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Seriously?
Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking to the Knesset:
Members of Knesset, I have spoken, and I must admit not always successfully, about strength and responsibility. I also want to talk about something that links the two: unity. Two weeks ago we brought home our soldier Gilad Shalit after being held captive by Hamas for over five years. Like everybody else, I was extremely moved when I saw Gilad step off the helicopter. For a few days the entire country was united, unified, excited about one soldier whom we had brought home.
Last week, in coordination with Egypt and with the help of the American government, we released Ilan Grapel, who made aliya alone, volunteered to the paratrooper unit and was injured during the Second Lebanon War. We will continue to work for the release of Uda Tarabin who has been imprisoned in Egypt for 11 years. And I want to tell you and the entire people of Israel, I never, not for a moment, forget Jonathan Pollard, who has been in jail in the United States for 26 years. We will continue to do everything we can to bring him to Israel and we will not cease to try to obtain information about the fate of our missing soldiers.
Really, Mr. Netanyahu? You're now elevating Jonathan Pollard to the same level as Gilad Shalit? (And what does that make us? Hamas?) Jonathan Pollard is a U.S. citizen and intelligence analyst who betrayed his country and sold secrets to South Africa and Israel -- and he attempted to do the same for Pakistan. He deserves to spend the rest of his life in a dark hole.
Considering the number of times the United States has bailed out Israel this year -- from Cairo to the United Nations -- one wonders what goes through the prime minister's head when he insults the United States like this.
If they want him so bad they
If they want him so bad they can have him. In a bodybag.
From an Israeli perspective
From an Israeli perspective Pollard is an Israeli patriot who never sold anything or was willing to do for anybody besides Israel. Domestic politics...
Nah, don't hurt him. Sell him
Nah, don't hurt him. Sell him to them. They can pay by agreeing to forgo one year's worth of foreign aid.
Perhaps we can respond by
Perhaps we can respond by naming a cruiser the USS Liberty. Then, at times such as these, we can invite the Israelis to meetings ship-board.
Geez, it is getting
Geez, it is getting rough.
Look at what is happening in the US prison and judicial system. The penalty for crack cocaine just got made less. Early release is letting people who broke the law go without out fulfilling their debt. Police can not use methods like profiling for crime control. Every Police Officer has to fill out a report for the Federal Government to collect statistics to insure profiling does not happen. America has about 12M people running around the Nation that for what ever reason do not want to fill out immigration paperwork, they are in limbo yet someone wants to declare them as legal immigrants. I mean think about it. The Dream Act, education to citizenship. If they are smart enough to go to American schools why are they not smart enough to fill out the immigration forms and declare their intent?
If Johnathan Pollard stayed in Naval Intelligence and retired, he would most likely be collecting pension and benefits today. A retirement package worth over a million dollars. Keeping Pollard in Federal prison will cost the taxpayer a million dollars.
If Pollard was in California, he would have been released by now !
Giving Pollard to Israel, where he was declared a citizen, would be doing nothing more than what the legislators in California and Illinois are doing with criminals that did a lot worse.
I am not supporting Pollard. Some people want something in one hand and reject the same in the other. It gets confusing.
My vote.....Trade Pollard to Israel for a penny. It is all about politics anyway.
The comment above about
The comment above about convicts being released for crack cocaine is as pointless as it gets. First of all, recreational drug use and treason are not even remotely comparable crimes. Second of all, these prisoners are being released because finally, at long last, our legislators are doing something about the awful sentencing guidelines that used to exist for drug use. Cocaine use was punished way less severely than crack cocaine, despite them literally being the same substance.
And trade him to Israel for a penny? Where are you writing from, the Knesset? If you want us to release him for a penny, then yeah, you are supporting Pollard. FInally, let me reiterate - treason is much worse than crack cocaine.
I agree to some extent that
I agree to some extent that the crack analogy was a bit strained but I got the point. The point as I saw it was that we as a society let people out for the most transient of reasons so if one embraces that nihlism to an extreme degree letting Pollard out for political reasons is no more disgusting than letting out Junebug the crack dealer for political reasons.
And be assured, Junebug is out because of politics. The stiffer penalty for crack cocaine was not dreamt up at a KKK meeting. It was the recommendation of police and prosecutors who understood how crack dealers operate. Thus the 5 gram trafficking statute. No one who knows anything about drug dealing would dispute that someone carrying 5 grams of crack is a dealer. Its just not remotely believable to anyone but the untutored or unscrupulous. 500g of powder is, in my opinion, a bit high for the trafficking threshold but its not entirely out there. Same chemistry, different culture of use.
All the gyrations, in either direction, are immaterial anyway, Junebug will be back inside before you can say "Crime causes poverty". And yes of course treason is more serious than crack dealing, thats why it does not get you 5 dog years.
More to the point of the article, I'm not impressed by this aspect of the Israeli relationship. A. Its a family affair Ben, so fuck off. B. No, seriously....fuck off.
Pollard is an American and a
Pollard is an American and a traitor. He was found guilty in a court of law and was incarcerated. He is where he belongs. He betrayed his country and should be glad to still be among the breathing.
Whenever Israel wants to go it alone in the Middle East, they can. Without American support, how long would they last?
Ben N. was playing to Israeli rednecks. We have rednecks too. Letting rednecks drive the government bus usually ends in catastrophe.
TJ on November 4, 2011 -
TJ on November 4, 2011 - 1:57pm Bingo...!!!
That's ridiculous on November 4, 2011 - 12:53pm Looks like I struck a chord. I expected that reply.
