Bingo! Absolutely. He was a con artist, psycho, grifter, thief, abuser of teenage girls, and murderer, who both murdered and ordered murders. Religion and philosophy were just cons to con stupid people.

Well, not quite. Manson never did religion because he knew they would never let him out. He knew too much, had connections to agency covert programs, and the deal he did was to keep quiet, get an easier life in prison, and not a knife in the back in the shower. He said so in interviews toward the end. But Atkins did religion slavishly from 1972. Never got parole. Watson did religion, and is a damned Reverend -- damned phoney -- but has never gotten parole. Bruce Davis likewise on religion, but never released. So, religion hasn't helped any of the Manson scum, thankfully.
Van Houten was paroled recently, unfortunately, but she didn't find religion, so there you go.

I used to be a death penalty advocate until I found The Innocence Project & began to think we might study these criminal aberrants in order to isolate the construct. As we can now see into the brain & no longer advocate corporal punishment upon children, we might be better served socially keeping them for organ harvesting upon their demise. No better manner by which to recompence society than giving 2 kidneys. Are we killing people who are by an enlightened definition of insanity, compromised. Serial killers, pedophiles can not resist their urge or choose not to. Can any of us say we can always resist our urges? I can not resist my urge to punch the "Mango Mussilini" in the solar plexus, so I don't go to his rallies. Then of course there is our history of executing innocent people due to their incorrect skin color. Also the government should not be in the business of killing anyone using our tax dollars to do so. That can get out of hand considering the current GOP.

This is true but Manson and all his followers should have been executed. The state chickened out and they got life in prison.

First, those who order murders are as guilty as the murderers. Second, no one who knows this case well doubts that Manson committed murders for which he was never charged. In rambly phone interviews in years before his death, he admitted it, even boasted it. This assertion that Manson never killed anyone should be put to bed. He stabbed Bernard Crowe, the criminal Bike Group leader and thought him dead until Crowe walked into the court room in 1970. " I thought I killed you", Charlie said. " It takes more than a little shit like you to kill me, Charlie" Crowe retorted. Just another Charlie murder that ended up attempted murder. One of many murders.

@David1955 I Belive Bernard crowe was a drug dealing member of the Black Panthers who kidnaped Tex Watsons girlfriend in a drug deal gone bad. Manson stabed him trying to save her.

@David1955 The Biker group your thinking of was the Stright Satans who Manson invited to the Span Ranch were they lived so he could have some muscle cause he was expecting retaliation from the Black Panthers

@nowhereman55 I was in error when I said Manson stabbed Crowe; he shot him. The kidnap you mentioned isn't right, but in any case Manson shot to kill, certainly boasted of killing personally and no doubt did, and this ' Charlie never killed anyone' line is often cited when criticising Bugliosi. Certainly criticise Bugliosi; he was a US government mob lawyer type, and his case was more conceal than reveal, but Manson was a thief, pimp and murderer, who got stupid people to kill for him, like a mob boss, but could easily kill himself.

@David1955 Tex and the girls did the killing. I don't think Manson told them to kill aanyone he just said go with Tex

@David1955 Benard Crowe andd Tex Watson were drug dealers

@nowhereman55 seriously, you can't be that naive. The drug deal gone wrong is American BS Cover story B; they developed it after Helter Skelter -- Cover story A - started to frazzle and unravel. Believe nothing official from the corrupt American agencies on this case. A few determined investigative journalists have striven to get the truth, while these agencies block access to all files, even 54 years later. In other words: it's America.

@David1955 Ok now you sound like another conspiracy nut. Lets just drop it

@nowhereman55 certainly not. This case is way beyond conspiracy theory. Serious journalism, you know. But yes, so long.

@nowhereman55 you might just be interested.

[en.m.wikipedia.org]

This guy has only spent 24 years researching this case, so I guess he wouldn't know anything.

@David1955 There is a great documentary called "Manson in his own words " Narrated by Rob Zombie that lays out the events of the case as well as I've ever seen. You know the people at the ranch indentfied them selves as "The Family". The media invented 'The Manson Family " lable