WNBA anti-American basketball player Brittany Griner; and a Brit /American/Candian/Irish national "security expert ", Paul Whelan, in exchange for Russian terrorist "Merchant of Death" weapons trafficker Viktor Bout

Bout was convicted of attempting to sell $ millions of missiles to shoot down American aircraft in 2013 . He is a high value asset for the Russians ..After his arrest US Att ,Preet Bharara called him "international arms trafficking enemy number one for many years, arming some of the most violent conflicts around the globe" He was nabbed by the DEA in a sting where they posed as members of FARC; the Colombian terrorist group .

Griner travelled to Russia with hashish oil while on tour .

Whelan received a bad conduct discharge from the Marines. He was court marshalled for various counts of larceny while in Iraq.

He was in Moscow with a wedding party .But he separated from the party long enough to receive a USB drive from Ilya Yatsenko ;a major in the FSB containing a list of security personnel at a Russian classified security agency .This may or may not have been a sting operation by the Russians .

So is this a fair exchange ?

I have very little sympathy for Griner. She was an anti-American whiner for much of her pro career. Let her sit over there a year or two until she can appreciate what we have here. Or at least appreciate it for however much longer we will have it.

The deal was made Griner for Bout straight up Whelan I guess can rot .


https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/318806520_2139052602967430_4604534804379571591_n.p ng?stp=dst-png_s720x720&_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=NbtzTTYZK7cAX_T6Ap2&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.xx&oh=00_AfDyLL3fV8GgW8nI-DAzBdsltScZ7XQPGkoM6v5oQJo6GQ&oe=63964E09

Whelan is an American hero Why would Clueless care ? Maybe Putin is saving him for when Putin needs safe transport to the Central African Republic.

Question ...... Will Griner now stand and respect the flag when the Anthem is played ?

Clearly the Russians wanted the weapon merchant back to make weapons deals for their war with Ukraine . Was this the best deal that Clueless could make ?

Whelan is an American hero Why would Clueless care ?

Question ...... Will Griner now stand and respect the flag when the Anthem is played ?

Clearly the Russians wanted the weapon merchant back to make weapons deals for their war with Ukraine . Was this the best deal that Clueless could make ?

This is beneath you, tomder.

My view is we don't negotiate for hostages . But that ship sailed a long time ago. I liken this trade to the emperor trading high ranking Taliban leaders for Bowe Bergdahl's release .. Maybe not quite as bad. Bergdahl was an outright traitor . Griner just hates the country .

Before the season Griner said “I’m not going to be out there for the National Anthem. If the league continues to want to play it, that’s fine. It will be all season long, I’ll not be out there,”

So I ask again
Will Griner now stand and respect the flag when the Anthem is played ?

Griner just hates the country .

Not true, Tom. In the midst of the furor, she stated "I love my country. My (relatives) served in Vietnam and were police officers. I wanted to join the police when I was a child".


Before the season Griner said “I’m not going to be out there for the National Anthem. If the league continues to want to play it, that’s fine. It will be all season long, I’ll not be out there,”

Very misleading, tomder. Why don't you give the whole story, instead of cherry-picking to mislead? Her position, frequently stated but not always reported (as here), is that she is protesting against police brutality.

A black American is extraordinarily unlikely to be killed by the police. It is far, far more likely that they will be killed by another black American. When do those protests start?

She, like the rest of us ,is privileged to be an American. Maybe now she will appreciate it . Many American are rotting in foreign prisons on drug charges including Marc Fogel who is being held in Russia for having a small qty of medical marijuana . Bet you never even heard about him.

Where is Mark Frerichs now?

He was released by the Haqqani Taliban in September in a prisoner swap . In exchange the US released Taliban Haji Bashir Noorzai who was in US prisons for 17 years .

He was released by the Haqqani Taliban in September in a prisoner swap . In exchange the US released Taliban Haji Bashir Noorzai who was in US prisons for 17 years .
Yes, I know all that. I asked, Where is he now?

She, like the rest of us ,is privileged to be an American. Maybe now she will appreciate it .

