Posted on 12/27/2013 11:47:49 AM PST by cll
United States Secretary of State John Kerry has offered Israel the release of Jonathan Pollard, Channel 10 News reported on Friday.
According to the report, Kerry’s offer was made as part of the discussions surrounding the upcoming planned release of 26 terrorists from Israeli jails as a “gesture” to Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Kol Yisrael radio, which also reported about Kerry’s offer, said it relates to the fourth stage of the terrorist release and is conditional upon Israel agreeing to release Israeli Arabs who have committed acts of terrorism.
Israeli officials were quoted by both outlets as having said that they believe the idea has not been cleared with President Barack Obama and as such were doubtful that the offer would actually be implemented.
Pollard’s release has been tied in the past week with recent revelations by documents leaked by Edward Snowden that the United States conducted surveillance on Israeli leaders.
(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...
Here’s a “short list” of some people saying that the sentence is disproportionate for the crime and he should be released.
They all say - “Now is the time to free Jonathan Pollard.”
Lawrence J Korb
Former US Assistant Secretary of State
Senator Allen K Simpson
Co-chair of the Presidents Economic Commission
Senator Dennis DeConcini
Former Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee
Bernard W Nussbaum
Former White House Council
Michael B Muckasey
Former US Attorney General
George P Shultz
Former US Secretary of State
Henry A Kissinger
Former US Secretary of State
R James Woolsey
Former CIA Director
That’s just the short list. The long list gets a heck of a lot longer.
Here’s what one of them said ...
Mukasey: Commute Pollard’s sentence to time served
http://www.jpost.com/International/Mukasey-Commute-Pollards-sentence-to-time-served
Former US A-G sends letter to Obama, says agent didn’t have motive to harm US; Pollard in poor health; not yet informed of PM’s request.
Former US attorney-general Michael Mukasey sent a letter to US President Barack Obama, released Wednesday, calling for Jonathan Pollard’s sentence to be commuted to time served: “[Pollard] has not been alleged by anyone to have had any motive to harm the United States. In these circumstances, a life sentence can only be considered utterly disproportionate to the crime,” the letter read.
“I had occasion myself to consider life sentences, and indeed to impose them. In more than 18 years on the bench, I imposed such sentences on four defendants,” Mukasey said.
-— -— -— -— -—
Here’s the full quote for what he said ...
In more than 18 years on the bench, I imposed such sentences on four defendants. Two of them committed and ordered multiple murders, often under circumstances of great cruelty. The other two were convicted in a terrorism prosecution, one having committed murder with his own hand and plotted further killing, the other having provided the theological justification that he knew would be, and in fact was, taken as the order by others to commit multiple murders. Pollard’s offense does not nearly approach any of those.
Incorrect. Most of that bunch agreed with the original sentence and are just getting soft in their old age.
After Pollard violated his plea agreement and attempted to run a PR campaign to get himself clemency....he was doomed.
He also stopped cooperating with the government, violating his plea deal.
He practically guaranteed his life sentence.
You probably missed this list from above ... :-) ...
DIRECTOR OF THE JEWISH AGENCY AND FORMER PRISONER OF ZION, NATAN SHARANSKY:
“The time has come to vigorously and loudly demand his freedom. Twenty-six years is more than enough.” See Jewish Agency For Israel press release.
US FORMER VICE PRESIDENT DAN QUAYLE:
“[A] life sentence for the crime committed is very extreme...I join [many others] in urging a commutation of [Pollard’s] sentence.” See letter.
FORMER CIA DIRECTOR JAMES WOOLSEY:
“[It was clear] 5 years ago that the punishment quite clearly was excessive. It is time for [Jonathan Pollard] to be released...and there should not be any quid pro quo.” See article and video.
FORMER WHITE HOUSE LEGAL COUNSEL BERNARD NUSSBAUM:
“I extensively reviewed the Pollard file... [T]he time has come for Jonathan Pollard’s sentence to be commuted...[A] failure at this time to commute his sentence...would be a miscarriage of justice.” See article and letter.
FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR & PRES. CANDIDATE MIKE HUCKABEE:
“He has served an extraordinary length of time... it would seem now to be a matter of goodwill and a good faith gesture...for the president to release him. [Freeing Pollard] would send the right message to the rest of the world that America is not pulling back on its friendship and relationship with Israel but it is accelerating it and making sure that we are taking every step possible to solidify those bonds.” See article and videos by Arutz7 and JPost.
HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIANS AND JEWS, RABBI YECHIEL ECKSTEIN:
“Mr. Pollard’s punishment is severely unbalanced...and an excessive miscarriage of justice. Mr. Pollard is now in poor health... I beseech you now to commute Mr. Pollard’s sentence to the 25 long years he has already served.” See letter.
FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE GEORGE SCHULTZ:
“Jonathan Pollard has now paid a huge price for his espionage on behalf of Israel and should be released from prison.” See PDF.
FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL MICHAEL MUKASEY:
“In more than 18 years on the bench, I imposed [life] sentences on four defendants. [Murderers and terrorists]. Pollard’s offense does not nearly approach any of those....Pollard has suffered confinement well beyond the severity of what he did.” See PDF.
FORMER U.S. SENATE SELECT INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN DENNIS DECONCINI:
I believe commuting his sentence to time served is the right and compassionate thing to do.” See PDF.
“Pollard has been sufficiently punished, and it is unjust for him to serve any more time in prison.” See PDF.
FORMER U.S. DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY LAWRENCE KORB:
“[T]he severity of Pollard’s sentence is a result of an almost visceral dislike of Israel and the special place it occupies in our foreign policy on the part of my boss at the time, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.” See PDF.
FORMER U.S. NAVY CRYPTOLOGIST AND DAMAGE ASSESSOR MAJOR DONALD LEVY:
“My recollection matches those of Senator Dennis DeConcini, Dr. Lawrence Korb and Mr. R. James Woolsey, all of whom have suggested Secretary of Defense Weinberger seriously inflated the assessment of the damage done by Pollard in his report to Judge Aubrey Eugene Robinson, who presided over Pollard’s case.” See PDF.
FORMER U.S SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CASPAR WEINBERGER:
“[T]he Pollard matter was comparatively minor. It was made far bigger than its actual importance.” See article.
FORMER DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL PHILLIP HEYMANN:
“[H]is sentence was entirely out of line with others engaging in similar behavior and it was made less-than-legitimate by a treacherous recommendation of the then Secretary of Defense. There is no evidence that Pollard intended to harm the United States or help its enemies.” See PDF.
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S MENTOR AND FRIEND: HARVARD LAW SCHOOL PROFESSOR CHARLES OGLETREE:
“I hope the president grants the wishes of many who have supported a pardon for Mr. Pollard.” See article.
GARY BAUER, REPUBLICAN CONSERVATIVE LEADER:
“[I]t is patently clear that Mr. Pollard’s sentence is severely disproportionate and (as several federal judges have noted) a gross miscarriage of justice... Commuting his sentence to time served would be a wholly appropriate exercise of your power of clemency — as well as a matter of basic compassion and American justice.” See PDF.
39 U.S. CONGRESSMEN:
[T]here has been a great disparity from the standpoint of justice between the amount of time Mr. Pollard has served and the time that has been served - or not served at all - by many others who were found guilty of similar activity on behalf of nations adversarial to us, unlike Israel... [The more than] twenty-five years that Mr. Pollard has served stands as a sufficient time from the standpoint of either punishment or deterrence. See PDF.
OVER 500 RELIGIOUS AND COMMUNAL LEADERS:
“[I]t is patently clear that Pollard’s sentence was and remains terribly disproportionate and constitutes a gross miscarriage of justice.”
“After more than two and a half decades in prison, Mr. Pollard’s health is declining. He has repeatedly expressed remorse for his actions, and by all accounts has served as a model inmate. .. Commuting his sentence to time served would be a wholly appropriate exercise of your power of clemency - as well as a matter of basic fairness and American justice.” See letter.
DENNIS ROSS, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA:
“I was in favor of Pollard’s release, believing that he had received a harsher sentence than others who had committed comparable crimes. I preferred not tying his release to any agreement, but if that was what we were going to do, then I favored saving it for permanent status.” See book excerpt.
