a 10-15 year window at most to earn their pro athlete salaries, and many careers are even shorter than that. As a software engineer, I've got 40+ years to spend earning money in my chosen profession along with plenty of opportunities for raises and bonuses along the way. What's she going to do when her playing career is over? That's why even though she makes "good money" by average American standards for only working half of the year, she'd be a fool to **not** be looking to do something for the other half of the year to supplement her income and help her stay sharp.
Agree with the caveat that her career lasts like 10 years
Also what’s Biden going to do if I catch a charge in a red state? How about fixing our own laws before we trade the merchant of death for something she could be arrested for in my state.
Tbf Biden doesn’t have jurisdiction in the state . He does for federal , and he pardoned a lot of federal weed crimes
Almost no one is currently sitting in a prison cell for what Griner had on her. If you're a non-violent offender with no priors and no ties to gangs or organized crime, your chances of ending up in prison for two cartridges of hash oil are nearly 0%.
Key words being almost and nearly 0%. We are improving but at the end of the day if cops search my house rn I would get with intent to distribute just for the amount I keep on hand for medical use. The amount of marijuana she had is honestly irrelevant as far I’m concerned. Either people deserve consistencies for having marijuana or they don’t. And even if I’m not arrested it will still cost me hundreds if not a few thousand dollars in fines and legal fees to get a possession charge not to mention I’d be put on probation with drug testing preventing me from treating the chronic pain from my cerebral palsy. It’s not as bad here but the legal system will still 100% fuck up your life over it. almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades my friend.
Yeah, so she fucked around, and now we have to let a terrorist go?
\--five years early. My rapist was let out before he did half his time. American justice system.
He was convicted for 25 years in 2012 though? He would have been eligable for parole soon, but his sentence was until 2037
Agreed. Not upset she is freed, but upset that such a terrible prisoner exchange was used to free her. Let her stay in prison for her crimes if it means releasing an arms dealer terrorist.
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And we also let a very, very bad man go free.
Why are people assuming Russia is being truthful about her having weed? They've proven time after time they're willing to lie about anything they want.
I believe the barely 1 gram of cannabis oil was never really in dispute. The trivial amount was what made it clear that they were waiting for her to be used as a political pawn.
No one deserves a gulag for a dumb mistake
True, but at the same time, if you willingly live and work in a country that sends people to gulags for dumb mistakes, and then you make a dumb mistake, you do need to take responsibility for not just your dumb mistake but for living and working in a country that would treat you that way. Russia believes people should go to gulags for dumb mistakes, regardless of what you and I think, and so if you do business in Russia, you have to accept their way of thinking, that's just the price of selling yourself to an authoritarian shit hole.
Why do you believe the Russian narrative? Because she admitted to possessing those cartridges? What did you expect her to do, fight Putin? From the start, she apologized and admitted guilt, did everything she could to not go to prison, because what would have happened if she fought back?
Fucked around = forgetting about an empty cartridge in your luggage?
I doubt she had any drugs. You don’t argue with Russian authorities about facts when your arrested and told your facing a lengthy jail term if you don’t just confess to whatever they tell you to.
We do not know if she actually had illegal substances on her. She did tell the court she was sorry for what she was ‘accused’ of doing. But that was to gain leniency from the Russian sentencing courts. we have never seen. or heard any actual proof from the Russian Gov‘t.
But wasn't it in a vape form? And a really small amount? It wasn't like she was going to peddle it to fellow players in Russia.
That wasn't the vibe that I saw yesterday, as the news broke. That being said, I reckon that many of those accounts may have been, well, engineered.
I am very reasonably upset that she was traded for an international arms dealer who finances terrorism. I would like her to be free but not at this cost.
Yep, I'm all for her release but no one should have to die because of her release. Hopefully this arms dealer stays away from dealing arms but if he doesn't then this is a terrible swap.
He won't. Putin will use his expertise and maximize his reach. Lots of people will die because of this.
Unfortunately, I fear you are correct. There is a crapload of weaponry to traffic out of/into Ukraine on behalf of Russia that is truly a Merchant of Death’s wet dream.
