Then my mistake. Nevertheless, I think my suggestion may be useful for teams traveling to other countries. Maybe they already do something like that I'm not sure.
I suppose things have changed a lot in recent years in Russia, which after the fall of the Soviet Union has been clawing its way back to a democracy-free dystopia for the past decade. But what free person would ever dare set foot on Russian soil today? I have tremendous empathy for Griner, she had a product legal in America and is serving a soul-crushing decade in a Russian gulag to serve as a political pawn and to punish America and “the west.” Forgetting vape cartridges in your luggage whilst traveling into Russia is stupid, but that’s really not the point. A country that would use that petty infraction to strip a decade away from a young, American athlete is a country you simply cannot visit, for work or for sports or literally anything. Marc Fogel is an American teacher at a school in Moscow. He flew there with medical marijuana, prescribed by a doctor, and was arrested. He’s in prison in a labor camp for something like 13 years. He was 1 year away from retiring. Alexei Navalny was one of the most anti-Putin politicians in Russia, but somehow survived a poisoning attempt and escaped Russia for Germany, only to return last year. He was arrested, of course, but he knew that would happen. Perhaps he is brave and selfless enough to become a martyr, knowing his global status and visibility would expose Putin as a weak, cruel, corrupt tyrant. But he will pay a grave price, losing his children, his freedom and his family. Hopefully, Putin will be overthrown, or Russia will make the fatal mistake of attacking a NATO member. Then it’s over for Putin, and hopefully we can all survive it.
There are gravely dangerous places where democracy and due process are dismissed as evils of the “west.” Americans, people from other free nations and dissenters are convicted in kangaroo courts, jailed, tortured, silenced, killed. Russia is a dystopia ruled by a tiny, weak madman, no different than all the other tyrants in history before him. The sooner his evil reign ends by coup, drone, or international tribunal, the better. The attack on Ukraine set in motion hopefully the end of Putin’s Russia.
Not just that but a clearly poor prisoner swap puts all Americans traveling at risk. Griner broke a law she probably knew about. Sorry, but I don’t release mass murderers for basketball players.
My friend is married to a Moroccan guy. His mom was French and his dad was Iranian or something (I dunno, Muslim though). They went to Morocco one year on vacation. Her husband was ARRESTED at some night club because some rich Saudi's were there and someone bothered someone or some BS, so the exceedingly corrupt Poilice just arrested every man in the place who didn't run away.
My friend spent all night with his sister, with no idea where he had been taken and literally no idea if they would ever get him back. They eventually paid a "fee" (bribe) the next day and got him out.
She won't stop saying how NICE it was in Morocco and I should definitely go sometime. Bananas! Stupid brainwashed bullshit. I wouldn't go anywhere where women are basically property in the first place, but HELL no.
I can add that to the dozens of other horror stories I've heard from people traveling abroad even in more enlightened and progressive countries like France. Seems that it's gotten worse in the past few years. Could it be that TFG resurrected the image of the "Ugly American"?
She had a product legal in **SOME LOCATIONS** in the Untied States. If she had been caught with hash oil in Texas she could have gone to prison for up to 20 years. In states with 'three strikes' laws there are people doing LIFE for the same thing.
You think Putin is weak? He's been riding the monstrous Russian bureaucracy for 23 years, you don't survive that by being weak. When I was working in Moscow I asked my friends their opinion of him, they said, "We don't like him much, but he's better than any of the alternatives so we'll vote for him again." Who would you recommend replacing him with? Navalny wouldn't survive a week until the Russian mafia removed him so he's out. You're left with some oligarchs, mafiosi (lot of overlap between those two groups), and a couple of generals, all of whom are considerably worse. That's why Putin is the most popular leader in Russian history. (Admittedly considering the history of Russia that's not a high bar to pass.)
She's been working in Russia during the off-season since 2014, she knew very well what was legal and what was not. She seems to have just assumed that since she was moderately famous that she was immune.
You are my BFf!
My solution is to research the place I want to visit and, you know, avoid going to shithole countries like Russia, Iran, North Korea...
Then my mistake. Nevertheless, I think my suggestion may be useful for teams traveling to other countries. Maybe they already do something like that I'm not sure.
