Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
This blog post is the result of our well known regular contributor Blouise sending me a link, sent to her by one of our other long time contributors GBK. I thank them for not only the vital information they shared with me, but also for the inspiration it gave me. When people ask me what kind of blog to I write for, I explain to them that it is the creation of the well-known Constitutional Law Professor and Civil Rights Advocate Jonathan Turley. The common thread that links most of us here is our support for Jonathan’s work and our belief in upholding the Constitution. The topic raises is vital to all of those purposes.
On May 4th, 1970 I was twenty-six years old. I worked for NYC’s Department of Social Services (welfare) as a caseworker in Brooklyn. Was active in the Peace Movement and had in the last year lost in my bid for the Presidency of the radical welfare caseworkers union. Long haired, full bearded and habitually wearing shirts open to almost my waist, with tight-fitting bell bottom jeans. I was a happy and carefree imbiber of psychedelics and had a great social life. I had failed my Draft physical four years prior due to high blood pressure, which would later turn into severe heart trouble requiring me to have a transplant, but back then I was just grateful that I didn’t have to make the choice between my ideals and the Selective Service Law. So many young men whose lives were drastically changed for the worse by being drafted into that conflict, were less lucky than I because they were my contemporaries, I felt I needed to help bring them home.
Even with the 60’s decade of assassinations, Civil Rights protests ending in violence, Nixon’s election and the Viet Nam escalation, I was still hopeful that my generation would really change things for the better in this country and that the future would bring great changes in economic freedom and social justice. So hopeful was I, that I was attending my first year of Law School at night and envisioned myself becoming a Legal Aid attorney in the future. Then I heard the news about Kent State, the murder of four students and shooting of nine during what was a relatively peaceful protest. Suddenly, this brought home to me the reality of what we were facing in our country. My optimism for change died that day, but not my commitment to fight for it.
As the news proliferated the story just didn’t add up. Supposedly the young National Guardsmen heard sniper shots and in a panic returned fire. That the students shot were at a distance of at least three hundred feet and the ammunition was armor-piercing rounds. It was claimed that there was no order to fire given and that the young National Guardsmen thought they were firing in self defense. As it turned out these were lies and propaganda foisted to cover the fact that those in power in the administration and their follower, the Republican Governor of Ohio, wanted to send a message to those opposing the War, that we were in mortal danger if we dared to try to thwart their murderous rampage in South East Asia.
“The killing of protesters at KentState changed the minds of many Americans about the role of the US in the Vietnam War. Following this massacre, there was an unparalleled national response: hundreds of universities, colleges, and high schools closed across America in a student strike of more than four million. Young people across the nation had strong suspicions the Kent State massacre was planned to subvert any further protests arising from the announcement that the already controversial war in Vietnam had expanded into Cambodia.
Yet instead of attempting to learn the truth at Kent State, the US government took complete control of the narrative in the press and ensuing lawsuits. Over the next ten years, authorities claimed there had not been a command-to-fire at Kent State, that the ONG had been under attack, and that their gunfire had been prompted by the “sound of sniper fire.” Instead of investigating Kent State, the American leadership obstructed justice, obscured accountability, tampered with evidence, and buried the truth. The result of these efforts has been a very complicated government cover-up that has remained intact for more than forty years.”
You will find the article the paragraph above is quoted from if you follow the link below. The link will lead you to an article entitled: “Kent State: Was It about Civil Rights or Murdering Student Protesters?” This was written by: Laurel Krause with Mickey Huff and is from a forthcoming book: Censored 2013: Dispatches from the Media Revolution. “Laurel Krause is a writer and truth seeker dedicated to raising awareness about ocean protection, safe renewable energy, and truth at Kent State. She publishes a blog on these topics at Mendo Coast Current. She is the co-founder and director of the Kent State Truth Tribunal. Before spearheading efforts for justice for her sister Allison Krause, who was killed at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, Laurel worked at technology start-ups in Silicon Valley.”
By the way, my Law School was one of the schools shut down in response to the Kent State Massacre and I was active in the movement to shut it down for the semester as a memorial to those dead and wounded students. Then as now, I saw these killings as premeditated murder in the service of stifling dissent in our country. I urge you to take the time to read this article linked below and its proofs that these murderous shootings, were done under orders and with malice aforethought. As much as our Presidential contenders extol America’s unique status in the world, they are mute to the barely hidden agenda that is destroying what we purport to be our ideals of freedom and justice. The article below gives lie to one wicked truth of our history and should be a sobering reminder of the way things really are:
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/kent-state-was-it-about-civil-rights-or-%E2%80%A8murdering-student-protesters/
Submitted by: Mike Spindell, Guest Blogger
http://jonathanturley.org/2012/03/17/a-real-history-of-the-last-sixty-two-years/
http://jonathanturley.org/2012/04/01/defending-our-freedoms/
http://jonathanturley.org/2012/05/05/what-the/
http://jonathanturley.org/2012/06/23/missing-the-point-when-the-point-is-obvious/
DIRTY WARS
The World is a Battlefield
By Jeremy Scahill
Nation Books (Spring 2013, world English rights)
http://roamagency.com/pages/Scahill-DirtyWars.shtml
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/30/obama-first-term-racism-charges
“(3) Oliver Stone is releasing a new book, entitled “The Untold History of the United States”, which highlights key facts in US history over the last century that have been largely ignored or affirmatively distorted. I’ve read parts of the book and recommend it highly (a summary of his chapter on the Obama presidency is here). Beginning 12 November, Showtime is broadcasting a 10-part documentary to accompany the book; I’ve seen the first four installments and cannot recommend it highly enough.”
