Here is a map detailing many of the things people saw at the time of the assasination.
http://members.aol.com/DRoberdeau/JFK/DP.jpg
http://members.aol.com/DRoberdeau/JFK/DP.jpg
Dreadsox, you seem to have an answer to everything...just for curiosity's sake answer me this please...Why did Jack Ruby kill Lee Harvey Oswald? What possible reason did he have to do so? And did or did not Lee Harvey Oswald say he was a "patsy" and did he or did he not look like he really didn't know what was happening when the camera's first caught him in the police station and the reporters were shouting at him. He sure looked like a "patsy". I know there are a hundred other possibly better questions but I'm just wondering what you think of those???
"{FYI - One of my older theories was that he was shooting at John Connoly and not Kennedy..."
You're kidding right???
I think there was more than one man (we'll probably never know the truth) because
- Oswald said he was a patsy shorty after he was arrested (plus, why else would he be killed that soon after the arrest ?)
Former U.S. Marine snipers Craig Roberts and Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, (who was the senior instructor for the U.S. Marine Corps Sniper Instructor School at Quantico, Virginia) both said it could not be done as described by the FBI investigators. “Let me tell you what we did at Quantico,” Hathcock said. “We reconstructed the whole thing: the angle, the range, the moving target, the time limit, the obstacles, everything. I don’t know how many times we tried it, but we couldn’t duplicate what the Warren Commission said Oswald did. Now if I can’t do it, how in the world could a guy who was a non-qual on the rifle range and later only qualified 'marksman' do it?”
Thirty-five earwitnesses who were present at the shooting thought that shots were fired from in front of the President — from the area of the Grassy Knoll or Triple Underpass — while 56 earwitnesses thought the shots came from the Depository, or at least in that direction, behind the President, and 5 earwitnesses thought that the shots came from two directions
- Robert McClelland, a physician in the emergency room who observed the head wound, testified that the back right part of the head was blown out with posterior cerebral tissue and some of the cerebellar tissue was missing. The size of the back head wound, according to his description, indicated it was an exit wound, and that a second shooter from the front delivered the fatal head shot. (consider also the "grassy knoll puff of smoke" theory and the violent movement of the head to the back in the film)
The weight of the bullet fragments taken from Connally and those remaining in his body supposedly totaled more than could have been missing from the bullet found on Connally's stretcher, known as the "pristine bullet". However, witness testimony seems to indicate that only tiny fragments, of less total mass than was missing from the bullet, were left in Connally. In addition, the trajectory of the bullet, which hit Kennedy above the right shoulder blade and passed through his neck (according to the autopsy) supposedly would have had to change course to pass through Connally's chest and wrist.
(consider also the "grassy knoll puff of smoke" theory and the violent movement of the head to the back in the film)
Abstract
Compelling as JFK's dramatic rearward lurch in the Zapruder film may seem to be for a shot from the front and thereby conspiracy, it is not necessarily so. For one thing, it is preceded by a quick forward snap of his head. For another, its rearward acceleration extends over too many frames to be directly from a bullet. For a third, some degree of lurch ought to be expected in reaction to the mass of brain matter hurled forward as his head exploded. Nevertheless, the lurch remains the most popular piece of evidence for conspiracy in the assassination.
The question here is quantitative rather than qualitative. Is enough material hurled forward fast enough to throw the body backward with the observed speed? There is no reason this cannot be investigated with simple physics, yet it has not been done. One sets up the equations for conservation of momentum and total energy, provides reasonable estimates for the several quantities involved, and solves for the speed of the lurch, using as major factors the bullet, the head, the body, the two large fragments hurled forward, and the diffuse cloud also hurled forward. For those quantities that cannot be estimated reliably, ranges of values can be used.
This monograph shows how to do all this, which gets complicated in practice even though not in principle. It begins with the measurements of JFK's motions as reported by Josiah Thompson in Six Seconds in Dallas. To these it applies sixteen simulations, two for the snap and 14 for the lurch. Both snap and lurch were calculated in rotational as well as translational coordinates, with the lurch getting seven levels of increasing complexity. More than 30 variables were eventually included. The important ones were identified in two ways, by examining how the answers changed when they were added to the simulations and by sensitivity tests for each simulation. Seven of the variables eventually stood out as being most important.
