I hesitate to make historical comparisons because many are melodramatic, but I think it's fair to relate this time to another dark period in U.S. history. The

I hesitate to make historical comparisons because many are melodramatic, but I think it's fair to relate this time to another dark period in U.S. history. The word "terrorist" has become so powerful that it supersedes judicial processes. In early 2002, federal agents harassed many of my friends who belonged to a mosque in the Northeast. Some were detained and abused by police officers. Sadly, this behavior has continued, further evolving into a vehicle for racism and religious prejudice. I recall a story on HN several months ago about a startup investor who was detained in an airport all day because he was Muslim. If you don't like your neighbors because of their names, their traditions, the color of their skin or the smell of their food, you can simply call them terrorists. That word, even when it is devoid of concrete evidence, has the power to ruin someone's life. In this specific sense, our modern fear of "terrorists" reminds me of the power of the word "communist" during the 1950s, in the McCarthy era. Eventually, most Americans saw McCarthy's so-called Red Scare for what it was: an excuse to act based on personal prejudices and political agendas.