First They Came for the Jews
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.
Pastor Martin Niemöller
Here's a couple of items reported by Amy Goodman this morning on "Democracy Now!. (This is stuff you probably won't hear Katie Couric reporting on).
- "two separate decisions Thursday increased the power of government officials to conduct warrantless searches. In San Diego, a district court upheld a program that allows home searches of welfare recipients without court-approved warrants. Under the program, welfare recipients face the loss of benefits if they do not agree to have their homes searched.
- "Meanwhile on Capital Hill, the House approved a bill that would give teachers and school officials broad authority to search students. The Student Teacher Safety Act would require any school receiving federal funding to approve the new search authority.
- "Josh Wolf -- a 24-year-old freelance journalist and video blogger – faces a new deadline to hand over video he shot at a protest last year in San Francisco. Police say they’ll send him back to jail if he doesn’t hand over the tape today. Wolf has already spent thirty days behind bars.
- "two reporters with the San Francisco Chronicle were sentenced to up to eighteen months in prison for refusing to reveal who leaked them grand jury testimony that revealed Barry Bonds and other baseball players had used performance-enhancing drugs. The reporters are appealing their sentencing."
Dada says: Okay, okay, that's bad news but let's be calm here. We're not welfare recipients, so they still have to have a warrant to search our apartments and houses. They won't throw us out on the streets if we refuse to let 'em in our bedroom without a warrant.
And if I'd had any kids, which I didn't, they'd all be grown by now. They'd be outta school, so there's no worry about my kids that we didn't have anyway being searched illegally in school.
As for the others, the reporters? Two are professionals. They do that for a living. That's the risk of their occupation. I'm no reporter, so no worry there. The other guy, the blogger who could go to jail for not turning over a blog video? No sweat there either, I don't shoot videos and post 'em on my blog.
Let's all just stay cool, shut the fuck up and maybe the government will just leave us alone. We have certain rights. They're guaranteed by our Constitution. Besides, I'm not poor, young, or foolish like those other people. Right Pastor Niemöller?
9 comments:
My son is now a senior, I swallowed the crap about putting a full time armed cop (resource officer) in the school thinking it would only be a few years then he would be out of the system and it wouldn't bother me anymore. Then I watched the local police do random lockdowns of the school so they could exercise their police dog. This is a one school town, population 6000. Again, once he's out of the system it won't piss me off anymore. But I see now the system is growing exponentially, sorta like the local police force which has more than doubled since I was in school. I'll be real quiet maybe they won't notice me.
Good one, Dada...you'll be pleased to know I've furnished my kitchen completely with hand-me-downs and Salvation Army specials, so I alwalys have a handy pot and metal spoon to MAKE AS MUCH NOISE AS POSSIBLE WITH.
Sorry, but going quietly into the good night has never been my forte.
Hi Pat....thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment, esp. in sharing your experience with your son. (Geez, I somehow had this naive idea if I moved to some small community, things might be better. Maybe not, huh?
I sense things tightening around me and feel just blogging about 'em isn't enough. But what to do?
Mel...never to fret...I KNOW you will not go quietly into the night. That's why your blog is a regular on my "hit list"....
maybe someday we bloggers can form a marching band?
haha, dada & mel, do you need an accordianist for that band? no shit, what were my parents thinking. well, it is irritating enough to preclude going gently into that good night. if i was cool, i might've taken it toward cajun beau soleil, but instead all i learned was marching music, like "from the halls of montuh-zooo-ooohma" and "as the cays-sahns go row-ling a-long". (what IS a caisson, anyway?) Oh! we'll be needing a drum major or majorette ... D.K.
My great Aunt down in Kentucky taught me how to play the spoons...that should help- right?
Now Dada- about your post- hmm, I think the Police State is alive and well- big cities- or small towns...
but I loved the way you put it forth....1930's germany has , had much to teach us...
Caisson is a French pastry. After they started rolling 'em, it became necessary to invent that cellophane/plastic combo wrap that's impossible to open with the naked hand. But now when caissons are rolled every year on the anniversary of the original caisson rolling which gave birth to the song, they don't get them dirty as in the pastry's past, thus enabling celebrants to eat them instead of having to toss 'em afterwards.
Being a veteran of a few hippie drum circles back down in Austin, I am reminded of the old bible verse about where there are two or more, there's a church. I'm paraphrasing from the King James version, of course -- which is itself an exercise in paraphrase. Redundancy becomes circles within circles...damn it! Protestant theology does vex me...to the point where I actually do appreciate that miserable old Madalyn Murray O'Hair. I met folks in Austin who knew her, and they all attested to the fact she was a bitter person you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy...but in one voice, they still hated she got murdered. We do need our old cranky ones...and she was an honest atheist.
Wait...I was trying to talk about our noise band! E, you keep those spoons handy (mental image...Hee Haw, circa 1973...eef, aff, ee ee, ee aww aw aw); Deke, we can always use an accordian -- look what Weird Al's accomplished! I got my tin skillet and spoon. Now all we need is for E's 6'6 to write us some killer raps, and we can open for the Dixie Chicks!
Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?
oh, mel, you crack me up, that image is making my eyes water uncontrollably! we could march into the stadium, pounding (tin pot & spoon), slapping (multi-spoons) & wheezing away (my old accordian which I will rip back from my zydeco nephew for this event). Dada needs to carry one of his signs to lead the way down to the stage, though. Something big enough so we can see it through the fug of pungent smoke that better be filling the air lest we be immediately tossed toward The Great Egress. oh say, does that star-spangled baa-anuher yet waive ... hmmm, i bet we could tempt mr 6-6 with the dixie chicks. D.K.
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