I spent most of the day yesterday watching the capitulation of the House of Representatives on FISA, and on kos, reading the various diaries and posting comments. More than anything else, my feeling was of being sick at heart, and wondering how I could support any candidate who voted to destroy even one single part of the Bill of Rights. One comment, by a poster named 'soms', I felt, said something I felt deep down but was unable to put into words. He or she said "Freedom dies in increments".
Last night as I laid in bed, this comment by 'soms' and the words of Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller ran through my head, over and over:
Niemoller (1892-1984) was German. Orignally a supporter of Hitler, he soon became an anti-Nazi theologian and was imprisoned in concentration camps from 1937-1945. He wrote a poem which has out-lived him, and which has several translations. Here is one:
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.
With apologies to the memory of Pastor Niemoller.
They came first for habeas corpus,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a criminal, and would never need habeas corpus.
Then they came for the 6th amendment (speedy trial, public trial, right to counsel),
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a terrorist, or terrorist supporter or sympathizer, and would never need the 6th amendment.
Then they came for the 4th amendment (protection from unreasonable search and seizure),
and I didn't speak up because I had nothing to hide.
Then, one step at a time, they came for the 1st amendment,
and I didn't speak up because
I knew I would never use the right to petition, and
I hadn't used the right to assembly since my student protest days in the 1970's, against the Vietnam War,
Lastly they came for freedom of speech and of the press,
and I didn't speak up because there was no longer any one to speak to, or for, or to listen to.
On the day we lost freedom of speech and of the press, one by one, I went to my old friends, The Carpetbagger Report and The Regressive Antidote, TPMmuckracker and Think Progress, Open Left and Orincus, Liberal Values and Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars and The Huffington Post, digby, dday and tristero, and lastly, Dailykos.
On each site was the same message, advising that the site had been shut down by order of the government.
Salon was still there, but their political columnists, especially Glenn Greenwald, were nowhere to be found.
That afternoon I turned on Air America to listen to Rachel Maddow, but Air America was no longer on; that night I turned on MSNBC for Keith Olberman on 'Countdown', but in it's place was another crappy hour of 'Lockup'. Finally I turned on PBS, but even 'Bill Moyer's Journal' was gone.
I miss my friends, Jane and Keith, Rachel and Bill. But most of all I miss my friends on 'kos': granny doc and DarkSyde, mcjoan and Hunter, kagro X and Meteor Blades and kos himself.
As 'soms' said, "Freedom dies in increments" but only a few were paying attention.
Kathy, I'm lost, I said, thought I knew she was sleeping
I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey turnpike
They've all gone to look for America
All gone to look for America
All gone to look for America
Paul Simon
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