Tag Archives: Lone nut

THE JFK ASSASSINATION FOR DUMMIES

Here’s the Foreword for my upcoming book, The JFK Assassination For Dummies.

JFKAt 12:30 pm on Friday, November 22, 1963, United States President John F. Kennedy was cold-bloodedly shot in the back by a lone nut with a cheap rifle from a tall building.

This straight-forward crime was solved in a few hours. Yet, five decades later, the facts of JFK’s homicide are doubted by over sixty percent of the American public. There’s no doubt that strands of fate caused Lee Harvey Oswald to squeeze the trigger, however misinformation about what really went down in Dealey Plaza still darkens President Kennedy’s legacy.

JFK Limo 2I was seven when JFK was shot. I was in a one-room school in Manitoba, Canada, and ‘Teacher’ was late returning from lunch. I remember how upset ‘Teacher’ was, telling us that President Kennedy had been assassinated. I didn’t know who JFK was, but figured he must be important as ‘Teacher’ was crying and dismissed us early. When I got home, people were gathering as we were one of few families with a television set. I’ll never forget how distraught the adults were.

Conspiracy Theories were starting by 2 pm. Who was behind it? The Russians? Castro? The CIA? Mafia? A military coup? Maybe even Johnson. Someone said that a Communist had been caught and I was terrified. I was sure the bomb would drop – after all, I’d practised Communist bomb drills under my elementary school desk. Then, on Sunday, I watched Ruby shoot Oswald – live on TV.

JFK WCIn 1973, I did a report on a conspiracy theory book called Rush To Judgement which was a harsh critique of the Warren Report. This ‘Teacher’ challenged me to look deeper as apparently the Warren Report came to a different conclusion. From then, I read everything I could on the JFK case and was fascinated by it. Problem was – all that was available was CT (Conspiracy Theorist), not LN (Lone Nut) stuff. Nowhere could you get this Warren Report, so I jumped on the CT wagon and became a life-long student of the assassination.

In 1978, I joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – the RCMP or Mounties. Because I was a curious risk-taker, I worked my way into Emergency Response or SWAT operations and the homicide squad. Also in 1978, the US House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) re-investigated the JFK case and officially concluded that there was a high probability of conspiracy. That re-enforced my CT suspicions, but I was way too busy solving current murders and shooting guns to follow up on JFK. In the back of my mind, though, I kept wondering how such an important investigation like JFK could be so screwed-up and whether the LN finding just might be true.

CE399By 1991, I’d become a recognized firearms expert and had the good fortune to work with an American colleague who’d personally handled JFK exhibits during the HSCA investigation. He gave me a ‘JFK Ballistics 101’ which opened my eyes on the science of the Single Bullet Theory. My CT suspicions changed.

In 2000, I got the Internet and downloaded the Warren Report. After reading the narrative and a good chunk of the Appendices, including witness testimonies, my response was Holy Fuck! They investigated the shit out of this thing! Okay. There’s way more to this than CT bullshit.

About the same time I left the police murder & gun business to become an investigative coroner. That’s an entirely different realm of science and the combination of disciplines solidified my ability to understand and impartially interpret evidence. In other words… cut through bullshit and determine what’s fact and what’s not.

JFK Dealey4So… aside from building my accreditations in firearms, homicides, forensics, and autopsies… I devoted the next decade and a half of free time to understanding the truth about what went down in Dealey. What I’ve found is that the facts are simple, but the root cause and scientific evidence is complex.

And fascinating!

I’ve come full circle in JFK culture – from LN to CT to LN. I’ve now evolved into ‘Teacher’ as I’ve the ability to instruct other students of the JFK Assassination on what truly happened and where to find credible information to understand the facts. Somehow I don’t think the JFK case is ever going to be closed and I don’t want future students to put in the time, and get sucked-in,  like I have.

JFK Snipers nest 5I believe that the JFK Assassination was one of history’s great moments and the facts are what JFK students must seek. Once facts are established, then truth can be known. This book cuts through bullshit and helps you understand what really went down in Dealey Plaza.

I hope you enjoy The JFK Assassination For Dummies.

Garry Rodgers, Vancouver, Canada, March 2015

JFK ASSASSINATION – STRANDS OF FATE

The 50th anniversary of the JFK Assassination is Friday, November 22nd.

JFKThere have been a lot of new books, documentaries, and movies released to coincide with this historical moment. I’ve seen and read some of them. Thankfully most seem to avoid the whacko conspiracy theories.

I’ve decided to postpone the publication of my book Lone Nuts – A No BS Guide to the JFK Assassination” until around Christmas.

One reason is that I don’t want to be seen as trying to cash in on all the hype surrounding the anniversary. I’ve put a lot of research into this project and want it to stand the test of time as a simple guide to the facts and the science behind the murders. (I say murder’s’. Not only was JFK cut down, Officer JD Tippit and Lee Harvey Oswald were also shot and killed.)

