Britney Griner

[SL Xpress 7,518]

Just now, Porterhouse said:

European countries are more globally important, more historically and culturally significant, and MUCH more interesting to visit. Cool Anwar Sadat drug story bro. 

They’re whiter, too, with the people living there from a superior gene pool. No wonder you like it so much better. 

[52-80 19,277]

15 minutes ago, Porterhouse said:

European countries are more globally important, more historically and culturally significant, and MUCH more interesting to visit. Cool Anwar Sadat drug story bro. 

those 3 countries represent:

2nd, 10th, and 11th highest GDP in the world.

1st, 3rd ,and 5th largest landmass in the world. 

1st, 7th, and 9th most populous in the world.

2 of the 7 current Wonders of the World.

2 of the top 5 most politically significant/relevant countries today.

and 1 of the original cradles of fucking civilization.

 

back to bed you go, grandpa.

 

[Murfdogg21 4,480]

She broke the law, and unless her punishment is out of line with similar offenders in Russia, the only injustice would be if POTUS or the State Department treated her situation differently than any other American jailed in Russia. People’s (including me) disagreement with marijuana laws and enforcement is immaterial, especially foreign laws. I hope they don’t give up a valuable prisoner for her release. If the WNBA wants to send Putin a bribe, they can knock themselves out. 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

They’re whiter, too, with the people living there from a superior gene pool. No wonder you like it so much better. 

Weird comment. 

4 hours ago, 52-80 said:

those 3 countries represent:

2nd, 10th, and 11th highest GDP in the world.

1st, 3rd ,and 5th largest landmass in the world. 

1st, 7th, and 9th most populous in the world.

2 of the 7 current Wonders of the World.

2 of the top 5 most politically significant/relevant countries today.

and 1 of the original cradles of fucking civilization.

 

back to bed you go, grandpa.

 

Who cares, who cares, definitely who cares, only reason to visit, Russia being relevant for terrible reasons is not a selling point, and largely who cares - so is Eastern Africa and Iraq, and I’m not going there either.

I’m fine living out my life visiting the mountains occasionally and spending the majority of my vacay time in the Caribbean, Cali, Hawaii, or Italy. Guess I’m missing out on St. Petersburg in December, eating insect delicacies in Beijing, or getting my kidneys harvested during Carnival. 

Edited July 8, 2022 by Porterhouse

[Pimphand 6,048]

7 hours ago, 'stache said:

I thought her wife admitted she's done it by accident in the past, left a vape in her luggage, which isn't that big a deal here.

Tell that to the victim brigade. I'm sure they are also verklempt over her needing to play in Russia to survive even though her WNBA salary is still orders of magnitude higher than most Americans.

[SL Xpress 7,518]

1 minute ago, Pimphand said:

Tell that to the victim brigade. I'm sure they are also verklempt over her needing to play in Russia to survive even though her WNBA salary is still orders of magnitude higher than most Americans.

I don’t know if I’m a part of the victim brigade or not. I think she’s in a shitty situation, along with Paul Whelan and Marc Fogel, that’s borne more out of Russia’s desire to collect chits to use in negotiations with the US as well as to demonstrate to everyone internally and externally who has the real power in Russia (it ain’t the oligarchs, except in cases where they’re also high ranking state security) than to enforce its own laws. 

I have no sympathy for WNBA player salaries, which is already subsidized above market value by the NBA and the force feeding of TV coverage with ratings below what other content with equal or less exposure receive. 

I’m a huge women’s volleyball fan, almost exclusively due to UT’s success in the sport, and you see a similar dynamic in that community. A metaphorical “think of the children” dynamic that top US volleyball players are “forced” to play overseas to earn a living wage. To me they should be grateful there’s somewhere people are willing to pay to watch them play, even if it’s not the US. There’s not a pro volleyball league paying a living wage in the US because there’s not an audience for it.
 

The WNBA players are able to earn a high salary compared to other industries. Comparing them to what the men make is a false dichotomy. If we paid people based on the level of effort a job required tenant farm workers would be our new billionaires. That’s not how a sustainable economy operates. That’s not about capitalism. That’s true of an ancient barter system. There has to be perceived worth involved. 

As far as Griner and the other US hostages, there’s a wide range of actions the US can pursue, from absolutely nothing to stopping the shipment of military equipment to Ukraine and lifting the embargoes to achieve their return. Something in between those two seems to be the correct option, but where it falls on the spectrum is a political choice of the Biden administration and won’t be settled on this board, or by a multitude of change.org postings. 

