OT Brittney Griner Sentenced for 9 years

[D.Brasco]

King Kyrie has spoken

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[TinmanZBoy]

King Kyrie has spoken

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exchange Kyrie with Brittney... Kyrie will eventually transform the whole justice system in Russia and Russia overall with his love and soul

[MotownMadness]

Of course it would be different.

People will rage against socialism and handouts but the minute you call it a "freedom package" the right will eat it up and take free money and make an excuse about why it's okay to suddenly do it.

The left will freak out about Trump being unhinged and potentially starting world wars but were ready to defend no-fly zones in Ukraine if enacted by Biden and are fine with Pelosi's "stunt" if it starts some crazy **** with China.

Again, it's why it's frustrating to debate in general because people have no morals, just allegiances. When politics become more like sports people will argue against things they'd be for if the shoe was on the other foot.

Griner doesn't deserve 9 years period. It's not a hard thing to accept. Debate what is a worthy "trade", sure. Debate what an idiot she is for it, fine. But anything like "she isn't patriotic so **** her" or "that's nothing because other countries will KILL you" or "it's deserved because it's Russia's laws" are just such disingenuous posts to start off with.

edit: If a Russian person went to prison here for 9 years for something we'd usually give 15 days to a month for, I'd be making the same argument.

Yeah there should be no "but this is this way" blah blah. They have one of our own and she is being treated like a damn animal.

Every American should be beyond furious over this ridiculous harsh sentence. This is a case where you let your emotions over rule whatever beyond idiotic nonsense Russia is running over there.

Me and Griner would probably argue all day over different political opinions but at the end of the day you should show sympathy over another human and do nothing but call this what it is and that pure cruel BS.

Why? I care about what happens to Griner the exact same amount as I do a starving orphan in Calcutta or a street person in Toronto or a senior citizen in Kiev or a fisherman in Tonga.

Actually probably less as she had significant opportunities living in a country she later demeaned and insulted. I don’t care if she’s back tomorrow or they keep her forever.

Well thats unfortunate you're trying to find reasons not to give a ****

[SleepingDragon]

No one in any country should be in a cage over weed.

China says otherwise, and plenty of former NBA players play over there.

[Nate505]

The same people who had a problem with her protesting also have no problem with traitors storming the capital or republicans fist pumping after denying vets health care. Kindly get that nonsense out of here. And those people are not patriots.

There's not enough wheat in Kansas to construct that strawman you just built.

Feel free to point out what is wrong.

What's wrong is the implication that anyone who has an issue with her protesting the anthem is someone who had no issue with the idiots who stormed the capitol building. Is there overlap there? Sure. On most issues in life there is overlap where people support and are against a particular position.

That wasn't even the point though. The question I was responding to was "what did she do to deserve your hate." And the answer is fairly simple, that she interjected herself into an issue that involves patriotism/nationalism/etc, and when you do that you're going to receive hate from a lot of people depending on which stand you take (though a perceived attack on patriotism tends to generate much more negative reactions than a perceived love for it, at least in the country you're in). It's a pretty touchy subject that generates a lot of passion. Whether these people are right or wrong, or whether patriotism/nationalism/etc. should be something that inspires that much passion is completely irrelevant. The fact is it does.

[Nate505]

Would we really get the “rules are rules” if this was Tomi Lahren in captivity opposed to an anthem-protesting womens basketball star? Or would the same voices that condemned Lebron for “defending” Chinese violations stay consistent and realize that using a human being as a political pawn is one helluva human rights violation?

I’m no Lebron apologist but people should at least stay consistent with their ideologies.

I'm sure you would, just be people on the different side of the same coin. In fact, I would bet everything I own there would be thousands of people saying those exact same things. To me it's about the most predictable response ever.

[MemphisX]

No one in any country should be in a cage over weed.

Russia doesn't feel that way...

Neither does the United States…

[Bolts]

There's not enough wheat in Kansas to construct that strawman you just built.

Feel free to point out what is wrong.

What's wrong is the implication that anyone who has an issue with her protesting the anthem is someone who had no issue with the idiots who stormed the capitol building. Is there overlap there? Sure. On most issues in life there is overlap where people support and are against a particular position.

That wasn't even the point though. The question I was responding to was "what did she do to deserve your hate." And the answer is fairly simple, that she interjected herself into an issue that involves patriotism/nationalism/etc, and when you do that you're going to receive hate from a lot of people depending on which stand you take (though a perceived attack on patriotism tends to generate much more negative reactions than a perceived love for it, at least in the country you're in). It's a pretty touchy subject that generates a lot of passion. Whether these people are right or wrong, or whether patriotism/nationalism/etc. should be something that inspires that much passion is completely irrelevant. The fact is it does.

Sorry that’s too reasonable post for this forum. Take your ban and enjoy it.

[Nate505]

The biggest losers here would be professional women athletes who are able to make more of a living by playing in places like Russia.

I respectfully disagree (I tend to agree with most of your posts here). The average WNBA salary is 120k, compare that with the average G-league salary is 35k, the ladies make more than enough for 4 months worth of work. Considering Brittney Griner is the one of the better players in the WNBA, her salary is probably near 150k-200k, which again, is more than enough.

If players want to make more via playing overseas/endorsement deals/work a part-time job, that is completely up to them. Quite frankly, they don't have to.

By biggest loser, I don't mean they are poor without it or would be broke.

I'm assuming that out of the professional athletes crossing to play among these countries, the women are the ones who are getting the greatest relative financial benefit.

Perhaps they should stay in the US and become plumbers and firefighters in the offseason, like our forefathers did.

