REMEMBER?

"First They Came for the Jews"
By Pastor Niemoller

 
First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN.  
IN FACT, IT NEVER STOPPED.

v.2000
First they came for the hackers.
But I never did anything illegal with my computer,
so I didn't speak up.

Then they came for the pornographers.
But I thought there was too much smut on the Internet anyway,
so I didn't speak up

Then they came for the anonymous remailers.
But a lot of nasty stuff gets sent from anon.penet.fi,
so I didn't speak up.

Then they came for the encryption users.
But I could never figure out how to work PGP anyway,
so I didn't speak up.

Then they came for me.

And by that time there was no one left to speak up.

- Alara Rogers www.alara.net
 

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Then They Came for Me (A New Twist)

By Stephen Rohde, a constitutional lawyer and President of the ACLU of Southern California. Adapted from the original by Rev. Martin Niemoller (1937).

First they came for the Muslims, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Muslim.

Then they came to detain immigrants indefinitely solely upon the certification of the Attorney General, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't an immigrant.

Then they came to eavesdrop on suspects consulting with their attorneys, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a suspect.

Then they came to prosecute non-citizens before secret military commissions, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a non-citizen.

Then they came to enter homes and offices for unannounced "sneak and peek" searches, and I didn't speak up because I had nothing to hide.

Then they came to reinstate Cointelpro and resume the infiltration and surveillance of domestic religious and political groups, and I didn't speak up because I had stopped participating in any groups.

Then they came for anyone who objected to government policy because it aided the terrorists and gave ammunition to America's enemies, and I didn't speak up because...... I didn't speak up.

Then they came for me....... and by that time no one was left to speak up.

"Upon further reflection, I have decided that I am irked by this. First, some background on the original context. It is worth remembering that this was said by a fellow who barely escaped execution after Hitler had executed about ten million people in his death camps, including about six million Jews. When this pastor talks about "coming for the Jews", he does not mean a few thousand here or a few hundred there - he means nearly a complete sweep of the Jewish population of Europe. To pretend that what we are seeing with the Bush Administration is somehow comparable to Hitler strikes me as deeply disrespectful to the memory of those who suffered real persecution.

Here is another example of how this poem can be trivialized. [original link refered to this web site from talkleft.com]"

- Tom Maguire on the Talkleft.com web site

Now "They" Are Coming For Us

Repeal the Patriot Act Now!

Trivalized, my eye! Don't fall victim to the pseudo arguments of the ACLU. Such sentiment provided the very foundation from which the SS proceeded to perpetrate their horrendous crimes against their own people with impunity. The incremental escalation of denial of rights, liberty and the pursuit of happiness progressed from small carefully chosen, seemingly trivial ones, through apparently logical rational ones, all the way to genocide - one small step at a time. If you truly respect Freedom and the souls of the millions who sacrificed their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to purchase and maintain the reality we enjoy today, you must oppose every attempt to dilute or make obsolete any portion of the rights reserved unto the American people. The primary obligation of our Republic's Federal Government of Laws is to provide for the common defense. We must withdraw support of all types from those who would exchange liberty for security. Such people deserve neither.

Interpretation of law is not a word game. Meaning derives from context. Meaning persists - words evolve. Interpretation of old phraseology in today's context is fallacious. It thrives on revisionist history and disrespect for elders. Each time an extended family dissolves, true experiential history fades a little more. How do we know about the ancient Sumerians? They recorded their stories on fired clay tablets. How are our stories recorded - no longer even on paper - it is all digital 1's and 0's. Tried to listen to an 8-track tape lately? Consider what the telephone did to the practice of letter writing. What legacy are we leaving? What is our context? Oral traditions vanished long ago, the printing press finished them. Our future is  dependant upon vigilance and strict interpretation of the constitution - in its original context. As Elvis Costello wrote "There's no such thing as an original sin" - it's all been done before. The same old plots with new characters and technology.

The revisionists never rest. What actually facilitated the more radical steps in the rise to power of the SA and SS in Germany is certainly glossed over in subsequent renditions and even in the original poem attributed to Rev. Martin Niemoller. Remember one of the first concessions the Nazis asked of the German people - in the name of domestic security? "Relinquish all privately held arms - so that women and children might sleep securely at night." After that it was easy - just one popular cause after another, gradually evolving into the slightly objectionable and eventually to ghastly inhumanity.

Trivialized? Hardly. That is precisely the point. One small step at a time, steps so small and logical that no person who still retains their freedom will object and will probably even support them - until no one remains to assist you and your means of resistance are long gone. Soon even your will to resist is broken and yes, even you will participate when asked.

When persons such as Y. Goodman Brown publish their baseless characterization of people like Gail Davis as "very likely an anti-Semite" the accuser has become Nazi supporter - albeit unwittingly, through the timeless technique of "divide and conquer".

No rationally literate person can honestly deny that the Radical Islamic teachings of the Qur'ân allow for only three methods of dealing with infidels - infidels being clearly defined as Judeo-Christians:

1-Exact tribute from them,
2-Convert them to Islam, or
3-Exterminate them.

I know of no similar prescription held by the Muslims against any other world religions - major or minor.

This appears to be a clear-cut declaration of war hiding behind a "peaceful" religion. Just as Saddam attempted to hide behind the skirts of his most oppressed "supporters". The Plains Indians in America hunted Bison by wearing wolf skins. This tactic allowed the hunters to mingle with the herd - wolves were no threat to the powerful bison. Most know to "beware the wolf in sheep's clothing". We must also beware the hunters in wolf's clothing. All is not always as it seems. Perception is not reality, style will never prevail over substance.

The truth is out there. America must awaken to the reality confronting us and quit bending over backwards for the likes of the Stephen Rohde and the ACLU. Don't be distracted by their campaigns such as "enforcing" the separation of Church and State. That is just another divide and conquer ploy, probably not even of their own making. To the ACLU it is no more than a profitable academic exercise. But to the millions of Americans who sacrificed their all so that we may realize their dreams of freedom, it is an extremely dangerous dalliance. To those who would destroy America it is a golden opportunity easily exploited in the name of fairness and security. The founders of our nation wisely and effectively prohibited the establishment of a state religion but even the Deists among them celebrated the importance of the Judea-Christian roots of Freedom and Justice. These ancient laws are the foundations of civilization.

Equality is objective - fairness is subjective. Objective reality is guaranteed. Perceived reality is subjective - it changes constantly.

Many have forgotten the history of the ancient family feud which we must guard against even today lest we fall victim to its nearly genetic hatred. What would Abraham have done could he have foreseen the death and destruction inflicted upon their families by the descendants of these two brothers? 

Freedom exacts a high price and so carries an even higher responsibility. No one who enjoys it is exempt from that obligation. We never know when or whom will be called upon to make the next installment. More than 3000 persons paid the price for all of us one sunny morning two years ago. It would be the ultimate treason of conscience if we allow their sacrifices to be squandered in pursuit of "security".

With each piece of our constitutional freedoms traded for the mere promise of security, the 9-11 hijackers creep ever closer to ultimate victory. Our panicked pursuit of security will accomplish their goal - the destruction of the "Great Satan" - not from without but from within. Consider the hunter in wolf skins within our circle.

Obviously the author of TalkLeft.com should double up on his own layers of tin foil if he thinks he can successfully trivialize American patriots who call attention to the pernicious onslaught mounted against our freedoms - or mention Black Helicopters - by simply referring to us as simple minded conspiracy nuts.

We don't need an "Act" to recognize a disembodied wolf. We only need to be aware they are on the prowl.

- Richard Saunders, ©2003
 

see http://www.talkleft.com/archives/001475.html  for reference