Octopus Overlords

Read the link before you vote.

The poll's mostly in jest; I'm curious what you think about the linked story. Just lawyers blowing smoke, or is there something new in there?

OK then, I'll go first.

On one hand, hypnosis is not a reliable way of recovering buried truth, as we learned during the child-abuse witch hunts of the 90s. The subject is suggestible and the hypnotist guides the outcome. And this session was sponsored by the subject's lawyers.

OTOH, I don't know what they expected to gain from creating new "revelations" that might cast doubt on their client's guilt. It's not like there's any chance he'll ever go free. I don't understand their agenda.

The girl in the polka dot dress came as news to me. I'd dismiss her as imaginary if not for the contemporary eyewitness accounts mentioned in the story. I found that part intriguing. Sirhan's recollection of seeing a muzzle flash is also intriguing, although that's easy to dismiss as fantasy with no corroborating evidence.

RFK made a lot of enemies as attorney general, chief among them the mob/Teamsters/Jimmy Hoffa. I've always suspected that they were behind his assassination. This latest story raises some question in my mind whether Sirhan was their agent or a mere diversion.

Your poll is incomplete.

The papers point to a mysterious girl in a polka dot dress as the controller who led Sirhan to fire a gun in the pantry of the Ambassador Hotel.

I never trusted the little bitch, anyway.

I thought Kennedy was shot in the back of the head while Sirhan was never behind him at any point in the shooting, so unless he scored a 3X point for difficulty ricochet head shot, it's physically impossible for Sirhan to claim the kill.

There was an armed guard behind Kennedy, it's not hard to believe that in all the commotion he fired the shot, deliberately or accidentally on purpose.

RFK would probably have won the presidential election. I wonder how much different the world/USA would be now if he had lived?

It's odd that Sirhan Sirhan doesn't have a middle name. All assassins of public figures have to have middle names. Actually, this is quite damning evidence of a conspiracy.

dbt1949 wrote:RFK would probably have won the presidential election. I wonder how much different the world/USA would be now if he had lived?

RFK was revered at the time, but I have read some about him in the last few years and he was a vengeful asshole who took care of people he did not like. He was JFK's hit man, doing the nasty work for him during the 1960 election and during his presidency. He was a legal counsel for Joseph McCarthy in the 50's and was late in supporting the civil rights movement.

Would he have gotten us out of Vietnam any earlier? I somehow doubt it. There would not have been a Watergate though.

Scuzz wrote:

dbt1949 wrote:RFK would probably have won the presidential election. I wonder how much different the world/USA would be now if he had lived?

RFK was revered at the time, but I have read some about him in the last few years and he was a vengeful asshole who took care of people he did not like. He was JFK's hit man, doing the nasty work for him during the 1960 election and during his presidency. He was a legal counsel for Joseph McCarthy in the 50's and was late in supporting the civil rights movement.

Would he have gotten us out of Vietnam any earlier? I somehow doubt it. There would not have been a Watergate though.

What would the shorthand for scandals be then? Life would be entirely too confusing!

WPD wrote:

Scuzz wrote:

dbt1949 wrote:RFK would probably have won the presidential election. I wonder how much different the world/USA would be now if he had lived?

RFK was revered at the time, but I have read some about him in the last few years and he was a vengeful asshole who took care of people he did not like. He was JFK's hit man, doing the nasty work for him during the 1960 election and during his presidency. He was a legal counsel for Joseph McCarthy in the 50's and was late in supporting the civil rights movement.

Would he have gotten us out of Vietnam any earlier? I somehow doubt it. There would not have been a Watergate though.

What would the shorthand for scandals be then? Life would be entirely too confusing!

It would revert to what was used before Watergate. Teapot Dome.

CNN

Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, faces his 16th parole hearing Friday seeking a release from prison -- this time with no opposition from prosecutors.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has no plans for his prosecutors to speak out during Sirhan's parole hearing scheduled for Friday, affirming his stance that the role of a prosecutor ends at sentencing.
...
Gascón's office said the previous practice, typical of many district attorneys across the country, involved almost always objecting to inmate releases, based solely on the circumstances of the crime and not of the actions of the inmate in the years following. The new directive aims to leave the decision up to the parole board.

