Best theme party week EVER. Today we find:
- Squeaky Fromme is getting out of jail soon! Unlike Leslie Van Houten, who has been repentant and rehabilitated for decades, Squeaky is still as nutty as they come and, along with her BFF Sandra Goode, declared herself a nun. So, yeah, she tried to kill the president of the United States, and she gets let out of jail while Leslie, who didn't kill anybody, must be kept away forever. Somebody didn't hire the right publicist.
- Speaking of which, better late than never, parts two and three of John Waters' reminiscences of his friendship with Van Houten are up at the Huffington Thing.
- NPR interviewed Waters about writing about Leslie Van Houten.
- ABC News in LA came up with the awesome title "40 Years After the Fear" for their celebration.
9 comments:
Squeaky never killed anyone either. She also didn't take part in a massacre, making her an accessory, to mass murder.
Yikes!
Where is Sandra these days, anyway?
I love "The Huffington Thing." Can't think of it any other way now.
Waters whines that Van Houten "didn't even kill anybody." Please. She put the pillowcase over Rosemary Labianca's head and held her down while Patricia Krenwinkle stabbed her. Later, Van Houten herself stabbed her 16 times. Nice girl. Want her on your block?
I think Leslie's defense floated the idea that maybe Mrs. LaB was dead when she stabbed her, but I don't think it was established.
But it's really shocking they're letting Fromme out. I thought once you make an attempt on the president, that's it for ya, locked up and that key? It's been thrown away. I guess not.
Federal law requires parole after 30 years for a life sentence. There is a distinction between "life" and "life without the possibility of parole." Squeeky got the former. Weird but there it is.
Waters is an amazingly talented and witty man but he's also an ass. He's so wrapped up in celebrity that he's lost his bearings. I thought the whole all things Manson is ironically cool thing was over twenty years ago.
Van Houten needs to remain in prison until the end of her life. She is doing good work in there. Even if she keeps it up for another 40 years, it won't make up for the damage that she did.
didnt they also let out Sarah Jane Moore? who also tried to kill Ford.
myabe Squeaky and Sarah can have a reunion
Wow. The lock 'em up until the die crowd must have really good Google alerts set up. They find these comment streams everywhere!
Look, I personally don't believe people should spend their lives in prison. Nor should there a be a death penalty. So that's my bias. I believe in reform. And I don't believe "getting tough" does anything but create a forgotten second class crime school. I especially don't believe that someone who was clearly brainwashed by a very evil man should spend the rest of her life in prison.
But that's me. I kind of believe it's our duty to take care of people. Out of sight, out of mind is taking care of anyone.
And I'd be happy to have her on my block. I live in East Harlem now, so we are used to taking the world's forgotten.
To Anonymous-
"Van Houten needs to remain in prison until the end of her life. She is doing good work in there. Even if she keeps it up for another 40 years, it won't make up for the damage that she did."
And your point is?
For crying out aloud, Van Houten was 19 when she committed these alleged offences, she has been punished.
If Van Houten is good enough for John Waters then she is good enough for me, I would be happy to have her as a neighbour or even as a house guest.
Full disclosure and slightly off-topic, my part of Australia abolished the death penalty in 1921
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