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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 5:45 PM, MNLonghornFUKM said:


Way to go Britt!! I think you’re directing the words bumfuck, moron, brain dead etc insults to the wrong American.

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I’m sure you think that way. I’m also sure I’m directing them at exactly the right person who consistently proves that he has the intelligence of a GED holder.

Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 5:44 PM, MNLonghornFUKM said:


So no, and we knew it.It took griner being a dumbass to even attempt to get whelan swapped. Throw it at the wall and see if it sticks.

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Nothing about that tweet suggests there wasn't prior attempts made for Whelan's release. Public statements from both the Trump and Biden administrations state that the government attempting to negotiate his release from 2019 to present. 

Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 5:44 PM, MNLonghornFUKM said:


So no, and we knew it.It took griner being a dumbass to even attempt to get whelan swapped. Throw it at the wall and see if it sticks.

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How about the prior administrations exchange for Trevor Reed? Why didn't they demand Whelan too? I'm sure you're just furious about that one too.

Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 5:48 PM, Dahobbs said:

Nothing about that tweet suggests there wasn't prior attempts made for Whelan's release. Public statements from both the Trump and Biden administrations state that the government attempting to negotiate his release from 2019 to present. 

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Get your facts outta here. That’s not how they do things in Minnesota 

Posted

I'm glad she's out but pissed her and her dumbass Agent put the US in a position where they had to release a bad guy/political asset and give fucking Putin a massive PR win because Brittany and her team are absolute morons (returning to Russia during a Level 4 Travel Advisory). I'm sure Biden loved handing the right another thing to criticize him about when he was forced into a no-win situation. The entire episode was pure idiocy on her part.  Obviously she paid the price for it but it still sucks all the way around.

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 5:48 PM, 'stache said:

How about the prior administrations exchange for Trevor Reed? Why didn't they demand Whelan too? I'm sure you're just furious about that one too.

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Hey hey now angry TV man hasn't told him how to feel yet. Give him some time 

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Posted

It’s unfortunate that Griner made herself such a convenient arrest, but given the circumstances of the war, if the Russians wanted to arrest an American, they could have just picked someone else.

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Posted (edited)
  On 12/8/2022 at 5:16 PM, hobbes2702 said:

Just trade for Whelan? Why didn’t they think of that. It’s so simple.

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I said it in a different thread that was moved here, and prior to seeing that the Russians refused a 1 to 1 for Whelan. Regardless the central point is that we just accepted a clearly asymmetrical deal and it seems many are unwilling to admit this. As others have noted, Marc Fogel is being held on similar charges as Griner. At least a 2 for 1 would be more appropriate, though still probably not proportional. If you have any doubts about this, watch this 60 Minutes report on who we're talking about here, and the lengths to which the US went to capture him:

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/viktor-bout-2010-60-minutes-archive/  

We should fight to bring every American home, we can be happy for Griner and her family that she is out of a terrible situation, we can be saddened for Fogel, Whalen, and others who are still not home, and we can admit that this was a lopsided deal. All of these emotions and thoughts can be held at the same time and without cognitive dissonance.

Edited by KYHorn
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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:09 PM, Woland said:

It’s unfortunate that Griner made herself such a convenient arrest, but given the circumstances of the war, if the Russians wanted to arrest an American, they could have just picked someone else.

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No anybody, they needed a high profile to damage the administration and hurt them on the trail for votes.

she was just a good high profile toy  

Posted

Whelan seems pretty sketchy. I wonder if he was in corporate rather than govt espionage (I know on the Russian side they are the same). No one with his disciplinary background is going to be hired as a legit govt spook. Also has US, Canadian and Irish passports

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:10 PM, KYHorn said:

I said it in a different thread that was moved here, and prior to seeing that the Russians refused a 1 to 1 for Whelan. Regardless, we just accepted a clearly asymmetrical deal and it seems many are unwilling to admit this. As others have noted, Marc Fogel is being held on similar charges as Griner. At least a 2 for 1 would be more appropriate, though still probably not proportional. If you have any doubts about this, watch this 60 Minutes report on who we're talking about here, and the lengths to which the US went to capture him:

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/viktor-bout-2010-60-minutes-archive/  

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I know exactly who we are talking about and what he has done. 
I’m also smart enough to understand that we weren’t going to get a symmetrical deal with Russia while they are at war with on of our allies. The job shouldn’t be about getting an even deal. That would be great but welcome to the world. The job is to get as many Americans home as we can. Make the deal that can be made not hope for the perfect deal. This isn’t an NBA trade. This is about people’s lives and if getting an uneven deal means we can get even one more American home safely then we do it.

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 5:41 PM, MNLonghornFUKM said:


was there a whelan for bout offer prior to griner getting arrested?

