[af_vet_1981]

Spying is spying. Treason is treason.

The author is mistaken. I hope he rendered more reliable analysis during his career.

[bandleader]

If Mr. Pollard is an American Citizen and he was engaged in espionage against The United States of America,he has committed TREASON(not to mention ESPIONAGE)!!!

[Catspaw]

But he should have been executed for his crimes.

Interesting premise, but most spies are given life sentences, primarily because going on trial puts the government in a corundum: the majority of evidence is classified. Once it's introduced as evidence, it becomes public record.

That's why Hanssen and others are given lenghty sentences, or life without parole.

[Honestfreedom]

At the same time we arrested Pollard America had recruited Israelis to spy on Israel. That is the way the game is played. It seems that enemy nations trade each others' spies. Two friendly nations should be able to work this out. The Americans asked Israel to release Palestinians held for real and immediate threats to Israelis as a goodwill gesture. Could we not release Pollard as part of that? He has served 18 very rough years. Nobody will say he got off easy.

[dfrussell]

Pollard should be happy he wasn't executed.

[Selmo]

bump - fyi

[LibKill]

My position has always been that Pollard should stay in jail. I am quite fond of Israel (in spite of this incident) but I absolutely detest traitors.

[cookcounty]

"Suppose a Chinese-American spy argued that he was justified in passing secrets to Beijing because he was concerned about China's security. It's exactly the same thing. "

No, it isn't the "same thing."

Israel is a democracy struggling for survival against enemies who hate democracy, liberty and justice. China is a brutal dictatorship struggling to smother and suppress democracy, liberty and justice. The "same thing?"

That having been said, Pollard did violate his oath and broke the law, he desrved to go to prison, but I don't see him as a death-deserving enemy of freedom. If we're going to start executing spies, he certainly wouldn't be first on the list.