But talking about how stupid she is and how much she deserves this is simply about making yourself feel like a better person because you didn’t travel to Russia with a vape cartridge. 

[shadow_operative 15,932]

politically correct or not, if britney griner was a man then she would have a very well established and well earned reputation as a thug, and American public support for her would be essentially nonexistent. in this age of uber wokeness, i find that dichotomy interesting. from what i can tell it's about 3:1 "this is bullshit, she should be extradited" to "she knew the rules and she broke them." i'd imagine that ratio would be closer to 1:10 if she were a guy with her same history of punk behavior and violence.

[SL Xpress 7,518]

6 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

politically correct or not, if britney griner was a man then she would have a very well established and well earned reputation as a thug, and American public support for her would be essentially nonexistent. in this age of uber wokeness, i find that dichotomy interesting. from what i can tell it's about 3:1 "this is bullshit, she should be extradited" to "she knew the rules and she broke them." i'd imagine that ratio would be closer to 1:10 if she were a guy with her same history of punk behavior and violence.

I’d be the one, then. I don’t have a clear idea of what should be done. Not in favor of a “by any means necessary” but not a fan of “she signed up for this.” She’s a US citizen.   She’s represented the US in a couple of Olympics. All three of Whelan/Griner/Fogel deserve an effort extended to get them out of there. Trevor Reed acted like a complete dumbass before he was arrested. But he sure didn’t deserve the sentence handed to him. 

Edited July 8, 2022 by SL Xpress

[texashorne 1,178]

People keep asking, "what would we do if it was Lebron?"  Which gives me the idea, can we trade Lebron for Brittany? 

 

[closetohumping 17,547]

A part of me does feel bad for her.   I see pictures of her in cuffs and she looks scared and miserable.  But being an American celebrity doesn’t give you the right to break another country’s law. Sorry.   I hope she gets out soon but if Russia isn’t over prosecuting what can we do?  We’d expect our country to do the same to foreigners as well. And yes, ironic that she didn’t want the anthem to be played at her games

[Js1 85,744]

You don't know what irony means. 

[Pancho 45,428]

6 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

politically correct or not, if britney griner was a man then she would have a very well established and well earned reputation as a thug, and American public support for her would be essentially nonexistent. in this age of uber wokeness, i find that dichotomy interesting. from what i can tell it's about 3:1 "this is bullshit, she should be extradited" to "she knew the rules and she broke them." i'd imagine that ratio would be closer to 1:10 if she were a guy with her same history of punk behavior and violence.

Depends on if it was a White guy or a Black/Latin guy. Your ratio would be more 0.5 : 14,530

[Js1 85,744]

Just now, Pancho said:

Depends on if it was a White guy or a Black/Latin guy. Your ratio would be more 0.5 : 14,530

If it was Tom Brady and not Britney Griner, this would be playing out much differently. 

[ChickenSandwich 9,856]

9 minutes ago, Js1 said:

If it was Britney Griner and not Whelan/Fogler, this would be playing out much differently. 

 

[SL Xpress 7,518]

15 minutes ago, Js1 said:

If it was Tom Brady and not Britney Griner, this would be playing out much differently. 

 

I think there's too much of a blame game in that statement, too, that's just as self reflective as the people basically saying she deserves what's coming to her.

Paul Whelan was arrested and jailed in December of 2018.

Trevor Reed spent 3 years in jail there.

Both of them with a great deal of publicity around their case.

There are other US national security concerns that frankly are more important than Brittney Griner. It could be if Tom Brady were in this circumstance rather than Griner it would be worse, because Russia would get even more of a kick out of thumbing their nose at the West. That said, Russia is one of the least LGBQT+ friendly countries on the planet. But Griner knew that when she chose to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg the last 8 years. 

Implying that the US would do more for a famous white man is not the given you're making it out to be. 

[Js1 85,744]

5 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

Implying that the US would do more for a famous white man is not the given you're making it out to be. 

That's not what I implied. The US should do the same for Whelan, Reed, Griner, you, me, whatever. 

Public opinion would be far different, however.  The Gil Bangs and Slorches would probably be far more forgiving if it was a famous white male athlete like Brady.  

[VinyVango 695]

There are plenty of idiot Americans who travel abroad and unknowingly, negligently, or intentional do things illegal in other countries that might be minor crimes or not crimes at all here in the USA.  

If charges against an American are fabricated for pure political purposes, that's one issue.  However, in this case, she pled guilty and it looks (from news sources) that she did violate a Russian law.