APPELLATE COURT JUSTICE STEPHEN WILLIAMS:
The life sentence meted out to Pollard as a result of a breached plea agreement represents “a fundamental miscarriage of justice.” See item.
RUDOLPH GIULIANI, FORMER MAYOR OF NY, AND FORMER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL:
“...I have seen the documents — his sentence is way beyond the sentence served by other people that have been convicted of the same offense.” See article.
SENATOR CHARLES SCHUMER:
“[T]he lifetime sentence imposed on Mr. Pollard is unduly severe and inconsistent with the sentences awarded to other Americans convicted of similar offenses. Indeed, Mr. Pollard’s sentence is harsher than the sentences meted out to individuals convicted of spying for enemy countries and is the harshest sentence in United States history for the crime of spying for an allied country.” See text of letter.
BENJAMIN L. HOOKS, FORMER NAACP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
“I have rarely encountered a case in which government arbitrariness was so clear cut and inexcusable. One can argue that Mr. Pollard has been denied due process, given the fact that he was sentenced to life imprisonment without a trial by his peers. Indeed, a comparison of sentences given to individuals convicted of similar crimes demonstrates that Mr. Pollard was singled out for punishment in excess of what others have received, including individuals convicted of aiding our nation’s enemies. See letter.
GEORGE N. LEIGHTON, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE:
“[T]he evidence shows that the government engaged in serious misconduct that went unchecked by an ineffective defense counsel and ... these constitutional violations severely prejudiced Mr. Pollard, and resulted in his sentence of life in prison.” See item.
CONRESSMAN ANTHONY WEINER:
“After reviewing the facts of the case and receiving multiple classified briefings on this matter, I believe that [Jonathan Pollard] has served a sentence that far exceeds the appropriate term for the crimes he has committed. Mr. President, the time has come to free Jonathan Pollard.” See letter.
CONGRESSMEN BARNEY FRANK, BILL PASCRELL JR. ED TOWNS, AND ANTHONY WEINER:
“[T]he appeal for clemency is based on the vast disparity between Mr. Pollard’s sentence and the sentences given to many others who have been convicted of similar activities, even with countries that unlike Israel are or have been adversaries of the United States.
“We also note the positive impact that a grant of clemency would have in Israel, as a strong indication of the goodwill of our nation towards Israel and the Israeli people. This would be particularly helpful at a time when the Israeli nation faces difficult decisions in its long-standing effort to secure peace with its neighbors.” See letter.
RABBI CAPERS FUNNYE JR. (Relative of President Obama):
“I write to add my voice to the many voices that have appealed to you for clemency by commuting Jonathan Pollard’s sentence to time served.” See letter.
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT:
[Noting] that Mr. Weinberger stated... it was time that Mr. Pollard should be released; aware that Christian and Jewish organizations throughout the world have pleaded for the harsh sentence of life imprisonment to be commuted and that Judge Steve Williams wrote, in a dissenting opinion to an appellate court finding, that ‘the government’s conduct in this case resulted in a ‘complete miscarriage of justice’,
Urges the US Administration to commute Pollard’s sentence to one of time served and to release him immediately;
Calls on EPC to intercede with the US government with this end in view
See Resolution [Item J - B3-1251/93].
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU:
“At the time of his arrest, Jonathan Pollard was acting as an agent of the Israeli government. Both Mr. Pollard and the Government of Israel have repeatedly expressed remorse for these actions...”
“Jonathan Pollard has reportedly served longer in prison than any person convicted of similar crimes...and his health has deteriorated considerably.
“[T]he United States is a country based on fairness, justice and mercy. For all these reasons, I respectfully ask that you favorably consider this request for clemency for Jonathan Pollard.” See text.
NOAM SHALIT, FATHER OF ABDUCTED SOLDIER GILAD SHALIT
Equating Pollard with Israelis abducted by terrorists, Shalit said, “[The] time has come to free Pollard. We want all the prisoners, missing in action to return home.” See article.
19 FORMER SOVIET PRISONERS OF ZION
“We appeal to you on behalf of a Prisoner of Zion who has been imprisoned in your country for 26 years - Jonathan Pollard...Your silence worries us [Mr. President]. We, former Prisoners of Zion in Soviet Russia, know the danger of silence. We know the terrible suffering that comes with each passing day in prison. Therefore, we appeal to you with a heartfelt cry - end this Jewish prisoner’s prolonged and terrible ordeal!” See letter and article.
SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER
“Based on my experience as District Attorney of Philadelphia, Chairman of The Senate Judiciary Committee, Chairman of The Senate Intelligence Committee and my studies of incarceration, I believe Jonathan Pollard has served more than long enough...[S]pying is not an uncommon practice even between allies and friendly nations...Considering all the factors, in my judgment Jonathan Pollard should not have a life sentence...” See letter.
LEE HAMILTON, PRESIDENT’S FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE AND HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER; FORMER CONGRESSMAN:
“I do believe that [Jonathan Pollard] has served a disproportionately severe sentence and that he should be promptly released...Commuting his sentence is a matter of basic compassion and justice.” See letter.
RABBI MORDECHAI ELIYAHU zt”l, FORMER CHIEF RABBI OF ISRAEL AND RISHON LETZION:
“Not only is the case of Jonathan Pollard the mitzvah of Pidyan Shvuyim [the redemption of a captive], it is the highest form of the mitzvah; it is a case of Pidyan Shvuyim for one who was ‘mosser nefesh le’man Am Yisrael’(one who sacrificed himself for Am Yisrael). Jonathan Pollard not only risked his life for Israel, he has endured [26] years of affliction and mistreatment in American prisons for the sake of Am Yisrael...”[I]t is a compulsory Torah command for all of the nation of Israel, both in the land of Israel and in the Diaspora, to utilize every way to influence those who have the power to release him from prison and set him free.” See letter.
DR. HENRY KISSINGER, FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE AND NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER:
“[H]aving talked with George Shultz and read the statements of former CIA Director Woolsey, former Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman DeConcini, former Defense Secretary Weinberger, former Attorney General Mukasey and others whose judgments and first-hand knowledge I respect, I find their unanimous support for clemency compelling... I believe justice would be served by commuting the remainder of Pollard’s sentence of life imprisonment.” See letter.
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN, ARIZONA STATE SENATOR, AND FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:
“I support the release of Jonathan Pollard.” See article.
REVEREND PAT ROBERTSON, FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK AND WORLD RENOWN HOST OF THE 700 CLUB:
“Over the years I have joined hundreds of religious and political leaders, from both parties, seeking the release of Jonathan Pollard... I respectfully urge your administration to do the compassionate thing and commute the sentence of Jonathan Pollard to the time he has already served.” See letter.
CONGRESSMAN MICHAEL GRIMM, SITTING REP FOR STATEN ISLAND (R) AND FORMER FBI AGENT:
“I am working with many others in Washington to do everything we can to see that justice is done. Justice in this case would be to have Jonathan Pollard released from prison.” See video statement and article.
100 NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATORS:
“We write to urge you to use your constitutional power to extend clemency to Jonathan Pollard, thereby releasing him from prison after the time he has already served... We believe that there has been a great disparity from the standpoint of justice between the amount of time Mr. Pollard has served and the time that has been served -— or not served at all -— by many others who were found guilty of similar activity on behalf of nations that, like Israel, are not adversarial to us. It is indisputable in our view that the nearly twenty-six years that Mr. Pollard has served stands as a sufficient time from the standpoint of either punishment or deterrence.” See letter.
SENATOR ALAN SIMPSON, FORMER WYOMING SENATOR AND CURRENT CO-CHAIR OF PRESIDENT’S ECONOMIC COMMISSION:
“I join many other distinguished Americans to request that you exercise your power of clemency and commute Jonathan Pollard’s prison sentence to time served...
[I]t is patently clear that Mr. Pollard’s sentence is severely disproportionate and (as several federal judges have noted) a gross miscarriage of justice...After more than two decades in the harshest prison conditions, Mr. Pollard’s health is declining. He has repeatedly expressed remorse for his actions, and by all accounts has been a model prisoner...Commuting his sentence to time served would be a wholly appropriate exercise of your power of clemency - as well as a matter of basic compassion and American justice.” See letter.
No ... actually those listed in that short list do not disagree with Pollard having been sentenced and put in jail — but rather — they are saying that although they didn’t have a problem with the conviction, they do have a problem with the “amount of time served” thus far.
