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nevadamedic
11-11-2007, 03:25 PM
Ok so this has been bothering me a lot. In this country when you commit treason it's an automatic capitol offense punishable by death. How come none of the people who have committed it have gotten the death penalty? I mean they either get life in prison or a few years, it makes no sense. This is one crime that we should set an example with. We just keep letting these assholes off easy and they keep getting worse and worse. A few exampples........

Harold James Nicholson - The highest CIA Official to ever be convicted of treason. He sold all of the identities of U.S. Spies in Russia to the Russians for $180,000. He only got sentanced to 23 years in prison.

John Anthony Walker - Former Chief Warrant Officer and communications specialist for the U.S. Navy, who sold his services as a spy to the Soviet Union from 1968 to 1985, the height of the Cold War era. In this time he helped the Soviets decipher over two hundred thousand classified encrypted naval messages, and most observers agree that he was one of the most effective and destructive Soviet spies in U.S. modern history. He was sentanced to no more then 25 years in prison.

Earl Edwin Pitts - was an FBI special agent who, in 1996, was arrested at the FBI Academy. Pitts was charged with spying for the Soviet Union and Russia. On April 30, 1997, he pled guilty. The prosecutor recommended only 24 1/2 years and the judge sentanced him to 27.

Clyde Lee Conrad - was an American non-commissioned officer who, from 1974 until his arrest on August 23rd 1988, sold top secret classified information to the Hungarian military intelligence service, including top secret NATO war plans. He was convicted of espionage and high treason in 1990, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Jonathan Jay Pollard - is a convicted Israeli spy and a former United States Naval civilian intelligence analyst. Pollard waived the right to trial in return for restrictions on sentencing, pleaded guilty and was convicted on one count of spying for Israel. He got sentanced to life in prison with a recommendation against parole. That means he could be granted parole.

Aldrich Ames - is a former Central Intelligence Agency counterintelligence officer and analyst, who, in 1994, was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and Russia. He is one of the two spies in the history of our country who did the most damage. He had access to the identities of U.S. sources in the KGB and Soviet military. The information Ames provided led to the compromise of at least 100 U.S. intelligence operations and to the execution of at least 10 U.S. sources. He ultimately gave the Soviet Union the names of every American agent working in their country. Once again life in prison.

Robert Hanssen - The worst one in the history of our country. He was a top official in the FBI. He compromised all of the U.S. Spies in Russia including KGB and Russian Military Officers who were double agents for us most of them turned up dead as a result. All undercover FBI and CIA agents identities were turned over to them(Valerie Plume is speculated to be one of them that was given in the 90's). He also sold them information doing billions of dollars in damage to our country like where the President, Vice President, Congress and other Government Officials are moved to during a nuclear attack. He also told them of the secret tunnel that was built under the Russian Embassy where the FBI and CIA did survalience operations to spy on them. We recieved a ton of valuable information from that tunnel and now they know about it. He sold a lot more to them then we will ever know. This asshole got life in prison where he spends 23 hours a day in solitary confinment in a supermax prison. He still gets mail, calls and visits from his wife and family. His wife also gets $38,000 a year from his FBI pension. Not only did we not execute him we rewarded him!

Why don't we make an example and execute these assholes, its the law.

April15
11-11-2007, 04:32 PM
Perhaps guilt for the rosenbergs.

nevadamedic
11-11-2007, 04:45 PM
Perhaps guilt for the rosenbergs.

They were guilty.

Kathianne
11-11-2007, 04:51 PM
They were guilty.

and why it's rarely applied, limitations by Constitution:

Article III

Section 3. Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.

April15
11-11-2007, 04:58 PM
They were guilty.Many feel the execution was extreme.

nevadamedic
11-11-2007, 04:59 PM
and why it's rarely applied, limitations by Constitution:

Article III

Section 3. Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.

Well then how come Robert Hanssen was going to get put to death if he was found guilty at trial? That is why he pled guilty, to avoid the death penalty. I think if someone gives away secrets and it can be proved then they should die, especially if our agents get killed because of it.

Kathianne
11-11-2007, 05:07 PM
Well then how come Robert Hanssen was going to get put to death if he was found guilty at trial? That is why he pled guilty, to avoid the death penalty. I think if someone gives away secrets and it can be proved then they should die, especially if our agents get killed because of it.

I looked, he was charged with espionage, not treason. He still could have been executed, as his spying and actions led to the deaths of US agents.

nevadamedic
11-11-2007, 05:10 PM
I looked, he was charged with espionage, not treason. He still could have been executed, as his spying and actions led to the deaths of US agents.

So did the others I listed especially Ames and I thought Espinage and Treason were under the same category.

Kathianne
11-11-2007, 05:16 PM
So did the others I listed especially Ames and I thought Espinage and Treason were under the same category.

Treason was the only crime defined and addressed directly by the Constitution, probably had something to do with the Revolution.

nevadamedic
11-11-2007, 05:23 PM
Treason was the only crime defined and addressed directly by the Constitution, probably had something to do with the Revolution.

Espinage should be addressed and added............