WHY HAS THE AMERICAN JUSTICE SYSTEM
NOT BEEN AS “BLIND” AS IT SHOULD BE?
LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Dear Friends,
Jonathan Pollard and Sandy Berger have received very unequal treatment from the American Justice System. I became aware of this fact when I read an excellent article by Jeff Ballabon, entitled Sandy Berger and Jonathan Pollard: American Justice? Sandy Berger’s crimes against the United States may have been more harmful than Pollard spying for Israel, an American democratic ally.
Berger’s actions, or inactions, as National Security Advisor may have been linked directly to Al Qaeda’s in executing the horrible tragedy of September 11, 2001 even worse. The documents he stole and destroyed may have contained information which would help protect Americans in the future from terrorism.
* * * * *
Sandy Berger and Jonathan Pollard: American Justice?
By Jeff Ballabon
The grassroots movement around freeing convicted spy Jonathan Pollard generates lots of heat about purported injustice and anti-Semitism, but little light about what damage Pollard really did to America and
why he continues to languish.
I have argued against the political efforts to free Pollard, although I am fully supportive of pursuing any and all legal recourse. The lack of actual information of what damage (if any) Pollard actually caused has always given me pause about the fervor of the “Free Pollard” activists, and it remains hard for me to imagine that it is anti-Semitism at work. However, that it is a relative injustice in a system that prides itself on striving for parity in federal sentencing, can no longer be doubted – in light of the system’s
treatment of Sandy Berger.
Pollard was a relatively low level civilian intelligence analyst while Berger was our nation’s National Security Advisor. Pollard did plead guilty to spying for an ally (which actually is a lesser crime than spying for a non-ally) and his actions have not publicly been linked to any specific damage to America or her citizens. Recently, even former CIA director Jim Woolsey said Pollard has already served enough time. In contrast, Berger’s actions or inactions as National Security Advisor may have been linked directly to Al Qaeda’s success in executing the horrible tragedy of 9/11 – perhaps even worse, the documents he stole and destroyed may have contained information which would help protect Americans in the future from terrorism. And he is serving no time at all.
What few facts are known about Sandy Berger’s perfidy already dwarf the totality of Watergate: using his status and security clearance, Berger repeatedly broke into the National Archives, not a political party’s offices; Berger stole documents pertaining to the security of our nation at a time of war and imminent threat to civilians on a wide scale, not political playbooks; etc.
As Ronald Cass sums it up:
“According to reports from the Inspector General of the National Archives and the staff of the House of Representatives’ Government Operations Committee, Mr. Berger, while acting as former President Clinton’s designated representative to the commission investigating the attacks of September 11, 2001, illegally took confidential documents from the Archives on more than one occasion. He folded documents in his clothes, snuck them out of the Archives building, and stashed them under a construction trailer nearby until he could return, retrieve them, and later cut them up. After he was caught, he lied to the investigators and tried to shift blame to Archive employees.”
Cass’ article touches on the media’s own perfidy in all but yawning about Berger’s actions.
The upshot is that Berger remains a free man who is making millions. He paid a fine and has to do community service. It is a travesty.
If Pollard, who has been in maximum security in North Carolina for 22 years and appears to be stuck there for the rest of his natural life, can be said to have been dealt with appropriately, then Berger should
be in Gitmo undergoing interrogation (maybe that way we’d git mo information about what he actually stole and destroyed and why he did it).
I’m still uncomfortable with efforts to make Pollard a hero and I wish I knew what damage he did, but whatever it was, if Pollard is behind bars, there is no justification for Sandy Berger to be a free
man. Something is wrong with the system.
* * * * *
JONATHAN POLLARD was a relatively low level civilian intelligence analyst in the Field Operational Intelligence Office of the U.S. Navy. Pollard did plead guilty to spying for an ally (Israel). However, his actions have not been linked to any specific damage to America and its citizens.
*CRIME:
Stealing classified documents and turning them over to Israel, a democratic ally of the United States.
*MOTIVATION:
The United States had refused to share vital security information with its ally Israel. The information Pollard provided to Israel had actually been authorized for release as part of a secret annex to the 1983 U.S. Israeli agreement, enhancing the two countries’ strategic cooperation. (Source: page 305, Territory of Lies by Wolf Blitzer.)
For example, he obtained the most exact U.S.gathered information about Iraqi and Syrian chemical warfare production capabilities, including detailed satellite pictures and maps showing the location of factories and storage facilities. The United States did not want to make such specific information available to Israel, fearing a pre-emptive strike. It also feared that American “sources and methods” used to obtain such information could be compromised if it became available to Israel. The first documents Pollard gave Israel involved the details of Iraq’s warfare factories. (Source: page 166, Territory of Lies by Wolf Blitzer.)
Pollard feared a repetition of the recent Nazi Holocaust in which so many Jews were gassed.
*PUNISHMENT:
Life in prison.
*PRESENT SITUATION:
Jonathan Pollard is in a maximum security prison in North Carolina where he has been incarcerated for 22 years under very harsh conditions. It appears that he will be stuck there for the rest of his life, even though government officials such as former Director of the CIA under President Bill Clinton, R. James Woolsey, and former top U.S. Middle East negotiator, Dennis Ross, have recently stated that the convicted Israeli spy should be released after having already served 22 years.
SANDY BERGER was the National Security Advisor for the United States. Mr. Berger, while acting as former President Clinton’s designated representative to the commission investigating the attacks of September 11, 2001, illegally took confidential classified documents from the Inspector General of the National Archives on more than one occasion.
*CRIME:
He concealed documents under his clothes and snuck them out of the Archives building. He subsequently cut these documents up in little pieces and disposed of them.
*MOTIVATION:
Cover-up for whom, and for what?
*PUNISHMENT:
A ludicrous fine and community service.
*PRESENT SITUATION:
Berger was never incarcerated for his crime of stealing classified documents. On the contrary, he is a free man, making millions and living a comfortable life as a respected citizen.
Dear friends, why did Jonathan Pollard and Sandy Berger receive such unequal treatment from the American Justice System?
Many people blame the American treatment of Jonathan Pollard on anti-Semitism. Possibly, anti-Semitism may be a component. However, both Sandy Berger and Jonathan Pollard are Jewish!
It is more likely that the unequal treatment of these two men is proof of a secret hostility by the United States and its State Department toward Israel, the one and only Jewish State. Is Israel continually treated as an expendable asset, an obstacle to the secure supply of Arab oil?
The incontrovertible fact is that the ROAD MAP so enthusiastically endorsed by the Quartet, Russia, the EU, the UN and the United States, is a plan conceived by Saudi Arabia!
The secret betrayal of Israel unfortunately remains the touch stone of all nations who make their incredible profits from the Arab world.
Dear friends, please send this article to your Representatives and Senators in Congress, to your local newspapers, TV and radio, and to anyone who might be interested in seeing justice done.
With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth Matar
P.S. A nationwide 60-day call-in to the White House campaign has begun and will continue through the holiday of Pesach/Passover, the Jewish Holiday of Freedom, to call to the attention of President George W. Bush the continued unfair incarceration of Jonathan Pollard.
Organizers of the campaign remind the community that the White House counts and tallies all incoming calls, so every single phone call makes a difference. The White House phone number is: 202-456-1414. Direct line for President Bush is 202-456-1111. Callers are asked to call daily between the hours of 11am-2pm EST and to encourage their family members and friends to do the same. Callers are reminded to expect the lines to be busy and to keep calling until they get through.
The message to President Bush should be that Mr. Pollard has served long enough and that the time has come to free him.
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