The downfall of Twitter/the rise of X

[Stadler]

Something else I think needs consideration is that Griner was never going to do 10 years of hard labor. She was going to hang herself, die from her own hunger strike, or get shanked. She was only useful so long as she was a bargaining chip, and after that she's not.

I was curious what the penal colonies were like, ended up reading some article last week, it actually stated that since she was a high value prisoner, she likely was not going to get the typical brutal treatment from other inmates/guards that you would expect from someone like her (african america, homosexual). I mean, who knows, but I'm not entirely sure she wouldn't of survived 10 years (but like you said, it also depends if her status were to change due to political situations).  It's almost impossible to tell, and really, hard to find a lot of details of what even goes on there. I'll be interested in what she has to say about her experience, that's for sure.

Who knows; but it would be a mistake to take the self-righteous, victim American viewpoint.  That would be further playing into Putin's hands, in terms of El Barto's post above.  That's only going to continue the internal debate, not cool it down.

[Harmony]

I would also offer that it's a bad assumption to assume that we, the people, have all the information necessary to make an informed decision here.

Yeah - we don't.  There are so many issues at play in this prisoner exchange especially since UAE and the Saudis are involved.  I'm certain we don't even understand half of what transpired to make this work.  Maybe more information will come out later.  But I doubt we will ever know the whole story.

“I am so glad that Brittney Griner is on her way home,” David Whelan, Paul’s twin brother, said in a statement Thursday via ABC’s Jay O’Brien. “As the family member of a Russian hostage, I can literally only imagine the joy she will have, being reunited with her loved ones, and in time for the holidays. There is no greater success than for a wrongful detainee to be free and for them to go home. The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen.”

[Ben_Jamin]

Let's talk about wrongful imprisonment and mention the one we have here in the US...Leonard Peltier. He is wrongfully held captive, and if the government really cared about racial relations, and all that jazz, they should release Leonard Peltier.

[Dave_Manchester]

...but the point is, there are people in jail here in the States for exactly what Britany Griner did, and she's going to be - like Gary said - hailed as a hero upon her arrival whereas those others are... right exactly where they started. 

Not only in America. To my knowledge there are somewhere between 15 and 20 other American citizens currently in Russian jails/penal colonies for the exact same offence Griner admitted to (most recent example - Marc Fogel, an American teacher who was arrested last year at a Russian airport with "medical marijuana" in his luggage and was subsequently sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony*), but they receive little to no coverage in your media because...well, we all know why, we're just afraid to say it out loud.

As for Griner's treatment over here, nothing I've read suggests she was subjected to any worse than anyone else in that colony. Yeah it's a very grim existence, Russian labour camps break most human beings to varying extents, but I don't think it was any worse for her than it was for the other inmates.

And not that I expect anyone to want to come here right now, but guys and girls of DTF, for fuck's sake, I cannot stress this strongly enough: if you travel  to Russia, do NOT bring ANY amount of drugs with you. It's the law here. You can think it's an insane law but that won't change it, and fuck every single one of these idiots in the US government endlessly describing Griner as "wrongfully detained". She was arrested for the exact same thing that would get her arrested in some states of the USA. Would she be sentenced in the US to 9 years? No, but she wasn't in the US, she was in another country with other laws. Stop with the arrogant "wrongfully detained" spiel, Mr Biden/Sullivan/Kirby/Blinken.   

*  https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/07/28/marc-fogel-teacher-russia-prison/

[El Barto]

Out of curiosity, do Russians get 10 year sentences for it? That's what's puzzled me.

[Dave_Manchester]

Out of curiosity, do Russians get 10 year sentences for it? That's what's puzzled me.

Yes. Cannabis in Russia is included in the 'List I' of narcotic and psychoactive substances. Russian law says that for the crime Brittney admitted to (yes, Mr Biden/Blinken/Kirby/Sullivan - admitted to), 9 years is the sentence. If she'd had a little more (as Marc Fogel did) it could have been anywhere up to 20 years (for certain amounts it is actually a life sentence). These laws apply equally to Russians and foreigners.

Russia could not possibly be clearer on this issue: by all means drink alcohol until your ears bleed, but do NOT try to bring Class I narcotics across the border, regardless of the amount or whether you have a doctor's note from America saying it's for your glaucoma.

[El Barto]

Out of curiosity, do Russians get 10 year sentences for it? That's what's puzzled me.

