Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Remembering Kent State - 40th Anniversary of Carnage

Ohio National Guard ready to fire on unarmed American citizens,
that were just college students!


Mary Ann Vecchio, kneeling in anguish over the body
of Jeffrey Miller minutes after he was
shot dead by the Ohio National Guard.

40 years ago today the American tragedy known as the Kent State Massacre was played out.

The Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed COLLEGE STUDENTS firing over 67 rounds in less than 13 seconds. When those 13 seconds were over, 4 students lay dead on the ground, while 9 others were wounded including one student that was paralyzed and remains so to this day.

The national student response was overwhelming with over 4 million kids walking out of their classes to protest on numerous campuses the next day.

The National Guard was called in to quell the supposed student protests of the Nixon Administration, held to task by the kids for invading Cambodia and escalating the war in Vietnam. The Guard was adamant that they fired to save their own lives which were at risk by rioting kids. This we all know now was Bullshit.

"The indiscriminate firing of rifles into a crowd of students and the deaths that followed were unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable," President's Commission on Campus Unrest.

After the shots died down, there was general mayhem as you could imagine.

"All those shot were students in good standing at the university. Immediately after the shootings, many angry students were ready to launch an all-out attack on the National Guard. Many faculty members, led by geology professor and faculty marshal Glenn Frank, pleaded with the students to leave the Commons and to not give in to violent escalation, saying:

"I don't care whether you've never listened to anyone before in your lives. I am begging you right now. If you don't disperse right now, they're going to move in, and it can only be a slaughter. Would you please listen to me? Jesus Christ, I don't want to be a part of this...!"

After 20 minutes of speaking, the students left the Commons, as ambulance personnel tended to the wounded, and the Guard left the area. Professor Frank's son, also present that day, said "He absolutely saved my life and hundreds of others"."


Can you imagine the scene? It's one of the worst episodes of American history.



OHIO
By, Neil Young

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are gunning us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are gunning us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know
?

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.


The four slaughtered students.
TODAY AND ALWAYS WE REMEMBER:
ALLISON, WILLIAM, JEFFREY AND SANDRA
R.I.P.







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