I had come to no hard conclusions before reading this piece, but I did lean toward believing there'd been some sort of coverup. Having been born long after the events portrayed, I went down a similar rabbit hole as the author trying to make sense of the volumes of information and misinformation available to the public. Stone's film went a good way towards initially making me suspect a likely conspiracy.
I found author's odyssey from JFK conspiracy theorist inspired by Stone's film to reasoned skeptic liberated by empirical evidence the most compelling summation I've seen on the subject.
One book cited in your link is Gerald Posner's "Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK (1993)". He thoroughly investigated the case.
As the book explains, the day before the assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald would have seen the local newspaper's published parade route for Kennedy's visit to Dallas in the office lunch room. It put the car directly under the windows at the Texas School Depository the next day.
That's why Oswald got a ride to where his wife was staying in the suburbs that night. (He had no car or driver's license.) He went to get his rifle, and he didn't even have a full clip of ammunition. He had to use what he had. If there was a conspiracy, why would he only have a partial clip of ammunition? There was no plan, just an impulsive act by Loser Oswald to become famous.
CBS has had TV shows documenting audio evidence and 3D computer animations to prove that there was only one shooter, and that Oswald fired all the shots. His first shot missed and hit a curb, and piece of it hit a man in the cheek, per Posner's book.
A cable TV station that regularly aired conspiracy theory shows had a man claiming on camera that he was a shooter from the grassy knoll. Posner proved that this man was in Alaska on the day of the assassination. Posner also found a witness who had actually looked up and saw Oswald fire the shots.
The link in the OP's post refers to a small amount of money that Oswald had on him after the shooting. Posner's book explains that Oswald had just enough money for bus fair to get him to the Cuban embassy in Mexico. He left the rest of his money with his wife, along with his wedding ring, since he didn't expect to come back.
Many speculate that Oswald hoped to impress Cuba by his assassination of Kennedy, and that they would accept and protect him. He was walking in the direction of the bus stop that could take him to the Cuban embassy, when he encountered and murdered a cop. Oswald was the only employee who was missing from the Texas School Depository, when roll was taken after the assassination.
Oliver Stone is an irresponsible moron, who likes to make things up in his films about real people. LBJ's family should have sued him for libel.
"There was no plan, just an impulsive act by Loser Oswald to become famous."
Except, no one could have made the shot that Oswald supposedly did, especially not Oswald, which inherently means the official story is a work of fiction:
Here's a quote from Carlos Hathcock:
“Let me tell you what we did at Quantico,” Hathcock recalls. “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?”
Also, Marine sniper Craig Roberts said:
“The reason I knew that Oswald could not have done it, was because I could not have done it.”
“First, I analyzed the scene as a sniper . . . I looked at the engagement angles. It was entirely wrong…Here, from what I could see, three problems arose that would influence my shots. First, the target was moving away at a drastic angle to the right from the window, meaning that I would have to position my body to compete with the wall and a set of vertical water pipes . . . This would be extremely difficult for a right-handed shooter. Second, I would have to be ready to fire exactly when the target emerged past some tree branches that obscured the kill zone. Finally, I would have to deal with two factors at the same time; the curve of the street, and the high-to-low angle formula—a law of physics Oswald would not have known.”
And in case you're wondering who Carlos Hathcock is:
Carlos Norman Hathcock II (May 20, 1942 – February 22, 1999) was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was honored by having a rifle named after him: a variant of the M21 dubbed the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather, for the nickname "White Feather" given to Hathcock by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA).
Dude, I love your reply, thanks for the info!
It's very detailed and it GOES STRAIGHT FOR FACTS. No conspirancy nor crazy bs, only what professionals know is true or not.
Also, I love the sniping details, I don't know shit about guns but it's clear for everybody to understand.
I would love to hear from the supporters of the lone gunman theory how untrue is that Oswald couldn't make that shot. I believe I heard something like that last summer, about a study showing that it was totally feasable.
It's been duplicated, multiple times, in multiple videos. Get real. The only time it doesn't is when they screw up a MAJOR detail, like how the seating in the car is not aligned. THe front and the back are not directly behind each other.
I used to believe there was something wrong with the official story until I saw one of the documentaries that duplicated the shots.
They set it up with the same geometry, with the shooter positioned above and behind, with the target traveling away. The targets were close to anatomically correct, and the shooter was able to duplicate the wounds in the allotted amount of time.
I also discovered that the magic bullet isn’t as ‘pristine’ as the conspiracy theorists would have you believe. From one angle it looks clean, but from another it’s fairly well deformed. That leads me to question the intentions of those showing only the one view. Are they trying to inform or mislead?
"I used to believe there was something wrong with the official story until I saw one of the documentaries that duplicated the shots.
They set it up with the same geometry, with the shooter positioned above and behind, with the target traveling away. The targets were close to anatomically correct, and the shooter was able to duplicate the wounds in the allotted amount of time."
Duplicated the shots? Never happened; not even close. Like I just said to your buddy:
I've seen the videos where they allegedly duplicated what Oswald allegedly did, and they are a joke. In one video they duplicated the moving target but the shooter was just standing in an open tower, so the obstructions weren't duplicated (the obstructions are the main reason he couldn't have made those shots), and in another video, the shooter was just standing out in the open and shooting at a stationary target.
The only ‘obstructions’ were a small tree off to the side and a signal light structure. And some theories claimed the signal light was the reason for the missed shot.
The only ‘obstructions’ were a small tree off to the side and a signal light structure.
Wrong. Why don't you simply read what I already posted?
Also, Marine sniper Craig Roberts said:
“The reason I knew that Oswald could not have done it, was because I could not have done it.”
“First, I analyzed the scene as a sniper . . . I looked at the engagement angles. It was entirely wrong…Here, from what I could see, three problems arose that would influence my shots. First, the target was moving away at a drastic angle to the right from the window, meaning that I would have to position my body to compete with the wall and a set of vertical water pipes . . . This would be extremely difficult for a right-handed shooter. Second, I would have to be ready to fire exactly when the target emerged past some tree branches that obscured the kill zone. Finally, I would have to deal with two factors at the same time; the curve of the street, and the high-to-low angle formula—a law of physics Oswald would not have known.”
Shooting out a window at a drastic angle to the right while a wall and water pipes are in your way, and while being a right-handed shooter, is the primary reason the best shooters can't make those shots, let alone a known-to-be poor shooter like Oswald. When you "duplicate" it using an open tower where you can easily aim in any direction, the results are beyond meaningless, because that removes most of the difficulty.
Also, after looking into Hathcock, I could only find instances of someone else claiming he said that about Oswald. I couldn’t find him actually saying it anywhere. He lived until 1999. One would think someone of his stature would’ve gone on the record if he really believed it.
He did go on record. His and Craig Roberts' statements were published in the book Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country's Most Controversial Cover-Ups By Richard Belzer, David Wayne:
There's one waterpipe off to the left, completely out of the way. And the angle wasn't 'drastic'. The road was 45 degrees from the building.
