I have more sympathy for Ashley Babitt in the incarcerated January 6th protesters than I do for Brittany Griner.

I say that because I'm not shocked or surprised that Russia would make an American citizen a political prisoner.

It's exactly what my schoolteachers told me Russia did.

I naively expected more from our criminal justice system.

Welcome to Fearless with Jason Whitlock. I am Jason Whitlock. Happy Wednesday to you and yours. It is hump day.

And boy do we have a great show planned for you. Royce White is going to be here. Delano Squires is going to be here.

Shemekam-Shelmaus Torrey. Tennessee Harmony with Pastor Anthony Walker. Fabulous show.

But I'm not sure anything's going to top this fire. I'm about to start. I just gave you a little taste of it.

I just get right into it. I grew up believing America's imperfect criminal justice system was the fairest in the world.

My schoolteachers taught me that as a child. They warned that America's primary rival, the Soviet Union slash Russia,

practiced a cleverly disguised system of oppression and corruption in which citizens were powerless against government forces.

They said American citizenship was a privilege that people in other countries would do virtually anything to enjoy our rights and freedom.

Popular culture reinforced the narratives I learned in school. I'll never forget the first time I watched the 1978 movie Midnight Express.

In adaptation of the life of Billy Hayes, an American vacationing in Turkey, Turkish police captured Billy Hayes at the airport in possession of two kilograms of hash.

He sentenced to four years in prison for possession. Shortly before his release, the prosecutor changed his billy's conviction to smuggling and he's sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Billy is beaten and raped in prison. The food is terrible. I took notice. I remember making a mental note that I did not ever want to break the law in a foreign country.

Years later, I watched the 1999 movie Broken Down Palace. It was a fictional movie about two American girls vacationing in Thailand.

A slick Australian man tricked them into smuggling heroin. Thai police captured the ladies at the airport.

Their sentence to 33 years in prison. A corrupt prosecutor later adds 15 more years to their sentence.

Broken Down Palace reinforced my commitment to never break the law while traveling abroad. I bring all this up to make a point about Brittany Griner, the WNBA player, jailed in Russia for possessing a small amount of hashish at a Russian airport.

She's suffering in a woke down palace. I don't make the reference to vilified Griner. Who knows if she really broke the law. I certainly don't.

I bring it up to say I'm not remotely surprised the Russian government is dealing with her in a potentially corrupt way. I expected.

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