55 YEARS AGO TODAY: The Kent State Massacre Carries Lessons For Today's Resistance
If you are — or know of — a conscientious college student opposed to the US/Israel genocide, please watch and pass along this important video.
As the Trump scheme waddles, trips and farts its way to failure, any pretense of legitimacy, will soon disappear like a cloud of toxic steam. At that point, expect false flag events like Kent State to occur in order to stir up panic and fear to justify a militarized state.
By Mark Taylor
DeMOCKracy.ink (5/4/25)
There are some moments that stick forever in the memory. Today is the 55th anniversary of one such moment for me: I distinctly remember when, where and who I was with when I heard of the National Guard murder of four Vietnam War student protesters at Kent State University in Ohio. Another nine were wounded, one paralyzed from the waist down.
Fifty-five years ago and literally almost to the hour as I write this.
Ten days later the same thing happened at Jackson State University, where two were killed and a dozen wounded when police opened fire on a women's dormitory
The video below of a presentation by Mike Alewitz, a student organizer at Kent State, is a powerful walk through of the tragic event, including many photos and details of state and federal conspiracy, provocation and cover-up I did not know about.
At the time the video was recorded, “Hope and Change” President Obama had recently announced there would be no investigation of the state atrocity even though, as Alewitz, notes, an FBI informant, Terry Norman (21:00 mark in the video), was among the students, possessed a handgun and possibly fired four shots just before the National Guard opened fire across an open athletic field at a scattering of students, many just innocently walking by on the way to class.
Student FBI informant Terry Norman was photographing demonstrators for the campus police and the FBI, a fact that was initially denied by both agencies but later confirmed. In addition, Norman was the only person on campus other than a Guardsman who admitted to having a firearm at the scene.
ADDED NOTE: For more information on Terry Norman and his relationship with the local police and FBI check this site, provided by a reader in the comments below: https://kentstateterrynorman.com/ (5/18/25)
‘There has never been an accounting’
“The shooting has all the earmarks of a classic police operation where you set up the students in order to provide an excuse to gun them down because what they wanted to do was to end the protests that were spreading all across the country and they thought that shooting some students would do that,” Alewitz notes. “ Terry Norman has never gone to court and had to explain what he was doing at Kent on that day. The whole shooting was buried and a cover-up took place about what happened on May 4th. There has never been an accounting.”
The segment of the video on how the anti-war movement was embraced by many rank-and-file members of the military is a critically important lesson to understand and learn, especially as Israel’s insistence on war with Iran moves the US to yet another catastrophic Middle East war.
Given what we have seen with the recent fascist crackdowns and illegal jailing and deportation of students, the lessons on the extent to which the corrupt government — especially so beholding to a foreign fascist country — will go, need to be understood, and underscores the need for informed peaceful protest and resistance.
If you are — or know of — a conscientious college student opposed to the US/Israel genocide, please watch and pass along this important video. This is essential history to understand in order to fully grasp the corrupt deception of the government.
As the Trump scheme waddles, trips and farts its way to failure, any pretense of legitimacy, will soon disappear like a cloud of toxic steam. At that point, expect manipulated false flag events like Kent State to occur in order to stir up panic and fear to justify a militarized state.
Resist
Persist
Don’t be complicit!
The Truth & Lessons Of The Vietnam-Era Kent State &Jackson State Murders
Brasscheck TV (5/4/25)
On May 4, 1970, students were randomly shot to death on the campus of Kent State University by members of the Ohio National Guard.
Obama’s super-progressive administration refused to re-open the investigation into the government murders of students carried out on the campuses of Kent State and Jackson State.
The evidence is crystal clear that the shootings were not “accidental.” The order to shoot was given on the scene, and given that the commanders were never investigated or charged, the only possible assumption is that their orders came from higher up.
A terror campaign was waged against civilians by a criminal government.
This is the information on the initial YouTube broadcast of this video on May 26, 2013, in the midst of more criminal wars by the US:
May 2012 Mike Alewitz, a Central Connecticut State University professor and eyewitness to the Kent State massacre of 1970 talks about the killings shortly after the Justice Department decided not to take a new look at the killings of students. After you hear his talk and look at his photos it's pretty obvious someone ordered the Guard to open fire on the few people in a near empty parking lot.
37-minute video
How Neil Young Came To Write Classic Song ‘OHIO’ After Kent State
The speaker is Graham Nash in 1990–Crosby Stills Nash & Young. He was interviewed for my television series on the 1960s. I loved what he said and how he said it. An incredible thinker.
"Ohio" is a protest song written by Neil's bandmember Neil Young in response to the Kent State shooting on May 4, 1970. The incident occurred when members of the Ohio National Guard fired on unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University in Ohio, resulting in the deaths of four students and the injury of nine others.
Young was deeply affected by the tragedy and wrote "Ohio" as a reaction to the event. The lyrics express his anger and frustration at the government's handling of the war and its disregard for the lives of young people. The song became an anthem for the anti-war movement and remains a powerful reminder of the tragic events that occurred that day.
In terms of how he wrote it, Young has said that the song came to him quickly, and he wrote the lyrics in about 20 minutes. He then performed the song with his band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young just a few days later, and the song was quickly released as a single. The raw emotion and immediacy of the song resonated with many people and helped to galvanize the anti-war movement.
