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. He claims that if Pollard had used his constitutional right to remain
silent that the government would have been hard pressed to to make a case
against him because it would have required declassification of highly sensitive
intelligence documents. His choice to accept the plea bargain and submit himself
to the mercy of the government was in DershowitzŐs eyes a terrible mistake and a
partial reason for imprisonment. There is no doubt that in DershowitzŐs eyes
that this case is an issue of race and not so much an issue of foul play. He
reiterates over and over that PollardŐs actions were not in conflict with
American national security and that Israel was some how entitled to the
documents because in many ways they pertained to Israeli national security.
Dershowitz does his best to downplay PollardŐs acts of treason and at the same
hammers home his point that Pollard is being unfairly held. He repeatedly
emphasizes that Israel is an American ally, and that Pollard could have easily
commanded much greater sums of money than he received from Israel if he had sold
the information to more hostile nations. His description of the situation lacks
legal substance, and tends to suggest a theory of widespread anti Semitism.
Dershowitz makes a convincing argument that Pollard received a sentence that was
inconsistent both with past cases as well as what he was actually promised in
return for his guilty plea. It does seem that if Pollard had fought to the end
that his worst case scenario would not be much different from what he got out of
the plea bargain. Dershowitz blames poor legal advice and failure for the
government to hold up its end of the deal for PollardŐs present situation.
It is
not exactly clear to the general public exactly what information Pollard turned
over to the Israelis. All of these documents are still classified and it is
likely that they will be for many years to come. However, the fact is that this
man had an extremely high security clearance and that he broke a sworn oath to
protect the interests of the American people. This is a very serious crime, and
in my opinion should not be diluted with charges of anti Semitism. It is likely
that Pollard received less than a square deal from the US government in regards
to his sentence. It is also likely that an example is being made of his mistake
and its consequences. It has been suggested that if Pollard were released he
could move to Israel at which time he would receive a heroŐs welcome and a new
life of wealth and prestige. This is something that a majority of Americans
would find disheartening at best. In this section of his book, Dershowitz is
pleading for the Jewish community to pull together on PollardŐs behalf. He goes
on to give a very persuasive argument as to why Jewish leaders should not fear
being accused of having dual national loyalty. Pollards ultimate fate is still
not clear, but he is presently in prison and will most likely be there for the
duration of his sentence. However, Dershowitz has pledged to fight on his behalf
until he is released.
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