A sad day in american history

[victorcharlie]

May the 4th 1970, students protesting at Kent State University were gunned down by members of the Ohio national guard.

It happened 37 years ago today.

Could it happen again?

[williamlayton]

I am a great believer in "Murphy's Law".
I am a great believer in "You can't legislate stuff from happening".
You can't legislate morality or mental health or good judgment or poor judgment or folks from doing what they decide too do.
Accidents happen.
Mistakes are made.
The police, FBI, CIA, Border Patrol, government, CNN, FOX, Democrats, Republicans--pick your own--can't protect you---They can and should know where the proper paperwork is located too report any/all of this after it happens.
What about life has changed since Cain and Able???
Blessings

[Brett]

May the 4th 1970, students protesting at Kent State University were gunned down by members of the Ohio national guard.

It happened 37 years ago today.

Could it happen again?

I don't know... last I heard the National Guard troops supposedly defending our southern boarder aren't even issued live ammo!

[S.S.]

Any time the Authorities are the only ones with guns, this kind of junk can happen.
If any of the students would have been armed though, there would have been a new revolution in America. At that time it could have been a spark that sent it over the edge.

[ironglow]

   I tend to agree with William..so what is new under the sun ?

   That being said, any loss of life is tragic and evokes sympathy, as it surely should. Tragically, this could all have been avoided, had those riotous students simply heeded what their school administration asked them to do..not to gather in mobs and act like a mob..
 
   That day there were many students that having been pampered since infancy, possibly stirred up by Marxist profs..seemed to think that NOBODY really means it when they said .." NO !"

  The guardsmen were basically, young men about the same ages as the opposition and under military orders.
 
   Apparently the students thought the National Guard was brought there to play some kind of game with them..tragically, 4 paid for the foolishness of many..
 
  To my mind, the hearing following the tragedy should have been just two questions ;

 1) Did the National Guard tell you to halt ?

    and..

 2) If the NG did tell you to "halt"...did you halt ?
 
   If the answer to #1 is "no"..the NG was at fault !

   If answer to #2 was "no"..the students were at fault..

   End of story...

[tomzuki]

Ah, just this week........L.A.P.D. very close to a repeat.  Only thing missing was a fire hose water cannon!

[powderman]

IRONGLOW. Well said Sir, I remember those protests and although I didn't want to see anyone killed, they pushed the envelope and paid with their life. There were a lot of violent protests in those days, mostly by panty wetters and rich kids egged on by commie professors. I didn't feel sorry for them then, or now. They were given an order, which they refused.  POWDERMAN. 

[Sheila]

I'm looking to seeing a suicide bomber going into one of those stupid rallyies on of theses days.

[ironglow]

Sheila;
    Don't know if the "stupid-cide" bombers will hit the anti-American rallies..after all they are allies and friends..
 
     ...But then again, those crazies bomb their friends too !

   I think we have not been hit with any "big ones" since 9/11..simply because the juvenile minded among us has forgotten the WTC destruction and have fallen asleep.
   If the "choose to lose" faction can get us to quit the fight and leave the enemy with an oil rich country (Iraq) for a base of financing and operations...

    Then, we will really get hit....and hit hard !

  Right now, they don't want to wake the "sleeping half" of the giant...and cause us to go all out for final victory.. !

[billy_56081]

Well said Ironglow and powderman.

[rockbilly]

TM7, We see eye to eye on most issues, but I must say, the National Guard is not guarding against "Mexican Nationals, " they are guarding against all ILLEGAL ALIENS.  If they issued live ammo maybe we could reduce the number that cross the border each day.

A recent report I read says the numbers of illegals has been reduce somewhat, but the drug lords has now taken over, charging a very high price to get them across the border, and making them carry drugs.  It is truly a dangerous situation on certain parts of the border, they should have live ammo.

[williamlayton]

HUMMMMM! Lots of opinion.
Let's see what I recall.
I don't think there was ever found an order to fire---seems like it was done on an individual basis.
Poor judgment---hate---fear---this seems to be the call for the results.
Look folks---not everybody who opposed Viet Nam was communist. Some were sound thinking, upright Americans who today would be staunch Republicans against Iraq.
I was told by one of these folks that we were wrong and that one day I, also, would see things his way. He was correct and I finally could see what he was thinking.
If we agree that the students reaped what they sowed---are you---YOU---, also willing too reap what you sow or will you want mercy. I cannot see what happened at Kent State being a decider that those students were communist or that the National Guard did anything that was historic or heroic---pretty stupid and hateful maybe, but certainly not heroic by any measure---including any John Wayne film I ever saw.
Kent State was a stupid set of circumstances by all who were involved.
Stuff happens and we are the ones who cause it.
Blessings 

[ironglow]

 Indeed a sad day...3 days of rioting, challenging and throwing things at the Guard, burning buildings, banks and other buildings being dammaged 7 destroyed.
  Here in a pro-student account..  http://www.cs.earlham.edu/~paulsjo.KentState.html   the writer seems mystified that such activity should bring harsh rebuke to the students...
  The claim made is, that in a 1975 civil court it was found that a command was given to fire.
  There were no heroes on either side that day..just flustered and apparently poorly trained young people on both sides of the question..
   
  Again however..the two questions I outlined should have governed the final decision..

  In the website      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings     under "long-term effects" one finds that between 1974 and 1979, several "trials" were held and each time the guardsmen were acquitted..

[Questor]

That was definitely an anomaly. Dictators that kill millions of people are more common in this world.

[williamlayton]

There were some things going on, but they did not involve the students or the protest. In any event the murders were perpetuated towards students not know too be responsible for these acts.
find the ones responsible and punish them--certainly they are not going to be allowed to be shot.
There was never found anyone in the military who would admit to orderings the fire.
It was a known to be a day when the military got by with murder and no one was ever brought too justice for this---as there was not for any of the damage too property.
This period, and you and I are witness too this time in history, was one of reckless, foolish and poor government leadership. Politics on a rampage for the benefit of a number of people in the military industrial complex who made untold millions out of this war at the expense of youth, and for what turns out too be an unwarranted/unnecessary/completely selfish war.
Defend the troops---they deserve it. Defend those that perpetuated this war as hero's or heroic and I will argue til the cows come home that they should have been prosecuted for war crimes.
Blessings

[williamlayton]

TM
Nothing new under the sun--only things forgotten.
Blessings