Posted on 12/27/2013 11:47:49 AM PST by cll
Yeah, I don't know about that. I mean I guess the guy's family is glad but how many people are those scumbags gonna kill. How have they killed already?)? I'd sooner have tried to "abduct" Abbas to get him to give up Shalit.
I'm no expert on this stuff but there sure wouldn't be any terrorist prisoners to exchange if it was up to me. I suppose the Muslims wouldn't take prisoners either if that was the case though.
Are you sure you’re on the right site?
Absolutely ... on the right site.
ANYTHING Obama does, is a disaster! Blocking Obama from doing anything with Israel and the Middle East would be a HUGE BENEFIT to the region.
AND ... I’ve got to thank Pollard for the information that he gave Israel (as he was Israel’s agent) - because with that info Israel was able to save itself a huge problem (and save others in the region) by destroying the Iraqi nuclear reactor! They couldn’t have done it without Pollard’s help - as the USA was WITHHOLDING the information from Israel’s intelligence community. THE USA was trying to block Israel from defending itself!
Operation Opera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Opera
I posted to you a refutation of your entire propaganda line here, a joint statement from the four men who would know far better than the signatories, such as Arlen Specter and Anthony Wiener, you’re repeatedly posting in support of this properly convicted and sentenced, treacherous felon. No discussion is worthwhile continuing on this without your addressing that. Pollard is right where he belongs. I don’t think you are, though you’ve been here a long time, far longer than me. You are clearly motivated by the interests of a foreign power at this time. Straighten up and fly right. Or leave and immigrate to Israel.
There’s more than ample evidence to the contrary of what you say. I can even post more statements from others - in addition to the volumes I’ve already posted (which some people think is enough information already proving it).
If you have a problem with it - that’s your problem. It’s not a problem with many of the officials of the government who do know the information.
I’m listening to those people, like the following, who know the information ...
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
PLUS ... I see in this longer list below, that they also agree with the people listed 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.
Don’t spam me, bro. Everyone reading your recent Pollard propaganda postings has seen this several times already. Re-read what I just wrote to you in comment 204. Four former directors of Naval Intelligence in a simple joint statement trump whatever volume of posting you want to do on this.
To help you on your way:
http://www.convert.org/Should_I_Convert.html
http://www.convertingtojudaism.com/jewishconversionflash.htm
Sorry, I’ve already heard from the officials who know the information firsthand and they say Pollard should be released ....
AND ... Comparing other sentences to Jonathan Pollard
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/sentences.htm
ALSO ...
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.”
You’ve already posted this, as well. Your failure to address any of the points delineated by the statement I posted from Naval Intelligence directors, including Pollard’s former boss, confirm this is just an exercise in propaganda for you, and not a discussion. I, like many on here, are left to wonder why you’re posting support from the likes of Barney Frank in support of your cause, here on what’s meant as an American conservative site.
Well, I’m afraid your failure to listen to the officials that know all the details of Jonathan Pollard’s case, shows that you’ll ignore the real information in order to come up with a CONTRIVED and UNTENABLE position.
As I said before, that’s your problem and not mine and not the problem of those other officials who know and who know that Pollard is long past the time for being released.
I’ll go with the people who really know and live in reality.
Gilad Shalit calls for release of Jonathan Pollard
http://www.timesofisrael.com/gilad-shalit-calls-for-release-of-jonathan-pollard/
“After Israel has released terrorists with blood on their hands as a gesture to the Palestinians, a return gesture is all that is being requested,” Shalit said in his open letter, published on Ynet.
Shalit appeared to be reacting to reports that Israel is linking a Pollard release to the current Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and will ask that Pollard’s release be linked to Israel’s release of Palestinian prisoners.
The third group of prisoners is scheduled to take place on Sunday. Israel had agreed to release in four batches, as a gesture to the Palestinian Authority, 104 Palestinian prisoners who had committed their crimes before the 1993 Oslo Accords were signed; two groups of 26 prisoners have already been freed.
“I believe, and I think that like myself all of the People of Israel believe that the prime minister’s request for such a simple gesture, the release of Jonathan Pollard, is owed to us by right, and is not a favor,” Shalit wrote.
