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1. 7 vivi says:
   May 25th, 2008 at 2:37 am

   Beasts like this one can exist only societis which allows it. Very simply if the police and the justice system would do a proper job, monsters like this would be where they belong to, in jail. But our liberal society, and this is unfortunately in every democratic country, let rapists, terrorist, murderers, etc to get a very lenient punishment or get absolutely nothing. For ex., in Australia a 10 year old girl was raped by 10 aboriginal men. And guess what… they got nothing! So why are you even balming the monster? When you should blame those who allow this to happen.

2. 6 mrwjd says:
   May 23rd, 2008 at 1:22 am

   Vadim suggests a regular search of people’s property. I suggest a better way, and one which would not arouse as much resistance, is to (a) educate the populace to report anomalous events or places; and (b) act on those reports.

   (a) It now emerges that numerous people were well aware that Fritzl raped his daughter regularly from age 11, and said nothing. The tenant for 12 years (HALF the imprisonment) “thought he heard something,” and had a dog that was intensely interested in the cellar door, yet he “didn’t want to get involved.” The mother, an intelligent woman with an employment history and nobody’s fool, probably did not know about the dungeon; on the other hand, terrified for her life (as were they all) and tired of beatings, she moved away for nine years (until he burned down her dwelling place, and she “had to return”), leaving her children in the tyrannical control of one she knew was a monster.

   (b) In fairness to those who, by their silence, facilitated the rape and abuse and imprisonment, it seems quite clear that the police–who were unwilling even to anger Fritzl by insisting on seeing in his cellar, when he was suspected of arson on three different occasions–would have protected neither the victims nor the reporters, all of whom Fritzl would have egregiously punished for their reportage. They could have reasonably believed (or convinced themselves) that reporting would help no one and only harm both the victim and themselves.

   Changing what some call a national habit of purposeful ignorance requires both (a) and (b). If Austria wants to change its reputation, it will do both.

3. 5 Tierr Grand says:
   May 22nd, 2008 at 5:07 pm

   I see. So in other words, we are to believe that Austrian society produces monsters like Mr. Fritzl. Well, I am of the opinion that such monsters can arise in all societies.

   It is very likely indeed that there are hundreds of such cases yet to be discovered, all over the world.

4. 4 Vadim says:
   May 22nd, 2008 at 11:23 am

   If these horrific cases are not so rare, can’t government employ a law to regularly check cellers that have planning permission by police?
   Surely, those who have nothing to hide, apart from food, will have no objection.
   Vadim

   Mods and Admin

   Either all cellars and attics, outhouses, garages or other hiding places, or none

5. 3 jo says:
   May 22nd, 2008 at 7:39 am

   http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/article3930971.ece

   

6. 2 Ashly says:
   May 22nd, 2008 at 12:20 am

   I think actually that Fritzl is even more grotesque than anything that existed in literature before. Truth is always stranger (and more demonic) than fiction.

7. 1 Fiona says:
   May 21st, 2008 at 8:43 pm

   Perhaps we can infer that, somewhere among the human species, there is someone who is capable of any atrocity, imaginable or unimaginable. And “respect for privacy” is his best friend.

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