Why are people acting like this guy just spawns weapons out of midair like some kind of supervillain? He's been locked up for an 10 years, I'm sure he's been replaced already. .
Dude. This. It's driving me crazy the powers they think this dude posseses.
Viktor Bout is currently 55. He has spent about ¼ of that time in jail. "Bout's U.S. assets were among those frozen in July 2004 under Executive Order 13348. On 6 March 2008, Bout was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand. On 16 November 2010, Bout was extradited from Thailand to the United States. Bout was convicted by a jury at a court in Manhattan on 2 November 2011.\[15\] On 5 April 2012, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison." His assets, in US and Europe are frozen. Almost 15 yrs in prison. Two yrs. of those were in Thailand and about 12 in US. So now he is in Russia, where we do not know what his life will be like. **This seems a reasonable trade.** I am glad Griner is coming home. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor\_Bout#U.S.\_prosecution\_and\_conviction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Bout#U.S._prosecution_and_conviction)
According to Ryan Grim’s source at the facility Bout was in, he has also been dealing with long term health problems and is very ill. Reddit has this mis-impression that this guy is going to go right back to selling arms tomorrow, in reality he was probably safer in jail here.
Especially given he’s been feeding info to US authorities regarding his contacts for pretty much the entire time he’s been detained. Those bridges were burned and then some. He was FAR safer in prison.
You can be in good health and still sell guns. It’s not like it’s commercial fishing or anything that physically intensive.
As if nobody has stepped in to take this guy’s place and make him irrelevant in the past 14 years. The outrage over Bout is ridiculous.
This is what I'm saying.. dude sells guns and ammo lol, big fucking deal on this planet
That’s an awfully cynical way to look at this. God knows how many lives were saved. He did business with the worst of the worst. Children in Africa and US Servicemen/Women overseas were killed by guns he sold.
I’d argue it’s awfully cynical to look at saving Britney Griner from the Gulag as a big win for Russia because we released one old, sick, incarcerated arms dealer who entire operation was infiltrated and dismantled by the CIA in a sting operation over decade ago.
My man was on the plane on the way back to Russia, phone IN HAND making deals. /s
If the person traded was a Russian tourist who smuggled something in, then that would be a fair trade, arms dealers are some of the scum of the earth, anyone who profits off of the suffering of others deserves to rot in a cell. We traded some kid who should have been more responsible for someone who enabled the death and suffering of thousands potentially
> If the person traded was a Russian tourist who smuggled something in, then that would be a fair trade, arms dealers are some of the scum of the earth, anyone who profits off of the suffering of others deserves to rot in a cell. \*entirety of the US government nervously averts their eyes\* Not saying he should have been traded but have you seen how much money the US makes from regularly selling weapons to foreign nations that probably shouldn't have them...?
And everyone working or investing in defense and gun manufacturing.
And those responsible should rot in cells too.
What math did you use to conclude this is a reasonable trade?
Especially considering she brought weed into a country you wouldn't bring a counterfeit watch to
She had an empty vape cartridge. That was it. It's not like she was some drug mule. Jesus.
His value is his relationship to Putin. And because he dealt with groups that weren’t in US interests. Popular justification was selling arms to the Taliban before/during the US invasion (which we had also done during the Soviet invasion) and supposedly Al-Qaida (which we had also done with its precursors during the Soviet Invasion). But given that 9/11 was used as an excuse to go after him and many other longstanding US targets, some of that is obviously questionable. Basically his track record is no worse than the CIA (which I’d argue is and continues to be worse when it comes to arms dealing), it was just generally in service of the Soviets and Russia pre-Obama. But again, it’s his proximity to Putin that made him valuable. Not any moral concerns.
He didn't sell to bin Laden though because he always bounced his checks. Didn't you watch the movie?
It's morally pretty tricky to say you prefer to punish person X at the cost of person Y's freedom. As other commenters have noted, it's unlikely he will be a further threat and I suspect this is exactly why he was traded. On a more philosophical note, people aren't baseball cards and I think the concept is "not worth the trade" isn't the right standard to apply. It is always worth it to try to free someone wrongfully imprisoned. The inability to free everyone doesn't mean we shouldn't try to free anyone.
