It is now two years since this latest European war began. From that day in September, 1939, until the present moment, there has been an ever-increasing effort to force the United States into the conflict.

That effort has been carried on by foreign interests, and by a small minority of our own people; but it has been so successful that, today, our country stands on the verge of war.

These were words spoken by Charles Lindbergh in Des Moines, Iowa on September 11, 1941 during his famous, “America First,” speech.

The same wrongheaded opinion is today being broadcast throughout the world. Americans once again have a justifiable fear of war and it is, just as it was in September of 1941, a potential war against a power spreading evil throughout its region, against our allies, and against our own forces, in this case Iran and its ally Syria.

In that same speech, Charles Lindbergh spoke of the Jewish agitators for war and his words are also all too closely connected to sentiments that we are all hearing and seeing expressed about Israel and Jewish organizations today. Lindbergh said:

No person with a sense of the dignity of mankind can condone the persecution of the Jewish race in Germany [ignore the threat posed to Israel (or to America) by Iran, Syria, etc…]. But no person of honesty and vision can look on their pro-war policy here today without seeing the dangers involved in such a policy both for us and for them. Instead of agitating for war, the Jewish groups in this country should be opposing it in every possible way for they will be among the first to feel its consequences. Tolerance is a virtue that depends upon peace and strength. History shows that it cannot survive war and devastations. A few far-sighted Jewish people realize this and stand opposed to intervention. But the majority still do not.

I think we can safely say that the sentiments expressed in this paragraph have been simply altered and applied to Syria and Iran in precisely the way that I did above by countless pundits and politicians, religious organizations, and many others over the past few weeks regarding Syria and the past years regarding Iran.

While it may well be best for us not to involve ourselves in settling the civil war in Syria, to act as if what happens there will not affect us is wrongheaded. While it may be that action taken to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons would have severe consequences, the failure to stop Iran’s progression toward nuclear weapons capability will have as bad or worse ones. Thinking “America first” and burying our heads in the sand will almost surely result someday in another December 7 or September 11 or in something worse. Those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it.