The use of violence for political ends within democratic societies should always be classified as terrorism and dealt with as such, because a democratic society provides for means to achieve the protection of all citizens' rights (including minorities) through nonviolent and legitimate means. Southern blacks have been the most politically and otherwise disadvantaged minority in any democracy in modern times. If their political disadvantages could be largely removed through democratic and nonviolent processes, then it is difficult to submit a good case for political violence on behalf of minorities less disadvantaged. Within the framework of such a perception of terrorism within a democracy, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) is unmistakably a terrorist organization. As such, it should be dealt with through enforcement of the law against its illegal activities rather than through political negotiation outside of the means by which all citizens are to express their wills peacefully in a democracy. The IRA has endured because of the historic imagery surrounding its existence and the need for Catholics in Northern Ireland to have some symbol of power and grievance under a Protestant-dominated government. Still, the majority of Catholics oppose the violent activities of the IRA. The hope for an end to the IRA terrorist violence lies in the Catholic community's developing a strong disapproval of violent tactics and intimidation that shows little regard for the value of human life.