Britney Griner

[royiv 9299]

6 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

I said I would’ve hoped the US took me back.

I’m also not stupid enough to goto russia so your hypothetical gotcha was worthless to begin with

Got it. Good for you, but not for Griner. 

[royiv 9299]

2 minutes ago, VirginiaLonghorn said:

.. on the taxpayers dime.  Medal of Freedom next?

If/when Whelan gets released, should the US government send him the bill?

[immamac 42843]

Are we really in here talking about this as if there are major negatives? I'm not saying everyone needs to pump sunshine, but what the actual fuck is wrong with some of you? Why are you filled with so much hatred for someone for no reason at all? You can discuss the merits of the trade, but to condemn the person that is coming home for being a politcal prisoner, whether you like them or not is something that is very good for America and if you can't figure that the fuck out then maybe you need to stop coming to this site to discuss things. 

[JesusSweatDuck 17781]

27 minutes ago, royiv said:

There isn't a line. Whelan wasn't on the table. His own family has confirmed that. 

Whelan wasn't on the table because we're too weak to press for it.  Putin knew that we're a bunch of pussies when it comes to negotiating this and played our admin like a fiddle.  He's done this before and will do it again if allowed.  Griner was an idiot and created he own situation.  Whelan's situation is at least debatable on whether he's guilty.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Got it. Good for you, but not for Griner. 

What about you? If you were wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, would you choose to stay there if Whelan wasn’t part of your deal for Bout because it would be considered lopsided win for Russia? Or would you get the fuck out the first opportunity?

[royiv 9299]

1 minute ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

Whelan wasn't on the table because we're too weak to press for it.  Putin knew that we're a bunch of pussies when it comes to negotiating this and played our admin like a fiddle.  He's done this before and will do it again if allowed.  Griner was an idiot and created he own situation.  Whelan's situation is at least debatable on whether he's guilty.

Glad you think the US is a bunch of pussies.

Whelan absolutely created his own situation. 

[JesusSweatDuck 17781]

1 minute ago, immamac said:

Are we really in here talking about this as if there are major negatives? I'm not saying everyone needs to pump sunshine, but what the actual fuck is wrong with some of you? Why are you filled with so much hatred for someone for no reason at all? You can discuss the merits of the trade, but to condemn the person that is coming home for being a politcal prisoner, whether you like them or not is something that is very good for America and if you can't figure that the fuck out then maybe you need to stop coming to this site to discuss things. 

I guess you have to start with who we believe is a political prisoner.  Britney is a dumb fuck who committed a crime in Russia.  I haven't seen any debate on whether she actually was guilty, but more whether she would have been arrested if she wasn't a US Celeb.  

I don't know if we actually know enough about Whelan to determine his actual guilt.  Even if he is guilty, who was he in Russia spying for?  You have to assume the US, right?

1 minute ago, royiv said:

Glad you think the US is a bunch of pussies.

Whelan absolutely created his own situation. 

As did Griner

[immamac 42843]

1 minute ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

I guess you have to start with who we believe is a political prisoner.  Britney is a dumb fuck who committed a crime in Russia.  I haven't seen any debate on whether she actually was guilty, but more whether she would have been arrested if she wasn't a US Celeb.  

I don't know if we actually know enough about Whelan to determine his actual guilt.  Even if he is guilty, who was he in Russia spying for?  You have to assume the US, right?

As did Griner

Well I think that because this went down the way it did it literally confirms that she was a political prisoner - the calculus isn't hard my friend. 

[JesusSweatDuck 17781]

1 minute ago, immamac said:

Well I think that because this went down the way it did it literally confirms that she was a political prisoner - the calculus isn't hard my friend. 

Would you or I suffer a different fate if we did the same thing?  I don't think we would (other than no one would come bail us out).  

[royiv 9299]

1 minute ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

What about you? If you were wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, would you choose to stay there if Whelan wasn’t part of your deal for Bout because it would be considered lopsided win for Russia? Or would you get the fuck out the first opportunity?

I would absolutely GTFO, but I'm not the one who has been moaning about what a bad deal this was. You're the one that keeps saying Bout is one of the world's most dangerous men. A dude who was... checks notes... sentenced to 25 years and due out in a little over 6. If our government thought he was that dangerous, he'd be locked away for life. There might be a few more folks in the intelligence community that know a little more on this topic than the two of us.