The real sad story is that the dealers are home faster than the cops that put them in jail. Still all the fuss over crack laws are not ending the suffering in Mexico. People are fussing over the guns that are suppose to be fling across the board to Mexico.. What about the people supporting the trade with American money? They are the ones that usually vote for the people that worry about the guns. Funny world we live in.
I can think of a way to stimulate your mind and the American economy at the same time. Stop sticking thinks up your nose. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo62lx25ngk&feature=related
Reality is more exciting. Go for a bike or a hike ride instead. Exum how is that trail at Blood Mountain these days? You climb. Thrill huh. Do it free hand if you want a rush. Friend was a tour guide in Tibet. He loved Rangers, they cried when he took them climbing.
Besides, there is a lot of juju in the penny trade. One Gilad Shalit costs a $thousand Palestinians$.
If you want to give BB a message give him a penny.....get it?
What goes through prime
What goes through prime minister Netanyahu's head when he insults the United States like this?
Probably that he can say whatever will be most adventageous domestically. Because nothing he says or does will change the absolute, unquestioning support that Israel will get from US politicians. He may be subject to hard questions from an Israeli member of Parliament, but from the US Congress? Never. So why even bother to consider how Americans might react to his remarks?
Pollard should rot where he
Pollard should rot where he is.
As much as I support Israel, Pollard is a stain on the relationship between the two nations' friendship.
Netanyahu should learn to treat his friends with more respect, especially when they are footing a big chunk of the bill
What a joke! Pollard deserves
What a joke! Pollard deserves to be freed not because he is a good guy but because his punishment in no way fits the crime! Here are some facts to explain why Israel wants him back:
Jonathan Pollard was never indicted for harming the United States.
Jonathan Pollard was never indicted for compromising codes, agents, or war plans.
Jonathan Pollard was never charged with treason. [Legally, treason is a charge that is only applicable when one spies for an enemy state in time of war.
Jonathan Pollard was indicted on only one charge: one count of passing classified information to an ally, without intent to harm the United States.
No one else in the history of the United States has ever received a life sentence for passing classified information to an ally - only Jonathan Pollard. The median sentence for this offense is two to four years. The maximum sentence today for such an offense is 10 years. Pollard is now serving his 26th year.
Instead of making this about whether the US should support Israel and so on, how about making it about whether the US supports justice and whether or not justice has already be served. It was served 22 years ago. This is just cruel and unusual punishment! I am really surprised that these facts have not been show in light of your damning criticism launched at Bibi Netanyahu.
I'd trade Jonathan Pollard to
I'd trade Jonathan Pollard to the Israelis - in exchange for Mordechai Vanunu - in a heartbeat. Then someone could interview Vanunu and write a book about the insanity involved in the Israeli nuclear weapons program.
Pollard is a tool, Vanunu is a hero. I wonder if Nuttin'Yahoo would go for it? Or is that something they'd rather not let the world know about?
I think that people are
I think that people are viewing this all wrong. We could trade him for a thousand Israeli settlements. :)
"I am really surprised that
"I am really surprised that these facts have not been show in light of your damning criticism launched at Bibi Netanyahu."
Good grief.
"Jonathan Pollard was
"Jonathan Pollard was indicted on only one charge: one count of passing classified information to an ally, without intent to harm the United States."
Yeah, could you reference the US code on that charge because it doesn't exist. Like all Pollard apologists, facts mean nothing in getting Pollard back to Israel to be feted as a hero. What makes Israeli's think Pollard is a hero? Just more of the same propaganda cooked up by Esther Pollard. Such as:
The lie that Pollard gave Israel information that led to the destruction of the Osirik nuclear plant in Iraq by Israeli warplanes. Problem is, it was bombed in 1981. Pollard wasn't in position to violate his security oath and sell America's military secrets for profit until 1984.
The man and his jailhouse bride have crafted a whole mythology that builds him in to the exact opposite of who he really is, a miserable thief who wanted to play spy and got caught. He offered to spy for Australia before even thinking of Israel.
"No one else in the history
"No one else in the history of the United States has ever received a life sentence for passing classified information to an ally - only Jonathan Pollard."
This is an argument for punishing other people more harshly, not for being more lenient on Pollard.
People like him should not get prison, they should go to the wall.
What goes through prime
What goes through prime minister Netanyahu's head when he insults the United States like this?
Could it be that Bibi is upping his price for support of the Republican candidate for President in 2012?
We're talking about the same
We're talking about the same Pollard who bragged and defended their spying in the press after getting caught?
The reason we didn't see a litany of charges brought and successfully proven against him is because he pled guilty to save his skin. Then the moron thought it wise to break his plea deal with prosecutors by failing to cooperate fully and refraining to talk to the press.
Not is he only a traitorous guttersnipe who sold our national security to anyone who was willing to buy, he was a bumbling idiot on top of it all. Frankly, he deserves some swift 19th century justice and should be fortunate to carry on his moronic ways.
Happy Veterans Day.
Happy Veterans Day.
The comments to your diatribe
The comments to your diatribe are the best evidence that, when it comes to Pollard, America is EXACTLY like Hamas.
That's just BIBI talking to
That's just BIBI talking to the locals for local political consumption, and to appease their amen-corner of non-serving co-religionists here in the US. Nothing there. Even Bibi knows that the traitor Pollard will die in the pokey and not in the "Promised Land".
Cheap Hip Hop Jewelry on
Cheap Hip Hop Jewelry on sale,hot fashion and powerful,sure you will like it.
In response to the Nov. 14
In response to the Nov. 14 post by Jerusalem...
Our Jews are much better than your Jews. Your Jews suck.
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