The monograph asks and answers four basic questions:
Can the forward snap be accounted for by a rearward shot from Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle? Answer: Yes, with ease.
Can the initial rearward lurch of head and body be accounted for by a rearward shot from the same rifle? Answer: Yes, with ease.
Must a rearward shot from this rifle have created a rearward lurch similar to that observed? Answer: Yes, provided only that a cloud of brain matter was thrown forward.
Can a forward shot from the grassy knoll explain all or part of the rearward lurch? Answers: No and qualified yes.
It does its work in five major sections. The first contains five introductory chapters that deal with the movements, the appropriate physics and wound ballistics, and the variables to be used. The second section contains two chapters that show that the forward snap is easily explained by a bullet from the rear. The third section contains 16 chapters that go through the 14 simulations for the lurch and show the default solutions and the most important variables. The default solutions converge on the actual initial lurch as soon as a three-dimensional cloud of fragments from the explosion is incorporated. In other words, the initial lurch can easily be explained physically. The fourth section is composed of seven chapters that examine the limits to the answers for the lurch, via a series of built-in constraints, such as that the mass of the head is limited to 5–7 lb. The observed rearward lurch is a natural consequence of a forward-moving cloud and nothing more. For example, one need not know the mass of the head, the mass of the cloud, or the speed of the cloud—it all takes care of itself in the math. These results strongly imply that there is little or no room in the solution for a hit from the front, such as from the grassy knoll. The fifth section follows up on this idea in more detail by examining whether a hit from the front could have produced all or part of the initial lurch. The answer is a solid no for the entire lurch, but a qualified yes for adding a small amount of speed to it (but there is no independent evidence for this). The last section explores the implications of these results for our understanding of the assassination. The explanation for JFK's motions resolves the last open piece of physical evidence. Not only does it destroy the myth of the frontal shooter once and for all, but it also unifies the physical evidence into a solid picture of all the damage being done by a single shooter from the rear with Oswald's rifle. The section continues by considering several objections to this work and answering them, and concludes by offering some refinements to be worked on in the future.
"{FYI - One of my older theories was that he was shooting at John Connoly and not Kennedy..."
You're kidding right???
13. HORRIBLE ACCIDENT THEORY
Proponent: Marina Oswald.
In her final testimony before the Commission, Marina Oswald advanced her own theory of Lee’s motive. She said she believed her husband was actually trying to shoot Governor John Connally, and missed, and by a horrible accident he killed the President.
What would you say after being caught murdering a police officer and the president? Why did oswald attempt to fire his weapon upon his arrest in the theater? Do you know many people who attempt to kill police officers when they are innocent? Please read my comments above.
The funny thing about quotes, is when they are taken out of context it is difficult to interpret based on the quote alone. I can tell you that Oswald was not a non-qual on his initial rifle qualification in the Marines. I can tell you that on a requalification before he left the Marines he had to qualify twice. Having not been there, I do not know the conditions of the requalification. I had a weapon malfunction during a qualification that significantly lowered my last weapons qualification. I still passed, however, my point is that I was someone who was a potential candidate for sniper school due to my ability to hit targets three football fields away. Does that one qulaification mean I was a suck shot? No.
Now as for context of the Marine SGTS statement, I would say to you is he trying to duplicate the shots when the Warren Commission says they occured. There is still GREAT debate in the assassination community over this issue, and I for one, am doubtful that they have the shots at the correct times. There is some pretty good research out there that demonstrates that Zapruder and other film footage that the people who caught the assasination on film had some hand movement with each shot due to reflex action. I think the Warren Commission did the best that they could, but on the timing of the shots, they got it wrong, and some of the hand movements on the film demonstrate that indeed they may have had the timing wrong.
As for his statement I do believe it applies to the time fame of the Warren Commission shots. And the SGT is correct, if the shots occured in the Warren Commission timeline it would be virtually impossible for Oswald to have done it. I for one, believe their timeline was wrong.
