First they came for the unions, and I did not speak up because I’m not in a union.
Then they came for the public sector employees, and I did not speak up because I work in the private sector.
Then they came for people’s rights in Wisconsin, and I did not speak up because I was not from Wisconsin.
Then they came for my rights . . .
. . . and there was no one left to speak up for me.
Please, don't let the corporatocracy take over. Don't let them crush the individual.
Don't let an America with no minimum wage, no social programs, no collective bargaining, no access to health care, no college except for the elite, and no voice for the people, become the "new normal".
Don't let our future be an America suffering the ravages of global climate change; the wealth of its citizens stolen by corporate thieves; its children denied a science education; its women forced into a single choice; where gays, minorities, and immigrants "know their place"; its land, air, and water unlivable, unbreathable, and undrinkable; and its young men & women sent off to die in needless conflicts.
Don't let them blame the fruits of their misdeeds on you. Speak up while you still have a voice.
Speak out in the town hall. Speak out in the public square. Speak out in the State House. In the newspaper, on the Internet, on talk radio. Get on the damn phone and call your elected officials - from the President on down to dog catcher, and speak out.
Give to progressive causes. Boycott industries and companies that seek only to increase their wealth, not the betterment of this country.
We are all in this together. Stand up for your rights, and you stand up for all of us.
First they came for the unions, and I did not speak up because I’m not in a union.
Then they came for the public sector employees, and I did not speak up because I work in the private sector.
Then they came for people’s rights in Wisconsin, and I did not speak up because I was not from Wisconsin.
Then they came for my rights, and there was no one left to speak up for me.
- wizmd (with thanks to Martin Niemöller)