Quoted

Martin Niemoller:

“In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

I think that this quote is quite powerful and quite an example of the naivete of humanity in general. It ranks up there with Orwell's "All pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others."

I guess that there are times when we need to speak up for other's rights because the consquences of not doing so outweigh the possible benefits of doing.