Posted on 07/13/2009 9:21:56 AM PDT by Daffynition
Pat, the evidence is clear, if you wanted to read it.
But I guess you think WWII was Churchill’s fault, too, huh?
Certainly true.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get an unconditional surrender from the Soviets.
The same could be said for Jewish Kapos that worked in the ghettoes. Did Demjanjuk really have a choice? If he was returned to the Soviet Union, he was a dead man, because anyone who was taken prisoner by the Nazis, was considered a traitor by Stalin. So then what were his choices, cooperate with the Nazis or be killed. Just saying that there should be some extenuating circumstances considered here.
Right. Makes about as much sense as having Stalin's minions sitting in judgement of Nazi war criminals at the Nuremburg trials, eh?
I think this is about the 4th or 5th different country that has charged this guy with crimes . . . and I'm not sure if any of them has ever had the legal authority to do it!
And of course the NKVD (KGB) would never forge evidence, would they?
The claim of faked KGB information was well-debunked in the trial.
No but let’s face it, no matter how you slice and dice it, Demjanjuk is small potatoes. We’re not talking about an Eichmann or a Kaltenbrunner here.
It will be interesting to see if any NEW evidence is presented at this trial. Are there any eyewitneses alive who could positively identify him after all these years?
But again, why is it this this time the Germans are so gung-ho about going against Demjanjuk, a non-German/Austrian, when they’ve been lax against German war criminals.
Demjanjuk to me, was just another victim of the German Nazis, who put him in a situation where he had to lose his humanity, just to stay alive.
Anyway, if he was a nazi camp murderer, im for prosecution. But a lot of good people will suddenly do very bad things when they know their own murder is the alternative. We all talk bold, but if a government starts a mass murder, soon you are forced to decide whether you will die, or try to stay away while not looking like a resister. That war put many people in that position.
I don’t think we need to pursue them, be they a German soldier, or a Ukrainian POW turned guard, whatever. I think you go after the decision makers who put them in that position. To me this is the political leaders, the commissioned officers, etc. Very few enlisted men fit that standard.
So for me, eichman, mengele, von braun, barbie, etc,, fair game. Enlisted men, generally not except on fairly unusual circumstances.
You nailed it.
That certainly explains why you wouldn't want to presume anyone innocent, and believe in double, triple, quadruple or quintuple jeopardy to get what you want.
You must feel very holy. Congratulations.
His previous conviction on different charges.
“who put him in a situation where he had to lose his humanity, just to stay alive.”
The choice then is to not stay alive.
He did it for extra food, rations, money. Yes, small potatoes. But he can go to hell, sooner, the better.
I’ll let God be the judge. But again, why treat this guy as if he were Eichmann?
“But I guess you think WWII was Churchill’s fault, too, huh?”
And thats the problem on these threads, if you see any injustice with this guy’s case, you get grouped in with Nazi sympathizers. On the other hand, If you think he’s guilty, you can’t let yourself believe *any* German was ever put in a serious “rock and a hard place”, and absolutely hated what they saw happening in their society.
The bottom line is that the little guy has very little control in such times.
I still think the guy was a low level camp guard, certainly not a man of any major authority.
If you have evidence against any such camp guards living in the US, I suggest you contact the State Department or the FBI.
I ask the inverse. Why did we let all those others go?
(I actually know the reason: they had something to trade against the Soviets, so we let them live. It was a deal with the Devil.)
Horribly unjust to let them live. I fully agree. They should have all hung.
I doubt there is anything the ‘authorities’ can do that his conscience hasn’t already done tenfold.
That kind of evidence goes more to mitigation of punishment than establishment of guilt.
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