And that quote attributed to Hathcock did not come directly from him. It's from a book written by Craig Roberts entitled 'Kill Zone: A Sniper Looks at Dealey Plaza'
Here's the actual text from the book:
According to my friend, Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, the former senior instructor for the U.S. Marine Corps Sniper School at Quantico, Virginia, it could not be done as described by the FBI investigators. Gunny Hathcock, now retired [deceased 2003], is the most famous American military sniper in histor. In Vietnam he was credited with 93 confirmed kills--and a total of over 300 actual kills counting those unconfirmed. He now conducts police SWAT team sniper schools across the country. When I called him to ask if he had seen the Zapruder film, he chuckled and cut me off. "Let me tell you what we did at Quantico," he began. "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?"
So I'm still looking for actual evidence of Hathcock saying Oswald couldn't make that shot. reply share
"Waterpipes? What waterpipes? There's one waterpipe off to the left, completely out of the way."
The wall and set of water pipes (there are two, not one, i.e., a "set of vertical water pipes", just as Roberts said; two can be seen in the picture you linked to too) can be clearly seen here:
And no, they aren't out of the way at all, let alone "completely out of the way". They are very much in the way if you're trying to get a good position to shoot out of that particular window at a drastic angle to the right. LOL at you trying to dispute a Marine sniper's assessment of a shooting position. How much sniping have you done?
"And the angle wasn't 'drastic'. The road was 45 degrees from the building."
45 degrees is a drastic angle when you're trying to aim out a window. Have you ever even fired a rifle before?
"And that quote attributed to Hathcock did not come directly from him. It's from a book written by Craig Roberts entitled 'Kill Zone: A Sniper Looks at Dealey Plaza'"
So that makes at least two books that Hathcock's quote has been published in (I already posted a link to another one). And of course it came from him; that's why his words are in quotation marks. You know what quotation marks signify, right?
"So I'm still looking for actual evidence of Hathcock saying Oswald couldn't make that shot. "
You're being ridiculous. His quotation has been published in at least two books, one of which (which you so kindly provided) was written by his friend and fellow Marine sniper Craig Roberts while Hathcock was still alive (originally published in 1994). You think he just invented the quotation himself? That's a great way for him and/or his publisher to get sued.
In any case, Oswald's alleged shooting sorcery hasn't been duplicated like you claimed, and you didn't know enough about it when watching those ridiculous documentaries to realize that they were a joke.
No, I've never fired a sniper rifle, and neither have you. We have to take the word of those who have. And I've seen stories about snipers who have recreated the shots. The two you've posted claim it couldn't be done. You choose to believe them and disbelieve the others. I choose to keep an open mind and look at all the evidence. And someone's opinion - even a sniper's - that the pipes are 'in the way', isn't evidence. It's just an opinion. Any reasonable person can look at that photo and picture someone aiming a rifle out the window without a problem. Even a right-handed shooter aiming at a 45 degree angle. Oswald was only 5'-8" and weighed 135 pounds. That's a pretty small guy. No problem with him fitting in there and aiming the gun.
Yes, I know what quote marks mean. As an author, I use them all the time. It means me, as the writer, is signifying that someone is saying something. You don't actually believe that just because there's quote marks around something, that person actually said it, do you?
And 'two books' is meaningless. It's obvious one is quoting the other.
As I said, it's hard to believe that if someone of Hathcock's stature believed Oswald didn't act alone, he would've been more vocal on the subject. Yes, it can be argued that Hathcock would've spoken up if he'd been misquoted, but we know nothing about the relationship between him and Craig Roberts. People who fall for conspiracy theories come in all shapes and sizes, and some of them may be ex-snipers, who will use that position to push their conspiracy theories. I see it all the time with 9/11 conspiracy nuts, who used their position as engineers to claim the evidence shows the buildings were detonated.
"No, I've never fired a sniper rifle, and neither have you."
Your attempt at a crystal ball reading is dismissed.
"And I've seen stories about snipers who have recreated the shots."
You've seen mainstream media documentaries that duped people like you into thinking they'd recreated the shots, when in reality they didn't even come close to recreating the shots.
"The two you've posted claim it couldn't be done."
One of whom is the most legendary sniper in history, and who had a military sniper rifle named in his honor.
"You choose to believe them and disbelieve the others."
I've already told you that I've seen the documentaries. It's not a matter of "choosing" not to believe; the fact that they didn't even come close to recreating the alleged Oswald scenario is plain as day just from watching it.
"And someone's opinion - even a sniper's - that the pipes are 'in the way', isn't evidence. It's just an opinion."
It's an expert opinion (Marine sniper) from someone who's actually gone into that room to check it out rather than just looking at pictures. His opinion carries infinitely more weight than yours, since you've never been in that room and have never even fired a rifle. Also, even if you eliminate the pipes, that doesn't get rid of the wall.
"Any reasonable person can look at that photo and picture someone aiming a rifle out the window without a problem. Even a right-handed shooter aiming at a 45 degree angle. Oswald was only 5'-8" and weighed 135 pounds. That's a pretty small guy. No problem with him fitting in there and aiming the gun."
So says the guy who's never been in the room and has never fired a rifle. On the other hand, a Marine sniper went into the room and said this:
“The reason I knew that Oswald could not have done it, was because I could not have done it.”
“First, I analyzed the scene as a sniper . . . I looked at the engagement angles. It was entirely wrong…Here, from what I could see, three problems arose that would influence my shots. First, the target was moving away at a drastic angle to the right from the window, meaning that I would have to position my body to compete with the wall and a set of vertical water pipes . . . This would be extremely difficult for a right-handed shooter. Second, I would have to be ready to fire exactly when the target emerged past some tree branches that obscured the kill zone. Finally, I would have to deal with two factors at the same time; the curve of the street, and the high-to-low angle formula—a law of physics Oswald would not have known.”
"Yes, I know what quote marks mean. As an author, I use them all the time. It means me, as the writer, is signifying that someone is saying something. You don't actually believe that just because there's quote marks around something, that person actually said it, do you?"
You may falsely attribute quotes to people when you write, but that doesn't mean that it's commonly done in mainstream published works, since the author and/or the publisher can be held liable. If Roberts made up the quote out of whole cloth, where's the fallout? Roberts and Hathcock were both U.S. Marines, and both Vietnam veterans. One famous, well-respected Marine disrespecting another famous, well-respected Marine, would certainly cause some controversy. Where is it? Just because something is technically possible (falsely attributing a quote to someone) doesn't mean it's even remotely likely in this case. You're grasping at straws, without a shred of evidence nor even anything that remotely hints at it being a fabricated quote.
"And 'two books' is meaningless. It's obvious one is quoting the other."
No, it isn't meaningless. It means that at least two publishers were satisfied with the legitimacy of the quote to the point that they weren't worried about being sued.
"As I said, it's hard to believe that if someone of Hathcock's stature believed Oswald didn't act alone, he would've been more vocal on the subject."
There's nothing hard to believe about that at all. Not everyone is an activist.
"People who fall for conspiracy theories come in all shapes and sizes, and some of them may be ex-snipers, who will use that position to push their conspiracy theories."
That's comically ironic, since you're the one who has fallen for a laughably implausible theory, i.e., the idea that an inept shooter with a crappy rifle could do what the world's best shooters couldn't do. You were also duped by ridiculous documentaries that falsely claimed to have replicated the shooting.
"I see it all the time with 9/11 conspiracy nuts, who used their position as engineers to claim the evidence shows the buildings were detonated."
