Perilous Protest
written by
The Scorpion
Earlier in my "Psychedelic Subjugation" article, I talked about how the U.S. government used the opioid addiction of service members returning from Vietnam and the volatile social unrest of the time to further destabilize and dominate the population. In this article I'm going to expand on the nationwide protests against the Vietnam War and what happens when politicians go way too far to perpetuate the agenda of the Military-Industrial Complex. In 1970, the Vietnam War was still underway. Many Americans thought that the war was winding down after LBJ had ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops after the Tet Offensive in 1968. However, the war hawks needed to keep the MIC gravy train going a little longer, so they decided to run clandestine ops in nearby Cambodia to allegedly attack and destroy hidden communist bases there. If you ask me, I believe that these operations were used to solidify the U.S. foothold in the Golden Triangle, but I'll digress. News of these Cambodia campaigns got back to the U.S. mainland and further enraged American protesters of the war. Things really spiraled out of control when four college students at Kent State University were murdered in cold blood by Ohio National Guard troops on May 4, 1970.
Four days earlier, President Richard Nixon greenlit the seek and destroy mission of Viet Cong outposts in Cambodia. The Nixon Administration and his war hawks believed that the VC were attacking the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces and bouncing back behind the safe confines of the Cambodian border. Nixon, who was obviously frustrated with the VC's progress, decided to make an "executive" decision and order precision strikes to neutralize the Viet Cong threat. Nixon's decision completely went against the dream he sold the American public during the 1968 Presidential election when he said that if he's elected, he'll end the Vietnam war. Any D.C. political insider worth his salt in those days would have told you that there was no way in hell that Nixon was gonna pull the plug on the war. Defying the M.I.C. and the PTBs that selected him for the presidency would obviously be a bad career move. So as expected, he did their bidding. The American public on the other hand was fed up with the bullshit being promoted by the government and were tired of seeing the horrific war coverage on the news every night. In cities across the U.S. Americans unleashed their fury via protests. They clashed with police and soldiers while destroying businesses and other property. Many of these protests took place on college campuses. Rowdy and young Baby Boomers were much more revolutionary and open-minded than their parents, who were members of "the greatest generation." Kent State University, a school just outside of Akron, Ohio, had become riled up after hearing about the Cambodia invasion. The protests started out peacefully without much incident. However, when you mix restless, war-weary college students with, alcohol and opportunity, bad things tend to happen.
A group of protesters had gotten liquored up and firebombed an ROTC building on campus. They also looted a few businesses out in town and got into scuffles with the police. Kent mayor LeRoy Satrom had enough of the student’s violent behavior and reached out to the Ohio governor James Rhodes for assistance. Rhodes, who was gunning for a senate seat at the time, rode on the platform of punishing protesters who were against the war. The situation at Kent was the perfect opportunity to flex his muscle and make an example out of the students for the world to see. On May 4, 1970, tensions had boiled over once again on the Kent campus. Governor Rhodes had sent in the Ohio National Guard in on the scene to keep the students under control via intimidation. The Kent students were not fazed by Rhodes’ gestapo tactics and began to throw rocks and bottles toward the soldiers. At that particular time, you could cut the tension and fear in the air with a knife. The guardsmen responded with tear gas to disperse the crowds. Suddenly, accordingly to the “official” testimony of those who were there, the soldiers allegedly heard a gunshot ring out from somewhere in the crowd. The soldiers immediately did what they were trained to do in such a situation, fight fire with fire. They sent a volley of bullets toward the student’s direction in retaliation. Four students, Sandy Scheuer, Allison Krause, William Schroeder, and Jeffrey Glenn Miller were fatally struck by the gunfire. The ironic thing about the four victims was that none of them were anywhere near the protest area. Ten other students were injured from the hail of bullets.
You would think that there would’ve been a sense of regret from the soldiers, Mayor Satrom or Governor Rhodes after this atrocity. However, all parties had felt fully justified in their actions and would’ve probably done it again if they were in the same scenario. Some of the soldiers who were interviewed after the massacre said that they felt “threatened” by the protesters. Well…um.. the last time I checked, the average soldier, especially one that serves in the National Guard should already be well trained when it comes to crowd control. I believe that the guardsmen who were on the scene could have easily dispersed the rioting students without incident. However, because Mayor Satrom wanted to give his Kent constituents the illusion that he was tough on crime, he felt compelled to seek the help of the Ohio National Guard. Some people who had the inside scoop on the massacre believed that Rhodes gave the guardsmen the green light to use deadly force on civilians. This theory isn’t too far from the truth considering that he was also trying to maintain his reputation as a pro-war Senatorial candidate. Governor Rhodes and Mayor Satrom felt justified for their reprehensible management of the situation. However, they also felt the scorching heat of criticism and scorn from the rest of America. President Nixon felt the most condemnation for his ill-advised authorization of the Cambodian invasion, which spawned the nationwide protests and subsequently led to the Kent State Massacre. The killing of those four students along with the other injured protesters eventually spelled the beginning of the end of Nixon and his presidency. The Vietnam fiasco along with that little scandal called Watergate eventually led to his downfall and resignation in 1974.
