Some Final Thoughts on the JFK Grand Conspiracy -- Then Moving On!

Now we move into my favorite time of year, Christmas!

For the past few days I have been debating a JFK conspiracy theorist in my post "Pissing On His Grave:  Lee Harvey Oswald."  Neither of us changed the other's mind, but the exercise was interesting and possibly made us more aware of the others facts or pseudo-facts.  Read the debate in the comments section, if so inclined.  I wonder if people will still be arguing about the assassination in another fifty years, when it is a century in the past?  Probably.

The Other McCain comments on the loony Jim Garrison, the rogue D.A. who prosecuted innocent people in the late 1960's for their imaginary participation in the Great Conspiracy.  Read it, and the comments, here.

I purchased the Kindle version of Vince Bugliosi's book, "Reclaiming History:  The Assassination of John F. Kennedy" and am enjoying it immensely.  This is the most current and most thorough book that refutes the conspiracy theorists, and does so in a convincing fashion.  I have learned facts I never knew before, and they only strengthen the Warren Commission's conclusions.  The only question left in my mind is this:  why do people want to believe that a massive conspiracy killed JFK?

This would be an excellent doctoral thesis for a mental health professional.

Update:  Apparently, psychologists are already studying what they call "Conspiracy Theory Psychology."  Slate has an interesting article on the subject here.

The article describes similar conspiracy theories to the JFK assassination:  the UFO and Roswell cover-ups, the 911 Truther movement.  Come to think of it, almost nothing happens now that isn't a "false flag" or staged disaster, all perpetrated in furtherance of the New World Order (or something).  The Boston bombing, the Sandy Hook shootings -- it's all part of the giant, unfolding conspiracy!  Not.

Psychology Today has a better article on Conspiracy Psychology here.  I like this short explanation of what motivates a belief in conspiracies:

...conspiracy theories help us cope with distressing events and make sense out of them. Conspiracies assure us that bad things don't just happen randomly. Conspiracies tell us that someone out there is accountable, however unwittingly or secretly or incomprehensibly, so it's possible to stop these people and punish them and in due course let everyone else re-establish control over their own lives. Conspiracies also remind us that we shouldn't blame ourselves for our predicaments; it's not our fault, it's them! In these ways, believing in conspiracies serves many of the same self-protective functions as scapegoating.

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey; a Seasoned Citizen Looks Back

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday that warms my oldest and fondest memories of home, family and food.  I have a lot to remember:  I'm a senior citizen.  I was a college sophomore when JFK was assassinated fifty years ago.  I saw the Beatles, Janis Joplin and the Jefferson Airplane perform live (to clarify, not together).  The Beatles in '64 and '65, and Janis Joplin in 1966, with Big Brother and the Holding Company.  I saw Jefferson Airplane the same night that I saw Janis.

My first recollection of a presidential election is when Eisenhower was running for president.  I was a cub scout, and we were given silvery (plastic) medals to "get out the vote, 1952."  I decided I liked Ike, was a Republican in a Democrat household, and never looked back.  I was shocked to learn my father was a Democrat, and he was equally shocked to learn I was a Republican.

I supported Nixon against JFK in the election of 1960, but later became smitten with JFK, as he was a strong anti-communist, as was I, and for a while, I fancied myself a liberal Democrat.  However, I never voted that way, as I was too young to vote.  My first presidential vote was for George Wallace in the 1968 election, as I believed he would have the gonads to win the war in Viet Nam.  I regretted my vote on election night, when Nixon was neck and neck with Hubert Humphrey, but finally pulled ahead to win by a slim margin.  I thought Humphrey would be another liberal disaster.

Yes, through the decades, I always loved Thanksgiving:  turkey and dressing; no school; getting into mischief with my cousins; football on television; and naps.  If only all my departed relatives could be resurrected to join me once more around the table:  grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts, and even a cousin or two, all of whom are now in the next world.

History As A Weapon for Modern Politics - and Why We Must Fight for Truth

As a Confederate descendant, I know too well how history is used as a weapon, how its interpretation (or misinterpretation) is used to justify political positions and policies in the here and now.  Furthermore, it isn't enough to merely advocate for a position -- to be successful, one must create a villain, someone or something to oppose, to fear, to hate.  The current bogey-man is the Tea Party, on which the left directs all of its venom and loathing.

The abject misinterpretation of the American (so-called) Civil War is a case in point, but I won't go there today.  Let's deal instead with the misinterpretations of the Kennedy assassination.

Fifty years ago, liberal newspapers and television pundits were decrying the "climate of hate and violence" that allegedly murdered Kennedy.  If the right wing wasn't so mean and nasty, they posited, Kennedy would not have been killed.  Of course, Kennedy was killed by a Communist, killed by left wing hatred, not right wing.  No matter, repeat a lie often enough and the sheeple will come to accept it as fact.

On the 50th anniversary of the assassination this week, this same false, incendiary and slanderous meme has again been revived by the left.  Some delusional fool at the Washington Post wrote an article, "The Tea Party Has Roots In The Dallas of 1963."  Yep, right wing views and positions get presidents assassinated.  Except that JFK was assassinated by one of theirs, a collectivist, a statist, a progressive, a Communist.

The Tea Party does not have its "roots in 1963," but the Democratic Party does indeed have its roots in 1984.  In Orwell's novel, one can see how history is used as a weapon: "Who controls the past, controls the future. Who controls the present, controls the past."  The interpretation of the past is used to justify modern political positions and shame opposition into silence, e.g., if you oppose leftist policies, you are just another assassin in disguise.

This is why the left is so conspiracy-minded.  They have been using fantasy for the past fifty years to exonerate their fellow traveler, Lee Harvey Oswald.  History must be rewritten to their satisfaction, and the truth be damned.  The conspiracists seek, not only to deflect guilt away from their ideological comrade, but to turn it on their enemies instead:  Republicans, conservatives, the military, the police, our intelligence agencies, and America itself.

This is also why I am such a dedicated, well-read and informed anti-conspiracy blogger.  I refuse to let the little commie bastard, Oswald, off the hook.  He, and the political philosophy he represents, deserve everlasting shame for the evil deeds that they do.

Live Video Cam View From Oswald's "Sniper's Lair" at Dealey Plaza #jfk

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas has a live view of Oswald's field of fire, via online webcam, at this link.

