In Memoriam: The Day America Murdered Its Children

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism"
—Thomas Jefferson—

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law “respecting an establishment of religion”, impeding the free exercise of religion, infringing on the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances.

Forty-one years ago, on Monday, May 4, 1970—that right to peacefully assemble and freedom of speech—guaranteed by the Constitution—was violated at Kent State University by the representatives of the people—who had sworn an oath to protect and defend the Constitution.

Four Kent State students were brutally executed by their government for exercising their first amendment rights, during several days of protest against Nixon's broadening of the Viet Nam War into neighboring Cambodia.

While Jeffrey Glenn Miller and Allison Krause did take part in the protests, which, was their constitutional right. William Knox Schroeder (at Kent on an ROTC scholarship) and Sandra Lee Scheuer were just walking between classes, not protesting.

The undisputed facts are: None of them were armed—none of them posed a threat to the Guardsmen—none of them deserved to be gunned down and none of them deserved to be vilified in death as they were—to cover the brutality of their murder. Nixon in an unguarded moment referred to them as "bums" and indicated, "they had it coming." Other Ultra Right Winged Conservatives called them "commies."

Yet they were the true American Patriots—citizens voicing their dissent of "their governments" actions in an immoral war.

History has vindicated them—as Viet Nam became the most unpopular war in which this country ever been engaged. Their murder marked a turning point and hastened the end of that war.

Personally, it was a great shock that in America—American National Guard troops could be ordered to not only interfere with those rights—and violate the Constitution—but—to murder its citizens without compunction or anyone being brought to justice.

That failure to respect the rights of unarmed citizens changed forever my perception and the perceptions of many others, of a benevolent government that was a watchdog of our cherished freedoms. It was the beginning of my awareness of the ugly reality of repression within my own country by the Ultra Right Wing Conservatives.

It has been a long decline into an America that no longer understands the Constitution that can be violated at will "by the people's" own government.


For more information see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings


Commentary: After the shootings Neil Young wrote the most famous of all the anti-war protest songs of that period in our history. The words speak for themselves.

"Ohio"
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 cutting 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 cutting 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.