There are three parallels among the Salem witch trials, the Red Scare of the 1950's, and Racial Profiling after 9/11: false accusations motivated by unrelated personal interest, public fear of something that is thought to be destructive to society's values, and trust placed in leading accusers and or authority figures who abuse their power. In all examples there has been a "witch-hunt" based on these three parallels. In only one case people were being charged with actual witchcraft but possible terrorists and communists were being treated the same way. The obvious difference between these three is the time period, however this only shows that history has a tendency to repeat itself.

The story of the Salem witch trials is told in the novel "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. At one point Miller writes: "I'll tell you what's walking in Salem vengeance is walking in Salem. We are what we...