BREAKING: Griner Released From Russian Prison

Another Joe Biden victory!

Biden does not jerk off in public, like Trump and the Republicans, HE GETS SHIT DONE.

I am no Biden fan but he gets a thanks for this one.

Finally! finally.

R2 agreed.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is free Thursday after the Biden administration negotiated her release from a Russian penal colony in exchange for an arms dealer.

President Joe Biden signed off on the trade, which took place in the United Arab Emirates, even though it meant leaving behind Paul Whelan, an American corporate security executive who remains jailed in Russia.

Why are the homosexuals of DL so invested in this nobody? Who gives a shit, let her rot there. Biden is now being praised for releasing a horrible criminal back to Russia in exchange for... [italic]her?[/italic] Who the fuck is this bitch exactly that the security of the entire country should be put at risk because of her?

I hope she writes a tell-all book.

My pussy is going to be so sore over Christmas!!!

R6 check in a grease fire you stupid f****** piece of s***.

All the comments on Twitter other people whining about Paul Wayland irritate me. Lake reading his Wikipedia it seems clear to me he was up to something like who just carries around $80,000 a cash and then gets a USB from someone that they claim is full of like photos or whatever and also what's with all the passports and citizenships like come on dude.

Can I get out?

- US Domestic Drugs Prisoner

I'm glad she's out because the situation was inhuman.

If she doesn't take some responsibility for being a stupid fool - because her oh, I was rushing story is bullshit - then I'll just regard her as very, very lucky.

She's not a victim, she's someone who got caught. But no one deserves Russia.

Good to hear. She’s so big did they have to use an Air Force carrier?

R10, it does seem to me he probably was a spy. However, even if that’s the case, the U.S. needs to continue to fight for his release.

Has it ever been confirmed that she is a female? I’m not convinced.

Go back home and smoke a big blunt!

R12, Russian and other countries DO THIS. They watch people and arrest them on stuff like this so they can negotiate an exchange for some very bad people. Yes Griner wasn’t thinking, but who gets sent to prison for 9 fucking years for cannabis? No one except for Americans who were caught with it. I bet Russians don’t either. The lesson learned for Americans—and pretty much everyone—is don’t visit Russia. Ever. Not until Putin is gone and things change.

Wonderful Holiday news.

Boss

I think the reason Griner got released and Paul Wayland didn't is to sow discord in the US amongst white people. Russia wants a race war in the US more than the White Supremacists due.

I’m teary eyed.

Why does she get to go but not Paul Whelan? Is it because they see her as the weaker sex?

Strong speech right now from President Biden addressing all of the issues in this thread.

Because he's probably a spy and she's just a fucking idiot, R22.

Some idiots are still acting like she was smuggling meth or something. It was doctor prescribed medical marijuana.

I wonder if someone in Russia went over Putin's head.

She is already booked for the next Dancing With The Stars.

I wonder where the stupid twat is going to apply her insistence on using substances illegal in various countries.

[R22] Whalen is a very different case - he's being charged with espionage, not smuggling drugs.

BG's wife is very charming and eloquent. She looked beautiful on television this morning in the red dress. I wish they gave her more camera time - she spoke so beautifully and emotionally. I really like her a lot.

She better come back contrite and not with some attitude about how long it took the government to get her out. If she says one thing about it being about race, they should send her back.

Jar Jar Binks is coming home, bitches!! Let's all take a toke! I didn't think this would be breaking news on all networks though. I can only imagine news outlets scrambling for the first sit down exclusive interview with this woman.

Great news! I agree Whelan needs to be freed as well, but his case is different and probably more difficult to navigate.

Yes, R24. And also, R22, she is a two time American Olympic medalist.

Although I'm sure the "America First" crowd will overlook that.

[quote] BG's wife is very charming and eloquent. She looked beautiful on television this morning in the red dress. I wish they gave her more camera time - she spoke so beautifully and emotionally. I really like her a lot.

100%

She was delightful.

Some actual good news for once.

NEW from the Whelan family:

[quote] "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..”

"President Joe Biden signed off on the trade, which took place in the United Arab Emirates, even though it meant leaving behind Paul Whelan, an American corporate security executive who remains jailed in Russia."

Just imagine the response if a white prisoner was released while the black prisoner remained in custody.

[R30] I agree 100%.

So she'll show up and do interviews looking like a dirty street person, and that's AFTER she gets cleaned up.

Back to normal.

Cherelle is so brautiful, standing behind Biden during the press conference. On the other hand, I was fearful that Kamala was going to break out into laughter when Biden was speaking.

^^^^^^Beautiful

[quote]Some idiots are still acting like she was smuggling meth or something. It was doctor prescribed medical marijuana.

And taking it across borders breaks law. That's generally considered a bad thing, but I realize you have to expert to grasp it.

Paul Whelan's case is more complex, since he's accused of espionage. Brittney's charges were far less serious in comparison. She made a foolish mistake, not a crafty one, like Paul.

[quote] BG's wife is very charming and eloquent. She looked beautiful on television this morning in the red dress. I wish they gave her more camera time - she spoke so beautifully and emotionally.

clip:

[quote]She better come back contrite and not with some attitude about how long it took the government to get her out. If she says one thing about it being about race, they should send her back.

