šŸ€ Basketball - Brittney Griner released in swap

Bill knows his sports, thatā€™s something I always enjoy when listening to his podcast.

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The arms dealer sounds like a more high value asset, to be honest.

I read he did 15 years though. Not sure what he did but thatā€™s a pretty good stretch.

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I looked it up as Iā€™ve never heard of him. Some major ones are conspiring to kill Americans and arming terrorist organizations. Apparently he was one of the most prolific arms dealers of his time.

He of course along with Russia claims heā€™s innocent.

Russians have really played their hands well with sending her to some work camp to get this deal. Absolutely ridiculous for what she did.

Hard to put values on human life in a trade but at face value it seems the Russians got a much higher value prisoner compared to a WNBA player caught for THC.

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Isnā€™t he the guy that inspired that Nick Cage movie?

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Truly pathetic by Biden

Releases a dangerous arms dealer for an arrogant basketball player, and leaves the former US marine rotting in jail. I can.t see how even Biden supporters can defend this one.

Biden caved in.

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You must know all the intricacies of the negotiations. Hereā€™s NSC spokesperson on what he knows. Iā€™m sure you could teach him a thing or two.

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Well of course a White House spokesperson is going to big up that it was the right call.

Fact is, this basically tells the world that all they have to do to secure the release of a dangerous prisoner is lock up a D-List celebrity.

Would Biden have gone to these lengths to release someone if it was Jed Jones from Arkansas banged up on drugs charges rather than a basketball player? Nope, he wouldnā€™t.

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That is not the way the US Constitution works.

Yep. Thatā€™s exactly how I see it too. A shameful situation, isnā€™t it.

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I thought she was handling the situation with admirable dignity and aplomb, from what little we could see. Nothing says the Russians have to place the same value on her and other prisoners. She was an obvious pawn, itā€™s good they got her home.

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She certainly became a pawn. But how did it happen? She smuggled drugs into Russia. Try taking weed into Australia. Or Thailand. Or England. Or Taiwan. Or Outer Mongolia. Drug smuggling is an international criminal offence.

Donā€™t do the crime if you canā€™t do the time.

Yeah, but I looked up Russian law and it seems for the amount she had normally it would be a slap on the wrist, a fine maybe face a short stint in ail like would happen here and then usually you can pay a fine to keep yourself out of jail.

The 10 years sentence (or whatever it was) seemed to be political.

Doesnā€™t excuse her bringing in the stuff in the first place, but we can expect people to be treated fairly and in line with how others would be normally treated.

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Well that took the wind out of my sails.

Well argued, sir. :pray:

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It was totally them messing with the US trying to trade up and it worked. Absolutely ridiculous to lock anyone up for weed.

Even as a D list celeb, Griner was really stupid to go into Russia at that time and let herself be used as a pawn. Now a man known as the merchant of death walks free for her.

Iā€™m glad sheā€™s out of there, wouldnā€™t wish that on my worst enemies. Hope she gets a reality check on how good sheā€™s got it to be in America and an American where rule of law and fairness is respected.

Maybe I missed something, but is there reason to think thatā€™s needed? Iā€™m not interested in the occasional political protest.

Trading her for Bout will definitely result in countless innocents being slaughtered. Those victimsā€™ blood is on her and Bidenā€™s hands.

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What was she supposed to about it? Thatā€™s absurd.

Not take drugs into Russia? :crazy_face: