![\"TR](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/20250117-150036-075-TR20Harry20headshot.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTR Harry\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubmitted photo\/TR Harry\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
By TR Harry | Scottsdale<\/p>\n
\nThe Town Bell and the Whisperers (a parable)<\/strong><\/p>\n
In a town nestled between two rivers, the mayor ordered the old bell tower restored. \u201cWe need a signal,\u201d he said, \u201cto warn of danger.\u201d The bell had once rung for fires, floods and festivals. Now it would ring for threats \u2014 especially those from within.<\/p>\n
\u00a0One morning, the bell tolled loudly. \u201cThere are whisperers among us,\u201d the mayor declared. \u201cThey wear no uniforms, hold no meetings, yet they sow unrest. They call themselves \u2018the Unseen.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The townsfolk were puzzled. Some had heard of the Unseen \u2014 young people who questioned the mayor\u2019s decrees, who planted pamphlets in library books and painted lanterns on alley walls. They were not violent, but they were vocal.<\/p>\n
The mayor held a roundtable. Only his allies were invited. They spoke of chaos, of broken windows, of fear. No one spoke of the lanterns, or the questions, or the quiet acts of care. Soon, new rules appeared: no gatherings without approval, no speech that \u201cundermined civic harmony.\u201d The bell tolled more often. Some townsfolk nodded. Others whispered.<\/p>\n
One day, an elder stood in the square with a small sign: \u201cWho decides what danger looks like?\u201d She was not arrested, but the bell rang anyway.<\/p>\n
And in time, the town grew quieter \u2014 not safer, but quieter. The bell still stood, polished and proud. But fewer people looked up. More looked down. And the whisperers? They kept whispering \u2014 not to divide, but to remind.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Question: In times of uncertainty, how do we distinguish between genuine threats and uncomfortable truths \u2014 and who do we trust to make that distinction?<\/p>\n
Considering today\u2019s political environment (who is tolling the bell), here are three terms everyone should probably be familiar with:<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Insurrection Act
\u2022 Martial law
\u2022 \u201cAntifa\u201d<\/p>\nThe Insurrection Act of 1807 gives the president the authority to deploy military forces \u2014 such as federal troops or the National Guard \u2014 to suppress civil disorder, insurrection or rebellion. It\u2019s federal law with deep historical roots and potent implications, one of the few legal exceptions to the Posse Comitatus Act, which normally prohibits the military from engaging in domestic law enforcement. The act can be triggered under three main conditions:<\/p>\n
\u2022 At a state\u2019s request \u2014 If a governor or state legislature asks for federal help to control unrest.
\u2022 To enforce federal law \u2014 If rebellion or obstruction prevents the execution of federal laws or court orders.
\u2022 To protect civil rights \u2014 If citizens are being denied constitutional rights and local authorities fail to act.<\/p>\nHistorically, presidents have invoked the Insurrection Act about 30 times. Notable examples include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Eisenhower and Kennedy using it to enforce school desegregation in the South during the Civil Rights era.
\u2022 George H.W. Bush deploying troops during the 1992 Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King verdict.<\/p>\nMartial law involves the temporary replacement of civilian government with military authority, often suspending civil liberties like habeas corpus. Once declared, best keep your mouth shut, or your engine running. It\u2019s distinct from the Insurrection Act, which allows military assistance but keeps civilian government intact.<\/p>\n
\u201cAntifa\u201d is short for anti-fascist.\u00a0The term comes from European resistance movements in the 1930s, especially in Germany and Italy, opposing fascist regimes. In the U.S., it gained visibility in the 1980s and surged into mainstream awareness after the 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right rally. It has become a polarizing symbol in American politics. Supporters see it as a necessary response to government extremism. Critics argue that antifa\u2019s sometimes violent tactics can be counterproductive and dangerous (especially to those in power).\u00a0However you define it, today it represents dissent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Antifa is not an organization in the traditional sense. It refers to a loosely aligned movement of like-minded individuals and groups united by common interest. In this case, by opposition to fascism, white supremacy and authoritarianism. Under current political conditions, think of it this way: they believe pluralism as has existed in America, for almost 200 years, is threatened today by what appears to be the political \u00a0ascendency of\u00a0 a conservative Christian minority to dominate government and impose their standards on national life.<\/p>\n
Once any antifa \u201cmovement\u201d is neutralized, or eliminated, their will can be established by authoritarianism, without serious threat or competition. That helps explains why \u00a0the Antifa concept is under fire today.<\/p>\n
\n
In September 2025, President Trump signed an executive order labeling antifa a \u201c<\/strong>domestic terrorist organization.\u201d Legal experts note that U.S. law does not\u00a0 grant presidents the power to designate domestic movements this way, especially one without formal structure.\u00a0That raises a worrying point, one that echoes historical patterns where governments, especially in moments of unrest or transition, have sought to define an enemy to consolidate power or justify extraordinary measures.<\/p>\n
What happened at the Trump roundtable?<\/strong><\/p>\n
The Trump administration\u2019s nationally televised October 2025 \u201cAntifa Roundtable\u201d highlighted, of course, the president and featured cabinet members, conservative influencers and right-leaning independent journalists. The discussion was framed around antifa as a \u201cdomestic terrorist organization,\u201d even though it has no hierarchy, membership or headquarters. The FBI and Anti-Defamation League have previously described it as a decentralized movement or \u201cideology,\u201d not an organization.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, roundtable \u00a0officials compared antifa to ISIS, Hezbollah and drug cartels, and suggested prosecuting supporters as if they were part of a criminal enterprise. The roundtable excluded dissenting voices and Democratic leaders, some of whom were accused of \u201ccovering up terrorism\u201d without evidence. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Considering antifa\u2019s nebulous presence as a labeled active domestic terrorist group \u201call around the country,\u201d it would suggest that anyone \u2014 \u201call around the country\u201d \u2014 who voices contrary opinions, criticism or questions the current federal administration\u2019s efforts to further consolidate\u00a0 authoritarian government control is a domestic terrorist. Therefore, they have no right to free speech. So \u2014 shut him, her and all\u00a0 such sympathizers up!<\/p>\n
From the government-in-power position, that\u2019s not an illogical strategy. But it leads to tension raising a core question: Can a movement, grounded in moral urgency, be it a religious inclination or anti- authoritarianism, for example, coexist with democratic pluralism? If fascism is intolerable, does that justify intolerance of fascists? If violence is sometimes used to resist oppression, how do we distinguish resistance from repression?<\/p>\n
These are not just tactical questions, they are philosophical dilemmas about the nature of truth, justice and communal identity. They echo the challenge of fostering belonging without erasing dissent. Ouch!<\/p>\n
It seems like our long-standing democratic political pluralism is slowly but surely giving way to the extremisms of polarized political options. How do we face this divisive future? If dissent becomes \u201cillegal\u201d and free speech denied,<\/strong> maybe we don\u2019t?<\/p>\n
How do I explain this to my grandchildren? Maybe a pastor will?<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s note: TR Harry is the pen name of a Scottsdale-based author who writes primarily about politics and religion on his blog. Please submit comments at\u00a0yourvalley.net\/letters<\/a> or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org.\u00a0We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our\u00a0Civility Guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TR Harry Submitted photo\/TR Harry By TR Harry | Scottsdale The Town Bell and the Whisperers (a parable)…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":209555,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,1589,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-352087","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-phoenix","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-united-states-of-america","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115484535651298631","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}