Lest we forget
Freedom was hard fought for and a high price paid
Friday 19th October Nick Griffin who describes himself as a Patriot and is described by others as a far right extremist, a racist and even by some who will, on twitter, for example not even speak his name, they simply refer to him as the #talkingrurd. This man who presents himself as a fair-minded reasonable man holds beliefs that revolt me so there is no doubt this is the man, the leader of the BNP.
His words revolt me, his ideas cause me heartache and concern, it is everything I would oppose to my dying breath, but yet I will stand and fight for HIS right to say that.
Why you might ask? Well so many died fighting Hitler defending the very freedoms we enjoy today, the freedom to worship how and whom we please, to virtually say and do as we please, to practice our sexual orientation without fear or prejudice all valuable freedoms we are in danger of taking for granted.
During a heated twitter debate following these mornings Radio5 live debate I became involved a twitter war of words and found myself defending this man whose words I find revolting.
During the often very heated discussions I was, from a quiet voice of reason, tina @thethinker51 reminded of a Pat Parker poem that is so apt, I have with full acknowledgement reproduced it here.
Adolf Hitler Saluting With Hess and Himmler Behind Him
This a poem about gays, Hitler started with gays, then called homosexuals, spoken in a derogatory way, he went on to the disabled , the Gypsies,and then the final solution for the Jews, lest we forget, our hard fought freedoms came at a cost but would be taken from us by those who act like thieves in the night, and once lost it asks a simple question “where will you be? Where will you be when they come?
Pat Parker
Boots are being polished and trumpeters clean their horns
Chains and locks forged, the crusade has begun
Once again flags of Christ are unfurled in the dawn and cries of soul saviors sing apocalyptic on air waves
Citizens, good citizens all, parade into voting booths and in self-righteous sanctity X away our right to life. I do not believe as some, that the vote is an end,
I fear even more it is the beginning
So I must make an assessment and ask
Where will you be when they come?
They will not come a mob rolling through the streets
but quickly and quietly move into our homes and remove
the evil, the queerness, the faggotry, the perverseness from their midst.
They will not come clothed in brown and swastikas or baring chests with gleaming crosses
The time and need for ruses are over,
They will come,in business suites to buy your homes and bring bodies to fill your jobs,
They will come in robes to rehabilitate and white coats to subjugate, and where will you be when they come?
Where will you be when they come, and they will come!
They will come as we are defined as opposite~~perverse and we are perverse
Every time we watched a queer hassled in the streets and said nothing it was an act of perversion
Every time we lied about a boyfriend or girlfriend at coffee break it was an act of perversion
Every time we heard “I dont mind gays but why must they be so blatant?” and said nothing it was an act of perversion.
Every time we let a lesbian mother loose her child and didnt fill the court room, it was an act of perversion.
Every time we let “straights” make out in our bars, whilst we couldn’t touch because of laws, it was an act of perversion.
Every time w put on proper clothes to go to a family wedding and left our lovers at home, it was an act of perversion.
Every time we heard ” Who I go to bed with is my personal choice, its personal not political” and said nothing it was an act of perversion.
Every time we let straight relatives bury our dead and pushed our lovers away, it was an act of perversion.
And they will come, they will come for the perverts
It wont matter if your a homosexual not a fagot
A lesbian not a dyke, gay not queer
It wont matter if you own your business, have a good job or are on Social Security.
It wont matter if your Black, Chicano, Native American or white
It wont matter if your from new Your or Los Angeles, Galveston or Sioux falls.
It wont matter if your Butch or fem, monogamous or non monogamous
it wont matter if your Catholic, Baptist, Atheist, Jewish or M.C.C as they will come.
they will come to the cities and to the land, to your front rooms and into “your” closet.
They will come for the perverts and where will you be when they come?
Pat Parker copyright 1978
theblindmice 