Activists to Obama: Pardon Pollard
Gil Hoffman - The Jerusalem Post - November 24, 2011
For years the campaign to bring home Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard has asked US presidents to have as much mercy on him as the American legal system has had on prisoners who committed harsher crimes but received lighter sentences.
On Wednesday, the campaign asked US President Barack Obama to have as much mercy on Pollard as he had on Apple, a 45-pound (20.5 kg.) turkey he "pardoned" in honor of Thanksgiving.
American presidents traditionally pardon a turkey ahead of the holiday. They also usually grant pardons to human prisoners around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Obama pardoned five people this week, including convicted drug dealers and gamblers. He pardoned eight people earlier in 2011 and nine in December 2010.
The Free Pollard campaign distributed a photo-montage on Facebook on Wednesday that depicts Obama pardoning a turkey bearing Pollard's face.
"Pollard already served an unprecedented sentence for passing classified information to an ally," the message accompanying the picture says. "This is the time for justice and mercy. Mr. President, use your power to free Pollard now."