And you've fallen for another laughably implausible theory.
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"Well, that's all I need to know. If you're gullible enough to believe the the 9/11 nutjob theories, you'll gullible enough to believe anything. As I've learned with those muttonheads, it's a waste of time to try to present facts to them."
Comical Irony Alert: Part II, coming from the guy who thinks it's possible for a fire to cause a steel-framed skyscraper to collapse, even though it's never happened before or since allegedly happening on 9/11/2001, despite the fact that steel-framed skyscrapers have existed for many decades, and many of them have been on fire for hours or days without collapse. The reason for it is obvious to anyone with a modicum of intelligence, i.e., a building fire doesn't have anywhere near enough quantity of heat to weaken massive steel beams enough to cause a collapse. It's like trying to boil a gallon of water in a cast iron pot with a candle flame. The candle flame has a far higher temperature than is needed to boil water (1,830 °F; water boils at only 212 °F), but it doesn't even come close to having the quantity of heat needed. The water/pot combination will reach equilibrium (i.e., the point at which its rate of losing heat to its surroundings is equal to the rate at which it's gaining heat from the candle flame) long before reaching 212 °F.
That's been obvious to all non-idiots for the past 20 years, and recently, it seems it was obvious to the research team at the Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks:
The principal conclusion of our study is that fire did not cause the collapse of WTC 7 on 9/11, contrary to the conclusions of NIST and private engineering firms that studied the collapse. The secondary conclusion of our study is that the collapse of WTC 7 was a global failure involving the near-simultaneous failure of every column in the building.
Now what could cause "near-simultaneous failure of every column in the building"? Obviously not a fire. That's a major plot hole in the official narrative, and plot holes are unique to works of fiction.
In any case, since you failed to address anything in my previous post, and have no further arguments, your tacit concession on the whole JFK shooting matter is noted.
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The North Tower collapsed on WTC 7, causing massive damage and fires. The NYFD examined the building, and determined that it was going to collapse. And then a few hours later it collapsed, just like they said it would.
So, unless you think the NYFD was part of the coverup, your nutty conspiracy theories about WTC 7 are just silly. A 'conspiracy' that killed hundreds of their fellow fire fighters.
Yeah, you're that far gone.
Quotes from firefighters who were there that day:
"We walked over by number Seven World Trade Center as it was burning and saw this 40-plus story building with fire on nearly all floors." - FDNY Lieutenant Robert Larocco
"Just when you thought it was over, you're walking by this building and you're hearing this building creak and fully involved in flames. It's like, is it coming down next? Sure enough, about a half an hour later it came down." - FDNY Lieutenant James McGlynn
"I walked out and I got to Vesey and West, where I reported to Frank [Cruthers]. He said, we’re moving the command post over this way, that building’s coming down. At this point, the fire was going virtually on every floor, heavy fire and smoke that really wasn’t bothering us when we were searching because it was being pushed southeast and we were a little bit west of that. I remember standing just where West and Vesey start to rise toward the entrance we were using in the World Financial Center. There were a couple of guys standing with me and a couple of guys right at the intersection, and we were trying to back them up - and here goes 7. It started to come down and now people were starting to run." - FDNY Deputy Chief Nick Visconti
"All morning I was watching 7 World Trade burn, which we couldn't do anything about because it was so much chaos looking for missing members. - Firefighter Marcel Klaes
"When the building came down it was completely involved in fire, all forty-seven stories." - FDNY Assistant Chief Harry Myers
"The concern there again, it was later in the afternoon, 2, 2:30, like I said. The fear then was Seven. Seven was free burning. Search had been made of 7 already from what they said so they had us back up to that point where we were waiting for 7 to come down to operate from the north back down." - Captain Robert Sohmer
"Then we had to move because the Duane Reade, they said, wasn't safe because building 7 was really roaring." - FDNY Chief Medical Officer Kerry Kelly.
"At this point Seven World Trade was going heavy, and they weren't letting anybody get too close. Everybody was expecting that to come down. - Firefighter Vincent Massa
"Building #7 was still actively burning and at that time we were advised by a NYFD Chief that building #7 was burning out of control and imminent collapse was probable." - PAPD P.O. Edward McQuade
"At Vesey St. and West St., I could see that 7 WTC was ablaze and damaged, along with other buildings." - M. DeFilippis, PAPD P.O.
"Because it really got going, that building Seven, saw it late in the day and like the first Seven floors were on fire. It looked like heavy fire on seven floors. It was fully engulfed, that whole building. There were pieces of tower two [sic: he probably means tower one] in building Seven and the corners of the building missing and what-not. But just looking up at it from ground level however many stories -- it was 40 some odd -- you could see the flames going straight through from one side of the building to the other, that’s an entire block." - Firefighter Tiernach Cassidy
"We were down about a block from the base of the World Trade Center towers about an hour ago. And there was a great deal of concern at that time, the firemen said building number 7 was going to collapse, building number five was in danger of collapsing. And there's so little they can do to try to fight the fires in these buildings, because the fires are so massive. And so much of the buildings continues to fall into the street. When you're down there, Dan, you hear smaller secondary explosions going off every 15 or 20 minutes, and so it's an extremely dangerous place to be." - CBS-TV News Reporter Vince DeMentri
"And 7 World Trade was burning up at the time. We could see it. ... the fire at 7 World Trade was working its way from the front of the building northbound to the back of the building. There was no way there could be water put on it, because there was no water in the area." - Firefighter Eugene Kelty Jr.
"The time was approximately 11a.m. Both of the WTC towers were collapsed and the streets were covered with debris. Building #7 was still standing but burning. ...We spoke to with a FDNY Chief who has his men holed up in the US Post Office building. He informed us that the fires in building 7 were uncontrollable and that its collapse was imminent. There were no fires inside the loading dock (of 7) at this time but we could hear explosions deep inside." - PAPD P.O. William Connors
"I walked around the building to get back to the command post and that's when they were waiting for 7 World Trade Center to come down. ...They had three floors of fire on three separate floors, probably 10, 11 and 15 it looked like, just burning merrily. It was pretty amazing, you know, it's the afternoon in lower Manhattan, a major high-rise is burning, and they said 'we know.'" - FDNY Chief Thomas McCarthy
"There were hundreds of firefighters waiting to -- they were waiting for 7 World Trade Center to come down as it was on fire. It was too dangerous to go in and fight the fire." - Assistant Commissioner James Drury
"My first thoughts when I came down a little further into the site, south of Chambers Street, was, "Where am I?" I didn't recognize it. Obviously, the towers were gone. The only thing that remained standing was a section of the Vista Hotel. Building 7 was on fire. That was ready to come down." - Charlie Vitchers, Ground Zero Superintendent
"The whole south side of Seven World Trade had been hit by the collapse of the second Tower, and there was fire on every floor." - Fire Captain Brenda Berkman
"At that point, Seven World Trade had 12 stories of fire in it. They were afraid it was going to collapse on us, so they pulled everybody out. We couldn't do anything." - Firefighter Maureen McArdle-Schulman
I could post more. More firefighters who were there that day and saw the damage and fire going on with WTC7. And who determined it was going to collapse.
But according to you, they're all liars. How could they say the building was going to collapse when it was imploded as part of a conspiracy? They must've been in on it.