You're one of those assholes who goes up to black people and says they'd better thank the white man for fighting the Civil War for them, aren't you?

The wife really is lovely.

Really r6?

R34, you forgot about Warnock's victory already? It was only Tuesday.

Nowhere now, I imagine, R28. So calm down, Mary.

[quote] "I'm glad she's out because the situation was inhuman. If she doesn't take some responsibility for being a stupid fool - because her oh, I was rushing story is bullshit - then I'll just regard her as very, very lucky. She's not a victim, she's someone who got caught."

Agreed entirely, R12. I left out the "no one deserves Russia" because I can definitely think of a few that do, though Griner is not among them.

She seems like kind of a dimwit, but let’s be real… she had a TINY bit of medical marijuana. Yes it’s illegal in Russia, but this was not the crime of the century. She was being used as a political pawn and that’s it.

This is great news! I still think it’s possible she was set up. I don’t care if she confessed, her attorneys probably advised her to do so. They know more about the Russian justice system than we do.

All the racist posters: Please fuck off.

Lol, no r26, this was a prisoner swap. The US handed over Ukrainian-Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was almost halfway through a 25-year prison sentence in the US for supplying terrorists with weapons and conspiring to kill Americans. This is a much bigger win for Putin, especially considering that the American Paul Whelan is still imprisoned in Russia and Griner's crime was petty and she was only jailed precisely in order so the Russians could demand a prisoner swap. The real swap should have been Whelan for Bout.

Compare the charges against Bout and the charges against Griner and it's obvious which country got the better deal and which country gave up more.

[quote]The day after his Bangkok arrest, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Bout with conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization,[78] conspiring to kill Americans, conspiring to kill American officers or employees, and conspiring to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile.[62] Additional charges against him were filed in February 2010.[79] These included illegal purchase of aircraft, wire fraud, and money laundering.[11]

The elderloungers on here cultivate their resentment and spite as if those two things kept them alive. They're also hilariously out of step with the culture, and they think a black lesbian who had 0.7 grams of hashish oil is a trashy, terrible criminal who deserves what she gets.

These are guys who spent the 1960s in preppy Career Club shirts and pressed khakis and still, to this day, think what the National Guard did at Kent State was a pretty good idea.

I'm glad she's out; after they moved her to that labor camp, I thought she was in for a long, slow painful death. But as others have aptly noted, she should come home contrite for all those people who worked to get her released & never gave up.

But after that, Joe (Pete?) should make some statement that it isn't necessarily the job of the US government to get you out of every scrape you find yourselves overseas - like those soldiers of fortune times who are fighting in Ukraine or some other corner of the world.

She should start speaking out about low pay in women’s sports, since that’s why she claims she needed to work in Russia.

Where is this idea coming from that she' not grateful for being released?

Btw, the Americans who went over to help fight with Ukraine are heroes, R53.

Will the first interview be Oprah or Jada?

R51, I somewhat agree, but I also believe that Griner was just a pawn in this game, and as a such, although we gave up a notorious killer, it was more important that we free her first.

There is no doubt to me that Russia spied on these athletes in order to arrest one of them on petty charges.

Odd that Paul Whalen was left behind ? I guess he wasn’t headline material .

R58. He's also been charged with espionage and likely was indeed a spy.

I hope they do get around to freeing him. Fuck Russia.

[quote] There is no doubt to me that Russia spied on these athletes in order to arrest one of them on petty charges.

Hopefully we can return the favor!

-----

R58, please see R35

Not true r58. He’s being held on espionage charges. Russia has us over a barrel on that one, especially if he really was spying.

[quote]she should come home contrite

She has no moral or ethical reason to apologize for accidentally becoming one of Putin's pawns.

No, she did not bring this on herself because she had 0.7 grams of hash oil residue in her suitcase.

She broke the law! In Russia! You can’t swan around the world doing whatever the hell you want expecting no repercussions if you’re caught. Well I guess you can now if you play a sport.

She shoud have known better than to bring ANY drugs into Russia. And she was 100% a political pawn. Both are true. I'm glad she's out.

There are some trolls on here. Like a Billy Eichner movie, they should be ignored.

Biden traded her for The Merchant of Death. AN ARMS DEALER. Russia came out on top here.

People will die because of this.

Mika Dipshit Scarborough was bemoaning that the WNBA stars aren't paid what the NBA gets. I know she's a moron, but seriously? Griner is the biggest thing to ever happen to the WNBA, whether that will draw a crowd or ratings is doubtful.

[quote]I think the reason Griner got released and Paul Wayland didn't is to sow discord in the US amongst white people

I'm sorry, but that's our job, which we do very well.

[quote]Odd that Paul Whalen was left behind ? I guess he wasn’t headline material .

Griner’s release is a far bigger political win for Biden.

In spite of all that has happened in the past month, Twitter is still a fascinating source of information.

This is the overarching argument from the right:

[quote] Biden traded her for The Merchant of Death. AN ARMS DEALER. Russia came out on top here.

And their second loudest complaint is about the 13 Americans who died in the Afghan withdrawal.

But...