[royiv 9299]

5 minutes ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

I guess you have to start with who we believe is a political prisoner.  Britney is a dumb fuck who committed a crime in Russia.  I haven't seen any debate on whether she actually was guilty, but more whether she would have been arrested if she wasn't a US Celeb.  

I don't know if we actually know enough about Whelan to determine his actual guilt.  Even if he is guilty, who was he in Russia spying for?  You have to assume the US, right?

As did Griner

You should probably read up a little on Whelan. I'm not saying we shouldn't be trying to get him back because we absolutely should, but he's not exactly the most savory character.

[immamac 42843]

Just now, JesusSweatDuck said:

Would you or I suffer a different fate if we did the same thing?  I don't think we would (other than no one would come bail us out).  

We probably wouldn't get 9 years and be paraded around like a fucking trophy. We would probably have to pay an insane fine or bribe someone to get out using lawyers.

You and I also (as far as I know) have no affiliation to the US Government and have no pull with the American people if we were held hostage. They would definitely make it a really fucking shit thing, and it would probably cost a bunch of money, but in the end it would likely only be money and a plea deal and being banned from Russia forever or something. 

This is evidenced by the thousands of other marijuana related cases and the basically decriminalized status of possessions in small amounts in Russia. 

[Pam Cummings 9641]

12 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

What about you? If you were wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, would you choose to stay there if Whelan wasn’t part of your deal for Bout because it would be considered lopsided win for Russia? Or would you get the fuck out the first opportunity?

John McCain literally stayed imprisoned when he could have been released, because he didn't want to come home while others suffered. Didn't stop morons from finding a reason to shit on him.

Edited December 8, 2022 by Pam Cummings

[JesusSweatDuck 17781]

1 minute ago, royiv said:

You should probably read up a little on Whelan. I'm not saying we shouldn't be trying to get him back because we absolutely should, but he's not exactly the most savory character.

I have.  I'm aware of the dishonorable discharge amongst other things.  Maybe this is tin foil hat time, but a lot of that just feels like a great cover for a CIA operative.  Maybe that's why they're not getting him, because he knew what he was getting into.  Just all feels, weird and this coupled with the last spy exchange where we gave back 10 spies, and only got 4 back and it appears like we REALLY suck at negotiating these things

[JesusSweatDuck 17781]

4 minutes ago, immamac said:

We probably wouldn't get 9 years and be paraded around like a fucking trophy. We would probably have to pay an insane fine or bribe someone to get out using lawyers.

You and I also (as far as I know) have no affiliation to the US Government and have no pull with the American people if we were held hostage. They would definitely make it a really fucking shit thing, and it would probably cost a bunch of money, but in the end it would likely only be money and a plea deal and being banned from Russia forever or something. 

This is evidenced by the thousands of other marijuana related cases and the basically decriminalized status of possessions in small amounts in Russia. 

That's fair, didn't know about the other examples.  I just figured they were throwing all of the US pot smokers, that were dumb enough to have it on them in country, in labor camps

[immamac 42843]

1 minute ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

That's fair, didn't know about the other examples.  I just figured they were throwing all of the US pot smokers, that were dumb enough to have it on them in country, in labor camps

the only 2 that have gone down this way are a US diplomat getting caught with pot and Griner. 

[Carl Spackler 3481]

6 minutes ago, immamac said:

Well I think that because this went down the way it did it literally confirms that she was a political prisoner - the calculus isn't hard my friend. 

I think she can reasonably be classified as a political prisoner.  I think the charges were trumped up -- the quantify of the substance was very small and I'm sure that other persons entering Russia get away with the same thing without being charged  at all or charged as heavily as she was.  And I have no problem believing that Russian authorities were watching her and waiting for an opportunity to catch her in some kind of ostensibly illegal act as part of a plan to effectuate this exact result.

I also think griner nonetheless stupidly had a hand in creating the situation by attempting to enter the country with a quantity (no matter how small) of a substance she knew was illegal, and that she therefore helped create leverage for Russia to get a very bad man out of U.S. custody.

It's possible to be both appreciative of the fact she has been released from custody but also somewhat resentful that her actions helped Viktor Bout go free.

[immamac 42843]

2 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

I think she can reasonably be classified as a political prisoner.  I think the charges were trumped up -- the quantify of the substance was very small and I'm sure that other persons entering Russia get away with the same thing without being charged  at all or charged as heavily as she was.  And I have no problem believing that Russian authorities were watching her and waiting for an opportunity to catch her in some kind of ostensibly illegal act as part of a plan to effectuate this exact result.

