There is little evidence that another mass execution is underway. While the degree of separation between the church and state is continually being debated - there is a plethora of legal precedents that would place an enormous kink in any machine that instigated the hanging of another 12 people. Public execution and cruel and unusual punishment is now prohibited, and those accused of a crime are guaranteed legal representation, and are approached by our legal system as being innocent until proven guilty. If we were truly frightened of another mass execution, we would probably need start a movement abolishing capital punishment - as it is the legal mainstay - although capital punishment is now carried out without the mass hysteria prevalent in the Salem Witch Trials and over a much longer period of time. I would venture to say that the only lessons yet to be learned from The Salem Witch Trials are in abstract parallels - as Miller points out in his play. But aren't we learning this lesson too? The topic of discussion in reference to 9/11 is avoiding the figurative witch hunt that occured during Pearl Harbor and McCarthyism. It seems as though our country may be currently demonstrating that it is learning this lesson - learning not to instigate mass hysteria or to punish blindly and suddenly those that may be quite innocent. Julie Jirout ----- Original Message ----- From: Halloween Queen Sent: Monday, August 19, 2002 6:51 PM To: SALEM-WITCH-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [SALEM-WITCH-L] Descendant Responsibility After hearing what Jerry Fallwell said after 911 I am firmly convinced that the Witch trials have never ended and they contnue on and on only the victims are different. I feel that if allowed to some would bring back the burning and hanging days and that the Inquisition is alive and well. Intolerance is what everyone needs to fear, that and if any group is allowed to pervert the Constitution and deny us the freedoms that Frankllin, Adams, Jefferson etc. fought for. Tolerance is Godly and intolerance =hate. It happened during the Salem Witch trials and keeps on happening. Tolerance is the major factor toward achieving peace. Blessings, to you all. gotta go catch a plane! Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell, daughter of a survivor of the Armenian Genocide ----- Original Message ----- From: "Francine Nicholson" <sorcha432@hotmail.com> To: <SALEM-WITCH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 19, 2002 4:41 PM Subject: [SALEM-WITCH-L] Descendant Responsibility > I've been thinking over what Adrienne wrote about whether descendants--or > others--can make too much of a fuss in commemorating the deceased of one > tragedy or another. I don't have a problem with a group of descendants > taking time to commemorate those lost on the Titanic--especially since they > are also recalling how that tragedy affected their families. After all, it's > not like they can put flowers on the graves or something like that. I do > have a problem with filmmakers making such fusses, and I'm beginning to get > bugged with politicians who seem to bring up 9/11 just to get an emotional > response from the audience. > > By and large, though, I think it's important to remind people of what > happened in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire in the seventeenth > century so that we understand what happened and don't do it again. Despite > the way Miller changed the actual events for the purposes of his plot, he > did show that Salem could happen again and was happening again in the > McCarthy hearings. I tend to think that as descendants we have a special > responsibility to see that the trials are not repeated, and that people > today understand what really happened: that it wasn't a bunch of spooky, > Blair-Witch sort of business, but real communities so divided by hate and > fear that some people turned on others and ensured that they were stripped > of their property, tortured, brutalized, and killed. > > Salem today is a weird conglomeration, a mix of busy commercial center, > colonial remnants, and hokum. I have friends who are Wiccan and some who > identify themselves as witches, and they have *very* mixed feelings about > Salem and some of the current inhabitants and are definitely bugged by stuff > like the logo on the local potato chips. But, though the trials took place > in Salem (is that right?), the fuss began in Salem Village, which is down > the road and less apt to capitalize on the notoriety. Salem definitely is a > fun place to visit. I'm not sure how one also communicates a sense of what > was not so fun in its past. Time has a way of wiping out the horror and > leaving only sunshine and flowers and seagulls looking for leftovers. > > Francine > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com > > >Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com