The 50th anniversary of the JFK Assassination is Friday, November 22nd.
There 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.)
Secondly, 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 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.
Richard 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.
By 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.
One 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 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.
Jack 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.