Yes. Cannabis in Russia is included in the 'List I' of narcotic and psychoactive substances. Russian law says that for the crime Brittney admitted to (yes, Mr Biden/Blinken/Kirby/Sullivan - admitted to), 9 years is the sentence. If she'd had a little more (as Marc Fogel did) it could have been anywhere up to 20 years (for certain amounts it is actually a life sentence). These laws apply equally to Russians and foreigners.

Russia could not possibly be clearer on this issue: by all means drink alcohol until your ears bleed, but do NOT try to bring Class I narcotics across the border, regardless of the amount or whether you have a doctor's note from America saying it's for your glaucoma.

I kind meant in practice, rather than on paper. Maybe this is what you mean, as well, but I'm not sure. If your wife got busted with a joint would she actually wind up doing the 9 years, or is there some sort of probation avenue or something? I ask because over here what the law says and how it's applied are very different things.

[Dave_Manchester]

Out of curiosity, do Russians get 10 year sentences for it? That's what's puzzled me.

Yes. Cannabis in Russia is included in the 'List I' of narcotic and psychoactive substances. Russian law says that for the crime Brittney admitted to (yes, Mr Biden/Blinken/Kirby/Sullivan - admitted to), 9 years is the sentence. If she'd had a little more (as Marc Fogel did) it could have been anywhere up to 20 years (for certain amounts it is actually a life sentence). These laws apply equally to Russians and foreigners.

Russia could not possibly be clearer on this issue: by all means drink alcohol until your ears bleed, but do NOT try to bring Class I narcotics across the border, regardless of the amount or whether you have a doctor's note from America saying it's for your glaucoma.

I kind meant in practice, rather than on paper. Maybe this is what you mean, as well, but I'm not sure. If your wife got busted with a joint would she actually wind up doing the 9 years, or is there some sort of probation avenue or something? I ask because over here what the law says and how it's applied are very different things.

The example you gave, no, but it's important to be clear about the offence in question here and the particular penal code under which she was found guilty (admitted to, Mr Biden/Kirby/ok you get it) - if Brittney had been caught smoking a joint in an apartment in Moscow she would not have been sentenced to anywhere close to 9 years. The issue here is she was bringing it into the country. It's a very different and much more severely punished crime under Russian law. 

[King Postwhore]

You would think her agent or herself would know better. I have to believe she knew it and threw caution in the wind.

[KevShmev]

I feel the same as some here, I'm happy she's back from a humane perspective.  For one, I don't think anyone should be locked up for simple marijuana possession, let alone do hard labor for 10 years.  But I also don't think it's fair to let her go free when we gave up someone far worse and we have our own problems back home.  It's a political chess move that Russia won IMO.

This is pretty much where I am.  I am glad she is free and coming home, but definitely think Biden got worked by Putin, who is off somewhere having a good laugh about what a massive win this was for him.

[El Barto]

Out of curiosity, do Russians get 10 year sentences for it? That's what's puzzled me.

Yes. Cannabis in Russia is included in the 'List I' of narcotic and psychoactive substances. Russian law says that for the crime Brittney admitted to (yes, Mr Biden/Blinken/Kirby/Sullivan - admitted to), 9 years is the sentence. If she'd had a little more (as Marc Fogel did) it could have been anywhere up to 20 years (for certain amounts it is actually a life sentence). These laws apply equally to Russians and foreigners.

Russia could not possibly be clearer on this issue: by all means drink alcohol until your ears bleed, but do NOT try to bring Class I narcotics across the border, regardless of the amount or whether you have a doctor's note from America saying it's for your glaucoma.

I kind meant in practice, rather than on paper. Maybe this is what you mean, as well, but I'm not sure. If your wife got busted with a joint would she actually wind up doing the 9 years, or is there some sort of probation avenue or something? I ask because over here what the law says and how it's applied are very different things.

The example you gave, no, but it's important to be clear about the offence in question here and the particular penal code under which she was found guilty (admitted to, Mr Biden/Kirby/ok you get it) - if Brittney had been caught smoking a joint in an apartment in Moscow she would not have been sentenced to anywhere close to 9 years. The issue here is she was bringing it into the country. It's a very different and much more severely punished crime under Russian law.

Valid point. Fair enough. 

