Drybones: A Blue State of Mind
Yaakov Kirschen - Drybones - August 21, 2016
According to HaModia:
Ross Urges Obama to Rescind Pollard's Parole Restrictions
By Avraham WeissmanNEW YORK - In a dramatic development, Dennis B. Ross, who served in key positions in five consecutive U.S. Administrations, has written a letter to President Obama urging him to rescind Jonathan Pollard's harsh parole restrictions. Most recently, Ross served as a member of President Obama's National Security Council, serving as a Special Assistant to the President with overall responsibility for the Central Region, which includes the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Asia. Ross is currently a Counselor and Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Pollard, who was released on parole in November after serving thirty years of an unprecedented life sentence in prison for passing classified information to Israel, a close U.S. ally, is battling unusually harsh restrictions, which include a 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. curfew and the unfettered monitoring and inspection of his computers, in addition to those of any employer who chooses to hire him.
Pollard is also currently required to wear a GPS monitoring system that consists of a non-removable transmitter installed on his wrist, and a receiver that is plugged into an outlet in his residence. Whenever he moves outside the range of the receiver, the transmitter - which is three inches long and two inches wide - acts as a GPS tracker and monitors his location. Were Pollard to step out of his tiny studio apartment to daven with a minyan or get some fresh air on Shabbos or Yom Tov, the battery would begin to drain, forcing him to choose between violating Shabbos or facing re-arrest"