Biden swaps Brittany Griner for Russian arms dealer called "the merchant of death"

[Nathan 88]

I think it was a great deal for the United States!
The Russian arms dealer had already served 15 years in jail and even the judge who sentenced him to 25 years felt that sentence was too long but she had no choice because it was a mandatory sentence.
I doubt that he is ever going to go back to dealing arms.

 

[toguy5252]

Absolutely not. Never even thought about it that way. This arms dealer is a safety threat to the entire world, Griner plays in the WNBA. So you think Biden won because he traded a International arms dealer for a pro basketball player. Nice try tho, trying to make my comment about race.

Every admisnsitration, GOP and Dem, makes these deals and at least superficially it always looks like the US gets the short end. That is becasue the US cares more about its citzens tha Russia does. To Putin hostages are just currency. To the US citizens who are detained are precious. There was no deal that Joe was going to make which would not be criticized by the other side.

 

[squeezer]

Because he's an American? Does a petty thief deserve to rot in jail? That's not the Democratic mantra. Petty thieves aren't even prosecuted in the U.S or in some states anyway

I'm wondering if you would be jumping up and down if it had been the other way around. If it was Whelan for Bout instead of Grinder? Would you be saying, "well done Biden" ?

 

[Gooseifur]

I'm wondering if you would be jumping up and down if it had been the other way around. If it was Whelan for Bout instead of Grinder? Would you be saying, "well done Biden" ?

Yes I would. They should both be home and in a post above I said I'm glad she's back with her family where she belongs.

 

[Gooseifur]

"Whatever it takes to get him back" clearly has reasonable limits. You get that concept, huh?

Do you honestly think trading a basketball player for the "Merchant of Death" a reasonable trade? C'mon Mandy, that's a joke.

 

[squeezer]

No I wouldn't, They should both be home and in a post above I said I'm glad she's back with her family where she belongs.

Has Biden at any point and time said they will not work on the Whelan case??

If Whelan's family congratulated Biden on bringing Grinder back, why do you feel you should be more offended than Whelan's own family?

 

[Gooseifur]

Has Biden at any point and time said they will not work on the Whelan case??

If Whelan's family congratulated Biden on bringing Grinder back, why do you feel you should be more offended than Whelan's own family?

I'm not offended and Whelan's family only knows what the Biden team tells them. Do you also take into account that his family has to kiss Biden's ass in order to get their loved one back. If they criticize him that doesn't help there cause. Paul seems to be singing a different tune than his family.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/08/politics/paul-whelan-cnn-interview-brittney-griner/index.html

 

[K Douglas]

And of course the administration is lying about it when original NBC reporting (now scrubbed) said Russia gave them the choice of either Griner or Whelan. Pretty sad that Russia is dictating terms due to feckless US leadership.
The bottom line is this the swap shouldn't have been done period. This Russian is a menace.

 

[squeezer]

I'm not offended and Whelan's family only knows what the Biden team tells them. Do you also take into account that his family has to kiss Biden's ass in order to get their loved one back. If they criticize him that doesn't help there cause.

They are giving Biden his due. Also, have you considered that Whelan is accused of being a spy, the price is much higher from the Putin camp than the US is willing to pay for at the moment? Considering he's a previous felon and all.

Paul seems to be singing a different tune than his family.

Of course, I would too if I were sitting in a Russian jail. Fuck, I'd be climbing the walls because I couldn't call on some of those hot Russian escorts.

 

[Gooseifur]

They are giving Biden his due. Also, have you considered that Whelan is accused of being a spy, the price is much higher from the Putin camp than the US is willing to pay for at the moment? Considering he's a previous felon and all.





Of course, I would too if I were sitting in a Russian jail. Fuck, I'd be climbing the walls because I couldn't call on some of those hot Russian escorts.

