Sen. McCarthy and his band of self-proclaimed patriots also trained their guns on the creative community – writers, directors, and actors working in Hollywood and on Broadway – as well as public school teachers and academics on college campuses across the country.

Flash forward 50 years: David Horowitz, the 1960s left-wing radical turned right-wing activist/provocateur and Republican political consultant, has picked up McCarthy's baton. Disguised as an attempt to broaden free speech on campus, Horowitz's Academic Bill of Rights – which aims to stifle the speech of liberal academics – has been making the rounds of state houses and college campuses during the past year or so.