We only see the amount of time served by looking back in history. These people are now “looking back” to the amount of time served, and they are saying it is disproportionate to what Pollard did and disproportionate to others who have been in the same position and have been released long before this amount of time.
No I didn’t miss that list of people.
None of them had a problem with the original sentence. They are now emotional old men, getting soft and playing the compassion harp.
Doesn’t interest me.
They didn’t say that they had a problem with Pollard being originally imprisoned. Thus ... they are not changing their mind “in old age” ... LOL ...
No ... what they are saying is that the “time served thus far” — is disproportionate to others in similar circumstances - who have been let go a long time ago.
Comparing other sentences to Jonathan Pollard
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/sentences.htm
Your assertions are ineffectual, unless they are received by those who don’t investigate the facts of the case.
It is highly possible that weak emotional thinkers could be swayed by our arguments. I am not one of those.
Pollard did incalculable damage to US national security by SELLING info Israel and attempting to sell to both Pakistan and China. The Soviets were also contacted.
The information he gave related electronic technical national means of intelligence sources and methods and took the US several years to rebuild during the height of the Cod War.
I have several friends who worked in electronic signals intelligence and I can go on in more detail about the Israeli connection if you want to...the information that was given to the Soviets and the systems that had to be changed.
The list of people who say that the time served is disproportionate to others in similar circumstances — include the people who have had access to the top secret information and say he did not do incalculable damage.
-— -— -— -— -—
This sentencing chart was drawn up by Jonathan Pollard’s attorneys, Eliot Lauer and Jacques Semmelman, for inclusion in a renewed appeal for clemency submitted to the White House in December 2000. It compares the life sentence of Jonathan Pollard with the sentences received in other recent cases of espionage for friendly nations.
Jonathan Pollard is the only person in the history of the United States to receive a life sentence for spying for an ally.
Sentences Imposed on Persons Who Spied for Friendly Nations
Name - Country Spied For - Sentence/Punishment*
Michael Schwartz - Saudi Arabia - Navy discharge (no jail time)
Peter Lee - China - 1 year in halfway house (no jail time)
Samuel Morison - Great Britain - 2 years
Phillip Selden - El Salvador - 2 years
Frederick Hamilton - Ecuador - 37 months
Geneva Jones - Liberia - 37 months
Virginia Jean Baynes - Philippines - 41 months
Abdul Kader Helmy - Egypt - 4 years
Sharon Scranage - Ghana - 5 years
Joseph Brown - Philippines - 6 years
Michael Allen - Philippines - 8 years
Steven Baba - South Africa - 8 years
Robert Kim - South Korea - 9 years
Thomas Dolce - South Africa - 10 years
Steven Lalas -.Greece - 14 years
Jonathan Pollard - Israel - Life imprisonment
* In many instances, the time actually served was considerably less.
Primary source: Website of the Defense Security Service (www.dss.mil), which describes itself as “provid[ing] security services to the Department of Defense” and as being “under the direction, authority, and control of the Assistant Secretary of Defense.”
1. Pollard, that POS didn’t spy for Israel, he spied for money.
2. He converted to Orthodox Judaism, only after he was in prison.
All of those lists are meaningless chump change spies.
Pollard got what he deserved because he put millions of American at risk, he put our military at risk, in the height of the Cold War.
The information he gave was the most damaging possible...beyond the top secret level of classified intelligence.
According to those who are calling for his release and have seen his information and the top secret files that no one is able to see, not even his present attorney - they say he did not do incalculable harm or injury to the USA.
And that for what he did ... that the time served this far is far disproportionate in comparison to others in similar circumstances.
AND .... on the contrary ... He did spy for Israel, as Israel ,A&E it clear, later on, that Pollard was indeed working for the State of Israel and under their direction, Israel did that later, having at first denied it ... in order to provide cover for Israel. Later Israel said they had fooled the USA into believing that Pollard was acting on his own. He was really working for Israel.
As far as his religion, I really don’t care what his religion is ... and I doubt if many people do ... LOL ...
He only spied for Israel because they gave him money and jewels.
He was paid over 55,000 in tracked cash and untold amounts in jewels. He was promised a certain amount per year for his deliveries.