This requires an internet connection.  Here is a still capture I just made:

Oswald's View of JFK Motorcade, as It Appears Today (2013)
Red Circle Shows Location of JFK and Fatal Head Shot

Note: There is a horizontal, white line in the street that denotes the location of the fatal head shot.  I put a red circle around it.  The trees have grown up quite a bit since 1963.

Oswald had an ever clearer shot fifty years ago. See same photo back then, with a red x marking the spot of the head shot, below.  (The "grassy knoll" can be seen on the right.).  This is a photo taken on November 27, 1963, of a Secret Service reenactment of the assassination.  The photo below it is a view to the left, just before Elm Street runs under the oak tree there.  It is believed Oswald hurried his first shot here, and missed.

View From Sniper's Lair, November 27, 1963

From the Sniper's Lair, Looking Down and to the Left of the Six Floor Window
Where Oswald May Have Fired His First Shot and Missed - Photo Taken November 27, 1963

Here is the actual scene of Oswald's perch in 1963.  He stacked boxes to act as a support for steadying his rifle for the shots fired at Kennedy.  Note how much thinner the trees were in 1963.

Source:  Fort Worth Star Telegram

Burial of JFK, J.D. Tippit and Lee Harvey Oswald; My Memory of The Texas Theater

Fifty years ago today there were three funerals and burials:  that of President John F. Kennedy, Officer J.D. Tippit, and Lee Harvey Oswald.  Oswald, the murderer of the first two, was ironically buried the same day as his victims, Monday, November 25, 1963.  All three died of gunshot wounds, and all three died as a result of Oswald's heinous crimes.

Oswald was captured in the Texas Theater, a movie theater in Dallas.  It's funny, but my family drove by the Texas Theater in the summer of 1962.  I had just graduated from high school in California, and my father wanted to drive to Texas to visit relatives.  As we entered Dallas, I was sitting in the back seat of my dad's Cadillac, on the right side of the car, and looking out the window at the passing scene.  We drove by a movie theater, and it made an impression of me because of its unusual sign:  a semicircle of yellow stars with blue letters spelling out TEXAS.

This stuck in my mind, and when Oswald was arrested in the Texas Theater, I wondered if it was the same one in my memory.  For years I couldn't be sure, but then came the Internet.  Today you can Google anything and find answers instantly.  I found several pictures of the Texas Theater, and it is the one I saw in 1962.  See pictures.

JFK Assassination: Proof That Both Bullets Were Fired From Behind - #JFK

Conspiracy theorists mostly insist that the bullets that hit Kennedy were fired from the front, i.e, from the so-called "Grassy Knoll."  Their major source of "proof":  Some of the Parkland Hospital doctors who worked on Kennedy in Trauma Room 1 stated to the press that the bullets in both his head and his neck were entry wounds.

The Parkland Doctors and "Entry Wounds"
Here's the facts:  the doctors and ER personnel who worked on Kennedy were not trying to determine if the wounds were entry or exit, they were in a rush to save his life.  Kennedy's head and hair were covered with dried blood, tissue and brain matter, obscuring a clear view of the wounds.  Further, since Kennedy was lying face up, few of the doctors were able to view the back of his head or his upper back, where the small bullet holes indicate entry wounds from the rear (and consistent with shots fired from the Texas School Book Depository, or TSBD).  Moreover, gravity carried much of the blood and tissue from the front of JFK's head to the back (since he was lying on his back), making it appear that the most massive wounds were in the rear.

According to Vincent Bugliosi in his book Reclaiming History, the Parkland doctors attending Kennedy were mostly young interns and residents, as most of the experienced doctors were away that day at a medical conference.  None of the doctors present were pathologists, and none were experts in gunshot wounds.  Further, they were with Kennedy a total of only 22 minutes before he finally died from his wounds.  Therefore the initial impression of these inexperienced doctors as to the nature of the wounds is completely irrelevant.

The Opinion of 15 to 17 Forensic Pathologists carries substantially more weight than the hurried impressions of interns and residents.  The former had much more time to inspect and dispassionately evaluate the wounds from the notes, X Rays and the photographs of the autopsy.  These pathologists (17 for the head shot, 15 for the back shot) were unanimous in their conclusions that both of the shots entered Kennedy's body from the back and exited from the front, indicating a shooter from the TSBD.  Here are the factors that prove incontrovertibly that their conclusions were accurate:

1.  Abrasion Collars:  Entry wounds from bullets leave a kind of halo around the entry wound, caused by the bullet rubbing against the flesh as it enters.  This happens only if the bullet enters at an angle, however slight.  The abrasion collars on both bullet wounds that hit JFK indicate movement of the bullet from right to left, consistent with shots fired from the TSBD.  (Exit wounds do not have abrasion collars.)  Both bullet wounds in Kennedy (head and upper back) had these abrasion collars.

2.  Beveling of Bullet Holes In The Skull:  A bullet entering the skull typically creates a relatively small hole on the exterior surface, and a large hole immediately opposite on the interior surface. (The opposite effect would happen on the opposing side of the skull where the bullet exits.)  McAdams's site explains the concept:

Key Concept: Beveling. When a bullet penetrates the skull bone, it will leave a small hole on the side from which it enters, and a larger dished-out crater on the side that it exits. The existence of beveling of the bone of Kennedy’s skull allowed the autopsists — and later panels of forensic pathologists — to establish that the bullet that hit Kennedy in the head entered from behind, with at least one large fragment exiting toward the front. See JFK Exhibit F-61, from the House Select Committee on Assassinations.

Here's a photo of the beveling effect a BB makes on a plane of glass.  This photo shows the exit side effect.  The entry hole is small, the exit hole is large and beveled.

Beveling Effect of a BB on Glass
(Internal View, Exit Point)

 This beveling effect was found in Kennedy's skull during the autopsy, at both the entry and exit points, proving conclusively that the shot hit him from the rear, again consistent with a shot fired from the Texas School Book Depository.

This evidence only works on gunshots to the skull, it cannot be used on other parts of the body, such as the shot to JFK's upper back (the throat shot).

3.  Coagulation Necrosis of the Bullet Wounds:  This is a scientific term for collagen damage at the periphery of an entry wound (but not an exit wound).  The hot bullet causes damage to the collagen that is invisible to the naked eye, but which can be seen through a microscope.  Both of the bullet wounds to JFK have coagulation necrosis on the back, proving once again that both shots were fired from the rear.

With all the hoopla, claims and counter claims for and against a conspiracy, the scientific evidence is irrefutable:  no shot hit Kennedy from the front, there was no shot from the Grassy Knoll.  In short, no apparent conspiracy.

