Estephania: Politics and Cooking

Estephania creates a spicy intellectual meal in her recent post Politics and Cooking. An excerpt:

On Tuesday I learned, in no uncertain terms, that the majority of this country looks at the world, America's role in the world, and our responsibilities as citizens in a fundamentally different way than I do. Up until Tuesday night, I believed that the majority of the people believed in civil rights. In the basic tenants that, "all men are created equal." That torture was wrong. That what I consider bedrocks of our country, like the First Amendment and the Fourth Amendment should not be gutted our of facist reactionary fear. What I learned was that "equality" to the majority really means, "equality for people like me." That the majority is more concerned with itself than with protecting anyone. That discrimination is perfectly acceptable. That is pathetic - and they have no concept of how dangerous their views are, the slippery slope they have traversed down.

"When they took the 4th Amendment away, I was quiet because I didn't deal in drugs... When they took the 6th Amendment away, I was quiet because I had never been arrested...When they took the 2nd Amendment away, I was quiet because I didn't own a gun...Now they have taken the 1st Amendment away, and all I can do is be quiet." –Fred Albury

That is, of course, modified from Martin Niemoeller's quote: "In Germany, the Nazis first came 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, but I didn't speak up because I was a protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak for me."

And another twist to it is the brilliant essay, First they came for the Muslims, that Stephen Rohde wrote in the aftermath of the Patriot Act. "First they came for the Muslims, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Muslim. Then they came for the immigrants, detaining them indefinitely solely on the certification of the attorney general, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't an immigrant. Then they came to eavesdrop on suspects consulting with their attorneys, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a suspect. Then they came to prosecute noncitizens before secret military commissions, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a noncitizen. Then they came to enter homes and offices for unannounced "sneak and peak" searches, and I didn't speak up because I had nothing to hide. Then they came to reinstate Cointelpro and resume the infiltration and surveillance of domestic religious and political groups, and I didn't speak up because I no longer participated in any groups. Then they came to arrest American citizens and hold them indefinitely without any charges and without access to lawyers, and I didn't speak up because I would never be arrested. Then they came to institute TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System) recruiting citizens to spy on other citizens and I didn't speak up because I was afraid. Then they came for anyone who objected to government policy because it only aided the terrorists and gave ammunition to America's enemies, and I didn't speak up ... because I didn't speak up. Then they came for me, and by that time, no one was left to speak up."