Randyjet. I knew Fred and read his book. He was a friend of the family and we broke bread together. Glad you brought him up as he was a great man and that’s a great book.
Coming to a thread the day after always carrys the questions will someone come and read my comments.
Add to that my corral I am implaced in with unofficial bans on my head adds to the problem. Oh well, such is life.
First I’ll repost and then add some reflectons:
—————-
!Oro Lee
1, October 28, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Gene: “I think what you don’t want is a communist outcome, Bron, but that extreme system is just as unworkable as laissez-faire capitalism albeit for slightly different reasons that are primarily rooted in the reality of human behavior. As far as socialism not working, well, you’ve previously been pointed to examples were it has worked just fine as part of a blended economy. However, since you admit that “there were problems”, you need to realize that those problems were rooted in a lack of regulation and exacerbated by a lack of social programs and that somewhere between the extremes of non-functional communism and the open invitation to abuse that is laissez-faire capitalism is where the answers reside. It’s a choice on a spectrum, not a binary choice of all one or the other. And like the dynamic between maximized freedom and justice, it’s a balancing act.
To relate this back to the topic at hand, the order to fire is a perfect example of what happens when the interests of business (in this case the business of war) conflict with both the freedom and the will of the people. Laissez-faire capitalism has no duty to the freedoms and the will of the people. Its only duty is the bottom line of profit and it isn’t shy about making blood money.”
One of the most reasonable statements I have ever read on any blog at any time. Ever. Ole’!”
——————–
I had, as others did, wished to approve that cited comment by GeneH, but was inhibited by his disdain for me and refusal to acknowledge me, so I refrained.
Not declaring myself a victim, just noting why I did not comment as I was inclined to do.
I feel it worthy of noting that, at least I and perhaps others don’t know how communism might work. All we have to go after is USSR, et al. But is communism as a system doomed to such an outcome. Most of us accept that as a given truth, but is it worth reexamining?
For my part, I am convinced however that laissz-faire will lead to the ills we are so familiar with.
In fact, let us look closer at what GeneH. wrote above:
“you need to realize that those problems were rooted in a lack of regulation and exacerbated by a lack of social programs ”
True indeed. And I would add that most of the ills we are combatting and the programs needed are to cure, put patches nn or simply ameleiorate the problems brought by the laisse-faire model which has been the predominate model since before the revolution. The system of slavery and indenturism brought not only large numbers of humans here from Africa as slavdes, but also a frame of mind that persists today, and which must be fought at the barriars of the neo-cons and on their chosen field of battle.
We are of no more value in their eyes than the slaves were to them then. They may not take away our children and sell them, or do they??, through their propaganda and then send them as cannon fodder to our recent wars whose names I need not repeat.
And if you look at it from the neo-con POV, the costs in human life has been moderate, far less than WW2, and the profits have been enormous.
But to not tangent here, let me only repaat:
Most of socialism has been repairs to a leaky laissez-faire boat, and programs to fix the damage that it has done to the descendants of the slave/indenture system—-and that includes all of the white and black stock—and through our in place prejudice system, includes all others here except the one percent.
Well, to be correct the one percent discriminates too within its ranks. But frankly I don’t care about their problems. Not at all, in fact.
High praise indeed. Thank you, Mike.
Oro/Raff,
To paraphrase a former regular, one lives to be of reasonable service.
What Oro said!
Gene: “I think what you don’t want is a communist outcome, Bron, but that extreme system is just as unworkable as laissez-faire capitalism albeit for slightly different reasons that are primarily rooted in the reality of human behavior. As far as socialism not working, well, you’ve previously been pointed to examples were it has worked just fine as part of a blended economy. However, since you admit that “there were problems”, you need to realize that those problems were rooted in a lack of regulation and exacerbated by a lack of social programs and that somewhere between the extremes of non-functional communism and the open invitation to abuse that is laissez-faire capitalism is where the answers reside. It’s a choice on a spectrum, not a binary choice of all one or the other. And like the dynamic between maximized freedom and justice, it’s a balancing act.
To relate this back to the topic at hand, the order to fire is a perfect example of what happens when the interests of business (in this case the business of war) conflict with both the freedom and the will of the people. Laissez-faire capitalism has no duty to the freedoms and the will of the people. Its only duty is the bottom line of profit and it isn’t shy about making blood money.”
One of the most reasonable statements I have ever read on any blog at any time. Ever. Ole’!
Gene,
So good I’m saving it so in the future when asked the question I’ll just cut and paste and quote you. Why duplicate perfection?
Great lyrics OS!
Swaarthmore, I hope you are right about Virginia!