BY: Vincent L. Hall
First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists. Then they came for the Jews. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
– Martin Niemöller
Niemöller was a German Lutheran Pastor who fought against the Nazi’s by word and deed. The famous quote attributed to him is one that we should all ponder as often as we find the courage.
The statement leads to a straightforward question for me. “How would you feel if it were you? Niemöller summed up the need for humankind to empathize if nothing else. As I scan my favorite news outlets these days, I am constantly confronted with the damning, if not demeaning, question. How would I feel?
Here’s what I found on my online favorite for truth and transparency, Al Jazeera.
“Israel’s defence minister has said the “gates of hell” are opening in Gaza, as the military destroys a high-rise tower in a densely populated part of Gaza City and says it will target more multistorey buildings, intensifying its campaign to seize control of the capital.
Israeli forces have killed at least 44 people across Gaza on Friday, with at least seven children killed in attacks on Gaza City.”
How would you feel if you had to flee from the aggressions of a one-sided war with your children and parents in tow? No food to eat, no real destination. How would you feel about the occupiers and oppressors of your people?
CBS News was next, and they left me guessing and imagining as well.
“In a large-scale immigration enforcement sweep at a Hyundai facility in Georgia on Thursday, 475 immigrants suspected of living and working in the U.S. illegally were detained. The sweep targeted one of Georgia’s largest and most high-profile manufacturing sites, touted by the governor and other officials as the biggest economic development project in the state’s history.
Hyundai Motor Group, a South Korean company, began manufacturing electric vehicles a year ago at the $7.6 billion plant, which employs about 1,200 people. The search shut down construction on an adjacent factory being built to produce EV batteries.”
How would you feel if you were a native-born Hispanic citizen who looks like the “aliens’ that ICE is being paid well to violate? How would you feel as a South Korean immigrant who had a work visa that was suddenly revoked? How would you feel if you were coworkers of the same?
How would you feel if you invested $7.6 billion in good faith, paid taxes, and were a good corporate citizen, providing well-paid jobs?
PBS News was next, and it was no better.
“Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday to call for the release of all files related to the government’s investigation into the convicted child sex offender.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said Wednesday at the White House that the Epstein case is a “Democrat hoax that never ends.”
The survivors criticized the president’s comments that the case was a “hoax” and appealed to him to meet and describe the pain they had endured.
How would you feel about living with the horrors of sexual abuse and exploitation and being mocked by a sitting president, his administration, and by most of Congress?
Suppose you were constantly fleeing bombs in Gaza, living under the threat of immediate detention or arrest, or having your character assassinated for the sake of political gain. How would you feel about the silence of millions of people who watch you suffer?
How would you feel knowing that, according to world history and Pastor Niemöller’s admonition, they are coming for you next!
A long-time Texas Metro News columnist, Dallas native Vincent L. Hall is an author, writer, award-winning writer, and a lifelong Drapetomaniac.
