Vaughn:
Right on Big Al! The only reasonable pardons this year, are for Ramos and Compean. Pollard is more acceptable than Lindh.
Pollard and Lindh are both traitors. Pollard did far more damage to America than Lindh because his spymasters sold his purloined high secrets to the Soviet Union for money and additional Soviet Jew visas. The crap about the Spann family having a “right” to justice is just that – crap. Spann was killed by other jihadis. What Lindh did was bear arms against his fellow Americans – not some self-righteous “Victim Family” (the Spanns). His crime is collective in nature – treason against the US, nothing to do with the CIA para killed in the compound…
I wouldn’t object to a society where both Pollard and Lindh (and Ames and Hanssen) were stood up against a wall 20 days after conviction and offered a final cigarette.
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Sylvie:
Jonathan Pollard should be pardoned most definitely. He has been incacerated for more than 22 years, seems to be one of the longest-serving spies jailed for having spied even for a ‘friendly country’ Israel… whereas others who have spied on behalf of ‘unfriendly counrtries’ such as Russia have already been freed. Can anyone explain why Jonathan Pollard is still imprisoned and not sent away to Israel farawy from it all and so long ago that his name may even sound unfamiliar to many an ear…….
Can anyone explain to you? I’d be delighted to:
1. Jews, from the Rosenbergs to Kovel to high-ranking media figures in the 60s, have been the most reliable spies and propagandists for the Russians. It is a good warning to other Jews that aid our enemies..almost as good a lesson as frying the Rosenbergs. Giving away our satellite technology and codes through the Israelis was not as bad as communist Jews setting the Soviet Union up with nuclear bomb engineering and fabrication know-how, but it was bad enough.
2. Next to China and the Russians, the Israelis have the most active espionage network in America. It is salutory for anyone to think of working against America for Israel to be aware they could end up like Pollard – if their stolen secrets end up being bartered off by the Israelis for Chinese consideration (like the F-16 avionics, Patriot Missile radar, satellite technology, and Sidewinder electronics were found to be.).
3. Smart, patriotic Jews like Cap Weinberger and Dav Zackim know that it was right to make a good example out of Pollard to deter dual-loyalty Jews and Far Left Jews tempted to favor their religion, another nation, or ideology over America.
4. Pollard remains unrepenetant, saying all Jews owe other Jews more than they owe America.
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Who should be pardoned? I wouldn’t expect much of a failed President like Bush, but besides the two Border agents, I’d like to see a limited pardon for anyone convicted of a 1st-time drug offense in the absence of any other criminal sentences. And I’d like to see a pardon and an expungement of records for any drug dealer or user, DWI, any sex offender other than for actual molestation or 1st degree rape who has a 20-year clean record since completion of sentence. (unless there is a serious crime, I don’t believe our society should impose lifetime stigmas where 25 year long ago busts for pot or pissing in public or caught with a beer in college have to be dredged up to employers or media). You do your time, and unless you are judged as “high risk”, it hurts our society more than helps it to block reformed people from jobs or full rights & standing in society in every aspect.
