MICKEY KAUS points up an appalling case of left-wing political violence — seemingly sanctioned by “respectable” communists — in Italy. He wonders if such violence could move to the United States.

To some degree it already has. I have friends on the Berkeley faculty, and I’ve heard stories of professors having their cars vandalized and being threatened with personal violence. As the authoritarian hard-left becomes more and more marginalized in America, it wouldn’t be surprising if some of its more desperate members turned to violence. (Indeed, with things like the SFSU assaults — and for that matter, the Unabomber — it already has).

The targets, likely enough, will be moderate-left people rather than right-wing people. That’s always been the tendency in such things. And in America, the right-wing faculty might be distressingly likely to shoot back.

Kaus’s warning should be taken to heart by campus administrators who have traditionally gone easy on lesser offenses. By doing so, they’ve contributed to a climate of impunity on some campuses that is likely to breed worse offenses. They should stop, before it’s too late.