Sources:  The JFK/Kennedy Assassination Homepage
                 Reclaiming History:  The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Vincent Bugliosi

World Net Daily Isn't Worth a Damn

World Net Daily is allegedly a conservative website, but if so, it is the Wacky Right, the ones who believe that depression medications make you murder people, that the hour of Christ's return can be calculated precisely, and now that there WAS indeed a conspiracy to kill John F. Kennedy.

Typical World Net Daily Reader?

Their latest malarkey seems to derive from resident researcher Jerome Corsi, the famous researcher who assured us that Obama's birth certificate was forged, but who could never prove it.  Now he has a book out, Who Really Killed Kennedy?  Stunning New Revelations About the JFK Assassination.

According to the best positive review at Amazon:

Corsi's essential argument is that the plot to kill Kennedy was hatched by military and financial elites who were displeased with Kennedy's unwillingness to go along with their plans for a New World Order. Presenting new and overlooked evidence, Dr. Corsi argues his case with thorough documentation and persuasive analyses that offers an enlightening perspective for the reader.

So there you have it.  The Wacky Right is paranoid about something called "The New World Order," and so obviously JFK must have been killed by those trying to erect this new order.  This is specious and absurd on its face.  No need to read any further.

Here are some equally valid arguments for a huge conspiracy (feel free to write your own):
1.  JFK was killed by a cabal of disgruntled tax accountants and lawyers for his plans to simplify the Internal Revenue Code.
2.  JFK was killed by a conspiracy of NASA officials for his plans to finally tell the truth about UFO's:  they ARE little gray men with big eyeballs.
3.  JFK was killed by a secret plot of the Cattleman's Association for his plans to push vegetarianism.
4.  JFK was killed by a cabal of Air Force Generals because he planned to paint their black helicopters purple with pink polka dots.

I'm sure that books will be written along these lines any day now.

My Personal Memories of the Kennedy Assassination, 50 Years Later #JFK, #JFKassassination

JFK and Jacky disembark in Dallas, 
November 22, 1963

On the 30th anniversary of the assassination, I wrote my reminiscence of that terrible day. They are below.  I first published these reminiscences on this blog in 2008.  I am reprinting them for the 50th anniversary of that awful event.

November 22, 1993
Thirty years ago this morning, I was chasing a badminton bird in the men's gymnasium at San Jose City College, in San Jose, California, the rubber soles of my tennis shoes squeaking on the lacquered wooden floor. I was in my physical education class. Soon, the coach would blow his whistle and we would head for the showers.

It was Friday, and I was looking forward to the weekend and the short, three day week before Thanksgiving that would follow. After showering, I put on my narrow, striped tie. For some reason I had felt like dressing up on that day, and wore a brand new tie I had just bought, a rep (striped) tie. I bought it because it reminded me of the ties our young President John F. Kennedy wore. Friday, November 22, was the first time I had a chance to wear it.

It was eleven o'clock when I walked from the gym to the science building for my Chemistry lecture class. I say it was my "lecture" class, because Chemistry always involved two classes taken in tandem: lecture and laboratory. We were to have a lecture on organic chemistry this Friday morning, studying the molecular structure and chemical formulas of various hydrocarbons.

Just as I reached the door of the science building, a classmate from a previous semester approached me. He was a typical student of the day, his black hair cut in a flattop, the bristles of which were pomaded to stand straight up. "Hey," he called to me, "Did you hear that Kennedy has been shot?"

I froze in dread and disbelief. I knew this guy was a "goof-off," someone who was rarely serious and not in the habit of displaying good taste in his humor. I thought it was some kind of sick joke. "Yeah," he continued, "I heard two students talking. One said to the other, 'Did you hear that Kennedy's been shot?' Then his friend smiled and said, 'Isn't it GREAT?'" The fool then smiled big, showing his white teeth. I interpreted his smile to mean that he agreed with the sentiment that it would be great if someone had indeed shot the President of the United States.

I did not return his smile. I may have mumbled something about having to get to Chemistry, but I don't remember. I do remember thinking that if this were a joke, it was a very sick joke, indeed.

When I sat down in the classroom, other students were asking each other if the rumor was true. Then our teacher, a bespectacled blondish man of about fifty, emerged from his office and told the assembled class the news. "It's on the news. Kennedy was shot by a sniper in Dallas and the word from the State Department is that he's dead." We were stunned. My immediate emotion was one of burning hate for the student who had laughed about it in the corridor. I wanted to go find him and pummel his smiling face into pulp.

Then in an amazingly blatant display of bad taste and irreverence, the Chemistry teacher, who did not seem at all disheartened by this turn of events, told us to take out our notebooks. We were going to have lecture as planned, as there were many formulas to learn. That I even sat there for that hour numbly copying molecular structures off the blackboard still amazes me. But I was only nineteen. Today I would have risen out of my seat, said, "I for one do not feel like listening to a lecture in the aftermath of such a tragedy. I'm leaving, and I suggest all of you other students go with me."

My next class was Biblical Literature, which was held in the drama building. My teacher, whose name was Christian, was a portly gentleman with a goatee and a head shaved almost to peach fuzz. As the students sat down, he stood before us with wet eyes and a tear-stained face. I still remember what he said, three decades later: "In light of what's happened, I for one don’t really feel like discussing simile and metaphor, and I think the best thing to do is to just dismiss the class."

After Dr. Christian dismissed the class, I wandered around the campus until my Psychology class met. I believe the teacher's name was Dr. Blum. He too, made a few short remarks and told us that the college administration had decided to dismiss all further classes for the day. I wandered towards the parking lot in a kind of stupor, then sat down on a bench near the administration building beside a young woman student. I noticed that her face was also tear-stained and flushed with grief. She was listening to a newscast on a portable radio. Walter Cronkite was describing the awful events, finally concluding his newscast with a grave and somber remark: "President Kennedy is dead." The finality of that shocked me to my core, and I stood up and stumbled in the direction of my first car, a 1951 DeSoto, waves of grief and despair washing over me.

As I came in the door to our home on Foxworthy Avenue in San Jose, my father and mother were watching the televised newscast. My father asked me in a very serious voice, "Have you heard the news?"

"Yeah, I heard," I said, and walked past them. My father called after me, "It's pretty damned rotten when they have to bring the President home in a box!"

I went into my room and took off my "Kennedy tie." I put it away in a drawer. I never wore it again.

