Sunday, October 23, 2016

First Trump came for the women And I did not speak out Because I was not a woman. Then Trump came for the people with disabilities And I did not speak out Because I did not have a disability. Then Trump came for the African Americans And I did not speak out Because I was not African American.



Image result for Cartoon Donald Trump prejudice



First Trump came for the women
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a woman.

Then Trump came for the people with disabilities
And I did not speak out
Because I did not have a disability.

Then Trump came for the African Americans
And I did not speak out
Because I was not African American.

Then Trump came for the Mexicans
And I did not speak out
Because I was not Mexican.

Then Trump came for the Muslims
And I did not speak out
Because I was not Muslim.
Then Trump came for the gay, bi, and trans people
And I did not speak out
Because I was not gay, bi or trans.*

Then Trump came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew.**

Then Trump came for the journalists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a journalist.***

Then Trump came for the judges
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a judge.

And now Trump is coming for the Constitution of the United States
And if I do not speak out, what am I?

* Actually I am one of those, and I didn’t speak out about that.
** And one of those, and didn’t speak out about that either.
*** Ditto.




When I grew up in Soyth Africa, Martin Niemöller’s poem “First they came…” was a well-worn standard in any sort of Jewish education. It was plastered on posters issued by the Union of Jewish Students, printed in books and flyers, quoted at political meetings. I saw it so often that it became, for me, a secular version of the shema, the prayer anyone with the slightest amount of Jewish upbringing knows by heart: “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”

The shema and “First they came” are both statements of something at the core of Jewish identity, and they form a kind of point and counterpoint stretched across thousands of years of history. The shemareminded the early Israelites that they were the people who, unlike their pagan neighbors, worshipped a single deity. Niemöller’s poem reminds modern Jews that, as a people who were almost wiped out, it’s our duty—as it is everyone’s duty—to speak up for other minorities under attack, lest we be next. The shema sets us apart from other peoples; “First they came” binds us together again.

To see Donald Trump methodically lay into one group after another during the months of the presidential campaign has been to see Niemöller’s warning writ large across our screens. But during all these months, I haven’t noticed much speaking out by one group in support of another.

A notable exception is the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish anti-racism body, whose head launched a blistering attack on Trump’s Islamophobia and racism in March and hasn't remained silent for even a day . Yet just a week earlier Trump got standing ovations at the annual conference of the powerful pro-Israel lobby group, AIPAC—a moment that I believe should stand as a mark of eternal shame for the leaders of America’s Jewish community.

There are probably more gestures of solidarity by one group towards another than we can easily see. One small example: non-Jews adding the “echo symbol”—triple parentheses, (((like this)))—around their names on Twitter, in a fight back against anti-Semites on the “alt-right,” who have used the symbol to single out Jews.

Yet such moments, while mildly heartwarming, almost never command the emotional power that makes them go viral; they tend to be buried in the social-media maelstrom by the latest Trump outrage. Moreover, I suspect that such solidarity is largely confined to the grassroots. How many African American leaders are there speaking out against Islamophobia, Muslim leaders speaking up for Mexican immigrants, and LGBT leaders coming out to defend people with disabilities? (If you’ve seen it happening, please let me know.)

It’s time for everyone to remember Niemöller’s words, and speak out in support of anyone who becomes the target of this hate-monger and his alt-right cohorts. At the end of the day, Trump is coming for all of us.Oy Vey Oy VeyOy Vey

3 comments:

  1. Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were not available for comment

    We don't care if Trump swears... or how many times he's been married...or who he voted for, or what his income tax return shows. We want the problems fixed. Yes he's an egomaniac, but we don't care. We know he's not a racist, or bad to women, or all the other things the liberal media is trying to label him with. We know he's raised a good family, and that says a lot about him.

    The country is a mess because politicians suck.

