300 Years & Counting 1H KILLS - On The Issues Magazine

FRONT LINESMEMORIES OF AWITCHHUNT11 was a drama major in the early '50s whenSenator Joseph R. McCarthy was at the height ofhis witch-hunting frenzy. I remember circulatingpetitions (a daring thing to do in those days) toreinstate professors who had lost their positionsbecause they refused to take the loyalty oath. Iremember watching former heroes fall from graceas they named names to save their own skins,and forever loving people like Lillian Hellmanwho refused to knuckle under. I remember, too, aman named Ronald Reagan who was then presidentof the Screen Actors Guild and in thatcapacity, in 1947, had fed names to the F.B.I of those in the Guild he believed tobe communists."Believed" was enough to finish off a thriving career.Most of all, I remember where I was on June 19,1953. My friends and I werewalking down Thompson Street in New York's Greenwich village when we heardthe news that Ethel and Julius Rosenberg had been executed. We stood there inshock, tears rolling down our faces.tears as much for us as for the Rosenbergs.Until that moment,we hadn't believed it could happen—not in our country, not inthis day and age. The horrors of World War II were just a few years past andsuddenly we knew how people in Nazi Germany must have felt. This was beyondpetitions or buttons or speaking out: Our own government could kill us and wewere helpless to do anything about it. At the invincible age of 21 we realized howvulnerable we were. In short, we were terrified.This was a harsh learning experience for those of us who came of age in the '50s,the era of Mom-at-home-and-apple pie-and-Father-knows-best-and-shinyfloors-and-sparkly laundry—and now, death to two people who hadn't killedanyone or, from our point of view, perpetrated a heinous crime. For if it were truethat the Rosenbergs had given secret information to the Russians (and many ofus didn't even believe that!), it was done when the Russians were our allies.Certainly the witch-hunting years of the '50s left most of us politically-involvedyoung people with a healthy skepticism and cynicism that has lasted all our lives.This extends to anything fed to us by the government, industrial polluters of ourworld and, most definitely, the media. "All the news that's fit to print" reallymeans "All the news we want you to know," and we see through their half-truthsand cover-ups.So now Salem, Massachusetts is celebrating the 300th anniversary of the witchtrials: Celebrating the persecution, disenfranchisment and sometimes death ofinnocent people. Cutesy signs are everywhere; drinks are "amusingly" callednames such as "Witch's Brew "; miniature gallows are a hot-selling item. It's alljust one big joke—and a neat lure for tourist dollars. Meanwhile I can't helpwondering whether in 2053 there will be a commemoration of the McCarthy eraand, if so, whether the best sellers will be diminutive Blacklists and tiny electricchairs.There is one unfortunate certainty that goes along with death and taxes: Thatas long as there are people who don't play by society's rules or who hold unpopularbeliefs or who are different in some way, there will be witch hunts.Beverly Lowy Executive EditorVOL. XXIII SUMMER 1992PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEFMerle HoffmanEXECUTIVE EDITORBeverly LowySENIOR EDITORPatricia LyndenASSOCIATE EDITORLaurie OuelletteASSISTANT EDITORKaren AisenbergEDITOR AT LARGEPhyllis CheslerCONTRIBUTING EDITORSEleanor J. BaderJill BenderlyCharlotte BunchVinie BurrowsNaomi Feigelson ChaseIrene DavallRoberta KalechofskyFlo KennedyFred PelkaHelen M. StummerART DIRECTORSMichael DowdyJulia GranADVERTISING AND SALES DIRECTORCarolyn HandelON THE ISSUES: A feminist, humanistmagazine of critical thinking, dedicated tofostering collective responsibility for positivesocial change.UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTSAll material will be read by the editors. For return,enclose self-addressed, stamped envelope with properpostage. Articles should not be more than 2500 words.All editing decisions are at the discretion of theeditors. Feminist cartoons are also acceptable underthe same provisions.ON THE ISSUES does not accept fiction or poetry.Advertising accepted at the discretion of the publisher.Acceptance does not necessarily imply endorsement.PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The opinions expressed bycontnbutors and by those we interview are notnecessarily those of the editors. ON THE ISSUES is aforum where women may have their voices heardwithout censure or censorshipON THE ISSUES is published as an informational andeducational service of CHOICES Women's MedicalCenter, Inc. 97-77 Queens Boulevard, Forest Hills, NY11374-3317 ISSN0895-6014Subscription Information1 year $14.75; 2 years $25.75; 3 years $34.75.Institutional rate: Add $10 first year; $5 eachadditional year. Add $7 per year for Canadian orders;$7 per year foreign (surface mail) or $20 per yearforeign (airmaill. Send to ON THE ISSUES, PO Box3000, Dept. OTI. Denville, N.J 07834ON THE ISSUES SUMMER 1992