Jonathan Pollard Needs to Stay

A lot of pro Israel writers call for the release of spy Jonathan Pollard from prison. This Pollard is a traitor to the United States who was caught and legally convicted. In prison he is and in prison he should remain.

I support Israel. Jerusalem is the capital of the nation and Gaza and the "West Bank" are the territory of  Israel. There is no such thing, in reality, as the "Palestinian" people. Those unfortunates are being used by the Mohammedans as an irritant to Israel. That is easy to see. That is a shame for them. They were unlucky at birth.  However that may be, my support of  Israel does come with some qualification and some reservation.

My support for Israel is support based on the strategic well being, so to speak, of the United States and Western Civilization. I have before noted that Israel's proximity to the Suez Canal is of utmost importance; perhaps more so even now that the so called "Arab Spring" is engulfing the region. It would take very little for an unfriendly regime in Egypt to close this canal. It has been done before. The IDF is needed in the region to take the Suez if necessary. If Western forces are at any time needed in the area the IDF will prove to be a valuable ally or at the very least a non hindrance to operations.

The fact that Israel is the birthplace of Christianity, the predominant Western religion, is a consideration in my support for Israel although it is secondary. It goes without saying that Islam is a destructive force and the sites that are considered holy in Christianity (and Judaism) are in danger of being damaged and defaced should the Mohammedans so desire. A great many of them likely do so desire. Take as an example the destruction of the Buddhist sites by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Do the Islamists in the Middle East differ in any great respect from those in Afghanistan? Doubtful.

I also support Israel due to the fact that Mohammedans in the region are enemies of the West although this is my tertiary concern. It goes without saying that there was much well documented rejoicing in the region after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Israel is not without fault and is not to be completely trusted or allowed free reign in the region however. The attack on the Liberty is still on the mind of many older or history conscious Americans. It matters little what the reasons for the attack were. It was not an accident but a deliberate act of war and was not properly addressed at the time.

 The fact that Israel will spy on this country is illustrated in the arrest and conviction of Jonathon Pollard. All nations spy on one another to some extent, but when a foreign agent is apprehended passing state secrets then said agent should pay the penalty. It matters not what the motivations were as some would believe. Some believe this Pollard to be a heroic figure. He was an American citizen passing sensitive information to a foreign power. That power being an allied - vice - enemy nation is of no consequence. Leniency for Pollard is not an option.

Pollard has been convicted, is a traitor to this country, and needs to remain incarcerated for the remainder of his life. There is no telling what damage the man has done or could have done.