I also think griner nonetheless stupidly had a hand in creating the situation by attempting to enter the country with a quantity (no matter how small) of a substance she knew was illegal, and that she therefore helped create leverage for Russia to get a very bad man out of U.S. custody.

It's possible to be both appreciative of the fact she has been released from custody but also somewhat resentful that her actions helped Viktor Bout go free.

This is a totally reasonable take, it's one I share and that's not why I'm calling it reasonable, but it's just a shitty fucking situation all around involving a lot of really shitty people. 

[royiv 9299]

3 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

I think she can reasonably be classified as a political prisoner.  I think the charges were trumped up -- the quantify of the substance was very small and I'm sure that other persons entering Russia get away with the same thing without being charged  at all or charged as heavily as she was.  And I have no problem believing that Russian authorities were watching her and waiting for an opportunity to catch her in some kind of ostensibly illegal act as part of a plan to effectuate this exact result.

I also think griner nonetheless stupidly had a hand in creating the situation by attempting to enter the country with a quantity (no matter how small) of a substance she knew was illegal, and that she therefore helped create leverage for Russia to get a very bad man out of U.S. custody.

It's possible to be both appreciative of the fact she has been released from custody but also somewhat resentful that her actions helped Viktor Bout go free.

I think you could even go as far to say that Griner had a part in this for even trying to enter Russia in February given the geopolitical environment. The whole thing wasn't smart on her end.

[immamac 42843]

4 minutes ago, royiv said:

I think you could even go as far to say that Griner had a part in this for even trying to enter Russia in February given the geopolitical environment. The whole thing wasn't smart on her end.

Talking about how fucking dumb griner is for having this happen is totally appropriate - saying she shouldnt be brought back is...well...

[JesusSweatDuck 17781]

1 minute ago, immamac said:

Talking about how fucking dumb griner is for having this happen is totally appropriate - saying she shouldnt be brought back is...well...

I haven't seen anyone say she should be brought back, but I'm sure there are some crazies that are.  I'm more concerned about our calculus and prioritization of who try to bring back first.  

[royiv 9299]

1 minute ago, immamac said:

Talking about how fucking dumb griner is for having this happen is totally appropriate - saying she shouldnt be brought back is...well...

Agreed. I don't think Whelan is a saint and I think Fogel was a dumbass for having weed on him, but we should absolutely continue to get them out of a terrible situation in Russia. 

[royiv 9299]

1 minute ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

I haven't seen anyone say she should be brought back, but I'm sure there are some crazies that are.  I'm more concerned about our calculus and prioritization of who try to bring back first.  

That's the thing. Only Griner was on the table right now. Whelan's family has acknowledged this. We made the deal that was available to us.

You can argue that you wouldn't make the deal and left Griner there, but I would disagree with you. I think you make the deal in this case to bring an American home, no matter what some folks personal opinions are of her, who was being held as a political prisoner.

[Armybrat 40834]

Fuck Baylor.

That’s all I have.

[Carl Spackler 3481]

52 minutes ago, immamac said:

it's just a shitty fucking situation all around involving a lot of really shitty people. 

Agreed.

[Carl Spackler 3481]

51 minutes ago, royiv said:

I think you could even go as far to say that Griner had a part in this for even trying to enter Russia in February given the geopolitical environment. The whole thing wasn't smart on her end.

She may have been thinking that she didn't really have a choice to not return to Russia because that's where she earned her livelihood.  Still, if that was in fact her mindset, she should have been cognizant of the geopolitical environment (as you note), realized that tensions would be increased, and aware that it would be particularly unwise (even more so than usual) to attempt to bring an illegal substance in with her. 

I tend to agree with your last sentence.  But I'm also pretty confident that she had no idea that the Russian authorities would basically use her as a pawn in a much bigger game.  

[cabowabo 4484]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

Yeah next time he should call her a stupid piece of shit?

Fuck outta here

Did I say that?  I don't think I did.  

[Message Board User 12395]

I am absolutely happy for Griner and her family.

But this is a foreign policy failure and the worst trade since Olden Polynice for Scottie Pippen.  The piece of shit has an ocean of blood on his hands (dude was nicknamed the Merchant of Death ffs) and I wonder how many more thousands will die because of this swap.

Ya think?

