ISRAEL: Heed history's lessons

In June 1936 the Emperor of Ethiopia came before the forerunner of the United Nations, the League of Nations, to plead for help in protecting his people against the murderous killing of his people by a run amuck Mussolini. He was ignored.

Sound familiar? Go to the Internet to read the full text of his speech. Again, the world assembly should hang their collective heads in shame as the Israelis seek justice from the world community of nations. The following flow of history displayed that the Emperor’s plea was righteous. World War II resulted in the death of 60 million people.

I am so ashamed that the American Ambassador was ordered not to attend Netanyahu’s U.N. speech.

I continue to be shocked by how little we Americans deny our opportunities to learn from history. Watch early evening news or late night interviews of people on the street to see how poorly educated our populous is. This display of ignorance is evidence alone of why we are becoming a second-class country.

Santayana wrote (in The Life of Reason, 1905): “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

DICK SHELDON

Coeur d’Alene