Cindy Sheehan: Four Dead in Ohio

[babylonsister]

Four Dead in Ohio

By Cindy Sheehan

May 4th, 2007 will be the 37th year since the Kent State, Ohio, massacre where four anti-war protesters were killed by Ohio National Guardsmen during a protest against Richard Nixon’s announced escalation in Vietnam.

On that day in 1970, anti-Vietnam war sentiment in the entire nation was high as hundreds of soldiers were coming home in flag-draped coffins every week and we were bombarded daily with images of burning villages and screaming Vietnamese children. The images were harsh, but what was even harsher was the Nixon regime escalating a war in a Johnsonian way when he had promised that he would end the quagmire in Vietnam if elected.

The Kent State protest rose spontaneously against Nixon’s pronouncement. Anti-war sentiment was high on campuses all over America and soldiers during that time were in full-blown mutiny and actively protest the war "in country" and here in the states. By 1970 there were a reported 209 “fragging” (lower rank soldiers killing their superiors in the field) and well over 55,000 deserters. A young Alabama Air National Guardsmen named George H. Bush would soon add his name to the deserter’s when he failed to report for duty in 1972. It seemed like people from all demographics really cared enough to get out from behind their TV sets and out from behind the protection of their comfortable lives to join protests all over the country.

When that young Vietnam deserter cum illegitimate president announced a new Nixonian escalation of the violence in Iraq late in 2006, there was barely a peep from an American public that has been rocked to sleep by knowingly complicit news conglomerates and their high powered advertising agencies that whip our country into a frenzy of un-fettered and borderline immoral orgy of consumerism. In the ‘60’s and ‘70’s we were rightly exposed to the horror of war. War is horrible and the sacrifices should be borne by the entire country not just we unfortunate few. Today we are bombarded with propaganda from a duplicitous government and ads that convince us our lives won’t be complete unless we go into debt to purchase the new and improved doo-dad of the day.

Now in a very weak, baby step, but a step in the right direction, nonetheless, Congress sent King George yet another “non-binding” bill for troop withdrawal that he vetoed, exercising that power for only the 2nd time in his administration.

Of course George Bush vetoed the will of the American public that he scorns and ignores (unless they are the members of his "base" the top two percent of the wealthiest). Of course he is waging crimes against humanity against the people of Iraq and in such prison camps as Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. All doubt has been removed that BushCo lied before the invasion and have continued a lying occupation. But now that he has defied Congress yet again, the people’s representatives need to slam shut the bank vault to bring our troops home and get busy removing an Executive Branch fun amok. Impeachment is not a Constitutional Crisis…BushCo are the crisis and impeachment is the remedy.

It is time to come out from behind our complacency in the face of one fresh outrage after another to stand up to the Bush Regime and take our country back while there is still something worthwhile to save. BushCo are as surely destroying this country with their greed and callousness as they are destroying Iraq. Our republic is rapidly disintegrating due to George’s War of Terror and we citizens are the only glue that can hold it together.

Join the Camp Casey Peace Institute on Monday, May 14th as we gather in front of the White House to march on Congress to show the people who work for us that saving lives is more important to us than partisan politics. It is time that people on both sides of the aisle stop playing their bloody games with our children’s lives and the country of Iraq. Real people are dying and civilized countries are being demolished while time is being wasted on non-binding b.s.

Washington DC needs to be shut down on a day when there are actually people in town, It’s time to go retro and reclaim our collective history as dissenters, protesters, patriots and effective and affective players on our political scene. It is too late for so many, but even more need our help now.

No one is asking anyone to make the same sacrifices as the students who were killed for exercising their 1st Amendment right to protest and be heard. Everyday our troops and their families are suffering and sacrificing in an occupation that was declared over four years ago by Captain Codpiece on the deck of the Abraham Lincoln. We are just asking for a little of your time and a commitment to peace for the world's children.

Go to The Camp Casey Peace Institute for more info on May 14th’s march where we will be joined by CODEPINK, Congressmembers John Conyers and Lynn Woolsey and many others.



Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan who was killed in Bush's war of terror on 04/04/04.
She is the co-founder and president of Gold Star Families for Peace and The Camp Casey Peace Institute.

[Kolesar]

1. I think Beast's approval numbers dropped 4% upon his announcement of the surge

He is now turning in 29% and 28%.

I am comfortable having Cindy Sheehan speak in the frame of Kent State May 4. Mercy

[still_one]

2. We had wonderful agnew, and others who seemed to justify the actions of the national guard

There was NO justification for what happened at Kent State. Even after that the war went on for a few more years

That war was due to the result of Johnson lying to the American people. We also had a draft during that war, and in spite of the draft, casulties, and protests, the war STILL lasted over 10 years and 60000+ American lives, and who knows how many South East Asians

Remeber the Paris peace talks where months were spent negotiating whether the table should be round or square?

Have we really learned anything?

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. "BushCo are the crisis and impeachment is the remedy."

Couldn't have said it better.

(Except I refer to BushCo as a singular entity and would say "BushCo is the crisis...")

[ET Awful]

4. While I agree with many of her points, Cindy needs to get her facts straight

Only two of those killed at Kent State were protesters.

The other two, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder were simply walking from one class to another. Schroeder was actually an ROTC cadet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings

[cassiepriam]

5. It seems like just yesterday my high school govt teacher told us that 4 students

had just been killed at Kent State. I was in shock and disbelief
that the govt could kill its own citizens.

Now of course I am less naive and know that our govt is capable
of heinous crimes.

[az chela]

6. I also cannot believe how long it has been since then.

I think we all need to take to the streets every weekend til we get rid of bushco!!!!!!
The immigration people can do and so can we.They have a million people show up at their marches and we need to do the same thing.As for who was killed ,Yes i believe 2 were not students at Kent but since all 4 were killed what difference does it make???Dead is dead!!!!
Cindy set this anti war movement into action now we need to walk with her and END THIS WAR AND IMPEACH
I am very dissapointed in the dems at this point.They need to do all they can and not give in