Part of what is fun about being an Independent is that I can speak out against Glenn Beck, and actually be taken seriously. Beck calls himself an Indie, but anyone who speaks at GOPAC is far from it; so let’s call bullshit on Beck’s Indie status immediately.

I’m about to call BS on Beck for something else. Can you tell how giddy I am about it?

Everything old is new again. That sounds like a nice thing until you get to the Republican Party and its desire to resurrect McCarthyism. Sen. Joe McCarthy was not the one who started the witch hunts now bear his name, but he was the one that took it to such lengths that the whole edifice came crashing down and his name become associated with one of the most shameful times in American history.

The idea of looking into communist activities in the United States actually started with the Dies committee, which eventually morphed in the House Un-American Activities Committee, or HUAC. Originally, HUAC looked into the activities of American Nazi’s during the run up to World War II. After the war, this committee quickly switched to trying to find communists under every bush.

How about a little bit of history for a Friday night? Here’s a clip from the infamous hearings of the 1950′s when Joseph McCarthy led a witchhunt to root out Communists from Congress and other important government and military positions.