Yes his spying benefited Israel as well as the USSR, who Israel sold us out to during the Cold War.
1. One thing that was given to the Israelis was the exact operations and methods the US used to track Soviet nuclear submarines that would launch on the US during a major war.
There was no way to stop a launch, which would occur within a 7-10 minute window upon getting the launch order. From that point it would take only 5-8 minutes until the SLBMs would hit the ground.
The information the Israelis gave the Soviets, enabled them to escape detection via knowing our methods of tracking them. Our 100 percent ability to kill their subs went down to about 50 percent.
They were also given intelligence that would have made it easy for the Soviets to confuse our interception of their launch order...which we had the ability to capture.
This is just a small piece of what Pollard gave up to Israel..he gave much more.
It took us years to rebuild this facet of our defense, but we were blind and didn’t know it for a period of time.
I think you need to find out how you’ve been tricked into believing a lie ... :-) ...
Better free than a hero
by Jonathan Rosenblum
Jerusalem Post
July 4, 2003
The June issue of Moment Magazine contains an important new article on the Jonathan Pollard case by former Justice Department attorney John Loftus. Loftus explodes the myth that Pollard did incalculable damage to American security interests.
Pollard received the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for spying for Israel, despite a plea bargain agreement under which government prosecutors undertook not to seek the maximum sentence. In short, he traded away his valuable right to a jury trial – a trial the United States government was eager to avoid - and received nothing in return.
Despite the agreement not to seek a life sentence, prosecutors produced at the sentencing hearing a last minute letter and memo from Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. Weinberger accused Pollard of “treason,” a far more serious crime with which he was never charged, and alleged that even in “the so-called year of the spy” Pollard caused the greatest harm to national security.
Though the Weinberger memo remains classified, the U.S. security establishment has for years hinted to the media and interested public officials that information provided by Pollard to Israel made its way into Soviet hands and played a role in the elimination of more than 40 American agents in Russia.
At the time of Pollard’s sentencing, the American security establishment may well have believed that story. Now, however, it is known that CIA official Aldrich Ames, and FBI agent Robert Hanssen, sold the names of the American agents to the Soviets. Ames, it appears, skillfully deflected suspicion to Pollard for years. (Ames ability to do use Pollard as a red herring has itself been a source of anger against Pollard in certain security circles. Ames was not arrested until 1994 and Hanssen until 2001.)
Loftus’ article contains one bombshell revelation: an internal Navy intelligence review of the Pollard case, conducted after the arrest of Ames and Hanssen found that Pollard lacked the security clearance to obtain access to the names of American agents in the Soviet Union. He could therefore never have provided that information to Israel.
Loftus further downplays the claim advanced by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh that U.S. intelligence short-wave radio guides provided Israel by Pollard forced the United States to completely revamp its global communications system at the cost of billions.
Loftus notes that portions of the guide had already been sold to the Soviets by the Walker spy ring, and that the Soviets were so unimpressed that they did not even attempt to attain the rest. He further points out that prosecutor Charles Leeper had originally characterized the damage caused by Pollard as “minimal.”
The Moment article contains one other revelation. Loftus claims to have learned from sources in military intelligence that Pollard transferred to Israel the list of all Saudi and Arab intelligence agents known to America as of 1984. Many of these were on the U.S. payroll. Some of these former Saudi agents are prominent today in Al Qaeda and other terrorist networks, a fact highly embarrassing to their former American spymasters.
Seymour Hersh...oh boy.
No. You are buying the Kool Aid of the great patriotic Israeli hero. A hero that exists in the fantasies of a media campaign.
I know exactly what had to be rebuilt due to Pollard...Ames and Hansen’s information was much more military related and covert operations specific. It was also very damaging.
But, Pollard, was more intelligence and electronics specific and much more damaging.
If I was the Prime Minister of Israel, I would openly announce that I was going to build the most destructive array of tactical nuclear weapons in the history of the world.
Then, I’d announce that if anyone even farted in Israel’s direction, I would start shooting them off.
As a foreign policy, it works great for Iran and North Korea.
So, why not Israel?
Did Israel share that intelligence with our enemies?
Not that I know about.
In fact, until Barack Obama was elected, I believed that Israel was the only country in the world that would militarily defend the USA if we were ever attacked.
