Ambassador of Hate

There's been a lot of hoopla about today's parole hearing for the assassin Sirhan Sirhan because one of the parole board members was appointed by Mr. Maria Shriver, the late RFK's niece's husband. Forget about this "conflict of interest" crap. Why does our justice system even allow for parole hearings for people who kill others in cold blood? (Not to mention that he was sentenced to death in 1972.) I say we put our energy into remembering the late Robert F. Kennedy, who served our country admirably.

My mom tells the story of how my Kennedy-obsessed father was so distraught by RFK's assassination that they both forgot my 1st birthday because they were so busy watching the funeral on television. My grandparents apparently showed up with a cake and a present (a white terrycloth shirt/shorts set with snazzy aqua trim) and my parents were so embarrassed by their oversight that they pretended like everything was normal and began the celebration on cue. Dad is buried not far from RFK and the rest of the Kennedy clan and I can't help but think he would be pleased with that.

Read: Sirhan to Come Up for Parole in California (AP)