Welp, Brittney Griner is going to prison. But in Russia they call it a penal colony, an old gulag. I think Brittney is in for a rude-awakening because prison in Russia is not like prison in America.
Listen, I am not a big basketball fan of any gender or league or college or professional. I hate basketball. But this story about Brittney has me interested in the politics of it all.
The WNBA center for Phoenix Mercury voiced her disdain for America by telling a reporting that the National Anthem shouldn’t be played at games. I think nowadays that is pretty tame but people went nuts.
But is she anti-America or was she implying that if we didn’t play the Anthem then we wouldn’t have players kneeling and all the controversy. Who knows what she meant at the time when she said it. Only she knows.
Drugs
And I guess off season, players can go play elsewhere and so she went to play in Russia. She did this regularly. She played for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg. A lot of people say she should have known the consequences of taking “drugs” back and forth across their border.
I have “drugs” in quotes because Airport authorities allegedly found four vape cartridges containing hash oil, a concentrated form of cannabis that is illegal in Russia.
Hash oil (I think) is illegal at the federal level in America but not illegal in some states. But it is not the kind of thing I would classify has a hard drug. When I think of drugs, I think of fentanyl, cocaine, heroine.
So, here we are. We have an American in a Russia penal colony. Her appeal was denied and so she heads to the Russia Penal colony to serve out her 8-9 years.
My question is why isn’t Biden doing everything in his power to get her back? The office of the President of the United States used to stand for something; strong American freedom and liberty.
And this story says that Biden, the White House, and his administration have been in negotiations and talks to try to get Griner released. TRY HARDER.
Americans in prison overseas
I realize there are all sorts of other Americans in prison overseas elsewhere which also makes me ask why isn’t there a special office or group that is designated to getting our Americans back?
It’s just my opinion that NO American should be imprisoned overseas, in a foreign land, for some minor offense.
Some people will talk tough and say just leave her un-American ass over there. But that’s not what we do. We have freedom of speech over here. Just because she made some stupid remarks about the National Anthem not being played at a game is no reason to leave her ass in a Russia gulag.
That’s just my opinion and ReMarks on this situation. It’s sad and I surely would not want to be in her shoes. Sure, she will have a tough time of it in a labor camp but I don’t think any other inmates are going to mess with her, that’s for sure.
Learn more about Carol Marks, the blogger.
Feature image credit – Lorie Shaull, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