“Please, everyone, join me, in a clear demand to our friends, the Americans: we have already freed scores of murderous terrorists with blood on their hands at your request – now it is your turn to make a gesture to us! It may even save Pollard’s life,” he wrote.
In March, Shalit wrote a similar letter addressed to US President Barack Obama.
Earlier Wednesday, after a lengthy debate, an overwhelming 106 of the 120 Knesset members signed off on an official request to Obama to free Pollard.
The letter is slated to be sent directly to Obama in the coming days, while Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein will also pass on a copy to the US Senate and a delegation of Knesset members will present the request to the US ambassador in Israel, Dan Shapiro.
Free Jonathan Pollard
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/28/opinion/la-oe-korb-pollard-20101028
The former U.S. naval intelligence analyst has already served far too long for giving classified information to Israel.
About 25 years ago, Jonathan Jay Pollard, a U.S. naval intelligence analyst, betrayed his country by providing highly classified information to Israel. Even though Israel was and still is a U.S. ally and is routinely supplied with U.S. intelligence, Pollard deserved to be severely punished for his actions. However, the punishment should fit the crime. In his case, it does not.
After his arrest and indictment by a grand jury, Pollard agreed to plead guilty to one count of giving classified information to a U.S. ally. In return for his guilty plea — which spared the government the embarrassment of conducting a trial involving highly sensitive information — and his cooperation with the U.S. government, the U.S. attorney pledged not to seek a life sentence for Pollard.
This seemed like a reasonable resolution. The average sentence meted out to individuals convicted of giving classified information to an ally is seven years, with average time served about four years.
Despite the terms of the plea bargain, in 1987 Pollard was sentenced to life, a sentence generally reserved for spies such as Aldrich Ames, who pleaded guilty to giving classified information to the Soviet Union during the Cold War, information that led to the loss of many lives.
The question is why Pollard received such a harsh sentence and why he still languishes in prison despite the pleas of hundreds of U.S. legislators, dozens of distinguished attorneys (including a former solicitor general), a former CIA director, one former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and several Israeli leaders to have him released.
There are at least three reasons for this state of affairs.
First is the victim impact statement of my former boss, Caspar Weinberger, the secretary of Defense at the time of Pollard’s arrest. The statement, much of which remains classified, implied that some of the information that Pollard had supplied to Israel made its way to the Soviet Union. Weinberger argued that Pollard was no different from spies who provided information to the Soviets and was guilty of treason.
Second, at the time of his arrest, the Israeli government refused to acknowledge that Pollard was one of its agents, claiming that he was part of a rogue operation. Not surprisingly, the Israelis also steadfastly refused to return the reams of documents that Pollard had delivered to them or debrief the U.S. about their contents. This added fuel to the notion that Pollard was working for the Soviets or another U.S. enemy rather than for an American ally.
Third, Pollard was an unsympathetic character. He not only took about $45,000 from the Israelis in exchange for the information he handed over, he gave two highly publicized interviews from jail before his sentencing, one with Wolf Blitzer and another with Mike Wallace. In these interviews, which the government claimed were not authorized, he didn’t express remorse but instead attempted to rationalize his behavior.
But none of these conditions exists now. Weinberger’s contention has been debunked. Information that Pollard gave to Israel did not make its way to the USSR. Instead, the information that the Soviets received during the 18 months Pollard was spying for Israel most likely came from Ames and Robert Hanssen, a onetime FBI agent who spied for the USSR and Russia from 1979 to 2001.
R. James Woolsey, the CIA director from 1993 to 1995, stated after examining the Pollard case file that none of Pollard’s information went to the Soviet Union. Moreover, Woolsey now believes that Pollard has served long enough and should be released. And in a 2004 interview, Weinberger himself admitted that in retrospect, the Pollard matter was comparatively minor. In fact, he does not even mention it in his memoirs.
CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF JONATHAN POLLARD
http://5tjt.com/conference-of-presidents-calls-for-immediate-release-of-jonathan-pollard-2/
We have been informed that there is a better number to call the White House in regards to Jonathan Pollard. It is 202-456-1111. It took me two minutes on the phone to speak to a live person and relay our belief that the President should commute Jonathan Pollard sentence to time served and be released. The person told me they would write what I said and then shared after I asked that many others had called as well regarding Pollard. Please see the letter below from the Conference of Presidents. This week Natan Sharansky said that it is up to the American Jewish community to help let the White House know that Jonathan Pollard should be released. We have received word that right now the White House is considering the request. Please make your voice heard.
CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS CALLS FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF JONATHAN POLLARD
LETTER TO PRESIDENT URGES COMMUTATION OF SENTENCE
Monday, December 23 2013, New York… A letter from Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Chairman, Robert G. Sugarman, and Executive Vice Chairman, Malcolm Hoenlein, called on President Barack Obama to commute the sentence of Jonathan Pollard and secure his release during this holiday period. Pollard has served longer than any person convicted of a similar offense and his sentence should be commuted to the 28 years he has already served.
“We note the public calls and support for Mr. Pollard’s release that have come from many of those who were involved in his prosecution or are otherwise in a position to make responsible judgment, including former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former CIA Director James Woolsey, former Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb, former National Security Advisor Robert MacFarlane, most recently Governor Bill Richardson, and William Webster, the head of the FBI at the time of Pollard’s arrest, who said that he no longer opposes his release. Some of them have stepped up their advocacy because of the recent revelations regarding US activities vis-a-vis Israel. This is foremost a matter of justice and humanity. He has suffered and paid a heavy price for his crime, for which he has publicly expressed remorse.
“We hope that in this holiday season, as we approach the new year with hope and expectation, that this request would be considered favorably and that Mr. and Mrs. Pollard would be allowed to rebuild their lives after his having served more than 10,000 days in prison.”
What Pollard Did and Didn’t Do
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/12/17/what-jonathan-pollard-did-and-didnt-do-israel-spy/
More than 27 years after his arrest, the Jonathan Pollard saga continues to fascinate and infuriate Americans. As I wrote in a COMMENTARY article on the subject in March 2011, advocates of the convicted spy tend to exaggerate the assistance he gave Israel during the course of the espionage he carried out while serving as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy. Similarly, those who continue to demand that he remain in prison until his death have also tended to inflate the damage he did to his country. While it is unlikely that anything could do much to move the argument one way or the other, the release of a 1987 damage report on the case conducted by the CIA should serve to silence those who have claimed Pollard’s spying was focused on American capabilities. The report, which can be read here (albeit with parts blacked out due to secrecy laws), makes it clear that his interest was solely in helping the Israelis find out more about Soviet and Arab military and intelligence capabilities.
That does not mitigate the scope of Pollard’s crime, as his handing over of a massive amount of material including signal intelligence to a foreign country did great damage to the United States. But the account of what he did and did not do does serve to bolster the arguments made by those seeking his release that his motive was a desire to help Israel rather than pure venality or treason.
Much of the report is familiar territory to those familiar with the case, as it details the narrative of his espionage as well as a lengthy psychological profile. The more one learns of Pollard’s background and unstable character the more one wonders about the faulty judgment of those who hired him to serve in such a sensitive capacity. But the important information here consists of the details about what sort of material he sought and then handed over to the Israelis.
His priority was to obtain the following information: Arab (and Pakistani) nuclear intelligence; Arab exotic weaponry, including chemical weapons; Soviet aircraft, air defenses, air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface missiles; and Arab order-of-battle, deployments and readiness.
Though arguments made by his friends that Israel was entitled to this information fall flat, this sort of material was clearly intended to bolster Israel’s ability to deal with valid threats to its security rather than to harm the U.S.
This is important because the prejudicial statements made by Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger to the court that sentenced Pollard to life in prison were thought to have given the impression that the spy’s crimes represented a direct threat to U.S. security. Indeed, the file makes clear something that was already understood: The willingness of the prosecutors and the judge to renege on the plea bargain by which Pollard had been persuaded to tell all about his activities had more to do with pique over the spy’s decision to speak about the case to reporter Wolf Blitzer (the CNN anchor was then a writer with the Jerusalem Post) in an inflammatory prison interview rather than the egregious nature of his crime.
While the report is explicit about the Israelis not requesting data about the U.S. or its intelligence resources or military, there were some other interesting tidbits that give us an idea about the dynamic between the spy and his handlers. Among them is the fact that Rafi Eitan, the head of the spy unit running the operation, wanted to know about Israelis providing the Americans with information as well as “dirt” about Israelis the Americans might have. Pollard refused this request with the support of Yosef Yagur, a consulate official who was part of the plot.