People like you dis gust me, implying these heroes were part of a conspiracy that killed hundreds of their fellow firefighters.
And this relates to the JFK assassination because it proves you're willing to post anything to 'prove' your conspiracies. Spouting untruths like they're facts is something that comes easy to you.
Path etic.
Now be a good little 9/11 nutter and change the subject to something else, since you've been proven to be telling untruths about WTC7.
LOL at you replying five times to one post with nothing but anecdotes. Once again:
The principal conclusion of our study is that fire did not cause the collapse of WTC 7 on 9/11, contrary to the conclusions of NIST and private engineering firms that studied the collapse. The secondary conclusion of our study is that the collapse of WTC 7 was a global failure involving the near-simultaneous failure of every column in the building.
Now what could cause "near-simultaneous failure of every column in the building"? Obviously not a fire. That's a major plot hole in the official narrative, and plot holes are unique to works of fiction.
"And this relates to the JFK assassination because it proves you're willing to post anything to 'prove' your conspiracies. Spouting untruths like they're facts is something that comes easy to you. Now be a good little 9/11 nutter and change the subject to something else, since you've been proven to be telling untruths about WTC7."
Nothing I've posted has been an untruth, which, ironically, establishes you as a liar. That's in addition to you having already established yourself as an idiot due to believing that those laughable documentaries duplicated the alleged Oswald shooting performance, and believing it's possible for a steel-framed skyscraper to collapse due to fire, even though it's never happened before or since the alleged events on 9/11/2001, and even though it violates the laws of physics.
Also, your tacit concession on the whole JFK shooting matter remains noted.
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So, let's see. The firefighters WHO WERE THERE saw the damage to the building, and the fire raging through it, and knew it was going to collapse. It's not anecdotal. It's testimony of witnesses.
And yet somehow, despite what all these witnesses saw, you're claiming the building was brought down with explosives. Somehow, this building that was somehow secretly wired to implode, sustained enough damage and fire to fool all the firefighters standing around that it was going to collapse anyway. And somehow, miraculously, the fire raging through the building didn't set off any of the explosives prematurely, allowing these mysterious conspirators to set off a precise, pre-planned detonation. Because why? There was some kind of 'evidence' hidden in one of the offices? Have none of these people ever heard of a shredder?
Do you actually realize how insane that sounds? No, you don't. It's a conspiracy theory, so you believe it.
Just like with JFK, you believe anything that fits your theory. All those people who duplicated the shots, they must be lying. The internet 'experts' who agree with you are the only ones telling the truth. Just deny all the counter-evidence presented.
"So, let's see. The firefighters WHO WERE THERE saw the damage to the building, and the fire raging through it, and knew it was going to collapse. It's not anecdotal. It's testimony of witnesses."
Fire doesn't cause steel-framed skyscrapers to collapse, so anyone predicting it is either an idiot or has foreknowledge of whatever the true cause of the collapse was. Also, anecdotes and witness testimony aren't mutually exclusive.
"And yet somehow, despite what all these witnesses saw, you're claiming the building was brought down with explosives."
I didn't claim any such thing, so this is a...
Reading Deficiency Alert
... for you, as well as a non sequitur which can legitimately be dismissed out of hand. Since the rest of your paragraph follows from your reading deficiency-fueled false assertion, it's also a non sequitur; consider it dismissed out of hand as well.
"Do you actually realize how insane that sounds?"
So the members of the research team at the University of Alaska Fairbanks sound insane? LOL at that, and LOL at you too, you know, while I'm at it.
"No, you don't. It's a conspiracy theory, so you believe it. Just like with JFK, you believe anything that fits your theory."
Your non sequitur is dismissed. By the way, I don't have a theory at all, conspiracy or otherwise. I've pointed out plot holes in the official narrative (and plot holes are unique to fiction), which isn't a theory, not even in the non-scientific sense of the term. I'd have to have a narrative of my own regarding how things really happened in order to have a theory, obviously. I don't have a theory because I have no idea how it really happened.
"All those people who duplicated the shots, they must be lying."
Reading Deficiency Alert: Part II
I've already told you, more than once, that no one has duplicated the alleged shots, and I've explained why. Since you've failed to produce any evidence that anyone has duplicated the alleged shots, consider your mere assertion dismissed.
"The internet 'experts' who agree with you are the only ones telling the truth."
Carlos Hathcock, Craig Roberts, and the research team at UAF are "internet 'experts'"? LOL at that, and LOL at you too (again).
"Just deny all the counter-evidence presented. It's a form of psychosis."
Your non sequitur is dismissed, and your tacit concession regarding the JFK shooting matter remains noted.
"Fire doesn't cause steel-framed skyscrapers to collapse, so anyone predicting it is either an id iot or has foreknowledge of whatever the true cause of the collapse was."
Yeah, the firefighters who WERE THERE are all in on the conspiracy. Your arrogance is on full display.
And no, the firefighters didn't claim it was just the fire that brought WTC7 down. They also talked about the major damage caused by the North Tower collapsing on it.
Of course, a 9/11 nutter like you ignores that part of it.
"I didn't claim any such thing,"
Really? Then how did the building fall if it wasn't from the damage and fire caused by the North Tower? What are you claiming? What makes the official story of 9/11 'laughably implausible'? Because the NIST decided that it was fire that brought WTC7 down, when it could've been a combination of damage and fire?
That study was funded by 9/11 nutters and is being used to promote claims that WTC7 was brought down by a controlled demolition.
"Also, anecdotes and witness testimony aren't mutually exclusive."
When you have many witnesses saying the same thing, it's no longer anecdotal.
And actual anecdotal evidence would be Roberts claiming Hathcock said something. But you have no problem believing that.
"I've already told you, more than once, that no one has duplicated the alleged shots, and I've explained why."
Your only explanation why is using 'experts' who have opinions. Other 'experts' disagree with those opinions. You choose to believe those who agree with your opinion, and then claim it's the truth.
"Yeah, the firefighters who WERE THERE are all in on the conspiracy. Your arrogance is on full display."
Your non sequitur is dismissed. Also:
Reading Deficiency Alert: Part III
"And no, the firefighters didn't claim it was just the fire that brought WTC7 down. They also talked about the major damage caused by the North Tower collapsing on it."
The damage wasn't major relative to the size of the building; not anywhere near enough to cause it to collapse, and since fire can't help collapse a streel-framed skyscraper, that leaves a plot hole. And the North Tower didn't collapse "on" it.
"Of course, a 9/11 nutter like you ignores that part of it."
Your non sequitur is dismissed.
"Really? Then how did the building fall if it wasn't from the damage and fire caused by the North Tower?"
Reading Deficiency Alert: Part IV
I already said, "I don't have a theory because I have no idea how it really happened."
"What are you claiming?"
If you could read properly you'd already know, since you only have to read my claims to know what I'm claiming, obviously.
"That study was funded by 9/11 nutters and is being used to promote claims that WTC7 was brought down by a controlled demolition."
Your genetic fallacy is dismissed.
"When you have many witnesses saying the same thing, it's no longer anecdotal."
They are anecdotes no matter how many people tell the same "short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person."
"And actual anecdotal evidence would be Roberts claiming Hathcock said something. But you have no problem believing that."
