"First They Came"

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came , as viewed on 22 June 2011;
"
"First they came..." is a famous statement attributed to Pastor Martin Niemoller (1892-1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group. The text of the quotation is usually presented roughly as follows:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

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

There is some disagreement over the exact wording of the quotation and when it was created; indeed, the content of the quotation may have been presented differently by Niemoller on different occasions.
"

Another version, is;

"First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me."

As is said in the Wikipedia entry, different versions of the quote, exist, and, possibly as many versions, as there are webpages that refer to the quote.

This reminds me of a pledge;
"I promise not to remain silent, when I ought to speak."

And, it is a bit like the movie "This Land Is Mine" (1943), starring Charles Laughton - a movie well worth watching.

I can be contacted by email at Bret

This web page was last updated on 22 June, 2011