Paul Whelan, the American currently detained in Russia, seems like a real asshole

Yep, asshole.

Is he a Michael Flynn kind of guy? Even if not, he sounds like the type that Fox, at least, would take up his cause

Biden would get huge points in rust belt Pennsylvania if the State Department worked to get Marc Fogel home, but the lack of response and inaction is not helping Biden's case there.

All people see there is that his administration moved heaven and earth to free a black lesbian basketball player.

Russia has accused him of being a spy. What if U.S. intelligence has revealed that he actually was a spy and maybe not for the U.S.?! We could never admit it, even if he were acting on behalf of an unrelated third party. There could be a legitimate reason why the U.S. is not working too hard to secure his release.

A d that that bitch Brittany greiner complained that Biden didn't do enough to get this guy released despite the FACT that the Russians wouldn't release him. If that greiner cunt pulled the same stunt in the Atlanta, Georgia Airport she would have gotten about a 5 year sentence. Meanwhile Biden is happily letting all other american criminals with similar sentences like greiners sit in American prisons because he REFUSES to legalize Marijuana. Biden doesn't give 2 shits about those people. He only cares that ungrateful bitch greiner

R5 simmer down, Biden is literally reclassifying marijuana as we type.

Dat's turrible.

[quote] Biden is literally reclassifying marijuana as we type.

So what? Reclassifying it does NOTHING for all the people who are still in American jails. He still refuses to legalize it, all because of his no good, junkie son. Just because Joe and Jill raised a bunch of junkies doesn't mean everyone else will. There are THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of people still in American prisons for marijuana crimes and BIden doesn't give two shits about them.

Well he pardoned people in federal and DC jails back in 2022 and 2023 for marijuana offenses so it seems like he already did that.

Maybe put down the pipe yourself?

What R8 said.

There are thousands and thousands of black and brown men in jail for the sales and distribution of marijuana, meanwhile pasty white former frat boys get to open a dispensary that looks like an Apple store and sell them without a care in the world.

That's a bright shining example of racism if there ever was one.

We don't know what went on behind the scenes. It's possible that the Russians were open to releasing Brittany Greiner and only Brittany Greiner. The anger directed towards her is depressing. It's like she's a black lesbian first and an American second. We should be mad that Russia locked up one of our own to send a message about US involvement in Ukraine instead of desperately searching for a reason to hate her.

And that reflects on Biden how R10? In Russia, Putin might exert unilateral control of the jails, but in the United States presidents can’t interfere in state convictions. It’s racism that only Governors can fix.

And how tone deaf are the trolls coming to a gay website and complain about a gay woman being released before a straight man?

The Biden Administration and the State Department need to do everything they can to get Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, and the latest hostage to Putin, the staff sergeant released as quickly as possible.

Brittney Griner was a high profile case, because she was a gay, Black woman who played in the WNBA. And that put political pressure on the Biden Administration to get her released. Whelan does not have that clout.

Yes, that's it. I'm a "lesbian."

r5 / r8 = troll

It is not Britney Greiner I have a problem with; it is her bitch of a wife. Cherelle, who probably doesn't have any knowledge of current events, accused the Biden administration of not caring about her stupid wife because she is a black lesbian. Meanwhile, there have been Americans toiling away as political prisoners far longer than Ms Britney. Britney was also bankrolled by a Russian Oligarch, aka Russian mafia

R13, and because she didn’t do anything unlike Whelan who probably is a spy. Getting 10 years for having a vape pen in your luggage? She was a political prisoner.

I don’t trust a man with no lips.

[quote] So what? Reclassifying it does NOTHING for all the people who are still in American jails. He still refuses to legalize it, all because of his no good, junkie son. Just because Joe and Jill raised a bunch of junkies doesn't mean everyone else will. There are THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of people still in American prisons for marijuana crimes and BIden doesn't give two shits about them.

Yup, there are THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS and Biden doesn’t give a flying fuck about a single one of them- welcome back to reality gurl, didn’t your mother teach you rule #1 in life - life ain’t fair, get over it and don’t shit on yourself.

R17, of course she was a hostage to Putin, although not quite a "political prisoner," as you term it. Navalny was a political prisoner. Griner was a victim of circumstance. Read her account in a recent piece in the NYT's Magazine. My point was that she became a high profile case, because of who she was. Paul Whelan does not have the same clout. Evan Gershkovich has some because of his position as a WSJ journalist. And the latest hostage, the staff sergeant, has very little.

