Friday
When I was at visitation earlier I received more information on the awesome solidarity event that occurred last Friday at Substanz in Leipzig, Germany. A few minutes ago I also received some e-mails letting me know more about the event. I am so very filled with a deep, enlivening sense of Solidarity that I felt compelled to scribe out a few thoughts.
First of all, let me extend my deepest and most sincere love, appreciation and respect to everyone who attended the benefit concert with Sebastian and Capital X. I can’t wait to receive the pictures from the event! There are many reasons why people in German—and in Europe as a whole—should support the anti-Death Penalty struggle. This is a very long and in-depth discussion but I want to touch on it briefly. I just read Capital X’s blog-post about the event and in it he made an excellent point: the death penalty is not just a Texas problem and not just a US problem, it is a humanitarian issue. Capital Punishment is a crime against Humanity.
My personal struggle is part of the overall Struggle—not just the struggle to abolish capital punishment but the fight to end all forms of oppression that exist in this world. The fight is bigger than you or me. It’s about waging war against ignorance, hate, pain, and violence; it’s about standing up for truth, justice, love, and peace. Think of this: My most excellent compañera who I saw at visitation earlier reminded me today one of the ultra right-wing conservative prayer rallies is being held in Texas.
Is it a ‘pray away the gay’ event? A ‘pray the Communists who control Washington out of office’ rally? A ‘pray the immigrants back to Mexico (or wherever else)’ gala? These types of events are quite popular so we couldn’t exactly remember what evil thing the good, just and pious are attempting to pray away today, but it certainly isn’t the real evil of the death penalty. There are more people in Texas worried about constructing elaborate prayers against LGBT people than there are people concerned with the grave injustice that is the Death Penalty.
To add to the excellent point Cap X made I’ll say this: People in Germany should feel compelled to join the fight against the Death Penalty because quite simply others are just not going to do it. And to all of my people who attended the event at Substanz last week and others in Germany involved in the Abolitionist Struggle—know this: you are standing in a righteous tradition, doing what others won’t, doing what the complacent and acquiescent will not do. Inaction in the face of injustice is direct consent. I know you know this well. Keep pushing forward and know that I’m fighting with you hand-in-hand on this side of the fence.
Another quick thought before I sign off: There are asinine imbeciles everywhere—apparently some in the German speaking world are calling for the reinstatement of the Death Penalty in Europe in the wake of the mass murder spree in Norway. Do you want to revert back to a time when the Death Penalty was an acceptable form of punishment? Texas is the head of the Beast of Capital Punishment worldwide—off with the head and the rest of the injustices of the Death Penalty will vanish forever. Oh and I recently read an article that said Germany is one of the top 5 most liberal countries in the world, so don’t be surprised if Rick Perry wants to invade Germany if he’s elected president.
I say that jokingly—well, somewhat!—but so remember as Cap X said in signing off to his post about the event at Substanz in Leipzig, it is indeed One Love, One Struggle.
Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller’s famous poem comes to mind:
When the Nazis came for the communists, I said nothing;
I was, of course, no communist.
When they locked up the Social Democrats, I said nothing;
I was, of course, no Social Democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists, I said nothing;
I was, of course, no trade unionist.
When they came for me, there was no one left who could protest.
All forms of injustice must be fought against. Continue to speak out. Continue to act. In this spirit I’ll sign off with an embrace of:
Strength, Love, Solidarity & Resistance!
Rob
