Act now

Mark Twain is credited with saying, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” That seems to be true today. In September 1940, the America First Committee was formed. It was an isolationist movement and campaigned against military preparedness and involvement in the war in Europe. It grew to more than 800,000 members.

Charles Lindbergh, a true American hero and a spokesman for the group, gave a speech in which he railed against Jews and the Roosevelt administration and published an article stating, “That our civilization depends on a Western wall of race and arms which can hold back … the infiltration of inferior blood,” according to a PBS article. He had visited Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Although his speech was not well received by those in power, it did reflect the views of many who had not yet recovered from the Great Depression. The recent pandemic, although not as long-lasting, had effects that were similar.

So today, we have former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. He is an admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, talks about immigrants “poisoning the blood of our country,” opposes NATO and rails against the Biden administration.

We learned the hard way Dec. 7, 1941, that the America First Committee was wrong. We should realize the MAGA Republicans are also wrong. The world today is a more dangerous place than it was in 1940. We must support NATO, help Ukraine, deter Iran from its aggression and work with China to achieve peace in the Far East.

— Arthur H. Jennette, Williamsburg