BREAKING: US has traded Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout (Merchant of Death) for Brittney Griner

[Horus]

Why does she get preferential treatment? There are many other prisoners who have been serving far longer. Is it the celebrity factor?

Disgusting move by Biden.

[Horus]

Good Griner is out here.

That said, this is far from a fair trade. An arms dealer responsible for a high number of deaths versus a basketball player that was in possession of a small of marijuana. The US govt was in a weaker position here, though, because we really wanted Griner back. Putin wouldn't have bothered to let Bout sit in prison for another 15 years.

It's a shame that the Biden administration cares more about degenerate drug addicts than law abiding citizens of this nation. Your president should face consequences for this.

It was just weed dude, not heroin... But this makes Biden look weak. Very unfair trade. They should've both been left where they were. Bout is extremely dangerous.

[Horus]

Good to see this innocent woman coming home.  Yes, innocent, because her "crime" is BS.

And yes it came at a heavy price, but that's unfortunately the way it goes when you are forced to negotiate with terrorists.

Who exactly was forcing us to negotiate?

[Horus]

I never understood why this basketball player is somehow equivalent to an actual arms trafficker. Could they not have exchanged her for some kind of spy or something?

Affirmative action. If she were a straight white man this would have never happened. It's pure political pandering and a totally shameful deal.

You think a white male prominent professional athlete in that situation would have just been ignored? What planet are you living on? If Jared Goff were being held in that position people would be up in arms calling for far more concessions to ensure his safety.

Yeah, in this specific case I don't think there was that much of a racial aspect. This was far more a matter of celebrity privilege than anything else.

[Horus]

Good to see this innocent woman coming home.  Yes, innocent, because her "crime" is BS.

And yes it came at a heavy price, but that's unfortunately the way it goes when you are forced to negotiate with terrorists.

Who exactly was forcing us to negotiate?

The moral imperative of not leaving an innocent American citizen in some dungeon in Mordor.


(It's bizarre that your silly question with such an obvious answer got so many recommends, but here we are.)

Do you think celebrity citizens should be prioritized over regular citizens?