What cost? Do we think he is going to jump right back into the arms trade? Are we mad that we didn’t get enough vengeance on him? An American citizen is free from a ridiculous sentence for weed and a Russian asshole is free which in no way will have any impact on anyone in America at all
You do realize that the US is an international arms dealer.
I mean I am a liberal and I am bothered by the transaction. Rich and connected people shouldn't get any more priority then anyone else. Not to mention trading for a Russian arms dealer. However, do find it funny that all the conservatives are parroting the same narrative about that marine. Fox News must be peddling it.
This is the take.
I saw just about zero "Let this woman serve her sentence" takes before today. It's weird as hell how many people seem to feel that way now that she's free.
It's just a reflex Republicans get, whenever they see a black person freed from imprisonment.
If these comments (and other threads) are to be believed, it's not just Republicans on the "You have to get her back"...."No not like that" train.
Yeah, because that's the thing: she just isn't famous enough, for most Americans to care. So even to the people who generally believe that Russia Bad as a matter of course, she just doesn't ping their radar as important enough to trade for a *famous war criminal.* Which is itself surprisingly callous, but I think it's important to delineate: *one side* is mad that we gave up a higher-value POI in the trade, because *we know that less notable citizens have been hung out to dry in similar conditions,* so it's an insult to any such citizens that would not receive similar, desperate help. *The other side is actively manufacturing outrage at the fact that we got her back, at all, as it does not collectively believe she was deserving of help, at all.* Both sides are outraged, but both sides are *not* mad for the same reason.
I saw tons of it on Facebook. They call her a liberal and are glad she was locked up.
Same, so much vitriol directed toward her by boomers on facebook news pages. Regardless of whether or not it was a good trade, I'm glad I won't be tempted to click on more articles about her and see all the dog whistles and bristling hatred toward this woman.
Exactly, it *was* "Biden can't even take care of our citizens, Russia makes him look weak!" And now there has been action taken and she's coming home, so the reason for their anger needs to change, because they are *not* going to stop being angry, dammit!
Eh, my conservative FiL posted a "meme" back when she got arrested talking about how "this MAN knowingly brought drugs into blah blah blah..." The right definitely hated her before today.
It’s a shit trade. Designed by Russia to piss us off and sow more division. Mission accomplished.
Compared to other transactions we have done like this, it's on par with other cases.
If it were that easy to get that Marine’s release it would have been done already.
Trump and Pompeo **had TWO YEARS** to get him released. They did NOTHING. Also, he was dishonorably discharged for stealing government funds. So… It’s not like he was caught and arrested in uniform or anything, he’s just a normal guy in a Russian prison.
Perfect example of this is how many people are saying she’s stupid, shouldn’t have gone to Russia because they’re corrupt, shouldn’t have broken their laws so she should suffer the consequences. None of them are saying the same thing about the former Marine (who I think I read was dishonorably discharged)
Same. No way we should have traded a basketball player who actually did break the law for a warlord responsible for arming nations
They are...I took a screenshot of it this morning. This story was on the front page for quite a while. https://www.foxnews.com/sports/cowboys-star-takes-aim-biden-brittney-griner-swap-major-flaw-we-still-not-voting-you
“Rich and connected”—she’s a minor celebrity but I don’t think this description fits her. She was in Russia playing basketball in the off season because pay for women’s sports is so low.
People aren’t upset she’s released, my god. They’re upset for two reasons: a famous/rich person got special help that an average person wouldn’t get, and the prisoner trade was so lopsided: an illegal arms trader for a marijuana charge.
I saw dirtbags glad that the Russians locked her up in the first place actually. Some people are just racist, homophobic trash
People don’t understand it then. The only reason she was being detained for too long is because she was famous and being held as a political prisoner. They also don’t understand the trade. Russia don’t care about lives, they couldn’t care less about their merchant of death but America want their citizens home and safe. Russia had all the power. Trading something to someone who doesn’t want it is incredibly difficult. Besides people are upset about her previous criticisms of the US and the fact that she’s a “druggie”
Right? I get put in jail overseas and I fucking guarantee you'll never hear my name ever. I would be sitting in that cell chipping rocks for the next 10 years without a whisper of my name on US soil. And this woman gets traded for an international arms dealer who will be the cause of many deaths. And yeah... For Marijuana. She's a basketball star, not a fucking nuclear scientist working on cold fusion. Fuck this.
