Being caught up in a collective hysteria is no excuse: 3 ways you could have avoided it [#239, 240]**

1) Actually look at the evidence (primary sources), not passively "listen to the experts." The evidence was available if you had looked.

2) Had some commitment to and respect for civil liberties.

3) Had the humility & self-awareness to recognize your own biases & had any grasp of your own human tendency to groupthink. Anyone who went through high school should have learned this.