*************

Pissing on His Grave: Lee Harvey Oswald #jfk, #jfkassassination, #LeeHarveyOswald

When John F. Kennedy was murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald, I had just celebrated my 19th birthday.  I was a sophomore at San Jose City College in San Jose, California.  Young, naive and idealistic, I revered J.F.K.  He made me feel proud to be an American.

After the assassination, I was filled with a burning hatred for Lee Harvey Oswald.  After Oswald was killed by Jack Ruby, I swore that someday I would go to Dallas, find Oswald's grave, and piss on it.

I've been to Dallas a few times since then, as I have relatives there.  One night in 1975, a cousin took me to the Texas School Book Depository and I stood on the ground directly below the window where Oswald fired the shots.  I remember how close and accessible Elm Street seemed from where I was.  I could see it wind around, first slightly to the right, then slightly leftward, down towards the overpass.  I remember dark gray concrete with white highway stripes. The scene before me was largely deserted of people and cars, as it was night time.  I was shocked to see how easy Oswald's shots appeared to be.  (See a graphic of Dealey Plaza here.)

Fifty years later, I have become a conservative Republican, but I still bitterly resent Oswald's cancellation of a presidential election by bullet.  I still hate the little commie bastard.  And I really need to go visit my cousins in Dallas.  Maybe I'll finally get to visit Oswald's grave.  After several beers, I should be ready.

UPDATE:  If you are in Fort Worth and feel a need to relieve yourself, directions to Oswald's grave are at this link.

Resources for Understanding the Assassination of John F. Kennedy: Websites, Books, and Documentaries #JFK, #JFKassassination

Do a search at Amazon.com on "JFK Assassination" and a flood of conspiracy titles quickly unravel down your video screen.

Many books have been written about the JFK murder, and probably 90% of them advance conspiracy theories, many of which are completely absurd.  JFK assassination literature is similar to tabloids sold in the grocery store:  reasonable and responsible stories don't sell.  "Elvis dating Bigfoot on a UFO" sells.  "Oswald Killed Kennedy and Acted Alone" doesn't.  Not sexy.  Not exciting.  Reality is just so boring.

Nevertheless, the responsible literature on the JFK assassination all come to the same conclusion:  Oswald did kill Kennedy, and he did indeed act alone.  Below I list the best of these resources.  Commentary descriptions are taken from Amazon.

Websites:
1.  The JFK/Kennedy Assassination Homepage, by Professor John McAdams.  This is without a doubt the best online resource for responsible study of the assassination.  It contains photos, texts, illustrations and links, and refutes every major conspiracy theory.

2.  JFK Facts. making sense of JFK's assassination after 50 years. This website contains a mix of both pro and anti conspiracy authors.

3.  The National Archives, Warren Commission Records and Report.  

4.  The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

5.  Live EarthCam at Dealey Plaza.  See a live video cam of Oswald's view from the Sniper's Lair.  This is a live video of Elm Street as viewed from the Sixth Floor of the Texas School Book Depository.  Does this look like a difficult shot to you?

6.  Oswald Is Guilty -  Holds the position that Oswald was solely guilty of the murder of John F. Kennedy, and gives a point by point argument to that effect.

7.  The Assassination of John F. Kennedy:  A Lone-Gunman Viewpoint.  Many articles, photos and links related to the assassination, from an anti-conspiracy writer.

8.  DVP's JFK Archives.  A collection of articles, photos, videos and Warren Commission documents about the assassination.

Books:
1.  Four Days In November:  The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, by Vincent Bugliosi.

Amazon Description:
Four Days in November is an extraordinarily exciting, precise, and definitive narrative of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, by Lee Harvey Oswald. It is drawn from Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a huge and historic account of the event and all the conspiracy theories it spawned, by Vincent Bugliosi, famed prosecutor of Charles Manson and author of Helter Skelter. For general readers, the carefully documented account presented in Four Days is utterly persuasive: Oswald did it and he acted alone.

2.  Reclaiming History:  The Asssassination of President John F. Kennedy, by Vincent Bugliosi.  This is a more comprehensive account from which "Four Days In November" was derived.

Amazon Description:
There have been hundreds of books about the assassination, but there has never been a book that covers the entire case, including addressing every piece of evidence and each and every conspiracy theory, and the facts, or alleged facts, on which they are based. In this monumental work, the author has raised scholarship on the assassination to a new and final level, one that far surpasses all other books on the subject. It adds resonance, depth, and closure to the admirable work of the Warren Commission.
Reclaiming History is a narrative compendium of fact, forensic evidence, reexamination of key witnesses, and common sense. Every detail and nuance is accounted for, every conspiracy theory revealed as a fraud on the American public. Bugliosi's irresistible logic, command of the evidence, and ability to draw startling inferences shed fresh light on this American nightmare. At last it all makes sense. 32 pages of illustrations.

3.  Case Closed, by Gerald Posner.  This is the first really good refutation of the conspiracy theorists.  It was released in 1993.

Amazon Description:
The assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, continues to inspire interest ranging from well-meaning speculation to bizarre conspiracy theories and controversial filmmaking. But in this landmark book, reissued with a new afterword for the 40th anniversary of the assassination, Gerald Posner examines all of the available evidence and reaches the only possible conclusion: Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. There was no second gunman on the grassy knoll. The CIA was not involved. And although more than four million pages of documents have been released since Posner first made his case, they have served only to corroborate his findings. Case Closed remains the classic account against which all books about JFK’s death must be measured.

4.  A Conspiracy of One, by Jim Moore.  This is one of the very first rebuttals of the conspiracy theorists (and the first one I read).  It is not as comprehensive as the first three books listed, but is worth the read.  Moore was a researcher who was determined to root out the conspiracy and discover the true perpetrators.  However, the more he learned, the more he came to the conclusion that Oswald did it and acted alone.

Documentaries:  There are many documentaries, including some that are absurd, which seems to be a trait of conspiracy theorists.  Here are the best that I have seen:

1.  Beyond Conspiracy, History Channel. Uses 3D graphic models, including a digital reconstruction of Dealey Plaza and the JFK limousine.  

2.  Beyond the Magic Bullet, History Channel.  Reconstructs the shooting of Kennedy using the same height and angle of Oswald in the Sniper's Lair.  Uses a rifle identical to that used by Lee Harvey Oswald, as well as bullets from the same batch that he fired at Kennedy, as well as gelatin and animal tissue to simulate a human body.  Shows how Oswald's shots traveled and tumbled, and how they made the wounds on Kennedy and Connally.  

