By the time you’re seeing this. WNBA star and anti-national anthem protester, Brittney Griner, will likely be on the way home to her wife, family, team and fans, thanks to a prisoner swap negotiated by Former US Ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson who does such things.
Since her arrest, Griner’s public anti-anthem stance and subsequent arrest in Russia for illegally transporting cannabis vape cartridges into the country, has made her case the talk of the tabloids, talk radio, TV chat shows, pundits and politicians coast to coast. The tone of the “national debate” has been mostly hostile toward her for being hypocritical in dissing the USA and doing a spiffy 360 with her plaintiff wails of being wronged! She just didn’t know the law! It was a mistake! And the award winner: “They didn’t even read me my rights!” – as if Vlad has a warm spot for the Miranda Decision.
Earlier this month, she pleaded guilty to the charges, telling the court that the cartridges were for medicinal purposes and that she didn’t intend to bring them with her.
“I still don’t understand how they ended up in my bag,” she said. “I had no intention to break the law.” She added she was “rushed packing and stressed packing … I was in a huge hurry.”
“As they ended up in my bags by accident I take responsibility but I did not intend to smuggle or plan to smuggle [banned substances] to Russia,” Griner explained. . Washington Examiner
Right…And the dog ate my basketball.
There’s an ancient cliché in the law enforcement biz: Don’t bullshit a bullshitter.
Irrespective of the Boo-Hoo’s above, this might be a great opportunity for a Teaching Moment.
While Red, White and Blue blooded Americans are pointing and sneering at the fate of someone with obvious political issues, there is the bottom-line principle of the punishment fitting the crime, regardless of where the offense occurred, Russia’s sovereignty notwithstanding. When taken together, since America declared its War on Drugs, the carnage of innocent people, destruction of families, property, and trampling of human rights rivals the costs of the never-ending undeclared wars waged around the world. Consider the thousands of young men currently incarcerated for years for the mere possession of a weed when murders, rapists, and armed thugs are robbing businesses, and innocent pedestrians demand a serious re-examination of the nation’s drug laws – and our concept of Justice.
Should all drugs be decriminalized? Just some drugs? Some amount? What about ‘My Body, My Choice’? Individual responsibility? Are you still OK with the government mandates of COVID jabs? The Roe v Wade decision? Are you comfy with the Government’s unilateral take-over of your body?
As the politicians and talking heads are fond of saying, “We should have a national conversation about this.” OK. Only this time, make it public – not some back-room, favor-trading, palm-greasing political Swap Meet, hosted by Big Pharma and their army of smarmy lobbyists.
Britney Griner may not be someone you’d have over to watch the game, even though she’d be available after dodging 9 years in a Russian prison. But with or without intervention, is it an honest reflection of American society that we should celebrate her sentence because we don’t like her political views? Whether she sits, stands, pouts or no-shows for the National Anthem – so what? No one gets injured. No child abused. No business is robbed, woman raped or senior citizen molested as a result. Yet the people committing these serious and often deadly crimes walk among us with impunity, often committing and re-committing similar crimes without punishment.
When this story is finally moved to the Old News file on ABCCBSNBCCNNFOXMSNBCNPR, it could be revealing to reflect on how wildly upset the chattering classes have been about the plight of Ms. Griner while the Biden Administration, politicians, MSM, and too many of our fellow travelers were deathly silent about the Americans and friends left behind – and remain – in Afghanistan
We better get that ‘national conversation’ started before I get run over by a glacier.
By Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson is a nationally ignored talk show host and occasional un-indicted co-contributor. He recently released his fourth book, “50 Stories; 50 Years in Radio”, now busily scribbling an unlikely screenplay for Book #3. With his spare hour, he is focused on splitting the atom and pursuing the ever-elusive Whirled Peas, all from his technically challenged studios on the formerly pristine shores of the Great Unnamed Lake, allegedly in the Southeast. Brian is also a regular contributor to The Blue State Conservative.
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