samkorn's blog

North Korea has been called by some as being "...the most totalitarian state in history." It's leader, Kim Jong II, has been referred to as a "terrible tyrant", among other things, by others in the past.

However, Kim Jong II HONOURED his promise to pardon and release two U.S. journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, sentenced to 12 years for spying in March 2009, to Bill Clinton for a mere short visit from and photo-op with the former American president on August 5th, 2009.

The same, unfortunately, CANNOT be said of Bill Clinton who, during his presidency, REFUSED to honour several promises made to the state of Israel to free jailed U.S. spy, Jonathan Pollard.

Mr. Pollard, a Jewish-American civilian analyst working for the U.S. Navy, was sentenced to LIFE in prison WITHOUT TRIAL during the Reagan administration, for passing intelligence information to Israel, a U.S. ally. He is now serving the 24th year of imprisonment for this crime, unharmful to the U.S., for which the median sentence is usually 2 to 4 years upon conviction.

Perhaps the United States of America, the most powerful and democratic nation on earth, should take a lesson in Honour, Compassion and Clemency from the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong II.

President Barack Obama should now, without further delay, do the right, honourable and humanitarian thing, and use his power of executive clemency to commute Jonathan Pollard's sentence to time already served. The long-suffering and ill Pollard, now an Israeli citizen, can then finally be released into the custody of Israel, America's only long-standing and steadfast democratic ally in the Middle East.