Pubdate: 4 Aug, 1999 Source: Rock River Times (IL) Copyright: The Rock River Times 1999 Address: 128 N. Church St., Rockford, Illinois 61101 Fax: 815 964-9825 Author: M. Simon AMERICAN PROMISE Dear Editor, I agree for the most part with Sharon Schuldt about America and its promise. But we must not forget that America has a very sordid past. And some of the errors of the past have not been adequately remedied. Slavery. Genocide of the Indians. Did you know that Hitler got his ideas about concentration camps from studying the treatment of Indians in America? As recently as 55 years ago we had Americans have their property stolen and were herded into concentration camps. Of course we are much more civilized these days. We reserve that kind of treatment for people who choose the wrong intoxicants. No racism here. Think about this. We have approximately 2.5% of all black males in jail or prison. The corresponding number for white people is about .3% Unfortunately these are things you don't hear much about in the churches and synagogues. Why? M. Simon Rockford, Illinois - --- MAP posted-by: Thunder