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

[Santander]

Do Russians actually watch women's basketball or is it money laundering of some sort?

Americans don't watch women's basketball yet it exists.

 Proportionately Black men are actually the biggest TV watchers of women's professional basketball. It's women and white men who don't watch the WNBA based on their overall numbers.

Black men who forgot to turn off NBA TV.

[Хahar 🤔]

Do Russians actually watch women's basketball or is it money laundering of some sort?

Americans don't watch women's basketball yet it exists.

 Proportionately Black men are actually the biggest TV watchers of women's professional basketball. It's women and white men who don't watch the WNBA based on their overall numbers.

Don't feed the troll.

[GP270watch]

Do Russians actually watch women's basketball or is it money laundering of some sort?

Americans don't watch women's basketball yet it exists.

 Proportionately Black men are actually the biggest TV watchers of women's professional basketball. It's women and white men who don't watch the WNBA based on their overall numbers.

Black men who forgot to turn off NBA TV.

 Black people love the game of basketball. You see it from youth basketball, streetball with the many unique geographic variants, and the AAU system and it also includes women's basketball. It's not that hard to understand.

[heatcharger]

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.

Jared Goff would never be in Russia to play his sport, since he’s paid $33 million a year to start for the Detroit Lions, a team worth $3 billion. A more fair hypothetical would be if Alex Caruso, a prominent white NBA role player nicknamed the “Bald Mamba” were arrested in Russia for marijuana possession. I’m extremely confident Biden wouldn’t have lifted a finger to get him out.

This move is identity politics at its worst.

[Хahar 🤔]

A more fair hypothetical would be if Alex Caruso, a prominent white NBA role player nicknamed the “Bald Mamba” were arrested in Russia for marijuana possession. I’m extremely confident Biden wouldn’t have lifted a finger to get him out.

Source:

[lfromnj]

Do Russians actually watch women's basketball or is it money laundering of some sort?

Americans don't watch women's basketball yet it exists.

Yeah but why is Griner getting paid so much in Russia anyway ? 

[Santander]

Do Russians actually watch women's basketball or is it money laundering of some sort?

Americans don't watch women's basketball yet it exists.

Yeah but why is Griner getting paid so much in Russia anyway ? 

Presumably, for similar reasons as China - bringing in foreign talent helps boost the league and the sport, which leads to glory in the EuroLeague and international competitions. The Soviets and other Eastern Bloc countries always invested heavily in women's sports.

[YE]

If Rob Pelinka was too cheap to pay Alex Curaso to the point where he left for a Russian team, I’d be more frightened at him than I am now somehow.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Lmao at the 11-1 'No' vote among Republicans; let's not pretend like the fact BG is a relatively masc, African-American, Lesbian doesn't have something to do with it. If this were a petite blonde white girl... The Republicons would be all over trying to bring her home and reprimanding Biden for every second she wasn't.

Any way, good job on the whole administrations response to this and the press conference with Griner's wife, Biden and Kamala was great. Glad BG is coming home/is home!

[Joe Republic]

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?

No, why?  Everything I've said here applies to any American incarcerated in any terrorist country for committing some bogus offense.

And 'celebrity' is a bit of a stretch here, no?  How many Americans have ever heard of her?

[Fuzzy Bear]

Lmao at the 11-1 'No' vote among Republicans; let's not pretend like the fact BG is a relatively masc, African-American, Lesbian doesn't have something to do with it. If this were a petite blonde white girl... The Republicons would be all over trying to bring her home and reprimanding Biden for every second she wasn't.

Any way, good job on the whole administrations response to this and the press conference with Griner's wife, Biden and Kamala was great. Glad BG is coming home/is home!

I'm the 2nd yes vote for Republicans.

I have absolutely no respect for Brittney Griner as a person.  It was a bad deal,  strategically,  for America on some levels.  But she IS an American citizen and we should make efforts to get our citizens back from foreign jails when they suffer Draconian punishments, and Griner fits into that category.

I will revise my opinion of Griner if, upon her return,  she can muster up enough gratitude to at least stand for Anthem, but I don't expect that to happen.   That's OK, as this is still a Free Country.  I'm happy she's out of jail.  And I admire the Whelan family's response.  If I were them I don't know that I could be so magnanimous, but I admire that they were.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

The US government, like every national government, has a fundamental responsibility to protect its citizens from undue harm. That's what the legitimacy of government originates in. A citizen unjustly imprisoned abroad for a single clapped out arms dealer is a fair trade to me. Unless you believe a government has no obligation to safeguard its citizenry, I don't get the argument against.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Lmao at the 11-1 'No' vote among Republicans; let's not pretend like the fact BG is a relatively masc, African-American, Lesbian doesn't have something to do with it.

