Quote:
Originally Posted by dekeguy
Perhaps we might review the bidding here. In 1970 tensions at Kent State were high and building. The night before the Kent State riot a mob burned down the ROTC building. On the day of the riot a howling mob of 2000 advanced on a handfull of National Guard personnel pelting them with potentially lethal bricks, rocks, and bottles. The guardsmen fell back but were blocked by a chainlink fence through which they could not retreat.
When threatened by imminent violent contact with an angry mob and with no place to go to get out of the way the guardsmen fired. As is obvious from the number of hits vs. the number of rounds fired most shots were over the heads of the rioters in an attempt to break up this very real and proximate danger to the guardsmen.
The Kent State community bears great responsibility for what happened. One cannot participate in potentially lethal actions and not expect a response from those on the receiving end of those actions. Particularly when the guardsmen were acting as the in loco police authority and the mob was involved in riot. The unpopularity of the Viet Nam War does not confer a license for riot and murderous actions on the mob.
Viewed in this light Kent State is hardly in a position to howl in protest over the comments referring to the riot by which they were the authors of their own calamity.
As to the sign itself, I am of two minds. It does not exactly follow the traditions of Southern Hospitality to a visiting team but on the other hand, on an undergraduate mindset level it points out the probable result of taking on a top rated SEC team. Granted that it may not be in the best of taste, but I don't know any DEKEs who carry around a copy of Emily Post.
Whether or not
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Don't know where you got your facts about the May 4th incident, but I know this: they are wrong.
Try reading James Michener's
Kent State: What Happened and Why or
13 Seconds: A Look Back on the Kent State Tragedy.
At no point were the guards trapped by a chain link fence. The guard had turned around and were returning back to their original position by the burned out ROTC building. The victims were 71 feet (closest) to 750 feet away. By picture evidence, it is clear that the guardsmen had a clear path to their original positions when they turned and fired. As for firing over the heads of the protestors, the guardsmen were near the top of a hill with the protestors in an area downhill from them. The guardsmen could have completely fired over their heads, but obviously chose not to do so.
Simply put, your chapter at LSU was in the wrong, and have admitted and apologized for it. Your rewriting of history to excuse them and blame the victims of the tragedy do not do anything to try and help this situation.
eta: And before you try and say the students followed the guardsmen, by all evidence, they were not following them in their retreat. The students involved in the protest thought it was all over and were standing around and talking when the shootings began.