23 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Nope.
 

I found her account believable and credible. 

It doesn't really matter if it was or it wasn't. The Russian courts were going to crucify her regardless. 

Just now, Jingthing said:

She went there because she's a top athlete, her career span is limited, the WNBA pays diddly squat compared to the NBA, and the Russian teams pay well. Nothing saintly. Just practical economics. 

Not to put too fine a point on it but only an absolute idiot would not know that the Russians were keen to take hostages and that getting caught with cannabis was 100% certainly going to put her in the situation she now finds herself in. It's unfortunate that she got 9 years for this but that was always going to be predictable as well. The US State Department had warned against travel to Russia. She was motivated by greed at a time she should have pulled her head in. I have no doubt that many had counselled her to do just that.

1 minute ago, ozimoron said:

Not to put too fine a point on it but only an absolute idiot would not know that the Russians were keen to take hostages and that getting caught with cannabis was 100% certainly going to put her in the situation she now finds herself in. It's unfortunate that she got 9 years for this but that was always going to be predictable as well. The US State Department had warned against travel to Russia. She was motivated by greed at a time she should have pulled her head in. I have no doubt that many had counselled her to do just that.

I don’t know the details. Maybe she had a contract signed before the war. Obviously the ganja was a mistake that could even end up a fatal one. So she's in trouble now unless Putin goes for the Bout deal.

46 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Not some but many on this thread have commented on ethnicity, orientation and political views. 
 

In effect irrelevant issues…almost as if they have an agenda. 

It sure look like you have an agenda?

8 minutes ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

It sure look like you have an agenda?

If his agenda is pointing out that others have an agenda I guess you're right.

42 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It doesn't really matter if it was or it wasn't. The Russian courts were going to crucify her regardless. 

Nonetheless 

30 minutes ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

It sure look like you have an agenda?

Yep, I despise bigots. 

36 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I don’t know the details. Maybe she had a contract signed before the war. Obviously the ganja was a mistake that could even end up a fatal one. So she's in trouble now unless Putin goes for the Bout deal.

She had played during the wnba off season for several years before her arrest. 

2 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Yep, I despise bigots. 

I dislike those who protect the guilty.....????

1 hour ago, howlee101 said:

And you don't, by adamantly stating it was "unintentional" although you further state "you believe her"?  To you it's an agenda, to me it's my opinion and thoughts.

Adamantly? Don’t think so. 
 

I believe her when she says it was unintentional. 
 

And that isn’t the agenda I referred to in my post to you. 

More bickering has been removed

Make the deal then go after Victor Bout as a terrorist.

9 hours ago, Slickrick said:

Make the deal then go after Victor Bout as a terrorist.

I think Russia wants to string this out a bit.

 

Supposedly they want to add a convicted murderer held in Germany, Vadim Krasikov released. Krasikov was convicted in December of murdering a former Chechen fighter, Zelimkhan "Tornike" Khangoshvili, in Berlin's Kleiner Tiergarten in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison.

 

I don't think it's a good sign that this potential exchange is so public?

 

Ms. Griner has played for UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2016, so imagine she has entered Russia what, six times at a minimum, and probably a lot more.

 

Given the looming situation in Ukraine she probably should not have returned, but assume she has a contract and was honoring that.

 

Tangentially, I do get a chuckle out of the high mighty legal brigade, especially when I think of Russian athletes and doping.

 

Getting foreign athletes to come and play in Russia's "professional" leagues just got a lot harder.

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

I think Russia wants to string this out a bit.

 

Supposedly they want to add a convicted murderer held in Germany, Vadim Krasikov released. Krasikov was convicted in December of murdering a former Chechen fighter, Zelimkhan "Tornike" Khangoshvili, in Berlin's Kleiner Tiergarten in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison.

 

I don't think it's a good sign that this potential exchange is so public?

 

Ms. Griner has played for UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2016, so imagine she has entered Russia what, six times at a minimum, and probably a lot more.

 

Given the looming situation in Ukraine she probably should not have returned, but assume she has a contract and was honoring that.

 

Tangentially, I do get a chuckle out of the high mighty legal brigade, especially when I think of Russian athletes and doping.

 

Getting foreign athletes to come and play in Russia's "professional" leagues just got a lot harder.

 

 

 

 

Yeah they can take their blood money rubles and stick 'em where the sun don't shine.

Elon Musk makes a fair point.

 

"If the president is working so hard to free someone who is in jail in Russia for some weed, shouldn't we free people in America?" Musk asked on the show.

"There are people in jail in America for the same stuff. Shouldn't we free them too? My opinion is that people should not be in jail for non-violent drug crimes."

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/musk-questions-biden-apos-efforts-200243217.htm

"Click your heels together three times and say 'There's no place like home' and you'll be there.

"Tulsi Gabbard blasts Kamala Harris' 'hypocrisy' for Brittney Griner response after marijuana lockups as AG"

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/tulsi-gabbard-blasts-kamala-harris-214823884.html

 

Kamala Harris is a hypocrite, no surprise there?

Off-topic post removed.

 

Reports in the news, griner on way to RU hard labor camp/penal colony.

 

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.