Plain Talk Eight
What If?
(This
section is for the seasoned Robert F.
Kennedy assassination researcher)
What
if no murder weapon was actually recovered from the pantry crime scene of the Ambassador Hotel?
What
if no crime scene shell casings were recovered?
What
if the assassin took the murder weapon with him after he shot RFK?
What
if Sirhan really was a diversion - a patsy?
The
above questions arise from many years of research into the numerous evidentiary
problems in the Sirhan case. The above questions should not
be construed as being fact-based
conclusions. They are not, however, to me they make a great deal
of sense.
But
that’s all in the past. Let us slow-forward to Sirhan’s newest appeal to the court for judicial review of
some truly questionable evidence in his case. This time around, Sirhan has
standing next to him a sophisticated barrister in a better fitting suit (and
I’ve heard he is no dummy). Which will
probably mean Sirhan’s case will get
more press time.
It
is not so much a question of when the appellate court will respond to Sirhan’s
never-ending appeals but rather a question of what the courts actually
can do at this stage?
The
fact is, you cannot restore the evidence to its 1968 condition. Too much time has passed and most of the evidence is, without the
slightest doubt, in a far too degraded
condition. However, that is not to say all of the evidence is valueless.
Speaking
as a lay person one of the greatest
challenges I see in fighting a case is the enormous power of the press
and the tremendous influence they wield
. To be sure newsmen are a smart and hard -working breed, but they
are also under enormous
pressure to get their story out in the
shortest time possible. Realistically,
today is the world of sound bite - we can no longer afford the luxury of the
necessary time it takes to get
the story straight.
I’ll
bet Azdak (Brecht’s very wise judge) would make short work of this mess. First
he would put the “Statute Book” on his chair and sit on it. Then he was ready
to hear the case. (that wily Brecht
couldn‘t resist mocking the ancients for using a medicine book for a
pillow to cure a headache) Then he had
Azdak administering Solomon-like law in double -quick time. I wonder how he would rule on Sirhan’s
appeal?
Rose
Lynn Mangan, 1-22-2012