2-minute video
‘Ohio’ - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3-minute video
RESISTANCE! Wisconsin Gov. Evers Releases Message Regarding Trump Administration Arrest Threats
Gov. Tony Ever (5/2/25)
3-minute video
'Wisconsin Governor Rips Arrest Threat From Trump Border Czar: 'Disgusted' But 'Not Afraid'
By Jake Johnson
Common Dreams (5/3/25)
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers hit back Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump's border czar suggested the Democratic leader could be arrested for distributing guidance to state employees on what to do if confronted by federal immigration agents.
The guidance is straightforward and unremarkable, instructing state employees to "stay calm," ask federal agents for their name and badge, contact an attorney, and decline to answer questions or provide agents access to any documents without a lawyer present.
"State employees may not grant [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] or another agent access to any such data or information absent authorization from their legal counsel pursuant to a valid judicial warrant," the guidance reads.
In a speech addressed to Wisconsinites and the nation, Evers said that the "goal of this guidance was simple—to provide clear, consistent instructions to state employees and ensure they have a lawyer to help them comply with all federal and state laws."
"But Republicans and their right-wing allies, including Elon Musk, lied about this guidance, spread misinformation, accused me of doing things I didn't do or say, and fueled a fake controversy of their own creation," Evers said.
One Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly on Friday morning posted an AI-generated image of Evers in handcuffs at the state capitol, with Trump standing behind him in police uniform.
"I'm used to Republicans and the right wing lying about me. It comes with the job," Evers said Friday. "But, this time, these lies came at a cost. I haven't broken the law. I haven't committed a crime. And I've never encouraged or directed anyone to break any laws or commit any crimes."
"But when President Trump's hand-picked appointee, Tom Homan, was asked about me and this guidance after he apparently threatened to arrest elected officials across the country, he said, 'Wait 'til you see what's coming,'" the governor continued. "Overnight, Republican lawmakers piled on, encouraging the Trump administration to arrest me."
Homan's thinly veiled threat against Evers and other officials came days after FBI agents arrested Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan on obstruction charges alleging that she helped an undocumented immigrant evade arrest by misdirecting federal authorities. Dugan's legal team says she is innocent and will be vindicated in court.
Evers said Friday that Homan's threats are "chilling" and "should be of concern to every Wisconsinite and every American who cares about this country and the values we hold dear."
"These threats represent a concerning trajectory in this country," said Evers. "We now have a federal government that will threaten or arrest an elected official—or even everyday American citizens—who have broken no laws, committed no crimes, and done nothing wrong."
"And as disgusted as I am about the continued actions of the Trump administration, I am not afraid," he added. "I have never once been discouraged from doing the right thing, and I will not start today."
The Wisconsin governor's full address is transcribed below:
Good morning, Wisconsin. Governor Tony Evers here.
I’m speaking to you today as your governor but also as a concerned American.
Yesterday, a Trump administration official, in not so many words, apparently threatened to arrest me for distributing guidance that asked state agency employees to consult with an attorney if federal agents show up at state buildings with legal documents.
The goal of this guidance was simple—to provide clear, consistent instructions to state employees and ensure they have a lawyer to help them comply with all federal and state laws. Nothing more, nothing less.
But Republicans and their right-wing allies, including Elon Musk, lied about this guidance, spread misinformation, accused me of doing things I didn’t do or say, and fueled a fake controversy of their own creation.
Now, I’m used to Republicans and the right wing lying about me. It comes with the job. But, this time, these lies came at a cost. I haven't broken the law. I haven't committed a crime. And I’ve never encouraged or directed anyone to break any laws or commit any crimes.
But when President Trump's hand-picked appointee, Tom Homan, was asked about me and this guidance after he apparently threatened to arrest elected officials across the country, he said, "Wait 'til you see what's coming." Overnight, Republican lawmakers piled on, encouraging the Trump administration to arrest me.
Chilling threats like this should be of concern to every Wisconsinite and every American who cares about this country and the values we hold dear.
We live in the United States of America, folks. We are a country of laws. The rule of law matters. Following the law matters.
In this country, the federal government doesn't get to abuse its power to threaten everyday Americans. In this country, the federal government doesn’t get to arrest American citizens who have not committed a crime. In this country, we don't threaten to persecute people just because they belong to a different political party.
These threats represent a concerning trajectory in this country. We now have a federal government that will threaten or arrest an elected official—or even everyday American citizens—who have broken no laws, committed no crimes, and done nothing wrong.
And as disgusted as I am about the continued actions of the Trump administration, I am not afraid. I have never once been discouraged from doing the right thing, and I will not start today.
I swore an oath when I took this office to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Wisconsin and to faithfully discharge the duties of this office to the best of my ability. I will never waver from that promise.
I hope and pray every elected and appointed official in this country, including the president of the United States of America, will do the same.
Forward, and for Wisconsin, always.
Thank you.
"Shit. Now we're killing our own kids. This has gotta stop."--my dad, May 4 1970, while watching the Huntley-Brinkley Report, I think. Whatever was on NBC. He'd been all for the Vietnam War before then.
He was in the minority at the time, you know. A large majority of Americans initially felt the authorities should shoot MORE of the protesters, but it shifted pretty quickly. I was only 10 at the time, but I remember that summer.
MY PROTEST SONGLIST-‘OHIO’ is number 1.
https://open.substack.com/pub/jeff515p0/p/mayday-mayday-mayday?r=1n8kl4&utm_medium=ios