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Israel asks US to let spy attend father's funeral

I think he would be a flight risk, so I can understand denying him permission. Just last year, the imprisoned former governor of Illinois - George Ryan - was denied permission to visit with his terminal wife. She passed away about three months later.

What I will never understand is why the Lockerbie bomber was released in 2009 for “humanitarian reasons”. As far as I know, he is still alive today

al-Megrahi was released by the Britsh. Scotts in particular.

As for the reasons, I would say a lack of anything resembling common sense
 
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As for the reasons, I would say a lack of anything resembling common sense
Agreed. I can also understand why the Pakistanis were pissed about releasing Raymond Davis.
 
Agreed. I can also understand why the Pakistanis were pissed about releasing Raymond Davis.

Yeah, I was really amazed at that one. But when "Blood Money" is an acceptable legal principle, what do you expect?
 
Yeah, I was really amazed at that one. But when "Blood Money" is an acceptable legal principle, what do you expect?

Different cultures-different belief systems.

Paul
 
Different cultures-different belief systems.

Paul

they're certainly free to live how ever they want, but that doesn't make the practice any less barbaric
 
If other prisoners of similar status are being allowed this right then it is 'cruel and unusual' to deny it.

If Justice is not blind then it very quickly deteriorates and nothing makes it deteriorate faster than allowing politics to start making specific sentencing and penal decisions over individual prisoners. If you are really a liberal then you have to accept that and live with the consequences, blind justice is non-negotiable.

not allowing this spy to visit a corpse in NO way can be found "cruel and unusual" punishment
 
I think he would be a flight risk, so I can understand denying him permission. Just last year, the imprisoned former governor of Illinois - George Ryan - was denied permission to visit with his terminal wife. She passed away about three months later.

What I will never understand is why the Lockerbie bomber was released in 2009 for “humanitarian reasons”. As far as I know, he is still alive today

Because the the British are retarded. The idea that anyone no matter how despicable their crime is should be released from for humanitarian reasons is idiotic. this is basically ****ting on the graves of the victims. The other reason that the British left a deuce on the graves of 270 victims is for a oil deal with Libya.

Lockerbie bomber release linked to oil deal: report | Reuters

Lockerbie bomber 'set free for oil' - Times Online

Jack Straw admits Lockerbie bomber's release was linked to oil - Telegraph

Report: Lockerbie bomber's release was motivated by oil deal - The Hill's E2-Wire

Qaddafi Son: 'Obvious' Lockerbie Bomber's Release Tied to Oil - FoxNews.com

BP's admits role in Lockerbie bomber's release - SFGate
 
Leniency should not be shown just because some scumbag has a relative,especially a dead relative.
but he wasn't "especially" a dead relative. there were requests made for his father to see him before he died and they were denied.

would it really have been so bad to show some common humanity towards his father?

this is the third time i have said this. reading comprehension please people.
 
Where's the "stand with Israel" crowd on this one? You know telling us how Israel is "our greatest ally" and we should do whatever they want. Then they could say everybody who thinks that the spy should hang is anti-semitic.

Screw him. He sold out his country for another country.
 
would it really have been so bad to show some common humanity towards his father?

Usually when a criminal is incarcerated, they are incarcerated. They don't get out for family functions.

This guy was deported because of his crimes. They are showing the same common humanity toward his father that is normally shown to the father of a criminal.
 
but he wasn't "especially" a dead relative. there were requests made for his father to see him before he died and they were denied.
would it really have been so bad to show some common humanity towards his father?

One of things about prison is that you miss out on family functions. This means no birthday parties, no seeing someone on their death bed, no visiting someone in the hospital, no anniversaries, no kids little league practice, no weddings, no holidays or any other special functions with loved ones. That is some of the consequences of going to prison. The spy should rot in prison for the rest of his life, he should have been executed. If his father's funeral is that import then they can video tape it and show it to him on the other side of that glass window in the visitors room.

this is the third time i have said this. reading comprehension please people.


The fact his father may have or may not want his somewhere is irrelevant. Do you know how many kids across the country miss their fathers not being there? Should we allow inmates to go to their kids little league or soccer match? Should we allow inmates out of prison to go to their kids birth day party,graduation or some other special occasion?
 
One of things about prison is that you miss out on family functions. This means no birthday parties, no seeing someone on their death bed, no visiting someone in the hospital, no anniversaries, no kids little league practice, no weddings, no holidays or any other special functions with loved ones. That is some of the consequences of going to prison. The spy should rot in prison for the rest of his life, he should have been executed. If his father's funeral is that import then they can video tape it and show it to him on the other side of that glass window in the visitors room.




The fact his father may have or may not want his somewhere is irrelevant. Do you know how many kids across the country miss their fathers not being there? Should we allow inmates to go to their kids little league or soccer match? Should we allow inmates out of prison to go to their kids birth day party,graduation or some other special occasion?

i "liked" your post because i understand the point you are making although i do think your example of fathers missing their kids little league or soccer match is in no way comparable to allowing a visit with a dying father/child. that's not the argument i am trying to make here.

i hope you understand that.
 
I'm not sure if my link from Fairfax County detention centre is indicative of all American Jails but it seems if a court order is obtained then a prisoner can attend.

"A court order is required to transport an inmate to a funeral service. Funeral transports are made only in the Northern Virginia area. The family must pay for the overtime salary and expenses of two Sheriff's deputies. Once a court order is obtained, contact the Transportation Section Supervisor for information at 703-246-4433."