3.  CBS Test of the Mannlicher Carcano Rifle, 1967.  CBS had 11 shooters test the Oswald rifle (using identical rifles, not the original) by shooting at a moving target at the same distances that JFK was from Oswald.  Here's a description of that test from Wikipedia:

CBS conducted a firing test in 1967 at the H. P. White Ballistics Laboratory located in Street, Maryland. For the test 11 marksmen from diverse backgrounds were invited to participate: 3 Maryland State Troopers, 1 weapons engineer, 1 sporting goods dealer, 1 sportsman, 1 ballistics technician, 1 ex-paratrooper, and 3 H. P. White employees. CBS provided several Carcano rifles for the test. Oswald's rifle was not used in this test. The targets were color-coded orange for head/shoulder silhouette and blue for a near miss. The results of the CBS test were as follows: 7 of 11 shooters were able to fire three rounds under 5.6 seconds (64%). Of those 7 shooters, 6 hit the orange target once (86%), and 5 hit the orange target twice (71%). Out of 60 rounds fired, 25 hit the orange (42%), 21 hit the blue portion of the target (35%), and there were 14 misses on the target (23%).

One volunteer was unable to operate his rifle effectively so the following statistics are based on the 10 remaining shooters. The average time of all 10 was 5.64 seconds. The mode was 5.55 seconds and the mean was 5.70 seconds. The average for the top five shooters was 5.12 seconds, and for the bottom five shooters 6.16 seconds. There was a high occurrence of jamming during the test. On average the rifles jammed after 6 rounds. The most rounds fired without jamming were 14, 11, 10 in a row. The least was 0 (back to back).

The first shooter to lead off the experiment was Al Sherman, Maryland State Trooper. The record of his effort: 5.0 sec: 2 orange, 1 blue / 6.0 sec: 2 orange, 1 blue / NT (jam at 3rd cartridge)/ 5.2 sec: 1 orange, 2 low / 5.0 sec: 1 orange, 2 blue. Sherman was able to fire 8 rounds before his rifle jammed. Of all shooters, the fastest times were: 4.1 sec, 4.3 sec, 4.9 sec, 5.0 sec. The best accuracy was 3 orange in 5.2 seconds. The rifles were oiled and allowed to cool down between shooters. CBS reporter Dan Rather attended this experiment.

During the investigation by the House Select Committee on Assassinations (1976–1978), the lead attorneys for the Committee, Robert Blakey and Gary Cornwell, were allowed to use WC-139 at an FBI firing range. The attorneys wanted to see how fast the bolt action could be operated. Blakey was able to fire two rounds in 1.5 seconds and Cornwell fired two rounds in 1.2 seconds. This was an experiment to test a possible theory that Oswald in his excitement may have pointed and fired, as opposed to aimed and fired. Some critics of the Warren Commission had claimed it was impossible to fire a Carcano rifle in less than 2.3 seconds. Both the CBS and HSCA tests proved conclusively this claim is not accurate.^[67]

4.  JFK Assassination:  Father & Son Probe the Single Bullet Theory - Another video proving once again that the second bullet (the so called "Magic Bullet") did indeed strike both Kennedy and Connally.  Shows how the bullet "yawed" (began tumbling end over end) after exiting Kennedy's throat, hitting Connally at an oblique angle.  [The bullet did not disintegrate like the third bullet in the fatal head shot, because its velocity was slowed by the soft tissue of Kennedy's neck.]

Essays and Articles 

1. Killing Conspiracy by Fred Kaplan of Slate.  Kaplan describes his disillusionment with the conspiracy theorists when he realized how badly they were distorting the facts.  He rebuts the Grassy Knoll head shot theory and the "Magic Bullet" theory.  All of this is old news, but he adds to the discussion by describing the factors that motivate conspiracy theories:

The Appeal of Conspiracies - Conspiracy theories thrive—about every big event in history—for several reasons. First, there’s a natural human instinct to fantasize about the hidden. As my Slate colleague Ron Rosenbaum (who’s plumbed these depths as immersively as anyone) put it in his brilliant collection, The Secret Parts of Fortune, “The search for the hidden hand, the hidden springs, the hidden handshake behind history attracts a certain kind of glory seeker, Ancient Mariner, mad scholar, Wandering Jew.”Second, there is comfort in this search for unseen mainsprings. If horrible events can be traced to a cabal of evildoers who control the world from behind a vast curtain, that’s, in one sense, less scary than the idea that some horrible things happen at random or as a result of a lone nebbish, a nobody. The existence of a secret cabal means that there’s some sort of order in the world; a catastrophic fluke suggests there’s a vast crevice of chaos, the essence of dread.
As the old adage has it, “Big doors sometimes swing on little hinges.” John F. Kennedy’s murder was a big door—had he lived, the subsequent decades might have looked very different—and Lee Harvey Oswald was a preposterously small hinge. The dissonance is wildly disorienting. It makes for a neater fit, a more intelligible universe, to believe that a consequential figure like John Kennedy was taken down by an equally consequential entity, like the CIA, the Mafia, the Soviets, Castro … take your pick.

2.  JFK - Casualty of the Cold War, by James Piereson.  This article describes how the left tried to tie the assassination to "right wing extremism."  However, the author provides plenty of facts that prove a communist murdered JFK, possibly because the assassin felt he was protecting the life of Fidel Castro.  [I personally do not believe political motivations were Oswald's primary motive.  I believe he simply wanted to be noticed, to be famous, to show off for his estranged wife, and to express his hatred for America.]

I may add to these lists as additional resources become known. 

How To Sell a JFK Assassination Theory (and Sell Books!) #JFK #JFKAssassination

In 1997 a JFK assassination writer created a FAQ about the Kennedy assassination and the claims of the conspiracy theoriests.

Locke describes the process for advancing a conspiracy theory:
8.1 Sell emotion first. 

8.2 Scare the reader away from primary documents. 

8.3 Distort the evidence. 

8.4 Emphasize eyewitness testimony. 

8.5 Emphasize unsworn witnesses. 

8.6 Raise non-essential issues. 

8.7 Omit the complete context of the evidence. 

8.8 Promote yourself to expert. 

8.9 Don't solicit the other side of the story. 

8.10 Accuse the defenseless. 

8.11 Emphasize preliminary information. 

8.12 Recycle discredited evidence.

Locke also lists the major myths and facts about the assassination.  Read his FAQ online here.