She appreciates being an American far more than you, Tom. She has the courage to publicly protest against police brutality. Those who deny police brutality by sticking their heads in the sand are doing no service to their country.

In the midst of the furor, she stated "I love my country. My (relatives) served in Vietnam and were police officers. I wanted to join the police when I was a child".I wonder if, in the "midst of the furor", she was motivated to possibly stretch the truth? Did she say anything of that sort PRIOR to the "furor"?

I wonder if, in the "midst of the furor", she was motivated to possibly stretch the truth? Did she say anything of that sort PRIOR to the "furor"?
Is there ANYONE whom you like, think highly of, possibly enjoy listening to and reading about? Trump? Oh, of course!

Trump? No. Thomas Sowell, Stephen C. Myer, Allistair Begg, Richard E. Simmons III, C.H. Spurgeon. Those come to mind. There are a number of others who don't despise our country as Briner seems to.

despise our country as Briner seems to.
Again, you cherry-pick.

Uhm...she is the topic of the thread. Please keep up.

Russia has a agreed to swap Paul Whelan and WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich in a prisoner exchange. At this time I don't know which valuable Russian assets will be released .

Why do I have this strange impression that we are about to swap a dollar in exchange for a quarter?

Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is also in the exchange . She was captured by the Russians when she went there to visit her sick grandmother . The Russians said she was spreading false stories in her reporting about their war in Ukraine .

There are other countries involved too . Germany is one . All I have seen so far in reports is that the Russians being released are "spies " . Evidently Turkey is brokering the swap.

Do you think this has a "Biden/Harris foreign policy victory!!" tint to it?

They will use the propaganda for all it's worth. So far all I see is a Ruskie assassin who was being held in Germany

confirmed the emperor is giving Joe and Kam the Sham credit

Barack Obama on X: "Thanks to the skill and persistence of @POTUS, @VP, and our allies, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza are being released from Russian custody. It’s a tremendous diplomatic achievement, and we’re grateful that they’ll be back home with their" / X (https://x.com/BarackObama/status/1819060394633150658)

Russian collusion???

Nah it is a coincidence that this swap happened the day after the plea deal with KSM was announced </sarc>

Very well said...sarcastically.

great moments when Joe and Kam greeted the returned hostages . It was a 2-fer .

1 . Kam was given the opportunity to speak off script and the word salad cometh .

"This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliances."

2. Clueless Joe had the hostages debark the plane individually so he could greet and sniff where applicable individually . Then after the little ceremony was done he mysteriously wandered to the hostage plane and boarded it leaving Kam the tarmac . After a while I guess he realized he had entered the wrong plane and exited .

Ian Haworth on X: "Joe Biden tried to board the wrong plane. He's still president, btw. https://t.co/TFMSbEsKKp" / X (https://x.com/ighaworth/status/1819383741476680125)

Marc Fogel is still detained . Again ;he suffers from chronic back pain and is a physical mess . He's had 3 back surgeries ;knee surgeries; a rotator cuff surgery; and a hip replacement all in an attempt to ease his pain. When he travelled to Russia he had on his possession 17 grams of medical marijuana, He had every intention of informing the authorities he had it. He did not get the chance .He went there to finish his teaching career at the Anglo-American school in Moscow. Before he had a chance to talk to authorities ;someone at the school informed them that he was carrying pot .

He was tried .His lawyer advised him to plea guilty hoping for leniency . Instead he was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony in Yaroslavl, Russia ( on the Volga River northeast of Moscow. ) His lawyer calls it a death sentence.

The US government does not publish a list of Americans being held as prisoners/pawns . But there are many including 200 in China.

Pastor’s release raises hopes for other Americans held in China (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pastors-release-raises-hopes-americans-prison-china-david-lin-biden-rcna171767)

Clueless Joe is more concerned with taking domestic political prisoners than getting innocent Americans held hostage abroad.

Marc Fogel was released today

Donald Trump Secures Release of American Marc Fogel From Russian Prison - Newsweek (https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-secures-release-american-marc-fogel-russian-prison-2029567)