The current political situation facing America is nothing new.
Many countries have experienced similar tumultuous changes to their governments. Most of those nations’ radical changes had little or no effect on the rest of the world.
One that did was the election of Adolf Hittler and the resulting Nazification of Germany in the 1930s.
For those who haven’t read Martin Niemoller’s poem written after he was released from his imprisonment following World War II, it revealed how his fellow citizens allowed the horrors of Nazi concentration camps to exist.
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 Unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
And then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
Currently, the Laken Riley Act, recently passed by Congress, would require at least $26.9 billion to ramp up immigrant detention facilities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement currently has the budget to detain only 41,000 people. The Trump administration has not publicly said how many immigrant detention beds it needs to achieve its goals. Homeland Security estimates the daily cost for a bed is about $165.
Once the 11 million illegal aliens are repatriated, what use will America have for these prisons? What groups are now considered traitors by our president? What about LGBT, those with liberal leanings, social activists, union organizers, Muslims?
Why not round them up and fill up those empty detention centers one group at a time?
This may seem a wacko far-fetched idea that could never happen in America. The average German citizen in 1930 could not believe that in just a short time their country would murder 6 million innocent human beings, either.
While we still can, those who can envision America’s future under an autocratic leader need to share their concerns with others using any available platform.
The voiceless need others to speak out for them. The Chronicle’s letters to the editor page is a good place to start. Freedom of the press may not last forever.
Doug Findley
Randle
