Following reports that emerged last week, US officials are confirming today that spy Jonathan Pollard, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1987, will be released on parole in November, which officials are presenting as him having served his “full term.”
The Texas-born Pollard was a civilian employee for the US Navy, and was sentenced for sending classified documents to Israel. Pollard’s wife insisted that as Jews they viewed spying on behalf of Israel as a “morale obligation.” Pollard was granted Israeli citizenship while in prison, and governments there have sought his release ever since.
Friday’s reports suggested that the timing of the announcement was meant to placate Israel over the Iran nuclear deal, though officials continue to deny that, and Israeli officials continue to insist they won’t be placated under any circumstances at any rate.
Whether Pollard will be allowed to go to Israel right away remains unclear, as reports are he will be on parole for the next five years not allowed to travel, barring any further concessions from the White House. This will likely happen, as the alternative is another five years of Israel complaining about Pollard.
Ship him back to Israel the same way they brought John Walker Lindh back to the U.S. …blindfolded, bound and naked on a stretcher.
If Pollard is indeed released, I have to worry about his safety. Having handled all sorts of sensitive documents, he may know many things that people in high places would not want made public. Can they afford to let this made go free and start talking to the press about what he knows?
They don't give a rat's behind about this jerk spilling secrets evidently. Pleasing israel is all that matters.
the cesspool leaks
What a total, unforgiveable disgrace!
Read Caspar Weinberger's comments on October 18, 2010 on this repulsive criminal traitor.
Google : Weinberger and Jonathan Pollard.
Our former Secretary of Defense would turn in his grave.
No, he did not serve his sentence. That was "life." Life does not mean 30 years. Life with possibility of parole is still life. The only things mandatory were considering him for parole despite his failure to apply for it or confess, and the conditions of parole that must be imposed. Note the article assumes those will not actually be imposed, which is another reduction of sentence.
Officials insist this is not to placate Israel. That is proof positive that it is. It is like the President being "100% behind" the person just asked to resign. You hear the words, and you know the opposite is true.
In this case though it isn't to placate Netanyahu. He can't be placated. It is to undermine Netanyahu among those who can be placated. Specifically it is a gesture to those who wanted Pollard and want to be loyal to Israel but know Netanyahu is nuts.
That is unnecessary. It is wrong to release this murderer who sold the lives of our sources. It would be better to tell those supporters just what Pollard did, what was in all or much of Weinberger's sealed affidavit, and so exactly why this scumbag needs to die behind bars.
A word to the parole board from Obama and he'd not be getting out. That simple.
Somewhat close to that simple, but not that simple.
First of all, yes, the parole IS "mandatory." Contra Thomason, under US law at the time Pollard was sentenced, he has to be paroled, not just considered for parole, after 30 years — UNLESS the government claimed, and the parole board believed the claim, that there was substantial reason to believe he would commit new crimes if released.
Since the government did not make that claim at the 30-year hearing, the parole board didn't get to "decide" to parole him. They had to parole him. Period. End of story. And now that's done and over. I suppose it's POSSIBLE that the government could come in with a late allegation and get it re-opened, but it's probably normally a "no backsies — you had to do that before this process was complete" situation.
That said, had the government wanted to, they could have made the claim and they probably wouldn't have had to do much to prove it. They could have just said "there are items of information from when he was employed by the government that are still, to this very day, classified. And since they're classified, we're not going to tell you what they are. If he is released, there's every reason to believe he'll go straight to Israel and reveal that classified information in a debriefing process."
They've pulled the "classified information we can't tell you about" in lots of cases where it's much less plausible. They could have done it this time.
The conventional wisdom is that the reason they're letting it slide and letting him out is to placate Israel, even though everyone knows that won't work (Israel is like the Dane; once you pay the Danegeld, you're stuck with the Dane).
