I suppose that many of us have things in the back of our brains that are there for unknown reasons. I seem to have vivid memories of certain events that occur around personal life-changing moments - for instance, I can tell you that OutKast's "Hey Ya!" was played 24 times on Sirius Channel 1 when we drove from Cincinnati to Iowa in January 2004 during our move.
One of these odd memories involved news reports in August, 1989, when my parents, Layup and I went to Cleveland as I started my freshamn year at Case. We stayed in a hotel for the first few days before I moved into the dorm; I distinctly remember reports of a "John Demjanjuk" taking over the lead story of the Channel 8 newscast.
(Ah, Wilma Smith....)
I still can't figure out why, but Demjanjuk was all over the news during that week. As most of you know, he lived in Cleveland then - in the neighborhood of Seven Hills, southeast of the city. It was fascinating to realize that an alleged Nazi war criminal was living literally down the street from the hotel you were staying at! *
Now, fast forward 22 years later to May, 2011....and he is still in the news. How is this still going on? Can't the wheels of international justice turn any faster? The latest update is that he has been convicted, but is released to a nursing home because of his health. Appeals are pending.
Can't we just end this chapter of history? I have no idea whether he is guiilty of war crimes or not - but you would hope that after 22 years (or even more!), a decision would be made on his guilt or innocence.
What is wrong with our system(s) to have the prosecution of Demjanjuk still going on? It's 2011......
* - for those of you familiar with Cleveland geography, you may wonder why our family would be staying at a hotel in Independence/Seven Hills when Case is in downtown Cleveland, 20 miles away. I think it has to do with "Marriott" points - some questions are best left unanswered.
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