@FOXLA wrote:#BREAKING: Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 in Los Angeles, was granted parole Friday after two of RFK's sons said they supported his release. bit.ly/3sQTa2Z

Let the right-wing outrage commence!

I know at least one of his sons is an ass.

Well, he had seven sons, and two of them have passed...

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Fri Aug 27, 2021 5:36 pm Let the right-wing outrage commence!

I'm going to play the devils advocate here and ask, Why shouldn't he die in prison. Sirhan Sirhan murdered a presidential candidate. Someone who could have made things better in the US. Who knows? We won't know because that man decided to murder ANOTHER Kennedy.

I could go either way on this. The epiphany of what he lost all those years in prison would be the final punishment I think...nothing else would be gained by letting him rot in prison but to see the world that though his actions he had forsaken could be a final fuck you since he's not going to live long enough to make up for the lost experience. That the Kennedy family is not objecting to his release now is also telling.

The final decision belongs to the governor of CA, who's facing a recall election. Sirhan's fate will depend on whatever Newsom decides is best for him politically (which I suspect means he will not be released).

AFAIK, IDK.

Jeff V wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:35 pm I could go either way on this. The epiphany of what he lost all those years in prison would be the final punishment I think...nothing else would be gained by letting him rot in prison but to see the world that though his actions he had forsaken could be a final fuck you since he's not going to live long enough to make up for the lost experience. That the Kennedy family is not objecting to his release now is also telling.

That's good.

No option for all of the above? sigh.

Denied

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has cited RFK as his "political hero" and embraced the historical significance of his decision, rejected a recommendation from a two-person panel of parole commissioners. Newsom said Sirhan, now 77, poses an unreasonable threat to public safety.

"Mr. Sirhan's assassination of Senator Kennedy is among the most notorious crimes in American history," Newsom wrote in his decision. "After decades in prison, he has failed to address the deficiencies that led him to assassinate Senator Kennedy. Mr. Sirhan lacks the insight that would prevent him from making the same types of dangerous decisions he made in the past."

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:21 pm Denied

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has cited RFK as his "political hero" and embraced the historical significance of his decision, rejected a recommendation from a two-person panel of parole commissioners. Newsom said Sirhan, now 77, poses an unreasonable threat to public safety.

"Mr. Sirhan's assassination of Senator Kennedy is among the most notorious crimes in American history," Newsom wrote in his decision. "After decades in prison, he has failed to address the deficiencies that led him to assassinate Senator Kennedy. Mr. Sirhan lacks the insight that would prevent him from making the same types of dangerous decisions he made in the past."

Ermmmm. Are the transcripts of bail appeal hearings public or are we supposed to take Mr. Newsom's word that Sirhan is all of these things?

Here's the Governor's statement that has some citations.

Speaking of crazy assassinations, I saw a video which analyzed the Zapruder footage to make the case (dead serious as far as I could tell) that JFK was killed by Jackie Kennedy in broad daylight. It claims that when she put her arm around him she was actually reaching under the seat to pull out a gun and finish the job. Allegedly she was pissed about Marilyn Monroe or something.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 1:54 am Speaking of crazy assassinations, I saw a video which analyzed the Zapruder footage to make the case (dead serious as far as I could tell) that JFK was killed by Jackie Kennedy in broad daylight. It claims that when she put her arm around him she was actually reaching under the seat to pull out a gun and finish the job. Allegedly she was pissed about Marilyn Monroe or something.

Drazzil wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 2:10 am

Jaymann wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 1:54 am Speaking of crazy assassinations, I saw a video which analyzed the Zapruder footage to make the case (dead serious as far as I could tell) that JFK was killed by Jackie Kennedy in broad daylight. It claims that when she put her arm around him she was actually reaching under the seat to pull out a gun and finish the job. Allegedly she was pissed about Marilyn Monroe or something.

That was my reaction as well. The whole idea was so preposterous it had me in stitches imagining her actually doing it.