While there is continual suffering in the world due to war, famine and other inequalities, the dominance of athletes blasting from news headlines is deafening.  In that light, whether the outrageous salaries of basketball players, entertainers or low taxed billionaires justify front page news coverage or not is debatable. The fact that women’s basketball star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for an alleged drug violation to which she has now pleaded guilty is sad given that having played the game in Russia for a few years to up her compensation means she should have known the law.

Why do some athletes and entertainers who are given role model status think it is OK to smoke pot or do other illegal drugs that don’t necessarily enhance one’s performance, thinking it is OK to break the law? Why do public figures so often think their status exempts them from laws that affect others, whether Hunter Biden or Donald Trump? Why do U.S. citizens play the role of “the Ugly American” in disregarding the laws, culture and moral status of other nations while residing or visiting there?

Why should this nation consider trading its foreign prisoners who have killed, maimed and plotted to overthrow our government and have a history of returning to the same type of activities when sent back to their own nations?

Though one might empathize with the plight of Brittney Griner, whose detainment for a drug charge that in her homeland might be considered minor, the potential for harsher sentencing abroad is worrisome — truly a case can be made that ignorance of the law is no excuse for what was done.  A bigger question is whether it is wrongful detainment for a government to imprison those who break their laws that would also apply to those visiting here.  Does using pot warrant an exchange for the likes of those who are henchmen of death and destruction?

This nation is besieged by inflation, overrun by illegal immigration from our own borders, imploding from citizen violence directed at its institutions as well as individuals and drowning in a bailout mentality to exempt people from their personal responsibilities as citizens, parents and workers who feel it is incumbent on them to pick and choose which laws and obligations they honor.

Enough already!

Give us a break and hold people accountable for their actions with an expectation that bowing to the monetary gods should not give one a pass.

Ada M. Fisher is a physician who was a medical director in a Fortune 500 company, previous member of a county board of education, licensed secondary education teacher, former NC Republican National Committeewoman (2012-2020) and author.