If the punishment Russia applies for this crime is more severe that what the USA would apply, that's unfortunate, but not something we can change.

If human rights violations are being committed and/or she's getting a greater punishment for the crime than a Russian who might commit the same crime, that's a problem.  The fact that a Russian prison is not as comfy as an American one is not in and of itself a human rights violation.

I'm not in favor of a prisoner exchange unless we send over some Russian in an American prison for minor drug related crime(s) or some other crime(s) that would warrant minimal imprisonment or just a fine in Russia.  We should NOT be exchanging a big time bad actor for this woman.  Nor should we be paying any government funds for her release.  Perhaps we could negotiate a reduced sentence or release on her behalf for a lump sum that comes out of her bank account, since she appears to have committed to offense and pled guilty to it?

I don't like her or her history of violence here, but that's not relevant to whether she is being mistreated or whether we might negotiate a FAIR resolution.  Her race, sexual orientation, gender pronoun, etc... makes no difference to my analysis and should NOT factor into analyzing or attempting to resolve the situation.  

Someone who has worked and repeatedly visited and lived in Russia or any other country damn well better make sure they know what the laws are before doing anything that might be remotely questionable.

I wonder how many minor drug traffickers, users, etc.. are sitting in shit holes in Asia, South America or Africa right now whose names have never been spoken in the news and are unimportant/unknown to the peeps in DC.  If my ass was in Russia for the crimes relevant to this case, it's highly likely I'd be in prison for the full term, because I don't have celebs, CEO's or politicians I know who could raise hell in DC on my behalf.

Whatever the course, I'm for fair treatment of this case as any other similar case involving an American imprisoned in bad conditions overseas for what we perceive as minor crimes, and I am cool with a negotiated swap if the person we send to Russia is someone being held over here for crime(s) of analogous severity and/or sentencing.

(rant over)

[Guest]

31 minutes ago, Js1 said:

That's not what I implied. The US should do the same for Whelan, Reed, Griner, you, me, whatever. 

Public opinion would be far different, however.  The Gil Bangs and Slorches would probably be far more forgiving if it was a famous white male athlete like Brady.  

My apathy would be exactly the same, but SLX wouldn’t be able to call me a racist. 

Edited July 8, 2022 by Porterhouse

[SL Xpress 7,518]

28 minutes ago, Js1 said:

That's not what I implied. The US should do the same for Whelan, Reed, Griner, you, me, whatever. 

Public opinion would be far different, however.  The Gil Bangs and Slorches would probably be far more forgiving if it was a famous white male athlete like Brady.  

Well...yeah. Frankly, public opinion would be different if she had a different personal history and wasn't actually carrying a vape cartridge with her.

The reality is prejudice is a natural part of the human condition. We're going to tend to sympathize more for people with whom we more closely identify. That's not limiited to the Gil Bangs or Slorches of the world, as you put it. It also doesn't mean we're all hopeless slaves to our prejudices, either. I don't know why you'd expect a different behavior. But whatever the reaction, certainly the LGBQT+ community has rallied around her in ways they're not necessarily for the white men incarcerated over there. Nor would I expect them to. 

[Brian Fantana 6,704]

35 minutes ago, Js1 said:

That's not what I implied. The US should do the same for Whelan, Reed, Griner, you, me, whatever. 

Public opinion would be far different, however.  The Gil Bangs and Slorches would probably be far more forgiving if it was a famous white male athlete like Brady.  

Doesn't even have to be white. I guarantee you if it was LeBron James he'd be back already.

[SL Xpress 7,518]

3 minutes ago, Porterhouse said:

My apathy would be exactly the same, but SLX wouldn’t be able to call me a racist. 

 

I did not call you a racist. I made fun of your comments regarding limiting your travel to the more culturally and historically important locales in Europe versus other parts of the world. It deserved to be made fun of. 

[SL Xpress 7,518]

Just now, Brian Fantana said:

Doesn't even have to be white. I guarantee you if it was LeBron James he'd be back already.

 

I guarantee you don't know that. If Putin wanted to drive home a point, Lebron wouldn't be going anywhere.

[Rockethorn1978 6,153]

Lmao. Tom Brady wouldn’t take illegal drugs into Russia. Great analogy.

[Rockethorn1978 6,153]

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

 

I did not call you a racist. I made fun of your comments regarding limiting your travel to the more culturally and historically important locales in Europe versus other parts of the world. It deserved to be made fun of. 

