Was It Right?

Brittany Griner was freed from a Russian detention camp. Rather, her freedom was
achieved via trade for Russian arms dealer Victor Bout. After months of alienation from American Home
soil bring a grinder arrived returned to the same Nation that pondered the Justice and veracity of her
sentence. The sky is over America is still blue if you’re lucky. Grass is green. And we still can’t agree on
one thing- Was it right to make the trade?
Imagine being changed in a foreign Nation for an offense so minor that has been decriminalized at
home. Imagine the prospect of being locked away for 10 years. Imagine that your profession garnered
you public attention in the prime of your life, and now you are facing fourth retirement and decay into
obscurity. Imagine how time would pass for your loved ones. Would they still think about you? With the
thought of your circumstance causing pain? Imagine being freed, only to return to the same bigoted and
divided nation that cause you to go overseas to receive fair pay and treatment.
I know that I wrote an article where I justified punishing Brittney Griner. And I stand by that, but a
decade. Not prison. The fact that it is in question whether Brittney Griner should have been freed or not
be a trade for Victor Bout is an offensive question. Is it not the right of every American citizen to be
free? We often say we will do whatever it takes to achieve the secure and safe return of American
citizens on stage where they are being held captive overseas. Now for Russia, yes one of their citizens
has returned home. They traded a basketball Superstar for a notorious arms dealer and terrorist. While
it is universal that the arms given in terrorist is a very bad man, his evil in this deeds should not
overshadow the value of life of anyone. Therefore the question should be: should we allow a terrorist to
go free. For the release of this magnitude, can we get more? What about the safe return of Paul
Whelan.
Detaining Victor Bout is only removing one cog in a machine trying to achieve peace. He is a famous
arms dealer. But he is definitely not the only one. Will war, terror, and gun sales because of his
imprisonment. Absolutely not. Someone else can and did fill the void.
But Russia invaded Ukraine. How can the United States keep lines of communication open when Russia
is committing war atrocities. What would happen if the United States did his communicate with Russia?
Do you understand the effects of two superpowers not communicating with each other? Do you know
how that would affect oil prices which America loves? Can America handle a war at home? A battle
hasn't been fought on American soil since the Civil war.
Rather than appreciating the safe return of an American citizen, people ask if it was right. Instead of
debating the decision, why not question the institutions and structure that led a basketball player to
seek fair pay overseas. Did she commit an infraction? Yes. When visiting another country, we must all
pay attention to the laws of the destination country. Some things we think are legal because they are
legal at home may not be. The only tragedy here is that Paul is detained. To ask if it is okay to free
someone from excessive and prison is a question that has plagued American history for centuries.
America said it will do whatever it takes to bring one of hers home and it did. Well done.