Tag Archives: Vietnam

Kent State Anniversary (May 4, 1970, revised and reposted)

Posted on May 5, 2025 by David S. Meyer

This is a repost of a report on the Kent State shootings, on occasion of an anniversary. At the end, I’ve added a bit on Neil Young’s emblematic song, which helped keep the memory alive. As I write in 2025, … Continue reading →

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Martin Luther King Day, 2025; the arc of the moral universe bends back.

Posted on January 20, 2025 by David S. Meyer

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Convictions and convictions (4): how sacrifice (sometimes) works

Posted on June 17, 2023 by David S. Meyer

Daniel Ellsberg died of pancreatic cancer at 92, having lived a long and contentious life. As the obits everywhere tell, he started by touching every base on the career trajectory of an elite military analyst: an academic start in prep … Continue reading →

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Kent State Anniversary (repost)

Posted on May 4, 2022 by David S. Meyer

(This is a repost of a report on the Kent State shootings, on occasion of the 52nd anniversary. It’s almost hard to remember a moment when students were present on college campuses, much less assembled together in groups. At the … Continue reading →

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Dilemmas and Dynamics of Escalation (2)

Posted on April 30, 2022 by David S. Meyer

Wynn Bruce set himself on fire in front of the Supreme Court toward the end of Earth Day. He was evacuated by helicopter and died in a hospital the next day. Concerned with government inaction on climate change, and deeply … Continue reading →

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Kent State shootings, anniversary (repost)

Posted on May 3, 2020 by David S. Meyer

(This is a repost of a report on the Kent State shootings, on occasion of the 50th anniversary. It’s almost hard to remember a moment when students were present on college campuses, much less assembled together in groups. At the … Continue reading →

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Martin Luther King Day, 2019

Posted on January 21, 2019 by David S. Meyer

Yesterday Vice President Mike Pence compared his boss, Donald Trump, to Martin Luther King. Really. I don’t know whether the comparison is a true reflection of Pence’s ignorance, or just his subservience.  But minimally, the day of commemoration should be … Continue reading →

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Martin Luther King Day, 2018

Posted on January 15, 2018 by David S. Meyer

On the eve of the Martin Luther King Day holiday, the president of the United States announces, emphatically, that you can’t find anyone less racist than he is. If you’re suspicious of such proclamations, perhaps it’s just that you’ve learned … Continue reading →

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Martin Luther King Day, 2017

Posted on January 16, 2017 by David S. Meyer

(This is a repost of the MLKing Day holiday note.) Martin Luther King died young enough and dramatically enough to be turned into an American hero, but it was neither his youth nor his death that made him heroic. In … Continue reading →

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More flags

Posted on March 11, 2015 by David S. Meyer

Participants in the flag debate around my campus note that the American flag has been deployed in the service of heroic causes and of less heroic and admirable efforts.  The truth is that if you can’t find the flag used … Continue reading →

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