It Was 40 Years Ago Today

[beantownbubba]

Four college students were shot and killed by their own government for exercising their right to peacefully assemble and protest one of the biggest, stupidest mistakes in the history of American foreign policy aka the vietnam war. One of the saddest days of my life. I don't think i've gotten over it yet.

[scotto]

I was 10 when this happened. I think it was around this time that I figured out that the war had been going on in one form or another for nearly my whole life and I was only eight years away from the draft.
It's a cliche to say that America lost its innocence during the '60s and '70s, but it's true. And this is one of the reasons why.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

I was 10 when this happened. I think it was around this time that I figured out that the war had been going on in one form or another for nearly my whole life and I was only eight years away from the draft.
It's a cliche to say that America lost its innocence during the '60s and '70s, but it's true. And this is one of the reasons why.

hey Sacto, did you read the editorial in today's Bee written by the mother of one of the four who were killed? Powerful stuff

[Clams]

I was 10 when this happened. I think it was around this time that I figured out that the war had been going on in one form or another for nearly my whole life and I was only eight years away from the draft.
It's a cliche to say that America lost its innocence during the '60s and '70s, but it's true. And this is one of the reasons why.

hey Sacto, did you read the editorial in today's Bee written by the mother of one of the four who were killed? Powerful stuff

That was in the Phila Inquirer this past Sunday. Yes, it was powerful.

[sactochris]

I was 10 when this happened. I think it was around this time that I figured out that the war had been going on in one form or another for nearly my whole life and I was only eight years away from the draft.
It's a cliche to say that America lost its innocence during the '60s and '70s, but it's true. And this is one of the reasons why.

hey Sacto, did you read the editorial in today's Bee written by the mother of one of the four who were killed? Powerful stuff

I did. I read the Bee every morning even though It's just about worthless at this point.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

hey Sacto, did you read the editorial in today's Bee written by the mother of one of the four who were killed? Powerful stuff

I did. I read the Bee every morning even though It's just about worthless at this point.[/quote]

I hear ya loud and clear. Typically I read the op/ed page and sports, and take a 5-second look at the weather

[dime in the gutter]

america has never been innocent.....just another example of the man coming down hard on the non-man.

just my opinion.

[cortez the killer]

While I agree that America has never been innocent, this incident serves a sad, sobering reminder to how quickly our "democracy" can transform into a police state when those in power feel threatened.

[Jonicont]

Four college students were shot and killed by their own government for exercising their right to peacefully assemble and protest one of the biggest, stupidest mistakes in the history of American foreign policy aka the vietnam war. One of the saddest days of my life. I don't think i've gotten over it yet.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a junior in high school. The next morning we were on strike. We closed a NYC public school for 2.5 weeks (the colleges never resumed classes). It was the beginning of the end. I can remember my father (after whom they modeled Archie Bunker), a staunch supporter of the war (WW2 vet), getting up from the couch after the news and declaring "this is wrong" "this is not what I fought in WW2 for". If my father had been turned, I knew the govt. had finally lost.

Two days later, the Grateful Dead played a Kent State benefit on the steps of the student union at MIT. It is one of the most intense sets of music I have ever heard and probably my favorite performance by them. Powered by the energy of the nations youth. An energy level that was so high, I'm not verbose enough to describe it. You had to be there.


http://www.archive.org/details/gd1970-0 ... ll.95.shnf

[SmashedinNashville]

40 years ago today, Nashville wasn't under water and people weren't still stuck in their homes without power and the city wasn't about to have a compromised water system......

www.tennessean.com

[sg207]

While I agree that America has never been innocent, this incident serves a sad, sobering reminder to how quickly our "democracy" can transform into a police state when those in power feel threatened.

Which is exactly what those in power need in this day and age. The government was originally set up so that it would be afraid of and have to answer to the people. That's been completely reversed.

But that's neither here nor there, the Kent State shooting certainly was a dark day in our history.

I haven't read the op-ed piece that's been discussed, but if anybody has a link, I would be interested in it.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

While I agree that America has never been innocent, this incident serves a sad, sobering reminder to how quickly our "democracy" can transform into a police state when those in power feel threatened.

Which is exactly what those in power need in this day and age. The government was originally set up so that it would be afraid of and have to answer to the people. That's been completely reversed.

But that's neither here nor there, the Kent State shooting certainly was a dark day in our history.

I haven't read the op-ed piece that's been discussed, but if anybody has a link, I would be interested in it.

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/04/2724615/kent-state-a-mothers-reflections.html

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

[RevMatt]

In 1985 my band played Kent Ohio. After the gig some kids at the club brought us to the spot on campus where the students were gunned down. It was haunting.

[littlemamma]

not trying to make anyone feel old, but I'd rather hear impressions of people who were there, or remember when it happened, than reading about stuff like this in history books.
Thanks y'all

[sg207]

While I agree that America has never been innocent, this incident serves a sad, sobering reminder to how quickly our "democracy" can transform into a police state when those in power feel threatened.

Which is exactly what those in power need in this day and age. The government was originally set up so that it would be afraid of and have to answer to the people. That's been completely reversed.

But that's neither here nor there, the Kent State shooting certainly was a dark day in our history.

I haven't read the op-ed piece that's been discussed, but if anybody has a link, I would be interested in it.

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/04/2724615/kent-state-a-mothers-reflections.html

Thank you for the link.

[RevMatt]

not trying to make anyone feel old, but I'd rather hear impressions of people who were there, or remember when it happened, than reading about stuff like this in history books.
Thanks y'all

Hard to believe, but those persons who were undergraduates at Kent State in 1970 are all around 60 years old today.

[beantownbubba]

not trying to make anyone feel old, but I'd rather hear impressions of people who were there, or remember when it happened, than reading about stuff like this in history books.
Thanks y'all

Hard to believe, but those persons who were undergraduates at Kent State in 1970 are all around 60 years old today.

Yeah among the points made by the mom in the referenced op-ed piece is that her son would be 60 this year and might well be married w/ kids, her grandkids. Poignant doesn't quite cover it.

[cortez the killer]

Living With War