this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2024
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His independent White House campaign has fizzled, but the flow of bizarre stories of Robert F Kennedy Jr’s unorthodox handling of the carcasses of wild mammals has experienced no similar suspension.

An environmental group is calling for a federal investigation into the former presidential candidate for an episode in which he allegedly severed the head of a washed-up whale with a chainsaw – and drove home with it strapped to his car’s roof.

The episode has parallels with another extraordinary tale reported earlier in August in which Kennedy confessed to dumping a dead bear cub in New York’s Central Park and attempted to make it look like the animal was killed by a bicyclist.

The latest grisly revelation, about the whale head, is not particularly new – it stems from a 2012 interview Kennedy’s daughter Kick gave to Town & Country magazine, in which she talks about a visit to other family members of the political dynasty in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, more than two decades prior.

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[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 148 points 3 months ago (7 children)

His daughter:

“Every time we accelerated on the highway, whale juice would pour into the windows of the car, and it was the rankest thing on the planet. We all had plastic bags over our heads with mouth holes cut out, and people on the highway were giving us the finger, but that was just normal day to day stuff for us.”

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 60 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Note that he intentionally took his kids to watch him saw the head off and put it on the car and take it home. Because he apparently liked to "study" such things. Weird as fuck.

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 39 points 3 months ago (2 children)

All his life he has spent an unusual amount of time around animal corpses. Dead animals are kind of his thing.

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[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 46 points 3 months ago

That... sounds real.

[–] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Just a not weird family drive through the country. Seriously though, I'm betting the Harris campaign is sitting on several more of these stories that will roll out over the next couple months.

I'm also wondering where his collection is right now. If he's being investigated for a federal crime, there may be a search warrant in the works.

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[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 33 points 3 months ago (3 children)

whale juice would pour into the windows of the car

Why...

Why wouldn't you roll up the windows?

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 45 points 3 months ago (10 children)

Straps go through the windows?

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[–] Dhar@lemmy.ca 17 points 3 months ago

Normal Kennedy day. They only roll the windows up when things get weird.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 13 points 3 months ago

Based on what I'm hearing about the guy, I wouldn't be surprised if the windows and/or AC were broken and they just left it like that.

[–] p5yk0t1km1r4ge@lemmy.world 26 points 3 months ago

what the fuck

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[–] schizo@forum.uncomfortable.business 103 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Man, Kennedys end up with a shocking number of dead things in their cars.

[–] MegaUltraChicken@lemmy.world 64 points 3 months ago (1 children)

A truly mind blowing amount.

[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 12 points 3 months ago

They’re drowning in it.

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[–] mycodesucks@lemmy.world 81 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

RFK Jr: "This is a cool story, right? People will think I'm cool?"

Brain Worm: "Yes! Yes! And tell them about the bear!"

[–] ChaoticEntropy 20 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Beautiful. If Kirsty Noem taught us anything, it's that charming stories about animals are all the rage.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 66 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Okay, but if it was already dead, and he didn’t kill it, what’s the big deal?

“Mr Kennedy’s apparent transport of the marine mammal skull from Massachusetts to New York, and therefore across state lines, also represented a felony violation of the Lacey Act, one of the earliest wildlife conservation laws enacted by [the] United States in 1900,” he wrote, adding that it was also illegal to possess part of any animal protected by the endangered species act.

Oh.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 43 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (7 children)

I think the purpose of that language is to prevent ~~people~~ hunters claiming they just happened to find it dead.

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[–] zaph@sh.itjust.works 23 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Maybe I was lied to in boy scouts but I was told that law even prevents you from keeping a feather naturally dropped by a bald eagle. So cutting the head off an endangered animal would definitely be a no no.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 32 points 3 months ago (3 children)

All feathers are illegal, but they will most certainly throw the book at you for Eagle feathers. The animal rescues have to transport dead bald eagles to the federal government where they get DNA tested and cataloged and feathers are only distributed to Native Americans who have gone through a permit process. A first time offense is a $100k fine and a year in prison.

Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act

Handling and Distribution of Bald and Golden Eagles and Parts

This is exactly as mentioned in other comments, to prevent the "it was already dead when I got here" excuse.