Edited December 8, 2022 by Message Board User

[HtownHorn 14677]

The woman beat her ex-wife, coerced her to get pregnant, and left her one day after the pregnancy was announced. She's a stupid piece of shit, and she will never be worth the innocent life that will be killed by her stupid actions.

Edited December 9, 2022 by HtownHorn

[Message Board User 12395]

We needed to have Danny Ainge in charge of these negotiations.  This made me lol.

 

[royiv 9299]

29 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

I am absolutely happy for Griner and her family.

But this is a foreign policy failure and the worst trade since Olden Polynice for Scottie Pippen.  The piece of shit has an ocean of blood on his hands (dude was nicknamed the Merchant of Death ffs) and I wonder how many more thousands will die because of this swap.

Ya think?

I haven't heard one single explanation for why this guy was going to be released and sent back to Russia in 6.5 years if he's such a danger?

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

We needed to have Danny Ainge in charge of these negotiations.  This made me lol.
 

No shit. Give him some old f16s and secretly arm Ukraine to take them out.

I’ve seen rumors of Putin to GM the wolves

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

I haven't heard one single explanation for why this guy was going to be released and sent back to Russia in 6.5 years if he's such a danger?

Yea no danger at all. Nothing to see here. Conspired to kill Americans. Sold arms to the alqaeda. Aided many civil wars.


So it’s 2029 and he’s released in Marion Illinois. How does he get back to Russia? Or anywhere. If there’s even a russia to go back to.

Arrest him again the second he’s freed because fuck russia

[Carl Spackler 3481]

43 minutes ago, royiv said:

I haven't heard one single explanation for why this guy was going to be released and sent back to Russia in 6.5 years if he's such a danger?

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/dea-agent-who-helped-put-viktor-bout-behind-bars-slams-brittney-griner-swap-we-couldnt-even-get-two-people-for-the-worlds-most-notorious-weapons-trafficker-220232108.html

One interesting (and alarming) part of this article (toward the end) is the comment by the DEA agent who headed the sting operation that nabbed Bout in response to suggestions that it won't be easy for Bout to resume arms trafficking after being "out of the game" so long and very restricted in terms of where he can travel.  The DEA agent, Pasquarello, said, “I think it’s very easy for him to get back into business.  I’ve heard that Viktor’s not a threat, that he can’t travel anymore, that he’s going to be isolated. He was like that for 10 years before we arrested him. He knew he couldn’t go anywhere and he still operated from his safe spots.”  I figure that if anyone knows how easy or difficult it would be for Bout to resume his activities, it would be this guy Pasquarello.

Edited December 9, 2022 by Carl Spackler

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Absolute insanity.

[royiv 9299]

30 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Yea no danger at all. Nothing to see here. Conspired to kill Americans. Sold arms to the alqaeda. Aided many civil wars.


So it’s 2029 and he’s released in Marion Illinois. How does he get back to Russia? Or anywhere. If there’s even a russia to go back to.

Arrest him again the second he’s freed because fuck russia

I mean, do you even understand how deportations work? It's not like our government says "okay, you've been deported so pinky swear that you'll leave the country."

[royiv 9299]

9 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

 

 

 

Absolute insanity.

 

 

First thing I agree with you on. Anyone who gets hot takes from Portnoy is absolutely insane. Or is that not what you meant?

Edited December 9, 2022 by royiv

[royiv 9299]

17 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/dea-agent-who-helped-put-viktor-bout-behind-bars-slams-brittney-griner-swap-we-couldnt-even-get-two-people-for-the-worlds-most-notorious-weapons-trafficker-220232108.html

One interesting (and alarming) part of this article (toward the end) is the comment by the DEA agent who headed the sting operation that nabbed Bout in response to suggestions that it won't be easy for Bout to resume arms trafficking after being "out of the game" so long and very restricted in terms of where he can travel.  The DEA agent, Pasquarello, said, “I think it’s very easy for him to get back into business.  I’ve heard that Viktor’s not a threat, that he can’t travel anymore, that he’s going to be isolated. He was like that for 10 years before we arrested him. He knew he couldn’t go anywhere and he still operated from his safe spots.”  I figure that if anyone knows how easy or difficult it would be for Bout to resume his activities, it would be this guy Pasquarello.

Obviously there is a risk greater than zero, but the fact remains he was getting out one way or the other. The intelligence community and administration has to weigh that against getting something in return for something that was becoming a quickly depreciating asset.