FAQs: Adult Detention Center - Fairfax County, Virginia

Paul
 
i know what he did was wrong, but would it have been so bad to let him say goodbye to his Dad before he died. his Dad didn't do anything wrong.
from what i've read, Pollard and his father had been estranged since the mid 90s. IMO he shouldn't have been allowed to visit him as

A: they had had no relationship for over a decade

B: (more inportantly) Pollard caused incalculable damage to US/Western interests, causing the death of many people.
 
I think he would be a flight risk, so I can understand denying him permission. Just last year, the imprisoned former governor of Illinois - George Ryan - was denied permission to visit with his terminal wife. She passed away about three months later.

What I will never understand is why the Lockerbie bomber was released in 2009 for “humanitarian reasons”. As far as I know, he is still alive today

I read a report saying his lawyers were pushing for a retrial as they claimed they had evidence which undermined the original conviction and put the blame squarely at Gaddafi's feet.

At the time Gaddafi was being feted around the UK and a retrial and the facts exposed would have been very damaging to the UK's relationship with Libya.

When I get home from work I'll see if I can find it and post a link.
 
I don't think he deserves any sort of preferential treatment. Syping on your friends is despicable.

Everybody spies on everybody else, friend or foe. The UK spies on us, the Japanese and Koreans spy on us, most multi-national corporations hiding under the American flag sell secrets, technology and everything else to Red China, American politicians sell votes to any country with the bucks to offer. Reagan and his bitch Oliver North committed treason, smuggled weapons to a hostile government who committed an act of war on us, and then smuggled drugs into the U.S.. They both should have died in prison or been shot, yet they're revered as 'heroes'.

So, let the guy go to his father's funeral, and commute the rest of his sentence as well. It serves no purpose, it's certainly not a deterrent to anybody else, given all the corruption ruining this country anyway.
 
Would it have been 'special treatment' or, is it standard practice to allow prisoners to attend the funeral of their next of kin/parents?

Paul

The time he is serving in prison is already 'special treatment'. I don't remember where I heard this but someone said the US won't release Pollard until they will be sure he will not be accepted in Israel as a hero with celebrations. The irony is, the longer he sits in prison, the more popular the cries for his release get.
 
Everybody spies on everybody else, friend or foe. The UK spies on us, the Japanese and Koreans spy on us, most multi-national corporations hiding under the American flag sell secrets, technology and everything else to Red China, American politicians sell votes to any country with the bucks to offer.

Friends may spy on each other but there's a huge difference between spying for your own benefit and spying and then passing the results of that spying on to a country which is considered your biggest enemy.

Let's not forget that some of the information Pollard passed to Israel which then found it's way to Russia included the names of spies and the addresses of safe houses. His actions led to the deaths of hundreds of people.
 
Let's not forget that some of the information Pollard passed to Israel which then found it's way to Russia included the names of spies and the addresses of safe houses. His actions led to the deaths of hundreds of people.

Let's not forget those claims are all utter nonsense, and no proof at all exists for them, except of course in the wilds of the Neo-Nazi propaganda mills and assorted right wing nut farms.
 
Everybody spies on everybody else, friend or foe. The UK spies on us, the Japanese and Koreans spy on us, most multi-national corporations hiding under the American flag sell secrets, technology and everything else to Red China, American politicians sell votes to any country with the bucks to offer. Reagan and his bitch Oliver North committed treason, smuggled weapons to a hostile government who committed an act of war on us, and then smuggled drugs into the U.S.. They both should have died in prison or been shot, yet they're revered as 'heroes'.

So, let the guy go to his father's funeral, and commute the rest of his sentence as well. It serves no purpose, it's certainly not a deterrent to anybody else, given all the corruption ruining this country anyway.

People tend to murder each other as well. But I'm not sure how that justifies being lenient on such a groups.

You know, it really boggles my mind that any US citizen would want to treat a spy leniantly
 
Let's not forget those claims are all utter nonsense, and no proof at all exists for them, except of course in the wilds of the Neo-Nazi propaganda mills and assorted right wing nut farms.

it amazes me how freely some of you people toss out the antisemitism card
 
The time he is serving in prison is already 'special treatment'. I don't remember where I heard this but someone said the US won't release Pollard until they will be sure he will not be accepted in Israel as a hero with celebrations. The irony is, the longer he sits in prison, the more popular the cries for his release get.

The sentence was largely based on the recommendations of Weinberger, due to the extent of his spying and the damage it caused. Clearly in such causes it's rather difficult to call something "unfair", or special, when many of the facts in the case need to be maintained as state secrets.
 
=jamesrage;1059615810]His dad is dead and his father is irrelevant to the fact his son was convicted for spying.

Exactly.

Also most people serving prison sentences for lesser crimes dont get to go to the funeral of a parent. Why should he.

Also why should the taxpayer have to foot the bill for the security costs this would entail.




How is his dad a innocent victim? Did his father get thrown in prison because of what his son did?

If it was a matter of a family member needing an organ transplant from him to live I would be agreeable to letting him do it. But for a funeral no way.
 
it amazes me how freely some of you people toss out the antisemitism card

I don't doubt you're amazed by all sorts of things. Fingerpainting, clouds, peanut butter ...
 
I don't doubt you're amazed by all sorts of things. Fingerpainting, clouds, peanut butter ...

Oberon, You can insult me all you like, but the simple fact is that debasing antisemitism, to a political bludgeoning tool, is pretty despicable. And the simple fact is we will never know the type of information he divulged, simply for the fact that they are state secrets. But what we do know was that Weinberger thought it did irreparable damage to our intelligence apparatus

Seems kind of unfair? Well then don't involve yourself in international espionage, and get caught by the nation you betrayed
 
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