Editor:

"Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it" - George Santayana

In 1921, Adolf Hitler, leader of the nascent Nazi Party, organized the SA (Sturmabteilung, or Storm Detachment, otherwise known as the Brownshirts) as the party's private militia. Its function was to fight Nazi opponents in the street, terrorize Jews and other "undesirables," and intimidate voters in German elections. It had its ups and downs, but hit its stride in 1931 when Ernst Rohm took command.

Under Rohm's leadership its membership grew to more than 400,000, considerably larger than the German Army at the time. The SA was instrumental in helping Hitler consolidate his power in the early 1930s.

In this country, today, the FBI tells us that right wing militias are the greatest terrorist threat we face. The Proud Boys and their ilk, across the country, are fighting liberal demonstrators, terrorizing Blacks and other "undesireables," and threatening to show up at polling places to intimidate voters. The Trump administration does nothing to rein them in and seems to implicitly encourage them. They could well be instrumental in helping Trump consolidate his power by winning reelection in November.

I doubt the leaders of these right wing militias are students of history. But they might want to understand what happened to the SA and its leadership after Hitler consolidated his power in 1934. You can look it up. Hint: google "Night of the Long Knives."

Barry Kean

Rotonda West

Continued here:

LETTER: Right wing militias big threat in US - yoursun.com