What kind of person would want to destroy their own neighborhood, going so far as to set fire to a senior center being built by a Baptist church?

Events of the past week in Baltimore showed the world a breakdown in civilized society and the lack of respect for authority in America.In the cross hairs of the rioters were the police and firefighters, the ones risking their lives to protect their neighborhoods. Scenes of street violence hurling rocks at police, destroying vehicles and looting and burning stores reminded us of the racial unrest in the late 1960s.The ominous storm clouds gathered after Monday's funeral of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man who suffered a fatal spinal injury after being taken into custody with Baltimore city police.Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said it was his understanding that a number of gangs met and decided that each group would "take out a police officer."That led to the rampant violence we saw in the streets that evening. In one case, rioters even cut a hose firefighters were using to battle one of the fires in the city.The second disturbing event that shows a disconnect with authority involved Army Capt. Matt Zeller, a combat veteran of the Afghanistan war.He found a note taped to the windshield of his car in a supermarket parking lot in Vienna, Virginia, that stated: "You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a murderer if you 'served' in Afghanistan. I hope you watch your child starve and die in front of you, as you have done to the people of Afghanistan."Zeller operates an organization called "No One Left Behind," which advocates for translators who aided the U.S. military in countries such as Afghanistan.He credits one such interpreter, Janis Shinwari, with saving his life during a firefight against the Taliban in 2008.Zeller has crusaded to help Shinwari get a visa to this country for the risks he took to aid U.S. forces.He was told by the State Department that entry visas are "national security decisions."He suspects the Taliban saw some of the news coverage about Shinwari, and then made an anonymous call to the U.S. embassy, denouncing him.The only other option for Shinwari and his family, who are in hiding, is death.After receiving last week's threatening note accusing him of being a murderer, Zeller said he would like to confront the person to find out what kind of coward would threaten a toddler."Disagree with the war? Fine," Zeller told an interviewer. "Disagree with my service? Fine. Both are one's right. Threaten my kid? Line crossed."It seems we're seeing more and more lines being crossed by those who lash out at authority.Terrorist organizations such as the Taliban and ISIS must rejoice when they see Americans rioting in their own streets and neighborhoods.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com