I didn't say there's anything wrong with anecdotes in and of themselves. In the case of Carlos Hathcock's anecdote, it was from a shooting expert (probably the best expert in the world) who had, along with other Marine snipers, tried to duplicate the alleged shooting performance of Oswald, and found that it couldn't be done. The anecdotes you posted were just predictions, and even though they were right that the building would collapse, it doesn't mean it collapsed for the reason they thought.
"Your only explanation why is using 'experts' who have opinions."
False. Shooting from an open tower where you can freely aim in any direction you want is not the same as shooting through a window at a ~45-degree angle while competing with a wall and pipes for space. That's a fact, and that means it's a fact that they didn't duplicate the scenario; not even close, since the part they left out was the main part that makes Oswald's alleged shooting so difficult. Also, LOL at you (who admittedly has never even fired a rifle) putting the word experts in quotes, as if there's any question that Marine snipers are experts at shooting, especially the most legendary one of all time.
"Other 'experts' disagree with those opinions."
Their disagreement is meaningless unless they can prove that Oswald's alleged shooting performance can be duplicated, which they haven't been able to do.
"You choose to believe those who agree with your opinion, and then claim it's the truth."
No, I believe the experts who are both real experts and have a meaningful claim. You don't seem to understand the disparity between a Marine sniper, especially Carlos Hathcock, and Oswald, who didn't even qualify on the rifle range on his first attempt, and later only qualified at the very lowest level, like getting a D-minus on a test, and that's with shooting straight on at stationary targets with no obstructions, and with better rifles than the crappy one that he allegedly used to shoot JFK. It's like comparing Michael Jordan in his prime to Danny DeVito on the basketball court. If Marine snipers have tried to duplicate it and couldn't do it, the idea that a bum like Oswald could do it is utterly laughable.
The damage wasn't major relative to the size of the building; not anywhere near enough to cause it to collapse, and since fire can't help collapse a streel-framed skyscraper, that leaves a plot hole. And the North Tower didn't collapse "on" it.
Wow, what an arm-chair expert you are. Let's hear once again from firefighters WHO WERE THERE:
"You're walking by this building and you're hearing this building creak and fully involved in flames. It's like, is it coming down next? Sure enough, about a half an hour later it came down." - FDNY Lieutenant James McGlynn
"At this point Seven World Trade was going heavy, and they weren't letting anybody get too close. Everybody was expecting that to come down. - Firefighter Vincent Massa
"Building #7 was still actively burning and at that time we were advised by a NYFD Chief that building #7 was burning out of control and imminent collapse was probable." - PAPD P.O. Edward McQuade
"At Vesey St. and West St., I could see that 7 WTC was ablaze and damaged, along with other buildings." - M. DeFilippis, PAPD P.O.
"Because it really got going, that building Seven, saw it late in the day and like the first Seven floors were on fire. It looked like heavy fire on seven floors. It was fully engulfed, that whole building. There were pieces of tower two [sic: he probably means tower one] in building Seven and the corners of the building missing and what-not. But just looking up at it from ground level however many stories -- it was 40 some odd -- you could see the flames going straight through from one side of the building to the other, that’s an entire block." - Firefighter Tiernach Cassidy
Hmm, who to believe? Firefighters who were actually there, or some numbnuts on the internet? Tough call. LOL
And a photo of the North Tower collapsing on Building 7:
"They are anecdotes no matter how many people tell the same "short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.""
Wrong. Witness testimony is allowed in court. And the more witnesses saying the same thing, the more the evidence is incriminating.
So, according to you, if 12 people witnessed a guy shoot another guy and told about it, that would be just short, amusing or interesting stories. And I'm supposed to take you seriously?
"In the case of Carlos Hathcock's anecdote..."
It wasn't Hathcock's anecdote. It was Robert's anecdote. So we have to take Robert's word for it that it was true. You can't use Hathcock's creds to claim it must've been true.
"Shooting from an open tower where you can freely aim in any direction you want is not the same as shooting through a window at a ~45-degree angle while competing with a wall and pipes for space. That's a fact."
You seem to have a hard time discerning between facts and opinions. No, that's an opinion that the window and angle and pipes would've made a difference. Especially when the claim is being made that those factors make the shots impossible. You need to prove those factors make a difference.
"especially the most legendary one of all time."
You mean the one where an anecdote claimed he said something?
"You don't seem to understand the disparity between a Marine sniper, especially Carlos Hathcock"
That same guy who someone claimed he said something?
A true conspiracy nut is someone who dismisses eyewitness testimony from many people who where there, but then believes the word of one person who makes a claim with absolutely no proof at all.
More comical irony from the moron who thinks his assessment of a picture of a room as a shooting position is better than a Marine sniper's assessment of the room that he actually visited. Also, unlike firefighters, who aren't experts in physics and structural engineering (nor do they necessarily know that no steel-framed skyscraper has ever collapsed from a fire), a Marine sniper is an expert on shooting and shooting positions.
"Hmm, who to believe? Firefighters who were actually there, or some numbnuts on the internet? Tough call. LOL"
Comical Irony Alert: Part VI, from the well-established idiot. Also, LOL at your false dichotomy fallacy. Who to believe? The engineers at UAF.
"And a photo of the North Tower collapsing on Building 7:"
Your link doesn't work. In any case, it didn't collapse "on" building 7. Some of its debris hit building 7.
"Wrong. Witness testimony is allowed in court. And the more witnesses saying the same thing, the more the evidence is incriminating."
Anecdotes are usually "witness testimony" in nature, clodpate. Again, "witness testimony" and "anecdote" are not mutually exclusive. This is like saying, "That's not a fruit, it's an apple". You + an idiot = 2 idiots.
"So, according to you, if 12 people witnessed a guy shoot another guy and told about it, that would be just short, amusing or interesting stories."
It would be an anecdote if anyone found it interesting or amusing, by definition. There is no "just" about it. Something that is an anecdote can fit the definition of other terms as well, rather than being "just" an anecdote.
"It wasn't Hathcock's anecdote. It was Robert's anecdote."
No, ninny, it was Hathcock's anecdote; Roberts only quoted his anecdote. Quoting someone's anecdote doesn't make it your own, obviously.
"You seem to have a hard time discerning between facts and opinions. No, that's an opinion that the window and angle and pipes would've made a difference."
Reading Deficiency Alert: Part V
I said it's a fact that those two things are not the same, and therefore the shooting was never duplicated:
Shooting from an open tower where you can freely aim in any direction you want is not the same as shooting through a window at a ~45-degree angle while competing with a wall and pipes for space. That's a fact.
Does the "bolding" help, airhead?
"Especially when the claim is being made that those factors make the shots impossible."
Neither of them claimed that it made the shots impossible in those quotes. They indicated that they didn't believe that Oswald did it because they themselves couldn't do it, and they are drastically more qualified to do it than that Oswald buffoon. And until someone proves it can be done, with indisputable documentation of it being done, it remains as something that can't be done as far as anyone knows.
"You need to prove those factors make a difference."
I don't need to prove any such thing to someone too stupid to know that shooting accurately from a window at a ~45-degree angle while competing for space with a wall and pipes is more difficult than shooting from an open tower.
"You mean the one where an anecdote claimed he said something?"
