Lessons of Kent State Still Important 36 Years Later

Today marks the 36 year anniversary of the incident at Kent State, that is seared in the memories of so many across our country. It's implications are strong still today, because as we enter into our third year in an unjust war, we see an administration today, that treats dissenters not unlike they were treated in the '70's. John Kerry in a poignant speech on April 22, reflected on the "right and responsibility to speak out."

"I have come here today to reaffirm that it was right to dissent in 1971 from a war that was wrong. And to affirm that it is both a right and an obligation for Americans today to disagree with a President who is wrong, a policy that is wrong, and a war in Iraq that weakens the nation."

A journalism major at Emerson College, Michael Corcoran, tells us in an OP/ED today, that "Kent State should remind us of what happens when a grossly misguided war divides a country."

If we can speak candidly and openly about our history and our present -- even the worst elements of it -- then we can ensure that the lives lost on May 4, 1970, were not in vain.

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