I still have to ask, though, if Mrs. Dave had brought a joint of that fine, dank-ass Manchester bud home with her, would she have gotten 9 years?

[El Barto]

I feel the same as some here, I'm happy she's back from a humane perspective.  For one, I don't think anyone should be locked up for simple marijuana possession, let alone do hard labor for 10 years.  But I also don't think it's fair to let her go free when we gave up someone far worse and we have our own problems back home.  It's a political chess move that Russia won IMO.

This is pretty much where I am.  I am glad she is free and coming home, but definitely think Biden got worked by Putin, who is off somewhere having a good laugh about what a massive win this was for him.

Quite possibly, but probably not for the reasons Americans think.

[Anguyen92]

Japan has really strict drug laws as well.  If she was detained in Japan rather than Russia, is this still a story?

[Dave_Manchester]

Out of curiosity, do Russians get 10 year sentences for it? That's what's puzzled me.

Yes. Cannabis in Russia is included in the 'List I' of narcotic and psychoactive substances. Russian law says that for the crime Brittney admitted to (yes, Mr Biden/Blinken/Kirby/Sullivan - admitted to), 9 years is the sentence. If she'd had a little more (as Marc Fogel did) it could have been anywhere up to 20 years (for certain amounts it is actually a life sentence). These laws apply equally to Russians and foreigners.

Russia could not possibly be clearer on this issue: by all means drink alcohol until your ears bleed, but do NOT try to bring Class I narcotics across the border, regardless of the amount or whether you have a doctor's note from America saying it's for your glaucoma.

I kind meant in practice, rather than on paper. Maybe this is what you mean, as well, but I'm not sure. If your wife got busted with a joint would she actually wind up doing the 9 years, or is there some sort of probation avenue or something? I ask because over here what the law says and how it's applied are very different things.

The example you gave, no, but it's important to be clear about the offence in question here and the particular penal code under which she was found guilty (admitted to, Mr Biden/Kirby/ok you get it) - if Brittney had been caught smoking a joint in an apartment in Moscow she would not have been sentenced to anywhere close to 9 years. The issue here is she was bringing it into the country. It's a very different and much more severely punished crime under Russian law.

Valid point. Fair enough. 

I still have to ask, though, if Mrs. Dave had brought a joint of that fine, dank-ass Manchester bud home with her, would she have gotten 9 years?

Honestly - it's possible, yes. Unlikely in truth (she's the mother of a 1-year-old; that carries weight) but possible.

I'm not going to pretend that Brittney hasn't been used as an opportune political pawn, because she has been. The moment Russia got hold of a black lesbian who very publicly refused to stand for the US anthem, Putin saw an opportunity to have a little fun with a Democrat administration (like I alluded to earlier, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that most Americans are totally unaware of all the straight white American men currently doing time in Russian jails for the same offence as Brittney - your media couldn't give a single fuck about them). 9 years was the higher end of the sentence she could have received, and giving her that sentence was meant all along to force Biden to agree to a wildly uneven deal or else forever be known as the Democrat president who let a black LGBT person rot in Russia. I think that if Putin had insisted on Biden doing his press conference today naked as part of the deal he would have agreed to it. Griner was used as a pawn and her sentence was harsh. But my point is that it was also within our law. There WILL be Russians doing 9 years' porridge for the same crime, depending on the judge.

What's been irritating to me about this story is that it's the whole dumb Pussy Riot story all over again. For those who don't remember, 4 girls entered a Russian Orthodox church during a service, smashed it up, assaulted a woman, desecrated the place, flashed their tits and sang profane songs. That's about 5 different types of illegal in Russia. The US government's response? "Russia is jailing innocent protesters!" Uh huh. Let an American 'punk band' pull that exact same shit in a church in Alabama and see what happens. But when it comes to Russia everyone is "unlawfully detained", like Griner apparently has been, as well as Paul "4 nationalities" Whelan. 

[cramx3]

I know she admitted in court to be guilty, but I feel like there was some grey area here as to whether she actually had the vape pen on her.  I thought I read somewhere, at least initially, that she was claiming she was innocent.  The courts there seem to be a bit less fair and I think it was possible she was pressured to admit the fault because that would be the only way the US could save her.  I'm not sure if there's any legitimacy to what I just wrote, but being I've read it, it makes me wonder if she could legitimately not have done anything wrong in the first place.  That "could" be why the US government is saying wrongfully detained.  What do I know though, I guess we can find out more once she makes public statements and interviews.

