July 4, 2003

On the Fourth of July,
this day that celebrates
the words and spirit
of the Declaration of Independence,
let us remember:
At the time of the holocaust,
Millions of people all around the world
should have spoken out in outrage.
A few did. Most didn't.

Six million Jewish men, women, and children
were murdered.
Hitler used the pretext of national security
to strip Germany of democracy.
He passed emergency decrees that gave the state
the power to intercept mail, listen to telephone conversations,
make secret arrests.
The accused were deprived of legal council,
denied the right to a trial.
He turned Germany into a repressive dictatorship,
and people were afraid to speak up.

Sixty million men and women from all countries
died in World War II.

For everyone, in every country in the world, I ask for sanctuary