https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-bombings-world-war-ii-attack-on-pearl-harbor-c26e01e250992bc9d9371d2b1d96e085
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Eastern Oregon Bear said:Hey Minot and movielover, 12 RINOs just revealed themselves.sycasey said:
Actual good news.BREAKING:
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 29, 2022
The Senate has voted to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation to codify federal protection for marriages of same-sex and interracial couples, 61 to 36.
sycasey said:
The fight for same-sex marriage has been the most stunningly fast, effective progressive victory on a social issue in many a year. It wasn't that long ago that states were actively passing bans on the practice; now it's codified into federal law.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Joins YouTube’s Billion-Views Club for First Time With ‘Californication’ https://t.co/hUvksd6NU9
— Variety (@Variety) December 7, 2022
movielover said:
How about Team Biden's brains.
The Big Guy
Crack user
And the useless VP
In 1934, no Democratic senators lost re-election. But since 1934, every president, Democrat and Republican, has seen at least one senator from their party lose re-election in every single midterm cycle. Biden becomes the first president since FDR not to lose a single senator.
— Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) December 7, 2022
okaydo said:movielover said:
How about Team Biden's brains.
The Big Guy
Crack user
And the useless VP
Wow, then it's even more remarkable that Biden was so successful this midterm season.
And it's even more embarrassing that the republicans failed so spectacularly.
Fanatical QAnon conspiracy theorist Liz Crokin spoke at an event at Mar-a-Lago last night. After she spoke, Trump made a surprise appearance at the event. pic.twitter.com/03xuzWKyC2
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) December 7, 2022
Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
It sucks, but I'm not sure if there is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
Sure there is, not doing the swap was a better deal.sycasey said:It sucks, but I'm not sure if there is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
Ehh, a lot of women's basketball players played in Russia because that's where the money was for them. They didn't know a sudden geopolitical conflict was going to break out. I'm not interested in blaming them for this situation. Griner was the unlucky one.Unit2Sucks said:Sure there is, not doing the swap was a better deal.sycasey said:It sucks, but I'm not sure if there is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
Griner isn't the hero here - she was in Russia because an oligarch owned a basketball team and was willing to pay her more money than she would make elsewhere. She benefited financially from the oligarchy and was willing to overlook the fact that Russia is a sh(thole petro-state that represses people, including quite prominently LGBT folks. She never should have been there in the first place and although that doesn't excuse Putin's authoritarian repressive behavior, what really happened is that she lost protection from her oligarch. Griner is probably going to go on a tour talking about how regressive Russia is but nothing's really changed other than that she was the victim instead of nameless other people that she previously felt comfortable overlooking because it benefited her financially.
I'm 100% against this deal and any other deal like this.
Yes, she was unlucky and wrongfully detained but she wasn't blameless. She broke a known law and no longer had the protection of her oligarch. She wasn't an outspoken critic of Russia's LGBT policies because that would be bad for business. She was cool with Russia when it suited her pocketbook and got burned. Paul Whelan would have been a better trade since he was detained under very different circumstances.sycasey said:Ehh, a lot of women's basketball players played in Russia because that's where the money was for them. They didn't know a sudden geopolitical conflict was going to break out. I'm not interested in blaming them for this situation. Griner was the unlucky one.Unit2Sucks said:Sure there is, not doing the swap was a better deal.sycasey said:It sucks, but I'm not sure if there is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
Griner isn't the hero here - she was in Russia because an oligarch owned a basketball team and was willing to pay her more money than she would make elsewhere. She benefited financially from the oligarchy and was willing to overlook the fact that Russia is a sh(thole petro-state that represses people, including quite prominently LGBT folks. She never should have been there in the first place and although that doesn't excuse Putin's authoritarian repressive behavior, what really happened is that she lost protection from her oligarch. Griner is probably going to go on a tour talking about how regressive Russia is but nothing's really changed other than that she was the victim instead of nameless other people that she previously felt comfortable overlooking because it benefited her financially.
I'm 100% against this deal and any other deal like this.
