News reports this morning indicate that survivors of the Kent State University shootings, the anniversary of which we mark this week, have turned up a previously undiscovered audio tape on which an unidentified National Guard commander gives the order to fire on student protesters.
This is a very disturbing find, because previously it was believed that one or two National Guard soldiers panicked under verbal and physical assault by student protesters and fired, setting off one or two others nearby. In other words, the shootings were thought to be the product of confusion and chaos, not anything deliberate or pre-meditated. If law enforcement officials can identify the individual who gave the order, I think he should face charges of using excessive force, if not murder or manslaughter.
All this comes on the morning of the Vietnam war final exam...the tragedy of that misbegotten conflict continues.
4 comments:
Absolutely awful!! I have not seen this yet, but am going to look it up now. It is so hard to comprehend... but the police were a pretty angry lot themselves. Terrible... Could the police today get away with something like this? I did see some angry protesters and a potentially violent situation with the illegal immigrant marches yesterday, but can not find it on the news now.
I had been invited to speak at that demonstration, but I had a conflict and could not. I never did buy the unknown panicked soldier theory. Killing demonstrators was not even unique to Kent State. Prior killings were just kept out of the media.
wow the sad thing that does not get told much is that it was a failure by the local law officials to prevent the guard from getting into a bad situation. they marched them into an area where they could not disperse like a one way alley that is closed off which led to the final standoff and the shooting. goes to show what dad had always told me when cops say something you listen you show disrepect and bad things can happen.
Thiis is awesome
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