Then they came

First they came for the patriots
In the name of security they restricted and spied on them
I did nothing as I wasn't saying anything restricted

Next they came for the smart children
In the name of leaving no children behind they homogenized them
I was no longer in school and I ignored the normalization

Again they came for the gun owners
The criminals that don't follow laws smiled
Law abiding victims abound

Earlier they came for marijuana
What you put into your own body was not your choice to make
I didn't use it, so I shrugged

I remember when they came in the name of diversity
The numbers and stats enforced quota slayed meritocracy on that day
I was white, I was said to have privilege, I waited

Then whites began being restricted from opportunities
Wait isn't that racism? Apparently racism doesn't exist if you are white.
I frowned and spoke harsh words, and tried to make people see.

Then they called speech free only if it was not hate speech
Yet selective people with clubs and bio weapons were not considered hate
Only people like me who spoke from an opposing perspective considered hate

I didn't hate anyone, at least not at first
I could feel the seed of that growing as I was cornered, alien to me
As my right to speak, right to think, and right to exist were legally removed

Then they came for me.
I looked around. The wall of black, shouting "justice against the hater"
As I stood there pondering...
If they are not hate simply because they say the preferred things
What must love look like?

Or is that long dead?

Sacred Reich - Love... Hate - 1990