Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A Jonathan Pollard Comment
Over at Soccer Dad, Daled Amos has a post up urging JBloggers to come to the aid of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard and push for a pardon by President Bush. I re-iterate what I’ve written earlier:
“I yield to no one in my utter contempt for Mr. Pollard and the idea that he may never take another free step causes me no consternation.”
Jonathan Pollard was a U.S. citizen – and only a U.S. citizen – in the employ of the U.S. Navy as an intelligence analyst. He voluntarily betrayed his country by passing massive amounts of intelligence onto Israel in direct violation of the trust and responsibility placed on him. I cannot possibly overemphasize how despicable and unsympathetic a character I find him.
That Israel was and is an important ally is irrelevant. That others of similar crimes may not have received such a harsh penalty is shameful only in that those of similar actions should all rot in jail (among other places).
I have seen nothing out of the President that makes me believe that Jonathan Pollard’s impending freedom is a realistic possibility. Let's hope it remains just a pipedream (heh, heh; pun intended as to Pollard's drug use) of an insignificant few.
And let’s remember, at least on this one call, even Bill Clinton got it right.
“I yield to no one in my utter contempt for Mr. Pollard and the idea that he may never take another free step causes me no consternation.”
Jonathan Pollard was a U.S. citizen – and only a U.S. citizen – in the employ of the U.S. Navy as an intelligence analyst. He voluntarily betrayed his country by passing massive amounts of intelligence onto Israel in direct violation of the trust and responsibility placed on him. I cannot possibly overemphasize how despicable and unsympathetic a character I find him.
That Israel was and is an important ally is irrelevant. That others of similar crimes may not have received such a harsh penalty is shameful only in that those of similar actions should all rot in jail (among other places).
I have seen nothing out of the President that makes me believe that Jonathan Pollard’s impending freedom is a realistic possibility. Let's hope it remains just a pipedream (heh, heh; pun intended as to Pollard's drug use) of an insignificant few.
And let’s remember, at least on this one call, even Bill Clinton got it right.
