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In September, 1963, I started my junior year of high school. Now brace yourself because I feel a podium schpiel coming on. Have a seat.
I remember the day, November 22, 1963, when I stayed home from school with a sore throat (gold bricking, really). I was watching television, when the news was announced that John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. I was glued to the set with disbelief. My thoughts took me back to a fall day in 1960, when my dad took me to see John Kennedy. He was on the back of a Southern Pacific train, doing a whistle stop campaign. I stood there at the old train station, located at the end of "J" street, just off 9th street. There was a small crowd of people there to see him and hear him speak. I stood about 20 feet from him as he got off the caboose of the train. He shook a few hands and gave a short speech directed at the issues of the campaign. Then, he got back on the train, waved good-bye and gave his now famous Kennedy smile. The train pulled out slowly, continuing on south to Merced, Fresno, Bakersfield, and into history. When the news came of his assassination I watched television the entire weekend as all aspects of the incident unfolded. I was watching, and saw "live," when Lee Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby. I, like so many others, watched the funeral procession and the John John salute to his dad as it went by. The horse with no rider was led down the streets of Washington, as a nation mourned in disbelief. John Kennedy was a hero, not only to the younger generation, but to people of all ages. Though I was only 16, this event changed me forever, as it did many other Americans. The end of innocence, so to speak. "Shoot the president of the United States? No way, it's impossible." But, it wasn't impossible and I, for one, can be counted among those "conspiracy" fanatics. I have studied and poured over so much literature on it and found so many weird so called coincidences. There are so many "facts" that I am forced to come to the conclusion that Lee Oswald, although an espionage "buff" for sure, WAS a patsy. Count me with those that think the late attorney Jim Garrison was a great American. I believe Oswald was supposed to get a call from the FBI or CIA on that afternoon and would help foil the attempt, or something along that line. Don't get me started. I'll just embarrass myself in front of those that say "Oswald did it, and, he did it alone. End of story." I have walked the streets of Dealey Plaza numerous times. I had been up in the window of the 6th floor of the book depository, before they blocked the area off with Plexiglas restrainers. You used to be able to go over and look right out of the window, down over/through the tree, to the death spot. Make no mistake about it, Kennedy was dead on the spot, although he was officially pronounced dead 30 minutes later.
I have stood behind the fence on the grassy knoll and stood on the concrete riser where Abraham Zapruder stood while making that famous film of the assassination. I have walked the train tracks and the spot where the deaf and dumb guy said that he saw the head shot come from a man behind the fence above the grassy knoll. He said that man then turned and handed the rifle to another man who walked to the railroad terminal box, squatted down behind it, broke down the rifle,put it away in a case, and then walked away. The railroad terminal box had been removed. Only the concrete foundation remained when I was last there. I have labored over Senator Arlen Spector's "single bullet theory" and the quickness at which the "limo" was cleaned up and all evidence made forever unavailable. You'd think they would have put that limo into a "clean room" environment for future evaluation. No. Instead, it was washed and cleaned up before the investigation even got into swing. I have evaluated the different angles of the multiple shooters theory and found them to have great validity. I have been to New Orleans, where Oswald and Guy Banister were involved. It was on Camp street, directly across from the old C.I.A. building. That, in itself, means nothing, but why was Oswald even there and why was he busy building contradicting images regarding Castro, (The Fair Play for Cuba committee, which had only one member, Lee Oswald) and then go the opposite direction? The only explanation that makes any sense at all is that he was simply trying to infiltrate both groups. A common procedure used by the C.I.A. Was Lee Oswald on the C.I.A. payroll at the time? Absolutely. Was he in touch with the F.B.I. regularly? Absolutely. Even while in Dallas? Absolutely. He only began to realize the setup and how he had been used to misdirect the public when on his way to his apartment after the shooting. Something had gone wrong. A cop car drove by and gave a little "honk" as to signal him about something. The "Officer Tippet" and "Texas Theater" incidents happened soon after. The press and the police looked awkwardly suspicious when they got there so fast. It seemed almost as if the theater had been a preset meeting place for Oswald, after the planned "foiled" shooting had taken place. Though you may discount the movie "JFK" just because it was done by Oliver Stone, as some do, there are some major facts in that movie. There are also some major speculations and "composite" figures, as Stone himself admits. The point is: There