[Ein Sof]

How do you feel about Nazi Germany?

According to the Reich Citizenship Law from 1935, only persons of "German or kindred blood" were legal citizens.

What is your opinion on this law?

[Johnny Bball]

There are a lot of just plain awful humans in this forum.

Well Griner broke the law. You might not think it's a big deal but many countries have similar rules and even harsher punishment for smuggling drugs. Also lets be realistic. If this wasn't awful country that Russia is a lot more people would think it's justified to get punished for breaking the law. Many, me included, think it's too harsh punishment but laws state she should be sentenced for her unlawful actions.

And I'm sure you break laws every day. Dead sure of it.

What if you were in one of ten US states that have sodomy laws and you decided you wanted to have oral sex with your girlfriend (or boyfriend), and you were jailed for ten years. IS that ... just following the laws of the land like a sheep should good enough for you? OH... didn't know it was a law, (that sodomy includes oral) and that's not fair? Tough. Go to jail.

Jaywalking. Pot smoking. Speeding. Driving drunk or high. Slandering people. Which ever it is, you and we all break laws all the **** time. What now? Put everyone in jail?

There are a lot of people in here mindlessly parroting "there must be order" and "you must follow the laws of the land", sheeping along with no empathy for anyone else, until its them. Your own land has over 25% of the worlds prisoners incarnated in their own country. The only reason you continue to go along with all this law and order bull **** is because you don't have to fear that you could be railroaded into being one of those incarcerated real fast. And we all know why that is. And it isn't just because you are law abiding and orderly

Some people just need to have some damn empathy, and have shown none, and maybe even display an ounce of courage to stand up to the state, whichever that is, for archaic or barbaric laws or punishments. Or the very select enforcement of those laws.

[SNPA]

No one in any country should be in a cage over weed.

China says otherwise, and plenty of former NBA players play over there.

Oh well if China says otherwise then….?

Funny how many war on drugs dinosaurs there are in this thread.

[Bolts]

It’s funny how people think that other countries should adopt our laws. Why?

[Nate505]

How do you feel about Nazi Germany?

According to the Reich Citizenship Law from 1935, only persons of "German or kindred blood" were legal citizens.

What is your opinion on this law?

It's pretty bad and inhumane.

Hell, you don't have to go back that far. In some Middle Eastern countries the penalty for engaging in homosexual acts is death. Can't say that's a good law either and I would also say it's inhumane.

[Nate505]

No one in any country should be in a cage over weed.

China says otherwise, and plenty of former NBA players play over there.

Oh well if China says otherwise then….?

Funny how many war on drugs dinosaurs there are in this thread.

You'd think Asia is a laugh riot then. The whole continent is full of drug war dinosaurs, and their government and many citizens seem pretty proud of that fact.

[SkyHookFTW]

google russian war crimes. then comeback to me.

Lol then google history of the US and its crimes both on its soil and overseas all over the world. Russia is not even close to that level of atrocity.

imagine defending Russia...

Some people are blinded by their personal biases.

[SNPA]

China says otherwise, and plenty of former NBA players play over there.

Oh well if China says otherwise then….?

Funny how many war on drugs dinosaurs there are in this thread.

You'd think Asia is a laugh riot then. The whole continent is full of drug war dinosaurs, and their government and many citizens seem pretty proud of that fact.

And?

Lots of people hold stupid ideas around this subject. That isn’t new or news. It doesn’t make their views any less stupid. Putting anyone in a cage over weed was originally, and continues to be, a ******* moronic idea.

[G R E Y]

When you are at a foreign country, you play within that country's rule, being an American does not make you invincible and entitled to special treatment. The legality of weed should be determined by each country, not because the Americans think it should. If weed should be legal, then should women not be forced to ear a hijabi too?

The wife of a US diplomat in England struck and killed harry dunn and used the guise of diplomatic immunity to bail that country. We haven’t returned her to face trial.

That's not particular to the US, though, but particular to diplomatic immunity. Just a side point in itself.

[Salieri]

I hope everyone now understands why mods are lightning quick to lock threads like this one in the General Board.

I have read a huge amount of truly disgusting posts in this thread, so much so that I will forever remember the usernames of those who wrote them and I will be swayed by their revolting words here when judging any future contribution they make. In other words: now I have an axe to grind against those people because I can't see them as decent human beings.

It's only fair to say that those on the other side of the spectrum will see things similarly, and will remember the users like me who, in their opinion, spewed despicable crap that will forever taint whatever we might say.

This being an off-season thread and basketball related, I guess mods decided to give it a try and leave this open. And the polarization that was below the surface showed up, the hostility took over and the opinions became more and more extreme until Brittney Griner is no longer on anyone's mind because we care more about voicing our opinions than that woman's life, that is about to endure hell on earth for who knows how long for a crime that no sane mind would agree is proportional to the punishment.

TL,DR: this is why we can't have nice things.

This is all very sad.

[Nate505]

Oh well if China says otherwise then….?

Funny how many war on drugs dinosaurs there are in this thread.

You'd think Asia is a laugh riot then. The whole continent is full of drug war dinosaurs, and their government and many citizens seem pretty proud of that fact.

And?

Lots of people hold stupid ideas around this subject. That isn’t new or news. It doesn’t make their views any less stupid. Putting anyone in a cage over weed was originally, and continues to be, a ******* moronic idea.

I agree. But it's not just a bunch of idiots here who love the drug war. It's beloved by a substantial portion of the world's population and governments. It's not much of a shock that this forum would have some of the same opinions.

Unfortunately for Griner, she went to a country that holds that opinion.