Quoting someone's anecdote doesn't make it your own anecdote, dumbass. See above.
"That same guy who someone claimed he said something?"
Yes, that guy, obviously. And there's nothing to even remotely suggest he didn't say it; no lawsuits, no controversy, nothing, even though the quotation was published ~five years before Hathcock died. As such, your suggestion that the quote was merely invented by Roberts is entirely without merit and can be dismissed out of hand.
"A true conspiracy nut is someone who dismisses eyewitness testimony from many people who where there"
Those anecdotes aren't from structural engineers who have researched the situation. They are off-the-cuff statements made by laymen.
"but then believes the word of one person who makes a claim with absolutely no proof at all."
And more comical irony from you. What proof did the firefighters provide that fire was the cause of the collapse? None, obviously. Even if you eliminate Hathcock's statement for no good reason, Roberts alone is way more than qualified to assess the shooting. Did you forget that he was a Marine sniper as well? He's also been a police sniper and has written books about sniping:
Craig Roberts retired from the armed forces in 1999 with 30 years total service. He was awarded ten decorations for his Marine Corps service in Vietnam, where he served as a Marine sniper. He was also a career police officer with the Tulsa, Oklahoma, police department. An internationally published writer, he is the author of Combat Medic-Vietnam and Police Sniper, as well as the co-author of One Shot-One Kill, and The Walking Dead.
'Also, unlike firefighters, who aren't experts in physics and structural engineering (nor do they necessarily know that no steel-framed skyscraper has ever collapsed from a fire)"
So they're standing in front of the building, watching it burning and damaged, putting instruments on it to determine how much it's leaning, and determining it's going to collapse. And then it collapsed. Yeah, what a bunch of boneheads.
And yet, you're somehow smarter than them. Hilarious.
"In any case, it didn't collapse "on" building 7. Some of its debris hit building 7."
And it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. Okay, Clinton.
on preposition
\ ˈȯn , ˈän \
Definition of on (Entry 1 of 7)
b—used as a function word to indicate position in or in contact with an outer surface
the fly landed on the ceiling
I have a cut on my finger
paint on the wall
So yes, the North Tower landed ON WTC7. Learn to read.
"No, nin ny, it was Hathcock's anecdote; Roberts only quoted his anecdote. "
Wow. How can you be this clue less?
It was an anecdote that Roberts told, so it's his anecdote. If I talked about what someone else had said to me, it would be my anecdote, not theirs. Once again, learn English. It's making sense now why you're such a conspiracy nutter.
"I said it's a fact that those two things are not the same, and therefore the shooting was never duplicated:"
So let's see. If the temperature was different, it's not the same. If the experiment was done on a Saturday and not a Thursday, it's not the same. If it was a different guy doing the shooting, it's not the same. If it was a different altitude, it's not the same. All that makes it not the same, but does it change the fact that the shot couldn't be made? Maybe, but those factors would have to be proven. You just can't claim any factor invalidates the test just because you think those factors are important.
"And there's nothing to even remotely suggest he didn't say it"
Of course there is. He never came out publicly and said Oswald couldn't have done it. There could be various reasons for that. Maybe he didn't want the attention. Or maybe he was joking when he said that to Roberts. Or maybe he was stretching the truth and realized he was in a tough spot after the book came out. Or maybe he never said, it and didn't want to cause trouble for Roberts.
Any of that could've happened, so to say it's iron-clad proof that Oswald couldn't make the shot is just ridiculous.
"Roberts alone is way more than qualified to assess the shooting."
And he was also trying to sell a controversial book.
Did you hear they removed the word 'gullible' from the dictionary because no one was looking it up?
"And until someone proves it can be done, with indisputable documentation of it being done, it remains as something that can't be done as far as anyone knows."
Sorry, it doesn't work that way. If you're going to claim something didn't happen, then the burden is on you to prove it couldn't happen. And when you prove it can't happen, it has to be under conditions where all the factors are taken into account, with all the proper documentation and witnesses. And no, it can't be based on something someone might have, or might not have, said.
"I don't need to prove any such thing to someone too stupid to know that shooting accurately from a window at a ~45-degree angle while competing for space with a wall and pipes is more difficult than shooting from an open tower."
Sorry, but 'more difficult' doesn't mean impossible. Again, please learn English. As much as you want it to be true, those factors don't necessarily mean Oswald couldn't have made the shot.
"Quoting someone's anecdote doesn't make it your own anecdote."
It sure does. Unless that other person has already related that anecdote in public. If I tell people something I claim that you have said, it's my anecdote, not yours.
Again, simple English.
"They are off-the-cuff statements made by laymen."
They are not laymen. They were NYFD who were on the scene, and determined that the building was going to collapse. And they were proven right when the building did collapse. So it's obvious they knew what they were talking about.
"What proof did the firefighters provide that fire was the cause of the collapse?"
Huh? When did I claim that? It's obvious the firefighters saw the damage to the building, along with the fire, and determined the building was going to collapse. And the only proof they needed for that was seeing it with their own eyes. Why else would they think the building would be collapsing. They weren't nutter 9/11 conspiracy theorists like you, who think there was something else involved.
"And yet, you're somehow smarter than them. Hilarious."
I have no doubt that every member of the research team at UAF knows more about structural engineering than any one of them do, and it doesn't take much to be smarter than you, since you've already established yourself as an idiot more than once.
"So yes, the North Tower landed ON WTC7."
No, it didn't. That would mean the whole North Tower landed on building 7, which is absurd.
"Learn to read."
More comical irony from Special Ed, who has about six Reading Deficiency Alerts under his belt already. Also, learn to speak English properly. The North Tower didn't land on WTC7. Some debris from it hit WTC7.
"Wow. How can you be this clue less?"
Comical Irony Alert: Part VII
"It was an anecdote that Roberts told, so it's his anecdote."
No, it wasn't dipshit, he merely quoted someone else. The person who told an anecdote, i.e., "a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person", was Carlos Hathcock, therefore it's his anecdote. You and a fool are alike.
"If I talked about what someone else had said to me, it would be my anecdote, not theirs."
Not if it's strictly a quotation. A quotation is someone else's words, not your own, obviously, and if their words constitute an anecdote, it's their anecdote, obviously.
"Once again, learn English."
Comical Irony Alert: Part VIII
"It's making sense now why you're such a conspiracy nutter."
Your non sequitur is dismissed, mooncalf.
"So let's see. If the temperature was different, it's not the same. If the experiment was done on a Saturday and not a Thursday, it's not the same. If it was a different guy doing the shooting, it's not the same. If it was a different altitude, it's not the same. All that makes it not the same, but does it change the fact that the shot couldn't be made? Maybe, but those factors would have to be proven. You just can't claim any factor invalidates the test just because you think those factors are important."
Again, you're a moron. You could use that same "argument" to defend the notion that shooting the broad side of a barn from five feet away is duplicating the shot, when it clearly doesn't even come close to duplicating the shot. Hitting your target when shooting an open tower is a lot easier than hitting it when shooting right-handed out of a window to the right at a ~45-degree angle with a wall and pipes not allowing you to move very far to the left in order to give yourself a less awkward shooting position. An expert (Marine and police sniper) has said that those factors would prevent he himself from being able to make the shot, and that's more than enough to establish that "those factors are important". Since you brought up things which are allowed in court, expert opinions are one of them.
