Armada Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I find this interesting and thought it would bring up a good discussion. This comment brought up a valid point. Matthieu Grinter I don't think a jail sentence would do him any good he had to live with the traumatizing events and decisions he had to make after being brain washed by Hitler himself . Don't get me wrong its horrible what happened there and its a sheer act of murder. but at 94 the sentence seems a little late. At the age of 94 and with with his healthy, is there any point in jailing this man for something that happened over half a century ago? A German court has convicted a 94-year-old former guard at the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz of being an accessory to the murder of at least 300,000 Jews. Oskar Groening, known as the "book-keeper of Auschwitz", was sentenced to four years in prison. He was responsible for counting the belongings confiscated from prisoners and had admitted "moral guilt". His lawyers said he did not facilitate genocide, but prosecutors argued that he had helped the camp run smoothly. Many observers have questioned whether Groening will ultimately be sent to jail, given his advanced age. He is expected to be one of the last Nazis to face a courtroom. Defence lawyer Hans Holtermann was quoted as saying that he would review the verdict before deciding whether to appeal. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33533264 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombastik der Teutone Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 well ..a "little" bit late i agree with Mr. Grinter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonMexico Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I find this interesting and thought it would bring up a good discussion. This comment brought up a valid point. At the age of 94 and with with his healthy, is there any point in jailing this man for something that happened over half a century ago? I wonder if he is related to Matt Groening of Simpsons fame? Of course there is a point to jailing him. By not punishing him, it says that you can evade responsibility for criminal acts if you live long enough. Yes he has had to live with what he participated in, but all the people in jail who committed heinous crimes have to live with the guilt on top of serving a jail sentence. Age should have nothing to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalky Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 So if I get away with something for long enough, I can avoid going to jail? Great message. How bout No. Throw him in jail. He is a Nazi. I don't care if his actions tormented him, or if he was brainwashed by Hitler. It's irrelevant. I hope he dies alone in jail. Moral guilt. What a load of .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ambien Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 He looks kinda dead already. "Wake up sir.. it's not nap time, it's time to go to the bootyhouse" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baer. Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 There should be a statute of limitations on something like this...ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerridwen Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 There should be a statute of limitations on something like this...ridiculous. There is one..... it's called forever.And so it should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbbyNucksFan Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 murder is murder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baer. Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 There is one..... it's called forever.And so it should be. What does putting an elderly man in jail do? Do the descendants of those who perished feel better? Probably not. What does this solve? It costs a lot of money to incarcerate somebody for 4 years. Do you think he's supposed to learn a lesson? What is the point of this? Pure vengeance? Because to me, "forever" isnt reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortorella's Rant Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Prisoners of his camp weren't shown mercy because of their age or health. In fact they were the first to go. This guy's getting off lucky with three hots and a cot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerridwen Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 What does putting an elderly man in jail do? Do the descendants of those who perished feel better? Probably not. What does this solve? It costs a lot of money to incarcerate somebody for 4 years. Do you think he's supposed to learn a lesson? What is the point of this? Pure vengeance? Because to me, "forever" isnt reasonable. It sends the distinct and clear message that it doesn't matter where you go, no matter what you do with your life, you will have to pay the consequences of your actions no matter how old you are or how far you run. This 'man' went on to live a normal, productive and happy life without ever having to pay for what he had done or supported. A luxury not afforded those murdered in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejazz97 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 murder is murder. He was the bookkeeper. He just crunched the numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbbyNucksFan Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 He was the bookkeeper. He just crunched the numbers. and he was convicted of being an accessory to murder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurn Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 And if he refused to keep the books, he might well have been shot for dereliction of duty. Easy to sit here now, and judge what was the right thing to do, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kakanucks Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 And if he refused to keep the books, he might well have been shot for dereliction of duty. Easy to sit here now, and judge what was the right thing to do, then. True, those were some different times back then. What was he supposed to do? Quit and report what was happening?? Run off to Britain? How many German Nazis during that time were there because they totally support Hitler's idea, or because they needed a job to raise their family? Maybe this bookkeeper totally thought the victims should be dead, who knows except for him. But we can never totally judge him unless we ARE him, and have gone through what he's been through. I, for sure, am definitely glad I live in a time like now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armada Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 Prisoners of his camp weren't shown mercy because of their age or health. In fact they were the first to go. This guy's getting off lucky with three hots and a cot. Very true. And if he refused to keep the books, he might well have been shot for dereliction of duty. Easy to sit here now, and judge what was the right thing to do, then. Also, very true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurn Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 From the link. " Expressed regret and spoke openly of Auschwitz experiences, saying he wanted to counter Holocaust deniers 'Book-keeper of Auschwitz' 'A four-year sentence for 300,000 lives sounds slightly ridiculous' Groening had publicly discussed his role at Auschwitz, making him unusual among former Nazis brought to trial. He said he was speaking out in order to silence those who deny the Holocaust took place. "I saw the gas chambers. I saw the crematoria," he told the BBC in the 2005 documentary Auschwitz: the Nazis and the "Final Solution". "I was on the ramp when the selections [for the gas chambers] took place." Perhaps if he just hid like so many others he would never come to trial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dral Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 It sends the distinct and clear message that it doesn't matter where you go, no matter what you do with your life, you will have to pay the consequences of your actions no matter how old you are or how far you run. This 'man' went on to live a normal, productive and happy life without ever having to pay for what he had done or supported. A luxury not afforded those murdered in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. You sure know a lot about this guy.... does judging books by their covers come easy for you, or did you have to work at it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rounoush Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 So if I get away with something for long enough, I can avoid going to jail? Great message. How bout No. Throw him in jail. He is a Nazi. I don't care if his actions tormented him, or if he was brainwashed by Hitler. It's irrelevant. I hope he dies alone in jail. Moral guilt. What a load of .... LOL. Are you for real? This guy was a bookkeeper. What was he supposed to do? Go tell the local authorities that Jews were being killed. Everyone seems to forget that Nazi Germany was a police state. You had to work for the betterment of the nation or face punishment. People are also forgetting what jail is for. To separate dangerous criminals from society to prevent further incident. This is straight up revenge on an old man. Ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortorella's Rant Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 LOL. Are you for real? This guy was a bookkeeper. What was he supposed to do? Go tell the local authorities that Jews were being killed. Everyone seems to forget that Nazi Germany was a police state. You had to work for the betterment of the nation or face punishment. People are also forgetting what jail is for. To separate dangerous criminals from society to prevent further incident. This is straight up revenge on an old man. Ridiculous. Serving in the military was much more expected of young able bodied men. Strong reluctance or flat out refusing to help operate a camp or participate in einsatzgruppen activity was frowned upon but wasn't really a punishable offense. Denying any participation wasn't out of the question given my understanding. I just took a class on this so either that's true, or there was miscommunication in here. I doubt it's the latter though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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