You be the judge: Fair sentence for Spies

[SlowwHand]

Originally posted by Trajanus
Well, if a spy was wearing an enemy uniform, wouldn't he be shot as well?

Aahhhhhh-ha!
I answered that already.
Must be in uniform, and here it is again, of "his side".

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by monolith94
I consider a spy to be an 'intelligence soldier'. Hence if a country is found to be actively spying on me, I would consider it an act of war (unless they were stronger than me ). As such, those captured, and found guilty of spying are prisoners of war. The only option I see is permanent exile. The guy wants to sell secrets to Iraq, huh? Let's send him there, see how he likes living in a barracks with Saddam...

Sounds pretty fair to me. We'll see how far Saddam is willing to trust him, or any other country, for that matter.

[Pekka]

Trajanus, That's how I think about it. But this death thing would be only when actual war is happening. If someone is aiding enemy at the time of war, he is to be considered as enemy too in this spying thing. If spy is willingfully giving information, he has become enemy combatant. These are worse than enemies, these are aiding the enemy to kill own people. Almost the worst crime in the world. It does not matter how big or small the information is, since every kind of information to the enemy is what they need. They have intel too, they can figure out things from things normal people would consider meaningless. These kind of traitors deserve nothing more than to die without honor.

[St Leo]

Deportation to Canada.

[Sava]

prison... for a long time

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by St Leo
Deportation to Canada.

What, so he can get free healthcare and a high standard of living? Pffft.

[chequita guevara]

First off, he wasn't in uniform. He was a retired master sergeant. The death penalty is applicable for treason, but neither China nor Libya are declared enemies of the US (though Libya is on the U.S.'s official list of rogue states). I'm not sure this meets the treason test.

How does one get $116,000 worth of credit card debt?

[MRT144]

porn, and plasma screens?

[SpencerH]

As is says in the article (paraphrasing) the penalty will be dependent on what the secrets are that he stole. It might have just been satellite pictures of Libyan goats (which would still be classified as TS because of he source). Hardly worth killing him over in that case.

[monkspider]

I would say 10 to 20. if guilty.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Life in prison.

[Ozz]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara First off, he wasn't in uniform. He was a retired master sergeant.

Then he is a civilian, if the information he's pedalling
is not stolen, then he is not a traitor.

[GePap]

The Us ahs not executed a spy since the Rosenbergs, no? Most spies get prision time. POllard got what? 40-50 years? And it look like now, since all the camapigns to get him out have pettered out, he might actually serve it.

And as for the treason charge" what's the constitutionality of it? Thje War power's act may allow a president to send troops somewhere, but can someone be accused of treason as long as the Congress has not declared war?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Trajanus
I remember that incident with the American spy plane was caught (or crashed) down on Chinese soil... I don't remember it that well but i do think the crew was handed over to the Americans... according to the "shooit the traitor" bastards, the crew should have been shot, right?

Check your sources. The plane was in international waters when a Chinese MIg tried to play hot dog with it. The Americans would get right up against the international boundry and then record radio transmitions and the Chinese would try to scare them away buy playing chicken and pretending to ram the opposing plane. The problem was the Chinese pilot got to close and his little plane ended up crashing into the much larger American plane. According to the flight recorder the Americans didn't move and kept flying on the planned course while the Chinaman kept trying to get super close and scare them off.

[David Floyd]

I'm not so sure this guy did anything morally wrong, other than ordinary theft.

So, my punishment would be the same for any ordinary thief, plus allowing the military and federal government to refuse to give him any sort of clearances in the future if they so choose.