"I have often thought that if a rational Fascist dictatorship were to exist, then it would choose the American system." (Chomsky)

On this day, October 20th, in 1947, the American congress started to investigate Hollywood, looking for commies, reds, or just anyone they didn't like and had found someone to rat out as "the enemy"...

It was a violation of the first amendment (which provides citizens with freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the government), and was responsible for the ban of 325 screenwriters, directors and actors. This was the age of McCarthyism, which left us with the infamous echo of its rhetorical interrogation:

"Are you or have you ever been a member of the communist party?"

Last month's American Senate approval of Habeas Corpus ban in cases of indictments for suspected terrorist activities, overwhelmingly resembles McCarthy’s first amendment violation, inasmuch it drastically crushes what the American constitution always tried to stand for, at least apparently. Freedom.

So it makes me wonder: Are we going to see Hollywood activists against American policy, like George Clooney and Mark Ruffalo, being arrested for plotting or supporting terrorism? Is it possible that not unlike communism in former times, that became synonym for anti-Americanism, terrorism is becoming a synonym for anti-Bushism?

"Are you or have you ever been a member of a terrorist organization?"


...well? Have ya?...