Silence

I’ve been reading a lot lately about how homosexuals, celebrities, and other undesirables should just get over the Proposition 8 thing. The people voted, the majority rules, quit whining, the end. This attitude is disturbing to me, and it should be disturbing to you. Majorities have often voted for things that are unethical. Majorities have voted for slavery, for the exclusion of certain groups from voting, for eugenics. When the majority votes to oppress, to limit freedom in a country that pledges “freedom and justice for all,” we should protest. To remain silent, or God forbid, to defend this, is unacceptable.

An eloquent reminder, taken from a sermon by Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew;

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