A truism is a self-evident and obvious truth. Here is a truism expressed in two ways: History teaches us that history teaches us nothing. History teaches us that those who do not learn from history are certain to repeat it.

Appeasers merely postpone the inevitable, thereby raising the eventual cost of meeting a problem by a thousandfold. It's impossible to negotiate rationally with evil people. Of course, liberals might ask, who is to determine who is evil? Appeasers are blinded by prejudice that leads them not to know right from wrong.

Appeasers, who are generally of liberal persuasion, are not willing to take a stand but will postpone the inevitable -- a greater loss in lives and increased destruction. I'm not sure if they are nave, arrogant, or ignorant of the lessons taught by history.

We apparently have learned from history when it concerns hostage situations. Recently, Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig were being held hostage by terrorists demanding the release of Muslim prisoners. If we were to pay that kind of ransom we would invite even more hostage-taking.

History tells us that giving in to terrorists begets more hostage- taking, so we do not pay ransoms regardless of the possible cost in lives.

Americans have a short attention span, as do our liberal politicians. Don't fix the house until it's falling down. This is crisis management which generally has dire results.

Whatever the cost of war, no course of action is more damaging to our country than submitting to demands imposed by terrorists. This is a concept that has lost none of its value, thereby reinforcing the truism that those who do not learn from history are certain to repeat it.

Monroe M. Diefendorf

Pinehurst