Stupid JFK Conspiracy Theories Debunked: "Kennedy was killed by an accidental head shot by a Secret Service agent"

I have read several excellent books, websites and watched some great documentaries on the Kennedy assassination.  I am quite sure that Oswald killed Kennedy and that he acted alone.  I do not understand the emotional need that many have for believing in a massive conspiracy.  Every major conspiracy theory has been dissected and convincingly refuted at John McAdams's site "The JFK/Kennedy Assassination Home Page."  For those interested in the JFK conspiracy theories, this site is fascinating.

Lately we have seen a revival of a theory that first appeared in 1992 with the publication of a book called "Mortal Error."  This book advances the absurd theory that the fatal head shot was fired accidentally by a Secret Service agent.  The agent, one George W. Hickey Jr, sued the author and the publisher for libel and settled out of court for a huge sum.  The book was legally libelous because Hickey was still alive when the book was first published.  Now that Hickey is dead, the theory has been revived and is again being foisted on a gullible public.

This idiotic theory of the "accidental head shot" is nonsense, but there is no end to absurd assassination theories, and no limit to the gullible and credulous who will believe most anything, the Warren Report being the sole exception.

That Hickey could have fired an AR-15 into Kennedy's head with hundreds of spectators watching (and somehow not seeing) is specious enough.  But neutron activation analysis of the lead fragments in Kennedy's brain and wounds showed all of them came from Oswald's rifle.  There were no lead fragments from any other firearm.

UPDATE:  This "Mortal Error" theory seems to be based on the belief that a second kind of gun (other than Oswald's) had to have fired the fatal head shot.  The reason:  the second bullet fired passed through both Kennedy and Connally without fragmenting, whereas the third bullet that passed through Kennedy's head badly fragmented, causing a massive exit wound.  This theory ignores the fact that the second bullet was slowed by its passage through the soft tissue of Kennedy's throat (emerging just under his Adam's apple), and began tumbling end over end.  The lost velocity, as well as the absence of anything hard (like bone) in the bullet's path, was enough to prevent fragmentation upon hitting Connally (the bullet did scrape a rib).  The third bullet experienced no such impediment and hit Kennedy's head at full force, approximately 2100 feet per second.  Therefore, the flight paths and velocities of the two bullets are not comparable, and the assumption that a second gun fired the third bullet both illogical and counter factual.

UPDATE:  Per Bugliosi, the third (head shot) bullet did fragment, but two pieces of it were found on the front floor of the limousine (again, possible only if the head shot were from the rear).  The FBI found the two pieces to be large enough for analysis, and they showed the rifling peculiar to Oswald's Carcano rifle, proving that the third shot, the head shot, was fired from Oswald's rifle and no other.  Certainly not from an AR-15.  "Mortal Error" is a glaring lie, and the authors should be ashamed for introducing yet another myth into the assassination.

A Gray, Overcast, Cold Monday

It's cold and overcast here in Hollister on this November Monday.  I did no serious work today, just messed around with Photoshop some more.  I now know how Kimberlin Unmasked makes those great comics and I am all set to make some myself.  But, I can't think of anything funny.  Well, all the Democrats making excuses for the Obamacare disaster might prove grist for the mill, but they are more pathetic than humorous.

The Kimberlin/Rauhauser/Schmalfeldt Backstory

Kimberlin Unmasked has another comic up today, one that tells the backstory of the Brett Kimberlin saga of suing conservatives...for telling the truth about Kimberlin's sordid past.

Why would Brett Kimberlin care about anyone telling the truth about his criminal past?  It has been well documented in years past, through news articles of his trials and sentences, and by author Mark Singer in his book, Citizen K:  the Deeply Weird American Journey of Brett Kimberlin.  I found a copy of the out-of-print book on Amazon and read it cover to cover.

Kimberlin Unmasked's post references a lengthy article by Robert Stacy McCain, which explains the history of Kimberlin's current spate of lawsuits that began in 2010, when a liberal blogger named Seth Allen alleged that Kimberlin's 501 (c) 4 organization, Velvet Revolution, was a scam to make money through liberal donations.  If this is true, then the vicious legal attacks by "Team Kimberlin" make a lot more sense.  This is more than just a pissing match over conflicting political ideology, it is a fight by Kimberlin to protect whatever credibility he has with the liberal donors who fund his operations.  Since he raised around two million bucks before Seth Allen blew the whistle, it is obvious that serious money is at stake.

Some leftists have been running donation scams for years.  The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is the most extreme example, labeling various conservatives as "racists" for their legitimate political views that have little or nothing to do with race.  SPLC created a double benefit for itself, slandering conservatives while reaping great quantities of cash from liberal donors.  We're talking tens of millions of dollars.  (Some of the best exposés of SPLC have been made by various ethical liberal writers.)

If McCain is correct (and I have no reason to doubt him), Kimberlin ally Neal Rauhauser has been conspiring since 2010 to launch malicious prosecution and abusive process legal actions against conservative pundits and groups, beginning with the Chamber of Commerce.  The idea was to destroy these individuals and organizations while reaping great cash rewards in the process.  And if the suits failed, then Rauhauser's cabal of conspirators could at least cause their conservative targets much time and money in defending the suits.  We are greatly indebted to R.S. McCain who has tracked down the details of this story and compiled them into a comprehensible narrative.  For his efforts, he has been targeted by Brett Kimberlin and named as a defendant in Kimberlin's abusive RICO lawsuit.  Go here and donate to McCain.

Rauhauser's conspiracy was nuts to begin with, and probably would have failed, because being conservative is not a crime or a violation of the rights of leftists.  It is for this same reason that Brett Kimberlin's false RICO suit against 22 defendants will also fail.  The suit is fake, a malicious attempt to misuse the courts to punish anyone who tells the truth about Brett Kimberlin and his business organizations.  I have read Kimberlin's lawsuit.  One does not have to be an attorney to see how thin and specious his claims are.

Brett Kimberlin and Neal Rauhauser are very bad apples, inspired by dark motivations. Their associate Bill Schmalfeldt is a small fish in their poisonous pond, more of an annoyance than anything else.  Normally, I wouldn't be concerned with any of them, but their abuse of the court system to punish conservatives (and liberals who expose them) clearly affects us all.  The story is therefore fascinating, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.  I expect their dastardly deeds will explode in their faces, and I look forward to that conclusion with great anticipation.

Are Liberals Like Bill Schmalfeldt Just Plain Crazy?