Many national historians often gloss over the Kent State Massacre and just chalk it up as an unfortunate accident during a turbulent time. What can we learn about this horrific incident? The truth is that free speech doesn’t really exist in the U.S. Americans are “allowed” to protest certain things while being completely forbidden to voice their opinion about others. For example, people can protest police brutality all day because the PTBs know that the general masses are powerless and unable to stop the police state agenda. If people decided to march or protest a corrupt agenda that is profiting off the death and destruction of a nation, i.e. Vietnam, then expect for a few people to get snuffed out for putting a spotlight on the bottom line. Even though the Kent State Shootings took place nearly 50 years ago, the rules that were used to nullify the students First Amendment rights are still in effect. The more things change…
Four days earlier, President Richard Nixon greenlit the seek and destroy mission of Viet Cong outposts in Cambodia. The Nixon Administration and his war hawks believed that the VC were attacking the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces and bouncing back behind the safe confines of the Cambodian border. Nixon, who was obviously frustrated with the VC's progress, decided to make an "executive" decision and order precision strikes to neutralize the Viet Cong threat. Nixon's decision completely went against the dream he sold the American public during the 1968 Presidential election when he said that if he's elected, he'll end the Vietnam war. Any D.C. political insider worth his salt in those days would have told you that there was no way in hell that Nixon was gonna pull the plug on the war. Defying the M.I.C. and the PTBs that selected him for the presidency would obviously be a bad career move. So as expected, he did their bidding. The American public on the other hand was fed up with the bullshit being promoted by the government and were tired of seeing the horrific war coverage on the news every night. In cities across the U.S. Americans unleashed their fury via protests. They clashed with police and soldiers while destroying businesses and other property. Many of these protests took place on college campuses. Rowdy and young Baby Boomers were much more revolutionary and open-minded than their parents, who were members of "the greatest generation." Kent State University, a school just outside of Akron, Ohio, had become riled up after hearing about the Cambodia invasion. The protests started out peacefully without much incident. However, when you mix restless, war-weary college students with, alcohol and opportunity, bad things tend to happen.
A group of protesters had gotten liquored up and firebombed an ROTC building on campus. They also looted a few businesses out in town and got into scuffles with the police. Kent mayor LeRoy Satrom had enough of the student’s violent behavior and reached out to the Ohio governor James Rhodes for assistance. Rhodes, who was gunning for a senate seat at the time, rode on the platform of punishing protesters who were against the war. The situation at Kent was the perfect opportunity to flex his muscle and make an example out of the students for the world to see. On May 4, 1970, tensions had boiled over once again on the Kent campus. Governor Rhodes had sent in the Ohio National Guard in on the scene to keep the students under control via intimidation. The Kent students were not fazed by Rhodes’ gestapo tactics and began to throw rocks and bottles toward the soldiers. At that particular time, you could cut the tension and fear in the air with a knife. The guardsmen responded with tear gas to disperse the crowds. Suddenly, accordingly to the “official” testimony of those who were there, the soldiers allegedly heard a gunshot ring out from somewhere in the crowd. The soldiers immediately did what they were trained to do in such a situation, fight fire with fire. They sent a volley of bullets toward the student’s direction in retaliation. Four students, Sandy Scheuer, Allison Krause, William Schroeder, and Jeffrey Glenn Miller were fatally struck by the gunfire. The ironic thing about the four victims was that none of them were anywhere near the protest area. Ten other students were injured from the hail of bullets.
You would think that there would’ve been a sense of regret from the soldiers, Mayor Satrom or Governor Rhodes after this atrocity. However, all parties had felt fully justified in their actions and would’ve probably done it again if they were in the same scenario. Some of the soldiers who were interviewed after the massacre said that they felt “threatened” by the protesters. Well…um.. the last time I checked, the average soldier, especially one that serves in the National Guard should already be well trained when it comes to crowd control. I believe that the guardsmen who were on the scene could have easily dispersed the rioting students without incident. However, because Mayor Satrom wanted to give his Kent constituents the illusion that he was tough on crime, he felt compelled to seek the help of the Ohio National Guard. Some people who had the inside scoop on the massacre believed that Rhodes gave the guardsmen the green light to use deadly force on civilians. This theory isn’t too far from the truth considering that he was also trying to maintain his reputation as a pro-war Senatorial candidate. Governor Rhodes and Mayor Satrom felt justified for their reprehensible management of the situation. However, they also felt the scorching heat of criticism and scorn from the rest of America. President Nixon felt the most condemnation for his ill-advised authorization of the Cambodian invasion, which spawned the nationwide protests and subsequently led to the Kent State Massacre. The killing of those four students along with the other injured protesters eventually spelled the beginning of the end of Nixon and his presidency. The Vietnam fiasco along with that little scandal called Watergate eventually led to his downfall and resignation in 1974.
Many national historians often gloss over the Kent State Massacre and just chalk it up as an unfortunate accident during a turbulent time. What can we learn about this horrific incident? The truth is that free speech doesn’t really exist in the U.S. Americans are “allowed” to protest certain things while being completely forbidden to voice their opinion about others. For example, people can protest police brutality all day because the PTBs know that the general masses are powerless and unable to stop the police state agenda. If people decided to march or protest a corrupt agenda that is profiting off the death and destruction of a nation, i.e. Vietnam, then expect for a few people to get snuffed out for putting a spotlight on the bottom line. Even though the Kent State Shootings took place nearly 50 years ago, the rules that were used to nullify the students First Amendment rights are still in effect. The more things change…