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First they came

A cautionary message for our troubled times.

To the editor:

First they came for the Muslims, and I did not speak out
Because I was not a Muslim.

Then they came for the immigrants, and I did not speak out
Because I was not an immigrant.

Then they came for the journalists, and I did not speak out
Because I was not a journalist.

Then they came for the college administrators, and I did not
Speak out
Because I was not a college administrator.

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

If this looks familiar, it is because it is based on a poem by the German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemoller. It was written in 1946. It is a cautionary message for our troubled times.

Malvina Wasserman
Great Barrington

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