Kent State (4-May-70), Remembered

Four decades ago, America was at war with itself over its misconceived intervention in a sectional civil war far from its shores.

Against a surge escalation of that war into Cambodia, announced on 30-Apr-1970 by Richard Nixon, demonstrations arose throughout the United States. Hundreds of universities, colleges, high schools, and even middle schools closed throughout the United States due to a student strike of eight million students. On this date at Kent State 37 years ago, four students became the peace movement's KIA's when the Ohio State National Guard opened fire on a peaceful demonstration.
The significance of this historical moment contains a poignant truths applicable to our nation's current struggle to resolve Iraq-Nam. 100's of bloggers are blogging on this, this morning. I direct readers to Kestrel9000's post on GreenMountainDaily and crosspost on the Daily Kos. My only contribution will be to note the comment on DKos by Taraka Das who references Nixon's Silent Majority speech and then writes,

He says immediate withdrawal from Vietnam would cause chaos. He says immediate withdrawal from Vietnam would allow the enemy to wait us out. He says that the South Vietnamese Army is being trained and is fighting alongside American forces. He says that South Vietnam will eventually assume full responsibility for their security. He says that progress is being made. He says that Vietnam is part of a global struggle.

He said that in November of 1969.

As we all know, America withdrew from Vietnam four years later, and less than two years after that, the puppet government in South Vietnam fell. And the American and Vietnamese deaths and crippling injuries WERE IN VAIN.

Vietnam was fighting to unite it's people under one, self-determined government, not fighting a global battle for communism.

THAT is the lesson of Vietnam. THAT is the reason Nixon's strategy didn't work.

But Bush thinks it will work, this time. He didn't risk his own ass fighting under that strategy. Cheney didn't even put on a uniform and pretend to be a soldier, when Vietnam was going on. But these two sure supported Nixon and his war. And they have been hangin' out with the crowd that claimed that liberals lost the Vietnam War, forcing soldiers to fight with one hand tied behind their back. Who was the author of that LIE? Ronald Reagan, their hero. Another guy who never went to war.

If they only stuck it out in Vietnam! Like, forever! And presumably, killed all the Vietnamese!

It is time to put this Vietnam fantasy front and center. It is time to put the hypocrisy and lies out in the open til the stink becomes unbearable for these cowards. Do you think they KNOW they are sticking Nixon's strategy right in our faces?

I think they know. I think in their arrogance, stubborn ignorance and brutal petulance, they want to make this strategy "victorious." We are feeding human beings into a slaughterhouse built with the delusional fantasies of these corrupt little men.

In deference to Kestrel's great post, comments on this thread will be closed until tonight. For now, I hope my readers will follow the link to The DailyKos and read Kestrel's post and accompanying comments there.