Should John Hinckely be paroled?

[the_real_38]

They're saying he hasn't recovered from his 'narcissistic disorder':

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/18/hinckley.ap/index.html

You do have to take into account the fact that he shot James Brady, giving him brain damage.

Comments?

[xultar]

1. YES.

[american_punk]

2. maybe.....

I think that if extensive medical tests prove he is alright, he should be released...on parole of course

[Character Assassin]

24. Ok. Let's put him up on your block.

[RummyTheDummy]

3. No.

I know I will be in the minority here but I don't think he should. I saw a pretty good debate on this subject on Scarborough (believe it or not) and if what someone said on that show was true, he has written letters to Jody Foster relatively recently and has also attempted to correspond with Charles Manson and Ted Kazinsky. That in itself isn't enough to keep him confined, but represents odd behavior.

I would be interested to see if aynone can find any links backing up the person's claim that he has written threatening letters. That would change my opinion.

[the_real_38]

4. Yeah, Taxi Driver was a great flick...

... but you gotta know where to draw the line, and there's only one Bob DeNiro

[Drifter]

9. Why would you be in the minority ?

I believe he should be in jail. He broke the law (by attempting to kill the President).

I cheered the day Reagan was shot, mainly because the '00 curse had a chance to live on (unchanged). Hinckley was a failure.

The bottom line is that he is still a criminal that belongs in jail.

What if this had happened to Clinton? Would you release him in 2013 ?

Cheers
Drifter

[the_real_38]

11. Well, Reagan is a lot closer to someone like Hussein ....

... than Clinton. He was a butcher that mined the Nicaraguan harbors, supported death squads all over Central America, armed both sides (Iran and Iraq) of a war, and whose administration was found guilty of state terrorism by an international court in 1986.

But shooting James Brady is totally unjustified, and maybe he should stay confined because of that

[scottcsmith]

5. Depends on his condition

If his condition is stabalized through medication/therapy, and he's not a threat to anyone, maybe.

[GOPisEvil]

6. Paroled? Wasn't he found "not guilty by mental defect"?

I don't have enough information to judge his fitness for release (either supervised or not).

[Avalux]

7. No - and it wouldn't be parole

because he's not in jail. People diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder don't really recover. They learn over time to modify their behavior. It's often been stated about Hinckley that he's very good at fooling others (part of the disorder), including psych professionals, so it's difficult to make a call.
I don't think he should be allowed to go free.

[MojoKrunch]

8. Heck, parole him and give him a gun, too.

Can mental illness be cured?

If so, he should be a free man.

Mojo

[noonwitch]

10. Yes, because he was found not guilty

The way the law was at the time of his trial, he was found not guilty. If it wasn't a President he tried to kill, he would have been parolled a long time ago.

I highly doubt that he will ever be released as long as the gipper is technically still alive, even if his family are friends of the Bushes.

[TexasMexican]

12. no.

[catmandu57]

13. Sure

and be sure to tell him w* has been putting the moves on jodie.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

14. I'm no psychiatrist and I know nothing of this individual

except the fact that he shot Reagan in 1981. Therefore I am unable to pass judgment.

[wuushew]

15. He should be allowed to attend Raygun's funeral

and be allowed to give an unscripted eulogy.

The speech would include an ackwoledgement of Bush Senior's role in the attempt to kill Raygun and would conclude with an apology to Brady and a call to increase handgun regulations.

[maveric]

16. Should Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme be paroled??

She pulled a gun on Gerald Ford. Didnt shoot anyone though.

Mr. Brady is damaged for life because of this guy. This guy shouldnt be paroled IMO. He shot the F***ing president!

[Muddleoftheroad]

22. Thanks

You took the words right out of my mouth.

NO! Not now. Not ever.

[Silverhair]

25. She tried to shoot Ford, but she didn't know how to use a .45

Colt Autoloder. She had not chambered a round first. She just tried to pull the trigger. Nothing happened. Now the other nutcase, Sarah something or the other, also used the same type gun and did get off a couple of rounds. A gay in the crowd jumped her as she pulled the gun out, causing her to miss.

[ShaneGR]

17. No, he attempted to assassinate a sitting president

And ruined another mans life... Brady

[billyf65]

18. No

That will just add another issue for Faux News and the GOP to throw at us.

[newyawker99]

21. Hi billyf65!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Rowdyboy]

19. Hell NO!

Should Sirhan Sirhan be paroled for assassinating Bobby Kennedy after 35 years? Not even if he had earned a phd in ethics and wanted to devote his life to teaching underpriviledged children. A political assassin does more than kill a man. He can kill a movement; he can bring an era to an end. He can destroy innocence and hope for millions.

I despise Reagan as much as any human alive, but no political assassin (or attempted assassin) should ever be paroled under any circumstances.

[wuushew]

20. Sirhan claims the CIA brainwashed him as part of RFK conspiracy

Teeter is petitioning a federal court in Los Angeles to grant Sirhan a new trial. He has a June 30 hearing on a motion to move the case from Los Angeles to Fresno. He contends that Sirhan cannot get a fair hearing in Los Angeles, where a man who helped prosecute Sirhan is now a federal judge.

Teeter has maintained that Sirhan was hypnotized into firing at Kennedy and that he may have been using blanks; that Sirhan couldn't possibly have fired the fatal shot from where he was standing; that prosecutors blackmailed his defense attorney to throw the case and that police and government agencies whitewashed or bungled investigations.

"I covered the trial (as a reporter) and I don't think so. I think that the person that shot and killed Robert Kennedy was convicted and sentenced properly – absolutely, after a fair trial," said Sandi Gibbons, now a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney. "I do not believe that there was a conspiracy. I think that there'll always be conspiracy theorists and people who try to revise history. I think Sirhan killed him, and killed him alone."

Teeter said he personally believes that the "military-industrial complex" was involved in the senator's murder.


http://www.orwelltoday.com/rfkconspiracy.shtml

http://www.webcom.com/ctka/pr797-rfk.html

[mitchum]

23. Sure...as soon as James Brady recovers 100%

[Silverhair]

26. NO. n/t