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.
–Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
Thank you, Matt. My heart can’t decide whether to be furious or broken, at the damage that disgusting excuse for a human being is doing to my country and my world.
I think that furious will be of better use.
read: FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE SOCIALISTS. It’s on line
Furious beats broken.
Thank you. This sums up my feelings.
Well said Micki! Fascism in the works..
Donald Duck, quack quack!
Im glad your onboard finally dude. I know I got unfollowed because of negativity but I dont view your negativity as a bad thing. Just hope you dont leave the #resist ship if a lefty is the next POTUS
I’m not sure how this is construed as negativity, but glad you are glad.
We must be vigilant and active. Start dialogues with the people who voted for Trump so they feel heard by those of us who are not bullies and dividers.
This is bigger than Trump voters. It started way before this election. If you outrage is based on Trump being POTUS but everything being ok if Hillary got elected you arent even awake yet. Where were you when the ACLU was clamoring in late 2015 about Obama’s ban? Please dont tell me you stayed silent because the POTUS was from your party
Well said
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/01/29/trumps-facile-claim-that-his-refugee-policy-is-similar-to-obama-in-2011/?utm_term=.5fb5af95005b
Is this what you’re talking about? If not, please link to something. I remembered what I linked too, but do not remember anything in 2015 (I was getting married in late 2015, so maybe I was preoccupied).
I think 5 or 6 times we’ve barred refugees from coming to the country in the last couple yrs. Some from situations we ignited and/or created. Also we’ve barred Cubans (wet foot/dry foot) from entering as late as a few weeks ago.
I’m honestly asking b/c I would like my opinion of Obama to be mired in fact. If you can provide any evidence of those 5/6 times I’d truly appreciate it.
With respect to Cuba, all we did was institute the exact same refugee policy that we employ for the rest of the world. Cuba had a niche carved out for their refugees. I don’t think it is fundamentally unfair to treat Cuban refugees any differently than other refugees.
What the hell is the post about? Seriously, take it down a notch.
Unsubscribe due to overwhelming stupidity. It’d be nice if politics were left off of blogs that have nothing to do with it, especially political expression which is based on such ridiculous hyperbole and propaganda.
This is a travel blog. If you head to JFK today, or BOS, or SFO, LAX, or many other airports you will encounter signs that have the phrase ‘First they came..’ being the inquisitive fellow that I am I wondered the root of the term, and thought it interesting.
You guys might want to take it down a notch 🙂
how does this save me money?
This is a travel blog, talks about my travels, and my thoughts on travel, how was that ever supposed to save you money?
You should have provided some context. With that context, I understand more.
However, for all of us who know politics, this is a classic and overused quote, which is often misapplied.
It’s also completely inappropriate in the current political climate, so I hope you can understand why people would infer that you’re directing this at the current administration (again, without context).
To offer explanation why it’s inappropriate: no one is “coming” for anyone. No one has been targeted. The latest immigration policy isn’t a “Muslim ban” but rather a temporary immigration ban from a list of countries. You can agree or disagree with this policy, but the government is well within its already granted authority to suspend immigration for any reason it seems fit.
If you aren’t a citizen of a country, you don’t have a “right” to access that country at your whim. It’s frankly insulting and distasteful to draw parallels between limiting immigration legally and Nazis/other evils coming to murder various groups.
Blah
Direct parallels to Nazi Germany is unfair, I agree. But there was specific language in the executive order that prioritized one religion over another. If that is not fundamentally at odds with what our Constitution is all about, I don’t know what is.
If you truly believe that there is no good reason to be concerned, then you know absolutely nothing at all about history.
you got post after post on reselling, taxes, investing, and travel hacking. so yea, how does this save me money?
it’s a political post and you’re too much of a coward to stand behind what you really want to say. so when people post comments giving you a wink of understanding you pat yourself on the back. but when people call you out you throw up your hands and go “wow golly gee calm down people!! this is just a travel blog!!”
grow some balls dude.
So some of my posts have saved you money (taxes/reselling/travel hacking) and some haven’t (political) , and you are mad about the fact that not all of them have?
You want me to write up free stuff that saves you money? How about no? How about you pay me for the things that saved you money first, then we can talk about why something I wrote didn’t offer the same value. Until then, I don’t really care what you think.
I have balls. I have the best balls.
He’s free to act like an idiot. And we are free to unsubscribe because of it.
When someone writes what amounts to an advice column, their judgement matters. With each piece they write, and choice they make, they reveal something about their decision making process.
I dont think Matt has handled himself very well here. This is his blog, so he’s allowed to do that, but vote with you eyeballs and move on.
The only reason I came back was the fact I’m subscribed to the comment thread. That’s the only remaining interaction I’ll have with this blog.
Cool. See ya
I enjoyed this. But when I finally noticed the sign the woman is holding I enjoyed it even more. I also love how people put bloggers into a corner and say they aren’t allowed to say anything that’s not directly related to travel. Don’t come here anymore if it really upsets you. Or, maybe, read it and move on…or is Matt your only source of travel related information?
Girl power 🙂
Thank you. For posting this. Something we should all think about and take to heart.
I like this post Matt…i wanna link it
Do it
Thank you.
Niemoller’s words became my screensaver the day the Executive Order was announced and I have had some “interesting” conversations about this topic. Some are offended and have told me that I’m being paranoid…that I should focus on “building bridges” instead of expressing alarm. Building bridges is all fine and good –at least it keeps a hammer handy–but it cannot relieve people of the obligation to speak up and sound an alarm when standing on the edge of a slippery slope.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
–Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.