more on Gypsies win right to sue IBM over role in Holocaust

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Robert M. McClure" <rmm () unidot com>
Date: June 27, 2004 7:59:35 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
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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