RebKell's Junkie Boards

Bob Lamm · Posted: 05/30/22 6:34 pm :::

I am stunned to read a long, detailed statement which NEVER uses the name "Vladimir Putin" as if Brittney Griner is in the midst of a criminal justice system that will operate rationally and fairly. I believe that Putin will decide what happens to Griner and his lackeys will do whatever Putin says. Any analysis other than that is, in my view, worthless.

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readyAIMfire53 · Posted: 05/30/22 7:27 pm :::

RavenDog · Posted: 05/30/22 7:29 pm :::

Glenn is 100% right.

For those who have never had the opportunity travel to Russia, you don't just grab your passport, get on a plane and fly there. You must have a sponsor who invites you to come. You must fill out a form for your planned whereabouts and your time in country. You are considered a guest there and, of course, expected to follow the laws of the country and act appropriately.

Before you get to Russia, you are provided written and oral requirements and regulations by your sponsor, agent, basketball team owner, and others. They have some responsibility for your presence there too. Therefore, is goes without saying that BG definitely knew the rules and regulations and she's been in and out of Russia and other Eastern European countries many, many times. Like her, thousands of interracial, blacks, latinos, caucasians, asians, catholics, islamics, Bhudists, athletes, politicians, bankers, lawyers etc., i.e., people from all walks of life travel there frequently.

Putin's a bad guy, we know that. But he has more to do than to detain a USA basketball player who has made millions as a guest of one of his rich oligarchs. A pretty sweet deal to throw away, if she did commit the crime.

Don't fall for all the propaganda expounded on Russia. I experienced this when I went the first time. They're going to take your camera from you, you'll be searched and watched constantly, there are police everywhere with rifles, etc., etc. In actuality, I had a professional camera used by the media and no one even batted an eye, I roamed freely without instance, noticed no crime or gun violence, I freely road trains and buses, from St. Petersburg to and through Moscow. visited churches, other houses of religion, tour sites, restaurants, hotels etc., without any intrusion or interruption. People were all very helpful and considerate. Very little difference than here, except the majority of the people are poor.

A good amount of the people speak English so it's easy to get around without trying to read their street signs, if you know what I mean. At the Kremlin, there's actually a mall inside the gates and it's freely frequented. People of religious backgrounds work inside the Kremlin and walk about freely too. Tourists go in and out of the buildings and sites without intervention. I even talked to the Russian guards when I needed assistance. They were welcoming and helpful. In St. Petersburg there are many weddings and events, I was able to go up to them, take photographs (of course, after asking for permission) and even speak with them.

The worst thing about Russia and especially Moscow is the food prices.

Politicians never cease to try and take advantage of every catastrophic event. Activists love to spread propaganda and gaslight others. Our government has made this event worse than it should be, especially by declaring racism, homophobia, illegal detention and so forth. It's all about them, not BG and her lawyers. It's propaganda designed to take attention away from their horrible leadership and catastrophic outcomes. If we can get BG back, they will take full credit for it. If not, they'll say they say it was not their fault and blame it on something else - we should all know the game by now. It's not just the Democrats but Republicans too.

In Belarus, the people are well educated, way more than in our country. Ukraine was very welcoming and hard to believe what it now looks like. The people of both countries will tell you straight out that they didn't and don't like living under a dictatorship but, they really have no choice. The elections are rigged in Belarus and they have little hope for change. Some Belarussians have gotten their education in the USA. Everyone I met or talked with in Belarus, especially in the capital of Minsk, spoke English better than me and you would never guess they were from Belarus, if you didn't know. However, there's very little work there and the majority of the men leave there for work. There's something like 5-6 women for one man.

So, it's what Glenn said, we just have to hope for the best circumstances to surface and a successful outcome.

pilight · Posted: 05/30/22 7:41 pm :::

It's possible that circumstances in Russia have changed for westerners with the war and subsequent sanctions going on.

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GlennMacGrady · Posted: 05/30/22 7:51 pm :::

myrtle · Posted: 05/30/22 9:48 pm :::

I agree That Putin likely hardly knows Griner's name if at all. But some of his minions who have his ear certainly do and they will play it as much as possible to get as much as possible in return. It's like hostage taking. Regardless of the legal ramifications, she will likely be played as a political pawn. But I agree with Glenn that they will likely couch it in legal terms.

mercfan3 · Posted: 05/31/22 4:36 pm :::

Brit is a US Olympian whom Russian Oligarchs pay millions to. I think it’s actually more likely that he over values her cultural influence on America. (Which is why he asked for his merchant of death)

I think it’s naive to believe this is just an instance of an athlete not following the rules. Again - she plays for a Russia oligarch. If it wasn’t political he would have had her out of this situation in an hour.

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