The Ironies of Miss Fromme

That squeaking noise is just gonna get louder...

Lynette Fromme AKA "Squeaky" is set to be paroled from prison later this month. She is infamous for a couple of reasons; the failed assassination attempt of President Gerald Ford in 1975, and for being a diligent and loyal follower of Charles Manson before and during his murderous Hollywood rampage in the late 60's.

What you might not know is that as a child in the late 50's, Fromme participated in a popular dance group called Westchester Lariats, who appeared on the Lawrence Welk show, as well as at the White House (note the irony). You might also not be aware of the fact that Fromme once tried to contact Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page after a concert in at the Long Beach (California) Arena. She claims that she had a vision that something very evil was about to happen to him and needed to talk to him to give him the appropriate warnings. The band's publicist told her to write Page a note, which she did, in length, before finally leaving. According to the story, the publicist never gave it to Page, but burnt it, unread.

Fromme, constantly under the influence of psychotropic drugs, seemed to have the heart of a flower child, but the mind of an angry anarchist. Like many hippies in the subculture of the day, she demonstrated heartfelt passion for the plight of the planet Earth, namely the Redwood forests and the oceans. But unlike most peace loving kids of the time, she was known to carry weapons with the intent to use them, and had associations with known murderers and the White Aryan Brotherhood.

Before being sentenced to prison for her role in Ford's attempted assassination, U.S. Attorney Duane Keyes recommended strong punishment for her because she was "full of hate and violence." Fromme's reaction was to throw an apple at him, splattering it against his face and knocking his glasses off.

Drama seemed to follow her in every step of her life. She made absolutely no attempt to show compassion or remorse for her actions or those of her friends, often engaging in extreme behavior as she battled her demons.

In custody, Fromme was moved Dublin, California to a Federal Prison Camp in Virginia 1979 after she attacked a fellow convict with a hammer claw. Subsequently, she managed to escape in 1987 in a desperate attempt to reunite with Manson. She was captured just a couple of days later two miles away. The interesting note to this story is that the person she attacked in the California prison was none other than Julienne Busic, one of the hijackers of TWA Flight 355, whom like Fromme was a "follower" who's actions were associated with murder, but was never deemed directly responsible. (Another irony.)

Since her escape attempt in 1987, Fromme has been housed at a high security prison in Texas. She is scheduled for release on August 16. Society is about to take another turn for the worse.

Better batten down the hatches. The apocalypse is near.