Rusty Yates and HIS Family on TODAY Show (Where's the Kennedy Family?)

3/18/02 | Self

[MVV]

Did anyone catch the two-fold interview on the TODAY Show with Katie Couric?

What a joke! And where was Andrea Yates' representation? No family members from her side! I smell a division brewing in that family.

Just like on Friday during the separate news conferences, hasn't anyone noticed this? Your thoughts and comments.

[muggs]

They could have made arrangements to have someone with her at all times by going to her church and getting volunteers.

There was no church to go to. They "home churched" just like they home schooled.

[stainlessbanner]

He really tried to shake them, but they would not change their minds. Lauer always tries to get guests to second-guess themselves - like a cross-examination. He sucks as a TV host, he sucks as a cross-examining attorney.

I actually liked what the jurors had to say and their reasoning for their decisions. Maybe it's b/c they are more like me, an average American, not a liberal, socialist morning show TV host.

[oremus]

I see some interesting contradictions around here - on the one hand, everyone talks about a crazy woman who didn't bathe herself and sat and stared straight ahead, tries to kill herself, pulls hair out of her head, endures extreme stress from her husband and family, has an incompetent doctor who took her off her anti-psychotic med (if she's not psychotic, then why was she on that in the first place???), while at the same time saying she's not "insane" and calling her a "cold-blooded murderer." I would imagine that to be an insult to all the TRUE certified cold blooded murderers out there.

This sounds like Nazi Germany mentality brewing - at this rate some day we'll just give the needle to all mentally ill folks and put them all out of their misery. This attitude being displayed here is quite disconcerting, to say the least.

And no I'm NOT a liberal by any means - just someone who can think for myself and sees that if this woman was NOT mentally ill and delusional she would NEVER have killed her kids. She also would not have killed her kids had she been taken away from them and given the sort of care she needed as should have been done in the first place.

To me, Rusty is more the equivalent of a cold-blooded killer than Andrea. Andrea spent her entire life putting other people's needs before her own - they said that as a kid and teen she was the one in the neighborhood who would go around and take care of the elderly living nearby. There was no one who disliked her, or had anything bad to say about her (prior to the murders, of course). Doesn't sound like the definition of a "cold-blooded" murderer in the making to me. Just someone who most unfortunately developed severe mental illness which impaired her ability to think right, which caused her to commit this horrifying evil act.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Andrea is NO Susan Smith. And if Susan had 6 kids she would have killed 6 kids in COLD BLOOD as she killed her two. There is NO excuse for Susan Smith. SHE is a disgusting cold-blooded murderer. SHE was NOT mentally ill.

Andrea knew it was against the law, but in her mind the "reality" was that it was the "best" thing to do for her children and thus was more than willing to pay the price. Susan, however, did it for her own selfish disgusting reasons, and then lied about it. I have no sympathy for the likes of Susan, but Andrea is severely mentally ill plain and simple. Big difference. Huge.

[belle99]

The formal sentencing is scheduled for today in Houston. Interesting, he has chosen to fly to New York for an interview instead of being at Andrea's sentencing. So much for his support for Andrea.

[pubmom]

I agree with everything you've said, and I'm no liberal either.

[MVV]

The formal sentencing is scheduled for today in Houston. Interesting, he has chosen to fly to New York for an interview instead of being at Andrea's sentencing. So much for his support for Andrea.

Gee, I was thinking the same thing. NBC must've paid him some major bucks for his time! LOL!

[muggs]

I see things pretty much just like you regarding this.

[Lanza]

Great point, you think he may have brought his rumored honey along?

[MVV]

Thanks for your post - all opinions are welcome here!

[MVV]

Maybe she was there behind the TODAY curtain!

[spectre]

Not blaming the "village", oldfriend, just saying her partner (Rusty) was culpable.

sw

[cake_crumb]

Long reply. I haven't seen any posts on this thread accusing Andrea of being sane. There IS some discussion about the jury finding that she knew right from wrong.

My brother is a paranoid schizophrenic. HE knows right from wrong. It IS possible to be BOTH very sick AND still know right from wrong. Andrea had to have been SATURATED in Christian fundimantalism. She therefore knew that "thou shalt not kill" is pretty important commandment.

[spectre]

No, the big difference is most mentally ill people don't go off and murder their children. Some, even take their own lives...after destroying their offspring. Now, that is honestly sick.

But psycho Andrea stopped short of taking her own life. Pretty clever, huh?

And I don't believe everything that came out of Andrea's mouth...except "I finally did it", which was the abolute truth and nothing but the truth.

sw

[Havisham]

From the first time Rusty Yates stood before the cameras I read one thing in his demeanor: mission accomplished. The news quoted him as saying he might remarry and try to have more children and we are not in the least suprised. Rusty is a disgusting megalomaniac. Where's the Angel of Death when you need him?

[Lanza]

Yes, I belive she knew right from wrong too. I think she should have been found guilty too. However, I don't make excuses for her, and I am not going to make excuses for him leaving his children with a psycho.

[oremus]

So sorry to hear about your brother. I do know someone who is paranoid schizophrenic (which, by the way, prosecution psych. Dietz said that he believes Andrea is actually schizophrenic). I do agree that the mentally ill can know right from wrong, but the difference is that your brother, I'm sure, is properly medicated. Andrea was not, at the time of the murders. As I'm sure you know, schizophrenics can have their "moments." An ex-boyfriend's brother is PS and has definitely had his psychotic/delusional moments (scary as hell, I won't go into it). The point that I'm trying to make is what you brought up: as a Christian, yes, she knew killing was wrong. But as a mentally impaired Christian, she *thought* she was protecting her children from hell, and was even willing to sacrifice her own soul in the process. Sick as that may be, that was, for Andrea, the ultimate act of "love." To lay down HER life for her children. That doesn't sound sane, or cold-blooded, to me (and when I mention people saying she isn't sane, I am referring to the many other threads on this topic where I have encountered this attitude).

[MVV]

You've nailed it right on the head! Thanks for the post.

[Aquinasfan]

Rusty Yates, in my opinion, looks like a doofus. If my husband had just killed our children, I don't think I'd get out from under the covers for about a month, and then I doubt I'd be able to talk about them without sobbing uncontrollably.

Everyone else must be thinking this and not saying it. That's sure as hell what I think.

[Mfkmmof4]

Could it be she just wanted out from under and does not care what the difference is between right and wrong? As the parent of 4 and my household can be a living hell sometimes - I could never imagine nor kill my kids. I deal with special needs, depression and a child cancer survivor. Even if Rusty was not a nice man that is not grounds for murder.

[Lanza]

Thank you.