The quote is from Douglas H. Kennedy, one of the sons of Robert F. Kennedy.
I'm reading "California parole panel votes in favor of release from prison for Sirhan Sirhan/Parole for 77-year-old convicted of assassinating still must be approved by full board, governor" (WaPo).
And here's quote from Robert Kennedy Jr.: "My father, I think, would be really happy today. My father believed in compassion. The ideals of our justice system are the possibility of redemption and the importance of forgiveness. He didn’t believe the justice system was just about revenge."
"We are devastated that the man who murdered our father has been recommended for parole. We adamantly oppose the parole and release of Sirhan Sirhan and are shocked by a ruling that we believe ignores the standards of parole of a confessed, first-degree murderer in the state of California."
Sirhan was originally sentenced to death. "When California eliminated the death penalty, Sirhan was resentenced to life. California has since reinstated the death penalty, but has a labyrinthine appeals process and rarely executes anyone."
The decision of the parole panel doesn't set him free. It must be reviewed by the parole board and then the governor. The governor's decision will take place well after the recall election, which is on September 14th.
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How do you show that someone is not a threat to themselves or the world? It’s a nice-sounding phrase, but it is hard to find actual meaning in it.
I have no strong feelings about Sirhan Sirhan’s release. He served over 50 years, he’s been punished, any deterrent effect has been achieved, so there’s no real harm in releasing him. More than anything, the question now is who will pay for his eldercare? The prison system or the welfare system? Still, though, he murdered a national leader, he used criminal violence to change the course of a nation. If that doesn’t merit the loss of any potential for future freedom, then what does?
Suppose that for fifty years you live a perfectly law-abiding life; and then one day your puppy is playing in the yard, when police officers who have been given the wrong address shoot it. In a rage, you kill one of them.
Should you be imprisoned for any length of time?
Do you pose any more threat to anyone than you did for the prior fifty years?
Does being in prison for a term of years make someone more fit to re-enter society, or less fit (setting aside natural effects of aging)?
Robert Kennedy’s a nutcase. More important is the release of David Gilbert, who killed two cops and a security guard in one robbery, set multiple bombs designed (poorly, luckily) to kill hundreds, and participated in the murders of several other police and security guards. Cuomo just insulted every cop in New York. I hope they get the chance to return the favor. May he never darken the streets of New York — or the rest of the state — again without being held instantaneously accountable.
When he kills again...get back to me. What a joke. He murdered their father.
"is found". This refers to the future which, by definition, is unknown. What degree of certainty is required, and do the finders post some kind of bond, or do they have liability insurance?
I've heard Robert Kennedy Jr. speak a number of times. I'm afraid for him. He seems functionally insane. And it may have been what he had to go through as a child, watching his father get murdered in public that did that to him. But, ask him about vaccinations (not covid, just any vaccines), ask him about 'saving the planet', ask him about Conservatives, you will not find him nearly as compassionate or empathetic to those who disagree with him on these topics.
Look- we don't know what goes through a man or woman's head. We cannot know that for sure. But we can find out much about them by their actions and their words. Sirhan Sirhan left no doubt why he did what he did. When asked about the Middle East situation today (which is worse then it was then), he broke down crying. I would not trust him out there to do it again. What does he have to lose?
As for the Kennedy's, you would think that the children who disagreed with the decision would have held some weight. But then, in a state where they hire poop removers instead of removing those who crap in the streets, there is much that is backward.
Generally releasing political prisoners overall has little to do with the personal and much to do with the collective.It encourages others.
Douglas Kennedy was too young to have ever known his father, and as others have noted, RFK Jr. is profoundly strange.
Rosey Grier, the football player who tackled Sirhan, is still alive. I'll be interested to see if someone goes to interview him about the parole.
I remember watching the election returns in my UC dorm on that June 68 night. Let him rot in hell.
An assassination is more than just a murder. The articles I've seen talk about it as if it were just a famous murder, affecting no one outside the family.
What constitutes "a Threat to the World"??
Is the Jen 6th Buffalo Hat guy a threat to the world?
What about a child abusing, serial lying, demented creepy old guy?
Killing RFK likely changed the outcome of the 1968 presidential election. That's an attack on all of us, not just some of his more deranged offspring. Political murder can never be forgiven.
