#griner

Speaking at the White House, Joe Biden formally announced the release of Brittney Griner from detention in Russia, and pledged to continue working to bring home another American jailed in the country.

“Moments ago, standing together with her wife Cherelle in the Oval Office, I spoke with Brittney Griner,” Biden said. “She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home after months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances. Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along.”

But it's also 100% traitorous to pass billions in defense spending legislation, brand an entire country as our biggest and most evil enemy in the current era, and then willingly hand over an invaluable tool for them to use against us and call it a win.

Dear Mrs. Griner,

We hope this letter finds you in good health and we understand you are having some rough times in your life. We are a group of old Vietnam Combat Veterans from North Carolina. Our average age is around seventy years old. We call ourselves, The Bunker Boys and we spent a lot of time living in rat and snake infested holes in the ground known as Bunkers. When we were not in the bunkers we were crawling through the jungle being shot at and shooting back at little people wearing black pajamas. We must be honest and tell you that the only thing we may have in common with you, is that we too, were drafted.

We noticed you were drafted number one in the WNBA draft a few years ago. Since we all were drafted we thought we might let you know what it was like when we were drafted.

Unlike you, most of us had no college. The people of the United States drafted us. We consisted of all colors, religions, and personal beliefs. We had no choice of which team we played for, Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines. We were sent halfway around the world to fight and kill people we didn’t know in a place we had never heard of. We were paid, we know you can relate to this, $3.00 a day and required to work 24 hours a day if needed. When we returned home many or most of us were treated very badly by our fellow Americans. We were spit on, hit by bottles and rocks as the police stood by and watched. We did not complain, we just continued on in life and made the best of it.

We fought for God, family, country and of course, the Flag and the National Anthem; a poem that was written by, of all people, a lawyer. He wrote the poem as he watched bombs fall on and kill fellow Americans. Ever since that night, our nation has played that little poem before millions of social functions. For some people it’s just a little song. For a Veteran it is a reminder of how many men and women of all colors, have given their life so the rest can have the right to be free. We found in our research that you requested the National Anthem not be played at sporting events. We find it odd that now you are requesting the citizens of the United States to pay for your release from a jail in Russia. Yes, we the taxpayers are paying for all of those diplomats working on your release.

Our Government told you, and all fellow Americans in Russia, to leave Russia after the invasion of the Ukraine. You play basketball in a country that is known to treat Americans badly. You fly a great deal and must know by now, all the rules of what one can bring into a country. All of us that travel know the rules for entering a foreign country. You are a guest and must go by the rules of the land. By your own admission, you were attempting to bring an illegal substance into a country that is known for its long prison sentences. You had to know this because you are making a million dollars a year to play a game and hold a college degree. At six feet nine inches tall, you know that security officers are going to focus on you from the moment you stand in the boarding pass line. We also noticed that you are now saying you placed the drugs in your luggage by accident. Please, that is something an 18 year old would say.

We also found out that your net worth is somewhere around $ 5 million bucks for playing a game. For old guys like us, living on a fixed income, that’s a lot of money for just playing a game. Don’t get us wrong; we are not against you. We all went and fought so all Americans can have the freedom to make their own choices. We just hope the next time you have to endure the playing of that little poem, you will pay close attention to the “Land of the free,” part.

Wishing you the very best,

(WNBA Star Brittney Griner standing in her holding cell.)

The Russia-Ukraine war is an integral part of this story. A few months ago, Russia invaded Ukraine to capture Crimea and Donbas territories. The U.S. has been giving Ukraine aid to fight against the Russian invasion.

Being in a foreign country's jail during a war is a scary scenario to be in. After signing the unreadable documents, Brittney was illegally detained and charged for "drug smuggling" without due process. In July, Griner plead guilty to unknowingly smuggling drugs in her luggage hoping that the judge would be lenient with her sentence. Her lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, also stated that her doctor recommended cannabis to treat her pain for injuries incurred on the basketball court. Six months after being arrested, the WNBA star shows up for sentencing. Griner looked like she was in good spirits despite the situation she is in.

Before the judge’s ruling, Brittney gave an emotional speech:

"I never meant to hurt anybody, I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population, I never meant to break any laws here. I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life here. I know everyone keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that, that is far from this courtroom. I want to say again that I had no intent on breaking any Russian laws. I had no intent. I did not conspire or plan to commit this crime."

On Thursday August 4th, Judge Anna Sotnikova of the Khimki city court sentenced Brittney to 9 years in Russian prison and fined 1 million rubles, approximately $16,400 in U.S. dollars. Russia is using this ridiculous prison sentence to trade for prisoners. The maximum amount of time they usually give for this offense is 5 years according to Griner’s lawyers. Though Russia's laws are a little bit more conservative with the marijuana laws, breaking marijuana laws don't equate to anything more than a day in jail or a fine.

(Brittney handcuffed, heading to one of her court dates.)

Many people believe that Griner is being used as a political pawn because of her national notoriety in American society. In court they made it quite clear it wasn't going to be a fair trial. In Russian law, it is not as common for people to be acquitted of charges like American law. Griner's lawyers Blagovolina and Boykov, stated they will appeal the decision, criticizing the court for ignoring evidence:

"We are very disappointed by the verdict. As legal professionals, we believe that the court should be fair to everyone regardless of nationality. The court completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and most importantly, the guilty plea," they said in the statement. "This contradicts the existing legal practice. Taking into account the amoount of the substance (not to mention the defects of the expertise) and the plea, the verdict is absolutely unreasonable. We will certainly file an appeal." Griner’s lawyers have 10 days to appeal the verdict.

Griner's sentence will be served in a penal colony. Similar to American maximum security prisons, penal colonies are very harsh conditions built to break prisoners. Most prisoners work 8 to 16 hour workdays sewing, cleaning, cooking, and serving food. Due to her expertise in basketball, she can potentially coach basketball within the penal colony instead of the traditional jobs prisoners are assigned.

The Biden administration proposed a prisoner exchange to bring Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence for alleged espionage charges, in exchange for Viktor Bout. Bout is a convicted arms trafficker, notoriously known as the "Merchant of Death". Viktor has supplied arms for conflicts in Africa and Latin America. In 2008, Viktor was arrested in Thailand and extradited to America, where he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Russian government officials have communicated a counter-offer through an unofficial backchannel in recent weeks that they want to see the release of Vadim Krasikov a convicted murderer currently serving a life sentence in the U.S. The source of the message is the Russian spy agency known as FSB, Putin's former employer. U.S. officials did not accept the offer, feeling that the swap is not a legitimate offer for a basketball player.