JFK Limo 2Secondly, I’ve been sidetracked on another project and haven’t been able to dedicate sufficient time to polish the manuscript. Again, I want this to be a timeless resource which anyone can pick up and pull out information. As far as I can see, no one else has taken this approach. It’s sort of a ‘JFK Assassination For Dummies’. There’s a real need to help future researchers cut through the bullshit as well as giving the general public a snapshot of what really happened in Dallas.

Third, I want to see what’s coming out over the next week as the 50th approaches. I don’t expect any shocking revelations but I’ve already seen some innovative computer reconstructions. Part of the value in “Lone Nuts” is that I’ve hyperlinked a number of internet sites into the text which are accurate and helpful. Already I’ve found some well-done new documentaries and expect there are more to come.

Part of my presentation is the strands of fate that caused the assassination. Here’s a preview of a few strange things that went down. Without them, the assassination event might never have occurred.

The PT109 came back to kill Kennedy.

JFK Back braceJFK was the skipper of a Navy Patrol boat during WWII. On the night of August 2nd, 1943, JFK’s vessel got rammed and cut in half by a Japanese destroyer. Two men died and three were injured, including JFK who suffered a serious spinal injury. By the time of his death in 1963 JFK was in continual pain from a degenerating backbone and he was forced to wear an elaborate and stiff back-brace or corset. The first bullet that hit JFK passed clean through his neck with little damage and knocked him unconscious. He would have survived that gunshot wound, but the stiff back-brace prevented him from instantly collapsing and kept him propped up. He stayed within Oswald’s sight picture, allowing time to get off the fatal head shot.

Nixon JFK DebateRichard Nixon didn’t shave and wear makeup.

The Nixon – Kennedy faceoff in 1960 was the first time that live TV was used in a Presidential election debate. Up to this point all debates had been either been on stage or by radio. Kennedy appreciated the power of television and prepared for the meeting by looking fresh and using theatrical makeup. Nixon arrived with a heavy 5 o’clock shadow and refused makeup. Although Nixon was probably better informed of the issues and was already ahead in the polls, he came off appearing unprepared and nervous; sweating under the hot TV lights. Historians consider this the turning point and allowed Kennedy to squeak by and get elected with a margin of 0.17%. If Nixon had been better looking, JFK would never been elected.

A tour guide saved Lee Harvey Oswald’s life in 1959.

Oswald young photoBy any measure Oswald was unstable. He defected from the US Marines to Russia and was thought by the KGB to be such a head-case that the Soviets refused to have anything to do with him. In despair from rejection Oswald slit his wrist and lay in his hotel bathtub. A tour guide who was curious about this strange young American arrived at his room unannounced, found him bleeding out, and called for help.

Childish Democrats sealed JFK’s fate.

Dealey_3D_MapOne of the reasons Kennedy went to Dallas was to patch-up a squabble between power brokers in the Texas Democratic party. One leader wanted the lunch-time meeting at the Texas Fairgrounds. Another leader threw a tantrum and demanded it be held at the Trade Mart. The Trade Mart guy won out which changed the motorcade route, bringing JFK right underneath Oswald’s window.

A devout Quaker deceived Oswald.

Ruth PaineRuth Paine was responsible for getting Oswald his job at the Texas School Book Depository. This was six weeks before the Assassination and well before the motorcade route was planned. Paine had been helping Oswald’s wife and children, but had no use for Lee Oswald. To keep Oswald away, she found him a job. The day Oswald interviewed for the Depository, another employer who Oswald had applied with, called Paine whose phone number Oswald used as a contact. This guy offered a better paying job which Oswald surely would have accepted. To get Oswald out of her hair, Paine never told Oswald about the better offer. He went to work at the Depository and the rest is history.

A broke stripper killed Oswald.

Ruby Little LynnJack Ruby actually shot Oswald, but if it weren’t for an exotic dancer by the name of Little Lynn, he’d never been in right place at the right time. Ruby was also a nut-case who owned the Carousel Club. When JFK was killed at noon on Friday, Ruby spiraled down into a bizarre fit of grief and rage. He closed his strip club for two days in ‘respect’ of JFK which put his dancers out of work. Little Lynn was already behind in rent and about to get evicted. She couldn’t absorb the loss of two day’s pay and called Ruby to loan her some money. Rather than lose her as a dancer, Ruby went to the Western Union office on the Sunday morning to wire her twenty-five bucks. This put him beside the Dallas Police Headquarters right at the time Oswald was being transferred to the county jail. Ruby saw all the media attention and wandered over to check things out. He was already carrying a handgun which he always did when carrying money. Ruby simply walked into the crowd, right into Lee Oswald, flipped out, and shot him.

Lone Nuts – A No BS Guide to the JFK Assassination brings out more strands of fate in this fascinating case. It gives a clear explanation of the direct and circumstantial evidence, as well as explaining the science behind it.

Let me know if you’d like a free Kindle copy or a signed print version.