The anatomy of a witch hunt, and why what's happening with Donald Trump doesn't qualify
Several years ago I attended a convention in Boston. While there I took a day trip to Portland, Maine: the Longfellow house & lobster rolls, and to Salem, Massachusetts: the House of Seven Gables and its secret staircase.
While Portland was lovely, what really surprised me was Salem. You know how Hinckley honors the fact that it burned down and Northfield celebrates that it was almost robbed by Jesse James? That's nothing compared to how Salem embraces its participation in a Puritanical witch hunt.
A certain individual continues to refer to his legal woes as a witch hunt. Salem actually had one, from 1692-1693.
Let's look at what actually constitutes a witch hunt:
Religious leaders denouncing women who worked as midwives and herbal healers and teenage girls who played card games: witch hunt.
Former government official who risked national security secrets by absconding with documents that should have been turned over to the National Archives: not witch hunt.
Investigation led by random townspeople with no qualifications: witch hunt.
Investigation led by the U S Department of Justice, our nation's top legal office: not witch hunt.
Evidence collected by those same townspeople: witch hunt.
Evidence collected, with appropriate warrants, by the FBI, our nation's top law enforcement agency: not witch hunt.
Seized evidence consisting of frogs found in road, stillborn livestock, and lack of rain: witch hunt.
Seized evidence consisting of hundreds of boxes of documents containing national security secrets and other vital information: not witch hunt.
Submitted evidence found in random locations: witch hunt.
Submitted evidence found in accused's bedroom, bathroom, and on the stage of a ballroom used for events (weddings, banquets): not witch hunt.
Number of people involved: 200 accused, 30 found guilty, 20 executed: 19 by hanging, one pressed to death: witch hunt.
Number of people involved: 1 major player and one unfortunate man from Guam who joined the US Navy to better himself, was assigned to the White House Mess (food service), became the person assigned to deliver multiple Diet Cokes daily and eventually became the other person's personal assistant: not witch hunt. My sympathies go out to Walt Nauta. I'm sure he never signed on for this nightmare.
Here's an easy guide to determine what is going on:
Innocent women accused and executed by powerful men: witch hunt.
Megalomaniac steals documents and tries to use bravado and name-calling to be exonerated: not witch hunt.
There have been countless witch hunts worldwide throughout history, one of the largest being the ones conducted by the Roman Catholic Church in the 15th-17th centuries when an estimated 35,000-50,000 women were burned, hanged, stoned, or drown.
What is transpiring in the Federal District Court in Miami Florida this week is not one of them.
Times Writers Group member Karen Cyson is a child-care provider in Stearns County and the coordinator for Central Minnesota Mensa. Her column is published the third Sunday of the month.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: The anatomy of a witch hunt, and why Trump case doesn't qualify