Lol. That’s exactly what you did you mongoloid: “They’re whiter, too, with the people living there from a superior gene pool. No wonder you like it so much better.”

Nothing about my post deserved to be made fun of whatsoever.  It is both the most basic use of common sense (keeping me safe) and fulfills my history buff and leisure needs.

[VirginiaLonghorn 4,808]

Why not address the probable root of Griner’s problem.  She’s either too stupid or arrogant to believe this could happen to her.  Frankly, the US has greater problems to solve than saving that idiot from herself.

[jeevsie 3,740]

23 minutes ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

Well done, sir. Took too long.

[SL Xpress 7,518]

29 minutes ago, Porterhouse said:

Lol. That’s exactly what you did you mongoloid: “They’re whiter, too, with the people living there from a superior gene pool. No wonder you like it so much better.”

Nothing about my post deserved to be made fun of whatsoever.  It is both the most basic use of common sense (keeping me safe) and fulfills my history buff and leisure needs.

“European countries are more globally important, more historically and culturally significant…” absolutely deserves to be made fun of. And the fact you’re reacting to my comment is hilarious to me. 
 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

“European countries are more globally important, more historically and culturally significant…” absolutely deserves to be made fun of. And the fact you’re reacting to my comment is hilarious to me. 
 

I was absolutely correct with the exception of China’s economy, and given this thread concerns Russia, and China is very much a communist, human rights backwater, I’m just fine stating again what I already did - as it pertains to travel. 

Regardless, you might want to drop the very overt racist accusations, you dumb motherfucker. 

[SL Xpress 7,518]

Just now, Porterhouse said:

I was absolutely correct with the exception of China’s economy, and given this thread concerns Russia, and China is very much a communist, human rights backwater, I’m just fine stating again what I already did - as it pertains to travel. 

Regardless, you might want to drop the very overt racist accusations, you dumb motherfucker. 

You might want to dump the white hegemony outlook. I doubt either of us will do any such thing. Glad it bothers you. 

[Guest]

Just now, SL Xpress said:

You might want to dump the white hegemony outlook. I doubt either of us will do any such thing. Glad it bothers you. 

Quite a bit of diversity between a Welsh woman and an Italian man. There is certainly diversity between Polynesians, Caymanians and western Euros. And you “might” want to shut your fucking mouth. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Brian Fantana said:

Doesn't even have to be white. I guarantee you if it was LeBron James he'd be back already.

Well, he does have China on his side…

[SL Xpress 7,518]

24 minutes ago, Porterhouse said:

Quite a bit of diversity between a Welsh woman and an Italian man. There is certainly diversity between Polynesians, Caymanians and western Euros. And you “might” want to shut your fucking mouth. 

Or? I feel like we’re having so much fun. I am, anyway. Aren’t you? Yes, so much genetic diversity in Europe. We must add that to the list. The most historically significant. The most culturally significant. And the most genetically diverse collection of white people on the planet. 

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

Or? I feel like we’re having so much fun. I am, anyway. Aren’t you? Yes, so much genetic diversity in Europe. We must add that to the list. The most historically significant. The most culturally significant. And the most genetically diverse collection of white people on the planet. 

Another fabrication and non sequitur.  You’re a presumptuous, smarmy doucher. Go back to your long-winded basketball points nobody reads. 

[SL Xpress 7,518]

Just now, Porterhouse said:

Another fabrication and non sequitur.  You’re a presumptuous, smarmy doucher. Go back to your long-winded basketball points nobody reads. 

You’re defensive, self absorbed, non self aware, with a lack of a sense of humor. The concept I’d find anything you say to me remotely compelling is the best joke of all. But you’re a hoot to converse with. I’ll give you that. 

[Guest]

Just now, SL Xpress said:

You’re defensive, self absorbed, non self aware, with a lack of a sense of humor. The concept I’d find anything you say to me remotely compelling is the best joke of all. But you’re a hoot to converse with. I’ll give you that. 

Ok. 

[Vic Mackey 47,303]

2 hours ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

Lmao. Tom Brady wouldn’t take illegal drugs into Russia. Great analogy.

And neither would Lebron. These analogies are stupid and pointless. I do feel a little sorry for her she is going through this for a victimless crime but she knew the laws going into Russia and she blatantly broke them. It's the same concept as the NFL suspending players for weed. The rule is dumb as hell but everyone knows the rules and what happens if you break them. And of course, Russia is using this as an excuse to flex their muscle against the USA in the public eye. And to make an example of her. 

