Simon of Cyrene, the Nazis, and Darfur (op-ed)
Here’s a hypothetical case.
Suppose after the crucifixion members of the Jesus movement sought retribution for the sentence of Christ. But Pontius Pilate and the plotting Pharisees were dead. Then the Jesus movement discovered Simon of Cyrene, the cross carrier for Christ, was still alive. They arrested him and charged him with crimes against Christianity. But Simon challenged the legality of the charge. He said he couldn’t commit a crime against something that didn’t exist during the time in question. Realizing they had no legal precedent his accusers changed the charge to murder. Simon stated he never touched the convict. Then he was charged with participation. Simon said he wasn’t at the trial and never shouted crucify him. Realizing Simon was right again they finally charged him with being at the scene of the execution. He was found guilty and sentence to prison.
I’m sure you would agree the outcome of this case is illogical.
But what if the defendant was a Roman soldier casting lots for the garments of Christ? This soldier never hammered a nail. He just stood guard. But he was charged and sentenced for being a member of the Roman army. I’m sure you would agree this outcome is illogical too. Now I challenge you to remain consistent and find the next case illogical which is not hypothetical.
Recently in Germany Oskar Groening, 94, labeled by the press, “The Book Keeper or Accountant of Auschwitz” (Nazi camp responsible for over a million deaths) was charged with being an accessory of over 300,000 murders. His duties at Auschwitz were to process the prisoners and sort through their belongings. (For money and other valuables to be shipped back to Berlin.) He performed these duties for two years until his request for a transfer to the front lines was granted in 1944.
Groening has admitted guilt in being a part of the Nazi machinery or the daily operations of the death camp but he said he never killed or hurt anyone.
Now the German prosecutor is seeking 3½ years in prison (Yes, he’s charged by the German government. They want to clear their conscience of the Third Reich.) because Groening accepted defense for decades (He never killed anyone) is no longer acceptable due to the legal precedent established in the 2011 John Demjanjuk trial in Munich.
Demjanjuk was accused of being a guard at another Nazi death camp responsible for the liquidation of 250,000 people. There was no evidence linking him to the participation of murder at the camp, there was no one alive to testify at his trial, but he was convicted just because the German authorities said he was there.
Is this illogical? Or have you been emotionally compromised because it’s the holocaust and agree with the logic of the attorneys for the plaintiffs that Groening shares responsibly for the co-plaintiffs life long suffering. Maybe the only logic is the words of a philosopher, “The tragedy of the world is that men have given first-class loyalty to second-class causes and these causes have betrayed them.”
Meanwhile Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir attended an African Union summit meeting in South Africa. Bashir is the only sitting head of state wanted for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity for 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur. But he was granted immunity from arrest by the South African government because some African governments believe the International Criminal Court has unfairly focused on African leaders. When Bashir fled Johannesburg back to the safety of the Sudanese capital Nelson Mandela’s human rights legacy left South African too.
But I wonder how the logic behind Bashir’s immunity was worded. They probably said, “Like the death camp guards, Groening and Demjanjuk, President Bashir never killed anyone, but unlike those two monsters Bashir had the decency not to be there.”
First published in the New Pittsburgh Courier 7/15/15
Suppose after the crucifixion members of the Jesus movement sought retribution for the sentence of Christ. But Pontius Pilate and the plotting Pharisees were dead. Then the Jesus movement discovered Simon of Cyrene, the cross carrier for Christ, was still alive. They arrested him and charged him with crimes against Christianity. But Simon challenged the legality of the charge. He said he couldn’t commit a crime against something that didn’t exist during the time in question. Realizing they had no legal precedent his accusers changed the charge to murder. Simon stated he never touched the convict. Then he was charged with participation. Simon said he wasn’t at the trial and never shouted crucify him. Realizing Simon was right again they finally charged him with being at the scene of the execution. He was found guilty and sentence to prison.
I’m sure you would agree the outcome of this case is illogical.
But what if the defendant was a Roman soldier casting lots for the garments of Christ? This soldier never hammered a nail. He just stood guard. But he was charged and sentenced for being a member of the Roman army. I’m sure you would agree this outcome is illogical too. Now I challenge you to remain consistent and find the next case illogical which is not hypothetical.
Recently in Germany Oskar Groening, 94, labeled by the press, “The Book Keeper or Accountant of Auschwitz” (Nazi camp responsible for over a million deaths) was charged with being an accessory of over 300,000 murders. His duties at Auschwitz were to process the prisoners and sort through their belongings. (For money and other valuables to be shipped back to Berlin.) He performed these duties for two years until his request for a transfer to the front lines was granted in 1944.
Groening has admitted guilt in being a part of the Nazi machinery or the daily operations of the death camp but he said he never killed or hurt anyone.
Now the German prosecutor is seeking 3½ years in prison (Yes, he’s charged by the German government. They want to clear their conscience of the Third Reich.) because Groening accepted defense for decades (He never killed anyone) is no longer acceptable due to the legal precedent established in the 2011 John Demjanjuk trial in Munich.
Demjanjuk was accused of being a guard at another Nazi death camp responsible for the liquidation of 250,000 people. There was no evidence linking him to the participation of murder at the camp, there was no one alive to testify at his trial, but he was convicted just because the German authorities said he was there.
Is this illogical? Or have you been emotionally compromised because it’s the holocaust and agree with the logic of the attorneys for the plaintiffs that Groening shares responsibly for the co-plaintiffs life long suffering. Maybe the only logic is the words of a philosopher, “The tragedy of the world is that men have given first-class loyalty to second-class causes and these causes have betrayed them.”
Meanwhile Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir attended an African Union summit meeting in South Africa. Bashir is the only sitting head of state wanted for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity for 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur. But he was granted immunity from arrest by the South African government because some African governments believe the International Criminal Court has unfairly focused on African leaders. When Bashir fled Johannesburg back to the safety of the Sudanese capital Nelson Mandela’s human rights legacy left South African too.
But I wonder how the logic behind Bashir’s immunity was worded. They probably said, “Like the death camp guards, Groening and Demjanjuk, President Bashir never killed anyone, but unlike those two monsters Bashir had the decency not to be there.”
First published in the New Pittsburgh Courier 7/15/15
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