As we are perfectly capable of doing more than one thing at once, I don't see a problem with being concerned with all kinds of war criminals - present and past.
You seem to have some other reason or some strongly felt issue at stake here.
What is it that makes this an important issue for you?
I respectfully disagree, mostly. The system is the solution. The system allows for the investigation and prosecution 70 years later, so there should be some follow through.
I hedge in this respect: if the prosecutor said, "WTF? Dude's almost dead anyway. Let him die on his own, and leave the issue between him and his Maker." That is a reasonable reaction, and supported by the system ("prosecutorial discretion").
In this case, though, I think a proper investigation and prosecution is appropriate, in part to remind the world that parts of the civilized world really don't care how much time passes. Mladic was recently arrested after what - about 15 years?
Yes, there is a point of diminishing return. But some things are worth doing without regard to the passage of time.
@ Bond281
lol. It wasn't just Jews he Nazis killed either. As a crossbreed I'd have been pretty high up on their list of folks to get hurled in the stoves. Fairly sure there's a distinct lack of NSDAP sympathy in my perspective.
Though Your purple shines through loud and clear.
I think the Holocaust was unique for several reasons.
1. It ocurred in a "civilized" country in modern times.
2. It targeted (among others) an entire group of people with whom there had not been a history of violent conflict.
3. The totalitarian nature of the perpetrators.
4. They also initiated large scale war against much of the world and looked for a while like they might win - which made them scarier.
5. The cold and systemic way they went about the killing.
I agree with you that the lesson of the Nazis is not that they were subhuman monsters, but that regular people could act legitimately as subhuman monsters, withe the official sanction of the state.
This is why to me it is very important to continue to hunt these people down, and why it is still relevant.
As to this particular guy, as I said upthread, I don't know if he's guilty or not. If he's not guilty - and wearing the uniform isn't enough - then I hope he is left alone to live out his life. If he is guilty, I have no problem with his punishment.
andthe lesson of the Nazis is not that they were subhuman monsters, but that regular people could act legitimately as subhuman monsters, withe the official sanction of the state.
Some people are especially concerned with the continued hunt for Nazis. I'm not. I think current issues are more important. I think that's the only thing most people disagree with me about here.If he's not guilty - and wearing the uniform isn't enough - then I hope he is left alone to live out his life.
It's not particularly important to me. I'm not German or Jewish, I probably have some family that fought in the war but that's the extent of it. I don't like the fact that people are demonizing a man that there's no evidence against just because of a uniform he wore. I also don't like the fact that people treat Nazis as some sort of mythical creature instead of men. I think it ruins the lesson to be learned.
Techre: It's partially devil's advocate, and I also the reasons listed above. As for forgetting...simply remembering that something happened doesn't do a damn bit of good. Remembering WHY it happened is the only practical point. When we foster a blind hatred for Nazis instead of understanding how the German peoples came to become so bad is when we've really lost the importance of remembering. As for the clamoring, no, we aren't really clamoring for Russian prosecutions. I'm not saying that we shouldn't, simply that we aren't, and haven't. As for the American instances, if you'll see the second post with quotes, you'll see that in a few cases there haven't been prosecutions.
And I wasn't equating Auschwitz and Guantanamo, I was equating the Holocaust with all the other genocides throughout history.
I don't know why you people seem to think that I'm saying we shouldn't prosecute war criminals. I said we shouldn't prosecute this particular guy, seeing as how there's no shred of evidence against him. And yes, even though I think our focus should be on our own current affairs, I don't think that we should completely ignore going after other war criminals. I'm just saying that instead of going "OMG THE HOLOCAUST WAS SO SUPER BAD AND NAZIS ARE EVIL MONSTERS WE HAVE TO TRACK AND KILL THEM ALL AND HANG THE DEAD ONES FOR FOR GOOD MEASURE CAUSE THEY'RE SO SUPER EVIL. NEVAR FORGET!!!" we should instead prosecute MEN for criminal acts and learn the lesson from the Germans.