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If you were wrongfully imprisoned in Russia what would an appropriate trade be? If Bout was the offer would you tell the US government to not take the deal?

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:10 PM, KYHorn said:

I said it in a different thread that was moved here, and prior to seeing that the Russians refused a 1 to 1 for Whelan. Regardless, we just accepted a clearly asymmetrical deal and it seems many are unwilling to admit this. As others have noted, Marc Fogel is being held on similar charges as Griner. At least a 2 for 1 would be more appropriate, though still probably not proportional. If you have any doubts about this, watch this 60 Minutes report on who we're talking about here, and the lengths to which the US went to capture him:

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/viktor-bout-2010-60-minutes-archive/  

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He served the majority of his sentence. She was just starting a long, unjust sentence. While it may be an asymmetrical deal, I'm not convinced that is "clear." I'm also not sure why it matters whether we accept the deal was asymmetrical or not. It was the only deal to be made.  

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:11 PM, Post Oak said:

I'm of the opinion that the government should try to bring any American home safely if they can.  With the lone exception of Ted Cruz.

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We should have offered him for Whelan

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:11 PM, Post Oak said:

I'm of the opinion that the government should try to bring any American home safely if they can.  With the lone exception of Ted Cruz.

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no, they should definitely try to send him home.

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:09 PM, Woland said:

It’s unfortunate that Griner made herself such a convenient arrest, but given the circumstances of the war, if the Russians wanted to arrest an American, they could have just picked someone else.

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This.

Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 5:44 PM, 'stache said:

I also love how the usual crowd continue on about what a bad person Griner is, usually more about kneeling for the anthem and less about domestic stuff, and crowing about Whelan, whose personal character is, lets say, somewhat questionable. n

It was during his final tour in Iraq that Whelan was charged with larceny after trying to steal $10,000 and bouncing about $6,000 in checks, according to the Washington Post. He also used another person's Social Security number in trying to advance his own rank and pay. He was court-martialed and discharged for bad conduct in 2008. 

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/01/07/paul-whelan-michigan-spy-russia/2496053002/

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Well, that makes it a lot less likely that he was working for American intelligence. So that supports his story. 

Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:24 PM, hobbes2702 said:

As someone else said upthread, if you were Brittany Griner would you ask the govt not to make a deal unless it was symmetrical?

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Of course I wouldn't. I'd advocate for myself as much as possible. I hope you see that this is not the point being discussed here. 

  On 12/8/2022 at 6:23 PM, hobbes2702 said:

That we should do everything in our power to bring Americans home? Yes I do. Crazy stuff 

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  On 12/8/2022 at 6:24 PM, royiv said:

You don't? 

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The quote was: This is about people’s lives and if getting an uneven deal means we can get even one more American home safely then we do it.

The logical consequences of this approach are far-reaching and not tenable if adopted as policy. I don't have time to debate this further. 

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:36 PM, KYHorn said:

Of course I wouldn't. I'd advocate for myself as much as possible. I hope you see that this is not the point being discussed here. 

The quote was: This is about people’s lives and if getting an uneven deal means we can get even one more American home safely then we do it.

The logical consequences of this approach are far-reaching and not tenable if adopted as policy. I don't have time to debate this further. 

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I'm pretty sure the calculus would be different if he had served 1 year instead of 14. Also, for all the terribleness of his crimes, how did he only get 25 years? And if it was terrorist related why was he in prison and not at Guantanamo or something?

Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:19 PM, royiv said:
If you were wrongfully imprisoned in Russia what would an appropriate trade be? If Bout was the offer would you tell the US government to not take the deal?

Yes. I’d love it if they took the deal as I’m imprisoned in bumfuck russia.

Griner should be fuckin thrilled this happened. Has a single defender has called griner a moron for getting herself in this predicament? Or we just gonna roll with wrongfully imprisoned?


She’s an idiot who was wrongfully imprisoned. I’m glad she’s out. It took a lot to get her out.
Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 5:46 PM, Js1 said:

Why didn't Daddy Donald get Whelan out since Whelan was arrested and imprisoned during his presidency? 

I heard it's just so easy to negotiate prisoner releases.

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Because he loves Putin and he, the GOP, and the NRA were in cahoots with Maria Butina and whatever campaign she was waging here on the part of Russian intelligence. Trump was constantly doing Putin’s bidding. He couldn’t get tough with Butina and use her as leverage because they were working the same side. One of Butina’s consorts was the overstock.com CEO who wound up in the unauthorized meeting at the White House with Sidney Powell and Michael Flynn on 12/18/20 to plot a coup. Trump couldn’t hold any leverage over Putin because he was too busy sucking Vlad’s dick.

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:36 PM, KYHorn said:

Of course I wouldn't. I'd advocate for myself as much as possible. I hope you see that this is not the point being discussed here. 

The quote was: This is about people’s lives and if getting an uneven deal means we can get even one more American home safely then we do it.

The logical consequences of this approach are far-reaching and not tenable if adopted as policy. I don't have time to debate this further. 

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Ron Swanson Smile GIF

Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:18 PM, hobbes2702 said:

I know exactly who we are talking about and what he has done. 
I’m also smart enough to understand that we weren’t going to get a symmetrical deal with Russia while they are at war with on of our allies. The job shouldn’t be about getting an even deal. That would be great but welcome to the world. The job is to get as many Americans home as we can. Make the deal that can be made not hope for the perfect deal. This isn’t an NBA trade. This is about people’s lives and if getting an uneven deal means we can get even one more American home safely then we do it.

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If the goal is to bring home Americans safely - perhaps not releasing someone that was actively trying to sell surface to air missiles and airplanes with grenade launchers designed to take down US airmen would be an alternative strategy.

Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:39 PM, MNLonghornFUKM said:


Yes. I’d love it if they took the deal as I’m imprisoned in bumfuck russia.

Griner should be fuckin thrilled this happened. Has a single defender has called griner a moron for getting herself in this predicament? Or we just gonna roll with wrongfully imprisoned?


She’s an idiot who was wrongfully imprisoned. I’m glad she’s out. It took a lot to get her out.

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Yes, it was stupid, and also sounds like a mistake, leaving the vape in her luggage after a prior trip and forgetting about it when she packed for Russia (even if she tried to sneak it in, the punishment is still unjust).

Have you hateful types ever acknowledged that Whelan was a scumbag who was dishonorably discharged for tried to defraud the Army and was fucking around way worse when he found out? Or are you still going with "Ex-Marine Patriot" to support your hate?

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:39 PM, MNLonghornFUKM said:


Yes. I’d love it if they took the deal as I’m imprisoned in bumfuck russia.

Griner should be fuckin thrilled this happened. Has a single defender has called griner a moron for getting herself in this predicament? Or we just gonna roll with wrongfully imprisoned?


She’s an idiot who was wrongfully imprisoned. I’m glad she’s out. It took a lot to get her out.

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I've seen a bunch if people on this thread say she was a moron for putting herself in a bad predicament. I'm also in that camp. That said, people do dumb things. Griner was dumb to even travel to Russia when she did given the geopolitical landscape. Doesn't change the fact that she was wrongfully imprisoned.

I guess I don't understand why you're bellyaching about the deal if you would have accepted the same deal for yourself and you're glad she's coming home.

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:47 PM, Enchubben said:

If the goal is to bring home Americans safely - perhaps not releasing someone that was actively trying to sell surface to air missiles and airplanes with grenade launchers designed to take down US airmen would be an alternative strategy.

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Yea we probably should just leave them there to rot.

Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:47 PM, Enchubben said:

If the goal is to bring home Americans safely - perhaps not releasing someone that was actively trying to sell surface to air missiles and airplanes with grenade launchers designed to take down US airmen would be an alternative strategy.

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Bout was going to be deported to Russia when he was released from prison here. I'm not sure it makes a whole lot of difference if that happens in late 2022 or in 2029.

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:48 PM, royiv said:

I've seen a bunch if people on this thread say she was a moron for putting herself in a bad predicament. I'm also in that camp. That said, people do dumb things. Griner was dumb to even travel to Russia when she did given the geopolitical landscape. Doesn't change the fact that she was wrongfully imprisoned.

I guess I don't understand why you're bellyaching about the deal if you would have accepted the same deal for yourself and you're glad she's coming home.

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You do understand why. We all do. 

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 2:38 PM, KYHorn said:

Then trade for Whalen. This would still be weak regardless, but at least it'd fair between the two individuals. I'm of course assuming there wasn't a secret part to this deal, but given the political pressures, a straight 1 to 1 seems most likely, and by most objective measures, lopsided. If you can't see that, you might check your priors. We'd say the same about Whalen, while still being happy for the individual and their family, as most normal people are in the present situation, but it can be both a happy situation and a weak and unfair one at the same time. 

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Russia wouldn’t release Griner unless we released a fucking arms dealer. What do you think they’re asking in exchange for an accused Spy? Maybe, just maybe, we’re trying everything we can 

we already have people bitching because we released the arms dealer while at the same bitching we should do more to get Whelan released. 
 

 

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Posted
  On 12/8/2022 at 6:47 PM, Enchubben said:

If the goal is to bring home Americans safely - perhaps not releasing someone that was actively trying to sell surface to air missiles and airplanes with grenade launchers designed to take down US airmen would be an alternative strategy.

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He was returning to Russia in a few years either way. I don't think the extra time makes much difference. We now know about him, his contacts, and presumably a whole lot more that was learned in connection with his arrest. That information is the true prize, not having this one individual in prison for a few more years.  



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