I would like to respond to the opinion letter printed on Aug. 25, from Mr. Larry Koch. It was titled as “Some questions for the history teacher.”
First off, I would like to say that, if he had been in my class, and asked those questions, I would have tried to answer them. I believed that my job as a history teacher was to attempt to make my students aware of the facts in history.
But, I tried to make it a point that they did not have to agree with me on interpretations. My job was not to impose my beliefs or opinions, but to make them aware of what all the beliefs were on an issue of interpretation.
I have met some former students who told me they appreciated that I did that. So, I hope that answers one of your questions.
On the question of liberalism and socialism, the fact (not opinion) is that socialism is an economic theory that believes the government should control the means of production and distribution. There is no requirement for the form of government, from democratic to dictatorship.
I don’t care what Norman Thomas or Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said on that subject. They were expressing opinions, not fact.
As to liberalism, that is a term to describe certain beliefs on the left side of the political spectrum. It is my belief (which I think is factual) that liberalism expresses a strong belief in equality. They would be opposed to dictatorships, and attempts to limit the right to vote, for example.
As to your question about the sanctions on Cuba as compared to the sanctions on Iran, I do not see very much comparison. In particular, our sanctions on Cuba were by the United States, and no other country. For Iran, there were several other countries involved, mostly European.
As for Iran’s threats to Israel, they are certainly there. The agreement is supposed to help protect Israel, as well as other countries. It is my opinion that Israel, under the disastrous leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu, is only interested in gaining control of all the Middle East, and that is not something we should be involved in, nor supporting.
So, Mr. Koch, I have told you my opinions, and tried to clear up some facts.
Grover W. Johnson
Viola