Pollard's lawyers seek review on sentence

Penn Live ^ | 1/15/04 | Hope Yen

[Redbob]

I'm all for a review of his sentence:

Could we execute him?
Are volunteers needed for a firing squad?

[gaijin]

Exactly.

If we've discovered a way of executing him TWICE, well then, I'm all in favor of a careful re-assessment of his sentence.

Color me tolerant!

[Criminal Number 18F]

Boy, is this story full of spin. It's dead wrong on one fact and missing a few others:

• Pollard was paid from the get-go. He did it for the money.
• Israel was Pollard's third choice. He previously approached the Russians, who took the teaser of information he offered but decided he was under American control so did not offer him anything, and the Chinese, who were not prepared to pay him.
• Pollard was indeed offered a plea bargain, contingent on cooperation. He then was caught trying to mislead the damage-assessment team and was adjudged non-cooperative.
• Material that he gave to the Israelis wound up, either through Russian penetration of the Israeli services or [more likely] Israeli remarketing of the information, in Soviet/Russian hands where it posed a mortal threat to American lives.

In the final analysis, the man is a traitor and ought to have been executed. The Israelis are trying hard to ransom him or spring him with all these lawyers, as a means to encourage their other agents in the US military and intelligence agencies.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[RKV]

This is exactly the problem with life sentences (as opposed to executions). The convict has time to attempt to worm out of punishment. If they have a bankroll they can tie up the courts, and shop for a judge.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Could we execute him?

PLEASE! These wackos are currently fighting for terrorist rights to appeal! This topic NEEDS to be a part of their next national debate.

[truthandjustice1]

"as a means to encourage their other agents in the US military and intelligence agencies."

hmmmmmm

[RKV]

"where it posed a mortal threat to American lives" - as I recall it got some of our agents killed when the Israelis sold the info.

http://www.aci.net/kalliste/pollard_em.htm

[gaijin]

Good link. Pollard did first approach the Russians and Chinese with his wares, and was turned down. However, the link erroneously identifies the senior US admin official who directed at least some of Pollard's actions (and whose real identity remains secret to this day) as, "Mr. X".

Actually, this uknown agent was known as, "Mega".

[Dubya]

LOL. It would us tax payers a lot of money.

[Poohbah]

As a FReeper who supports Israel, I'm perfectly content to leave Pollard rot in prison.

[Poohbah]

Material that he gave to the Israelis wound up, either through Russian penetration of the Israeli services or [more likely] Israeli remarketing of the information, in Soviet/Russian hands where it posed a mortal threat to American lives.

IIRC, the man believed to be Pollard's katsa (controller or case officer) was arrested about a week after Pollard went to prison. He was spying for the Russians. He's been staying in the Israeli Graybar Resort ever since.

[Criminal Number 18F]

According to this Jack Anderson column, Pollard gave up a half-million pages of secrets, including:

• The 10-volume "jewel" of the NSA, its compendium "bible" of frequencies used by foreign military and intelligence services;

• American encryption codes and manuals;

• Spy satellite photos;

• Descriptions of covert intelligence programs;

• Soviet weapons designs;

• Targeting data and location of Soviet military facilities and missiles;

• Identities of undercover Mideast agents, possibly causing deaths;

• Technical assessments of radar and other military electronic equipment used by Israel's Arab neighbors.

Note that a number of those bits of information are of no practical use to Israel, but were priceless to the Soviet Union.

This selfless servant of world Jewry was paid thousands of dollars for each haul, cash on the barrelhead.

Anderson also repeats the allegation that the Israelis (specifically PM and former Stern Gang terrorist Yitzhak Shamir) remarketed some of this data to the Soviets, in return for concessions on Jewish emigration (needed to shore up Israel's weak demographics vis-a-vis the Palis).

If the Israelis want him that badly, they should be prepared to offer us something of equivalent value from their Russian pals' toybox. And thet should be prepared to receive him in pieces.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Poohbah]

90% of that material would never have been released to the US Navy (Pollard's employer). Methinks Jack sweetened the descriptions a bit (he's been known to...ahem...well, "enhance" his stories from time to time).

[Citizen Tom Paine]

The trouble with Pollard was that the info he stoled and subsequently sold ended up in Russian hands. Some speculate that it was given to them so that they would allow Russian Jews to continue to emigrate to Israel

I have no way of knowing what the information was, but it caused the United States to expend thousands if not tens of thousand of hours of technical and scientific effort to change what Pollard had revealed. The loss, literally, was immeasurable.

I agree that Pollard should have been executed. Since he wasn't, he should be kept securely locked away until he meets his maker and then receives a reward based on his merit.

[af_vet_1981]

The Israelis are trying hard to ransom him or spring him with all these lawyers, as a means to encourage their other agents in the US military and intelligence agencies.

Which Israelis are you referring to ?

Who do you think their other agents in the US military and intelligence agencies are ?

[af_vet_1981]

This selfless servant of world Jewry

Tell us all about your problems with the world's Jews. Too many, right ?

[af_vet_1981]

former Stern Gang terrorist Yitzhak Shamir

This type of language is typical of Islamic terrorists and their neoNazi confederates.

[Criminal Number 18F]

I recall it got some of our agents killed when the Israelis sold the info.

Hard to say. 1985 was "the year of the spy" and over 1985-86 a classified but very high number (closer to 100 than zero) of sources in the USSR and Soviet Bloc were recalled to Russia and, mostly, executed. By January 1987 we were down to bupkus in terms of practical human sources in that part of the world. Not all these sources were fully recruited agents (probably a distinction w/o a difference to the lay person).

There were also significant diminutions in take from technical operations in that period.

The question is, who died because of Pollard? In 1985 not just Pollard, but Edward Howard, Aldrich Ames, Ronald Pelton, Army Warrant Officer James Hall, air force gay blade Jeffrey Carney, and the John Walker syndicate all gave up significant data directly to Soviet handlers. Others such as Sharon Scranage gave the data to 3rd parties who passed it to their Soviet liaisons or handlers. Pelton, Hall and Carney mostly compromised technical operations, and Howard, Ames and Scranage mostly gave up human sources. Walker gave up code machinery which has consequences for all kinds of operations. There were other rings active during this period that targeted military information.

So... with all these traitors active, only the CIA and FBI have a prayer of figuring out which intelligence operation was compromised by which traitor. A better way of seeing it might be: we don't know if Pollard got anyone killed, but we know he might have done.

And we know he didn't care if he did.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[af_vet_1981]

former Stern Gang terrorist Yitzhak Shamir

ya sayyid, Who taught you to hate Israelis and Jews like this ? Fi ai bilad darastaha ?