Whistle Stop - while I agree that "Ohio" does not stand up as great art, and although I can't speak for Neil Young, I don't think it was meant to be ART any more than that big, screaming vulgarity spray-painted on a run down factory wall is meant to be philosophy or literature. It was a gut response to an outrage. Both the event and the song hit you squarely in the chest when they jumped out of your radio. It was not something to be tasted and savored like fine wine- it was meant to burn as it went down, like bad whiskey. And at that time, it did. IMHO

OK. I'm back from the land of the metaphors (or are those similes, I wasn't the best student).

I have a hard time placing blame for those events on any of the actors on the scene, too. The National Guardsmen were put in a no-win situation; when the use of the gun is not acceptable, the threat of the gun isn't going to be enough to maintain order. That's the fallacy of bringing in armed troops. And crowds were becoming more sophisticated about the alternative types of crowd control - tear gas, fire hoses, etc. - which were also losing their effect. After the freedom marches, the authorities should have known better.

Looking back on things, I sometimes regret not being more involved on the front lines. Like I said in my other post, "principle" made me avoid the violent confrontations (or was I just chicken?). But when you see your friends getting their heads busted or their asses drafted, and knowing now how long and devastating the war was going to be, I can't help but wonder if that wasn't just another form of copping out. After all, inspite of what the pundits always say, it wasn't Nixon that ended the war. It was the kids in the streets. Nixon just presided over the withdrawal when there was no longer any alternative. And again, this is just my humble opinion.

There is no doubt in my mind that Viet Nam was the defining event for my generation. Whether you fought in the war or against the war, you were part of something that mattered. Look at any daily newpaper from that time and you'll see story after story about important, some times mind-bodggling events. My Lai, Kent State, the elections, the Peace Talks, Cities on fire. . .It's hard to look back and say, "Oh, yeah. Things were going on and I stood back on the porch and watched. I think they could have handled that a little better. . ."

Carpe diem Conflicted thoughts about a conflicted time.