2/3 of all poll respondents voted no including 42% of Democrats. You should learn a new dishonest talking point.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Strongly oppose this idiotic and completely unjustifiable decision.  What a disgrace!

[Progressive Pessimist]

Paul Whelan seems to have become a living embodiment of whataboutism.

Nothing against him personally, I hope a deal can be worked out to get him home too, but he is unwittingly being used as a shield to manipulate the right into making them think this was somehow an either or situation where a basketball player (no dog-whistle there, of course) was prioritized over a veteran who the Biden administration apparently doesn't care about rotting in a Russian prison.

Can't we just be happy that an American at all was finally rescued from such a nightmare?

[Aurelius]

Ah yes it's great that we freed the literal Merchant Of Death to get an athlete back. I don't care that this is a terrible trade. Luuuuv her identity categories, slaaaay qween!

For the record, I'd oppose this even if it was both Whelan and Griner. Viktor Bout should not be freed under any circumstance.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Paul Whelan seems to have become a living embodiment of whataboutism.

Nothing against him personally, I hope a deal can be worked out to get him home too, but he is unwittingly being used as a shield to manipulate the right into making them think this was somehow an either or situation where a basketball player (no dog-whistle there, of course) was prioritized over a veteran who the Biden administration apparently doesn't care about rotting in a Russian prison.

Can't we just be happy that an American at all was finally rescued from such a nightmare?

Brittney Griner's attitude towards her country has made that difficult for many.  She's brought that on all by herself.   I'm happy she's home because 9 years in prison for weed is cruel and unjustified,  so it's doing the right thing,  all things considered.

I'm happy that an American citizen was ransomed.   And everyone here would want the government to move Heaven and Earth for THEIR  loved one,  and would want everyone to put aside their past ingratitude if they were guilty of that.

[NewYorkExpress]

I'm shocked Russia agreed to this deal without getting a commitment from the United States to abandon Ukraine.

[Santander]

Paul Whelan seems to have become a living embodiment of whataboutism.

Nothing against him personally, I hope a deal can be worked out to get him home too, but he is unwittingly being used as a shield to manipulate the right into making them think this was somehow an either or situation where a basketball player (no dog-whistle there, of course) was prioritized over a veteran who the Biden administration apparently doesn't care about rotting in a Russian prison.

Can't we just be happy that an American at all was finally rescued from such a nightmare?

They are outraged about Griner's history with the national anthem, etc. I don't see right-wingers overly concerned about Paul Whelan and his military service, considering he was thrown out with a BCD, something less than 1% of military members receive.

When the right picks their heroes to rally behind, they tend to pick people who aren't in the bottom 1% of human beings, unlike the left.

[Inmate Trump]

I disagree with this prisoner exchange.

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

This thread is a good reminder as to why I stopped browsing USGD

[lfromnj]

Ah yes it's great that we freed the literal Merchant Of Death to get an athlete back. I don't care that this is a terrible trade. Luuuuv her identity categories, slaaaay qween!

For the record, I'd oppose this even if it was both Whelan and Griner. Viktor Bout should not be freed under any circumstance.

Bout is being freed anyway in a decade . If Whelan was somehow an intelligence asset I think its a fair trade but overall Whelans public background makes him more of a dipsh**t than Griner so yeah he doesn't deserve it either .

[Joe Republic]

WFAN host and former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason is PISSED..

ok esiason

[Dani Rose]

Having generally got an idea of his beliefs in the short time I've been exposed to this, I cannot believe I'm saying this, but Fuzzy should serve as a model for all the conservatives in here. It's his prerogative to dislike Griner for not standing for the anthem. That's fine, that's his right, just as it's my right to believe that nobody should be under any compulsion to prostrate themselves in subservience to a song or pledge allegiance to a length of cloth to prove that they love their country. But he and I are both Americans, and as Americans, what we are doing, and what all of us should be doing, is expressing our thanks - to God or to Biden or to both, whatever we happen to believe - at the safe return of our countrywoman.

Some of you people just need to admit that you would rather have seen her rot in a Russian prison because she happens to be a Black, relatively butch lesbian. Just show some accountability for how you actually feel, please, and stop insulting the collective dignity and intellect of my community.

[Indy Texas 🇺🇦🇵🇸]

Reminder to those going out of their way to ding Griner for unspecified "un-American" behavior that Whelan is no angel and did not serve his country honorably.

https://twitter.com/ColMorrisDavis/status/1600893659435892736?s=20&t=qJ9GTop...