[–] zaph@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Oh wow thanks for all the info!

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 18 points 3 months ago

Of course! Learning all the crazy laws and regulations is one of my favorite things about visiting rescues.

My favorite legal eagle story is the park near my work had a rescue Bald Eagle that died. I was talking to the caretaker about it, and he told me about the shipping process and the DNA cataloging, and he said the eagle was currently in the freezer to keep it intact for eventual shipping once he received instructions. He told me that was nothing though, he also has another eagle he found in a field from 10 years ago in the freezer with it. It was determined it died of avian influenza (bird flu), so the carcass is banned from leaving its local quarantine zone. At the same time, it's a federal crime for him to bury it, burn it, etc. So it's been chilling on ice for a decade awaiting federal intructions. Wild stuff!

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[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 15 points 3 months ago

Not just bald eagles, or all eagles, or even all birds of prey. The migratory bird protection act covers nearly 1,100 species of birds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migratory_Bird_Treaty_Act_of_1918

And that list includes some very common birds, like some gulls.

[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 60 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Are we sure John McAfee didn't fake his death and change his name to RFK? Cause this is some weird-ass John McAfee shit.

[–] Wogi@lemmy.world 14 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Can we not use John McAfee and shit on the same sentence anymore? IYKYK

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[–] Bonifratz@lemm.ee 49 points 3 months ago

And this is only like, the fifth weirdest headline I've read about the guy.

[–] randon31415@lemmy.world 42 points 3 months ago

Trump: "People are calling us weird! Quick, bring on someone that is weirder than me and Vance!"

Staffers: "Turn on the RFK signal!"

[–] Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works 40 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Cards against humanity-ass title

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[–] Hydra_Fk@reddthat.com 39 points 3 months ago (7 children)

Little know fact. A worm crawled into his skull and ate a piece of his brain. The brain then died, and that's RFK JR.

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[–] Fuckfuckmyfuckingass@lemmy.world 28 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Mf'er really named his kid Kick Kennedy?

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 24 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Her actual name is Kathleen.

She's named after her great aunt Kathleen Kennedy, who died in a plane crash at 28 years old. Aunt Kathleen was nicknamed "Kick" because of her "irrepressible nature" and it seems she inherited the nickname as well.

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[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 27 points 3 months ago

What the fuck are even these headlines? What the fuck RFK Jr?!?!

[–] Technofrood 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I know the meme is Ted Cruz being the Zodiac killer, but are we sure it isn't actually RFK Jr?

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 14 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Wrong coast. But considering the family said that he likes to "study" things like whale skulls, I wouldn't exactly be shocked if he had a human skull or two in his collection.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

He likes to play among rotting carcasses... behind the bastards had a really interesting podcast about him.

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[–] Rottcodd@lemmy.world 17 points 3 months ago (1 children)

So the unspoken bit about RFK Jr. is that he's a tweaker, right?

I mean, the details are all in the context of politically entitled progeny, but the underlying vibe I get from the stories about him is very reminiscent of the tweakers I've known over the years.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 16 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Watch the Behind the Bastards on him, he at least used to be really into drugs even got one of his brothers addicted.

Edit: Pretty sure it was the brother that died from a drug overdose.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 17 points 3 months ago

I say we make him americas next prime minister

[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago (2 children)
[–] ChaoticEntropy 12 points 3 months ago (1 children)

In his defence, he thought it was human meat.

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[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This can't be fucking real.

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[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 15 points 3 months ago

This is a Kaufman-esque performance art piece, right? Jk rich people get a free pass on insanity.

[–] The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world 14 points 3 months ago

Every headline I read about this man is pure insanity.

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 12 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Everyone around Trump seems to either end up in prison, a convicted felon, or in rare cases, dead. Funny how assholes and weirdos seem to gravitate to him.

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[–] walden@sub.wetshaving.social 12 points 3 months ago

Just a friendly reminder that this man is now aligned with presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

[–] Tylerdurdon@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Dang, we missed out on a whale beheading, bear practical joking, brain worming president! It's just too bad.

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[–] rayyy@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months ago

This goes way beyond weird. No wonder the weird OLD orange felon welcomed him aboard.

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