My Traitor's Heart - Jonathan Pollard

The reason Pollard hasn't been let out of jail is that he hasn't yet revealed who else in the U.S. intelligence community was feeding him the ID numbers so he'd know what documents to steal.

Yes, and Pollard was getting paid large amounts of money for his treasonous spying. He's lucky he wasn't hanged. He is an AMERICAN traitor, regardless of any ethnic group, and if we don't hold him responsible, we can't hold anyone to blame. If he really wants out, let him start talking. Maybe offer him some money, that seems to work.

I didn't make it to the end.
I did, because it actually got nuttier as it went along and was therefore more entertaining. I hope you didn't miss the part where the writer was told by the CIA's top Dallas recruiter "that I was one of the best candidates they had ever had at their field office. When Clinton took power on my birthday in 1993 however, my application was terminated and Mr. Gonzales could only offer his sadness and shame for how the best candidates were being rooted out of the CIA pipeline." It's a hoot.

As far as Im concerned Pollard can spend at least another fifty years in prison. He's lucky that he wasnt executed years ago. If Cap Weinberger, the FBI, and the CIA all to this day say he did tremendous damage to US security then I believe them, not some lying spy. Just because the Russians say that Pollard or the Israelis didnt trade the data doesnt make it true. We still lie, why shouldnt the Russians.

Maybe Pollard should be caged up with Mike Tyson (Islamist)the next time Mike screws up and goes to Federal Prison. Then Pollard can be Mike's "butt" boy. Maybe the two of them can be fed a daily diet of pork. Yeah, maybe then we can give the guy a punishment suitable to his crime.

LoBaido neglects to mention that Pollard accepted money for his betrayal of America and tries to present the story as if Pollard did this all out of ideology. Had Pollard never accepted a dime for his betrayal I could admire his committment to Israel - but I would still want him imprisoned for betraying his nation.

maybe we can work out a trade - we give Pollard to Israel, and Israel gives us all the politicians, generals, patrol boat commanders and pilots involved in the deliberate attack on the USS Liberty in 1968. They can serve the balance of Pollard's sentence (life).

Let's not forget that Pollard's motivation was money, not love of Israel. He shopped his services around. In one sense, we were lucky that Israel won the bidding war and not China or Russia.

I'm not sure some of the secrets Pollard stole didn't get to China and Russia anyway. Pollard was a very confused and selfish lad and I don't even know why Israel wants him (unless it's to demonstrate to that country's other spies that, should they get caught, Israel will never stop trying to free them.) I know the U.S. government always maintained, as you do, that his motive was greed (that might be true, given that he stole a lot of documents having nothing to do Israel's security needs). On the other hand, Wolf Blitzer, who at the time was Washington correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, wrote a book about Pollard in which he concluded that Pollard's "primary loyalty was to [Israel]. He saw information he felt Israel needed, and he decided to make it available. . . " I think Blitzer is right here. Pollard put tribal loyalties above his duties to his fellow Americans. Furthermore, he did it gladly.

One thing I've always wondered. Blitzer's book was tremendously exciting. It involves everything: Israeli war heroes, rogue handlers, the White House, Pentagon, the rise and fall of Bobby Inman (a great story right there), Casper Weinberger, a former U.S. Supreme Court justice, William Safire, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bill Clinton, Saddam Hussein, the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor, dramatic chases, and a bright, arrogant and wonderfully contemptable central character that we can all happily hate.

Spielberg's done some great stuff on WWII. Maybe he ought to flip the page and do the Cold War, as brought to you by Jonathan Pollard.

I agree! Bill & Hitlary in the same cell is sufficient punishment for that diabloical pair of commies!

Some defenders of Pollard make is seem like Pollard was an Israeli citizen spying for his own country. This is not true. Pollard is an American citizen who betrayed his own country. Pollard is not a "spy" but a traitor.

It also has nothing to do with Pollard being Jewish. Pollard could be a Baptist, or a Jehovah's Witness for crying out loud, and he'd still be sitting in jail today for what he has done. The bastard worked for the U.S. government and smuggled thousands of confidential and secret documents out of his workplace. This is a very grave act of treason and Pollard should consider himself fortunate that he was not executed.

Let's not forget that Pollard's motivation was money, not love of Israel. He shopped his services around. In one sense, we were lucky that Israel won the bidding war and not China or Russia.

I do not believe that is the case. From what I have read about the case, Pollard actively sought out an Israeli Air Force Major who happened to be studying in the United States and offered his services free of charge. In fact, the Israelis had to pressure Pollard to take some money (so that he could be blackmailed into staying loyal).

That said, I am not defending Pollard in any way, just trying to set the record straight. Any U.S. citizen who betrays our country and reveals our secrets to foreign nations should get no less than life and preferably death.

What you said as well, and far more articulately than LoBaido.

LoBaido changes sympathies like conscientious people change underwear.