[El Barto]

Out of curiosity, do Russians get 10 year sentences for it? That's what's puzzled me.

Yes. Cannabis in Russia is included in the 'List I' of narcotic and psychoactive substances. Russian law says that for the crime Brittney admitted to (yes, Mr Biden/Blinken/Kirby/Sullivan - admitted to), 9 years is the sentence. If she'd had a little more (as Marc Fogel did) it could have been anywhere up to 20 years (for certain amounts it is actually a life sentence). These laws apply equally to Russians and foreigners.

Russia could not possibly be clearer on this issue: by all means drink alcohol until your ears bleed, but do NOT try to bring Class I narcotics across the border, regardless of the amount or whether you have a doctor's note from America saying it's for your glaucoma.

I kind meant in practice, rather than on paper. Maybe this is what you mean, as well, but I'm not sure. If your wife got busted with a joint would she actually wind up doing the 9 years, or is there some sort of probation avenue or something? I ask because over here what the law says and how it's applied are very different things.

The example you gave, no, but it's important to be clear about the offence in question here and the particular penal code under which she was found guilty (admitted to, Mr Biden/Kirby/ok you get it) - if Brittney had been caught smoking a joint in an apartment in Moscow she would not have been sentenced to anywhere close to 9 years. The issue here is she was bringing it into the country. It's a very different and much more severely punished crime under Russian law.

Valid point. Fair enough. 

I still have to ask, though, if Mrs. Dave had brought a joint of that fine, dank-ass Manchester bud home with her, would she have gotten 9 years?

Honestly - it's possible, yes. Unlikely in truth (she's the mother of a 1-year-old; that carries weight) but possible.

I'm not going to pretend that Brittney hasn't been used as an opportune political pawn, because she has been. The moment Russia got hold of a black lesbian who very publicly refused to stand for the US anthem, Putin saw an opportunity to have a little fun with a Democrat administration (like I alluded to earlier, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that most Americans are totally unaware of all the straight white American men currently doing time in Russian jails for the same offence as Brittney - your media couldn't give a single fuck about them). 9 years was the higher end of the sentence she could have received, and giving her that sentence was meant all along to force Biden to agree to a wildly uneven deal or else forever be known as the Democrat president who let a black LGBT person rot in Russia. I think that if Putin had insisted on Biden doing his press conference today naked as part of the deal he would have agreed to it. Griner was used as a pawn and her sentence was harsh. But my point is that it was also within our law. There WILL be Russians doing 9 years' porridge for the same crime, depending on the judge.

What's been irritating to me about this story is that it's the whole dumb Pussy Riot story all over again. For those who don't remember, 4 girls entered a Russian Orthodox church during a service, smashed it up, assaulted a woman, desecrated the place, flashed their tits and sang profane songs. That's about 5 different types of illegal in Russia. The US government's response? "Russia is jailing innocent protesters!" Uh huh. Let an American 'punk band' pull that exact same shit in a church in Alabama and see what happens. But when it comes to Russia everyone is "unlawfully detained", like Griner apparently has been, as well as Paul "4 nationalities" Whelan.

Thanks. My point of curiosity was simply whether or not she'd been treated more harshly to be used as a future pawn than otherwise normal Russkies.

[ReaPsTA]

Dave, you need to stop what you're doing.

Joe Biden displayed how American strength and resolve can bring an innocent American home in exchange for the lord of war. Her imprisonment was unjust, and not the kind of thing we'd ever do here. Griner is only famous because she plays a sport that is subsidized by a more famous one. And while I don't want to make fun of the WNBA chauvinistically, at some point her social stature has been pumped up way beyond her actual prestige and accomplishments represents the best of America.

I don't know why you'd suggest what is obviously true, that America is run by an administration that is enslaved by identity politics that the only reason we exchanged for her is because of her identity. Putin is not as smart as some of his apologists think, but unlike the people who run the US at least kind of able to think practically just a big bad stupid evil man like Trump is. America cares deeply about every citizen of ours unjustly imprisoned in Russia. When the Biden administration says they'll continue to work on other Russian prisoners I assume they're just saying words to mollify the people mad about the others who have not been let free. While I don't agree with the American conservative line that freeing the ex-Marine is necessarily better, since he's theoretically more able to "take it", the Biden admin's priorities seem off here. And for the US to waste its best bargaining chip on a celebrity to me seems like government malpractice, they really mean it!