"It's a simple concept. Try to keep up."
Comical Irony Alert: Part IX
"Of course there is. He never came out publicly and said Oswald couldn't have done it."
That doesn't suggest anything whatsoever.
"There could be various reasons for that. Maybe he didn't want the attention. Or maybe he was joking when he said that to Roberts. Or maybe he was stretching the truth and realized he was in a tough spot after the book came out. Or maybe he never said, it and didn't want to cause trouble for Roberts."
Maybe your firefighters were joking or stretching the truth too (dumbass). Consider your grasping at straws "tactic" dismissed out of hand.
"Any of that could've happened, so to say it's iron-clad proof that Oswald couldn't make the shot is just ridiculous."
Don't need "iron-clad proof". All any reasonable person needs is proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and when the people who are the best in the world at something can't do what an inept person supposedly did, that's plenty of proof that they didn't do it. Also:
The Marines were not the only ones who attempted to duplicate the shots. According to Victor Ostrovsky, an Israeli Mossad agent, the Mossad also tried to reenact the shooting using the
available data. Using their best marksmen and finest equipment, they also found it couldn't be
done by one man, using that position, in the time allowed
"And he was also trying to sell a controversial book."
Your genetic fallacy is dismissed. Also, unlike you, I've owned and fired guns since I was seven years old, and I know what factors make hitting your target easier or more difficult.
"Did you hear they removed the word 'gullible' from the dictionary because no one was looking it up?"
More comical irony from the dullard who thought that someone shooting from an open tower was duplicating Oswald's alleged shooting performance.
"I have no doubt that every member of the research team at UAF knows more about structural engineering than any one of them do"
They were there. They saw the evidence and predicted the building would collapse. They all did. And the building collapsed. They were right.
Good god, are you clueless. They were right, but somehow, you're trying to say they were wrong. Somehow, they were too ignorant to know the building would collapse, even though they predicted it would collapse, and it did.
Wow. Reality is not your strong point, is it?
"No, it didn't. That would mean the whole North Tower landed on building 7, which is absurd."
Wow. You really can't parse English, can you? No, that's not what it would mean. The towers collapsed on a large footprint. EVERYTHING within that footprint is considered to have been collapsed on by the towers.
It's obvious you're losing the debate when you're arguing syntax like this.
"No, it wasn't dipshit, he merely quoted someone else."
No, he claimed to quote someone else. If I say, "I ran into George the other day and he told me he 'was getting a divorce,'" That would be my anecdote. If George told that story, it would be his anecdote.
Once again, simple concept. The fact that you can't grasp it explains why you fall for inane conspiracy theories.
" A quotation is someone else's words, not your own, obviously, and if their words constitute an anecdote, it's their anecdote, obviously."
It's only someone else's words if they're on record saying it. If it's only your word that they said it, then it's your anecdote.
"You could use that same "argument" to defend the notion that shooting the broad side of a barn from five feet away is duplicating the shot."
Yes, that claim could be made. But it would be easily proven that that criteria excludes that test from proving the shot could be made. Unlike pipes, windows, and angles, which would have to be presented as evidence and tested with witnesses before it's claimed they show the shot to be impossible.
Again, not a difficult concept. You just choose to ignore it because those factors agree with your predetermined opinion.
"Maybe your firefighters were joking or stretching the truth too"
Yes, dozens and dozens of firefighters are lying about a conspiracy that killed hundreds of their fellow firefighters. Because they all plan on making a ton of money by selling book.
Wow, your low brow thinking has no bounds. Typical conspiracy nutter think though.
"All any reasonable person needs is proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and when the people who are the best in the world at something can't do what an inept person supposedly did, that's plenty of proof that they didn't do it."
Unfortunately for you, there are people who have reproduced the shot. On video. You refuse to accept that. That doesn't mean the rest of us have to stick our heads in the sand and ignore the facts.
"Also, unlike you, I've owned and fired guns since I was seven years old, and I know what factors make hitting your target easier or more difficult."
Yeah, every guy on the internet claims to be packing a ten-incher. I believe you.
By the way, did I mention I was a structural engineer, and also a demolition expert? Not only that, I served in Special Forces. And not only THAT, I was there that day in Dallas, and I actually watched Lee Harvey shoot JFK from that window! I swear it's all true!
"Sorry, it doesn't work that way. If you're going to claim something didn't happen, then the burden is on you to prove it couldn't happen."
Yes, it does work that way. You can't conclusively prove that something can't happen, moron, i.e., you can't prove a negative. You're making the positive assertion that Oswald made those shots, therefore the burden of proof to show that those shots can be made is on you.
"Sorry, but 'more difficult' doesn't mean impossible."
Reading Deficiency Alert: Part VII. Again, they didn't say it was impossible in those quotes. Plenty of things are technically possible but aren't likely enough to be worth considering, such as me winning the Powerball lottery every single week for the next fifty years.
"Again, please learn English."
Comical Irony Alert: Part X
"As much as you want it to be true, those factors don't necessarily mean Oswald couldn't have made the shot."
See above, nincompoop.
"It sure does."
No, it doesn't. See above, nimrod.
"Again, simple English."
Comical Irony Alert: Part XI
"They are not laymen."
Yes, they are, unless you can show that any of them have a degree in structural engineering.
"Huh? When did I claim that?"
I didn't say you claimed that, idiot. You said:
"but then believes the word of one person who makes a claim with absolutely no proof at all."
And I was pointing out the irony of you believing that the firemen quotes prove that the bulding collaped due to fire, despite them providing no proof of that at all.
"Why else would they think the building would be collapsing."
Because they just saw two other similar buildings that were on fire collapse. Those shouldn't have collapsed either. The entire thing was a load of horseshit, and you were duped by it all.
"They weren't nutter 9/11 conspiracy theorists like you, who think there was something else involved."
Which means they were credulous dumbasses who didn't know that a building fire doesn't have anywhere near enough quantity of heat to collapse a steel-framed skyscraper.
In any case, this is getting tedious. You originally said:
"I used to believe there was something wrong with the official story until I saw one of the documentaries that duplicated the shots."
None of the documentaries duplicated the shots, which means you were duped, and your reason for changing your mind wasn't even valid to begin with. And since you're still holding onto your new belief despite the invalidity of the reason that brought you to it in the first place, you're now in a state of cognitive dissonance.
"Yes, it does work that way. You can't conclusively prove that something can't happen, moron, i.e., you can't prove a negative."
Proving something can't happen isn't proving a negative. And yes, you can conclusively prove that something can't happen. For example, if Kennedy was farther away from Oswald than the maximum range of the rifle he was proven to use, it could be proven that Oswald couldn't have made the shot. The evidence would be clear and undeniable. Easy peasy.
Theoretically, it could be proven that the pipes, window, and angle would make the shot more difficult. But that scientific test hasn't been performed yet, and if it was, it would only show that Oswald would've had to have been very lucky to have pulled off the feat. But that's not impossible.
And by the way, "You can't prove a negative" is a logical fallacy. You can prove a negative. Logicians do it frequently. Look it up.
