ABC: Oswald did it

Dallas Morning News ^ | 11/1/2003

[Sloth]

"What it does is prove unequivocally that Oswald was the only person in Dealey Plaza that day to fire," ABC anchor Peter Jennings said this week.

I have believed Oswald acted alone ever since seeing a very thorough Nova special on it years ago... but it is idiocy to say that it can be "unequivocally" proven that Oswald was the only gunman. Suppose there were others who missed? How does one disprove that?

[Shooter 2.5]

No evidence supports your claim that the scope was inaccurate at the time of the shooting. The rifle was a throw down. In other words, Oswald knew that he would never own that rifle again after the shooting. The rifle's scope could easily have been misaligned after it was possibly tossed on the floor.

There were boxes surrounding the rifle. There would have been no reason for Oswald to be careful in placing an easily found rifle.

I could have made those shots with a pistol. 40 yards and 88 yards isn't very far.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Oswald? You mean a fuzzy cotton-tail killed JFK?

[Sloth]

and there were plastic model airplane kits of the supposed "F-19" they got the appearance and the designation of the stealth fighter TOTALLY wrong (remember, it was supposed to be smooth and curved?).

I bought one of those kits. It looked sort of like a manta ray stretched lengthwise. To their credit, the box the model came in did stipulate something about the design being supposition.

[Adrastus]

Not looking for an argument, but the FBI ballistics folks who tested the rifle said that was the case. Where did the rifle used in the shooting go, if this was a throw down?

[John H K]

A LOSER with a JUNK RIFLE changed history.

You've hit the nail on the head, and that's why American blacks are all convinced that a giant government conspiracy killed King, not a loser with a junk rifle, either.

It's what really drives most conspiracy theories; the refusal to believe terrible things can be done by insignificant people, or can occur by accident; the cause of the tragedy has to psychologically match the victim, or the effect.

Same goes for Pearl Harbor; such a disaster HAS, in the minds of the kooks, be caused by an evil conspiracy by Roosevelt, when in fact we know it was an unfortunate combination of mistakes and blindless and lack of communication within the US military establishment. However, that explanation isn't nearly as exciting as the Roosevelt explanation.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Years ago, I had the opportunity to hear Cyril Wecht (the Coroner of Allegheny County, PA) speak on the subject. Dr. Wecht was/is an outspoke critic of the Warren Commission, and the single bullet theory. He calls it the 'magic bullet' that it came thru JFK, then Gov. Connelly's (I believe) shoulder and wrist, and then 'magically' appeared, pristine on the gurney (carry the Gov.) at Parklane Hospital. Using forensic science he explains the single bullet theory away.

[Jemian]

Not only must they address how a bullet can change trajectory in mid-air; they also must demonstrate why, if struck from behind, Kennedy jerked backward and not forward.

[#3Fan]

The same thugs of 1963 are the same thugs of 2003: The unions/mafia.

[Sloth]

why, if struck from behind, Kennedy jerked backward and not forward

Ever shot a watermelon?

[Eastbound]

Yup. That's the way it happened. And Ruby had a great love for the president.

[Shooter 2.5]

That was the rifle. Oswald didn't bother taking it with him and he abandoned it. That makes it a throw-down.

The three empty cases and the bullet fragments all came from the rifle. The shirt threads caught on the butt plate even matched the type of shirt Oswald was wearing.

[Shooter 2.5]

The impact momentarily pushes him forward.

Look at the film frame by frame.

[Adrastus]

As you will, sir.

[Toskrin]

I believe Oswald was the only shooter. The "magic bullet" trajectory is not so magic if you look at how JFK was leaned forward and twisted while talking to Connally when the second shot was fired. The Nova special from several years ago goes over this in detail. It's also apparent from the "splatter" seen on the Zapruder film that the third bullet was shot from behind.

The unanswered question to me is if Oswald was acting on behalf of someone else. Jack Ruby's actions seem completely inconsistent with his dubious character , and I have to wonder if he was hired to take out Oswald.

[tpaine]

Not with a Mannlicher Carcano for a weapon. This is the epitome of inaccuracy. Add that to the screwed up sights and I'd be glad if next time I got shot at it'd be with one of these beauties.
56 Adrastus

---

Pay no attention to claims that the scope was installed accurately at the time of the shooting.
Testimony from the Report belie such theories.
Indeed, the rifle quite possibly was a red herring, one that had been fired for effect to make Oswald the patsy, -- while the accurate head shot was left to a pro..

[giotto]

The only question is who and why?

Those are not the only questions, or even the most important ones. More relevant is this one: Why would the government conceal the truth, and, forty years later, continue to cover it up?

Answer that question, with proof, and a whole lot of other mysteries would be solved as well.

[Scenic Sounds]

do you read anything besides the NY Times and watch any TV CBS....

Yeah, I do, but I really haven't seen anything that compels me to be disbelieve that Oswald did it. A few years ago, I visited the plaza and went up to the sixth floor, etc. I was amazed by how much smaller it all looked than it looked on the television.

It's been nearly forty years now and I guess it's gonna soon be like the question of whether Hitler survived the war. ;-)

[NetLiberty]

Notwithstanding the source, I have to say I was inclined to believe as plausible some of the conspiracy theories on the JFK assassination UNTIL I had the opportunity to actually visit the site in Dallas during a business trip a couple of years ago.

Standing about 15 feet to the right of the depository window (the actual spot is an exhibit area encased in glass, so you can't stand there) it's not a huge amount of distance from the window to the spot where JFK was hit (which is still marked by an 'X' on the street, and visible from the window). Consipiracy theorists make this out like it's a tough shot, but, based on my very average skill with a rifle, I'd guess that any fairly average shooter could hit a slowly moving target as big as a pie plate about half the time from this distance, even with a crummy Italian rifle.

What I found most striking about my visit was the experience of seeing the famous 'grassy knoll' area first-hand, the spot where many conspiracy theorists say a second gunman fired from. I stood at the spot behind the wooden fence on the 'grassy knoll.

What struck me was the very short distance from this spot to the cement bench at the memorial to my left where Zapruder and his secretary stood--it's a clear, unobstructed distance of no more than about 20 feet or even less. It would have been almost impossible for Zapruder or his secretary NOT to notice a gunman from this distance, much less hear the sound of a gunshot, perhaps even from a gun with a suppressor. In fact, after I returned from my trip I did some Net research and found that Zapruder's secretary strongly insisted she neither heard nor saw a second gunman at this spot--having been there, I can now see why.

Not wanting to stir up the tin-foil crowd here, just wanting to share my impressions. To me, this was an example of where there's no substitute for 'being there.' And having visited the site, it seemed very plausible to me that Oswald acted alone, and could have readily made that shot. Even if he was as poor a shooter as is claimed, he only had to get 'lucky' once.

I'd be interested in hearing the impressions from others here who have been to the site. Did your visit make some of the alternative theories seem far less plausible as it did with me? Do you agree or disagree with the observations I made about my visit there?

[ALASKA]

The impact momentarily pushes him forward.

Maybe for a split second, but the force of the shot drives his head violently backward along with the contents of his skull. The trunk of the limo was covered with brain/blood etc.., and the motorcycle cop on the left rear of the limo was covered with same.