I thought I'd peek in on Bill Schmalfeldt over at Twitter to see what kind of tweets he's making lately.  There was an unending stream of them, mostly weird and accusatory and often obscene.  I'm not a psychiatrist, but I do believe Billy Boy is just plain crazy.  He has an unhealthy obsession with various conservative bloggers and every waking minute of his day is spent (or so it seems) sending out tweets or posting blog entries excoriating said bloggers.  Here's his twitter feed, judge for yourself (his twitter pages often disappear to be replaced with new ones, so look at it while you can).

Why do so many really scary people become liberal/leftist/progressives?  I remember a few years back when the Protein Wisdom blogger was harassed and cyberstalked by a crazy woman, a university teacher in Arizona, divorced with a young daugter and recent convert to lesbianism.  She kept inferring that the targeted blogger was somehow sexually molesting his very young son.  The blogger obtained a restraining order to make her stop, and she soon lost her teaching job.

When we say that liberalism is a mental disorder, we say it in jest, usually.  The truth seems to be a bit different:  those with mental disorders tend to become liberals.

More About Bill:
Schmalfeldt has discovered an app that allows one to pixilate photos, and has now created his own cartoon page called "Breitbots" on Wordpress.

The Obamacare Disaster: Hope and Change, Bwa Ha Ha! #Obamacare

American Power has a post on Jonah Goldberg's schadenfreude for Obama's crashing failure, Obamacare.  Jonah Goldberg writes:

Because, frankly, this has been one of the most enjoyable political moments of my lifetime. I wake up in the morning and rush to find my just-delivered newspaper with a joyful expectation of worsening news so intense, I feel like Morgan Freeman should be narrating my trek to the front lawn. Indeed, not since Dan Rather handcuffed himself to a fraudulent typewriter, hurled it into the abyss, and saw his career plummet like Ted Kennedy was behind the wheel have I enjoyed a story more.

The arrogant, sophomoric moron in the oval office wouldn't compromise, wouldn't agree to delay the roll out of Obamacare, and acted like a tin-horn dictator to Republicans in Congress.  Now he owns this disaster all on his own and the Democrats look like a pack of fools.  It does my heart good.

"Hope and Change" has become "Dope Deranged."

ANOTHER Bill Schmalfeldt Photoshop (Forgive Me) #Photoshop #BillSchmalfeldt

I have been putting in quite a few hours studying Photoshop tutorials on the web.  I have been using this program for maybe 15 years, learning a little here and there.  Finally I have been inspired to greatly extend my knowledge of this useful program.

So here is another Photoshop of Bill Schmalfeldt, this time making use of the filter at filter/other/highpass, hard light.  I also use layer pattern overlays to create texture, as well as filter/artistic/poster edges to get all those neat black spotty highlights.  Don't know why, just makes it look more "sketched."

Well I've had enough of Bill for awhile so will be in search of other material.

LENA DUNHAM #Photoshop

I found a great tutorial for easily turning a photo into a drawing that can then be colored.  See it here.

I used a photo of feminist Lena Dunham as my subject -- found her pic at The Other McCain.

It's not that good, but I learned a lot.  This technique works best if you start with a fairly clean photo without a lot of shadows.  Basically, you start by taking the photo and applying the sketch/stamp filter, and adjusting the black and white so that the lines are as clean as possible.  I'll try it again with a more suitable photograph.

CHILL OUT BILL SCHMALFELDT! #Photoshop

I am continuing to explore digital effects for the purpose of doing comic strips.  Doing comics is fun and satire is a very effective weapon against idiocy and error.

I have again used Bill Schmalfeldt of Maryland as a subject, since the cartoonist at Kimberlinunmasked.com has used him, and I wanted to use Bill as a standard for comparison.  I created the Photoshop as a learning exercise, exploring the use of various filters and effects, and I may as well post it.

I don't know Bill Schmalfeldt, but he is a liberal writer and blogger who has greatly angered some conservatives, apparently by sending them a stream of twitter messages filled with anger, insulting comments and misstatements of fact.  Bill seems to have an inexhaustible supply of anger, and such anger seems unwarranted, self destructive and ill advised.  I have no animosity towards Bill; he, like I, is an older guy who likes to express himself on political issues.  However, I am puzzled by his degree of anger and by his behavior, especially towards a blogger named W.J.J. Hoge, who blogs at Hogewash.com.  Hoge obtained a "peace order" in a Maryland court last June, asking that Bill stop harrassing him with angry twitter mail and other communications.  Bill appealed the peace order and lost, and shortly thereafter started up sending the same stream of vitriol towards Hoge.  Hoge then served Bill with legal papers, an order to show cause as to why Bill should not be held in contempt of court for massive violation of the peace order.

This week a warrant for Bill's arrest was issued, then cancelled, then reinstated.  Bill may be sitting in a cell even as this is written.  I would ask Bill, if I could, "For God's sake, why, Bill?"  Bill could write as much as he wants, rant as much as he wants, tweet as much as he wants, and no one would really care, as long as he doesn't turn criticism into a personal vendetta against anyone.

If Bill doesn't stop this nonsense, one is tempted to conclude that he has some kind of mental problem.  Seek help, Bill.  Fifty milligrams of Zoloft a day, a cup of coffee and a good cigar are what work for me.

And here's my latest Photoshop of you, Bill.  Use it as you see fit, and everyone else can too.

Pretty Girl With Comics Effects #Photoshop

Here's the face of a pretty girl I found on the web.  I used some of those comic techniques to pixilate her face and make her look more like a comic.

Here's the link to the tutorial I used.

Not bad, but not good enough.  At least now I know how to create the pixelated effect, but it doesn't look enough like a drawing to suit me.

BILL SCHMALFELDT, a #Photoshop

I have been admiring the comic depictions of Bill Schmalfeldt, liberal pundit (and serial harrasser) over at Kimberlin Unmasked.  I believe the artist achieves these excellent graphic effects using filters and layers in Photoshop.  I like the pixelated effects and the paper-like textures, resembling a comic book page.   I am experimenting to develop some of these effects on my own.  I'm not there yet, but am having fun trying.

Here is a photo of Bill Schmalfeldt, rendered into a comic book depiction, using Photoshop.  It was just for fun, but use it however you may wish.

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! No, IT'S SUPER MUSLIM GIRL! (Photoshop)

Marvel Comics demonstrates just how stupidly P.C. they have become in the Age of Obama.  They have developed a new comic book hero:  Super Muslim Girl.

