Dear Reader,

In the early 1930s, a Lutheran pastor named Martin Niemöller, was an enthusiastic supporter of the Third Reich.

In January 1934, Niemöller’s prominence within Germany’s christian community afforded him (and two protestant bishops) an audience with Adolf Hitler.

The topic of discussion…state pressure on churches.

The meeting gave Niemöller an insight into the operations of the German Secret State Police (Gestapo).

Pastor Niemöller discovered that he and the Pastors Emergency League (which he helped found) were being subjected to phone taps and secret surveillance.

The meeting proved to be pivotal in Niemöller’s political sympathies for Germany’s new regime.

The party’s propaganda did not accord with its actions…this was not a democracy, it was a police state dictatorship.

Niemöller withdrew his support and became a vocal critic of Adolf Hitler.

His failure to ‘toe the party line’ condemned him to seven years in a concentration camp.

Upon reflection of how this all came to be, Martin Niemöller penned this quotation…

‘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.’

Niemöller’s quotation should serve as a warning against complacency and self-interest.

The all-pervasive infiltration of political correctness into our lives is because little by little we have failed to speak out…to raise our voices in protest.

The loud minority has chipped away at the rights of the silent majority.

First they came for our vocabulary…

Overweight became plus-size.

Short became vertically challenged.

Blind became visually impaired.

Christian name became forename.

Printing money became quantitative easing.

No harm done…it gave us a laugh…we’re a tolerant lot.

Then they came to control our climate…

The likes of Al Gore and Tim Flannery issued dire warnings of impending doom from ‘global warming’…droughts and empty dams were our destiny.

When the floods came and the temperature cooled, we saw a shift in terminology.

The looming environmental catastrophe would now be known as…‘climate change’.

Even though the climate has been changing for millions of years, the rebranding was announced without even the slightest hint of a tongue in the cheek.

We ignored the irony and sat idly by while those with vested green interests hijacked the debate (and squillions in taxpayer funds) for their personal, financial and political gain.

While the puppet masters of the green activists are alive, Ned Kelly will never be dead.

Our failure to speak out (due to apathy and complacency) has subjected households to unwarranted hikes in power prices…forcing tens of thousands of households into darkness.

As reported in News Weekly on 18 May 2019…

‘In Western Australia, a recent report by the state’s Economic Regulation Authority revealed that almost 20,000 West Australians had their power disconnected in 2017–18, a rise of about 20 per cent over the previous 12 months.

‘…in NSW, disconnections were up by more than 18 per cent and hardships were up nearly 19 per cent. Disconnections were up by more than 30 per cent for both of the biggest retailers, AGL and Origin.

‘In Victoria, the Essential Services Commission reported that there had been a 35 per cent increase in disconnections in 2018 over the previous year…Victorian retailers disconnected 23,406 residential electricity customers in the first six months of the 2017–18 financial year, more than for the entire previous year.

‘In Queensland, power companies also recorded a sharp rise in disconnections, up 11 per cent in 2018.

‘In South Australia, disconnections overall were down slightly, but the two biggest retailers recorded big increases in disconnections: AGL up 19 per cent and Origin up 56 per cent.’

These poor souls — forced to live in third world conditions in a first world nation with an abundance of fossil fuel — are in the minority…so why bother raising a voice in protest to this injustice?

That silence enables the green nutters — the ones who want Australia to single-handedly change the world’s climate — to continue unchecked.

How much higher do power prices have to go before people — out of self-interest and preservation of living standards — start speaking out?

Then they came for our sexuality…

The alphabet soup that’s LGBTQI seems to add a new letter every other week…20 more letters to go the soup bowl is all theirs.

Those of us who identify as STRAIGHT are witnessing a gradual erosion of common sense…yet we remain silent.

This is from GLAAD’s Media Reference Guide…

‘Transgender campaigners condemn such phrases as inaccurate and offensive. Even ‘biologically male’ and ‘biologically female’ are deemed ‘problematic’ by the influential U.S. gay rights ‘media monitoring’ group GLAAD (which used to be called the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, because they ‘oversimplify’ the ‘complex subject’ of gender. We’re told the correct usage is to say an individual is ‘assigned’ or ‘designated’ male or female at birth.’

If I understand this correctly, my three daughters being biologically female is problematic.

For whom? Not for me.

They are 100% biologically female…and I’m damn proud of it.

Seriously who makes this stuff up and why do we accept this nonsense?

As a consequence of not speaking out, we now have this being foisted upon us…

‘Victorians will no longer need surgery to change gender on their birth certificate, under a proposed new law described by supporters as a step forward for transgender rights.

‘The state Labor government on Tuesday reintroduced a bill to parliament which, if passed, will allow applicants to choose their birth certificate gender as male, female or another non-binary option.’

News.com.au  18 June 2019

What on Earth is ‘another non-binary option’? On second thought, I don’t want to know.

Let’s get down to basics, which public toilet does someone who’s non-binary use? Male or Female or do councils (ratepayers) have to build a non-binary dunny block?

And if a bloke decides to rewrite his birth certificate, can (s)he now go where only females can go? And vice versa.

Our forefathers would be turning in their graves.

The fact this silliness passes for serious — legislative — debate is because we remained silent.

At what point do we object to our intelligence being offended?

Do we wait until it directly affects us?

Then they came for freedom of speech and religion…

Failure to comply with the ‘go along to get along’ edict is one sure way to incur the wrath of those who seek to control the agenda.

Having christian beliefs and speaking your mind is most definitely frowned upon.

The ironies in the Israel Folau case are many.

If you’re an atheist, why would you take offence at (a long list of) people who are destined to go to hell if they don’t change their ways?

If you don’t believe in hell, how’s it possible for people to go to a place that doesn’t exist?

If you’re a christian, why get upset over someone quoting from the Bible?

You can choose to accept, ignore or apply a different interpretation to the biblical teachings.

Should the matter go to court, then those called to defend their actions will be offered the Bible to make an oath ‘to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God’.

The very same Bible that contains the text they objected to.

They may choose not to swear on the Bible, which most likely means they’re non-believers…refer back to the irony of the atheist.

What should have been a ‘storm in a teacup’ has become such a national issue because too many have remained silent for too long.

The failure to nip this political correctness in the bud — because they came for other people — has delivered us (as a society) to this point.

If the money flowing (make that, flooding) into the funding of Folau’s legal defence is any indication, people are getting concerned ‘they are coming for me’.

While it’s early days yet, people might just have had enough of the vocal minority…those empty vessels who make the most noise (and money) with their illogical and inane policies, preachings and pontifications.

This is why I suspect the community is rallying behind Israel Folau. Not because they necessarily agree or disagree with him, but they have been woken from their complacency…it could be me next…it’s all getting a little too close to home.

If we don’t voice our objections against this blatant abuse of and assault on common sense, one day we’ll find that it’s us on the receiving end of this politically correct madness.

As Pastor Niemöller found out at great personal cost, if it reaches that stage, it’ll be too late.

Stay tuned tomorrow for how the RBA is coming for your money…and why you need to speak out against their ideological lunacy.

Regards,

Vern Gowdie, Editor, The Rum Rebellion