[thechat] The Death of Democracy...

Luther, Ron Ron.Luther at hp.com
Fri Feb 14 07:12:01 CST 2003


Chris Marsh asked:

>>This is an unpleasant viewpoint. Justified?

>>"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I
>>wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up,
>>because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't
>>speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that
>>time there was no one left to speak up for me."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hi Chris,

This is an old and powerful sentiment ... I believe it was originally
attributed to Rev. Martin Niemöller and dates/places to 1945/Germany.

Re-written/re-phrased a number of times, I think the original goes more like
this:

"In Germany they came first for the Communists and I didn't speak up
because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn't
speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for
the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they
came for me--and by that time no one was left to speak up. "

Martin Niemöller 1892-1984.

Some background on the author:

"The son of a pastor, a U-Boat Captain (WWI) and later a pastor in a comfortable
Berlin Suburb in the 1930s Niemöller did not start out as a great advocate for
intellectual freedom. He initially supported Hitler but quickly grew
disillusioned. Although arrested by the Gestapo in 1937 for his open opposition
to Hitler and incarcerated in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps, he
nonetheless berated himself for not doing more, as in the quote above."

Snipped from a few places ... I just wanted to provide a little background
in case you didn't understand the timeframe and location where this originated.


HTH,

RonL.

Who asks:

Why do you characterize this as unpleasant?  On the surface perhaps one man's
regret-ridden exhortation to guard personal freedoms more closely -- but
underneath, underneath I would see it as a more hopeful message believing
in the power of one voice speaking out to grow into more voices and gain
enough power and momentum to change the world.

Shouldn't that be more uplifting than unpleasant?




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