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I recall the era, beginning a year or two before JFK’s election, as divisive as anything since the end of WW2. It seems odd but the major flash point was religion (JFK was Catholic) and the early civil rights movement. On top of that was the earlier Joe McCarthy commie witch hunt, Castroism and communism in Cuba, dozens of newly independent European colonial countries susceptible to communist influence, and an ongoing Cold War struggle with USSR. The CIA was hell-bent to kill Castro to the point of silly plots with mafia hit men and exploding cigars. The election was hotly contested which raised the intensity even higher. Kennedy was hated in some places. Segregation was a flash point. The Bay of Pigs invasion was a fiasco.
Oswald was a loose cannon during all of this. He had some military experience but no real discipline. His life was a fairy story of all sorts of bizarre decisions and experiences. He had an inflated notion of his importance and defected to the USSR but they had no use for him. Feeling ignored, he came back to the US with a new Russian wife. He was a known creature to the FBI but not taken very seriously. People like this go off the rails. It happens today quite often, as we have seen. Oswald tried to shoot General Walker (a racist anti-communist nut case in his own right) in Dallas in April but failed. He then went to New Orleans and passed out pro Castro pamphlets on the street. He tried to go to Cuba but was refused a visa. He went to Mexico to try getting to the USSR or Cuba but failed. He went back to Dallas and was hired at the School Book Depository in mid-October. JFK’s visit was just a few weeks later and he just so happened to go past the building in an open convertible. Oswald was off the rails and had been for a while but the atmosphere was poisoned enough that no one took him seriously. That is how the JFK/Oswald story played out. There are all sorts of crazy conspiracy theories— none pan out. As crazy as the Oswald story is, he left a trail and admitted shooting at General Walker.
I must say, I’m surprised that quite a few people still believe the old narrative.
For the people who think we shouldn’t ever discuss this because it’s been done too many times, I disagree. To some of us, this is a favorite topic to research. When I was younger going to school in the 80’s, it never really interested me. Over the past few years, I’ve read quite a bit on it, and talked to a lot of people, including many people who have worked on personal security detachments, to kind of get a feel what they think.
One mantra that law enforcement types sometimes say is that there is no such thing as coincidences, and if we are honest with ourselves, everything doesn’t add up here.
I recall the era, beginning a year or two before JFK’s election, as divisive as anything since the end of WW2. It seems odd but the major flash point was religion (JFK was Catholic) and the early civil rights movement. On top of that was the earlier Joe McCarthy commie witch hunt, Castroism and communism in Cuba, dozens of newly independent European colonial countries susceptible to communist influence, and an ongoing Cold War struggle with USSR. The CIA was hell-bent to kill Castro to the point of silly plots with mafia hit men and exploding cigars. The election was hotly contested which raised the intensity even higher. Kennedy was hated in some places. Segregation was a flash point. The Bay of Pigs invasion was a fiasco.
Oswald was a loose cannon during all of this. He had some military experience but no real discipline. His life was a fairy story of all sorts of bizarre decisions and experiences. He had an inflated notion of his importance and defected to the USSR but they had no use for him. Feeling ignored, he came back to the US with a new Russian wife. He was a known creature to the FBI but not taken very seriously. People like this go off the rails. It happens today quite often, as we have seen. Oswald tried to shoot General Walker (a racist anti-communist nut case in his own right) in Dallas in April but failed. He then went to New Orleans and passed out pro Castro pamphlets on the street. He tried to go to Cuba but was refused a visa. He went to Mexico to try getting to the USSR or Cuba but failed. He went back to Dallas and was hired at the School Book Depository in mid-October. JFK’s visit was just a few weeks later and he just so happened to go past the building in an open convertible. Oswald was off the rails and had been for a while but the atmosphere was poisoned enough that no one took him seriously. That is how the JFK/Oswald story played out. There are all sorts of crazy conspiracy theories— none pan out. As crazy as the Oswald story is, he left a trail and admitted shooting at General Walker.
