Jan. 30, 2026 Editor, The News-Gazette: “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.”
This quote came from Martin Niemöller, a German Lutheran pastor during World War II. With the current dynamics of ICE killing US citizens that they suspect of being undocumented immigrants, this statement applies to our current circumstances. That is why it is important for us not to wait for becoming the target before speaking up for immigrant citizens and their supporters.
Trump’s method is to expand his power by breaking laws and seeing if he can get away with it. America faces a dilemma of relying on a corrupt administration to enforce the law. With the loyal rubber stamp Republican lawmakers in Congress, we have a lost our democracy at the federal level. When we get through the Trump dictatorship, we will need to reform our process to address the weaknesses of our democracy before Trump.
No. 1 priority – get money out of the elections! With an open process, we can continue the discussions where competing policy choices can be considered. Until then, each of us must show up and search for your contribution to the restoration of democracy. ELI FISHPAW Rockbridge County
