Let’s learn from history

According to Liberalarts.vt.edu, Irish statesman Edmund Burke once said “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Churchill also said it in 1948 and is worth repeating today.

The Nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the German Student Union to ceremonially burn books in Nazi Germany and Austria in the 1930s. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to Nazism. Sound familiar? Tearing down statues, the 1619 project, CRT or anyone who doesn’t agree is branded a racist.

I would not begin to equate what the Jewish population endured to where we are headed today but how long before we start sewing patches on our clothes and having people show up at our homes or place of business because we may or may not agree with a particular group of influencers? We already have riots in the streets, threats and electronic hate mail for anyone who speaks out.

How long before we are burning history books, Bibles, Dr. Seuss or any other book no longer considered politically or ideologically correct? We may not burn them in the streets but we are editing history by deleting them. We may not agree with Marx but you could always go to the library and read his works if you chose.

We can burn books or we can evaluate both sides and choose for ourselves. Let’s not repeat history, let’s learn from it.

Stan Gilmore

Spokane