jmstranger

December 8th, 2022 at 10:38 AM ^

“NEW from the Whelan family: "There is no greater success than for a wrongful detainee to be freed & for them to go home. The Biden Admin made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, & to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn't going to..””

Joined: 05/23/2010

MGoPoints: 9450

TheCube

December 8th, 2022 at 11:07 AM ^

https://twitter.com/clarencehilljr/status/1600872550694649856?s=20&t=WBK67K0RuzWbUgQX9U3fpA

For all the geopolitics experts on the board: 

Russia is playing by a different set of rules for Whelan than for Griner. I don’t think the Whelan or Fogel families need your fake outrage lmao  

 

Joined: 12/19/2018

MGoPoints: 31596

dragonchild

December 8th, 2022 at 11:18 AM ^

It's not like Griner invented becoming an idiot hostage.  It's been a thing since well before my time, and I ain't young.  The U.S. has always had a boggling abundance of dumbasses inclined to travel to countries openly hostile to them.

Everyone's making hay about Griner's mistake to carry weed but by far her dumbest move was going to Russia in the first place.  The State Department has a nice convenient website that categorizes Russia as DO NOT GO THERE, WE ARE DEAD FUCKING SERIOUS STAY THE FUCK AWAY BECAUSE YOU WILL GET FUCKED IF YOU GO:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/

One of the reasons for the State Department's advisory is that, while there are exceptions (like Griner), there should be no expectation that the U.S. will rescue your ignorant ass if you're stupid enough to go to where you are a literal enemy.  But like I said, this has never stopped the suicidally stupid so this sort of thing will continue to happen, with or without this prisoner exchange brouhaha.

Joined: 10/13/2011

MGoPoints: 60912

Blue Balls Afire

December 8th, 2022 at 9:00 AM ^

I’m glad she’s freed, I’m reluctantly okay with the means by which she was freed, and I’m pissed off that she thought (or failed to think) that taking a weed filled vape pen to another country (let alone Russia!) was the right thing to do. All things can be true at once it seems, at least with me. 

Joined: 12/17/2013

MGoPoints: 8130

huntmich

December 8th, 2022 at 9:11 AM ^

Great news!

Remember everyone: any time you travel to another country, you are bound by their laws, and having small amounts of drugs, even accidentally, can land you in prison for the rest of your life. So double check that suitcase before you fly. Cause I can guarantee the US won't trade an arms dealer for your broke ass!

 

This was a shitty situation where the Russians had obvious leverage for a strategic win. It was untenable for the US to leave her in prison for 10 years. So they get their Lord of War back.

 

She fucked up, and put herself into a very bad situation. But I'm glad she's no longer in it.

Joined: 10/18/2015

MGoPoints: 18173

Stay.Classy.An…

December 8th, 2022 at 9:17 AM ^

The US got caught lackin' (as the kids would say). Other countries (at least Russia) wait for Americans to do stupid stuff like this because they know it can be used to their advantage. The US got played out. 

I am happy that Russia is releasing her because she did not deserve the Gulag for the next 10 years. I am however very much against the narrative that it was "just weed". You are in a FOREIGN COUNTRY, not the USA. That is what is lost in most of the commentary, nobody wants to say she shouldn't have taken her weed pen, it's all focused on the punishment. Which I'm sure was OVERLY punitive to force the USA's hand. 

I hope the WNBA has a very in-depth discussion with its players about obeying the laws of the country you find yourself playing in during the off season. Imagine if she wasn't a famous WNBA star.....that person (along with many others) would still be rotting over there.

Joined: 11/27/2012

MGoPoints: 19972

SalvatoreQuattro

December 8th, 2022 at 9:32 AM ^

1. Griner was unjustly confined. Therefore her release is a good thing. 2. Securing her release at the expense of releasing an arms dealer is a bad thing. 3. Not securing Paul Whelan’s release as well was a bad thing. 4. Griner’s fame was the impetus behind her release. More evidence that famous lives matter more than our lives to the government. We have much work to do in achieving equality in regards to value of life.

Joined: 11/30/2010

MGoPoints: 78987

JacquesStrappe

December 8th, 2022 at 10:36 AM ^

I’m not sure that it was such a great deal from a utilitarian perspective. Victor Bout, the prisoner swapped for Griner, is a notorious arms dealer and the inspiration for the movie Lord of War. We may come to rue the day that we released him if he comes to once again supply arms to those that slaughter thousands, amongst those some of our own servicemen and women. 
 

Much as I feel for Griner, she is just the latest in a long line of irresponsible and ignorant Americans that go abroad to places that are not welcoming to Americans and then proceeds to do something stupid (e.g. Otto Warbier) even if it would be a minor offense in the U.S., that gets them in trouble. Better judgment should prevail but it doesn’t and it ends up costing the tax payer a lot of money while putting U.S. interests and other people at risk.

Joined: 04/19/2019

MGoPoints: 4994

Soulfire21

December 8th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^

What was she even in Russia for? The State Department has Russia on a Level 4 do not travel, which means Americans should not go there and Americans there should leave immediately.

I can't imagine visiting a country openly hostile to Americans.

Prevention is the best action.

Joined: 03/18/2010

MGoPoints: 22716

NittanyFan

December 8th, 2022 at 11:41 AM ^

She had a very hefty salary over there --- well over $1MM a year.

Her WNBA salary was on the order of $230K per year.  That's a healthy salary too, but one can understand why people are chasing those salaries that are literally 5x+ higher.

Becky Hammon back in the day played in both the WNBA and Russia - she actually became a Russian citizen too to play on their 2008 & 2012 Olympic teams.

Joined: 12/04/2012

MGoPoints: 43109

dragonchild

December 8th, 2022 at 11:50 AM ^

No, I can't.  It's $1 million with a gun pointed at your head.  Well, I mean, I get that greed got her, so she's unremarkable in that regard, but that's a "has the world gone mad or is it just me" thing I have to deal with.

"Faux-Pax Americana" has really messed with people's sense of perspective.  We've done such a great job of keeping our wars outside our borders that U.S. citizens can't properly assess the personal risk of becoming a political prisoner.

Joined: 10/13/2011

MGoPoints: 60912

Swayze Howell Sheen

December 8th, 2022 at 11:27 AM ^

My feeling: posts like this should be auto-removed. Whether you like it or not, it cuts too close to politics, and is not relevant to a michigan sports blog.

#getoffmylawn

Joined: 10/05/2008

MGoPoints: 47108