[Peace-discuss] Bastards

[C. G. Estabrook]

[He doesn't speak English very well ("laid" for "lay").  I though that was a 
problem in the border states. --CGE]

	Two vote 'present' on Kent State
	By JONATHAN ALLEN | 5/5/10 6:20 PM EDT

Texas Republican Michael Burgess voted “present” Wednesday on a resolution 
commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Kent State shootings because it “gave 
the implication that the fault laid with the National Guard.”

Burgess and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) cast the only two “present” votes on a 
measure that was adopted 413-0.

“It didn’t seem like careful drafting to me,” Burgess said. “We basically single 
out the Ohio National Guard as being the one at fault.”

Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on protesters at Kent State University on 
May 4, 1970, killing four unarmed students and injuring nine others. The 
incident set off a string of protests around the country and became one of the 
most enduring symbols of the national divide over American involvement in Vietnam.

Burgess, who called the incident “a tragedy on all sides,” said he discussed his 
vote briefly with Foxx.

Foxx’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The text of the resolution, which was written by Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan:

“Whereas the year 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of the Kent State University 
shootings that occurred on May 4, 1970;

Whereas, on such date, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on Kent State 
students who were protesting the United States invasion of Cambodia and the 
ongoing Vietnam War;

Whereas four unarmed students (Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, 
and William Schroeder) were killed and nine others (Alan Canfora, John Cleary, 
Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald MacKenzie, James Russell, Robert 
Stamps, and Douglas Wrentmore) were injured;

Whereas the site of the May 4 shootings was entered in the National Register of 
Historic Places, the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of 
preservation, in February 2010;

Whereas, to preserve the memory of the May 4 shootings and encourage inquiry, 
learning, and reflection, Kent State has established a number of resources, 
including the May 4 Memorial, individual student memorial markers and 
scholarships in memory of the four students mentioned above who were killed, an 
experimental college course entitled `May 4, 1970 and its Aftermath', and an 
annual commemoration sponsored by the May 4 Task Force; and

Whereas Kent State has engaged the internationally renowned design services 
firm, Gallagher & Associates, to assist in the development of the May 4 visitors 
center as a central place where individuals can explore and better understand 
the May 4 shootings: Now therefore be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives, in commemoration of the 40th year 
anniversary of the Kent State University shootings that occurred on May 4, 1970—

(1) recognizes the tragedy of the May 4 shootings and the implications that the 
shootings have had not only on Kent State and the local community, but also on 
the Nation and the world; and

(2) applauds the development of the May 4 visitors center as an additional 
primary resource to preserve and communicate the history of the May 4 shootings, 
its larger ethical and societal context and impact, and its enduring meaning for 
our democratic Nation.”



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36829.html#ixzz0n6i3CLjo

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