Free Britney, or just leave her there

[billy.pilgrim]

Sorry, but fuck Britney. What kind of entitled idiot smughles drugs into Russia and then whines selfishly and endlessly about her harsh conditions and remains clueless why someone as important as herownself doesn't get the traditional American get-out-of-jail-free treatment even though the white house and the sports world is ignoring legitimate concerns while working overtime to secure the release of another from our entitled class.

WTF was she thinking when she decided to smuggle drugs into Russia? Did her errand-person say, hell no I ain't doing that?

Her refusal to accept a basketball while incarcerated and play with the other inmates (who didn't have a basketball, but wanted to play) says all I need to know about her.

[O Really]

I know very little about her, and have no idea as to whether she intentionally "smuggled" drugs she knew were illegal into Russia or was caught in a technicality that would have been quickly resolved if it had happened, for example, before the Ukraine invasion. I suspect the latter. I have read that the organization that sponsors the pro basketball league in Russia had generally "taken care of" its international players and routinely fixed little issues that might have gotten a real Russian into trouble. Apparently whatever efforts they may have made for Britney were rebuffed due to political considerations.

But she should have accepted the basketball.

[GoCubsGo]

Sorry but nine years of hard labor for a vape pen is draconian by any civilized standards.

Stupid to bring it yes, but the punishment does not fit the crime.

Fuck Putin.

[billy.pilgrim]

Sorry but nine years of hard labor for a vape pen is draconian by any civilized standards.

Stupid to bring it yes, but the punishment does not fit the crime.

Fuck Putin.

I agree that russian laws and incarceration suck. Dated of course, but I've read Solzhenitsyn's Gulag books and recently (again) One Day in the Life of Ivan ...

So yeah, fuck putin, fuck anyone who supports russia, but don't carry your pot or heroin or vape pens into russia, china, north korea, or anywhere similar.

I'm just tired of hearing about it. Our own country has played havoc on hundreds of thousands, or is it millions, of individuals and families with our own draconian drug laws. The only difference is we only attack those with small voices, I bet Brittany it little different than Shamus Wilson, or trump in her understanding of consequences.

We discussed Alabama's high incarceration rate on another thread.

In Alabama "any other form of marijuana with THC is completely illegal in the state. The State of Alabama has some of the harshest marijuana laws in the United States: getting caught with any amount of cannabis can land you in jail for up to 20 years."
But Alabama doesn't apply this law to celebrities and wealthy people, so it doesn't get the Britney level outrage of our celebrity or wealthy classes.

We don’t have a legitimate voice to criticize others without first fixing our own self.

[billy.pilgrim]

Sorry but nine years of hard labor for a vape pen is draconian by any civilized standards.

Stupid to bring it yes, but the punishment does not fit the crime.

Fuck Putin.

And?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyl ... ia-prison/

"Arrested last summer after arriving in Moscow with medical marijuana in his luggage, Marc Fogel has a case that parallels the ordeal of WNBA star Brittney Griner. But his plight has mostly gone unnoticed."

"'There’s a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that Marc will be left behind,” Jane Fogel said. “It’s terrifying. I would hope that President Biden and especially first lady Jill Biden, who is an educator, realize the importance of including Marc in addition to Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.”'

But he doesn’t play basketball, or throw tantrums.

[Whack9]

Sorry but nine years of hard labor for a vape pen is draconian by any civilized standards.

Stupid to bring it yes, but the punishment does not fit the crime.

Fuck Putin.

And?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyl ... ia-prison/

"Arrested last summer after arriving in Moscow with medical marijuana in his luggage, Marc Fogel has a case that parallels the ordeal of WNBA star Brittney Griner. But his plight has mostly gone unnoticed."

"'There’s a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that Marc will be left behind,” Jane Fogel said. “It’s terrifying. I would hope that President Biden and especially first lady Jill Biden, who is an educator, realize the importance of including Marc in addition to Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.”'

But he doesn’t play basketball, or throw tantrums.

Supposedly either A) she had forgotten about the carts in her luggage or B) she really did bring them purposefully despite knowing they're illegal in Russia.

Fogel supposedly had tried to purposefully hide a bunch of weed products throughout his luggage to sneak in to Russia.

The punishments are draconian, for sure.

Fairness of the Griner release aside, the thing that pisses me off the most is the disconnect of the federal government going out of their way to free someone overseas incarcerated on marijuana charges whilst marijuana is still highly illegal on the federal level. Hypocrisy. It needs to be at least re-scheduled.

[neoplacebo]

I agree that the marijuana laws should at minimum be re scheduled. I myself schedule a little time for it pretty much every day. I've considered the laws to be just suggestions for quite some time. And it seems that a lot of cops are beginning to feel the same way.