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A28 u.s. news
Diasabra 15 Januari 2022

RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan will remain in prison

sight, refuses to accept re- extensive record of reha-
sponsibility and has failed to bilitation over the last half-
disclaim violence committed century,” Berry said. “Since
in his name. That adds “to the mid-1980’s Mr. Sirhan
his current risk of inciting has consistently been found
further political violence,” by prison psychologists and
Newsom wrote. psychiatrists to not pose an
unreasonable risk of danger
In 1973, terrorists took 10 to the public.”
hostages at an embassy in Su- During his parole hear-
dan, demanding the release ing, the white-haired Sirhan
of Sirhan and other prisoners called Kennedy the “hope of
and killing three diplomats the world.” But he stopped
when their demands weren’t short of taking full respon-
met, he noted. sibility for a shooting he said
he doesn’t recall because he
Sirhan, who will be sched- was drunk.
uled for a new parole hearing
no later than February 2023, “It pains me ... the knowledge
will ask a judge to overturn for such a horrible deed, if I
Newsom’s denial, defense at- did, in fact, do that,” Sirhan
torney Angela Berry said. said.

“We fully expect that judicial Kennedy’s widow, Ethel,
review of the governor’s de- and six of his children hailed
(AP) — Sirhan Sirhan, Democratic Gov. Gavin and 10 children “immeasur- cision will show that the gov- Newsom’s decision in a
who assassinated presi- Newsom, who has cited RFK able suffering,” Newsom ernor got it wrong,” she said. statement that called RFK a
dential candidate Robert as his political hero, rejected said the killing “also caused “visionary and champion of
F. Kennedy in 1968, was a recommendation from a great harm to the American State law holds that inmates justice” whose life “was cut
denied parole Thursday two-person panel of parole people.” are supposed to be paroled short by an enraged man with
by California’s governor, commissioners who said unless they pose a current a small gun.”
who said the killer remains Sirhan, 77, should be freed. It “upended the 1968 presi- unreasonable public safety
a threat to the public and The panel’s recommendation dential election, leaving mil- risk, she said, adding that “The political passions that
hasn’t taken responsibil- in August had divided the lions in the United States and “not an iota of evidence exists motivated this inmate’s act
ity for a crime that altered Kennedy family, with two of beyond mourning the prom- to suggest Mr. Sirhan is still a still simmer today, and his
American history. RFK’s sons — Douglas Ken- ise of his candidacy,” New- danger to society.” refusal to admit the truth
nedy and Robert F. Kennedy som wrote. “Mr. Sirhan killed makes it impossible to con-
Kennedy, a U.S. senator Jr. — supporting his release, Senator Kennedy during a She said the parole process clude that he has overcome
from New York, was shot and their siblings and mother dark season of political as- has become politicized, and the evil that boiled over 53
moments after he claimed vehemently opposing it. sassinations, just nine weeks Newsom “chose to over- years ago,” they wrote.
victory in California’s piv- after Dr. Martin Luther King rule his own experts (on the
otal Democratic presidential In his decision, Newsom Jr.’s murder and four and a parole board), ignoring the The panel’s decision was
primary. Five others were said the assassination was half years after the murder of law.” based in part on several new
wounded during the shoot- “among the most notorious Senator Kennedy’s brother, California laws since he was
ing at the Ambassador Hotel crimes in American history,” President John F. Kennedy.” Parole commissioners found denied parole in 2016 — the
in Los Angeles. Aside from causing Ken- Sirhan suitable for release 15th time he’d lost his bid for
nedy’s then-pregnant wife He said Sirhan still lacks in- “because of his impressive release.

Tightened federal water protections won’t slow some projects

(AP) — The Biden ad- the Biden administration said would mine titanium and
ministration is moving to many developers would not other minerals a few miles
tighten oversight of proj- be able to rely on favorable outside the Okefenokee
ects that benefitted from assessments they got under Swamp, home to the largest
Trump-era loosened wa- Trump. But the change will U.S. wildlife refuge east of
ter protections, but some likely allow some projects the Mississippi River. En-
projects including a con- — including a proposed tita- vironmental advocates have
troversial Georgia mine nium mine in Georgia — to long opposed the project,
will likely be able to es- escape the clampdown. arguing that it threatens hun-
cape new scrutiny. dreds of acres of critical wet-
The new guidance generally lands.
It’s the latest twist in a long- does not apply to developers
running dispute over the if they were told that none “The Corps’ interpretation of
scope of the Clean Water Act, of the waters on their prop- its policy causes an absurd re- tion Agency seeking more gered red-cockaded wood-
with each new administra- erty site were subject to fed- sult for sites like Twin Pines,” oversight for Twin Pines. pecker.
tion aiming to shift which eral oversight under Trump said Kelly Moser, an attorney Leopoldo Miranda-Castro, a
waterways require federal and could advance without a at the Southern Environ- regional director for the ser- Twin Pines President Steve
protections. The new guid- federal permit — even if the mental Law Center that has vice, expressed concern that Ingle said this week that the
ance aims to diminish the same waters are now protect- fought the project. the project could affect wet- mine would have a “negli-
impact of Trump-era envi- ed under the tightened rules lands that are federally regu- gible effect” on Okefenokee’s
ronmental rollbacks, which currently in place. The project still needs per- lated under tighter rules. water levels. If the company
included eliminating federal mits from state regulators. sought to expand the mine,
protections for numerous It’s not clear how many proj- Mirando-Castro said the it would need to show that it
small streams, wetlands and ects could bypass stricter In December, a U.S. Fish mining project could dry out had acted in an environmen-
other waterways. scrutiny. Among them is the and Wildlife Service official vegetation and increase the tally responsible way and go
600-acre (243-hectare) Twin wrote to the Army Corps risk of fires, a potential threat through a permitting process.
In a recently posted policy, Pine Minerals project which and Environmental Protec- to animals such as the endan-