The answer from those who seem most informed, educated, experienced and credentialed is that President Biden is leading a coalition. He is working with our allies and, more importantly, leading from the front BECAUSE THEY CAN TRUST HIM on destabilizing Russia and neutralizing their threat.

Whereas it seems apparent that we lost out on this trade, a second look from this perspective indicates that being a part of an international cooperative means that we have support for deals like this because we have made concessions to our friends in other areas.

Leadership matters and we have the best possible leadership in this moment.

I can breathe again.

R70, it's great that Griner's out but let's not pretend that Biden didn't make any concessions to Russia to get her out. She was a pawn that the Russians traded for something much bigger in return.

Pretty sure the monitoring of this arms dealer by the U.S. and the rest of the world will be intense enough to warrant he's out of the arms business. And this will prevent a slow, brutal, 10-year-long death of a woman who committed no real crime.

Like others, I was very impressed with Griner's wife today.

She was a very confident and eloquent speaker. Doing that in front of a global audience, I would have shit myself.

I'm pissed!

Ina Garten was co-hosting the entire 8am hour of Today to reveal her holiday tips 'n' tricks, and nearly the whole thing got pre-empted by the breaking news.

Free Ina!

This is fantastic news! Happy for Griner.

Go, Mighty Joe!!

[quote] If she doesn't take some responsibility for being a stupid fool - because her oh, I was rushing story is bullshit - then I'll just regard her as very, very lucky. She's not a victim, she's someone who got caught. But no one deserves Russia.

She had a medicine prescribed by her doctor that she had taken many times to Russia already. How was she supposed to know she would become a political prisoner?

All this cheering? If this were a plot in a Bond movie, USA would look very stupid. It would have to be a running gag .

Some of you are so pathetic, unable to handle any view other than your own. I said, I'm glad she's home. She didn't deserve that. She was also careless and played a part in her own problem, a minor little mistake that drew on the resources of an entire nation and cost us the imprisonment of a dangerous arms dealing Russian. But poor child...

[quote] She broke the law! In Russia! You can’t swan around the world doing whatever the hell you want expecting no repercussions if you’re caught. Well I guess you can now if you play a sport.

And yet you are vocally against the anti gays and anti women laws in Muslim countries...

This was, of course, the outcome that Russia always intended to achieve.

[quote]She had a medicine prescribed by her doctor that she had taken many times to Russia already. How was she supposed to know she would become a political prisoner?

The reality is that ignorance of the law has almost never been an excuse for breaking it - in the US or the rest of the world. Marijuana is illegal in the vast majority of the rest of the world.

However, I will concede that ANY relatively high profile American would have sufficed to achieve their goal of embarrassing the US and trading for a Russian prisoner. So, to that extent, she was unlucky in being the first one who got caught doing something that they could use to wring this concession out of the US government. Had there been another one earlier, that person would have served the purpose. Although I question whether they still wouldn't have imprisoned a second person, but that time, there may not have been a trade the Russians were as eager to do, so may have resulted in an even longer delay.

You do all known that 1 gram of liquid is the same as 1 mL of liquid? That 0.7 grams is 0.7 mL? That's a tiny amount, With oil, it would be about 12 drops total, about 6 drops per container in this case.

I really don't see how anyone could argue in good faith that Griner MUST have known she was taking hash oil with her. It's possible she didn't even see any liquid in those cartridges at all.

[quote] The reality is that ignorance of the law has almost never been an excuse for breaking it - in the US or the rest of the world. Marijuana is illegal in the vast majority of the rest of the world.

The punishment was ridiculous. She was a political prisoner, nothing less. If they didn't imprison her for her medicine they would have imprisoned her for being gay.

Please--she wasn't really arrested because of her medicine. She was arrested because the US was against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Paul Whelan has been imprisoned since 2018. If the US wanted him back, Trump would have gotten his good buddy Putin to release him.

R6 would be absolutely shocked if he knew Trump, Boebert, Greene, Gym Jordan, Gaetz and Rand Paul (among other Republican scumbags) were all on Putin's payroll.

Nobody else would be shocked, but R6 would simply be aghast.

Right, R82, and in a real court the amount would have been taken into consideration at sentencing, it might have been taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to charge, but it does not disappear as a fact in the matter just because it was a little and you're sympathetic toward her. As to the cartridges, do you suppose it was really so hard to think: hey, those cartridges had has oil in them, maybe it isn't a great idea to take them through customs in a hostile country. I argue that in good faith.

Maybe next time, stay the fuck out of that shit-hole country. And if you go (for a paycheck), leave your weed at home.

Why do we have to keep trying so hard to rescue people who defy government advice and end up imprisoned in these countries? We had to bargain to rescue that idiot Otto Warmbier (tortured to death by the little Reds), and had to swap criminals to get this WNBA genius out of Siberia.

STOP VISITING DICTATORSHIPS, YOU ASSHOLES!

Bout was almost halfway through a 25-year prison sentence, r73. He wasn't going to be doing much from a US prison. Now he's free, thanks to Biden, while Paul Whelan is still in a Russian jail.

That's right, Griner didn't commit any real crime. She was arrested and imprisoned by the Russians just so they could use her as a political pawn, especially for a prisoner swap. The Russians got exactly what they wanted here.