He supposedly admitted to his wife he shot at General Walker. That could’ve been coerced, planted, there might’ve been a language barrier, etc. I just don’t trust everything at face value anymore.
Why did he miss such an easy shot there and then made amazing back to back shots at JFK?
Many people think that his timeline from after the Marines to the assassination, had many fabrications in it, authorities trying to meld this supposed erratic behavior into making him a more believable lone wolf.
This isn’t the first time that has been done, just look at John Wilkes Booth. That was a vast conspiracy, to kill Lincoln, but what survives over the years was a lone wolf assassination?
That’s actually what started me on questioning everything about this. I studied Oswald and I was surprised to learn that he wasn’t very impressive. The more I learned about him, the more I kept thinking, “Seriously, this guy?” I don’t believe Oswald to even be capable of pulling off such a complex and skillful assassination.
So when you start from a point of skepticism on Oswald, it just mushrooms from there.
But if you think Oswald fully capable to plan this out, and execute it with precision, I’d like to know why you believe that.
91, I'm definitely open to alternate theories.. but if it was a conspiracy, why hasn't a single conspirator come forward with compelling evidence to verify it (?) After 60 years, I would think some remorseful, guilty players would have come forward (even if only on their deathbeds).
I believe Oswald acted alone, as an angry Marxist who resented Kennedy. But I'll always hear out other theories.
We could be talking about a very small cell of CIA operatives, with compartmentalized information techniques used, so maybe just a handful of people knew the entire operation.
People would’ve lost their minds back in the 60’s or 70’s if it was leaked credibly. We might not even have a country today if that had happened. The secret had to be kept.
I think we could handle it now because it was so long ago.
I must say, I’m surprised that quite a few people still believe the old narrative.
For the people who think we shouldn’t ever discuss this because it’s been done too many times, I disagree. To some of us, this is a favorite topic to research. When I was younger going to school in the 80’s, it never really interested me. Over the past few years, I’ve read quite a bit on it, and talked to a lot of people, including many people who have worked on personal security detachments, to kind of get a feel what they think.
One mantra that law enforcement types sometimes say is that there is no such thing as coincidences, and if we are honest with ourselves, everything doesn’t add up here.
So why not simply do a search and bring back up one of the more recent history threads on the assassination? Then you can look through that and we can eliminate some redundancy. I don't relish the thought of going through once again "But, but....Oswald couldn't fired that number of shots in the amount of time...." (yes he could by the way).
The conspiracy theories about the Kennedy assasination have really been around since day one. Before it was books and a few TV "documentaries" (I use that term loosely). The difference now and for the last few decades? Internet. The garbage you find out there on the assassination is crazy. Blogs, youtube videos, lots of theories, lots of just plain outright incorrect information repeated from day one. Why? The more sensational, the more "hits". Kennedy consipiracy advocates are victims of mass and social media.
I think the reason for conspiracy theories is even more interesting. Why has it never died out after so many years? One of the reason is the phycological need in humans to explain such a history changing event, to make the reason greater than simply one nutcase with a bolt action rifle. It makes people feel that they have some control, that things just aren't random. It gives them comfort. In discussing this topic, you are simply fulfilling a human basic need of assurance. That's not bad or good, but it is part of human nature.
I could go on and on with all the inconsistencies that we all just accepted as fact.
By all means please go "on and on" with citations. You mention above things that people "accepted as fact" but threw out accusations with nothing to back them up.
I'm not saying what you posted isn't true, I'm just saying that posting your opinion without concrete evidence is the problem. Without that, your post is no different than someone saying aliens did it.
I understand that people really don't like the idea that one seemingly insignificant person can have such an effect, but we have seen over and over that it is true. Oswald is in a long list of assassins and killers, from Citizen Guiteau and Leon Czolgosz to James Earl Ray, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Carl Weiss, who assassinated important personages for a variety of reasons, some personal and some political, but who acted alone.
If there had been a conspiracy there would be evidence, and saying "Hmm, this one guy couldn't have done it" just isn't enough.
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