Conan O'Brien caught much grief from the leftist loonies this week when he made fun of the new character. He tweeted:  "Marvel Comics is introducing a new Muslim Female superhero.  She has so many more special powers than her husband's other wives."

Of course, this was deemed "racist" (even though "Muslim" is not a race).  Leftists always react to violent ideologies by embracing them, rationalizing them, and showing great affection for them.

O'Brien's humor had a point.  Instead of pointing out the grievous dysfunction of Islamic societies and the Islamic ideology, we have fools creating comic "super heroes" representing that ideology.  Apparently, the way to erase 14 centuries of Islamic despotism is to give its followers their very own super hero.

Having their own super hero will raise Muslim self esteem and we will all finally get along.  This worked really well when Marvel Comics created a Nazi Super Hero back in the 1930's, and a Communist Super Hero back in the 1960's.  Oh wait a minute, no they didn't.  That's because political correctness hadn't been invented yet.

In any case, here is my comic cartoon on the matter, created as praise for the insight and political brilliance of the Marvel Comics authors.  Super Muslim Girl may not be allowed to drive a car, but so what?  She can fly!  As long as her husband accompanies her wherever she goes.

To be fair, Marvel Comics's version of Super Muslim Girl is that she is an unmarried teenager in America, reacting to adolescence and "super-charged emotions" like any other American teenager.  Of course, if she were the Marvel-depicted, fashionably dressed, unveiled young chick with makeup and jewelry, she might be in danger of an honor killing by her parents.  And one can only wonder how being clitorally mutilated at a younger age impacts those "super-charged" emotions.

Thanks Veterans!

Today is Veteran's Day.  Thanks to all our vets, either serving or retired from the military.  Although it's true that "freedom isn't free," I have grave doubts about the utility of our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I do not believe that any Islamic nation is compatible with representative democracy.  In short, our efforts to transform barbarians into democrats is a fool's errand.

The lives of our military personnel should not be expended on dubious missions, nor used to "nation build."  I resent the death of every soldier, sailor, airman or marine who is shipped home in a box.

Are Some Military Leaders Considering a Coup of Obama?

Recently there has been speculation on the web that some in the military have discussed and considered a military coup to remove Barack Obama from office.  Retired Lt. General William Boykin claims that some have considered a coup, but decided against it.  According to the website Government Executive:

A former top general and current executive at the Family Research Council says members of the military have considered staging a coup d'état against the president, but will not because of civilian control of the military. 

"People I've spoken to would like to see the military 'fulfill their constitutional duty and take out the president,' " retired Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin told World Net Daily, a website best known for pushing Obama "birther" conspiracy theories. "Our Constitution puts a civilian in charge of the military and as a result a coup would not be constitutional. You're not going to see a coup in the military."

It's interesting to note that Obama has fired 197 military commanders since he took office, and this may be a result of Obama's fears of such a coup.  So he is ridding the military of all but the most compliant commanders.  Other possible defensive moves by Obama:  having Homeland Security purchase millions of rounds of ammunition and thousands of body bags, over the past two years, and creation of the most widespread spying operation in US history, targeting American citizens as well as foreign leaders.  From these acts, one can almost conclude that Obama fears a coup.  But why would he, unless he plans increasingly radical action against the Constitution and the reaction it will cause?

Back in 2009 I wrote about the possibility of a coup against Obama, due to his radicalism and destructive policies that are wrecking the economy.  That post was "Is Barack Obama the New Salvador Allende?"

Salvador Allende was the Marxist president of Chile back in the 1970's, whose policies destroyed the Chilean economy.  I wrote:

Allende greatly increased the minimum wage, causing thousands of small businesses to fail and bringing on raging unemployment and inflation. Allende seems like an early version of Barack Obama.

Allende nationalized banking and other industries and socialized the health care system -- sound familiar? Inflation soared, foreign reserves declined and Allende soon announced that Chile would default on its foreign debt. Basic commodities and foodstuffs disappeared from market shelves and waves of strikes began, first by truckers, small businessmen and unions, then by housewives. By September 1973 the military figured it had to act and overthrew Allende in a coup. Good riddance. (Today the leftists claim that Allende's coup was staged by the CIA and that it was American opposition that caused his socialist experiment to fail -- the same old lies and excuses for failed socialism.)

I concluded:

...like Salvador Allende, perhaps Barack Obama will awaken one morning to find the White House lawn covered with tanks and soldiers. I hope it never comes to that. But it could.

Now it seems that some military personnel are considering the necessity of such a plan.  However, I doubt that it will happen, as things are not yet that bad in the USA.  In another year, Americans will again have an opportunity to put the brakes on this anti-American socialist, Barack Obama, by voting for Republicans and restoring a Republican majority in the senate.  If the Obamacare disaster doesn't persuade them to vote sanely, nothing will.

Two Disturbing Trends From the Obama Administration #barackobama #Democrats

Every day I read of new disturbing trends from the Obama Administration.  I sit here incredulous that such things could be happening in the United States of America.  It's as if all my fears are coming true; that even the best civilizations eventually fall and are replaced by something worse.

Here are two of those trends:
1.  The firing of dozens of military generals and commanders.  It seems the military is being pruned of any officers who might be loyal to the Constitution instead of the unconstitutional policies of Barack Obama.  Since Obama was first elected, 197 officers have been fired.   Investors' Business Daily states:

What the president calls "my military" is being cleansed of any officer suspected of disloyalty to or disagreement with the administration on matters of policy or force structure, leaving the compliant and fearful.

 IBD gives General Carter Ham as an example.

Gen. Carter Ham. He was relieved as head of U.S. Africa Command after only a year and a half because he disagreed with orders not to mount a rescue mission in response to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack in Benghazi.

2.  Barack Obama is openly lying about Obamacare.  Barack Obama and his team are openly lying about Obamacare, and their previous assurances that "if you like your health plan and doctor, you can keep them."  One source states that Obama made this promise 29 times.

Off to Disneyland (Anaheim)

Mrs Chomper and I are accompanying the Grandkids to the original Disneyland today.  Thrills.  I'd rather stay home and smoke a cigar.  But I'll try to enjoy it.  I refuse to wear one of those mouse hats.

Yesterday we attended services at the Temecula Calvary Chapel and enjoyed it.  The music, spirit and sermon were all great.  This is one of the very few churches that I have attended that aren't boring.  If you want pure, undiluted Christianity, this is the one for you.