R89, have you missed all the posts that strongly suggest Whelan WAS a spy?

And I said monitoring post-prison, which the U.S. and the rest of the world will surely do.

R88 spot on. If a pleb from here got arrested in a foreign country FOR BREAKING THE LAW and sentenced to prison, who would care? No one! As a gay man, there are countries I just don’t travel to because of their anti-gay laws.

It’s a good thing she can bounce a ball or she’d still be in that holiday camp. They should have handed over trump for her. Will she learn to not bring weed on an airplane to her next gig. Probably not. It’s disgusting how politics works. We’re all fucking pawns.

Oh, calm down, Mary R92.

Aaaaaaand the “Merchant of Death” is back on the streets.

Thanks, Britt Britt!

Yeah, sure, it's ALL her fault, R94.

As I said at r33

Yes, this criminal black lesbian took 0.7 grams of hash oil to Russia because she was trying to get a dangerous arms dealer released back to Russia so he could continue killing! You are all very smart and logical!

Absolutely disgusting.

Thank goodness! Just in time for her next event in North Korea! Yay!

The right:

[quote] Benny Johnson: "This is on par, in my lifetime, with abandoning our soldiers in Benghazi...You traded an non-violent pothead wokster WNBA American-hating hippie for one of the most violent men in the world"

The left:

[quote] President’s #1 job is to bring Americans home.

[quote] We’ll get Paul.

[quote] (Viktor, enjoy living the rest of your life looking over your shoulder)

[quote] Welcome home Brittany.

[quote] Viktor will be dead within the year.

[quote] Half the world wants his head on a platter.

[quote] He was probably safer in US custody.

DL:

black or white, one or the other, only one set of facts.

Biden had no choice. The political fallout for him in 2024 would have been awful if he left a black queer woman rotting in Siberia. He would have probably lost the primaries.

R101,there are plenty of people on this thread who said what she did was dumb, considering it was Russia, but that her sentence was inhuman and outrageous, and are happy to see her return.

Oh, please, Mary R102.

*Svetlana_92 has entered the chat* 💬

Yes, nothing weighs more on America's mind that a black queer woman rotting in Siberia. That's exactly what you'd expect from the country.

Hi Klan Grannies, I baked yall some applie pie.

Hey, loser. Nice to see you broadening your scope. Of course even you'd have a hard time pimping Markle these days.

R107 = idiot with nothing of substance to contribute aside from tossing out the trite Klan Grannies reference.

R109- The worst troll on DL simply because of what a predictable crushing bore she is.

Griner should be made to pay reparations to the US government. They can get a lawyer to calculate the social cost of releasing that arms dealer and then bill Griner for it.

I did not see this coming. W

"They can get a lawyer to calculate the social cost"

And how, pray, does one calculate "social cost" into dollars, genius R111?

R111, Her ancestors paid her tab, bitch.

There are thousands of nobodies doing hard time around the world for drug possession. Maybe she can dedicate her life to helping these individuals?

The Griner family was smart about making this a cause celebre. No way any president would have let her rot in a Russian prison with the whole world watching.

I don't know R113 how did the come up with a dollar amount for each life lost during 9/11? Hire a team of lawyers to determine that.

Don't hold you breath for that R115.

I do feel bad for her just for the fact that she's so tall for a woman, and also black and a lesbian. That's an awful lot to deal with.

But she fucked up and she owes our government something now for saving her.

Her head is probably fucked up now and she's going to need therapy.

This whole situation shines a rather sun-like light on the right v left divide.

For fun, I went to right wing twitter. My god. You'd think getting Griner released was on par with The Bay of Pigs. It doesn't shock me, but it really should.

If Trump had freed Griner, Right Wing Twitter would have called him the new Jesus

I hope when they got her they gave her some decent food to eat. I don't think the penal colony had anything appetizing.

The Millenials don't understand that US protections and laws don't apply anymore once you cross international borders.

Yes, R123, concepts like that are hard for them.

[quote]I do feel bad for her just for the fact that she's so tall for a woman, and also black and a lesbian. That's an awful lot to deal with.

She's an athlete who's earned millions over the course of her career, she's probably dealing with it just fine.

[quote] Sunny thinks that she had something to do with the release. Around 3:45 min. mark. What do you want to bet that The View doesn't mention Paul Whelan again, now that the black woman has been released.

This will be the topic of much of the news in the coming days. Paul Whelan's reaction to being left in jail:

“I am greatly disappointed more hasn’t been done to secure my release, especially as the four year anniversary of my arrest is coming up. I was arrested for a crime that never occurred. I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here.”

An intelligent and considered view:

So did President Biden free a dangerous criminal for a celebrity athlete? No, it’s not that simple.

"By reasonable standards, Bout has probably served enough time already. As Slate reported in July, Shira Scheindlin, the now-retired judge who presided over his trial, said that, even at the time, she thought his sentence 'was too high' Bout was convicted of conspiring to sell arms to a Colombian guerrilla group known as FARC that the U.S. had designed as a terrorist organization. Scheindlin said she regarded Bout not as a terrorist but as /a businessman.' Still, under U.S. law at the time, 25 years was the minimum sentence for someone convicted of selling arms to terrorists, so she had no choice."

