Kent State Remembered

Today is the 40th anniversary of what we called the "Kent State Massacre". It was a turbulent time of history - we had just invaded Cambodia - illegally and uninvited - during the Vietnam war. Anti-war protests were escalating in violence, buildings on college campuses around the nation were being burned by student anti-war protestors. I was in high school (yes - that makes me older than dirt, but that's the way it is). The thing that shocked all of us was that these four students were killed by the National Guard. People who were the same age as the students were ordered to pull the trigger against students in a non-war domestic situation. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded. Although our current wars are also unpopular, I am very grateful that our troops are honored. The only thing that we seem to have learned from the Vietnam War is to honor those who serve in battle instead of alienating and shunning them. Why not honor a Veteran today? Buy him/her a cup of coffee, shake his/her hand and say "Thank You for your service". They deserve our thanks for a very difficult job that they have been performing.

And today's Beading For A Cure auction item is by my friend Ida Northcott. Ida and I have never met in person, but we have known each other on-line since 1996. When I first got to know her on the old AOL jewelry boards, she was just going to get married. She married and now has two fantastic children, and she is still making wonderful beaded items. Please bid high on her offering, or any of the other wonderful items up for auction this week. Remember - this is the final week of auctions and there won't be other items up for bid to raise funds for colorectal cancer research until 2011.