I would have bee SS more than likely an officer. I probably wouldn't have served under Hitler.....maybe Heydrich. Hitler was good at speaking, that is all. We assassinated Heydrich, though. If we hadn't, we would all speak German.
This is a case of the world jew illustrated.....only the winners write the history books. When the Muslims take over, there will be plenty of American soldiers being hunted down and murdered after they take care of the jews-- Americans that were just following orders.
He is accountable. If he is not, then the first time a guy wearing the same uniform I do commits a crime against the public, that I witness and KNOW to be wrong, I want a "free" pass...
This is a case of the world jew illustrated.....only the winners write the history books. When the Muslims take over, there will be plenty of American soldiers being hunted down and murdered after they take care of the jews-- Americans that were just following orders.
I would have bee SS more than likely an officer. I probably wouldn't have served under Hitler.....maybe Heydrich. Hitler was good at speaking, that is all. We assassinated Heydrich, though. If we hadn't, we would all speak German.
This is a case of the world jew illustrated.....only the winners write the history books. When the Muslims take over, there will be plenty of American soldiers being hunted down and murdered after they take care of the jews-- Americans that were just following orders.
Waitress? Check, please! I'm outta here...
I would have bee SS more than likely an officer. I probably wouldn't have served under Hitler.....maybe Heydrich. Hitler was good at speaking, that is all. We assassinated Heydrich, though. If we hadn't, we would all speak German.
This is a case of the world jew illustrated.....only the winners write the history books. When the Muslims take over, there will be plenty of American soldiers being hunted down and murdered after they take care of the jews-- Americans that were just following orders.
How do you not have one? You are a cop right?
As far as culpability goes, of course he was at least witness to crimes. Does that mean he should hang for it? Especially in a wartime scenario when their orders were to do these things? Should he have arrested his commanding officer for following orders? Desert the army in war and get hanged for that? I'm not really sure what reasonable course of action a low ranking soldier from a conquered country could take that would somehow vindicate him. I'm not going to condone hanging a man because he saw something that was out of his control to stop. Sorry, that's not enough of a reason.
As far as culpability goes, of course he was at least witness to crimes.
I have rarely read anything so demented on here, and that's saying something.
As if this thread hasn't been complicated enough..Whammo!
I would have bee SS more than likely an officer. I probably wouldn't have served under Hitler.....maybe Heydrich. Hitler was good at speaking, that is all. We assassinated Heydrich, though. If we hadn't, we would all speak German.
This is a case of the world jew illustrated.....only the winners write the history books. When the Muslims take over, there will be plenty of American soldiers being hunted down and murdered after they take care of the jews-- Americans that were just following orders.
Example 1: Dude happens to be at a murder during a burglary. He happens to be standing there when it happens.
^That is a witness.
Example 2: Dude happens to be at a murder during a burglary. He happens to be standing there when it happens. He also happens to be wearing a ski mask and came in through the window. He will later claim that he did not sign up for anything more than stealing a TV. He is no murderer and had no way of knowing that old lady was home or his buddy would hit her so hard.
^This is a co-conspirator who will be prosecuted as a murder. (Seen that prosecution happen with my own eyes.)
You can't sign up for evil light and then be surprised at evil big...
I would have bee SS more than likely an officer. I probably wouldn't have served under Hitler.....maybe Heydrich. Hitler was good at speaking, that is all. We assassinated Heydrich, though. If we hadn't, we would all speak German.
This is a case of the world jew illustrated.....only the winners write the history books. When the Muslims take over, there will be plenty of American soldiers being hunted down and murdered after they take care of the jews-- Americans that were just following orders.
So that I am clear, you are saying that:
1. Jews won WWII.
2. Germany could have defeated America with just a change in one leader.
3. That American soldiers today are at the same risk of false or overblown accusation by Muslims as Nazi soldiers are by Jews?
Just making absolutely sure before I respond on each point.