[quote]This will be the topic of much of the news in the coming days.

I doubt it.

[quote] Paul Whelan's reaction to being left in jail: “I am greatly disappointed more hasn’t been done to secure my release, especially as the four year anniversary of my arrest is coming up. I was arrested for a crime that never occurred. I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here.”

Why couldn't the Trump administration get Whelan released?

On the plus side, she got TONS of pussy in that Russian prison.

Now she can write a book about her experience and make millions off it, while Paul Whelan sits and rots in a Russian gulag.

[Quote] Why are the homosexuals of DL so invested in this nobody? Who gives a shit, let her rot there. Biden is now being praised for releasing a horrible criminal back to Russia in exchange for... her? Who the fuck is this bitch exactly that the security of the entire country should be put at risk because of her?

Exactly this. She travels to a country hostile to her kind (a lez and a black woman) equipped with drugs that are illegal there. She deserved to sit in that gulag out her own sheer stupidity. FUCK her.

Paul Whelan doesn't have the correct "characteristics", R132. He's considered expendable by US government and MSM.

I can't wait to read her upcoming book, "Not Without My Micro-Penis"

Not that I would ever travel to Russia but if I did I wouldn't take so much as an aspirin with me. Bitches be crazy over there.

Where is this woman? There's a Santa Tracker, I want a Griner Tracker. Is she still in the air?

We let an arms dealer go in exchange for this jig who was arrested on drug charges and people are celebrating?

R133=Putin.

Wow, this story really brings out the virulent MAGAt racist at R138.

Fuck you, you cunt. FF. Block this motherfucker.

Or, you could start a fundraiser R114.

You can sell your apple pies to the Klan Grannies that live rent free in your head.

As a reminder, Trump freed 5000 Taliban soldiers and then invited their leader to Camp David...

Griner is now free to return to her life of complete anonymity that is women's basketball

R143, finally some good humor. 👍

Your idea of humor is a little lacking, R144.

She’s destined to be the answer to a Jeopardy question circa 2033. Category TBD

R123, I'm not sure they get it applies to them at home, either. You see, laws don't consider their feelings or what they want to do.

Is it true she's a wife beater?

Proof she is, R148? Otherwise, you're a troll spreading bullshit.

they should have let her rot in jail. she's so fucking big and tall, it's not like she's gonna be attacked in jail. she can take care of herself. she is too stupid to be free.

I was asking r149, as i saw it on reddit

Don't believe everything you read on Reddit, R151.

Your only post, r133?

R150 is officially on ignore. She's just a fucking troll cunt. I suggest everyone else do the same.

Your majesty.

Boy is she lucky this did not happen if the orange mass were president.

It wouldn't have happened if the orange mass were president, r156, none of the past year would have happened. It wouldn't have happened if Obama or Hillary were president or anyone other than Joe Biden, aside from George Dubya perhaps.

Shocker. Russian bots are invading this thread and spewing filth designed to polemicize her release. I would be astonished if they did anything else.

You have an interesting reaction to views not your own.

no seriously, she is too fucking stupid. she brings illegal shit to a hostile country. real smart!

But it was just a little.

Nobody said she was smart.

Regarding the wife-beating question, it was mutual:

[quote] On August 14, 2014, Griner got engaged to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson.[90][91] On April 22, 2015, they were both arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct after police responded to a fight between the two in their suburban home in Phoenix, Arizona. Both had sustained some injuries.

Poor r157/r160 ...this is just gonna keep him up at night!

No, R164, but you know what DOES keep Dump up at night? The Dept of Justice investigations, the Georgia criminal probe, having his company found guilty on all counts of tax fraud, havig his tax returns in the hands of Congress, having every one of his hand-picked stooges lose in the midterms...

They freed Brittney. Just like Lincoln freed the slaves.

R166 They freed the right Brittney, as opposed to Britney.

Yep, she is guilty of bringing a gram of hash oil into Russia, where such crimes are considered equivalent to a misdemeanor. Those of you who think she's a "stupid bitch" and deserved to be in a gulag for 9 years are pathetic. I have no way of knowing whether Whelan is guilty of espionage, but the crime is much more serious, especially in light of our fraught relationship with Russia. The fact that Russia agreed to release her though, means there is a glimmer of hope for Whelan.

excuse me, it's not like it's her first time going to Russia, she knows the laws and what's legal or not legal. She's a dumb cunt and deserves to rot in jail for not respecting the laws of that country.

Did she think she was above the law and things like rules and the law doesn't apply to her because she's famous?!

R169, do you really think a 10 year hard labor sentence was an appropriate sentence for a misdemeanor? She did 10 months in prison already. She did her "rot in jail" and then some. I'll wager that a Russian busted on a weed possession charge doesn't come close to what she was sentenced to.

How you love to drone on, r169.

R170 she was in Russia. We cannot determine what is appropriate from afar.

R169, you REALLY have to wash all that sand out of your vadge--especially when you're on the rag on top of it. Then take some extra-strength Midol. And put down the drink.

I’m happy she was released.

