The lessons of history are numerous and enlightening; much can be learned by both the good and the bad. Currently, we are experiencing a time of turmoil, fueled by fear and intolerance. The pervasive toxic environment is one that I’ve never experienced in my 70-plus years, yet if we look at the past, it is not a new phenomenon.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Sen. Joseph McCarthy was a master of perfecting the “us versus them” philosophy (the “them” being individuals accused of having Communist ties). Even today, the practice which involves the defamation of character by widely publicizing indiscriminate allegations based on unsubstantiated charges still bears his name – McCarthyism.

Despite his power in the Senate and the silence of the senior senators, Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, a freshman

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