[IP] more on Gypsies win right to sue IBM over role in Holocaust
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Robert M. McClure" <rmm@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: June 27, 2004 7:59:35 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] Gypsies win right to sue IBM over role in Holocaust
This strikes me as another case of litigation run amok. Having read
Black's
book asserting IBM complicity in the Holocaust, I have concluded that
at best
the case is unproven. I found nothing there that is even remotely
convincing
that IBM (or its German subsidiary) knew or should have known that
tabulating
a census and identifying persons by racial, ethnic, or religious
origin would
lead to the murder of Jews, Gypsies, or any other identifiable group.
The
US government itself collects such data. Should our government at some
point in the future fall into the hands of truly evil people, would we
want to
assert that those who collected the information or tabulated it were
complicit.
I think not.
If one wants to take the line of reasoning that anything (such as
tabulating
equipment) makes evil acts easier, then we would need to file law suits
against a very large fraction of the corporate world and throw in a
large
number of charitable (NGO) institutions as well. As I recall, Ford
and GM
plants were used to build military vehicles for Hitler, Texaco and
Standard
Oil provided fuel for them, and Chase and other banks helped finance
the
Third Reich. The Roman Catholic church does not have clean hands
either.
Now I do not believe for one minute that IBM (or most other companies)
have
always acted honorably in every respect. But I do not impute to them
the
motives of trying to perform genocide or even significantly aid
genocide.
I think it well to remember that prior to 1941 there was a lot of
persecution
going on, but there is no real evidence that outside of a few close
associates
of Adolf that anyone knew what was to come in the way of mass murder.
And by the time it was known, little could be done about it.
I conclude, therefore, that if the Gypsies want recompense, and I feel
that they deserve some, that they should look elsewhere than to IBM.
Bob McClure
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