That said, she looks like David Chapelle.

[quote]do you really think a 10 year hard labor sentence was an appropriate sentence for a misdemeanor?

Do you really think it's a good idea to bring just a little bit of drugs into fucking Russia? The sentence was ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as taking drugs into Russia in any amount. She owns part of this.

Is she really over 7 feet tall?

Why does this freak have the voice of a man? Seriously.

She’s a giant r177. Most giants have low, booming voices.

It’s fucking creepy hearing this thing speak.

Bet she could beat the shit out of you, R177. I'd pay to see that, Nancy.

r177/r179 - Your trolling has zero power here. We are DL...watch us yawn.

[QUOTE] do you really think a 10 year hard labor sentence was an appropriate sentence for a misdemeanor?

She had concentrates, not weed. That's a felony.

And they probably helped themselves to it afterwards, R182. Better than their rotgut vodka. Poor sad losers.

You better believe Grinder is grinding with her wife tonite.

Oh please R183. What a lame retort.

But it's true, Svetlana R183.

r20, another marine got released this year in a swap from Russia also. Trump and Pompeo tried and Russia does not want to release him. I think he is CIA. They claimed he wasn't but they have to. He gets disavowed. His military record was pretty bad for those who are saying it's not far she should not be before a Marine. He was either a lousy Marine who got dishonorably discharged and court martialed. Or that was bullshit made up so he would be in a good position to spy.

So he either is guilty and got caught spying. Then we should still try and get him out but it's not going to be easy CUZ he'd spy or he was a real shitty marine, got the boot and is up to no good in Russia as a private citizen and his charges are a bit more complicated than hers.

Griner never watched Midnight Express, apparently.

Shingles doesn’t care

According to MSNBC, CNN and ESPN this Griner character is a strong and courageous human being. Not sure why, but if the MSM says it then it must be true.

Y'all it was a vape cartridge with hashish oil residual. She was stopped at customs, this was her luggage. She was not trying to distribute drugs. She was charged with that. She had possession because she made a mistake. It was legal when she likely used it and forgot it was in the bag. Some of you Mary's act like you never made a mistake. Would you want to serve 9 years in a gulag for making a mistake?

R191 some countries have the death penalty for smuggling drugs.

People used to be aware that you do not bring drugs through an airport into a foreign country. But this Millennial cohort is so dumbed down and entitled that they don't know this.

And for gay perople as well, R192.

I'm glad she's out of there, Russia is fucked up.

R194 true but gays don't have a choice. People who bring drugs in do.

That doesn't mean anything to those countries, R196.

Rather than be happy for America, the Trumpists are busy whining about how we got a "drug addicted black lesbian who hates America" and left "an honorable Marine and patriot" (Whelan) behind.

There's more baggage with Whelan than being just a marine. He's CIA, probably. Even Dump's administration couldn't get him freed.

"Even" -- you mean the master negotiator who was so busy sucking Kim's tiny dick that Otto W. kid came back dead?

Can't believe people are seriously acting as if this actually had anything to do with drugs. She was just a political pawn. How Russians many are spending a decade behind bars for getting caught with hashish oil?

^ How many Russians*

I mean... sorry but this isn't exactly great news with the reciprocal Russian prisoner being released; arms dealer and infamous terrorist Viktor Bout - also known as "the Merchant of Death" and one of the world's most prolific arms dealers. The US spent years trying to get him and finally had.

It's excellent that Griner has been released but at a very, very heavy cost considering who Bout is and what he will now resume doing which is selling weapons to be used directly against Americans. Russia will have him fully funded and working around the clock again by the end of next week.

Griner was a absolute fucking idiot for attempting to enter Russia with an illegal substance and I think the price is too high to secure her release. She has a lot to answer for. Also Paul Whelan has been left behind.

So this is good news and very bad news in the long run.

[quote] the Trumpists are busy whining about how we got a "drug addicted black lesbian who hates America" and left "an honorable Marine and patriot" (Whelan) behind. CNN has been “whining” about this very thing all day. Erin Burnett, Jake Tapper and AC just now too. It’s been their lead story all day. But keep telling yourself it’s all “Trumpers.”

"Morning Joe" was thrilled that she was released.

Morning Joe's hatred for Trump is insatiable. But those who fight monsters better be damn sure they don't become them.

How long until Ye is detained in North Korea or China or KSA? Now every celebutard knows that the USa will make special deals to get them out.

There are many countries in this world where it's illegal to smoke weed. very strict countries where drugs = death sentence.

She is a stupid cunt who got caught and made USA looked bad! She is a stupid American and now the Russians get back a fucking evil person in return.

I knew she'd get out and I knew it'd happen right before Christmas (not to gloat!). ;)

"Bout is and what he will now resume doing which is selling weapons to be used directly against Americans. Russia will have him fully funded and working around the clock again by the end of next week."

First of all, R203, what do you really know about it? You don't think this guy is going to be monitored by every intelligence agency in the world, especially the U.S.? You seriously think he'll be back in business setting up shop selling arms globally? How ridiculous.

And what exactly does Griner have to answer for? It was pretty clear what went down. What does she need to explain--her motives? How dare she be freed when a white man--who was a marine, no less--is still there? Isn't that what it's about?