At this point, it's pretty obvious that you shouldn't be doing business in Russia anymore. Griner was doing so before this whole thing blew up in Ukraine and got caught up in it.Unit2Sucks said:Yes, she was unlucky and wrongfully detained but she wasn't blameless. She broke a known law and no longer had the protection of her oligarch. She wasn't an outspoken critic of Russia's LGBT policies because that would be bad for business. She was cool with Russia when it suited her pocketbook and got burned. Paul Whelan would have been a better trade since he was detained under very different circumstances.sycasey said:Ehh, a lot of women's basketball players played in Russia because that's where the money was for them. They didn't know a sudden geopolitical conflict was going to break out. I'm not interested in blaming them for this situation. Griner was the unlucky one.Unit2Sucks said:Sure there is, not doing the swap was a better deal.sycasey said:It sucks, but I'm not sure if there is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
Griner isn't the hero here - she was in Russia because an oligarch owned a basketball team and was willing to pay her more money than she would make elsewhere. She benefited financially from the oligarchy and was willing to overlook the fact that Russia is a sh(thole petro-state that represses people, including quite prominently LGBT folks. She never should have been there in the first place and although that doesn't excuse Putin's authoritarian repressive behavior, what really happened is that she lost protection from her oligarch. Griner is probably going to go on a tour talking about how regressive Russia is but nothing's really changed other than that she was the victim instead of nameless other people that she previously felt comfortable overlooking because it benefited her financially.
I'm 100% against this deal and any other deal like this.
And for the record, any US professional still working in Russia should come home or be forewarned that they may end up in jail just like Griner. Especially all of the basketball players or other athletes.
Sure, but it hasn't really changed that much. Russia was a repressive regime that invaded Crimea in 2014. Months later, Griner joined the team for the 2015 season and has been playing for them every WNBA offseason since then.sycasey said:At this point, it's pretty obvious that you shouldn't be doing business in Russia anymore. Griner was doing so before this whole thing blew up in Ukraine and got caught up in it.Unit2Sucks said:Yes, she was unlucky and wrongfully detained but she wasn't blameless. She broke a known law and no longer had the protection of her oligarch. She wasn't an outspoken critic of Russia's LGBT policies because that would be bad for business. She was cool with Russia when it suited her pocketbook and got burned. Paul Whelan would have been a better trade since he was detained under very different circumstances.sycasey said:Ehh, a lot of women's basketball players played in Russia because that's where the money was for them. They didn't know a sudden geopolitical conflict was going to break out. I'm not interested in blaming them for this situation. Griner was the unlucky one.Unit2Sucks said:Sure there is, not doing the swap was a better deal.sycasey said:It sucks, but I'm not sure if there is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
Griner isn't the hero here - she was in Russia because an oligarch owned a basketball team and was willing to pay her more money than she would make elsewhere. She benefited financially from the oligarchy and was willing to overlook the fact that Russia is a sh(thole petro-state that represses people, including quite prominently LGBT folks. She never should have been there in the first place and although that doesn't excuse Putin's authoritarian repressive behavior, what really happened is that she lost protection from her oligarch. Griner is probably going to go on a tour talking about how regressive Russia is but nothing's really changed other than that she was the victim instead of nameless other people that she previously felt comfortable overlooking because it benefited her financially.
I'm 100% against this deal and any other deal like this.
And for the record, any US professional still working in Russia should come home or be forewarned that they may end up in jail just like Griner. Especially all of the basketball players or other athletes.
I'm sure Griner won't be going back to Russia ever again, but I wouldn't be shocked if other basketball players return in a year or two for the cash.Quote:
Griner herself reportedly earns $1 million per season more than four times her 2022 Phoenix Mercury base salary with UMMC Ekaterinburg, which is bankrolled by a Russian mining corporation and its billionaire owner, Iskander Makhmudov.
It hasn't changed that much? Russia has now started an open war in Europe and hadn't when Griner originally signed on to play there. That seems like a pretty big change to me.Unit2Sucks said:Sure, but it hasn't really changed that much.sycasey said:At this point, it's pretty obvious that you shouldn't be doing business in Russia anymore. Griner was doing so before this whole thing blew up in Ukraine and got caught up in it.Unit2Sucks said:Yes, she was unlucky and wrongfully detained but she wasn't blameless. She broke a known law and no longer had the protection of her oligarch. She wasn't an outspoken critic of Russia's LGBT policies because that would be bad for business. She was cool with Russia when it suited her pocketbook and got burned. Paul Whelan would have been a better trade since he was detained under very different circumstances.sycasey said:Ehh, a lot of women's basketball players played in Russia because that's where the money was for them. They didn't know a sudden geopolitical conflict was going to break out. I'm not interested in blaming them for this situation. Griner was the unlucky one.Unit2Sucks said:Sure there is, not doing the swap was a better deal.sycasey said:It sucks, but I'm not sure if there is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
Griner isn't the hero here - she was in Russia because an oligarch owned a basketball team and was willing to pay her more money than she would make elsewhere. She benefited financially from the oligarchy and was willing to overlook the fact that Russia is a sh(thole petro-state that represses people, including quite prominently LGBT folks. She never should have been there in the first place and although that doesn't excuse Putin's authoritarian repressive behavior, what really happened is that she lost protection from her oligarch. Griner is probably going to go on a tour talking about how regressive Russia is but nothing's really changed other than that she was the victim instead of nameless other people that she previously felt comfortable overlooking because it benefited her financially.