Like I said he was a petty thief. Dems don't seem to have a problem with that crime. They let people of on that crime all the time. They could easily trade a spy for him. One spy who's cover has been blown is now useless. Don't forget Biden said whatever it takes. I guess not in this case but a basketball player for the merchant of death is doable. LOL

 

[squeezer]

Like I said he was a petty thief. Dems don't seem to have a problem with that crime. They let people of on that crime all the time. They could easily trade a spy for him. One spy who's cover has been blown is now useless. Don't forget Biden said whatever it takes. I guess not in this case but a basketball player for the merchant of death is doable. LOL

The 55 year old "merchant of death" who's rotted in a prison since 2008, yup, He's a real danger now! If Biden can only get one done now, Grinder was the best choice at this point and time. It burns because you know politically it's a win for Biden, I know. LOL

 

[mandrill]

Do you honestly think trading a basketball player for the "Merchant of Death" a reasonable trade? C'mon Mandy, that's a joke.

Sure I do. Griner's a symbol of America standing up and protecting its own. THAT'S important, not the person concerned.

Bout is important - I am guessing - because he's a buddy of The Poo and kissed the latter's ass enough that The Poo didn't kill him.

 

[Leimonis]

Sure I do. Griner's a symbol of America standing up and protecting its own. THAT'S important, not the person concerned.

Bout is important - I am guessing - because he's a buddy of The Poo and kissed the latter's ass enough that The Poo didn't kill him.

just to put it in some perspective, when you have someone important you don't trade them 1 for 1.

Russia trades Azov fighters for Putin ally in biggest prisoner swap of Ukraine war

Moscow releases 215 prisoners in exchange for former Ukrainian MP Viktor Medvedchuk and others

www.theguardian.com

That ball player meant or should have meant little to anyone except her family. She is but a lone casualty of a situation that she created. Her release helps nobody.

Bout is a clear and present danger to the entire world.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1555216234022637571

 

[Resetset]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1600902285315510286

 

[NotADcotor]

You can quibble about the WNBA and whether it's players are celebrities or what constitutes "famous." But Britney Griner is unquestionably high profile. I don't follow the WNBA (I've watched a couple of games and found it slow paced and dreadfully dull) but Griner was one of the few WNBA players whose name I would have recognized even before this just from being a casual follower of pretty much all sports. She was brought out not because she's a black female and a lesbian but because she's an American citizen and the American government could get her out, whereas the Russians are apparently for whatever reason simply not willing to deal on Whelan. I have no doubt that if there were a way for Joe Biden (or Justin Trudeau, or Rishi Sunak or Michael Martin - he has citizenship in all of their countries) to get him out they would. But the Russians won't make a deal on him.

As Paul Whelan's brother David said, Joe Biden should be commended for making "the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen.”

On point 1. If we were to go out to say Toronto or Montreal and ask a 1000 random people to name a team in the AHL and a player you wouldn't get many replies but there would be a few at least Leaf and Habs fans who could name the local feeder club and some prospects/players sent back down as well as a few actual AHL fans.
Go to a WNBA city and do the same, The crickets would be deafening. The difference would be an order of magnitute, Deep down you know it. Nobody would ever consider a player at the AHL level [as opposed to a hot prospect] to ever be "famous" Anyone who can't accept this is just in denial of the truth. Aside from the hubbub created from an arrest she is about as much of a nobody as the two Michaels . Hell neither of them could compare even remotely to the two Ronnies due to plenty of people being over 50 and how British TV showed up on own screens back in the day.

2: If you think race and gender doesn't play heavily into everything Biden does, you are also dreaming. I don't think Biden is super woke, but just as Trump is willing to use and play up to racists, so is Biden. Remember as Richard Cheese teaches us. People = Shit and both of them are people... even Trump to the shame of decent soylent green everywhere.
Will a government try to get anyone out, sure, sadly even pure evil like Justin Beiber. That doesn't mean they should or normally would make such a lopsides deal. Canada left the two michaels to rot for quite a while instead of BOHICAing to get them back ASAP.