R193, I do not -- for one second -- believe Russia's version of events. And neither should anybody else ever believe Russians on any matter, ever.

Russians lie like the rest of the world breathes.

I'm sorry, but, am I supposed to be celebrating what is by all accounts a win for Russia, here?

Help me to understand.

I'm really confused why that doddering old fraud would release A terrorist for this dumb cunt.

R210 Most successful arms dealers are "monitored" by the world's intelligence agencies. It's part of the job. This guy was on Interpol's radar for years before they got lucky and arrested him. He didn't care. He's made untold millions in a line of work that has no rules and doesn't forgive mistakes. He doesn't fear arrest or death. He's long past that. He'll disappear back into it, surely with the help of his crony Putin, and go right back to selling things that kill people.

And while this monster is back in the underground helping to butcher soldiers and families, this witless WNBA twitch will go back to playing before TENS of fans and earning 19 grand a year. What a fuckin' hero, and what a fuckin' worthwhile trade, right?

[quote] a win for Russia,

Russia is not winning, girl.

They're getting bombed by Ukraine deep inside of their own territory.

R214, I guarantee you he cared he was arrested and spent 12 years in prison. And sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there are a lot of nefarious arms dealers all over the world selling arms against the U.S. as well as allies and enemies, but it's amusing you think this guy, by being let loose, will be the scourge of the West.

What's even more interesting is the attitude you have toward Griner, her career, the number of people who are her fans, etc., and the fact that you're willing to lie about her in order to diminish her. The fact is she makes $107,000 a year--the ceiling in her profession. Of course, she has fans here and all over the world, and she was playing internationally because she can only make real money outside the country, where places like Russia love female basketball. I didn't realize a person being held under barbaric conditions in a Russian gulag had to have an income threshold and a huge fan base to be eligible for parole from said gulag.

By the way, how many people were at Dump's inaugural--was it the largest in the history of the country? Your math seems to be so spot on, after all.

Fuck off, you gash.

R216 Yes, Russia loves female basketball players. They're SO helpful with their luggage at the airport. How stupid is this bird to go anywhere near that shit? Russia has been poisoning, kidnapping, ransoming, and defenestrating people for generations. The State Department has been advising against travel to Russia since before the Ukraine Crisis, and Griner chose to ignore that (and bring in weed vapes) just to make less than she'd earn selling real estate in Tampa.

Fuck that noise. She could've made a living any number of ways that don't involve putting on a ludicrous minstrel show for that mafia state and allowing herself to be kidnapped and human-shielded all this time. Will she sing at Kim Jong-un's birthday party next? Anything for a paycheck, right?

You can't say she has a stellar career and a massive and vibrant fanbase while also defending her penny-scraping trip to that shithole country. Either she's a marketable brand or she's not. If she really had that much clout, she'd be selling sneakers and doing inspirational little speeches for coin. She wouldn't be doing two-bit exhibition games in a country where people have to chip through a frozen-over toilet to take a plop. This is like saying Halle Berry, fresh off her Oscar win, merely HAD to do Catwoman because the industry was so damned unfair. It wasn't unfair. It wasn't outside forces. The bitch just made a stupid decision. And so did this one.

If you have such contempt for her, why are you banging on about her for three tedious paragraphs, R217?

Another Biden win.

^Biden is kicking Mother Russia's ass.

The cognitive dissonance at r219 and r220 is frightening.

I want her to appear on a talk show so someone can give her a makeover.

R221, please do expand upon how this is a victory for your beloved Putin.

I'll be waiting.

:Maria Butina, the gun-loving, Russian ex-spy-turned-politician, couldn’t contain her glee Thursday over the White House deal to swap notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner."

“The fact that Russia pushed through the exchange of Bout, whom America fundamentally did not want to give away for many years, right now means that, like in The Godfather, we ‘made them an offer that cannot be refused,'” Butina opined on the Telegram messaging app Thursday.

“This is a position of strength, comrades,” she added.

Meanwhile, Russia is living through sanctions that will set it back 30 years. Some position of strength.

Once a Russian spy, ALWAYS a Russian spy.

[quote]She is a stupid cunt who got caught and made USA looked bad!

What I like about Datalounge is that people who have a less than firm grasp on English will post things like this, and old conservative cranks will WW them without having a single clue that they're agreeing with a troll.

Then they will all call everyone else "stupid."

R227, wouldn't it be kind of fun to pull up all of the old threads where those trolls SWORE Griner would be locked up forever?

[quote]She should start speaking out about low pay in women’s sports, since that’s why she claims she needed to work in Russia.

That is unlikely to increase the salary of WNBA players, because even sports fans who have ESPN on for several hours per day would be hard-pressed to name five WNBA players. Now everyone can name one, but it isn't for her prowess on the court.

The WNBA has operated at a loss every year since it came into existence; it survives on subsidies from the NBA. There is always plenty of unclaimed space at games despite very low ticket prices, and its television ratings are slightly higher than those of the test pattern. If it had anything like the large and passionate fan base the NBA has, its outstanding players (and, to give her her due, Griner is one), would be making millions here at home. But it's impossible to make people care about a sport they don't care about.