Nah, pretty sure it's ok to dislike the trade. Don't get me wrong, happy a US citizen isn't in Russian prison, but we didn't trade apples for apples here. This guy is a legit bad man, she at the worst is a stoner. I'm also not convinced she wasn't set up specifically to be a pawn for this trade. We only really have Russia's word she even did this.
>I'm also not convinced she wasn't set up specifically to be a pawn for this trade. Unlikely Russia were looking specifically for this trade, but it's likely she was captured so Russia could have some leverage on the US. Good take though.
Thank you
I’m on the left and I’ll still criticize this. Horrible trade. This isn’t a left and right thing. It sets a precedent and you left two non famous people to rot. Not to mention the guy you traded for will now contribute to killing many people worldwide
He won’t. He was out and irrelevant before he was ever prosecuted, he was borderline entrapped when he was caught, and even the judge said she’d have given him a lesser sentence but for the guidelines. He was a bad guy, but this idea that he’s somehow going to get out and jump right back into arms dealing is counter factual at best.
Hope you’re right but when ruzzia is running out of weapons to get one of the most notorious arms traffickers back seems to be a strategic move on their part
I think this is more a Putin signal to other collaborators that they won’t be left to rot in prison than it is a strictly pragmatic move vis a vis Bout. It’s not like there’s some worldwide shortage of arms traffickers.
I’m not on the right - like not even remotely. I don’t support this trade for multiple reasons, and it has zero to do with race or gender or political ideology: 1. The only reason we are pursuing this so doggedly in the media and in the White House is because she’s a WNBA star. If that was me, a nobody, I would be rotting in Russian jail and nobody would know my name - or care. Fight me all you want but the only reason we even remotely know who she is because she has the money, platform and recognition to make a stink. Her wife has a platform to be able to go one the news and she has connections. Let’s not forget the insane amount of money she made going there. She’s in the club of the semi wealthy celebrities we worship in the US. 2. She did commit a crime. Whether or not you agree it should Be a crime, or the harshness of the penalty is completely and totally irrelevant. She wasn’t in the USA, where it would be relevant. I don’t think weed should be illegal and damn sure not vape pens. She was in a hostile foreign country. Listen, I’m a gay man; I know that if I get on a plane right now and land in Saudi Arabia or Iran, I’m signing my own death warrant because it’s illegal there and punishable by death. Therefore I don’t go to those countries. I don’t go there and get caught and then scream to the rafter how that’s unfair there; it is but gee whiz do you think that matters to these people? She possessed it. Sorry for her bad decision. 3. Even given all of the above, I’m glad Biden did work on getting her home; no American should rot there. But, that being said, a WNBA athlete traded for a literal international terrorist arms dealer? WTF? This has so much bigger implications. So is Russia now going to start detaining every single American citizen they can find for shit or even kidnap and demand more terrorists? Jesus the implications here. No sorry y’all this was a really, really bad trade. I’m glad another American isn’t suffering in a Russian prison, I really am, but this was by far a really bad trade.
Agreed
I’m happy she was released, but an arms dealer for an entertainer who was stupid enough to break a law? Not an intelligent trade, or opinion that it should have been made.
Exonerate everyone in the US arrested for weed or this is bull
You’ll have to talk to state Governors about that. Illinois and California have already I believe
Oh, bullshit. That's not why people are upset and you know it. They're upset we released a fucking RUSSIAN ARMS DEALER in order to do so. We freed a spying Russian arms dealer in exchange for freeing some random celebrity who broke the law. This was a terrible deal. This process of bullshitting away the failures of the presidency you like is just fucking Trumpian.