3: If I had a family member being held hostage, I think I'd be very nice to the person who can get him out. Biden would find out how sweet and womanly my mouth can be.

 

[mandrill]

 

[mandrill]

On point 1. If we were to go out to say Toronto or Montreal and ask a 1000 random people to name a team in the AHL and a player you wouldn't get many replies but there would be a few at least Leaf and Habs fans who could name the local feeder club and some prospects/players sent back down as well as a few actual AHL fans.
Go to a WNBA city and do the same, The crickets would be deafening. The difference would be an order of magnitute, Deep down you know it. Nobody would ever consider a player at the AHL level [as opposed to a hot prospect] to ever be "famous" Anyone who can't accept this is just in denial of the truth. Aside from the hubbub created from an arrest she is about as much of a nobody as the two Michaels . Hell neither of them could compare even remotely to the two Ronnies due to plenty of people being over 50 and how British TV showed up on own screens back in the day.

2: If you think race and gender doesn't play heavily into everything Biden does, you are also dreaming. I don't think Biden is super woke, but just as Trump is willing to use and play up to racists, so is Biden. Remember as Richard Cheese teaches us. People = Shit and both of them are people... even Trump to the shame of decent soylent green everywhere.
Will a government try to get anyone out, sure, sadly even pure evil like Justin Beiber. That doesn't mean they should or normally would make such a lopsides deal. Canada left the two michaels to rot for quite a while instead of BOHICAing to get them back ASAP.

3: If I had a family member being held hostage, I think I'd be very nice to the person who can get him out. Biden would find out how sweet and womanly my mouth can be.

OK, but that stuff's not relevant now. What's relevant is that she's a US citizen who got nabbed for something most Americans think is a non-crime and got 9 years in the gulag for it in a highly corrupt court. The sheer outrage made her a celebrity - not because anyone gives a fuck about the WNBA, but because the Russians fucked her over to fuck over the USA and smirked when they did it. THAT'S what makes her newsworthy.

 

[mandrill]

just to put it in some perspective, when you have someone important you don't trade them 1 for 1.

Russia trades Azov fighters for Putin ally in biggest prisoner swap of Ukraine war

Moscow releases 215 prisoners in exchange for former Ukrainian MP Viktor Medvedchuk and others

www.theguardian.com

That ball player meant or should have meant little to anyone except her family. She is but a lone casualty of a situation that she created. Her release helps nobody.

Bout is a clear and present danger to the entire world.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1555216234022637571

Bout's been out of the game for 15 years. What makes you think he has the contacts and the moves to still be a player?

And to suggest that The Poo couldn't replace Bouts in a week with someone as well "qualified" - by "qualified", I mean some Kremlin stooge who has access to shitty Russian military assets and can sell them - is patently silly. Bouts doesn't need to be intelligent and sophisticated to meet some sub Saharan warlord and say "You get 20 Russian heavy mortars plus mnogo ammo if you sign over that diamond mine in the next valley to PutinCorp Inc right after you seize it. Oh, and keep the miners alive when you attack. We can use them as slave labour when the mine is ours."

 

[Gooseifur]

The 55 year old "merchant of death" who's rotted in a prison since 2008, yup, He's a real danger now! If Biden can only get one done now, Grinder was the best choice at this point and time. It burns because you know politically it's a win for Biden, I know. LOL

How do you know he's not a danger? Why do people get life sentences for horrific crimes? Should they be released after 12 years because they aren't a danger anymore? It doesn't burn me that it was a political win for Biden I don't think it was. Her name is Griner not Grinder. Why was she the best choice? Was it because it was politically better for him?

 

[Gooseifur]

Sure I do. Griner's a symbol of America standing up and protecting its own. THAT'S important, not the person concerned.

Bout is important - I am guessing - because he's a buddy of The Poo and kissed the latter's ass enough that The Poo didn't kill him.

I agree about protecting its own but Whelan has been there longer and I think they could have gotten him too if they were willing to give up another Russian.