The lessons of history
Leftists? No way
Regarding “Local GOP blames the Holocaust on ‘leftism’ (City/State, Tuesday): Ignorance trumps truth once again. For the Harris County Republican Party to call National Socialism leftist is absurd. The Nazis, despite their name, were a far-right party, and communism, which is far left, was their bitter enemy. This kind of misinformation is scandalous. Peggy Campbell, Cypress
Embarrassing
This statement using the Holocaust for political purposes is an embarrassment to the citizens of Houston and the Republican party. Harris County GOP Chairman Paul Simpson called the use of the phrase “leftism kills” inartful, but the party still stands by the message.
Simpson conveniently ignores the fact that “leftists” and dissidents were in serious trouble in Nazi Germany. He also appears to be ignorant of one of the primary causes of the Holocaust: nationalism. Hitler’s message to the Germans when he was running for election was, “make Germany great again” and “Germany first.”
The people of Germany were defeated and demoralized at the end of World War I and vulnerable to a huckster who could promise great things by purging undesirables from society to protect the great white race.
Simpson also stated, “All Americans should be on guard against the dangers of ideologies that demean the value of individual lives to the collective.” He represents the party in power that separates children from their parents and locks them up for months. And he is a member of the collective that wants to use my tax dollars to build a wall to keep undesirables from entering the country. Kenneth Meyers, Houston
History notes
And we wonder why hate crimes are up and why the world is filled with so much hate! The level of ignorance and sheer stupidity that accompanies the local GOP in it blaming the Holocaust on “leftism” is staggering! I never knew that an understanding of history and a respect for all people is “leftism.” As long as the haters and deniers remain in positions of power and responsibility within the Republican Party, I will be forced to speak out against their venom. The Holocaust was caused by the same ignorance and hatred that exists today in the small hearts and minds of those who would deny its existence.
In a couple of months we are going to visit two of the most infamous Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz and Birkenau, in order to be able to respond more strongly to those who continue to deny that the Holocaust happened or was caused by “leftists.”
History is important and we must always learn from the past so we can make the future a better place for everyone. Bill Turney, Houston