Innella: GNGL Prompt 2

The events of 1953 with McCarthyism is strikingly similar to the search for weapons of mass destruction that took place in 2005. Both events were extremely controversial. During a speech in 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that he had a list containing 205 names of known communists that were working for the State Department. This started a flow of anti-communism feelings in the country. During this time, many were accused of being communists. If accused, there was very little one could do to prove themselves innocent, so many were sent to jail. Many of these accusations turned out to be incorrect. These times were very similar to those of the Salem Witch Trials, in that, if one was accused, they were considered guilty. This attitude led to an extremely high rate of paranoia in the country because citizens were worried that they could be arrested for communism at any point in time. Many also felt that the government could not be trusted at this time and many openly opposed the government.

In 2005, President George W. Bush ordered a rigorous search of Iraq for weapons of mass destruction. Many Americans thought that the search was wrong, stating that there was no concrete evidence of such weapons in Iraq. Despite the uproar, the search continued. Billions of dollars were put into this search that ended up coming finding nothing. Many criticized the President, claiming that he carried out the search in interest of his own personal agenda. This started a great feeling of paranoia in the country, making many Americans feel like they could not trust the government. This is very similar to McCarthyism in the way that there was a lack of trust in the government and the public felt as if the government did not have their best interests in mind.