I'm 100% against this deal and any other deal like this.
And for the record, any US professional still working in Russia should come home or be forewarned that they may end up in jail just like Griner. Especially all of the basketball players or other athletes.
I agree that they don't deserve to be imprisoned for trumped up charges because they are American - no one does.sycasey said:It hasn't changed that much? Russia has now started an open war in Europe and hadn't when Griner originally signed on to play there. That seems like a pretty big change to me.Unit2Sucks said:Sure, but it hasn't really changed that much.sycasey said:At this point, it's pretty obvious that you shouldn't be doing business in Russia anymore. Griner was doing so before this whole thing blew up in Ukraine and got caught up in it.Unit2Sucks said:Yes, she was unlucky and wrongfully detained but she wasn't blameless. She broke a known law and no longer had the protection of her oligarch. She wasn't an outspoken critic of Russia's LGBT policies because that would be bad for business. She was cool with Russia when it suited her pocketbook and got burned. Paul Whelan would have been a better trade since he was detained under very different circumstances.sycasey said:Ehh, a lot of women's basketball players played in Russia because that's where the money was for them. They didn't know a sudden geopolitical conflict was going to break out. I'm not interested in blaming them for this situation. Griner was the unlucky one.Unit2Sucks said:Sure there is, not doing the swap was a better deal.sycasey said:It sucks, but I'm not sure if there is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
Griner isn't the hero here - she was in Russia because an oligarch owned a basketball team and was willing to pay her more money than she would make elsewhere. She benefited financially from the oligarchy and was willing to overlook the fact that Russia is a sh(thole petro-state that represses people, including quite prominently LGBT folks. She never should have been there in the first place and although that doesn't excuse Putin's authoritarian repressive behavior, what really happened is that she lost protection from her oligarch. Griner is probably going to go on a tour talking about how regressive Russia is but nothing's really changed other than that she was the victim instead of nameless other people that she previously felt comfortable overlooking because it benefited her financially.
I'm 100% against this deal and any other deal like this.
And for the record, any US professional still working in Russia should come home or be forewarned that they may end up in jail just like Griner. Especially all of the basketball players or other athletes.
NBA and FIFA stars also have done business with unsavory billionaires and foreign regimes. Doesn't mean they deserve it if they get imprisoned on trumped-up charges.
And I'm not sure that leaving her (or any other American) there to rot is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:I agree that they don't deserve to be imprisoned for trumped up charges because they are American - no one does.sycasey said:It hasn't changed that much? Russia has now started an open war in Europe and hadn't when Griner originally signed on to play there. That seems like a pretty big change to me.Unit2Sucks said:Sure, but it hasn't really changed that much.sycasey said:At this point, it's pretty obvious that you shouldn't be doing business in Russia anymore. Griner was doing so before this whole thing blew up in Ukraine and got caught up in it.Unit2Sucks said:Yes, she was unlucky and wrongfully detained but she wasn't blameless. She broke a known law and no longer had the protection of her oligarch. She wasn't an outspoken critic of Russia's LGBT policies because that would be bad for business. She was cool with Russia when it suited her pocketbook and got burned. Paul Whelan would have been a better trade since he was detained under very different circumstances.sycasey said:Ehh, a lot of women's basketball players played in Russia because that's where the money was for them. They didn't know a sudden geopolitical conflict was going to break out. I'm not interested in blaming them for this situation. Griner was the unlucky one.Unit2Sucks said:Sure there is, not doing the swap was a better deal.sycasey said:It sucks, but I'm not sure if there is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
Griner isn't the hero here - she was in Russia because an oligarch owned a basketball team and was willing to pay her more money than she would make elsewhere. She benefited financially from the oligarchy and was willing to overlook the fact that Russia is a sh(thole petro-state that represses people, including quite prominently LGBT folks. She never should have been there in the first place and although that doesn't excuse Putin's authoritarian repressive behavior, what really happened is that she lost protection from her oligarch. Griner is probably going to go on a tour talking about how regressive Russia is but nothing's really changed other than that she was the victim instead of nameless other people that she previously felt comfortable overlooking because it benefited her financially.