I suppose things have changed a lot in recent years in Russia, which after the fall of the Soviet Union has been clawing its way back to a democracy-free dystopia for the past decade. But what free person would ever dare set foot on Russian soil today? I have tremendous empathy for Griner, she had a product legal in America and is serving a soul-crushing decade in a Russian gulag to serve as a political pawn and to punish America and “the west.” Forgetting vape cartridges in your luggage whilst traveling into Russia is stupid, but that’s really not the point. A country that would use that petty infraction to strip a decade away from a young, American athlete is a country you simply cannot visit, for work or for sports or literally anything. Marc Fogel is an American teacher at a school in Moscow. He flew there with medical marijuana, prescribed by a doctor, and was arrested. He’s in prison in a labor camp for something like 13 years. He was 1 year away from retiring. Alexei Navalny was one of the most anti-Putin politicians in Russia, but somehow survived a poisoning attempt and escaped Russia for Germany, only to return last year. He was arrested, of course, but he knew that would happen. Perhaps he is brave and selfless enough to become a martyr, knowing his global status and visibility would expose Putin as a weak, cruel, corrupt tyrant. But he will pay a grave price, losing his children, his freedom and his family. Hopefully, Putin will be overthrown, or Russia will make the fatal mistake of attacking a NATO member. Then it’s over for Putin, and hopefully we can all survive it.
There are gravely dangerous places where democracy and due process are dismissed as evils of the “west.” Americans, people from other free nations and dissenters are convicted in kangaroo courts, jailed, tortured, silenced, killed. Russia is a dystopia ruled by a tiny, weak madman, no different than all the other tyrants in history before him. The sooner his evil reign ends by coup, drone, or international tribunal, the better. The attack on Ukraine set in motion hopefully the end of Putin’s Russia.
I have seen a good few regular users defend and support it.
You are a waste of time, space, oxygen and nitrogen.
Not just that but a clearly poor prisoner swap puts all Americans traveling at risk. Griner broke a law she probably knew about. Sorry, but I don’t release mass murderers for basketball players.
My friend is married to a Moroccan guy. His mom was French and his dad was Iranian or something (I dunno, Muslim though). They went to Morocco one year on vacation. Her husband was ARRESTED at some night club because some rich Saudi's were there and someone bothered someone or some BS, so the exceedingly corrupt Poilice just arrested every man in the place who didn't run away.
My friend spent all night with his sister, with no idea where he had been taken and literally no idea if they would ever get him back. They eventually paid a "fee" (bribe) the next day and got him out.
She won't stop saying how NICE it was in Morocco and I should definitely go sometime. Bananas! Stupid brainwashed bullshit. I wouldn't go anywhere where women are basically property in the first place, but HELL no.
Love!
I can add that to the dozens of other horror stories I've heard from people traveling abroad even in more enlightened and progressive countries like France. Seems that it's gotten worse in the past few years. Could it be that TFG resurrected the image of the "Ugly American"?
That surprises me, but I don't know enough to dispute it.
Depends entirely on where she lives.
For this reason, I double check my luggage before flying into Kansas from legal Las Vegas. Don't want to get caught up in THAT gulag system.
She had a product legal in **SOME LOCATIONS** in the Untied States. If she had been caught with hash oil in Texas she could have gone to prison for up to 20 years. In states with 'three strikes' laws there are people doing LIFE for the same thing.
You think Putin is weak? He's been riding the monstrous Russian bureaucracy for 23 years, you don't survive that by being weak. When I was working in Moscow I asked my friends their opinion of him, they said, "We don't like him much, but he's better than any of the alternatives so we'll vote for him again." Who would you recommend replacing him with? Navalny wouldn't survive a week until the Russian mafia removed him so he's out. You're left with some oligarchs, mafiosi (lot of overlap between those two groups), and a couple of generals, all of whom are considerably worse. That's why Putin is the most popular leader in Russian history. (Admittedly considering the history of Russia that's not a high bar to pass.)
She's been working in Russia during the off-season since 2014, she knew very well what was legal and what was not. She seems to have just assumed that since she was moderately famous that she was immune.