The jack booted wing of Catholicism, brought to you regularly by First Things. 

A few days ago a few of my friends and I ran a rather raucous thread concerning responsibility for the 1970 deaths of four students at Kent State University. A number of my interlocutors were Kent State graduates and a couple were there, on campus, on the day of the shootings which helped to add a certain ‘tone’ to the thread. In my part of Ohio many high school students matriculate to Kent State. Back in the day we had a saying, “If you can’t go to college, go to Kent.
It’s my position that then governor, James Rhodes, did the right thing, in fact his duty, in calling out the guard to suppress the arson, looting, and rioting instigated by leftist provocateurs. For two days the city of Kent, Ohio and the university experienced a violent uprising. While the actual shooting, and ensuing deaths and injuries were unfortunate this result is not unknown when ‘demonstrators and protesters’ confront armed National Guardsmen.
The responsibilities of government are limited and few. One of these is the maintenance of order. Governor Rhodes fulfilled his obligation to maintain order, in calling up the National Guard at the request of the Mayor of Kent, Ohio. It is interesting to note, in looking back that student anti-war rioting started to decline not long after Kent State (and the shootings at Jackson State). It appears that those American college students advocating ‘the violent overthrow’ had no stomach for revolution, no yearning for the barricades, that in fact they lacked the courage of their puerile, epigonic Marxist convictions.

Rather than stand by his words or apologize and retract, Robert C Cheeks – or simply First Things – took down the post and erased any reference to it.  Conservative Catholic bravery under fire, following in John Wayne’s footsteps – the ‘hero’ who alone among Hollywood male stars of his time, shirked serving in WWII.