Dear Editor:

Martin Niemoller’s poem begins “First they came for the socialist and I did not speak out — because I was not a Socialist.” and ends with “Then they came for me. . .” The International Alliance to End Genocide defined eight stages of genocide — classification, symbolization, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, extermination, and denial in their1996 briefing paper to the U.S. State Department. Who would have thought that signs of genocide would ever arrive in the United States? Sadly it appears it has arrived — even in Maine.

Several weeks ago, a neighbor was trying to be calm knowing that a grandchild was so worried that they could not stay in school after hearing about a threat to bomb all schools on the east coast. Apparently these threats began in 2016 and are increasing in 2017. Embolden perpetrators have damaged cemeteries and the frequency of actions are increasing. Perhaps readers pay no attention because the headlines say “Hoax Bomb Threats,” or because it isn’t aimed at us, the news is not saved in our memory.

Genetically, the majority of U.S. citizens, including all immigrants, are from a single mother. So dehumanization of anyone is also dehumanization of oneself.

We own the pain and worry we have witnessed in American children across the country and yet we seem unable to stop the cruel language, threats of harm, or acts of destruction and death. In 2016 there had been many hoax bomb threats against Jewish community center schools. Police linked a Gardiner school bomb threat to a nationwide hoax. Email threats against schools in six U.S. cities and counties were routed through a server run by a Maine resident, according to reports.

Jacob’s ladder is the advent of a connection between earth and God as written in scriptural text for major religions, including Christian, Islam and Muslim. The grandmother and I pray for our children remembering we are not alone on the ladder that connects the prayer. We include all children in the human race and hope to find a solution that avoids massive pain for all of mankind’s family. Perhaps prayers for preventing the eight stages of genocide are in order for the Lenten season ahead of us.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb