89-year-old former Auschwitz guard arrested in Philadelphia

[Badger]

lol @ people literally defending a concentration camp guard. Congrats, forum, you have reached a new low today.

What threat does this man pose to society?  Do you feel threatened by an 89 year old man being at large?

It's happening when he is 89 because after World War II for many decades afterward, there was no interest or concern in tracking down or bringing justice to the men who committed these crimes against humanity, and because he successfully covered up that he killed large numbers of civilians (some as old as he is now), he enjoyed a full life in peace. When the world came around to caring, "oh, do you think he's going to go set up a death camp at age 89 and kill more victims?" That's not what this is about.

Look, even if he is found guilty he is never going to serve a day in jail because of his age and health. It's important for the cause of justice to have this on the record and have him answer for what he did. I don't see the benefit in pretending he's a victim here.

bingo.

Can people understand there's a time and place for determining whether he was merely an uninvolved cog and/or too old/reformed to seriously punish (which a disheartening number of Forumites seem so ready to conclude)? It's called a courtroom.

We aren't talking about an old man suspected of 70 years ago dealing drugs on the corner, or even shooting someone in a barroom brawl. He's allegedly involved in the mass murder SS operation at AUSCHWITZ!! F@*KING AUSCHWITZ!!!!

[Badger]

The man was a willing accomplice in the murders of upwards of 1.1 million innocent people, simply because he managed to escape justice for 70 years makes it no less important to obtain that justice for all of the victims, just because he is old and harmless now makes his crimes no less heinous.

I still don't see the point of punishing the guardsmen. They would have been shot if they didn't do what Hitler wanted to be done.

If this was 1954, I wouldn't be so opposed to the arrest. But this man is going to be dead within a few years. If he truly did commit atrocities, God will judge him for it.

The guards were given loaded firearms and to shoot stragglers  and anyone who tried to make a dash for freedom.

The German place name for the camp was Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Again, the concept of hell exists for this reason. Nature will do him justice in and of itself.

The existence of hell does not foreclose the need for prisons or the judicial system, even where the person found guilty is too infirm to be a further threat.

[Badger]

The man was a willing accomplice in the murders of upwards of 1.1 million innocent people, simply because he managed to escape justice for 70 years makes it no less important to obtain that justice for all of the victims, just because he is old and harmless now makes his crimes no less heinous.

I still don't see the point of punishing the guardsmen. They would have been shot if they didn't do what Hitler wanted to be done.

If this was 1954, I wouldn't be so opposed to the arrest. But this man is going to be dead within a few years. If he truly did commit atrocities, God will judge him for it.

The guards were given loaded firearms and to shoot stragglers  and anyone who tried to make a dash for freedom.

The German place name for the camp was Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Again, the concept of hell exists for this reason. Nature will do him justice in and of itself.

The existence of hell does not foreclose the need for prisons or the judicial system, even where the person found guilty is too infirm to be a further threat.

No, we shouldn't let people like Anders Brevik out on the streets again because "oh, well he'll die and burn for eternity in forty years." You're absolutely right on that point, but in this individual case, all we are going to end up doing is hastening this man’s death. He isn’t going to be alive in two years when this case gets a verdict. I wouldn’t be surprised if he croaked from the agony of waiting for the trial to begin, which is justice in and of itself.

Why did they not go after these people twenty years ago, is what I am wondering?

Two years to verdict is probably optimistic, Chairman S.

That's a very good question about the delay in prosecution, though. This guy's background has been on the government's radar since they tried revoking his citizenship in 92. I could understand if additional investigation was needed to sustain a criminal case, but that shouldn't have taken over 20 years.

[Badger]

RIH

[Badger]

Thank goodness he can now Rest in Peace. Only God will be his judge, not the reactionaries and zionists!

I did't know the BNP had an Oxford College branch.m