I quoted the wrong part, but in truth there’s a damn good reason people appeal the death penalty. The part I meant to quote was how “we ruined his life”.
We DID ruin his life. he could have spent those 30 years living it up on the French Riviera with his wealthy Israeli friends. But we had good reason for what we did. He WAS a traitor. That does not change what we did, nor what its effect on him has been. Once again, what’s so hard to understand?
How does jailing someone for 30 years not ruin his life?
If I murdered you, and was tried, convicted, and imprisoned, would the government be ruining my life?
Let’s just put our cards on the table: I know you’re just feeling oh-so-sorry for someone who committed a crime against the US Government. I strongly suspect that you think that espionage against the Powers That Be shouldn’t actually be a crime, unless a Republican does it.
Since Pollard is eligible for parole next year (since he pleaded before November 1,1987 he doesn’t have to serve 85% of his federal sentence) just release him then. He can to Israel and get the “hero’s welcome” which they apparently believe that he deserves.
End of story.
However, the next person who gets nailed spying for Israel should get slammed (life imprisonment) as that will make it clear that the US won’t tolerate such nonsense.
Well, that makes no sense.
Then why do you assert that “we”, or anybody other than Pollard, “ruined his life”? He did that to himself. Your view of personal responsibility seems pretty idiosyncratic.
I think so too. Now why do you ask?
Yep. Justifiably, perhaps, but it would the government that did it.
Forgot to respond to this: I thought it was Scooter Libby who was responsible for that leak, but I would be very satisfied to see all laws on the books regarding leaks more vigorously enforced.
How long a sentence do you think Edward Snowden should get?
Would you also claim the government was *responsible *for doing it, not himself?
It does….
It’s just that you are Really Not All That Bright.
Shouldn’t send them directly across the plate like that….
No, he’s right. It’s a really stupid idea. The courts make sentencing decisions based on the interests of justice, and it would be silly to threaten some future spy with a guaranteed life sentence that everyone knows a prosecutor cannot guarantee.
Most prisoners in the U.S. receive sentences unjustifiably long. 30 years for what he did isn’t comparatively long when you look at what bank robbers anfpd pot growers have served. Selling out your country’s secrets is about as bad a thing as you can do.
Nobody with a brain believes Scooter Libby was doing anything but acting as Cheney’s tool. We didn’t have the stuff to convict Cheney, but in a just world, we would have.
I don’t think Snowden should get ANY jail time, he’s an American hero for exposing the NSA at considerable cost to himself, in a just world he gets a ticker tape parade down mainstream and statues erected in his honor.
All this is kinda moot, thinking about it, we both agree that Pollard is and was a traitor, and deserved punishment.
Who said anything about his sentence being unjustifiably long? I didn’t. I just said it was long enough to thoroughly wreck his life. I said that we did it, it didn’t MAGICALLY happen because he gave away secrets to the Israelis.
I do agree, some of our jail terms are insanely long.
Did he but anyone’s life at risk?
Yes, the government is responsible for jailing him. If he had not committed a crime like treason, we would be justifiably enraged at the government for jailing him. In fact, stories come along all the time about the government jailing people wrongly, sometimes due, not just to honest errors, but due tojust plain evil. Naturally, we are outraged and horrified at the actions, and feel a need to hold the government accountable. Are you saying the government was not responsible for jailing this man for 25 years, or for jailing Pollard for 30 years?
Moot point, as I said earler. We all agree about Pollard.
yes, the government was responsible for jailing him, he didn’t jail himself.