As I have written elsewhere, what Pollard did was bad enough. There is no need for anyone to misrepresent his spying as part of an Israeli effort to undermine the United States. None of this is likely to change the minds of those in the U.S. intelligence establishment who take the position that Pollard must die in jail so as to set an example for other potential spies. Nor will it dampen the desire of some who have used him to justify unreasonable suspicions or even attempts to single out and prosecute other American Jews. It remains a fact that while Pollard’s espionage was a unique chapter in American intelligence history, his sentence is still the most severe ever handed out to a spy for a friendly country.
After 27 years in jail, it can no longer be asserted that he represents a threat to American security or that he has not already been severely punished. Though his most damning legacy may be the way his name continues to be used to bolster false accusations of dual loyalty on the part of American Jews, it can no longer be credibly argued that his goal was to harm the United States. While the chances of clemency for Pollard seem no better today than at any other point during his incarceration (something that is as much due to the poor judgment of the spy and some of his advocates), the release of the CIA report does place the case in perspective.
Unlike the others arrested in what became known as the year of the spy, Pollard’s goal was not to assist America’s enemies. That ought to make it just a bit easier to justify the commutation of his disproportionate sentence should President Obama or a successor ever care to seriously review the case.
You have gone with Anthony Wiener, Arlen Specter, and Barney Frank, among others. You have rejected those who would know in favor of those who would not know as well as the former directors of Naval Intelligence, including Pollard’s boss there at the time of his crimes. Wishing this case were otherwise will not make it so. You are thus projecting when you call anyone’s opposition to your argument contrived or untenable, whether you put it all in caps or not. Again, even if only for your own sake, straighten up and fly right. Your heart seems to either be in the right place, or once was. You are now, though, acting as the agent of a foreign power, and in your activism here for someone who clearly betrayed his country, you are flirting with betraying your country as well. Reconsider. Or go elsewhere.
Well, since you keep missing it ... I’ll just have to correct you once again ... I go with these people who worked on behalf of the USA, whom you want to conveniently ignore.
I’m listening to those people, like the following, who know the information ...
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
For your sake, I hope you reconnect with reality ... and understand that there are real Americans who have worked for and on behalf of our government and they know the facts and say that Pollard has been in there too long, as compared to others of similar circumstances.
But, I really don’t care what you think ... but it is nice to use your posts so I can reply and show others the facts of the situation.
And since there is no end to the information that can posted about releasing Pollard, and since it has already been shown to be a disproportionate time-served — we can keep doing this and keep educating the readers ... :-) ...
Netanyahu and Pollard
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Netanyahu-and-Pollard-336293
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu upped the ante this week with regards to the “eavesdropping story.” Bibi just added a whopping sum to the pot in the middle of the table and he’s going all in. He’s looking the American player sitting across the table in the eye and praying he’ll blink first.
Even before Edward Snowden joined the National Security Agency, Netanyahu was fully aware that the Americans were listening in on his conversations and to anyone else’s they could, at every possible opportunity. They can listen to everyone, all the time. That’s how it is with the Americans. Netanyahu knew all of this, and it didn’t really ruffle his feathers. He knows to speak succinctly and when he has sensitive matters to discuss, he holds these conversations at secure locations like Mossad headquarters. He’s reacted to the Americans’ eavesdropping the same way everyone else around the world has: by doing nothing.
But now, all of a sudden, Netanyahu spotted an opportunity. He could smell the musty scent of American blood. America was caught red-handed doing something naughty from high up on their pedestal and the time has come for the wretched and the oppressed to have their 15 minutes of fame. Netanyahu wants Jonathan Pollard.
I must admit to Bibi’s credit, that of all the prime ministers, he is the one who has done the most to try to get Pollard released from jail, where he has spent the last 28 years. Bibi’s detractors will counter that he hasn’t succeeded. Once, at Wye Plantation in 1998, it almost happened, but Bill Clinton got cold feet at the last minute when CIA director George Tenet threatened to resign if Pollard was released. So Pollard remained in prison.