Have you been to Dealy Plaza? The accoustical analysis done by the House Select Committee of Dealy Plaza demonstrated that the Plaza produced echos. They placed mirophones all around the Plaza attempting to analyize the dictabelt recording. Earwitnesses are great - but the accoustical analysis of the Plaza with echos could prodice the same result.
The employees on the floor below the assasins nest, heard the shots above them and heard the brass hitting the floor after the empty metal jacket was ejected from the rifle. The telling statement that you made is the nimber five. Five out of all of the people felt they came from two directions. If there was more than one shooter, that number should be higher.
Dr. McClelland did not conduct the autopsy. He was in the heat of the moment attempting to save the life of the President. The beveling of the wound in the Presidents skull, and the patterns in the skull at the point of impact indicate one shot and one shot only. The bullet fragments from the impact to the presidents head which remained in what was left of his brain left a trail from back to front. There are no bullet fragments that made its way into the left hemisphere of the Presidents head. It is impossible to shoot him from the grassy knoll side in the head and NOT have any bullet fragments in the left hemisphere of his brain.
As for the puff of smoke, are you implying that they used a musketball? One little known fact is that while filming JFK Oliver Stone could not get a weapon to fire with a puff of smoke. The had to use special effects to make the puff of smoke in the movie. Unless there was a musket fired, there is no puff of smoke from a gun.
AS for the presidents motion, having viewed the Zapruder film at many speeds, and many angles I would say to you have you taken into account that the human body has reflexes. I would say to you have you taken into account the President was wearing a back brace that held him upright. Have you taken into account the forward motion of the vehicle? Have you noticed that when there is an explosion, the exiting debris tends to push the object away from the exiting debris.
I would recommend viewing this :http://hometown.aol.com/droberdeau/images/ani312to318jfkheadbackdamage.gif Tell me the back of his head blew out? I see from the ear forward towards the eye socket.
The"pristine bullet" is not pristine. The discovery channel one year ago conducted an exact experiment of the shot. They used ballistics gell, and sheep bone and lined the dummies up in exactly the same position Connoly and Kennedy were in at the time of the shot. If you look at the actual seating arrangements, they were not directly in front of each other. You are correct, that the bullet would have had to mysteriously move to make the shot if the seats were not aligned in the manner they are in reality. Long story short, the Discovery Channel was able to fire the bullet through the ballistics material duplicating Kennedy's back and kneck, it made its way through that material and into the material representing Connoly's ribs and wrist. The bullet was in tact after hitting all of the material, yet it was not Pristine.
The argument agains the "magic bullet" generally does not take into account the seating arrangement inside of the vehicle, and the angle at which the vehicle was traveling away from the sniper's nest.
I would assume Oswald panicked after being arrested and facing the death penalty, hence the shooting.
The timing of the shots wasn't the only thing those shooters tried to re-create. "the angle, the range, the moving target, the time limit, the obstacles, everything".
No I haven't - should everyone with an opinion on the murder be at Dealy Plaza ? And if there was one shooter, how do you account not just the five that heard it from that direction, but the 35 that heard the shots in front of the President ?
I don't think anyone said that doctor did the autopsy, but he did see the wound and gave his medical opinion. Nor did I refer to the JFK movie, but there were people, witnesses, talking about a puff of smoke from the grassy knoll.
The reflexes would make you move backwards if an object hits you from a direction in front of you. Would a brace or a moving car change that ? If all shots came from behind him, why the violent shake of the head to the back (and not including that little picture you posted, yes, it always looked to me like part of the back of his head went missing) ?
13. HORRIBLE ACCIDENT THEORY - why would a very good shot, as you say Oswald was, miss his target 2 out of 3 shots, at that distance ?
...and "Can a forward shot from the grassy knoll explain all or part of the rearward lurch? Answers: No and qualified yes."
So there is a possibility.
No I haven't - should everyone with an opinion on the murder be at Dealy Plaza ?
