New York -
"Vengeance is sweet,” or so we’re told by people who don’t understand the often grave consequences of revenge. This is important because seeking revenge on enemies real and perceived seems to be a U.S. federal government priority these days.
Enter Atie Visser of Leiden, Netherlands. Visser had been a Dutch Resistance fighter during World War II. She discovered that a long-retired engineer in town named Felix Guljé had helped the Nazis in 1945 by rebuilding a bridge they desperately needed.
She knocked on Guljé’s door one cold, rainy night in 1946 and shot him dead. One can understand her motivation, of course, without condoning this kind of vigilantism. Yes, Fascists must be stopped whenever and wherever possible but nobody is above the law.
Visser confessed to the crime in 2011 at age 96. The bigger crime, as it turned out, was that she had murdered an innocent man. Guljé had nothing to do with the 1945 bridge repair. In fact, he had fed and sheltered Jews in his home while Leiden was under brutal Nazi occupation. Guljé also allowed a Catholic organization banned by the Nazis to hold secret meetings in his home.
Revenge is not best served cold, contradicting The Godfather’s Vito Corleone, and it's rarely sweet. It is, however, preferably served to the fullest extent of the law and social approbation. Of course, it’s best never served at any temperature if it's exacted on the wrong person.
Image courtesy of News18.