“Merchant of Death” trade for basketball player.

**Sam** · 12-09-22, 10:57

Hell no.

**Waylander** · 12-09-22, 11:39

Originally Posted by SteyrAUG

Stand by for book deals, a feature film, endless tv appearances, magazine covers and whatever hero awards they are handing out to SJW types these days. They will probably invent a Courage Award since they can't give her a MoH. Possibly all culminating in a Nobel Peace Prize for some kind of nonsense.

Meanwhile Paul Whelan...still in Russia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...s-paul-whelan/

I don’t know what’s the most sad.

a) The farce woke liberals use pretending to care about someone like Griner only for scoring political points.
b) The willing pawns like her/him used in situations like this.
c) The people that fall for a and b.
d) The race and LGBTQxxxx hustlers that use it to excite people in category c.

**FromMyColdDeadHand** · 12-09-22, 16:03

Originally Posted by AndyLate

The Paul Whelan story is crazy in and of itself. In my opinion calling someone who received a BCD for theft a Marine is an insult to millions of Marines who served our country honorably.

Andy

I saw that too. It doesn’t seem to be mentioned much- and how did he get a job in corp security (BorgWarner?) with that kind of record?

Interesting in Twitter the left is all about how:
Trump got 5000 Taliban released but not Griner
Biden got another Marine released earlier this year(?). Don’t remember that.
That Taylor-Greene “Voted against” getting that earlier marine released. (She forced the house to have a roll call vote on everything because she was mad about something Biden/COVID related, and slowed things down. I have a hard time believing that she actually voted against getting the kid back).
Ted Cruz didn’t help the family at all of that earlier marine?

I firmly believe that the people on the left have NO idea how to ‘negotiate’ based on the statements that they are making about this trade.

If I had a loved one kidnapped by the Russians like this, it would be really hard not to play some of my own international politics and take some Russian oligharc or diplomat ‘prisoner’ for complicity in a terroristic regime.

**DG23** · 12-09-22, 19:33

Originally Posted by SteyrAUG

I'd almost be inclined to hand over "merchant of death" guy if Russia PROMISED to never return drug using bball player.

This times ten.

**glocktogo** · 12-09-22, 20:12

Originally Posted by Waylander

I don’t know what’s the most sad.

a) The farce woke liberals use pretending to care about someone like Griner only for scoring political points.
b) The willing pawns like her/him used in situations like this.
c) The people that fall for a and b.
d) The race and LGBTQxxxx hustlers that use it to excite people in category c.

All I want for Christmas, is a sports reporter on video asking Griner “How do you feel about putting the Merchant of Death back in business, because you couldn’t be bothered to leave your hash pipe at home?”

Originally Posted by FromMyColdDeadHand

I saw that too. It doesn’t seem to be mentioned much- and how did he get a job in corp security (BorgWarner?) with that kind of record?

Interesting in Twitter the left is all about how:
Trump got 5000 Taliban released but not Griner
Biden got another Marine released earlier this year(?). Don’t remember that.
That Taylor-Greene “Voted against” getting that earlier marine released. (She forced the house to have a roll call vote on everything because she was mad about something Biden/COVID related, and slowed things down. I have a hard time believing that she actually voted against getting the kid back).
Ted Cruz didn’t help the family at all of that earlier marine?

I firmly believe that the people on the left have NO idea how to ‘negotiate’ based on the statements that they are making about this trade.

If I had a loved one kidnapped by the Russians like this, it would be really hard not to play some of my own international politics and take some Russian oligharc or diplomat ‘prisoner’ for complicity in a terroristic regime.

The Whelan background is weird. I did a bit (not a lot) of research. He’s from Canada and holds citizenship in Canada, the US, UK and Ireland. He’s well travelled both professionally and personally. He was apparently LE at several US agencies, joined the Marine reserves in 1994, then IT manager for Kelly Services (temp agency which includes Kelly Government Services). He took leave from Kelly 2003-2008 to do his Marine thing full time?

While on deployment in Iraq, he was an E-6 “admin clerk” in the 3rd Marine Air Wing, when he was charged and convicted for attempted theft of $10k from the government (doesn’t specify cash or property), check kiting, using someone else’s SSN, dereliction of duty, false statement, etc. For that he was busted to E-4, given 60 days restriction and a Big Chicken Dinner. That seems light considering the charges IMO?

Here’s the weird part. AFTER he was given the BCD, he becomes “Senior Manager of Global Security Operations” for Kelly Services, then ultimately the “Director of Global Security and Investigations” for BorgWarner (which also has DoD contracts) when he was nabbed in Russia.

Does anyone else find it strange how a beat cop turned IT manager turned enlisted reservist “admin clerk”, became the head of security for two .gov connected global corporations AFTER getting a BCD? I tend to see why Russia might suspect him of being a spy!

**Todd.K** · 12-09-22, 23:59

Originally Posted by FromMyColdDeadHand

If I had a loved one kidnapped by the Russians like this...

What? She traveled to Russia not Portland, with drugs.

**SteyrAUG** · 12-10-22, 00:53

Originally Posted by Todd.K

What? She traveled to Russia not Portland, with drugs.

Can't believe it even needs to be said.

**Waylander** · 12-10-22, 11:55

It appears the two could’ve actually shaken hands at the swap but in the video it was edited out. Now that’s some great optics!

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahba...lease-n2616957