After oversleeping my meeting with my academic adviser, I spent my morning procrastinating by reading CNN and the wikipedia page about the Manson Family murders. I’m guessing that most of my generation has never even heard of the 1969 slayings, but from reading comments on other sites it seems like it was one of those unforgettable and horrifying events.

A quick summary for those who don’t know: A satanic cult led by Charles Mason and consisting of Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, and others, committed mass murder on two consecutive nights in LA in 1969 (known as the Tate/LaBianca Slayings). The more heart-wrenching murder was at the home of actress Susan Tate – her husband director Roman Polowski (the guy I associate with the Pianist and hiding from a statutory rape charge in France) was in London at the time. Eight months pregnant, Tate begged for the life of her child, to which Atkins replied, “We don’t have any mercy for you, Bitch”. Now, Atkins has terminal brain cancer, cannot live longer than six months, is an amputtee and confined to a wheel chair, and has petitioned the court for compassionate release so she can die in the presence of family and friends. Even Bugliani, her original prosecutor, supports her petition. The court unanimously turned her down.

For anyone who has heard my opinions about the death penalty, you will probably know what my opinion is. I really want to know what other people think about this, so please leave your comments!

4/5/3 Depressed by all the news,  Jack Johnson’s The News solemnly playing in my mental sountrack – A billion people died on the news tonight. But not so many cried at the terrible sight