I want to thank a recent letter writer for drawing our attention to the Third Red Scare. This is one of the more interesting aspects of U.S. History — we have had THREE of these.

The first one happened shortly after World War I when Lenin and the Bolsheviks defeated the Czar and his supporters. A number of Americans panicked; could this happen in the U. S.?

The Attorney General launched raids, hundreds of immigrants, mostly Russians, were deported on a ship known as “the Red Ark,” and free speech was under attack.

The First Red Scare fizzled out when Republican Warren G. Harding was elected and freed imprisoned Socialist Party leader and presidential candidate Eugene Debs.

The Second Red Scare occurred after World War II. The Cold War was on and a Senator named Joe McCarthy claimed U.S. Government agencies were crawling with Commies. Congress held hearings; Hollywood and even comic books were suspect.

People like Republican Sen. Margaret Chase Smith and President Eisenhower kept their cool, and the second Red Scare scare fizzled out.

As the recent letter writer noted, we are now dealing with the Third Red Scare. A few self-identified socialists are running for office and frightened people are running for the bunkers.

Like the first two Red Scares, this one will fizzle out. We have too many real problems like high gas prices, threats from Artificial Intelligence, data centers, and a never-ending war with Iran to worry about Commies under our beds.

Roy Christman

Towamensing Township