Jonathan Pollard (1993)

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

1993 Dry Bones cartoon - American Jewry abandons Jonathan Pollard.

I did this cartoon about our shocking abandonment of Jonathan Pollard back in May of 1993.

* * * One year later, in May of 1994, my daughter Jenny gave birth to a baby boy. This Thursday, May 10, we'll be at the Western Wall to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. How time flies!... but not so quickly, I imagine, if you are still sitting in a jail cell, alone, betrayed, and forgotten by your people.

Labels: Jonathan Pollard

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9 Comments:

At 3:23 PM, Anonymous said...: I feel for Mr. Pollard, and appreciate your efforts to make sure he is not forgotten.

What actions would you suggest that be done to help him?

We American Jews have no more idea how to help Mr. Pollard than you Israeli Jews.
At 4:12 PM, Paul said...: Sadly, he will most likely be in prison for a long time.
At 4:43 PM, west_rhino said...: Sadly also, the reason that states must engage in information gathering, even from "allies" will continue to exist for a long time also. I've no doubt that the CIA and other agencies are prone to cultivate sources in Israel as Mr. Pollard was cultivated here.

"What a wicked web we weave, when first we practice to decieve"
At 8:55 PM, Anonymous said...: "if you are still sitting in a jail cell, alone, betrayed, and forgotten by your people."

His people are the American people, whom he betrayed with his treasonous crimes. A bullet would have been more appropriate.

Tater
At 9:15 PM, Yaakov Kirschen said...: Pollard was never tried for treason, and yes, the American people have abandoned him.
At 10:58 PM, Anonymous said...: You are correct Yaakov, Pollard was never tried for treason. But as I suspect you know, that was due to a plea bargain agreement in which the U.S. Government would only charge him with one count of espionage (spying for a foreign government), AND DROP ALL other charges. In exchange for the leniency, Pollard agreed to cooperate with the USA and reveal what/when classified information he gave away to include polygraph tests to back up his statements.

Espionage is indeed a treasonous crime, whether one is prosecuted for it or not.

For it, I contend that Pollard abandoned the American people, not the other way around.

I’m a big supporter of Israel, and consider her one of the great allies of the USA; but I’ll never support, nor have mercy for, any American that commits espionage for a foreign government—even if it’s for Israel.

Tater
At 6:23 AM, Lesly said...: The Jonathan Pollard website has a page dedicated to Cuban spies. It states:

"Cuba, unlike Israel, is a hostile nation... Compare and contrast this to the life sentence without parole that Jonathan Pollard received for espionage on behalf of Israel - America's strong friend and close ally."

Friends and allies can't avoid spying on each other. Nor avoid heaving and sobbing when an asset is arrested and sentenced to life, it seems. I'm a liberal/libertarian Cuban American. Ana Montes is not Cuban. She spied for Castro's regime for ideological reasons. She is not going to rot in jail like Pollard. But had she been sentenced to the same fate I would not dedicate a web site to her. I don't think the information Pollard passed to Israel will ever be declassified, but I know we don't have special federal statutes (or appeal procedures, for that matter) for Jewish defendants.

Nor are charges of bias strictly a Jewish phenomenon. We pull out the conspirational government card too, good grief.
At 8:52 PM, muse said...: excellent

and mazal tov
At 3:55 PM, Anonymous said...: To "Tater":

I think the point is that if you choose not to make a distinction between allies and enemies (meaning...was harm to the U.S. the intent)...they should all "get a bullet". A more practical consideration would be whether to make a distinction between actual harm done. If you make no distinction there either, then they should all "get a bullet".

But since we DO make these distinctions and we DO take them into consideration, we must ask ourselves why Mr. Pollard, in particular, deserves WORSE treatment and punishment than individuals that had intent to harm the United States and were able to do so?