It started off with armed welfare cowboys occupying federal facilities on government land. Then, heavily armed demonstrators started showing up at racist rallies to provide “security”.

Now we are being treated to the spectacle of uniformed gun-toting bearded rednecks storming state houses with the tacit approval of the President of the nation and his hostage party. “We’re just exercising our 2nd amendment rights, don’t tread on me.”

The historical record gives us ample warning as to what comes next–heavily armed paramilitary “patriots” marching into businesses asking “permission” to distribute leaflets, hang posters, harangue staff and customers, and of course, solicit donations.

Eventually we will start seeing parades, roadblocks, processions and marches through suburban neighborhoods and city streets, the knocking on doors to proselytize their cause and intimidate the residents, the snake flag on every sympathizer’s house and broken windows and painted obscenities on all the others. Then they’ll start asking for contributions…are you going to tell them “no”, even if you are armed yourself? They’ll always come in gangs, you’ll always be alone.

Oh sure, these are “nice people”, and they are only a tiny fraction of the population, but you could say the same thing about the Black Shirts and the SA. No, this is not 1920s Italy or 1930s Germany, this is America, WE ARE DIFFERENT, aren’t we?

Those of you who really think so, why do you not log on and tell me, to my face? Show me where I’m wrong, why it can’t happen here. Why the differences are so many and so profound and the similarities just coincidence. Tell me there isn’t an active ideology and political movement in this country doing everything it can to make it happen here, and for the exact same reasons.

And now, we return to our regularly scheduled programming of science documentaries and cat videos.