We cats are appalled at the pepper-spray incident at UC Davis on Friday. Not just because the officers who hit the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators at point-black range were malevolently nonchalant, but also because it reminded us of something far more serious that happened many years ago.
On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia at Kent State University, killing four.
Handy tip to OWS demonstrators across the country: Those of us old enough to remember the shame of Kent State would just like point out that really icky stuff can happen to you when you go up against the powers that be in America. You can get a face full of pepper spray, and you can even get killed.
Let's fervently hope not. But since the authorities at UC Davis seem slow to make the pepper-spray perps pay for their outrageous behavior — and indeed, this weekend the university's chancellor had to walk an eerie gantlet of silent protesters who drove home that point — sadly, we cats are seeing historical parallels here.
(PHOTO: Yep, those are National Guardsmen aiming real guns at an American college student. Amazing, isn't it?)
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