On May 4, 1970, during a huge protest against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war at Kent State University, Ohio National Guard troops fired at students, killing four students and injuring nine others.
Now, for an event at the university marking the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, Kent State is shelling out $83,000 to a famous celebrity to come and speak: Jane Fonda.
PJ Media reports:
In a move that surprised many in the Northeast Ohio area and beyond, Kent State President Todd Diacon announced that actress, activist, and (former?) communist sympathizer Jane Fonda will be one of the speakers at an anniversary commemoration of the shooting on May 3—and she’ll be paid a whopping $83,000 to ostensibly reminisce about her anti-war activism.
Ohio GOP Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who served in the 101st Airborn Division and later as a Green Beret in Iraq, expressed his anger on Facebook, writing:
The 50th anniversary of one of Ohio’s darkest days has the potential to serve as a moment of unity, understanding & healing in a nation that is deeply divided. However, Kent State’s decision to pay Jane Fonda $83,000 to speak at their commemoration event does the very opposite.
I served 10 years in the US Army, and eight years in the Ohio Senate before becoming Secretary of State. I certainly understand that people disagree on policy issues, especially matters of war — and that’s ok. What’s not ok is providing aid and comfort to the enemy and willfully serving as a propaganda tool for those engaged in hostilities against the United States. And Ms. Fonda did that – the very definition of treason.
American service members coming home from Vietnam deserved a much better reception than the one they received. They weren’t the politicians who chose which battle to fight — they were the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines sent into the battle. And we should say one thing to them: Welcome Home.
There’s still time to make the 50th anniversary commemoration of this awful day one that can be inclusive and educational for Ohioans, Americans and the world. I urge Kent State University to immediately rescind their invitation to Ms. Fonda.
As PJ Media noted, Kent State spokesman Eric Mansfield defended the decision, asserting that the commemoration advisory committee “developed three pillars that guided the planning: honoring and remembering those killed and wounded; educating about May 4, 1970, and the dangers of polarizing rhetoric and divisive discourse; and above all, inspiring current and future students to be leaders in peaceful conflict resolution and reconciliation.”
In January 2018, after Fonda continually targeted former NBC host Megyn Kelly for daring to ask Fonda about her plastic surgery, Kelly decided she had had enough, firing back:
Apparently, when she came here, however, again, to promote her film about aging, I was supposed to discern that this subject was suddenly off limits. Look, I gave her the chance to empower other women, young and old, on a subject which she purports to know well, and she rejected it. That’s OK. But I have no regrets about that question, nor am I in the market for a lesson from Jane Fonda on what is or is not appropriate …
Look at her treatment of our military during the Vietnam War. Many of our veterans still call her “Hanoi Jane” thanks to her radio broadcast, which attempted to shame American troops; she posed on an anti-aircraft gun used to shoot-down our American pilots; she called our POWs hypocrites and liars and referred to their torture as “understandable.”
PJ Media noted that in 2011 Fonda allowed that the photo shoot was a mistake, saying she would “regret to my dying day. I allowed myself to be photographed on a Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun,” but then added this excuse: “It happened on my last day in Hanoi. It was not unusual for Americans who visited North Vietnam to be taken to see Vietnamese military installations and when they did, they were always required to wear a helmet like the kind I was told to wear during the numerous air raids I had experienced.”
Of course I’m all for free speech. @Janefonda can come to campus and give a speech for free anytime — but we shouldn’t be paying her $83k to travel to Ohio and speak at such a solemn occasion as this. https://t.co/u1kxJCusgh
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) February 18, 2020