My theory is that the real reason they're springing him is to provoke Israel Derangement Syndrome. It gives them something they can point to and say "see, these opponents of Israel are foaming at the mouth nuts, going berserk over the simple, lawful release of someone who's been in prison for 30 years. They're probably crazy about everything else, too, so just ignore them."
I take it then US officials, the President and his entire cabinet, all of Congress will be in israel for the pollard victory parade, cheering the hero.
Has the parole board already met regarding this case? And if so, why are US officials so eager to leak the news 4 months ahead of time? Is this a common occurrence that convicts get to know ahead of time what the board has decided or will decide?
I guess it's official now for all the world to know. America as a country is joke. It's a legalized criminal enterprise of transnational corporations and israel and anyone outside of the club gets screwed or killed.
Yes, NBC just reported the 3 member parole board yesterday unanimously decided to release Pollard on 11/21/2015 on the condition that he reside in the US for five years. That could be a great opportunity for the antiwar movement to use public outrage over Pollard's release and his spying to galvanize opposition to the role Israel and its lobby play in subverting US foreign policy.
AIPAC and its allies operate by stealth. They understand that they can buy the loyalty of Congress, but the Israel lobby and the media have kept the American public ignorant and disengaged about the influence of the Zionist lobby on American foreign policy and the conflict between Israel's aggressive and repressive policies and the interests and values of the American people.
Publicity about Pollard's case is a great tool for raising consciousness and erasing apathy concerning the neocon/Zionist takeover of Congress and our foreign policy establishment.
According to NBC Pollard's lawyers say he has housing and a job in New York City, but they are calling on Obama to let him go to Israel immediately. Pollard deserves to be back in the slam, but methinks that parading his sorry donkey in public could kindle a long overdue culture war between the war mongers and the freedom fighters that we need to win. I look forward to the demonstrations and debates that Pollard's presence in New York will spark and we need to pressure Obama and the Israel-Firsters in Congress to keep Pollard here.
The story about the parole board's decsion is at:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-grants-pa…
This is a signal to all Americans sympathetic to Israel with access to secret material. Betray your country and Israel will not forget you. You will be rewarded.
Should make the job of recruiting traitors in the US for Israel just a whole lot easier- and of course, that's the point.
The parole board ruled that Pollard has to stay in the United State for at least five years. His supporters expect that he will be staying in a luxury apartment in New York City, the media capital of the world. That could be a great opportunity for the anti war movement to wage and win a media culture war with the Neocons to expose how our Congressional representatives and our Presidents from both parties have sold out America to Israel and its lobby.
About 90% of the comments on the NY Times and Daily News message boards are expressing outrage over Pollard's release and anger about Israel's influence over US foreign policy. For example, this morning some postings on the NY Times website critical of Israeli influence were drawing more than 300 votes while postings supporting Israeli policy received no more than 76 votes. The Times and the News are both trying to downplay the Pollard case because the media recognizes how Pollard's case galvanizes opposition to Israel and its influence over our government.
A public debate about Pollard is a great way to expose the conflict between Israel's foreign policy and American interests and to highlight how Congress and the Presidency have been subverted to serving Israel's aggressive and repressive policies at the expense of America's interests.
As a New Yorker, I look forward to demonstrations and debates using Pollard's case to expose the undue influence of the Israel lobby and the disastrous consequences that influence is having for world peace and our country.
So I say, bring him on! Keep Pollard in the US for five years and let's demonstrate and debate what he did, who he served and how and why America needs to disentangle our Congress, our President and our foreign policy from Israel and its lobby. It should be an interesting and educational five years.
I have heard that bizarre things happen to some people. Like a person who unexpectedly trips over a crack in a sidewalk that results in fatal head trauma or mysteriously electrocutes themselves while bathing or even consumed a food or drink that for some unexplained reason caused cardiac arrest.
Why just the other day I read in a prominent newspaper that a financial hedge fund executive "accidentally" fell from the precipice of a tall building. I'm just saying that you know, stuff happens.