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After 50 Years, Was McCarthy Right?
http://www.findarticles.com/m1571/9_16/60270502/p1/article.jhtml ^ | March 6, 2000 | John Elvin

Posted on 09/22/2001 7:41:30 AM PDT by Stallone

After 50 years, Was McCarthy Right?

Folk wisdom abounds with advice in various forms reminding us to judge the content and not the container. This advice might be appropriate with regard to Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

His enemies nearly have ceased to argue against the validity of his message in the face of evidence that has emerged during the last decade confirming his message of communist influence and infiltration in the government and culture during the early days of the Cold War.

Why bring this up now? In conjunction with an event the world little noted McCarthy's speech to a Republican women's fund-raiser in Wheeling, W. Va., half a century ago. It was there that the senator from Wisconsin waved a document and proclaimed, "I have here in my hand a list of 205 [State Department employees] that were known to the secretary of state as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department."

The Associated Press surveyed some of Wheeling's influential citizens to see if they would be celebrating the anniversary of McCarthy's first mention of what was to become the "Red Scare." Most of those contacted were only too happy to let the event slide by with a minimum of fanfare.

But AP did locate Douglas McKay, who was in the audience when McCarthy spoke. McKay thought the resultant crusade was a good thing because it forced its targets "to defend themselves rather than advance their socialist ideas."

If that is so, and the society and government we have today reflect only the aborted version of those ideas, then conservatives might want to doff their bonnets in a salute to ol' Tailgunner Joe. Things could be worse.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial
KEYWORDS: communism; mccarthy; senate; senator; senatormccarthy; socialism
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Same game...new name...Islamic Fundamentalism.

The enemy within.

1 posted on 09/22/2001 7:41:30 AM PDT by Stallone
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To: Stallone
Yes, McCarthy was right. Now round 'em up, ship 'em out and be done with 'em. We have given strangers the benefit of the doubt too long and have been taken advantage of in a most shameless fashion.
2 posted on 09/22/2001 7:44:58 AM PDT by Temple Drake
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To: Stallone
It's something to think about, isn't it? BUMP
3 posted on 09/22/2001 7:49:18 AM PDT by Anamensis
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To: Temple Drake
While Yeltsin may not have been our good buddy, one of his most admirable acts was the release of cold war paper work which basically exhonerated McCarthy...Likewise the Venona Files, released by U.S. intelligence did the same, proving that U.S. Intel knew of the infection, but gave McCarthy no back up...
4 posted on 09/22/2001 7:49:19 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack
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To: Joe 6-pack
"Likewise the Venona Files, released by U.S. intelligence did the same, proving that U.S. Intel knew of the infection, but gave McCarthy no back up..."

You are 100% correct.

5 posted on 09/22/2001 7:53:15 AM PDT by blam
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To: blam
My daughter and I were just talking about the McCarthy trials yesterday, and saying how right he may have been..
6 posted on 09/22/2001 7:57:45 AM PDT by grannie9
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To: Stallone
McCarthy was right in many ways.
7 posted on 09/22/2001 7:59:34 AM PDT by FreeReign
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To: Stallone
I wish he were alive today. We need a slogan for Liberals and anti-Americans living here, "If you are not for America, Amercia is not for you, move on", time for alot of people to move on.
8 posted on 09/22/2001 8:01:12 AM PDT by MissAmericanPie
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To: grannie9
"...and saying how right he may have been.."

Read the book, "Venona Files." You'll be convinced. Apparently Robert Oppenheimer (Father of the atomic bomb) was less than patriotic, maybe even a spy.

9 posted on 09/22/2001 8:01:20 AM PDT by blam
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: Joe 6-pack, grannie9
Sen. Joseph McCarthy *was* right. American History magazine did a wonderful 2 part article on this fine American. Later this year we'll be studying the cold war...you can well imagine I plan to use this subject matter in our studies. Truth in education. :o)
11 posted on 09/22/2001 8:04:54 AM PDT by homeschool mama
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To: Stallone
Right about what? Right to "force [his] targets `to defend themselves' rather than advance their socialist ideas"? I think our side has better arguments, so I don't fear people having the freedom to advance other ideas. And I'm not willing to give the State power to regulate what counts as "politically correct" speech -- using State power to harrass and censure the expression of views the State finds distasteful, misguided, or inappropriate. We know where that path leads.
12 posted on 09/22/2001 9:13:06 AM PDT by ConsistentLibertarian
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To: Stallone
Everybody now knows that McCarthy was ABSOLUTLY right. Unfortunatly he did not have the personality and strength to withstand the Communist inspired assault. He cracked under the intense attacks, and finally broke down, which would have happened to most individuals so ruthlessly and relentlessly targeted by the Communist Party and its many sympathizers among the power elite of the time.
13 posted on 09/22/2001 9:20:30 AM PDT by imperator2
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To: Stallone
He was absolutely correct. The left hates this man. He exposed them. They still won, but they just can't forgive him. He was a great American.
14 posted on 09/22/2001 9:37:38 AM PDT by Don Myers
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To: Stallone
YES

next question

15 posted on 09/22/2001 10:16:02 AM PDT by RckyRaCoCo
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To: Stallone
The conclusion of a panel of ex-socialist and liberal historians last spring was that the charges which McCarthy brought were all substantially true. One should remember that Sen. McCarthy was not involved in the House Committee on Un-American acticities.
16 posted on 09/22/2001 10:27:34 AM PDT by Rightwing Conspiratr1
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To: Stallone
McCarthy was wrong - dead drunk wrong - and anyone who thinks otherwise is an anti-constitutional dellusionist.

I don't mean to say we did not have communist sympathizers in positions of the U.S. government - and it would have been well to focus on them. But the unconstitutional tactics against everyone who fell into one of his hate-groups was anathema to the Constitution. It was a period of great fear for everyone - and a lot of WWII war heroes and dedicated patriots were terrified to do anything that might arouse suspicions. Anything.

For instance - my father - a decorated combat pilot and otherwise biggoted conservative was terrified that he would be caught with his copy of Das Kapital. Furthermore, he had actually spent time in Prague after the war when it was behind the iron curtain. Reading Das Kampf did not make him a Nazi and reading Karl Marx was not going to make him a communist, but these were distinctions too subtle for Herr McCarthy and his brown-shirts.

I presume your point in this is to have a new congressional committee on unAmerican activities to berate liberals, muslims and anyone else you don't like.

If you have finished spraying your noxious venom around please crawl back into your hole.

17 posted on 09/23/2001 7:12:49 AM PDT by AndyJackson
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To: AndyJackson
McCarthy was wrong. Perhaps even, his trials created more of the monster we see in hollywood that we see now.
18 posted on 09/23/2001 7:16:00 AM PDT by nancetc
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To: nancetc
And America will perish, your way.
19 posted on 09/23/2001 7:00:03 PM PDT by Stallone
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To: Stallone
No America and our Constitution would perish McCarthy's way.
20 posted on 09/24/2001 2:53:40 PM PDT by nancetc
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