Sunday, July 31: The Fate of Brittney Griner
As talking heads debate tactics, Griner remains locked up abroad
As we roll past July and into August, it’s been nearly five months of captivity for the WNBA star. As announced earlier this week, the Biden administration is considering a prisoner swap to secure Griner’s freedom. This article lays out the argument of why an exchange of captives makes sense, focusing on the end result of freeing an innocent woman. Despite the fact that the Russian prisoner, Viktor Bout, stands accused of far more serious crimes than carrying vape cartridges, the focus should be on getting Griner home as soon as possible, by any means necessary.
However, not every solution is based in compassion. This article makes the argument that those in power are “misguided and naive” if they believe in making a swap between a famous basketball player and an accused war criminal. The core sentiment here is “we must not negotiate with terrorists”, something the protagonist always says in the movies, right before they suffer some terrible cataclysmic event. Regardless of your stance on prisoner exchanges or hostage negotiations, if Biden can secure the freedom of an innocent person, I believe he has a responsibility to do so. But who are we kidding, it’s Joey Robinette we’re talking about.
Side Items
After flaunting his quick return to work, Ol’ Joey tested positive for Covid again, proving the virus has a sense of humor and isn’t quite done with this 79 year old yet
An assault weapons ban was passed by congress earlier this week, but it’s not likely to go anywhere in the senate…checks and balances am I right??
Really great interactive journalism analyzing climate justice in the island nation of Barbados, home of our queen Robyn Rihanna Fenty