are scenarios that exist that were never fully explored. Questions that need resolving. Questions that were deliberately avoided for strange reasons. It is easy to fall into the trap of taking the "visual," such as the movie "JFK," as gospel. That, apparently, simply isn't the truth. Still, it does wonders inspiring one to take a closer look at the events of that November in 1963. Some say that the photo with the gun, and the newspaper of Lee were misrepresented in the movie. I say, look a little closer and study the events. Marina Oswald's statements are subject to close scrutiny, as well. She was under tremendous pressure by the FBI to cooperate or be sent back to Russia. Ask yourself who would profit form his death. It's hard to believe that our government, the mob and Cuban refugees could all be involved in this thing, much less in tandem. In my opinion, such was the case. Sam Giancano and the Chicago mob, that helped put John Kennedy in the White House, (due to a visit from Joe Kennedy Senior), were all very pissed off about Bobby Kennedy, the Attorney General, and his fight against "organized crime." They felt they had been betrayed, and rightfully so, if you think about it. Florida mob leaders were anxious to reestablish their investments and casinos in Cuba. It had only been since 1958 (if I remember correctly) that Fidel Castro had overthrown Batista and the Cuban government. They figured that Kennedy would get it back for them. After the "Bay of Pigs" incident, Cuban refugees also felt betrayed by President Kennedy, due to the "stand down" on the air cover. The C.I.A. had been secretly training refugee troops in a secret place north of Lake Ponchatrain, just outside New Orleans. Kennedy fired C.I.A. officials that spearheaded the Cuban Bay of Pigs disaster, Allen Dulles and his operative, General Cabell. Dulles was very bitter over it. Guess who was the mayor of Dallas at the time? It was General Cabell's brother or a close relative. I have forgotten the details. Just a day before it happened, he changed the Kennedy parade route to go by that infamous spot and to slow to less than 5 miles an hour (a no-no in any Secret Service manual). Then, there was the killing of Oswald by Jack Ruby, a topless dance club owner that catered to the police force. Jack Ruby was a former member of the Chicago based Mafia under Sam Giancano. They called him "Sparky" in the old days. He had fallen from grace with the Giancano network and had to leave town. He took up residency in Dallas, but still kept his ties with Giancano. He was looking for a way to get back in with "the big boys." They apparently manipulated Ruby into "taking care of" the patsy. The refusal by Chief Justice Earl Warren, to allow Ruby's request to be moved to a Washington, D.C. jail, where he would tell what he "really knew about the entire assassination and who was involved, without fear of being killed," was a major blunder. Or was it? I'd better stop now. I'll get a bunch of whining feedback over this. Who knows? I just know that people try to say "keep big business out of government." Get real. Big business IS our government. It has been for the majority of our countries history, as it is with most governments of the world. What a rude reality check, when government officials and mob boss's use the means and methods available to them for such dastardly deeds. Jack Kennedy inherited the scheme concerning a Cuba invasion from Dwight Eisenhower, but the real culprits were the C.I.A., who were the directives of that program. THEY were training the guys down in Louisiana. Fire Dulles, after his family had been in power for years in Washington? That was a risky thing for Jack to do. They tried to get him in Miami a week before, but it was canceled due to a tip about a planned assassination from a high rise building, using a rifle and a scope. Dallas was next on the schedule. You know the result. Unfortunately, nobody even cares anymore. Thirty years have gone by. You can't expect youngsters to be upset about it. Why should they? Why? Because it can happen again. Lose the presidents brain? Yes. It was lost after it was removed from his scull. Can you believe that? Think of the scrutiny it could have been put through. Determining the exact angle of entry of the bullet that shattered his scull. Nope. They just lost it. I'd better bail on all of this. I'm embarrassing myself with my vigor on such an old topic. I have read Harold Weisburg's many works including "Whitewash I and II" (who just passed away at the age of 88 on Feb. 28th, 2002), Lane and others. Get yourself a copy of a VHS with New Orleans District Attorney, Jim Garrison speaking. Some say he was just a political opportunist. I say he was a hero and a patriot. You decide for yourself. And if you want to really hear people get on your case, consider this: Lee Harvey Oswald just may have been a patriot himself, intrigued with espionage and working for a government that betrayed him. These were Jim Garrison's feelings. It's hard to find anybody these days who even cares anymore. Ancient history. Sorry for the JFK podium schpiel. I had to do it. Please, please, please, no responses or rebuttals. I'm tired and weary. Most facts are long gone now. Most of those involved are gone. You are welcome to your opinion. Allow me mine. ..... but on the other hand ... MAYBE OSWALD DID DO IT ALL BY HIMSELF. Now, back to my high school years and the bands I played in. |
