Several decades ago, black people were regularly terrorized by an organized group of violent racists who used terrorist tactics, including fear, intimidation, physical assault, and even murder against groups or individuals they opposed.  These virulent gangs of masked marauders began their treacherous campaign of bigotry soon after the end of the Civil War and became known as the Ku Klux Klan.  

The derivation of the name is vague, but the terror it symbolized to millions of defenseless blacks was frighteningly clear.  The first known Klan was organized in the Southern States in the late 1860s, and its goal was to overthrow the Republican state governments during Reconstruction.  Members of the brutal gangs wore masks and cone-shaped hats, giving them a fearsome image while hiding their identities.  In many cases, the local police authorities refused to take action to stop the violence or to investigate those who engaged in it. 

The foregoing description is pretty close to what we know today as Antifa, a violent mob of masked terrorists who appear suddenly at peaceful demonstrations and mercilessly beat the participants, who may be guilty only of wearing a shirt supporting President Trump or carrying the flag that represents our country.  Once again, it seems as though these thugs have a goal to overthrow the duly elected Republican government in several states and in Washington, D.C.  In many instances, they are also being protected by local authorities who instruct police to stand down during the vicious mêlées that leave a bloody trail of bodies on our streets.

As for the Klan, when they began their sadistic crusade, blacks were their only target.  However, as they became larger and more feared, they added Jews and Catholics to their hate-filled rampages.  

Now, I don't need anyone to tell me that the Klan was much more savage in its attacks, because that should go without saying.  That monstrously bigoted strain of diseased DNA took countless lives and created an image of Southerners that lingers to this day.  The era of Alabama governor George Wallace, Birmingham, Alabama commissioner of "public safety" Bull Connor, and other racists of their ilk ended when good people of all colors risked their lives to fight the cancer that was eating away at the foundation of our country.  The gruesome stories of lives lost are part of the shocking history that must forever remain in our rearview mirror.  Nevertheless, Antifa is the latest example of Gestapo tactics, and it is growing rapidly before our eyes.

Today, they're engaged in violence against displays of support for our president.  Tomorrow, they may turn to vicious attacks on religions they disagree with, or the style of clothing they find distasteful.  

Did you ever imagine that Americans would be too intimidated to wear a hat or shirt in public that pledges support for our commander in chief?  Furthermore, could we have even thought it possible that we'd see organized attacks on our citizens for carrying the U.S. flag?  Suppose you joined a group of marchers during a celebration of Independence Day and were suddenly besieged by a gang of club-swinging masked men with hate-filled eyes.  If you were lucky enough to survive such a horrifying experience, would you begin to fear for the future of your country?  

All the evidence indicates that we're under attack from within by an organized army of trained revolutionaries who will use any means necessary to collapse our government and replace it with some form of dictatorship that will rule by fiat rather than by the electoral process.  They've learned that they can't win by ballots, so they're turning toward bullets.  You say people haven't been shot by these masked thugs, so it's not an accurate metaphor?  My response: should we wait until someone pulls a gun and a dozen lives bleed out onto the pavement?  In this age of social media, there's a myriad of photos and videos illustrating stone-cold beatings of unarmed people by armed thugs who wear helmets and padded body gear while covering their faces to avoid identification.

What happens when these veiled villains come to the conclusion that their efforts aren't stopping people from showing pride in their country?  Will they trade clubs for pistols and take a few lives during one of their raids?

The most important job of the government is to keep us safe.  With that in mind, one wonders why Antifa has not been declared a terrorist organization.  How many people wear masks in public unless they have plans to break the law?  It's like standing on line in your local bank when you see a masked man enter.  Unless that's become the new normal, our legislators should act quickly to ban such behavior.

Whether it's Antifa or the KKK, unmasking these cowardly malefactors will expose them for the cockroaches they are!