Friday, February 25, 2011

With Apologies to Martin Niemöller...

Greetings to my friends and bloggers around the world. I've been away for a while, but I'm not gone. The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur (or as I also go these days, The Dr of Patronomics) is still here and speaking louder than ever. 


As you all know, I lived in the US for 8 years. I got my graduate education there, I made wonderful friends, and I even met my wife while I was in Illinois. So, I have a sweet spot for the US of A. Every day, I read the news and I feel that things are not going as they should. The "Land of the Free" is becoming the "Land of the Few", the "Home of the Brave" is being turned into the "Home of the Bully" by the GOP and the Tea Party. Meanwhile, peaceful uprisings are taking place all over Northern Africa and the Middle East: The people are calling for the end of tyranny in that side of the world. Why aren't Americans following suit? 


So, I decided to paraphrase the immortal Martin Niemöller. You may remember his famous Sermon:



When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.


When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.


So, with apologies to Father Niemöller, I had the courage to paraphrase his words and adapt them to the current craziness in America. I know this may come off as rough words, but I've always said that I don't just stir  up the hornets' nest, but that I bang it like it's a piñata! Without any further ado...


First, the Tea Party and the GOP went after the immigrants in Arizona.
I didn't care. 
After all, I was neither a Mexican nor an immigrant, and I wasn't in Arizona.

Then, they went after the union workers in Wisconsin and other states,
I did nothing either;
I was not in a union, or in Wisconsin, after all.

Later, they started plotting against women's rights and putting them in danger with their definitions of "rape" and other attacks.
I remained silent. 
I'm a man (and let's face it, I'm not a rapist) so why be outraged?

At some point, they also they took rights off African Americans,
I wasn't moved one bit.
I'm white, so what's the point? They wouldn't dare come after me!

Finally, those politicians and their followers in the media came for me and others like me,
And at that point, there were no freedoms left for me or anybody else in my country.

It's not too late yet to care. The world is watching!


That's it for now. Till my next blog, I bid farewell.

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...

Raúl A. (El Patrón Himself / The Doctor of Patronomics)