Top Ten Real Event Songs: Ohio (#6)

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Oh, I hate this terrible coincidence. I thought about not posting this today, in light of the mass shooting in California. But today's song based on a real event shows that we haven't learned a whole hell of a lot in 48 years. Here's today's song. #6: Ohio - Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young On May 2, 1970 the National Guard building on the campus of Kent State University was burned down by anti-war protesters. Additionally, firemen were hampered by rock-throwing protesters when the fire department arrived to try to put the fire out. The next day the governor said there would be a curfew and that no tolerance would be shown. He considered that "other elements" were behind the protests, not just the students, calling them, "Worse than the brown shirts and the Communist element and also the night riders and the vigilantes. They're the worst type of people that we harbor in America." He said that nobody was safe thanks to these "elements," and that he gave the National Guard orders to use any force necessary to maintain order. Well...let's do a little thinking here. Yes, it may have been "outside groups" stirring up the demonstrations (and that goes on today: look at how many out-of-state organizations paid for ads in your district during the recent election!), but a lot of these college students were facing the very real possibility of receiving a college diploma and a draft notice to go fight in a very unpopular war. They weren't protesting "just because" some outside group showed up and organized. Their lives were at stake, along with the lives of people they were in class with or went to high school with. On Monday, May 4, the lunchtime protest was generally peaceful. Then someone's trigger finger started itching. In less than 15 seconds 70 rounds were fired by the armed troops. In less than 15 seconds, four people died. "How many more," indeed. Ohio Written by Neil Young Recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young Released as a single, 1970 Based on the Kent State shootings, Kent State, Ohio May 4, 1970 We're finally on our own: