Most Americans want to know what is going on in “our world” (the U.S.) and one political occurrence is the release and fate of Jonathan Pollard. Jonathan Pollard is an American man who was convicted of handing out classified information to Israel while working as a civilian intelligence analyst. He pleaded guilty and received a life sentence in 1987, and now, almost 30 years later, he has become essential to Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts to keep the precarious Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations successful. After all these years, one has to ask, why now? Why after all these years is the thought of this man being released being mentioned or thought about?
From the time when Jonathan Pollard was convicted, during President Ronald Reagan’s second term to now, the thought of releasing him from prison was brought about, however; those efforts never took place. Now those same efforts are being brought forward, but whether or not it will happen is still unknown because back then it was said that yes, he did spy, but for an ally. Pollard has said (The Facts of the Pollard Case) he was motivated by the belief that the intelligence he passed on was vital to the security of Israel, one of the closest U.S. allies. He acknowledged his actions in pleading guilty and claims he had no intention of harming the U.S. (Retrieved April 19, 2014)
Associated Press (Jakes, L. 2014, April) published an article stating Jonathan Pollard was eligible for parole in November 2015 and that his release could give headway to the Mideast peace talks even though Pollard’s name has previously came up in the Israeli and Palestinian negotiations. Many have stressed that this is a no brainer and his release shouldn’t be granted and are opposed to it, some...
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...want to do it. People can’t make others do anything they don’t want to do. Moreover, there are those that believe other people’s problems are not their own unless it interferes with their way of life and rights as an American. Many articles do make it seem as though the United States is desperate. As McCain said, “Pollard should be freed either on the merits of his parole application or on humanitarian grounds — not as a carrot to keep talks afloat.”
There’s always more behind the stories and there are limitations on what one can share (freedom of speech or not). One has to wonder why Israel is so adamant about Pollard's release. He is an American and it only lends to a greater suspicion on why a foreign country wants him released and sent to them. Obama, Kerry and whomever else is behind this ordeal will do what they feel is best without thinking how others feel.
McCraw, David, and Stephen Gikow. “The End to a Unspoken Bargain? National Security and Leaks in a Post-Pentagon Papers World.” Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review 48.2 (2013): 473-509. Academic OneFile. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
...nds right.” He doesn’t. He can’t directly change policies that would make the lives of others easier and better, but he gives them hope that it can be done. He gives them hope in the fact that there will be conditions where they will not be hurt any longer and that it could get better. This is shown through his actions at the prison and in the fact that he escaped on multiple occasions.
After the men were arrested, one of them named James W. McCord Jr. admitted to having connections with the CIA which sparked the reporters interest
Cassidy, John. "Why Edward Snowden Is a Hero." The New Yorker. N.p., 10 June 2013. Web. 15 Feb.
He clarifies that while Obama had commuted the prison sentences of over 100 federal prisoners, he did not do the same for legal immigrants. In many cases, the immigrants that were deported had committed crimes that were later considered pardonable by Congress. However, because they had already been deported, they could not be accepted back into the States. Kanstroom concludes that an effective way of helping these prisoners, would be instead to introduce programs that aid them in “transitioning back to their
Since the founding of Israel, the U.S. government has undoubtedly pledged its allegiance to the nation and unfortunately this support for Israel has created American hostility towards Palestinians. Under any circumstances, we never see images showing the struggles of Palestinian as disenfranchised refugees living in occupied territory, instead images repeatedly depict all Palestinians as evil terrorists. In the film Death Before Dishonor (1987), Palestinians are shown as heartless humans when a terrorist is brutally murdering an Israeli family in cold blood. In another scene, shot from the marine's point of view, the terrorist is shown happily torturing an American marine with a power drill. Washington’s policy makers failed to support the millions of Palestinians who have been made refugees, and live lives of poverty and squalor
This man was not ready to be released at all. In fact, he shouldn’t have been released. This only left him more of an opportunity to stike again. This information brought the people of Hamilton Township to pass around a petition.
Rather than allow the numerous repercussions Snowden now faces stop him, Snowden chose to make the public aware of wrongs committed against them, even if it meant going against the government. The American people and their right to their privacy drove Edward Snowden to make a personal decision, and the result was not that of a traitor, but that of a hero and a man undeserving of the hatred and rejection made by the country he was striving to support.
Dina, Temple-Raston. “Guantanamo Bay Still Unresolved.” Tell Me More (NPR) (2013): Newspaper Source. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
Applebaum believes that torture should not be used as a means of gaining information from suspects. Applebaum's opinion is supported through details that the practice has not been proven optimally successful. After debating the topic, I have deliberated on agreeing with Applebaum's stance towards the torture policy. I personally agree with the thought to discontinue the practice of torture as a means of acquiring intel. I find it unacceptable that under the Bush Administration, the President decided prisoners to be considered exceptions to the Geneva Convention. As far as moral and ethical consideration, I do not believe that it is anyone's right to harm anyone else, especially if the tactic is not proven successful. After concluding an interview with Academic, Darius Rejali, Applebaum inserted that he had “recently trolled through French archives, found no clear examples of how torture helped the French in Algeria -- and they lost that war anyway.” There are alternative...
Now, let’s say you do choose to torture this man, not only are the people directly in this situation going to be affected, but also the rest of the nation. We need to ask ourselves, what is going to be the true outcome? This includes thinking about how the enemy is going to react and how the nation is going to react. Torturing this man shames our nation as a whole, scars our repu...
Why Edward Snowden Is a Hero? The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web.
It is reasonable to argue that, governmental institutions or people with authority are subject to withhold a great deal of information from society. Many may argue that secrets are kept to ensure the safety of the nation. Thus, upholding the governmental duty of protecting the nation against possible threats. On the other hand, many believe that secrets may exist which violate our constitutional rights. Over the last year, Edward Snowden, has made headline news for leaking sensitive governmental information to the press. Edward Snowden is a 29-year-old high school drop-out, who was a tech specialist for the National Security Association. Snowden had discovered and later exposed the NSA for monitoring the nations e-mails, phone calls, and internet searches. As the allegations spread like wild fire, Edward Snowden sought asylum in Russia for one year. Snowden had a valid and justifiable reason to expose the NSA to the world because they were in violation of our fourth Amendment rights to unreasonable searches and seizures. The government called him a traitor, while others viewed him as a hero for exposing the government. Edward Snowden is a whistle blower because he felt that it is up to society to decide if governmental practices are just or unjust. Snowden does “express the highest respect for the law”, and he wanted to protect the right of privacy for American citizens.
Verkaik, R. (2006) The Big Question: What are the alternatives to prison, and do they work? The Independent [online] 10 October. Available from:
Despite the media coverage given to Israel by the Convention against Torture, there is still a significant amount of torture going on and since no legal steps have been taken to implement domestically the Convention against Torture, the Convention does not form part of the domestic law of Israel and its provisions cannot be invoked in Israeli courts. The convention has exposed the tortures occurring in Israel, and set the groundwork for eliminating torture, but still has had no significant effect in controlling the problem of human rights violations with regard to torture. The US is supposedly the most free, democratic, fair and just country. However, at the core is a horrible history and current actions of torture.... ... middle of paper ...