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Location: cincinnati, ohio | Thirty-seven years ago today. I'm gonna play the song tonight -- don't care if it ticks anybody off.
May 5th, 1970 -- I was down at the University of Cincinnati to go to class. A desk flew from a third story window, landed at my feet. Missed turning me into a grease spot by four inches.
I went home. Classes were cancelled for the rest of the year.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." |
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Location: NJ | saw that on the news today.
I remember reading it in the paper and saying to my dad "the only reason you want me to go to college is so they shoot me"
yes they were troubled times in more way than one |
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| I almost posted this before you guys were awake, but decided it was your right to mention it not mine.
It made a huge impression on me at the time (I was 19)- I realise now it was a part-time soldier who panicked, but at the time it seemed like the war machine was going to rule the world. It was doubly tragic that it happened in the country where freedom of speech is enshrined in the constitution. A pointless waste of young life. |
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Location: closely held secret | It had nothing to do with freedom of speech. It was a riot started to protest the war, building on looting that had begun 3 days earlier by drunk bikers.
Buildings had been set on fire, the protest had been banned from fear for public safety, the students were legally ordered to disperse, and instead they attacked Americans whose job it was to protect them.
Senseless, yes. |
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| I'm not defending what went before.
But the guys who died were unarmed and were shot by panicking guardsmen.
It made a great impression all around the world. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | It was a very tough time for me as I was both a full-time college student and an enlisted member in the National Guard. |
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Location: Alabama | There was a story on msnbc a few days ago about a reel to reel tape made by a college student on which another person says he can hear an order to fire and is selling cd copies. Also he wants the FBI to listen to the tape using all the latest advances in technology. I'll try to find the link this weekend. It is going to be a fun one here with (hopefully appreciated) Cheap Trick playing tonight. Tomorrow the Barenaked Ladies. |
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Location: NJ | A good friend of mine was there (as a student) at the time.
His roommate was the guy who took the (now) famous photo of the girl crying over her slain classmate. He showed me an album of prints taken from those very rolls of film. That particular image was published because of it's composition/impact.
There were a LOT of alternate shots taken of that same particular scene (and others).
Pretty "chilling" to witness something you've heard so much about during your life "unfold" before you in 8x10 b&w images . . . |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | That has to be one of the century's most famous pictures. It kind of ended the thought of joining the guard in order to avoid Vietnam for a lot of us. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | 37 years. Where's the time go? |
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Location: Wooster, Ohio | Was a freshman at Miami of Ohio at the time, sent us home. Visited Kent State several years ago after visiting a client. Had a change to see the place that kind of sticks in your mind from the pictures. Really took me back to that time, affected me more than I thought it would.
Steve |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by 45flint:
..... at Miami of Ohio That would be, what? The Cuban Quarter of Ohio? |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Say Allo Too My Leetle Frennnd! |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | That would be, what? The Cuban Quarter of Ohio?fillhixx Miami of Ohio is in Oxford, Ohio, north of Cincinnati, and about twenty minutes from my front door. It's a picturesque little college town that, on the surface, seems to be stuck in the Fifties.
Maybe not such a bad idea, actually.
Well, I played the song tonight at the country club. CSNY's "Ohio," in honor of the anniversary. Weren't a whole lot of boomers in the audience -- mostly 30 somethings -- but, surprisingly, they all sang along. I made it the last song of a set, because I knew I'd need a little time to get over it. Still get chills when I hear it.
No matter whose fault it was or how it happened, May 4th, 1970, was a pivotal date in the 20th Century. After Kent State, most people my age felt like it was "Us against Them." The "establishment," Nixon -- it seemed they were trying to kill us, either by sending us to Southeast Asia or just "gunning us down" on our campuses.
Still feels that way -- except they're not shooting at us now; they're just trying to drive us to the poorhouse! Gasoline is $3.19 a gallon in Cincinnati, O-hi-o, on May 4th, 2007. :( |
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Location: Buffalo,NY | It really brings back memories for me. I had 2 brothers attending Kent Stae at the time : one in ROTC and the other a consciencious objector.
At family get togethers many years after the tragedy, I used to tell the story that I had two brothers at Kent State at the time, one was in the ROTC bldg and the other was trying to burn it down. This was not a truthful story but it was made to exagerate the differences in opinion. The amazing thing is both of those brothers respected each others choice and remained close all of their lives.
Regards,
Tom |
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Location: Michigan | I can still remember clearly the picture of the girl putting flowers into the gun barrels of the National guardsmen as they stood at attention.GWB |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by Dr.Tom:
It really brings back memories for me. I had 2 brothers attending Kent Stae at the time : one in ROTC and the other a consciencious objector.
...The amazing thing is both of those brothers respected each others choice and remained close all of their lives.
Regards,
Tom I'm an Draft-Dodgin' Army Brat. Born at Ft. Campbell, KY. My (blood) Father did three tours.
I was at The Capitol with Coretta Scott King, Country Joe and the Vietnam Veterans Against The War in '71, wearing one of my Father's Dress Major's uniform jackets... My long hair, his oak leaf, name tag, campaign ribbons and all. He was "In Country".
[My Father heard some crap from his superiors about that, cuz the Feds got pictures of everybody!]
We weren't protesting the Troops! We we SUPPORTING them. We were protesting the War! We just wanted everybody Home! Either win the War, or Come Home! It was a Civil War, that we had no business interfering in. (Sound Familiar?)
We welcomed the vets home, and tried to help them out when they hit the dirt over a backfire or a jack-hammer. They are our Brothers!
If there was a draft today, this war would be over!
An All-Volunteer Army means that only the Poor, and Career Military go. (And sub-contractors, who make more money than our troops!)
The Rich-F@cks are just watching their Haliburton stock go up.
Excuse the rant...
Add on-- BTW I hear Vietnam is doing just fine since we left. |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Ain`t that the TRUTH !!...( samo overhere though ) |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | ( could not edit anymore )
(Q OMA ) " It was a Civil War, that we had no business interfering in. (Sound Familiar?) "
Ain`t that the TRUTH !!.....(samo overhere though ) |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Image upload ain't working. So Click here
I'm getting this for a friend of mine... |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | "I'm getting this for a friend of mine..."
Which one ?....the natural ?
(Gotta get a gallery together 1 o`these days...)
Vic :cool: |
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Location: Omaha, NE | Originally posted by cliff:
A good friend of mine was there (as a student) at the time.
His roommate was the guy who took the (now) famous photo of the girl crying over her slain classmate. My name ("Jeff Miller") is pretty common. I run into it all the time. But the strangest one ever was from that event...the guy lying on the sidewalk with the girl crying over his was also named "Jeff Miller".
FWIW, the girl in the photo was not a student. She was a 14 year old runaway named Mary Ann Vecchio. |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | My name ("Jeff Miller") is pretty common. I run into it all the time. But the strangest one ever was from that event...the guy lying on the sidewalk with the girl crying over his was also named "Jeff Miller". by Omaha Man, that's creepy. Like looking at your own tombstone. |
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| One of the songs I have on my set list. I play it all the time. Does not matter if you agree with it's sentiments or not..... it makes a great statement and it is a piece of political and American history that should never be forgotten.
I just like to thump that bass note through the amp. It is a fun and very easy song to play. Always gets applause.......well except for those dead/zombie crowd type gig's. Hope ya played it loud!
Randy |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | ....Ehr...What Song is that people are talkin`about..??....( forgive me for being an ignorant pleb ) :)
Vic |
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FOUR DEAD IN OHIO
