 me at least, this argues for what seems obvious: there was something to what they had to say.
I agree very much that a lot of what we hear tends to involve the fitting of preconceived beliefs into our arguments. This is a general problem, occurring on all sides of various fences, and it is only being honest and responsible to try our best to be critical and consistent in our assessments.
My point about the money is the simple fact that Sirhan had that much money on him when the attack occurred. One of many issues being that what may seem fairly certain could be somewhat in doubt if the main source of information on this matter is Sirhan himself and/or his family.
Vernon Clayson - 5/21/2007
It was probably a groupie having nothing more on her mind than being noticed by a celebrity, perhaps gaining a nocturnal visit with him or one of his sidemen.
Leonard Robinson - 5/20/2007
Although your comments were directed to Mr. Ayton, I hope you don't mind if I chime in here to express general support for your post, particularly in regards to the whole issue of the "girl in the polka-dot dress." It certainly is the case that a number of witnesses reported something suspicous regarding a girl in a polka-dot dress. Most importantly, you had Ms. Serrano telling Sander Vanocur her story at about the same time that an older couple was reporting a similar story to an LAPD officer outside the hotel. Clearly, Serrano and this couple were not in cahoots with each other in telling the same general story to different people.
One of the problems with cases such as the RFK shooting is that many people get it in their heads that it was either a solo job or a conspiracy, and then try to form-fit every aspect of the story to fit their pre-conceived notions. The reality is that the overall body of evidence may tilt in one direction or another (in this case, I believe it indicates that Sirhan acted alone), but that doesn't mean that every angle of the story can then be tied up into a neat little bow to support that version. I'm not accusing Mr. Ayton of this mistake, simply pointing out that it tends to be one that many with an interest in this case tend to make.
As for the money, in my opinion it is fairly certain that the $400 was what Sirhan had left from his medical settlement from his injury after falling off a horse.
Jimmy Geyman - 5/19/2007
At an early point in this article Mel Ayton states, "Conspiracy advocates have promoted the idea that the convicted murderer of Robert Kennedy, Sirhan Sirhan, had been a 'hypnotised assassin'...." As there is no qualification to this, it strongly suggests anyone who believes Sirhan could have been involved in a conspiracy also believes Sirhan was a "hypnotized assassin."
That some people have promoted a "programmed assassin" idea is true; but it is not the only option. When arrested, Sirhan Sirhan had four one-hundred dollar bills in his pocket. This was a substantial sum of money in 1968, particularly for a man of the lower classes who worked at a health food store. For some it's a substantial sum even today, as I suspect there are many people like myself who don't often see a hundred dollar bill (at least not for long). Sirhan Sirhan had four of them. There are a number of issues about where the money came from, and what it might have been used (or useful) for, but the simple hard fact is that Sirhan had quite a bit of money on him the night Robert Kennedy was attacked.
In this article Mr. Ayton proposes a possible identification for the elusive girl in the polka dot dress and a possible explanation for allegations that such a woman was seen in the company of Sirhan Sirhan on the night of the attack on Robert Kennedy. This possible identification and explanation being a brief glimpse of a woman in proximity to "a Sirhan look-alike." In proposing this, Mr. Ayton fails either to recognize or to acknowledge that his suspected woman's attire is not a match for consistent and mutually corroborative witness statements as to the color of the dress worn by the elusive woman. Mr. Ayton also fails to inform the r