I'm 100% against this deal and any other deal like this.
And for the record, any US professional still working in Russia should come home or be forewarned that they may end up in jail just like Griner. Especially all of the basketball players or other athletes.
NBA and FIFA stars also have done business with unsavory billionaires and foreign regimes. Doesn't mean they deserve it if they get imprisoned on trumped-up charges.
But I don't agree that much has changed. Russia was an remains an outlaw state that represses and jails LGBT people. It's been pretty bad since 2013 (before she started working there) and has only gotten worse over the past 5 years.
As for warmongering, when she joined it had recently invaded Crimea.
Brittney playing in Russia was never a good look for her. We boycotted North Carolina over a bathroom law but not Russia over it's far worse LGBT abuses? Brittney has a history of activism as well so I am pretty sure she made a calculated decision to ignore what was going on in Russia for the cash grab.
Again, I'm not saying that she should have been detained or that what happened was fair. I'm defending my position that we shouldn't have even entertained trading a terrorist for her and that she should have known better than to risk her freedom to play in a repressive regime like Russia that was known by all to repress people exactly like her.
okaydo said:
As some of you know, I am a guitar aficionado with many guitars.
And as a guitar aficionado, I watch guitar YouTube videos.
One guitar channel is Casino Guitars, a guitar store in North Carolina.
This was their last normal uploaded video from last week.
Turns out Casino Guitars is located in Southern Pines, North Carolina, 3 blocks from a local theater that put on a drag show that the far right had been outraged about.The drag show in Southern Pines, North Carolina that was disrupted as a result of power substations being shot up, was targeted by Libs of Tiktok last month. pic.twitter.com/YXX7atgoBS
— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) December 4, 2022Looks like Emily Grace protested the drag show in Southern Pines and now knows why the power is out in #moorecounty #southernpines @WRAL pic.twitter.com/tOqEra8EHA
— JIL (@jil) December 4, 2022
Then there was a power outage. Some vandals shot up a substation.
Don't know if the 2 events are linked.This past February, 3 white supremacists plead guilty to a plot to "attack [power] substations, or power grids, with powerful rifles" as an accelerationist plot to bring about a race war.
— @PeteStrzok@mastodon.social (@petestrzok) December 5, 2022
18 USC 1366 makes it a federal crime to damage an energy facility.https://t.co/zfHzqsPZiL pic.twitter.com/BEaYgkHdCT
And the power is still out 3 days later and likely won't return until Thursday.
We still let drug offenders rot in state prisons across this country. Not trying to be glib, but we freed an international arms dealer who has been called "one of the most dangerous man on the face of the earth" by 60 Minutes.sycasey said:And I'm not sure that leaving her (or any other American) there to rot is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:I agree that they don't deserve to be imprisoned for trumped up charges because they are American - no one does.sycasey said:It hasn't changed that much? Russia has now started an open war in Europe and hadn't when Griner originally signed on to play there. That seems like a pretty big change to me.Unit2Sucks said:Sure, but it hasn't really changed that much.sycasey said:At this point, it's pretty obvious that you shouldn't be doing business in Russia anymore. Griner was doing so before this whole thing blew up in Ukraine and got caught up in it.Unit2Sucks said:Yes, she was unlucky and wrongfully detained but she wasn't blameless. She broke a known law and no longer had the protection of her oligarch. She wasn't an outspoken critic of Russia's LGBT policies because that would be bad for business. She was cool with Russia when it suited her pocketbook and got burned. Paul Whelan would have been a better trade since he was detained under very different circumstances.sycasey said:Ehh, a lot of women's basketball players played in Russia because that's where the money was for them. They didn't know a sudden geopolitical conflict was going to break out. I'm not interested in blaming them for this situation. Griner was the unlucky one.Unit2Sucks said:Sure there is, not doing the swap was a better deal.sycasey said:It sucks, but I'm not sure if there is a better option.Unit2Sucks said:For real. We're basically begging bad actor countries to kidnap Americans under the guise of their draconian laws in order to do a prisoner swap. I don't like this deal at all.oski003 said:DiabloWags said:
Britney Griner, coming home.Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT
Brittney Griner released from Russian prison 10 months after arrest (yahoo.com)
The U.S. now accepts bad deals. All famous Americans need to stay clear of hostile countries. They may now be targets.