Again. This is entirely her fault.

They were just naive and thought that the Russians really believed that Griner had committed a heinous crime, r228. They didn't realise that the Russians had arrested her so they could use her as a pawn to get something they wanted from the Americans.

Wow. We allowed a national security risk to go free just so the Dems could pander to the woke crowd. Just like we allow crime to increase in our cities to appease some on the left. Some of the reasons why I find myself without a party I can believe in and support.

R232, it is 100% totally worth it just to see the Republitard trolls like you getting bent out of shape.

Everyone bitching about Griner on here is just a Russian bot. Go away Boris.

Biden was right to make the trade but she's no hero.

Bet you she’s high as a kite again.

i wonder if she reported her foreign income to the IRS.

R216, do Russians actually love female basketball? I don't know. I remember something about the rich owners of these teams using them to hide illicit money.

Viktor Bout's arms dealing days are obviously over, whether he wants them to be or not. No one can do business with him without a 100% chance of getting caught. Russia can't do shit with him. He is just a political trophy for Putin. And he was going to be released anyway. It's not like he was on death row.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of actually active arms dealers and terrorist groups (that have been doing just fine without Bout) that you fearmongers can reserve your squawking for.

[quote] Former President Trump appears to have mentioned my brother #PaulWhelan's wrongful detention more in the last 24 hours than he did in the 2 years of his presidency in which Paul was held hostage by #Russia (zero). I don't suggest he cares now any more than he did then (zero)

And it bears repeating:

[quote] That Brittney Griner is continuously referred to solely as a ‘WNBA’ player, and not the two-time gold medal winning Olympic champion who represented her country to the fullest and brought both pride and gold home to America, is not a coincidence…

That is such bullshit at R241. What the fuck are they even talking about? If Koby Bryant had been taken by Russia while playing in the NBA, he'd be referred to as NBA star Kobe Bryant. Michael Jordan would be referred to as former NBA star Michael Jordan. They wouldn't tack on 'and multi-Olympic gold medal-winner'.

BG had been playing ball for 8 years in Russia. She must have successfully entered and exited Moscow carrying weed many times before.

She didn't have a "tiny" bit of weed with her. She had two cartridges.

Anyway, it's over now so this is a good lesson for all. I have friends who fly into Europe with gummies, but even that is a risk I'm not willing to take. It hurts cos who doesn't love gummies?

It looks like Whelan may have lied, under oath, about his law enforcement past. The police departments where he claimed to have worked don't corroborate his self-described work history. That's a red flag.

He was convicted of larceny, using someone else's SS# (etc.), demoted (to E-4) then given a "bad conduct discharge" from the Marine Corps Reserve.

He had 3-4 different citizenships. He seemed like a shapeshifter.

The CIA denies he was working for them, but that doesn't mean he wasn't working for the CIA. Makes you wonder what kind of people the CIA recruits to become spies. Loose cannons?

Makes you wonder why the US didn't release Bout from prison much earlier then, r239, if he's no trouble.

The idea that Griner for Bout was a like-for-like swap is ludicrous.

Check out this video -- can you imagine this being said on American media?

Nice find, R246. You would never see Joe and Mika making those points.

Griner was wrongfully imprisoned for a minor charge. But this trade makes the US and Biden look like idiots for caving to get a celebrity released from a war mongering shithole country like Russia.

R246 That's a piece of shit video. It must be from the Russian version of our deceitful Fox News.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

Why does r246's video surprise?. That bitch is spinning like all news agencies seem to do now.

Notice that she didn't mention that BG has been invited by Russia to play ball for almost a decade. It's Russia who has welcomed her with open arms and paid her handsomely. She forgot that part of the story.

Brittney Griner situation makes forgotten American prisoner furious

The America giant eat food for all prison. Good she go.

[quote] Krivanek, 46, had moved to Russia in 2017 to teach English. Fluent in both languages, she said she ended up enjoying a successful career teaching at elite schools in Moscow. Following a broken wedding engagement, she briefly lived with roommates, one of whom was a man who Krivanek said beat her. In December 2021, she was arrested and detained for attacking him with a knife that she said she used to defend herself.

[quote] A trial in February without a jury resulted in a 15-month sentence to a Russian penal colony, a verdict even her attorney told her was extreme for the circumstances, she said. Krivanek said she believes she became "a sacrifice" for the Russians to use to send a warning to the U.S. about intervening in the conflict.

[quote] "I just fell into the system... at the wrong time," she said. "Because it came on the heels of starting a war with Ukraine, they used this as leverage."

While I feel bad for the lady, she did commit a more clearcut crime.

And got released.

And, if she's so traumatized that she needs therapy, why is she doing a full media tour?

Why hasn’t BG done a full media tour? Not even one tv interview?

I hope Britney learns a lesson from this. Do not conduct any business with oppressive, homophobic regimes. On principle I would never play in Russian as an LGB athlete .

Good for her to support Whalen but I doubt her followers give a damn about Paul.

[quote] "It feels so good to be here, especially with my beautiful, amazing wife and with all of y'all here today. I want to thank everyone," Griner said on stage. "Let's keep fighting to bring home every American still detained overseas."