Who Was Martin Niemöller?

[ursula]

... and what is one of his more memorable and always applicable quotations ?
(The true original quote, not the co-opted and distorted versions.)

[Peerless]

its does seem that there is some argument as to the 'real' words, but apparently the above picture represents the words that Niemöller prefers....

an alternate version:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

[ursula]

Martin Niemöller gave numerous speeches that included quite a few variations in spoken text (often extemporaneous speeches).

One of the more important 'lines' that he frequently included also referred to the so-called permanently disabled.

Progress ?
Social advancement since those times ?
Where ?

So it goes...

btw, Peerless... Thanks for the reply.

[Peerless]

ahhh...the ol' extemporaneous attitude...I've always preferred that to stale, canned approaches....I approach my music that way, which is why it is near impossible for me to reproduce a recording in any time period over a day later....hell, let's make that after I've gone to sleep....

impromptu (which while not extemporaneous is a close cousin) is what I did in speech contests in HS, and in general did quite well at it...