Who Was Martin Niemöller?
 

... and what is one of his more memorable and always applicable quotations ?
(The true original quote, not the co-opted and distorted versions.)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Niemoeller.jpg

its does seem that there is some argument as to the 'real' words, but apparently the above picture represents the words that Niemöller prefers....

an alternate version:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Martin Niemöller gave numerous speeches that included quite a few variations in spoken text (often extemporaneous speeches).

One of the more important 'lines' that he frequently included also referred to the so-called permanently disabled.

Progress ?
Social advancement since those times ?
Where ?

So it goes...

btw, Peerless... Thanks for the reply.

ahhh...the ol' extemporaneous attitude...I've always preferred that to stale, canned approaches....I approach my music that way, which is why it is near impossible for me to reproduce a recording in any time period over a day later....hell, let's make that after I've gone to sleep....

impromptu (which while not extemporaneous is a close cousin) is what I did in speech contests in HS, and in general did quite well at it...