# Sirhan Sirhan recommended for parole **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 27, 2021, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645 "2021-08-27T23:11:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/86 "2021-09-04T16:06:47Z")
Noting that RFK Jr. has some strange opinions is like saying that the Taliban is hesitant to accept others’ religious beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![ElDeLuxo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@ElDeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElDeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/87 "2021-09-05T18:18:35Z")
I don’t understand why he should get a harsher sentence than another murderer, and I rather resent the notion that if someone first-degree-murdered _me_, they’d probably get paroled in 25 or 30 years, like most convicted killers, while _this_ guy should never be paroled because he shot fucking _RFK_– and, well, my life is just as important to me as RFK’s was to him, I would be just as dead as RFK if I was the one who was shot, and RFK was no better than I am. Politicians and their ilk are already given too much precedence and privilege over the rest of us, and punishing their murder more severely than anyone else’s just doesn’t smell right. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/88 "2021-09-05T18:44:58Z")
I disagree. It’s not that RFK’s life was inherently more precious than yours or mine; it’s that his murder was much more damaging to the nation. If I were murdered, my family and friends would be devastated, and my community might be horrified and would probably feel less safe. When a political leader is assassinated, the damage and devastation are several orders of magnitude worse and more widespread. After all, the assassin is not targeting the victim alone but also the political process and, indirectly, the thousands–or, as in RFK’s case, millions–of people who support the same causes and have the same ideals. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/89 "2021-09-05T18:56:13Z")
^ Agreed. Cf. this guy, a yutz like you and me but whose assassination weighed a bit more on the world at large: > **[Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > > Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated on 28 June 1914 by Bosnian Serb student Gavrilo Princip. They were shot at close range while being driven through Sarajevo, the provincial capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, formally annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908. > Princip was part of a group of six Bosnian assassins together with Muhamed Mehmedba... ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/90 "2021-09-06T02:53:46Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > It’s not that RFK’s life was inherently more precious than yours or mine; it’s that his murder was much more damaging to the nation. It arguably gave us Richard Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/91 "2021-09-06T12:30:02Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > I disagree. It’s not that RFK’s life was inherently more precious than yours or mine; it’s that his murder was much more damaging to the nation. I think this is a decent justification for holding assassins longer than ordinary murderers. I suspect we imprison everyone too long. I think we keep a lot of people who are no longer dangerous behind bars. But I’m okay holding assassins longer than those who murder in a fit of passion. (Unless the latter are still dangerous, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/92 "2021-09-06T13:10:58Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I have some pretty mixed feelings about this. I mean, this guy drastically altered history, IMO AFAIK he’s never expressed any remorse for the crime. Nixon, Watergate, Ford wouldn’t have happened. I can’t see any justification for releasing Sirhan now. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/93 "2021-09-06T20:41:13Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > \*recalling Jonathan Pollard, the released spy who got a hero’s welcome back in Israel. I do not recall that. The American Sheldon Adelson flew him to Israel in his private jet. He was met by Bibi. The Israelis gave him a government pension. I do not remember a hero’s welcome. The Israelis seem to be keeping him under wraps pretty well. (BTW, the Israelis just promoted his handler.) ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2021, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/94 "2021-09-06T21:28:06Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Noting that RFK Jr. has some strange opinions is like saying that the Taliban is hesitant to accept others’ religious beliefs. LOL! All right, RFK Jr has some crazy opinions. That’s one reason I’d take with a big big grain of salt the statement “They should parole Sirhan and RFK’s kids agree”. Especially when the majority of RFK’s kids don’t want him paroled. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/95 "2021-09-06T22:20:57Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > > [@Jackmannii](#): > > > > \*recalling Jonathan Pollard, the released spy who got a hero’s welcome back in Israel. > > I do not remember a hero’s welcome. > **[Jonathan Pollard, Spy for Israel, Gets Hero’s Welcome From Netanyahu: ‘You’re...](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/world/middleeast/jonathan-pollard-israel-us-spy.html)** > > Mr. Pollard, who gave a range of classified documents to Israel starting in 1984, recently completed his parole. His case was a longstanding irritant to American-Israeli ties. > **[Jonathan Pollard arrives in Israel, 35 years after his arrest for spying](https://www.timesofisrael.com/jonathan-pollard-arrives-in-israel-35-years-after-his-imprisonment-for-spying/)** > > Ex-US Navy analyst, jailed for passing secrets to Israel, touches down with wife a month after end of parole; greeted by Netanyahu: 'You can start life anew, with freedom' > [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > The Israelis gave him a government pension. “According to multiple [past reports](https://www.amazon.com/Capturing-Jonathan-Pollard-Notorious-American/dp/159114647X) based on the statements of United States investigators, Israeli intelligence paid Pollard $50,000 by the time he was arrested in 1985, on top of lavish gifts, and promised to deposit $30,000 a year for him in a secret Swiss bank account. The original 10-year deal could have amounted to as much as $540,000, officials said when he went to jail. But if the Israelis continued the payments to their captured spy—a common practice of major espionage agencies the world over—then Pollard could be in line for a $1 million payday, or more.” > **[Jonathan Pollard's Potential Cash Stash](https://www.newsweek.com/jonathan-pollard-israel-spy-one-million-dollars-357943)** > > Pollard, who will be released in November on parole, has served 30 years for supplying the Israeli government with classified documents.  ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/96 "2021-09-07T08:51:17Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/97 "2022-01-14T17:57:23Z")
> **[RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan will remain in prison](https://apnews.com/article/sirhan-sirhan-parole-denied-5fc641a6dfc4bb7636075857a132fb7c)** > > SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, was denied parole Thursday by California’s governor, who said the killer remains a threat to the public and hasn’t taken responsibility for a... ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2022, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/98 "2022-01-15T07:31:51Z")
Good. Fuck you, Sirhan. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/99 "2022-01-18T09:00:41Z")
Since he’s never shown remorse or even taken responsibility for his act, you forgot _with a rusty hacksaw._ And I’m no big fan of the Kennedy clan. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/100 "2022-01-18T16:44:47Z")
Sirhan should be released when Robert gets to be alive and walking around. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/101 "2022-01-21T19:51:19Z")
Shouldn’t be too difficult, at least according to Qanon. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645/102 "2022-01-21T22:24:57Z")
Sara Jane Moore, who shot at President Ford (she missed and was tackled and disarmed by a bystander, Oliver Sipple) was released after 32 years. I suppose that’s enough for an attempted assassination, and she did regret doing it. There was a documentary I saw, sorry to say I don’t recall the subject, but Sara Jane Moore was one of the prime interviewees and I kept thinking “wait, isn’t she the one who…?” Indeed she was, but only at the end was her past even mentioned. To most viewers she just looked like a pleasant older lady. I guess you can live it down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirhan-sirhan-recommended-for-parole/949645.md?page=4)