A witch hunt occurs any time when a group of people persecutes another group unfairly, usually blaming that group for larger problems. A political campaign launched on the pretext of investigating activities subversive to the state. Witch hunting is an expression of fear, ignorance and manipulation during superstitious times. An impression one can get from the history is that the poor and minorities suffered disproportionately.
Through the Crusades, the Inquisition, and witch hunting trial, Christianity passed through violent and oppressive stages not different from the terror arising today out of Islam.
The human psyche is driven by fear to commit monstrous crimes. In the individual, his private and internal fears bring out neurotic, even violent, behavior. Nations are no different if they have a culture of ignorance. .
Terrorism seems out of control as indeed it is. In an emotional sense, it is only natural for the stalker and the hunter to lash out at any convenient target.
Certainly Saddam Hussein was no Mary Easty (On 21 April, 1692, Mary Easty, of Salem Village, Massachusetts Colony, was accused of witchcraft, tried, and executed just like that). Set aside their histories and what do we see are similar.
• Saddam Hussein was accused of consorting with al Qai'da and developing weapons of mass destruction. .
• Mary Easty was accused of complying with the Devil. .
The substance is the same. In neither case was there a shred of proof, even though the "executioners" searched high and low both before and after the fact. History has already drawn its parallel. .
Soldiers are trained to attack when they are in a spot and they know where their enemy is; failure to act means defeat. But we do not know where Bin Laden is. That Iraq might be harboring Al Qai'da and might be ready to deploy nuclear bombs were indeed scary thoughts. But they were no different in substance and veracity than the Salem Witch Trials.