Have we learned anything?

And the wars came

Regarding “U.S. still has lessons to learn from 9/11, must stop living by the sword,” (Sept. 10): “We told you so” rings hollow. In the face of tens of thousands of lives lost, trillions of dollars spent and countless communities destroyed, pointing out that early critics of the U.S. war on terror were accurate seems crass and cruel, sanctimonious and self-serving.

But it’s also dangerous to ignore the dissenters. Those of us who were active in the anti-war/anti-empire movement before Sept. 11, 2001, came together almost immediately to organize resistance to what was coming. Anyone aware of basic post-World War II history could see what was coming. And the wars came.

What matters today is not demonstrating that one’s political group had the better analysis, but pleading to learn from history.

Robert Jensen, Austin

Social studies

Regarding “Opinion: Texas teachers, speak up for a rigorous history curriculum,” (Sept. 9): Thanks to Daphane Carter for this excellent article. She writes that the goal of the social studies curriculum is to engage and students with the world around them, using not only their own real-world experiences, but what our history can teach them. It encourages them to develop critical thinking skills, something our Republican legislators obviously fear. The 'liberty' think tank Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is working with the University of Texas to develop is one example of this agenda.

Additionally, the writer describes how House Bill 3979 and Senate Bill 3 require teachers to lie to their students about our history. As a psychotherapist working with dozens of teachers for over 30 years, I have seen the joy and pride in their profession being replaced by anxiety, fear, desperation and sadness. Yet the drive that keeps so many of them in their classrooms is the love they feel for their students, and the passion they have for helping children explore and understand the world they inhabit.

How would you feel discovering your favorite teacher taught you only what the partisan government wanted you to learn? Doesn't sound like democracy to me.

Tierney Lancaster, Kingwood