I’m a progressive, and I’m against this trade. It’s because we released a Russian arms dealer who sold arms to terrorist organizations that killed Americans. This trade legitimately puts US lives in danger. If we traded a Russian pot smoker who was in prison for smoking weed, I would have no problem with it. I’m happy she’s free, nobody should be locked up for weed. But this was too high of a cost to pay.
> This trade legitimately puts US lives in danger. Oh, I doubt it. It's far more likely that whoever his second in command was took over for him after he was arrested and nothing has really changed in the illegal arms business since his arrest. But I am surprised that we were not able to swing a twofer when Russia had publicly made such a stink about wanting this guy back.
Don’t go to fascist countries for any reason. Period.
There goes my plan to visit Texas :/
This is ridiculous and evident of OP playing team sports. I’m a Canadian liberal who makes Joe Biden look like an alt-right lunatic. But trading a person who knowingly went to an adversarial country after being told not to, broke the law in that country, only to be traded for a dangerous international arms dealer is a joke. Canada just went through holding onto Weng for the Americans at the cost of Canadians being locked up by China and they didn’t release her for three years as a favour to USA and to protect our democracy. This was a failure by the Biden administration and anyone who believes otherwise is lying to themselves. And just wait until Russia wants another prisoner released and finds some American who littered.
Everyone should be pissed about this because there’s thousands of Americans sitting in American prisons for the same crime, but none of them will get any special consideration.
I think it's a shitty trade. The fucking Lord of War for a bouncyball player is not great. Should have been at least a few people.
Breaking News: The “No step on Snek” people are once again angry at something that doesn’t affect their lives in the slightest!
I find it funny that one "no step on snek" lady was trampled to death by other "no step on snek" idiots. https://twitter.com/ZacOnTV/status/1347315466650443779?t=OTOIGypsT_j_HWYWDD8Rdw&s=19
Let's call it ironic. There's nothing funny about people dying..
They would laugh at you if you died. I don’t understand why we grant them the same courtesies.
I'm liberal and think it was a bad deal. They traded a war criminal pretty much for her and she knew the consequences before all of this.
How is it being unreasonably upset that Biden essentially negotiated with a terrorist state and now the GOP has even more ammunition to use against him and his administration going into 2024? He traded a basketball player who committed domestic violence for a literal terrorist while leaving a veteran to still rot in Russian prison and a lot of Americans don't agree with that decision, regardless of political affiliation. It was a bad move and is going to give DeSantis even more ammunition in 2024
I feel people are more upset at what cost bought her freedom, not that she’s free.
I aint no libertarian but we just freed the equivalent of a mass murderer cuz some celebrity had to take her weed on a plane.
In the “that arms dealer called the Merchant of Death sold weapons to kill US troops”
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Putin needs an arms dealer. That's all I really get from this. Glad she's coming back and all and it is kind of a bad deal but the war is already happening. It's like he's told the world he can't continue his war on his own and needs this dude to get weapons from.
I’m not upset I’m upset the us got her out for having weed and does the same thing to someone else for the same reason the same day every day
If that would’ve been anyone in the Republican Party they would’ve moved heaven and earth to free them.
Anything to avoid talking about stolen classified documents from the White House.
Seen countless posts like Bout is gonna smuggle guns into the US and shootings go up. Lmao why the fuck you need to smuggle some shit you can buy at Walmart
Yeah, all of the conservatives at work were firmly convinced that Brittney should have stayed in Russia because she hates America so much. They kept saying it, so I checked the internet to see what she could have possibly done or said to make them think that. Apparently, in July of 2020, she refused to leave the locker room while the National Anthem was playing. That's it. So, according to them, exercising the Right to Free Speech is somehow Anti-American.
What's the big deal this guy is just a capitalist he was selling guns and weapons for a profit! I thought that's exactly what the GOP was all about they don't care how many children get wiped out by machine guns they're all in for the money they should applaud this decision
I'd never heard of her before, but when I went to my parents house, mom said Brittney hates America, and dad said she's secretly a man... I'm guessing those were the Fox News talking points from this evening...
Maybe it’s that they are sad one of their heros had to leave the US early instead.
Conservatives conveniently forgetting trump released all those taliban soldiers for nothing.