You say you know ... but the problem is that those who are calling for his release because the time presently served is disproportionate in comparison to others in similar circumstances — include people who have had access to the top secret information — and they say differently than you.
The more that keeps coming out, over the years and the more people that speak out for Pollard and who have had access to this top secret information ... shows that you’ve been sold a lie and you’ve personally “bought into it” ... :-) ...
Some people are just ignorant about the new information coming out about Pollard, showing how some officials of the US Government sold the public a big lie about Pollard. Today we’re finding out how big that lie was and how the US Government doesn’t want to own up to it.
Some people are still running around “parroting” the government’s big lie from the beginning,
Israeli drumbeat grows for Pollard’s release ahead of Obama visit
http://mondoweiss.net/2013/03/israeli-drumbeat-pollards.html
The renewed campaign to free Pollard comes two and a half months after the National Security Archives at George Washington University released new documents on the spy:
When Naval Investigative Service analyst Jonathan Pollard spied for Israel in 1984 and 1985, his Israeli handlers asked primarily for nuclear, military and technical information on the Arab states, Pakistan, and the Soviet Union – not on the United States – according to the newly-declassified CIA 1987 damage assessment of the Pollard case, published today by the National Security Archive at George Washington University (www.nsarchive.org).
The damage assessment includes new details on the specific subjects and documents sought by Pollard’s Israeli handlers (pages 36-43), such as Syrian drones and central communications, Egyptian missile programs, and Soviet air defenses. The Israelis specifically asked for a signals intelligence manual that they needed to listen in on Soviet advisers in Syria. The document describes how Pollard’s handler, Joseph Yagur, told him to ignore a request, from Yagur’s boss, for U.S. “dirt” on senior Israeli officials and told Pollard that gathering such information would terminate the operation (page 38)
Here’s an interesting article ...
Israelis set to push for Pollard release after Snowden cache shows US/UK spying on Israel
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/12/23/israelis-set-to-push-for-pollard-release-after-snowden-cache-shows-usuk-spying-on-israel/
Secret documents reveal more than 1,000 targets of American and British surveillance in recent years, including the office of an Israeli prime minister, heads of international aid organizations, foreign energy companies and a European Union official involved in antitrust battles with American technology businesses.
While the names of some political and diplomatic leaders have previously emerged as targets, the newly disclosed intelligence documents provide a much fuller portrait of the spies’ sweeping interests in more than 60 countries.
Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters, working closely with the National Security Agency, monitored the communications of senior European Union officials, foreign leaders including African heads of state and sometimes their family members, directors of United Nations and other relief programs, and officials overseeing oil and finance ministries, according to the documents. In addition to Israel, some targets involved close allies like France and Germany, where tensions have already erupted over recent revelations about spying by the N.S.A. …
The reports show that spies monitored the email traffic of several Israeli officials, including one target identified as “Israeli prime minister,” followed by an email address. The prime minister at the time, in January 2009, was Ehud Olmert. The next month, spies intercepted the email traffic of the Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, according to another report. Two Israeli embassies also appear on the target lists.
“The tracking after prime ministers and defense ministers is not legitimate and not acceptable to us,” the spokesman of Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said, according to a CNN translation. “There is an intelligence alliance between (the United States and Israel) at an unprecedented level, and we are sharing the most sensitive (intelligence) material.”
Revelations that U.S. and British spy agencies intercepted e-mails and tapped the phone lines of an Israeli prime minister and other top officials caused a stir here Sunday, with some legislators using the disclosures to draw attention to the case of a Jewish American who has been held in a U.S. prison for more than 26 years, convicted of spying on the United States for Israel. …
“This is a severe case, and I hope this is the iceberg rather than the tip of the iceberg,” said Yuli Edelstein, speaker of the Knesset, the Jerusalem Post reported. “Otherwise, this case is liable to do damage to our relations with the U.S.”
Ayelet Shaked, who chairs the Knesset caucus that lobbies for Pollard’s release, said, “It is completely unfathomable that the United States, a most trusted ally and friend of Israel, would hold to such a blatant double standard by continuing to keep Jonathan Pollard in prison while at the same time conducting systematic espionage against Israeli officials.”
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