• TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    We’re past the point of speaking out.

    I would like for you to consider why the US constitution outlines free speech in its first amendment, and the right to bear arms in the second. The reason why is not that different than the principal of charity, or the social contract of tolerance. The first amendment outlines and sets speech, language, as the first step in challenging authority. But implicit in that principal, is the idea that governments are precluded from not listening, or not being available to that speech. It is literally in why the US constitution is structured the way it is, in putting limits and restraints on governments, not people.

    We have devolved long past the point where free speech is respected by the US government, under any interpretation of the words.

    The second, is an enshrining of the right to to the use of violence when the first is no longer being respected.

  • BreadOven@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago
    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, 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 for me.
    
    • Martin Niemöller

    Just in case people don’t know the original.

    • badmin@lemm.ee
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      7 days ago

      That’s not the original.
      Hint: any version that doesn’t mention “communists” is “filtered”.

      • wieson@feddit.org
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        7 days ago

        Good call, I didn’t know that. This is the original

        Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten,
        habe ich geschwiegen,
        ich war ja kein Kommunist.
        
        Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten,
        habe ich geschwiegen,
        ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat.
        
        Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten,
        habe ich geschwiegen,
        ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter.
        
        Als sie mich holten,
        gab es keinen mehr,
        der protestieren konnte.
        

        It’s not straight forward to translate, because there is no active verb in English for “to remain silent”.

        When the Nazis came and took the communists 
        I remained silent
        Since I wasn't a communist.
        
        When they imprisoned the social democrats 
        I remained silent
        Since I wasn't a social democrat.
        
        When they took the trade unionists 
        I remained silent
        Since I wasn't a trade unionist.
        
        When they took me
        There was no one left
        Who could protest. 
        
          • wieson@feddit.org
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            7 days ago

            Good idea, but I think “remain silent” applies a bit more generally. The phrase “you have the right to remain silent” is always translated to “sie haben das Recht zu schweigen”. So I went with that.

            (“schweigen” being the verb I’m looking for here)

            • oo1@lemmings.world
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              5 days ago

              I think I’d say ‘I kept silent’ as more common or ‘I kept quiet’, probably an even more common phrase. ‘Kept’ would be slightly more ‘active’ than remained I think.

              But “remain” does some nice extra poetic work here; it foreshadows another usage of [narrator’s] “remains” - the corpse or ashes or whatever lifeless material is left after their death.

      • BreadOven@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Good point. I forgot about the communist part and only copied the first one on wiki due to laziness. Thanks for reminding me.

          • Nalivai@lemmy.world
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            5 days ago

            Wikipedia is not an entity, it’s a collective. You, personally, can fix whatever is incorrect there. And some would say, should.

          • BreadOven@lemmy.world
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            5 days ago

            Not that I love wiki or anything, but in their defense, the translated original is below the one I copied. Only separated by a sentence or two. I didn’t read them out of laziness, so that’s on me.

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      As awful as he is, I think he serves a good example of the opposite being true. It can serve as a warning.

      “If we give any President this authority, someone like Donald Trump could use it if they ever got elected.”

  • minorkeys@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    You need to do more than speak out though. We’ve been speaking out about Trump for a decade and he’s was reflected and is currently breaking America to rebuild it into some kind of dictatorship.

  • green@feddit.nl
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    5 days ago

    I’ve said this in another post, and I’ll say it again.

    Where are the resources? Where are the leaders? Where are the groups?

    People are scrambling right now because there are a million people screaming and no one leading nor taking direction. We need courage, focus, and precision to win but everyone is acting spineless, scattered, and aloof.

    We need every single person online using TOR and/or a VPN. We need an underground railroad. We need protocol to fight against ICE raids. We need places to find weapons (yes, even in blue states because a lot of people still don’t own). And most importantly, as our greatest civil disobedience, we need to stop paying federal taxes. I would even like to go as far as a general strike.

    So how are we going to get this and more together? Or are we instead going to sit and cry about this?

    • Snowclone@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      I’m donating to Sanders, I donated before and volunteered before for his presidential runs. He’s not perfect by any means but I’m putting money I barely have there. I want to volunteer again, but I’d also look at AOC for organizing and raising money she is very capable. If you want to cross the line to real effort, there’s some good CIA booklets you can find online about simple sabotage. It’s worth looking into.

    • arotrios@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Well, I look at this way.

      Trump is going to fuck me and my family no matter what.

      The only way Trump is not going to fuck you is if you make over $250k a year, are a white male adult, and are willing to kiss the ring.

      Eventually I will be on that list of people to oppress/disappear because of who I am, not what I’ve done or will do. It’s more than likely you or your family members will be too.

      Because while they start with the outspoken, when opposition is silenced, they will move on to crush the meek with a horrible glee. In the end, it won’t matter one whit to them what you do or say unless it gets in their way - it’s about what they want to do to you.

      So let your inner Luigi roar. They’re coming for us anyway. You have a chance to speak NOW. Use it. They haven’t won yet, and they won’t if enough of us speak out.

    • Snowclone@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Fight to you die. People will care a lot not when it escalates. You want them to show their colors as soon as possible fascism heavily depends on people slowly boiling alive until it’s already to late.

    • arotrios@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      You’re not powerless, and you’re not alone.

      They want you to be afraid. You know how you beat fear? You fucking let your anger out. Turn that flight reflex into fight. Forge the adrenaline of threat into rage at what this Nazi fuck is doing to our country, to your neighbors, to your family, to YOU.

      And then let it cool just enough so that it becomes the blade of freedom that will drive and defend you. Let it guide you tactically and strategically, and find others willing to raise their blades to join yours.

      Start going to your local town halls and visit your representatives in person. Write and call them if you can’t - use physical mail.

      Join the protests, but with a group looking out for each other and has smart tactics - not carrying cell phones, is ready to defend themselves, masked, and has a smart exit strategy. Be aware that if the police know who you are, so do the alt-right thugs who are willing to do what the police won’'t.

      We beat the Nazis before. We beat the Confederacy before.

      We will do it again.