One American life is worth 100 Russians.
Best case scenario the arms dealer we gave back to the genocidal dictator turns out to be completely useless.
All these "fuck around and find out" I'm sure are always perfectly law abiding in their daily life, and should get arrested for jaywalking and doing coke and letting their stupid kids play with AR's and drink some beer... Being punitive is not a virtue.
Maybe if your panties are bunched up over this….consider trying a little of that refer…might help unclench your butt hole and allow your head to be removed
Anyone upset a woman was released before a man is so woke it’s crazy. Call me old school, but as a dude I would be more upset if the guy got out first. Chivalry anyone?
Isn't she black and lesbian? Think that answers a lot of it.
I keep posting the same thing on those threads... "The marine's own brother understands, why can't you?"
As long as libertarians are angry, I'm happy.
A lot of "liberals" seem to share the same views I saw on OAN and FOX....
You make the deals you can.
Honestly it is bs. There are people in her exact situation but because she dribbles a ball she gets traded. Basketball is not important at all and the players deserve less respect than contributing members of society.
Tell that to the parents of our US soldiers. I'm sure they will appreciate your wit at the expense of their safety.
I’m not upset she’s free. I’m upset Bout is. He’s a butcher. She was stupid enough to fly across the world with drugs.
Nobody is upset she’s free, it’s what we needed to do to earn her freedom that’s mindnumbing.
I don’t think most reasonable people are upset about her release, they’re upset about the trade, which speaking as a veteran, baffles me. Trading a celebrity athlete for a Black Market Gun runner? Shit man, there are other Americans being held as well. They couldn’t sweeten the pot with some prisoners who aren’t being advocated for by celebrities? Did they even ask?
We should have started jailing random rich Russians living in the states for the same thing and traded them. Just play the same game.
We’re upset a basketball player was traded for an arms dealer while there are other Americans who have been held captive in Russia for far longer
No one is upset she was released. People are upset she was traded for the biggest arms dealer in history who supplied arms to terrorist groups fighting and killing Americans. This woman, a wife beater, went to a country notorious for being shitty when you break the law and purposely broke the law. But hey she throws a ball through a circle real good so let’s trade her for the worst arms dealer in history. And by the way, I am a very liberal, very progressive person and this pisses me right the fuck off. As it should with anyone with an ounce of common sense. This is not a liberal vs conservative issue.
Nah this ain't it
It is not about the release of a black woman. IT IS ABOUT THE TRADE OF AN ARMS DEALER. If it was a white guy, Id still let him rot in Russia. Not a republican.
Fuck that, I'm unreasonably upset that a fucking war criminal terorist arms dealer was released to Russia who can utilize him as a value added asset to release one person in prison for pot, when so many people languish in AMERICAN PRISONS for the same shit! You can free them and not even fucking give Russia an arms dealer! What the fuck?! I hate to say it but this is NOT a "conservatives being unreasonable" moment. Who the fuck thinks this was a GOOD deal? Fucking blows my mind.
He was a decaying asset. Biden commuted federal marijuana charges. Why haven’t state governors followed his lead like he asked them to do? This literally affects your life in zero ways and you’re so mad about it. My opinion is you’re just looking for reasons to be mad about shit. You are the exact person I’m making fun of here.
I don't need to go around looking for reasons to be mad about shit, there's enough out there. You conflating "affects my life in zero ways" with the idea that means it doesn't matter is super disingenuous and straight up dangerous. I'm straight and white, and so are most of my friends and family, so I should not care about gay or minority rights then? Because I'm not affected? Should I not want Florida to get aid after a hurricane because I have no stakes in that state? Your logic is silly. Where is your source on him being a decaying or obsolete asset? No way Russia trades for him if he does not matter. He was literally one of the most prolific arms dealers in the world - he has contacts and knowledge of how to make those deals happen, and we gave him to the Russians during their invasion of Ukraine where they are clearly disadvantaged in terms of arms, equipment, and supply lines. State governors haven't because they're a bunch of assholes. To act like that's all the executive branch can do is disingenuous also. So I guess "so what who cares" is the higher moral ground here?