 

[ztejas 43,741]

The "what if it was (insert mega famous sports star here)" hypotheticals are fucking stupid. What if it was Serena Williams? Or Halle Berry? Griner's race and gender has extremely little to do with the level of public outcry or how the US is approaching it. Her level of fame has almost everything to do with it. Thankfully she is very famous for a WNBA player. 

[Message Board User 12,397]

10 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Her level of fame has almost everything to do with it.

Amen.

If I and Beyonce were arrested in Russia on the same day, I'm pretty sure Beyonce's coming home sooner than me.

[Murfdogg21 4,480]

President Bill Clinton didn’t step in when that gum chewing kid in Singapore was strapped onto a wood pole with his dick in the hole on the pole while a samurai caned his buttocks until the flesh was removed. Chewing gum be punished by ass torture should be more objectionable to the US and world at large than taking concentrated THC oil on a plane in Russia. She did the crime and should face the punishment. I haven’t even got the sense she or her people think she did anything wrong just because they believe weed should be legal everywhere. 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,916]

Amen.
If I and Beyonce were arrested in Russia on the same day, I'm pretty sure Beyonce's coming home sooner than me.

Hope not. She can’t post tweets quite like you

[UDontKnow 10,502]

2 hours ago, Murfdogg21 said:

President Bill Clinton didn’t step in when that gum chewing kid in Singapore was strapped onto a wood pole with his dick in the hole on the pole while a samurai caned his buttocks until the flesh was removed. Chewing gum be punished by ass torture should be more objectionable to the US and world at large than taking concentrated THC oil on a plane in Russia. She did the crime and should face the punishment. I haven’t even got the sense she or her people think she did anything wrong just because they believe weed should be legal everywhere. 

This is absolutely incorrect, lol. Clinton administration did reach out to Singapore. Singapore said okay, two less lashes.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-05-mn-54203-story.html

IMHO, Michael Fay deserved each swing of the cane. He had no business committing crimes if he wasn't ready to accept the punishment.

[ChickenSandwich 9,856]

Don’t understand how it is “disagreeable” that America gives the same shits for Griner as they do the other US citizens locked up in Russia. Not much.

The “insert more famous person” stance is what?  WNBA players should be more famous?

[conVINCEd 21,474]

1 hour ago, UDontKnow said:

This is absolutely incorrect, lol. Clinton administration did reach out to Singapore. Singapore said okay, two less lashes.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-05-mn-54203-story.html

IMHO, Michael Fay deserved each swing of the cane. He had no business committing crimes if he wasn't ready to accept the punishment.

That’s ridiculous.  It’s also why I will never go to Singapore.

[closetohumping 17,547]

Not a Brittney fan.  Big on the “when in Rome” ethos but this sucks.  

[closetohumping 17,547]

On 7/8/2022 at 11:03 AM, SL Xpress said:

 

I guarantee you don't know that. If Putin wanted to drive home a point, Lebron wouldn't be going anywhere.

Putin is more of a Kobe guy. He’d detain Lebron

[Underdog 28,868]

19 hours ago, Murfdogg21 said:

President Bill Clinton didn’t step in when that gum chewing kid in Singapore was strapped onto a wood pole with his dick in the hole on the pole while a samurai caned his buttocks until the flesh was removed. Chewing gum be punished by ass torture should be more objectionable to the US and world at large than taking concentrated THC oil on a plane in Russia. She did the crime and should face the punishment. I haven’t even got the sense she or her people think she did anything wrong just because they believe weed should be legal everywhere. 

Oddly...  very oddly specific.  But by all means, go on... 

[Murfdogg21 4,480]

1 hour ago, Underdog said:

Oddly...  very oddly specific.  But by all means, go on... 

[Texas Wahoo 3,475]

On 7/9/2022 at 5:38 PM, Murfdogg21 said:

President Bill Clinton didn’t step in when that gum chewing kid in Singapore was strapped onto a wood pole with his dick in the hole on the pole while a samurai caned his buttocks until the flesh was removed. Chewing gum be punished by ass torture should be more objectionable to the US and world at large than taking concentrated THC oil on a plane in Russia. She did the crime and should face the punishment. I haven’t even got the sense she or her people think she did anything wrong just because they believe weed should be legal everywhere. 

He was not caned for chewing gum.  He was caned for pleading guilty to theft and vandalism, including pouring tar and paint thinner on cars, spray painting them, and cutting into them with hatchets.

[Deej 77,161]

tomayto, tomahto