First They Came ...

Some Trojan Heron readers may be acquainted with the text of a statement by Martin Niemöller that describes the methods of totalitarianism witnessed in his native Germany. It was a simple formula: pick on specific groups one at a time and count on the silence of all the other groups. For Godwin's Law reasons, I try to avoid all references to the Nazis, but the Lunny situation (see previous post) makes me think of a Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) variation of the Niemöller text:

First they came for the rural inhabitants of King County, and I did not speak out because I did not live in King County. 

Then they came for the country people of Eastern Washington and the Olympic Penninsula, and I did not speak out because I did not live there. 

Then they came for the farmers and fisherman of my County, and I did not speak out because I was not a farmer or fisherman. 

Then they came for the homeowners, and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Niemöller's original statement was published in a 1955 book by Milton Mayer, They Thought They Were Free, based on interviews he had conducted in Germany several years earlier

To avoid Reductio ad Hitlerium, I have to clearly state that, no, we are not fighting Nazis, but some of the eco-bureaucratic tactics and reactions by The People can be viewed in a similar light. My Niemöller-style text is but a poor attempt to convey some instances of this for the CAOs. I am sure that Trojan Heron readers could come up with much better versions.