Defining a traitor

Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters has written an excellent article about Jonathan Pollard, the US Intelligence Analyst turned Israeli Spy.   Pollard was caught decades ago, was convicted and is currently in prison for his crimes. Colonel Peters says in his essay:

"I have been a dedicated supporter of Israel since childhood. I believe that Israel is worth fighting and dying for. I believe that Israel is an integral part of my civilization. I believe that Israel’s survival is critical on practical, strategic and moral grounds. And I believe that Jonathan Pollard should have been executed for treason and espionage.

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Pollard is scheduled for release from prison in 2015. His release will be a travesty of justice."

I agree wholeheartedly with Colonel Peters. He is 100% correct in calling Jonathan Pollard a traitor to the United States, and correct that this man should never be set free. Let us hold the line and not blur the definitions of who is a Patriot and who is a Traitor. There are some who would say that neither Colonel Peters, nor I, nor anyone who agrees with us, are any longer friends of Israel. To this I would answer, "Psshaw!" In fact it is quite the contrary. As Robert Frost penned,"Good fences make good neighbors."  And that cop of cops, Dirty Harry, sneered the following at a captured criminal, "A man's got to know his limitations." My best Allied contacts during my service career were those who had good fences and knew their limitations. Respect is very important within alliances. You have simply got to know, respect and obey your limitations, legal as well as moral. During my service days in Germany we had arrangements with our British and French allies to share information. The French, because they had dropped out of NATO's Military Alliance could receive only lower level [Confidential] information and the British could receive a higher level [Secret]. This had to do with the British Military membership in NATO as well. No matter how much more information either wanted, or how much more we wished we could share we respected each other's boundaries. We simply did not share unauthorized levels of information with the French or the British. To do so would violate civil and moral codes, and would also violate our oath to protect and defend the Constitution. To do otherwise would have been Treason. Espionage is a different animal entirely. Good fences make good neighbors. PFC Bradley Manning is another example. Manning should be tried soon and with all deliberateness for his alleged passing of classified documents to Wiki-Leaks. Manning thought to himself that he was justified to do what he did. There can be no doubt on that point. The magnitude of this crime is horrendous. The person who decides to risk it all and betray his country certainly weighs the risk and the reward. It is indeed the game of foxes. While some might applaud a former adversary who comes over to our side, most will always look askance at that poor fellow for the rest of his days. We must therefore be vigilant to keep our foxy allies as well as our foxy enemies out of our hen house. Good fences make good neighbors. There is a proper avenue and certain methods to follow in order to share extraordinary intelligence information with allies. This long and laborious staffing procedure, allows certain exceptional access to certain allies for operational reasons consistent with US interests. This we do when necessary. But, it was not Pollard's right nor was it within Pollard's authority to betray US secrets to Israel, no matter how close an ally they were or are. A man's got to know his limitations. Part of the dumbing down processes of our society by our adversaries include serious efforts to soften our resolve as a people. These efforts by our adversaries chip away at our defenses little by little. Many of these efforts are in the Intelligence and National Interest arena. We might think Americans care more about their home computer's personal security systems than National Security. But when we look at Facebook and Twitter Identity Theft, we say, "Nah!" Our lax attitudes as Americans toward security allows propaganda and adversarial intelligence efforts to define down our National Interests and to modify or soften our definitions of: ally, treason, betrayal, classification, etc. Beware: Loose lips sink ships. Israel is our crucial and democratic ally in the Middle East. Israel has some National Interests that are in solid agreement with the US, and others that are at odds with ours. I daresay that the Obama Administration is very far apart from Israel's position regarding pre-1967 Borders and a Palestinian Homeland [whatever that is]. I would further guess that most if not all of Obama's positions vis a vis Israel are downright inimical to their mindset. But, don't think for a moment that Israel is not scouring every open source, every statement, listening to every communication, working intelligence sources, working agents, massaging their friendships with certain diplomats and policy wonks, and identifying and working weak links in the White House who should not have a Security Clearance in the first place. I personally applaud and cheer Benjamin Netanyahu's open defense of Israel and his rejection of Mister Obama's and Ms. Clinton's plans to appease the Arab and Terrorist enemies of Israel. Israel deserves our continued guarantee of security until a day comes when the Jewish Nation is no longer surrounded by those who would destroy the Jewish People and their Country. But I would not dare to confuse that support with the approval of handing over National secrets, methods, strategies, contingency plans, and private conversations to Israel by private citizens or government officials. The sage tells us, "To err is human, but to forgive is divine." But we are not speaking of error here when we speak of treason, we are speaking of a character flaw. Forgiveness of wrongs is quite a different creature than facing the consequences of those wrongs. When we we young Lieutenants in Airborne School the Airborne Top Sergeant greeted us thusly, "Men say your prayers: you soul belongs to God, but your arse belongs to me!" There is indeed forgiveness for wrongdoing, or failures but there are also consequences to be faced for failures of effort of character. Perhaps this historical example will to refresh our sensibilities. General Benedict Arnold was one of the bravest and hardest fighting Generals early-on in the American Revolution. He won a great victory capturing Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. He performed crucial delaying actions that bought General Washington precious time in 1776. His consummate example of battlefield bravery and leadership actions turned the tide in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. He was one of the best Generals the Colonists had at that time. Yet his achievements went unrecognized by the Continental Congress. Bitterness over a this lack of recognition, and the highly politicized promotion processes of that time, stirred him to make a poor and flawed decision. For Money, and a Commission of a General in the British Army, Arnold offered to hand over to British Major Andre, the plans to defend West Point and the Hudson River fortifications. Arnold the Hero became Arnold the Traitor at that moment of decision. His good deeds of the past four years came to naught. He subsequently commanded British forces in a few raids against his former countrymen but settled in England after the war. While he was held in esteem by George III and certain British Tories, he was viewed otherwise by many British Whigs. He died obscurely ten years later in London. In the final analysis, he spent the rest of his life following the betrayal in miserable rejection, mistrust and with regrets. Coulda' ... Shoulda' ... Woulda' ... does not cut it after the fact. [As a side note, Major Andre was captured, tried and executed as a spy because he was not in uniform at the time of his capture. Washington's Aide, Colonel Alexander Hamilton, impressed with Andre's bravery and soldiering, asked Washington to show clemency, but the British would not exchange Andre for Arnold, and so Washington would not relent. And so, in a twist of irony, a brave British soldier and secret agent, gave his life in a cause while a traitor was saved.] Flash forward to Spy, Jonathan Pollard. Surely, many would suggest that Jonathan Pollard was simply obeying his conscience. To this I would ask, "What conscience?" and, "Against what standard?" Just as we have condemned the man, Benedict Arnold, who fought and bled for the Colonial Revolution before he betrayed it, we should stand firm on Jonathan Pollard. Pollard did not even fight and bleed for America. Pollard stealthily betrayed her day by day for years, in self-satisfied conceit. Such a man, if you can call him that, deserves our scorn and rejection. Let him stand forever in full view along side Benedict Arnold.