Niemöller's poem in 2009

History has given us a perfect example of what we are seeing happen to our country. Please, take time to read this and put some thought into what you are seeing on the news daily. Niemöller's poem tells the story of Europe's refusal to stand up to the Nazis while they still had time:

Martin Niemöller was a German pastor and theologian born in Lippstadt, Germany, in 1892. Niemöller was an anti-Communist and supported Hitler's rise to power at first. But when Hitler insisted on the supremacy of the state over religion, Niemöller became disillusioned. He became the leader of a group of German clergymen opposed to Hitler. Unlike Niemöller, they gave in to the Nazis' threats. Hitler personally detested Niemöller and had him arrested and eventually confined in the Sachsenhausen detention camp and Dachau Concentration camp. Niemöller was released in 1945 by the Allies. He continued his career in Germany as a clergyman and as a leading voice of penance and reconciliation for the German people after World War II. His poem is well-known, frequently quoted, and is a popular model for describing the dangers of political apathy, as it often begins with specific and targeted fear and hatred which soon escalates out of control.
Niemöller said he was not quite sure when he had said the famous words but, if people insist upon citing them, he preferred this version:

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists,
And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;

And then they came for the trade unionists,
And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;

And then they came for the Jews,
And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;

And then... they came for me...
And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

Now compare this to the news of the day:

In America, first Obama came for the banks,
And I did not speak up because, I was not a banker.

And then he came for the Auto Manufacturers,
And I did not speak up because, I did not manufacture automobiles.

And then he came for the wealthy business owners,
And I did not speak up because, I was not a wealthy business owner

And then he came for us, the Conservative Christians
And by that time there was no one left to speak up.

Please, wake up America, stand up and scream at the top of your lungs.
SET US FREE....LEAVE US ALONE and WE WILL PROSPER!

As President Ronald Reagan once said:

“Government is not the solution to our problem; Government is the problem."