Should this womans past matter?

[abaris]

Probably not as known in the States, but all through the 70ies and 80ies there was a left terrorist group operating in Western Europe. They called themselves the RAF. I grew up with the hype surrounding them and seeing their mugshots at every public building and gas stations.

Anyway, one of them, convicted in the killing of a prominent banker, was called Susanne Albrecht. She went underground in the still existing GDR, got caught when the Iron curtain fell, did her time and resurfaced under a different name. Turned out she worked as a school teacher at the German city of Bremen. The tabloids and the conservatives made a big deal out of it. So much so that the school authorities, having no clue about her past, wanted to fire her. In stepped the kid's parents launching a petition to let her stay, since she was such a good teacher.

The past should never be held against any person. Only the presence counts.