My point was and is that the American public needs to bring constant pressure on our government to bring them home.

Paul Whelan is a weird security nerd/manipulator who was doing some sort of shady shit. Who is the friend who got married to a Russian woman in December? Why would a man getting married to. Russian woman need him to be a tour guide?

A Marine? Yeah right. He was a reservist who saw a way to grift and steal from the US govt (notice he started traveling by taking advantage of some govt program for soldiers deployed to get 15 days of leave and expenses covered). He tried to steal $10,000 in Iraq by writing himself checks and that’s just what he was caught doing. Then he parlays bad conduct discharge into head of global security for borg.

I think it’s cool but also pretty suspicious to have 4 passports but he’s such a doofus he gets caught with a flash drive and has some stupid, immature, sleepy lie.

His brother and family seem normal. I wonder how they feel thrust into the spotlight by this goofball. They were very supportive of Brittany Griner.

[quote]Well he pardoned people in federal and DC jails back in 2022 and 2023 for marijuana offenses so it seems like he already did that. Maybe put down the pipe yourself?

Well, that still leaves the tens of thousands of people locked up in the 6 or 7 other states where pot is still illegal. Maybe you should STFU. You wouldn't be so casual about the lives of the tens of thousands of people who are STILL IN PRISON - all because Biden REFUSES to legalize marijuana because of his piece of shit, junkie son and also his junkie daughter.

[quote]and because she didn’t do anything unlike Whelan who probably is a spy.

Yes, she did DO SOMETHING. She broke the law. Are you not able to understand that it does NOT MATTER that pot is legal in most American states, SHE WAS IN RUSSIA. When a person is in another country they HAVE to follow that country's laws. What is so hard to understand about that? Americans really are so stupid sometimes. You really think the world revolves around your country and that no other countries should be able to have their own laws. And some of you think America's laws are world wide laws. They AREN'T. Each country has its's OWN laws. It's unbelievable how many Americans can not understand that extremely simple concept.

And had she have done this in 6 or 7 states in America (where pot is still ILLEGAL) she would have gotten a large prison sentence. She'd still be in jail if she got caught will all those drugs in the Atlanta, Georgia airport. That's the truth

For a person so concerned about people understanding and respecting other country’s laws you need to understand and respect that in America the President is not allowed to pardon people convicted under state laws. I can’t believe you can’t understand that very simple concept.

Also vape pen ownership (and marijuana possession under an ounce) in Georgia is a misdemeanor. Maybe she’d be fined a thousand dollars. However, state police aren’t TSA agents so she’d probably just have to throw it out in the airport.

Is ATL the new troll point of local color in your downgrade Biden talking points? Did you have an American customs and locations Zoom special guest training session with Marjorie Taylor Greene?

LOL you are cracking me ElderLez. Keep up the good work. Fuck these trolls.

Spies are known take cover under a number of different professions. Paul Whelan is a spy.

The WSJ reporter could be a spy too. He could also just have been agitating in the wrong places and Russia didn't like it.

Ummm...yeah. I would be too if I were him.

R6 “literally”

Oh, dear.

Like actually literally. It’s big news in the US

R25, I would hope America’s spies would be more capable than Paul Whelen. I think he was trying to do something shady but not at the behest of the US gov. He’s a cop/Marine cosplayer like so, so many American middle aged white guys.

He should still come home and we should still take his side as Americans but it’s a little different than a 7ft tall black lesbian who’s played basketball her whole life suddenly doing hard labor in a Russian cell because an evil narcissist is pressing his advantage to free terrorist henchmen.

I didn't know that back story,,,this is enlightening.

Why the fuck would any American travel to Russia? They're just asking for trouble.

No, dumb R20, bonniecharlie, she was not a “victim of circumstance” since the “circumstances” don’t exist absent the political context. How many Muscovites do you think are being sentenced to 10 years of hard labor for possession of a gram or two of THC oil?

Yes, a 7 foot tall, black American woman in her 20s who doesn’t speak Russian is playing on EXACT SAME field as the middle-aged white guy who speaks Russian fluently and can fit into a Russian prison bed.