Pussy Riot was performing activism against the oppressive patriarchal institution of religion, and your words suggesting otherwise are perfectly reasonable violence against marginalized female atheist communities.

You subtly mock Griner for speaking out against US society and culture in a way that clearly demonstrates she hates it, which makes it weird how politically popular it was among certain people to help her out. For all of Putin's flaws, the man at least seems to like the country he's in charge of speaking out against injustice in America, but maybe if you EDUCATED YOURSELF you could see that you're just saying what Putin wants you to say.

[King Postwhore]

Let's bring some levity here.

[El Barto]

Dave, you need to stop what you're doing.

Joe Biden displayed how American strength and resolve can bring an innocent American home in exchange for the lord of war. Her imprisonment was unjust, and not the kind of thing we'd ever do here. Griner is only famous because she plays a sport that is subsidized by a more famous one. And while I don't want to make fun of the WNBA chauvinistically, at some point her social stature has been pumped up way beyond her actual prestige and accomplishments represents the best of America.

I don't know why you'd suggest what is obviously true, that America is run by an administration that is enslaved by identity politics that the only reason we exchanged for her is because of her identity. Putin is not as smart as some of his apologists think, but unlike the people who run the US at least kind of able to think practically just a big bad stupid evil man like Trump is. America cares deeply about every citizen of ours unjustly imprisoned in Russia. When the Biden administration says they'll continue to work on other Russian prisoners I assume they're just saying words to mollify the people mad about the others who have not been let free. While I don't agree with the American conservative line that freeing the ex-Marine is necessarily better, since he's theoretically more able to "take it", the Biden admin's priorities seem off here. And for the US to waste its best bargaining chip on a celebrity to me seems like government malpractice, they really mean it!

Pussy Riot was performing activism against the oppressive patriarchal institution of religion, and your words suggesting otherwise are perfectly reasonable violence against marginalized female atheist communities.

You subtly mock Griner for speaking out against US society and culture in a way that clearly demonstrates she hates it, which makes it weird how politically popular it was among certain people to help her out. For all of Putin's flaws, the man at least seems to like the country he's in charge of speaking out against injustice in America, but maybe if you EDUCATED YOURSELF you could see that you're just saying what Putin wants you to say.

As bad as that is, it seems to me that what you're doing is just as bad. But what do I know?

[ReaPsTA]

Wait, how many layers of irony are we on here? Now even I'm confused.

[King Postwhore]

El Barto.  It's the world we live in. Extremism.   No compromise. No working things out for the betterment of all. Just your beliefs and damn all others.

[jammindude]

I totally got the humor that was being played at. If someone started taking it seriously either I missed something or they did.

[XJDenton]

Kinda feel this is heading down P/R territory now, if its not already here.

[Dave_Manchester]

Kinda feel this is heading down P/R territory now, if its not already here.

For which I'll accept my portion of the blame. I said my piece, I'll leave it there.

[ReaPsTA]

I did the thing as well. But I also couldn't pass that one up.

[TAC]

What's the alternative? Let her do 10 years of forced labour on general principle? We know she broke the law, and I know the American mantra is play stupid games. . . but this wasn't even a fair application of Russian law.

Also, I'm not sure we should dismiss the possibility that the guy we released dies in a mysterious boat explosion six months from now.

I believe he's more likely to "fall" out of a window.

[El Barto]

What's the alternative? Let her do 10 years of forced labour on general principle? We know she broke the law, and I know the American mantra is play stupid games. . . but this wasn't even a fair application of Russian law.

Also, I'm not sure we should dismiss the possibility that the guy we released dies in a mysterious boat explosion six months from now.

I believe he's more likely to "fall" out of a window.

To be clear, I was figuring that we or our buddies would blow him up. Putin's got no reason to. Vlad's no doubt hoping he'll do something to embarrass us to further the divide.

[Stadler]

Out of curiosity, do Russians get 10 year sentences for it? That's what's puzzled me.

Yes. Cannabis in Russia is included in the 'List I' of narcotic and psychoactive substances. Russian law says that for the crime Brittney admitted to (yes, Mr Biden/Blinken/Kirby/Sullivan - admitted to), 9 years is the sentence. If she'd had a little more (as Marc Fogel did) it could have been anywhere up to 20 years (for certain amounts it is actually a life sentence). These laws apply equally to Russians and foreigners.

