Punishing innocent people for the crimes of a dictator is illiberal and counterproductive. Yet, Representative Eric Swalwell, best known for being the victim of a Chicom honey pot, suggests “kicking every Russian student out of the United States.” Does that include Alexei Navalny’s daughter who goes to Stanford? The vast majority of Russian students aren’t the kids of oligarchs. Does Swalwell know how many Russian students start promising companies and end up becoming American citizens? Would Swalwell suggest ejecting every Chinese national that goes to Cal State in his district? Because that too is a tyrannical government that runs internment camps, engages in ethnic cleansing, occupies countries, and subjugates its own people.
This isn’t exactly a mainstream position, but hockey legend Dominik Hasek also recently argued that the National Hockey League should “immediately” suspend the contracts for all Russian players. “Every athlete represents not only himself and his club, but also his country and its values and actions.” A young Russian athlete from Yaroslavl or Novosibirsk playing for the Anaheim Ducks or the Seattle Kraken doesn’t represent the policies of Putin any more than an exchange student from Iran would represent the policies of the Mullahs. For another thing, Russian hockey players such as Artemi Panarin have spoken out against Putin. Others have family in Russia that they’re rightfully worried about. Even if they do support Putin, however, we don’t punish people for their opinions or their ethnicity in the United States. It’s hysterical. I mean, we now have local businesses pouring out Smirnoff vodka that’s made in America because it has Russian origins. What’s next, burning Dostoevsky and demanding Spotify deplatform Shostakovich?