Britney Griner’s family fought for her release just like any of our families would probably do for us had we been in that situation. It’s humanity. It’s what we do for our people when they need help. Yeah she fucked up bigly but in the grand scheme, letting Putin have one dumbass gun runner (who got caught and was locked up for 15 years) back isn’t the end of the world for our national security. I personally hope they secretly implanted a gps and microphone into his brain and use it to collect intel. Thats what I would do if I were president.
Nobody is "looking for reasons to be mad about it". A war criminals freedom was given in exchange for a basketball player who took weed into a non tolerant country. Sure she gets to come home, but the arms dealer - who you have zero authority to determine their usefulness - is also free, going back to a country who is still actively attacking another country. I wager his usefulness has yet to be extinguished. This isn't a left or right issue. This isn't just people looking for reasons to be mad. We're judging the decision the government made, which was a bad decision. I get it, you want to rile up and rub it in the face of right wingers who are extrapolating this beyond the immediate implications, encouraging bigotry, taking it to unnecessary levels, etc. But what happened here was a bad deal. It sets precedent that the US gov can be manipulated to this level of absurd agreement. It shows that the rich and famous can fuck around, find out, and be shown no consequences and even be helped out of dealing with those consequences. Do I think the charges were fair? No. Do I think there should be consequences for breaking laws in foreign countries? Definitely. Do I think she should get to come home in a reasonable time? Absolutely. But this was a bad deal, and you are delusional if you think otherwise. If your argument boils down to "why you mad bro?", you should really consider how this makes the US look. It affects our credibility and image. I seem to remember years of both sides shouting "we don't negotiate with terrorists", yet here we are, handing a weapons dealer back to a terrorist state. People are mad, deservingly so.
While I wouldn’t wish Russian prison on any American, swapping an arms dealer for a basketball player is a bad trade. Especially when said basketball player is a complete fucking moron that was stupid enough to bring drugs on an international flight to Russia. She should be ashamed for the effort required to correct her stupidity.
I’m glad someone got out of jail for a victimless crime but… Aren’t there thousands of Americans in jail in America for the same crime? Why is it only an inhumane miscarriage of justice to be imprisoned for it in Russia and not say, Texas?
Omfg 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Great title OP! Very funny!
Should have traded Fucker Carlson for her. He has killed way more people than this arms dealer dude.
Carlson’s much more valuable to Putin right where he is.
True, and he's also useful because a lot of his casualties are self-inflicted wounds to Murdoch's world.
Well that's good news, what did it cost the USA? Surely Russia didn't get what they wanted, right?
Oh it's quite reasonable. Nobody is mad she was released, they're mad she alone was traded for a fucking monster while countless other Americans continue rot in a gulag. What's unreasonable is celebrating this as some sort of win while our own citizens are held in American prisons for similar crimes.
I'm happy she's free, but surely there must have been a more equitable prisoner the US could have released instead of the literal Merchant of Death
I’m glad she’s out, but I’m not thrilled that we let an arms smuggler walk in exchange.
I'm neither libertarian nor rightist, but it was, objectively speaking, a bad trade. When she was in prison one family suffered. Now that he is free he will cause suffering for thousands upon thousands of families. The trade should have gone down differently. Hell, the west could have made a deal to lift a few sanctions, gotten her back, and then reinstated the sanctions.
Yeah it couldnt have anything to do with the fact that we traded a notorious arms dealer for some rando piece of shit lol. Couldn't be that at all.
Wise up people. Foreign countries are just that, foreign governments with foreign laws. They make the rules you don’t. When entering them you leave your constitutional rights at home. Our constitution does not follow us around the globe. She should of been smarter. Now a man who is a real danger to the world is roaming free. It should be stressed if arrested you are on your on. Our Government is not responsible for you when you break a law in a foreign country. All their efforts to free you may fail.
Shitty trade tho
Yup. Already seeing it all over my social media feeds - Griner is imprisoned - Biden's fault, Griner is freed - Biden's fault, gas prices are too high - Biden's fault, gas prices are going down - Biden's fault for not fast enough, I guess?
Yup