Woman in the polka dot dress.
Posted on 06/05/2005 5:52:48 AM PDT by kellynla
Senator Robert Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary. Immediately after he announced to his cheering supporters that the country was ready to end its fractious divisions, Kennedy was shot several times by the 22-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan. He died a day later.
The summer of 1968 was a tempestuous time in American history. Both the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement were peaking. Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated in the spring, igniting riots across the country. In the face of this unrest, President Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to seek a second term in the upcoming presidential election. Robert Kennedy, John's younger brother and former U.S. Attorney General, stepped into this breach and experienced a groundswell of support.
Kennedy was perceived by many to be the only person in American politics capable of uniting the people. He was beloved by the minority community for his integrity and devotion to the civil rights cause. After winning California's primary, Kennedy was in the position to receive the Democratic nomination and face off against Richard Nixon in the general election.
(Excerpt) Read more at historychannel.com ...
darn...
Bobby Kennedy had the courage of Gene McCarthy's convictions.
The sins of the father will be visited on the son.
A lot of historical things happened on this date.
RFK, RIP. Killed by a Palestinian terrorist, lest we forget. We obviously failed to pay attention for a very, very long time.
I was about to shut the TV off in my BOQ room at Ft. Rucker. In fact, the network covering RFK's appearance was about to sign off when they had a report from the kitchen. I flew the next day after having no sleep.
I wonder if a lone assasin could do that again today.
June 5, 1968 is a day I will remember with mixed feelings. It was the 1 week anniversary being introduced to basic training.
The import and impact of RFK's death was lost on all of us.
RFK didn't have Secret Service protection. Don't all presidential candidates get it today if they want it?
Exactly. And why anyone would be less than horrified, outraged and sad about this is beyond. We can differ with other Americans politically, but to be sanguine about the assasination of our officials, especially the brother our assasinated President, makes us too much like the scum at DailyKos.com. Maybe some people are to young too remember, or grown hard because there is so much more violence in the world now.
"Don't all presidential candidates get it today if they want it?"
Yes, and they may not have much of a choice. That's probably because of this man's murder. But I'm not sure when it kicks in, maybe only after the conventions. I'm not sure if Ralph Nader, for example, was offered SS protection.
It is never a good thing when someone gets assassinated and certainly not if they are from the same family within such a short span of years.
Besides, the race between Nixon and RFK would have DEFINITELY been interesting to say the least.....
June 5, 1968, the begining of Islamic terror attacks against the Uinted States. 37 years and countless other attacks later, liberals still argue against defense.
Woman in the polka dot dress.
Such a sad time in the USA. I really felt like the country might be ripped apart over the next few years.
Who knows? RFK might have been a good president. The opportunity to choose was taken from the American people, and his assassination added fuel to the fire of the campus revolts. Very sad times.
I don't know if RFK would have been a good President, we'll never know. The murder of his brother changed the natural order of things, and in some ways we will never recover from it. Certainly the years after saw the country lurch in a new direction. Much more violent and cynical. Maybe it would have happened anyway. We'll never know...
Freshman in college. Damned glad I was in college and not Viet Nam.
You are right, the cynicism and violence in the USA began in those years.
Yes. A deep scar in our psyche.
so what was Medved's opinion?
was there just one assassin?
Why Sirhan Sirhan is still alive is beyond me. But then again, no one in the Manson family got the death penalty either.
Does anyone know why Sirhan chose Bobby Kennedy? Was Kennedy just an available target?
She said that at a recent parole hearing, Sirhan told the board that "if Robert Kennedy were alive today, he would forgive me, and urge my release from prison." "Well, of all the terrible luck! The one guy in the world who'd vouch for you to get out of jail, and you killed him!"
Mark
Thanks for the link, and the reminder.
What is interesting about the chapter was the description of the emotions of the massive crowd in the ballroom. The actual shots were heard by some in the ballrooom, and many seemed to sense immediately that this was no fire-cracker or anything other than an assassination attempt on their beloved candidate. The hotel was immediately locked down by the authorities, but no one WANTED to leave, according to Medved, they were in shock. There was much apprehension as they awaited the announcement that Kennedy was dead.
Sorry, but the significance is lost on me.... is this satire of some kind? or is there some detail I've missed / forgotten?
Cheers,
Lloyd
I used to tell the liberal morons I meet that had a love affair with Arafat, typically those who think the Kennedy's walk on water, that Arafat most likely had RFK assassinated.
Most simply didn't believe that was possible or an obvious Rove conspiracy planted
Regards.
So....?
I had shaken hands with him down in Orange County 2 days prior to death with Rosie Greer staring down at me. He was RFK's secret service then.. I still have my poster. Things may have been different for all of us....
Court TV's Crime Library covers that angle here.
June 5, 1968: Bobby Kennedy Is Assassinated
.....yep,...June 5th.....WW-II....'D'-Day!!!
President Ronald Regan died on this day, a year ago....least we not forget....
Interesting... thanks for the link
This assassination is my first "TV memory" as a child. I was just five years old at the time and the image of RFK lying there clutching his rosary beads is etched in my memory, because it was showed on TV over and over again.
I think the reason RFK didn't have it was because he wasn't officially the Dem nominee yet.
"Yes. A deep scar in our psyche."
If you've never read Steven King's "Hearts in Atlantis," I think you'd really appreciate it. If you've seen the movie, erase all your memories of such prior to reading the book.
It'd been a tough one for Nixon. Then again it was tough for him against Humphrey.
June 6th was D Day...the 5th was softening up.
i'll never forget these days:
jfk we were in shock.
mlk, my girlfriend picked me up from work and we could not believe the newspaper headlines.
rfk. i was still a democrap then. i awakened to the news on the radio, half asleep, i wondered, why are they re-playing the jfk assasination? when i awakened i was sad.
and then, gradually ted kennedy taught us what the democrats had become--the opposite of jfk.
I believe that John F. Kennedy once said all someone needs is a willingness to trade his life for the President's.
I think Lincoln said something similar as well.
One year previous to the Bobby Kennedy assassination the six-day war began between Egypt and Israel. Historically, the death of Kennedy, though tragic, could not compare to the import of that war and the resulting course of history in the Middle East and the world. In fact, the six-day war had a much greater impact on the USA than the death of a quixotic politician.
I don't think SS actually killed RFK. I believe he fired shots in the general direction. One book claimed RFK was shot at close range by his own security detail, while one the ground.
The main consideration is the Mafia ties to the Kennedy family, going back to bootlegging days. They took Mafia money, used Mafia influence to win elections, slept with Mafia molls, then prosecuted Mafia leaders. No criminal conspiracy is going to take that lying down.
yeah...
Probably one for history....
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