The US State Department has declared a US citizen who has been imprisoned in Russia for three years on drug smuggling charges is “wrongfully detained.” Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Butler County, PA, was arrested in August 2021 as he returned to Russia for his tenth year teaching there. Fogel had 17 grams of cannabis, which he alleges was obtained by prescription for treating chronic back pain. The Russians looked at it as drug possession and smuggling. They had a point.
He’d packed 14 vape cartridges of medical marijuana into his suitcase, stuffing some in his shoes, and placed some cannabis buds in a contact lens case, his wife said. Jane said she had no idea he’d done it. But why take such a risk?
“It’s pretty simple,” his son Ethan said of his father’s plan to bring medical marijuana into Russia. “He thought he could get away with it.”
(Thanks for the support, son.)
That escapade resulted in the globetrotting expatriate drawing a 14-year prison sentence.
Fogel was not included in the December 2022 US-Russia prisoner swap involving WNBA player Brittney Griner, but Marc Fogel was; see BREAKING: Brittney Griner Released From Russian Prison After Controversial Prisoner Swap.
In August 2024, another prisoner swap between Russia and the US freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva (BREAKING: Russia Releases Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan As Part of Massive Prisoner Exchange), but not Marc Fogel; see ‘Gut Wrenching’: Family of Marc Fogel, Who Biden ‘Left Behind’ in Russia, Blasts Prisoner Swap Deal. That last deal included British-Russian dual national political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who, according to the State Department, “was not determined by this department to be wrongfully detained, but yet we were still able to secure his release last week.” […]
— Read More: redstate.com
Why One Survival Food Company Shines Above the Rest
Let’s be real. “Prepper Food” or “Survival Food” is generally awful. The vast majority of companies that push their cans, bags, or buckets desperately hope that their customers never try them and stick them in the closet or pantry instead. Why? Because if the first time they try them is after the crap hits the fan, they’ll be too shaken to call and complain about the quality.
It’s true. Most long-term storage food is made with the cheapest possible ingredients with limited taste and even less nutritional value. This is why they tout calories so much. Sure, they provide calories but does anyone really want to go into the apocalypse with food their family can’t stand?
This is what prompted the Llewellyns to launch Heaven’s Harvest. They bought survival food from multiple companies and determined they couldn’t imagine being stuck in an extended emergency with such low-quality food. They quickly discovered that freeze drying food for long-term storage doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor, consistency, or nutrition.
Their ingredients are all-American. In fact, they’re locally sourced and all-natural! This allows their products to be the highest quality on the market, so good that their customers often break open a bag in a pinch to eat because they want to, not just because they have to due to an emergency.
At Heaven’s Harvest, their only focus is amazing food. They don’t sell bugout bags, solar chargers, or multitools. They have one mission – feeding Americans in times of crisis.
What they DO offer is the ability for people to thrive in times of greatest need. On top of long-term storage food, they offer seeds to help Americans for the truly long-term. They want them to grow their own food if possible which is why they offer only Heirloom, Non-GMO, Non-Hybrid, Open-Pollinated seeds so their customers can build permanent food security on their own property.
