I will speak out as long as I'm able

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 7, 2024)

You are probably familiar with the poem, First They Came, by Martin Niemöller. The one which begins, "First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist." It goes on to list more groups "they" came for.

We are living in such a time again. People in power are coming for those they don't like: often the ones who speak out against the evil being committed by political criminals in positions of power. They are coming with lawfare, inflated charges, SWAT raids, and censorship.

What would the poem say today?

First they came for the January 6ers and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a January 6er. Then they came for Donald Trump and I didn't speak out because I'm not Donald Trump. Then they came for the Republicans and I didn’t speak out because I’m not a Republican.

Remember how Niemöller's poem ends? "Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me."

When they come for me, will there be no one left to speak out for me? That's the way it might go if society stays on the same course. I don't intend to let that happen.

The reality is I have no illusions I would be last on any list to be rounded up. With this realization, from the beginning, I-- unlike the man in the poem-- have spoken out. Even though it makes people mad. I will continue to speak out against those who come for any individual for any reason besides violating the life, liberty, or property of another person. Even if I don't otherwise support anything they believe or do.

It's also an unfortunate fact of life that those who have been targeted in the past will usually target those they see as their oppressors as soon as they gain the power to do so. I've seen this happen repeatedly as long as I've been alive. It's wrong, making things worse instead of better, but they do it anyway.

With this in mind, when they come for the addicts I will speak out though I'm not an addict. Then they come for the migrants, the sexually confused, and the Democrats I will speak out though I am none of those.

Whatever happens, I will continue to speak out as long as I am able, and I hope you do, too.

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Feeling a little Jonah-ish

The world has gone mad. It didn't have far to go to get to this point, but it made the last jump pretty fast.

It could be interesting to sit and watch everything play out.

Stay armed. Stay prepared in other ways, too: food, water, off-grid energy (solar, muscle power, etc,), and above all, skills and mindset.
Do not comply.
You don't owe loyalty to any politician or state-- they've put in the work to earn your contempt. Let their chickens come home to roost.

Take care of yourself and your tribe-- however you define it. Let the archators take each other out-- out of your way; it's what they want most and what they've v*ted for. Honor their wishes. And duck!

Those who have begged for authoritarians to rule them are getting ruled good and hard. They won't learn anything through this lesson. They'll keep believing superstitions such as that money can't exist without the state because theft gives money its value. Or that government can be good and is necessary, and that anarchy is death and destruction.

If you want to warn them of their folly, go ahead. They won't thank you or even listen. Maybe a bystander will, though. If you'd rather watch them burn for their ignorance, that's fine too. At this point, whatever happens to them is because they've demanded and enabled it. I know I have no right to force them to safety.

I just hope you and I can avoid the worst of it. Preparedness will help.

If I had the ability, I might be tempted to poke and prod to see what happens. 
On one hand, the longer things take to play out, the more time you and I have to prepare.
On the other hand, the longer this goes on, the worse the final implosion will probably be. And it might be on the heads of our kids and grandchildren.

And, yet, maybe things will settle down. A little worse than before (as always), but not so bad that it crashes around our ears. The slow crawl to collapse could keep moving relentlessly onward. Like a glacier. I would like to think it could be reversed, but I see no evidence anyone but you and I are even aware of what's going on. How can it be reversed if no one will even admit what's happening?

Part of me says that previous generations have also thought the world was in trouble in their time. Some of them were right. We may be in a similar situation, but there are new variables that have never existed before. Will they make a difference? I guess we'll find out.

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Thank you for reading.  

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