Speaking on Hannity last night, Miss Coulter explained that the Kent State Massacre in May of 1970 was "justified" because...
"That's what you do with a mob."
Now... I'm going to repeat that, because it bears repeating, but before I do, here's a refresher course in case anyone forgot what happened. (And shame on you if you did.)
On May 4th of 1970, an estimated 2,000 people gather on the Kent State University Campus in Kent, Ohio in protest of the Vietnam War. Specifically they were protest President Nixon's decision to expand the war despite having won the presidency in 1968 running on a campaign promise to end it. What's more they students, mostly children (and members) of working and middle class families who were being unfairly targeted by the draft as those from wealthy families could better afford to pay the $300 commutation fee to essentially exclude themselves.
Just before 12:30, with the crowd refusing to disperse after four days of protest, and having lobbed the National Guards' own tear gas canisters back at them, the National Guard opened fire on the crowd, shooting 67 rounds in 13 seconds. When the smoke had cleared, four students lay dead:
Jeffrey Miller, age 20
Allison Krause, age 19
William Schroeder, age 19
Sandra Scheuer, age 20
I can't find which was which, but it is worth mentioning that one or two were merely watching the demonstration, and were not part of it, and one was hit by a stray bullet as she walked to class.
Three days after the event, even Vice President Agnew describe the action as murder. (Though, ever the lawyer, he did add, "but not first degree" since there was "no premeditation.") Still - that from the guy who's administration was being protested against.
But to Ann Coulter? Having the United States Military gun down American Citizens for exercising their First Amendment Rights on American Soil was justified.
"That's what you do with a mob."
We've long known that Miss Coulter talks a pretty good game, at least in Right Wing circles, when it comes to "supporting the troops." Too bad she can't ever seem to muster any "support" for the FREEDOMS those troops are risking their lives to protect.
(Deep breath...)
Now...
In the past I've made no secret of my hated of both misogyny and hypocrisy, but I've got a "get - out - of - hypocrisy - free" card in this case, since what I am about to say reflects not my own true feelings, but rather serves as an example to Miss Coulter of what it might look like if someone treated her they way she seems to treat every human being to her Left. (Which... is almost all of them.) There is no more hypocrisy inherent to giving someone a taste of their own medicine than there in inherent to basic (or poetic) justice. That being said, I'd like to see someone go up and give Ann Coutler a hard, back-handed slap to the face. Because...
"That's what you do with a mouthy bitch!"
Coulter is becoming irrelevant, both as a hate spewer and a woman, as the religious right makes it's resurgence on the dimwitted intolerance of Palin and Bachmann. She has no choice but to get mouthier in order to keep her place feeding at the trough.
ReplyDeleteCoulter's comments indicate to me, and not for the first time from her, a depraved indifference to human life, as well as a willful misunderstanding of this country's commitment (at least on paper {parchment?}) to freedom. Of course, she has said in the past that she's "not a fan" of the 1st Amendment. Which doesn't stop er from howling that her rights to free expression are being circumscribed when they draw stinging criticism.
ReplyDeleteThe Kent State Massacre has a visceral resonance for me. I had played that campus with a road production of HAMLET two weeks before the event. One of my buddies from my Army unit (we both got out in '68), who lived in Zanesville, had come to the performance. We talked after hearing the horrible news, which shook us both up, badly. We decided, accurately I hope, that it was NG panic that had caused the firing, and that regular soldiers, like us, would not have done it. To this day, I can't believe that those guys were sent out to control a demonstration of American students with live rounds in their weapons. Christ, the Marine guards in Lebanon didn't have loaded weapons! I've never raised my hand to a woman in my life, but I swear, if she'd said this in my presence...