To the editor:

In 1938, Hitler as a pretext for Germany’s right to acquire land where German-speaking people lived, invaded and enveloped neighboring Austria and Czechoslovakia which rapidly became World War II.

Russian Leader, Vladimir Putin, recently took this page from Hitler’s war book to invade the Crimea region of the Ukraine under the same pretext; i.e. Russian speaking people there really wanted to belong to Russia.

The idea of sanctions to isolate Russia is a start. But make them hurt! Cut Russia off from all international banking and trade. Countries siding with Russia will experience the same, severe sanctions, perhaps more, such as our suspending debt payments to China.

“Those who don’t learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat its mistakes.” The world did not have the guts back in the ’40s to take on Hitler.  The question is, do we have the courage today, to take on Putin?