Friday, July 03, 2009

Double Standard Time

How long is too long? German doctors today cleared suspected Nazi death camp guard fit to stand trial as an accessory in the murder of 29,000 Jews. John Demjanjuk, a retired autoworker was extradited from his Seven Hills, Ohio home in May of this year to stand trial even though he has bone marrow and kidney diseases.
The great irony here is, if Demjanjuk is guilty of the crimes he is accused of,while he certainly should be punished for them, they happened over sixty years ago. At the same time Obama was sending this 89 year old to trial, he was announcing his intentions not to prosecute anybody for the torture carried out by the Bush/Cheney regime, because, as he said, it was time to move forward.
So we're straight: Demjanjuk, a prison guard who merely followed the policies of the Nazi regime (if, indeed, he is guilty) and did not create the policies, gets prosecuted, even though these events happened in the past?
Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales, etc., don't get prosecuted for their crimes, even though they are the ones who created the policy that led to illegal acts being carried out, because, even though they happened within the past eight years, it's time to look forward?
So when it comes to war crimes, it's better to create the policy than to carry them out? Would Obama have given Hitler a pass as well?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

He will have only a false defense too. To put him in jail at this point is insane. The charge is even more insane. The man was doing what he was ordered to do under constant pressure from a very repressive and impulsive regime. He has had to live with his actions, having worked at a death camp, as well as the actions of his native country.
This seems like foolish revenge. I hope Vietnam does not do the same thing to the USA. Although I suppose the Asians are worth less then the Jews, so vets need not worry.
Hopefully this is the last case of its time, as the guards must be close to the same age as the youngest current survivors, which is AARP old. Bob Evan's for dinner old. Cracker Barrel old ( although the pork and greens are excellent).
I think the Jews had something to do with Jesus' death too, so fuck them.
Kidding.