Griner isn't the hero here - she was in Russia because an oligarch owned a basketball team and was willing to pay her more money than she would make elsewhere. She benefited financially from the oligarchy and was willing to overlook the fact that Russia is a sh(thole petro-state that represses people, including quite prominently LGBT folks. She never should have been there in the first place and although that doesn't excuse Putin's authoritarian repressive behavior, what really happened is that she lost protection from her oligarch. Griner is probably going to go on a tour talking about how regressive Russia is but nothing's really changed other than that she was the victim instead of nameless other people that she previously felt comfortable overlooking because it benefited her financially.
I'm 100% against this deal and any other deal like this.
And for the record, any US professional still working in Russia should come home or be forewarned that they may end up in jail just like Griner. Especially all of the basketball players or other athletes.
NBA and FIFA stars also have done business with unsavory billionaires and foreign regimes. Doesn't mean they deserve it if they get imprisoned on trumped-up charges.
But I don't agree that much has changed. Russia was an remains an outlaw state that represses and jails LGBT people. It's been pretty bad since 2013 (before she started working there) and has only gotten worse over the past 5 years.
As for warmongering, when she joined it had recently invaded Crimea.
Brittney playing in Russia was never a good look for her. We boycotted North Carolina over a bathroom law but not Russia over it's far worse LGBT abuses? Brittney has a history of activism as well so I am pretty sure she made a calculated decision to ignore what was going on in Russia for the cash grab.
Again, I'm not saying that she should have been detained or that what happened was fair. I'm defending my position that we shouldn't have even entertained trading a terrorist for her and that she should have known better than to risk her freedom to play in a repressive regime like Russia that was known by all to repress people exactly like her.
Unit2Sucks said:
For what it's worth, the best argument I've heard for this trade is that Bout is a marked man in Russia and that he will likely find himself next to an open window soon. The theory goes that Putin won't fully trust him and will assume that he's been turned by the US and blabbed while in custody. Since Bout has no juice left, Putin won't hesitate to sideline him. So Putin gets to pretend like he "won" the trade, when really the goal was just to put Bout in a box.
This strikes me as not entirely unlikely and one that would fully justify the trade in my book.
Unit2Sucks said:
For what it's worth, the best argument I've heard for this trade is that Bout is a marked man in Russia and that he will likely find himself next to an open window soon. The theory goes that Putin won't fully trust him and will assume that he's been turned by the US and blabbed while in custody. Since Bout has no juice left, Putin won't hesitate to sideline him. So Putin gets to pretend like he "won" the trade, when really the goal was just to put Bout in a box.
This strikes me as not entirely unlikely and one that would fully justify the trade in my book.
Column: Brittney Griner has been freed from Russian captivity…
— Bill Plaschke (@BillPlaschke) December 9, 2022
An American has returned home…
So why are so many Americans so upset? https://t.co/toXc9p96YH
okaydo said:Unit2Sucks said:
For what it's worth, the best argument I've heard for this trade is that Bout is a marked man in Russia and that he will likely find himself next to an open window soon. The theory goes that Putin won't fully trust him and will assume that he's been turned by the US and blabbed while in custody. Since Bout has no juice left, Putin won't hesitate to sideline him. So Putin gets to pretend like he "won" the trade, when really the goal was just to put Bout in a box.
This strikes me as not entirely unlikely and one that would fully justify the trade in my book.
My theory is that Putin released Griner to make Biden look like a piece of sh*t. Most people have never heard of Paul Whelan, but it's being portrayed in certain media that Biden abandoned a Marine for a Black gay America-hating basketball player. Hell, you can see certain allusions to this in parts of the mainstream media. Many don't care about nuance of this situation. Many don't care about Trump not releasing this guy. Putin is counting on white backlash to Biden, though I'm not sure if it will matter because what does Biden really have to lose if he doesn't run for president again?Column: Brittney Griner has been freed from Russian captivity…
— Bill Plaschke (@BillPlaschke) December 9, 2022
An American has returned home…
So why are so many Americans so upset? https://t.co/toXc9p96YH
(I happen to be listening this week to a podcast from 2019 about how the racist 1946 Disney movie Song of the South movie was box office bomb and essentially forgotten. But during the Nixon presidency amid the Southern strategy and the rise of Blaxploitation, Disney re-released Song of the South in the early 70s and it became a box office success.)