[Deej 76764]

This is a win for the dozen or so people who attend WNBA games. 

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13091]

This has done wonders for women’s basketball. The WNBA has been around since ‘96 and this is the first time anyone has given a shit about a player being traded.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

I mean, do you even understand how deportations work? It's not like our government says "okay, you've been deported so pinky swear that you'll leave the country."

Hmm not sure what you mean. Why on earth would we deport him ?

First thing I agree with you on. Anyone who gets hot takes from Portnoy is absolutely insane. Or is that not what you meant?

Ok now watch the video.

[royiv 9299]

4 minutes ago, Deej said:

This is a win for the dozen or so people who attend WNBA games. 

Looks like from a quick Google that the WNBA season starts in May. If Griner is ready to play, that's going to be the biggest ratings and attendance bonanza for the Mercury and their road games. WNBA will be the real winners in deal for a season before everyone forgets.

[royiv 9299]

7 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Hmm not sure what you mean. Why on earth would we deport him ?
Ok now watch the video.

You do know that non citizens convicted of an aggravated felony don't just get put back on the street when they're released from prison, right? As a matter of practice an immigration hold is placed upon conviction and those felons are deported upon release. Please tell me you knew this. 

[Vic Mackey 47027]

.

[Rockethorn1978 6077]

I for one can’t wait for the 30 for 30 on this. 

[HtownHorn 14677]

1 hour ago, royiv said:

Looks like from a quick Google that the WNBA season starts in May. If Griner is ready to play, that's going to be the biggest ratings and attendance bonanza for the Mercury and their road games. WNBA will be the real winners in deal for a season before everyone forgets.

I mean ESPN will never let us hear the end of it, but I doubt this moves the needle at all, especially when this stupid cunt decides to kneel during the national anthem for her 1st comeback game.

6 minutes ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

I for one can’t wait for the 30 for 30 on this. 

more ESPN content that no one will watch. Just like all their other stupid shit outside of live games.

[elguapo 4586]

1 hour ago, royiv said:

You do know that non citizens convicted of an aggravated felony don't just get put back on the street when they're released from prison, right? As a matter of practice an immigration hold is placed upon conviction and those felons are deported upon release. Please tell me you knew this. 

No, @MNLonghornFUKM is a fucking idiot who doesn’t understand how anything works.

[Blotto 23498]

4 hours ago, immamac said:

We probably wouldn't get 9 years and be paraded around like a fucking trophy. We would probably have to pay an insane fine or bribe someone to get out using lawyers.

You and I also (as far as I know) have no affiliation to the US Government and have no pull with the American people if we were held hostage. They would definitely make it a really fucking shit thing, and it would probably cost a bunch of money, but in the end it would likely only be money and a plea deal and being banned from Russia forever or something. 

This is evidenced by the thousands of other marijuana related cases and the basically decriminalized status of possessions in small amounts in Russia. 

Sorry but this is complete bullshit. This guy got 14 years for basically the same thing, and we left his ass in prison as well.

https://www.wtae.com/article/marc-fogel-remains-imprisoned-in-russia/42189259

She fucked up, and the political pressure on Biden to get her released was precisely because she is a celeb athlete. I've said it before, 10 years in prison for weed is stupid. Going to Russia with weed in your luggage is fucking insanity. I would have let her rot until we got all three prisoners back. She moved to the front of the line, and regular american citizens didn't. She's no hero, she's a dumbass that got bailed out because she's a celeb. 

Edited December 9, 2022 by Blotto

[immamac 42843]

17 minutes ago, Blotto said:

Sorry but this is complete bullshit. This guy got 14 years for basically the same thing, and we left his ass in prison as well.

https://www.wtae.com/article/marc-fogel-remains-imprisoned-in-russia/42189259

She fucked up, and the political pressure on Biden to get her released was precisely because she is a celeb athlete. I've said it before, 10 years in prison for weed is stupid. Going to Russia with weed in your luggage is fucking insanity. I would have let her rot until we got all three prisoners back. She moved to the front of the line, and regular american citizens didn't. She's no hero, she's a dumbass that got bailed out because she's a celeb. 

Yeah that's the other who was a US diplomat. You must have a reading comprehension problem. 

[Blotto 23498]

3 minutes ago, immamac said:

Yeah that's the other who was a US diplomat. You must have a reading comprehension problem. 

He's not a US diplomat. He's a teacher. Its almost like you have a reading comprehension problem.