"'I really do believe any prisoner who is found to be not a threat to themselves or the world should be released.'
Do you believe that? I don't."
Depends mightily on who is doing the finding.
Under that standard, we'd never incarcerate people like Bernie Madoff -- after you've been exposed as a fraudster on the world stage, how much risk do you realistically pose? But that wouldn't be right. Same with elderly war criminals.
Prevention is an important functions of prison, but so are retribution and deterrence.
So whoever's governor after the recall can veto Sirhan's release? Sounds like one more reason to vote 'yes' on the recall, and for Larry Elder on the second half of the ballot. This seems likely to increase his chances.
But will Newsome still be in office when this reaches the governor's desk, even if he's recalled? I think I read somewhere that there's a substantial lame-duck period for a recalled governor - a month or two, maybe.
More important is the release of David Gilbert.... oh yeah, father of the San Francisco District Attorney...
Yeah, RFK Jr. is a piece of work. He was also in the news (sort of) lately for Covid. Remember the articles on the 12 people allegedly sending out 60+ percent of the anti-vax info? Junior was one of them. Of course that wasn't highlighted because the Covid vax folk were supposed to be rabid Trumpskis.
"My father believed in compassion"?
Well, he hid it awfully well from the likes of James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, and, of course, MLK. That he was said to have discovered it post JFK assassination doesn't speak all that well of him. If it requires a personal tragedy to get in touch with it, you don't really believe in compassion.
It's the flip side of people who know history and how many billions have died horrible, undeserved deaths but suddenly, after losing a loved one, no longer believe in God.
Not all of the offspring of RFK are happy about the decision. Six of them — Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.), Courtney, Kerry, Chris, Maxwell, and Rory Kennedy — put out a statement that sounds right to me
You should hear what they think should happen to Andrew Cuomo ...
"Suppose that for fifty years you live a perfectly law-abiding life; and then one day your puppy is playing in the yard, when police officers who have been given the wrong address shoot it. In a rage, you kill one of them.
Should you be imprisoned for any length of time?"
Good luck arresting and imprisoning John Wick.
If my father were murdered and the killer were released while he was still alive, I would track that person down and kill them.
“Who is found” by whom?
“Not a threat?” to whom?
After all 12 of their peers found them GUILTY OF MURDER!
Not one more murderer should go free while the peaceful protesters of 1/6 are still imprisoned pretrial. Not even ONE!
Besides war, is there a greater threat to a nation then the assassination of its leaders?
"Good luck arresting and imprisoning John Wick."
LOL.
I believe retribution is a societal good. Commit premeditated murder, you rot in prison. I don't care whether you're a risk going forward or not.
Reminds me of a David Letterman back on his NBC in the 80s when Sirhan Sirhan argued to the Parole Commission that he Robert F. Kennedy were alive, he would grant the request for parole. To which Letterman said in his inimitable voice “Gosh darn the luck, the one guy that would have let him free, and he shot him.”
Apparently, we're never going to find out what was the deal with the Girl In The Polka Dot Dress.
Two of eight children tell the parole board that it’s okay to release their father’s murderer, and six of eight say to leave him in prison. What does it say about the American news media that all the attention is paid to the two and no attention is paid to the six? And what does it say about the parole board?
I remember that assassination. RFK would have won the nomination and beaten Nixon. Sirhan should stay in jail, and the attorney who stood aside - a nasty leftist - ignoring the verdict of the jury, should be recalled.
I take a middle position. If someone murdered my father, I'd want the death penalty. In fact maybe I'd take the law into my own hands. But if not, and the killer was sentenced to life, I'd consider 50+ years adequate punishment.
Sirhan is 77 y/o, he has no $$ and probably no friends or family. What's he going to do, that he can't do in prison? ANd going by medical stats, he'll be dead in 10 years anyway.
THis just shows that "Life" is Never "Life". The average murderer doesn't serve more than 20 years. I think the death penalty should be applied when the family demands it. Let the liberal families have their families killers go free in 20 years - hell, they can them over to dinner and give them a kiss - and the Conservatives can have their's put to death.
Death penalty. I'm not opposed to capital punishment in principle.
My problem is that there have been too many miscarriages of justice, such that I don't really trust the justice system. But murder should mean life, not 20 years with good behaviour. If that's OK, what's the tariff on rape?
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