Russia could not possibly be clearer on this issue: by all means drink alcohol until your ears bleed, but do NOT try to bring Class I narcotics across the border, regardless of the amount or whether you have a doctor's note from America saying it's for your glaucoma.

I kind meant in practice, rather than on paper. Maybe this is what you mean, as well, but I'm not sure. If your wife got busted with a joint would she actually wind up doing the 9 years, or is there some sort of probation avenue or something? I ask because over here what the law says and how it's applied are very different things.

For the record, Griner did not have a "joint"; it was my understanding that it was more than just a small, personal amount. There were canisters of hashish oil, enough for the duration of her stay (she was playing in a Russian league in her off season, so her trip was not a couple of days in length).

[Adami]

Less than a gram of hashish oil in a vape cartridge is what every source I’ve seen said.

[Adami]

Yea, .702 grams between two containers. One with .252 grams and one with .45 grams.


Is that a lot? Not sure. No idea about hash oil. Maybe it’s a whole lot and just sounds like a little.

[Stadler]

You would think her agent or herself would know better. I have to believe she knew it and threw caution in the wind.

I don't know her, and I am loathe to speculate on what someone thinks, but this is part and parcel with a LOT of what I write here: we - Americans - are growing this conception - a MISconception, mind you - that we are above the law.  I don't like a law? Fuck it, I'll fight (read: whine) about it later.  We have an entire thread on this here; weed has taken on a mythology of sorts.   People smoking openly on the streets in advance of the laws ACTUALLY being passed, daring law enforcement to act.  The move to expunge the record of many, many people WHO KNEW THEY WERE BREAKING THE LAW WHEN THEY DID IT.

She's a unicorn of sorts; she's a 6'9" female African American married lesbian playing an international sport at a high level.  She's been breaking convention for years, in many ways in a good way (this is not an indictment) but in some ways not (she famously was involved in a public domestic violence incident with her previous partner).  It's not a stretch to think that this wasn't a major concern for her.

I'm with Dave in the sense that it's arrogant and presumptuous to assume that we can go anywhere in the world and just expect to get the same luxuries - luxuries that so many here bitch and complain about, mind you - everywhere.  We DO live in an exceptional country in many ways, but that forest seems to be forgotten amongst the trees we address each day.

[Stadler]

Japan has really strict drug laws as well.  If she was detained in Japan rather than Russia, is this still a story?

Ask Paul McCartney.

[King Postwhore]

You would think her agent or herself would know better. I have to believe she knew it and threw caution in the wind.

I don't know her, and I am loathe to speculate on what someone thinks, but this is part and parcel with a LOT of what I write here: we - Americans - are growing this conception - a MISconception, mind you - that we are above the law.  I don't like a law? Fuck it, I'll fight (read: whine) about it later.  We have an entire thread on this here; weed has taken on a mythology of sorts.   People smoking openly on the streets in advance of the laws ACTUALLY being passed, daring law enforcement to act.  The move to expunge the record of many, many people WHO KNEW THEY WERE BREAKING THE LAW WHEN THEY DID IT.

She's a unicorn of sorts; she's a 6'9" female African American married lesbian playing an international sport at a high level.  She's been breaking convention for years, in many ways in a good way (this is not an indictment) but in some ways not (she famously was involved in a public domestic violence incident with her previous partner).  It's not a stretch to think that this wasn't a major concern for her.

I'm with Dave in the sense that it's arrogant and presumptuous to assume that we can go anywhere in the world and just expect to get the same luxuries - luxuries that so many here bitch and complain about, mind you - everywhere.  We DO live in an exceptional country in many ways, but that forest seems to be forgotten amongst the trees we address each day.

I also believe in her head, she can't go without it either.  It's always a confluence of reasons. 

[TAC]

Had she stated whether or not she had brought the stuff with her before into Russia before?

[KevShmev]

I want to smack the next person who plays the "she only had to go to Russia to play basketball because we don't pay her enough here" card.  Does anyone watch the WNBA?  I would love it if someone saying that crap had someone immediately ask them to name their 10 favorite WNBA players on the spot (meaning, they cannot go google it and find out names). I would bet my yearly salary that 95% of them wouldn't be able to do it.