I’m not trying to earn anybody’s respect, I’m just giving my opinion. I don’t participate in group-think. You can have a different opinion, that’s fine. Somebody might present new information or come up with a thought I didn’t think of that can change my stance. It’s happened before. However, the points you’ve made here haven’t swayed mine.
I think you’re dismissing the problem of dealing with tyrannical governments and the trade off taken place. This man’s release could cause far more damage than what’s being done to one person/family. Do you understand how many more people this might kill as a result? I don’t, but it shouldn’t be taken lightly. And what about the guy that has been there for 4 years accused of espionage? Why wasn’t he first in line to come home? Seems like favoritism for a celebrity over an ordinary citizen. I realize it really sucks for Griner and her family. I’m sympathetic towards that. However, I’m very concerned about the fallout. You have to put yourself in the mindset of these rogue regimes. The truth is when we bend over backwards to get a citizen home it incentivizes them to detain future citizens. We are rewarding them for their unethical behavior and that’s just a fact. I also don’t think we should dismiss that Griner did something illegal (I don’t think it should be illegal, but it is) and people need to realize that the consequences of doing things varies from country to country. Now, was she overcharged? Of course. Almost certainly for being an American too. However, people need to know that when they go to unfriendly countries they will try to throw the book at them if they do anything wrong. Some countries like North Korea will completely make shit up out of thin air.