Today, there are reports that federal “law-enforcement,” in camo-gear and unmarked rented vehicles, are kidnapping and detaining protesters in Portland, Oregon. These “officers” do not identify themselves, or the agency or authority under which they are acting.

Let me stop to let that sink in. The American government is kidnapping Americans who are engaged in lawful, first Amendment activities.

This is a significant point of departure. This is the threshold of banana-republic, dystopian, fascist dictatorship.

The ONLY legal rationale for federal involvement in Portland’s ongoing protests is to protect federal property…in this case the federal courthouse.

And yet, the individuals detained were walking home from the evening’s protests. They were not on federal property when the unmarked van pulled up and forced them into the vehicle. This was a kidnapping. These lawful protesters were then taken into the federal courthouse for search, and questioning, before release.

We’re not talking about some shady news report from some underground media site with an axe to grind. This is news from the New York Times and The Washington Post.

Remember the movie, “Missing?”

We’re talking about illegal behavior here, by our federal officials. How far up the ladder do these orders go? What agencies are involved? How far are we from Americans disappearing, because they do not agree with their government?

If the country isn’t screaming about this, we are doomed.