Netanyahu is probably thinking: It’s now or never. His case is solid.
The Americans are behaving callously, arrogantly and with unimaginable cruelty. They unquestionably deserve the harsh criticism they are now being dealt. They should have released Pollard a long time ago. Instead, they continue gritting their teeth, acting as if no such person exists and pretending that he’s not been kept imprisoned for close to 30 years for a crime (he passed on classified information to an ally) with a typical penalty in the US of a few years. They ignore the fact that they violated Pollard’s plea bargain; they made false accusations against him; they refused to allow him to attend his mother’s funeral and then later his father’s funeral. They destroyed his entire life just to teach the Israelis a lesson.
Or maybe the message goes deeper – maybe they’re trying to teach all of the Jews – those kikes! – a lesson they’ll never forget.
It’s time for the Americans to get a taste of their own medicine.
If I were Netanyahu, I would put my foot down and say, “No more Palestinian prisoners will be released without an exchange for Pollard.” It’s time to explain it to the Americans in a way they’ll understand. Some things should just not be done.
The pain has finally become intolerable.
They cannot preach to us that we should release despicable killers while Pollard is still in prison.
Another prisoner release round is about to begin (the third one), which will be followed by a fourth and last round. This last round will include the release of Israeli Arabs and will therefore set a dangerous precedent. If the Americans want the peace process to progress, they must release Pollard immediately. If they don’t want to, that’s fine.
Netanyahu has had many vehement arguments with the Americans: He gambled on Mitt Romney (Barack Obama won), wrangled with Obama and became persona non grata at the White House. And what happened? Not much. So come on, guys. Free Pollard. Not for Bibi – for yourselves.
You are the ones who look ridiculous with that hump on your back.
What you’re doing is not moral, just or humane. It’s a shame that it’s gone this far, but this is the time to put an end to this matter once and for all.
But here’s the problem: The Americans are stubborn. The ultimatum Netanyahu presented them with, the not-so-subtle hints he made at the Likud faction meeting this week, may actually frighten them up the tree even higher. They can afford to climb trees, since they’re the biggest gorilla in the big, bad forest. We should all pray, though, that this won’t lead to a duel between Bibi and Obama, because history, statistics and logic have taught us that Bibi doesn’t have much of a chance. Poor Pollard.
Translated by Hannah Hochner.
Why are you rejecting the public statement issued, with people like you in mind, of Pollard’s own boss at Naval Intelligence at the time of his crimes?
I learned a long time ago, that officials who are in certain government positions can LIE to maintain a “government narrative”. And it’s been contradicted by others that know in regards to Pollard. There are those who will LIE THROUGH THEIR TEETH in order to maintain a FALSE NARRATIVE of an agency or of the government.
When one has these kinds of people mixed in with others who tell the truth (and many times they can’t tell the truth until they get out of government) — one will have to recognize the LIARS from the others.
Netanyahu wants investigation of U.S. spying
http://www.jta.org/2013/12/24/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/there-are-things-that-must-not-be-done-netanyahu-says-about-u-s-spying
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an investigation into reports of American spying on Israeli leaders.
In his first comments following revelations that American intelligence intercepted e-mails from senior Israeli officials, Netanyahu said such actions were unacceptable.
“In the close ties between Israel and the United States, there are things that must not be done and that are not acceptable to us,” Netanyahu said Monday at the beginning of a Likud Party faction meeting at the Knesset.
Netanyahu announced at the meeting that he had ordered an investigation into the issue.
Netanyahu also told the party meeting that he had met with Esther Pollard and had updated her on his efforts to free her husband, the jailed spy Jonathan Pollard. Pollard is in the 29th year of a life sentence in a U.S. prison for spying for Israel while working as a civilian Navy intelligence analyst.
Netanyahu is expected to call for Pollard’s release as part of the current U.S.–brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Look, you are identifying a problem with credibility generally. But for the purposes of this discussion, can you say, specifically, why you are rejecting Pollard’s boss’ statement? He was in charge of Naval Intelligence at the time of Pollard’s crimes while working there. Why, exactly, are you rejecting his public statement, issued jointly with three other former directors of Naval Intelligence, in favor of those farther removed from knowledge of Pollard and away from the site of Pollard’s crimes?
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