Viktor Bout: Man in the dock

[deselby]

It's not just the Sharjah airport, there's all kinds of sketchy AN-12 flying out of the RAK (Ras al Khaima) airport going to strange 3rd world destinations. You can drive pretty close to the cargo parking area at RAK and see them. It's almost all ex-Soviet bloc cargo planes but you will see all kinds of old stuff that's been kicking around Africa for a long time, cargo converted DC-8, 727-200, 737-200, 707, 747-100, etc...

The tail numbers are frequently Ukrainian, Russian, Moldovan, etc.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=25.61061 ... &t=h&hl=en

Fujairah airport is also full of Cubs and Candids (for those who remember the NATO names). No Cocks, though.

[realrescue3]

Duh.... geniueses

[deselby]

Video of Bout arriving in NY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m_e4oiJDwQ&feature=channel

I never thought it would happen.

[Texas Carnie Roadshow]

there's a character in one of web griffin's series of novels that seems based on bout.

Y'know, I was just thinking about poor old Alex, and his desire for good pancake batter.

[snaark]

World's most notorious arms dealer for basketball player. Seems like a fair trade.

[The Turd Polisher]

World's most notorious Russian arms dealer for American black lesbian basketball player. Seems like a fair trade.

fixed that for you

[snaark]

I didn't want to go there. More to the point she's a basketball player who apparently thinks taking cannabis oil through an airport in a hostile country is a good idea. There are plenty of westerners in prisons or on death row in SE Asia for the same thing. But sure, trade her for a hardcore war criminal, because votes.

[Kurt]

I didn't want to go there. More to the point she's a basketball player who apparently thinks taking cannabis oil through an airport in a hostile country is a good idea. There are plenty of westerners in prisons or on death row in SE Asia for the same thing. But sure, trade her for a hardcore war criminal, because votes.

The "Problem" is it is legal so many places so it is not a matter of saying "This is a good idea to bring a used THC cartridge to Russia" but rather "Holy shit, That's still in my bag?!"

I was *pinches fingers* this close to bringing an old 100mg Cheeba Chew into Greece when I switched wallets and forgot about the Cheeba Chew I had left in that wallet back in 2017.

So I get it. But the warning is if you use, search your bags and clothes twice. I also Lysol the inside of my bags just in case sniffing dogs are used and can convict based on residue.

[seektravelinfo]

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012 ... iktor-bout

This article from 2014 seems to be a good primer on “the merchant of death”. The Russian Milo Minderbender, he was a regular import-export guy until he figured out he could make big bank on weapons. He even sold to the Americans for the Iraq war, not weapons but food and supplies. We had Dick Cheney and Halliburton for the weapons.

He probably won’t be selling and delivering war weapons again. I doubt he has the stomach for it anymore and he’s certainly lost his anonymity that I suppose would be needed to drive such ventures. It’s said that he’s amoral. That’s about right, but then, free-market capitalism, baby.

Merchant of death? There are dozens of them. He just happened to be too good at it and got caught.

The conservatives are all in a hysteria now about Britney Griner being freed, blaming “wokeness” of course, harping on the fact that she’s a Black lesbian. The irony of her THC vape possession is that I wouldn’t be able to access the same had it not been for Republican businessmen. When John Boehner left Congress and his Speaker of the House position he got busy in Ohio developing the marijuana industry.

[Kurt]

It's weird but not surprising.

The Post has an article basically saying how cushy Griner has it in the US with her big house worth $900,000 and compared to her digs in a Russian Prison.

https://nypost.com/2022/12/08/brittney- ... zona-home/

Basically it says "world famous athlete returns to basic-ass middle class house"

When I was in jail 35 years ago I slept on a gym mat that was designed so it could not be set on fire. I really enjoyed returning to my dorm room that had an actual mattress, so of course she is gonna "sleep great"

There seems to be quite a bit of contempt for her that is barely underneath the surface. If LeBron James got caught with a used 510 cartridge he would have just been able to bribe his way out of it before it became a story, but someone with a house worth $900k had to get put in the pokey and now they are like "ooohh...Miss fancy black lesbian pro athelete who makes as much as an accountant in Phoenix is returing to her basic ass house that is still nicer than what 80% of Americans live in"

Wonder why Trump could not get Whelan released? Most likely the Russians are negotiating for someone who actually worked as their state agent to get released. Bout is a Ukrainian Tadjik resident of the UAE, who worked for the Russians but is not a "Spy". They will want to trade Spy for Spy.

[Alphabet]

I wouldn't go crying any tears over Whelan. He's a major POS.

[Kurt]

I wouldn't go crying any tears over Whelan. He's a major POS.

I won't doubt that.

But in order for US citizenship to have value overseas we gotta retrieve idiots and some skeezballs sometimes.

Especially since Jimmy Carter is too old to travel.

[Alphabet]

I wouldn't go crying any tears over Whelan. He's a major POS.

I won't doubt that.

But in order for US citizenship to have value overseas we gotta retrieve idiots and some skeezballs sometimes.

Especially since Jimmy Carter is too old to travel.

I mean, I get that, but how often does it actually happen for us nobodies? I doubt that much.

The whole situation is a weird assortment of thoughts and opinions for me.

I literally give zero fucks about Griner. Don't care what sex Gringer sees itself as, Griner's politics...zilch. On one hand, I'm like, fuck yes America. It's a fucking plant and thanks for once doing your fucking job that we pay you to do. On the other hand, I'm like..your dumbass out to have known better.

I learned that lesson the hard way (of sorts) by having a loose round in a backpack the TSA found. I had no idea it was there. After some hours of being talked to, I got let go, but a month later I got a nastygram from them, and a fine of $2500. Now, I strip every single piece of luggage before I pack.

Whelan on the other hand was a convicted criminal before he went to Russia, and did spy things. Demoted from e6 to e4 for being a thieving piece of shit, further demoted to e1 and got a Big Chicken Dinner out of the USMC. How he got a corporate security gig after that, and having 4 legit passports, is either some grossly incompetent employer, being really good at forging documents and covering your tracks, or being a CIA asset.

I'm going with number 3, Alex. So, fuck him.

[Kurt]

A lot of cosplayers used to hang in Eastern Europe back in the day. Cheap booze and women who thought they were "exotic"

But imagine if it was LeBron that had 1/2 of a 510 cart on him. Whomever found that in Russia would have won the fucking Lottery.

Regular jackoffs don't get shit unless they go into North Korea. Cuba is another good place to be a regular jackoff in trouble too.

I know two BFCers whom I liked and a third one I hate who got off easy in Cuba because the Cuban Government did not want to deal with anything.

[Alphabet]

I know two BFCers whom I liked and a third one I hate who got off easy in Cuba because the Cuban Government did not want to deal with anything.

So "Locked Up Abroad" lied to me? Oof. I need to reevaluate my life. :)