The ghosts of Kent State

Baltimore Red Sun ^ | 04/13/03 | John Woestendiek

[Eowyn-of-Rohan]

Today, Monday 5/5 is the 33rd anniversary of the incident at Kent State. Unfortunately this 2-day old thread is the only one available on Free Republic that pertains to this tragedy. Anyone back then or now, who would say such a thing as your mother did, well, the kindest thing I can say about them is that they were/are ignorant. 2 of the 4 people killed were not involved in the protest at all, but happened to be walking to classes. And any AMERICAN who says people who disagree with our government's actions should be shot, has no right to be an American citizen.

[Eowyn-of-Rohan]

Erroneous beliefs such as yours make this topic more relevant than ever today. THIS IS AMERICA, where we are free to protest our government. If American citizens don't agree with that, they should move to North Korea.

[skeeter]

Some say, by galvanizing the peace movement, it changed the course of a war.

Canfora reminds me of the guy who, though he graduated years ago, can always be found posing by his car in the HS school parking lot when class lets out.

[sargon]

The dead at KSU were in the parking lot. The proffesional protestors were in the face of the guard. The guard shot over the heads of the pros and killed innocents in the background.

No one deserves to get shot, unless they are engaging in serious criminal acts, or in the process of being apprehended by law enforcement for such acts.

There being no state of war on the ground at the time of the Kent State incident, there is no excuse for firing in an unsafe direction with numerous civilians in the background.

Whether any of those shot were protesters or not is irrelevant. Protesting is nor per se a criminal act, and even if it were, firing on an unarmed crowd doesn't even happen in warfare, let alone police actions.

It reminds me of the Boston Massacre.

Then, as now, the State (in that case, the British) made the case that their soldiers behaved correctly.

Nevertheless, it was the end of careers in the military for a couple of the soldiers who pulled the triggers.

The level of callousness exhibited by some towards the unarmed fallen is quite disturbing, and entirely too deferential towards a (potentially and apparently) Tyrannical State, IMHO.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

[love4040]

I was a sophomore at Kent in May 1970. The ROTC building was DEFINITELY burned.