    We don't care that Trump is crude, we don't care that he has changed positions, we don't care that he fights with Megan Kelly, Rosie O'Donnell, and so many of the elected establishment. We don't care that Rubio, Cruz, Ryan, the Bush's, and so many other top old and new Republicans refuse to endorse him for their own selfish reasons, and we know what they are. We don't care that he doesn't know the name of some Muslim terrorists, we don't care that he tried some businesses that didn't work out.

    This country is weak, bankrupt, our enemies are making fun of us.

    We're angry about the Iran deal, the budget, treatment of Israel, military weakness, lobbyists, special interests, overpaid politicians with their self serving bills and back room deals, trade deals, loss of jobs, manipulated economic numbers, businesses fleeing, and even the phony pay for play Clinton Foundation.

    Americans are no longer going to be fooled, and the movement is out to change the direction we're taking. Trump may not be a saint, but he doesn't have lobbyist money holding him, he doesn't have political correctness restraining him, and all you know is that he has been very successful, a good negotiator, he has built a lot of things, he's flexible, and he's also not a politician. And he says he'll fix it. And we believe him because he is too much of an egotist to be proven wrong or looked at and called a liar.

    Public service has become elected greed. This may be our only chance to have a non-politician, despite his flaws, try and correct the mess, at least for 4 years. We must take the shot, because the consequences of putting Hillary Clinton in office are frightening. There is a tidal wave happening, and its going to overcome much of what's happened to this country.

    This post was posted with permission..you can copy and re-post.

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  2. Corrupt, lying, bribe taking Hillary is totally incompetent and will make everything much worse.
    Between her incompetent Secr of state work and Obama’s weakness, Russia, Iran, China, N. korea.,isis, Al quida all growing and threatening us, all our allies feel abandoned. Iran has taken over Yemen, Libya, Ira, Syria, Lebanon. Wikileaks Emails show vicious anti-Israel hatred among closest staff.
    She doubles down on collapsing Obamacare, which was sold on many Obama lies, where premiums are skyrocketing. Her goal is to expand VA type csocialized care to all.
    She doubles down on Obama’s worst ever economic record: record poverty, record debt growth doubled in his term, record low anemic growth never above %, record regulations, wants to raise taxes, record low labor participation rate. Instead of GROWTH, we will get socialized redistribution
    She doubles down on causes of massive rising murder rates, riots, killing of cops. Her # top donor , Soros funded $33 million professional rioters in Ferguson and Baltimore.
    FBI agrees she was reckless and negligent with our top secrets but not indicted only because bribed FBI and corrupted them
    She wants OPEN BORDERS, and will bring in loads of unvettable Syrian Muslim refugees
    Lies about gun confiscation. Plans to shut down coal industry and make us more dependent on Arab oil. Believes it ok to kill a baby minutes before birth, way more radical than Roe v. Wade.
    She abused and threatened the women her husband raped.
    Wiklieaks shows she wanted to MURDER Wilileaks leader.
    DNC wikileaks emails show disdain for Catholics, Evangelicals, Gun owners, Southerners, Blacks, Hispanics, Jews and we “deplorables and irredeemables”, and
    And they prove Democrats will use any means available to steal the election,
    + media so biased it is, in effect, the propaganda ministry for the Democrats. Don’t BUY the HILLARY CON.
    https://www.facebook.com/RpblcJew/videos/10154120337560837/
    48 reasons why voting for Hillary will be one of the worst decisions of your life and a disaster for the world. http://strongandresolute.blogspot.com/2016/10/main-34-reasons-sources-why-hillary.html

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  3. MONSTER Hillary: She is a DESPICABLE person. There is no other way to describe her. A lifetime of corruption, lies, scandals and incompetency and her supporters DO NOT CARE. Hillary SCAM. And her POLICIES will exacerbate the nightmare of the Obama years. Don’t fall for Hillary con. Her presidency will do far worse that weaken us. She endangers all of us as she enriches herself. https://www.facebook.com/RpblcJew/videos/10154120337560837/
    All sources here http://strongandresolute.blogspot.com/2016/10/main-34-reasons-sources-why-hillary.html

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