And if there was one shooter, how do you account not just the five that heard it from that direction, but the 35 that heard the shots in front of the President ?
So again, if he's a marksmen, why did he miss the target twice, and even any car once ? From what I read the snipers practice at bigger ranges than Oswald had between himself and JFK's car.
And it seems the only slapping is your little "enjoy, I like physics" mocking.
You don't at least consider the official autopsy may have been tempered with ? Why are there official documents waiting to be revealed in this case if it's all that clear and simple ?
washingtonpost.com: Study Backs Theory of 'Grassy Knoll'
This is one thing I really don't understand. Everyone knows from experience that noice is reflected by objects in the area, like buildings, walls, tunnel, trees, just everything.
Everyone has experienced hearing noise, like fireworks or whatever, from one direction though the source of the noise was located somewhere else.
Echoes and so on are really something every little child learns about just by leaving the house. Now when it comes to conspiracy theories about the assassination suddenly people seem to just forget about that and keep insisting the bang was heard from other directions.
Dreadsox: so who do you belive ? You don't believe a doctor that saw JFK's wound, earwitnesses, snipers re-creating the event according to Warren Comitee (well, aside tempering with evidence, what about the investigation overlooking things and/or making mistakes? you said yourself they may have the timing wrong, for example) and audio researchers.
Then is there such a thing as a definite earwitness ?
1. Surely a doctor knows a difference between the exit and entrance wound ?
1. Surely a doctor knows a difference between the exit and entrance wound ?
A logical approach to the origin of Kennedy's throat wound
Draft, 21 February 2000
There has been altogether too much discussion on the origin of JFK's throat wound (that is, whether it came from a frontal hit). It was a wound of exit, as the logic below shows. Given the simplicity and directness of the evidence, we almost don't need to use this course's pattern of reasoning [problem or question —> all possible hypotheses —> evidence —>strong evidence —> all hypotheses consistent with strong evidence —> simplest hypothesis consistent with strong evidence], but we will for sake of consistency with other logical topics under "Issues and Evidence."
The question:
From what direction did the bullet come that caused Kennedy's throat wound?
Possible answers
1. From the front or right front (wound of entrance).
2. From the rear (wound of exit).
Strong, validated evidence
1. JFK's body had two wounds on it, one in the front (throat) and one in the back (neck).
2. His body contained no bullets.
3. Therefore one of the wounds was for entrance and the other was for exit.
4. The wound in his back (neck) was an entrance wound (fibers around holes in shirt and jacket were bent forward).
5. Therefore, the throat wound had to be an exit wound.
6. The throat wound was small and regular, much like an entrance wound.
7. Ballistic tests on an artificial "neck" showed that because of the neck's small size and lack of hard structures, the exit wound looked much like the entrance wound, being only a little bigger and more irregular.
8. The throat wound was connected to the entrance wound in the rear neck by a line of internal damage to the right strap muscles, the upper right lung, and the right pleura.
9. Near the throat wound, the fibers of the slits in the two sides of the shirt were both bent forward.
10. The doctors at Parkland Hospital first thought the throat wound was one of entrance because they were not aware of the entrance wound in the back and the lack of a bullet in the body.
11. After discussing the back wound with Dr. Humes in Bethesda, Dr. Malcolm Perry of Parkland agreed that the throat wound was one of exit.
Hypotheses consistent with this evidence
1. The throat wound was one of exit, and the bullet came from the rear. (No other hypothesis possible.)
Simplest (and only) hypothesis consistent with this evidence
1. The throat wound was one of exit, and the bullet came from the rear.
As always, this answer must be considered provisional and subject to challenge by additional evidence.
Dreadsox - you still haven't answered this question...
What was Jack Ruby's motive for killing Lee Harvey Oswald???
He had mob connections and didn't even like the Kennedy's.
Why on earth would he kill the man who killed a person he didn't even like.
It simply does not make sense. There had to be more to the story!!!
I believe I did.
1) He was either a nut and acted spontaneously or
2) He was ordered to do it.
The belief that Jack Ruby acted under orders does not change a shred of physical evidence that there was one shooter.