"Plenty of things are technically possible but aren't likely enough to be worth considering"
True, but you want us to just accept that the pipes, window, and angle place this situation in that category. With no actual experiment to back up that claim. (Except for something someone might have mentioned.)
"Yes, they are, unless you can show that any of them have a degree in structural engineering."
So a firefighter has to have a degree in structural engineering in order to know a building is going to collapse? What kind of logic is that?
And by the way, reality is not on your side here. They predicted the building would collapse, and it actually did. Huh, and not a single engineering degree among them. How is that possible? LOL!
"And I was pointing out the irony of you believing that the firemen quotes prove that the bulding collaped due to fire"
You seem to be attempting to pin me into this 'collapsed by fire' idea. I haven't made that claim, and neither did the firefighters. Damage done by the collapse was mentioned, so it's entirely possible they factored that in also.
And once again, they were right.
"Those shouldn't have collapsed either. The entire thing was a load of horseshit, and you were duped by it all."
And there we have it. Mr. 'I'm not making any claims' reveals his true conspiracy colors.
And WTC7 shouldn't have collapsed? The firefighters saw the damage, saw the fire, used their instruments to measure the building, and determined it was going to collapse, and then it did. And now you're saying it shouldn't have collapsed, when it actually did? Seriously? And now the NYFD isn't as smart as you because of it?
Now that's funny.
"None of the documentaries duplicated the shots"
Of course they did. You just refuse to accept it. Just like you refuse to accept that the NYFD knew the building was going to collapse.
Your first paragraph: already addressed, therefore dismissed.
Your second paragraph: Comical Irony Alert, plus, already addressed, therefore dismissed.
Your third paragraph: Comical Irony Alert
"Wow. You really can't parse English, can you? No, that's not what it would mean. The towers collapsed on a large footprint. EVERYTHING within that footprint is considered to have been collapsed on by the towers."
No, moron. That's like if an 18-wheeler drives by you, his tire explodes and pieces of it hit your car, and you say, "An 18-wheeler landed on my car". That paints a very different picture than what really happened, i.e., some pieces from the 18-wheeler hit your car. Also: Comical Irony Alert.
"It's obvious you're losing the debate when you're arguing syntax like this."
Comical Irony Alert: Part XXIX
"No, he claimed to quote someone else."
Quoting someone and claiming to quote someone aren't mutually exclusive, dumbass, so consider the "no" part of your sentence dismissed out of hand.
"If I say, "I ran into George the other day and he told me he 'was getting a divorce,'" That would be my anecdote. If George told that story, it would be his anecdote. "
George did tell the story in your scenario, moron. If you add orginal content to it it would be your anecdote which includes someone else's anecdote.
"Once again, simple concept. The fact that you can't grasp it explains why you fall for inane conspiracy theories."
More comical irony from a well-established idiot who has thus far established that he can neither read nor speak English properly, and can't figure out whose words belong to whom. It's no wonder you're easily duped by far-fetched narratives from the "trustworthy" (lol) government.
"It's only someone else's words if they're on record saying it. If it's only your word that they said it, then it's your anecdote."
That's not the way it works, idiot.
"Do I have to draw this in crayon for you?"
Comical Irony Alert: Part XXXI
"Yes, that claim could be made. But it would be easily proven that that criteria excludes that test from proving the shot could be made."
False. Outside of mathematical proofs, nothing can actually be conclusively proven. That's why the concept of standards of proof exist, such as "beyond a reasonable doubt". And if shooting experts such as Carlos Hathcock, members of his team at Quantico, Craig Roberts, and Mossad snipers, all testified in court that Oswald's alleged shooting performance was implausible, and the opposing side couldn't show that it could be duplicated, that would be more than enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he didn't do what they said he did.
"Unlike pipes, windows, and angles, which would have to be presented as evidence and tested with witnesses before it's claimed they show the shot to be impossible."
Show me in the Craig Roberts or Carlos Hathcock quotes where the word "impossible" appears. I've already told you several times that they didn't say "impossible" in those quotes, but it still hasn't penetrated your drop-forged forehead yet. Also, Reading Deficieny Alert: Part XIV.
"Yes, dozens and dozens of firefighters are lying about a conspiracy that killed hundreds of their fellow firefighters. Because they all plan on making a ton of money by selling book."
Well that flew over your head, numbnuts. I didn't suggest they were lying or stretching the truth, because I don't have any evidence that that's the case. My statement was sarcastic, to illustrate the absurdity of you suggesting that someone is lying or stretching the truth without without a shred of supporting evidence. You're quite possibly the dumbest guy I've encountered online since the IMDb forums closed.
"Wow, your low brow thinking has no bounds. Typical conspiracy nutter think though."
Your non sequitur is dismissed, and also, Comical Irony Alert: Part XXXIII
"Unfortunately for you, there are people who have reproduced the shot. On video."
Your bald-faced lie is dismissed.
"You refuse to accept that. That doesn't mean the rest of us have to stick our heads in the sand and ignore the facts."
Because it never happened, and I've already told you why. There's a drastic and blatantly obvious difference between shooting from an open tower where you're free to aim in any direction without obstructions, and shooting out of a window at a ~45-degree angle while competing for space with a wall and pipes to the left of the window.
"Yeah, every guy on the internet claims to be packing a ten-incher. I believe you."
LOL at you (again). As if owning and shooting guns is even remotely unusual in Maine.
"Proving something can't happen isn't proving a negative."
Yes, it absolutely is, and you fail English 101 forever.
"And yes, you can conclusively prove that something can't happen."
No, you can't, and strictly speaking, you can't even conclusively prove anything, which is why standards of proof exist.
"For example, if Kennedy was farther away from Oswald than the maximum range of the rifle he was proven to use, it could be proven that Oswald couldn't have made the shot. The evidence would be clear and undeniable. Easy peasy."
False. First, you can't even prove what rifle he used, nor can you even prove that he used a rifle of any kind that day. For that matter, you can't even prove that he ever existed, obviously, since nothing can be literally proven outside of math which works within its own set of rules. And it can't be proven that it's impossible for a bullet to travel farther than expected.
"Theoretically, it could be proven that the pipes, window, and angle would make the shot more difficult."
It's blatantly obvious that it makes it more difficult. You have to follow a moving target with your aim, and include a bit of lead, more or less lead depending on how fast the target is moving. If your own freedom of movement is restricted by a window opening at a ~45 degree angle, plus a wall and pipes interfering with how far to the left you can move, then it's obviously going to make it more difficult to follow the target with your aim. If it had been a stationary target it wouldn't have made much difference, aside from taking longer to get on target, which wouldn't matter because with stationary targets there are no time constraints. A Marine and police sniper gave his assessment of it, and LOL at you, a registered idiot who has admittedly never fired a rifle, thinking you're qualified to dispute that assessment.
"And by the way, "You can't prove a negative" is a logical fallacy. You can prove a negative. Logicians do it frequently. Look it up."
Again, you can't prove anything in the real world, but even if we use a looser sense of the term "prove", you can't prove a negative because there's no way to explore every single possibility in the univese, especially since every possibility isn't even known. For example, if you were to try to prove that such and such doesn't exist (which would be trying to prove a negative), you'd have to be able to observe all places at once to see that, at the time of your observation, it didn't exist anywhere in reality, which is obviously something that humans can't do. And even if you could observe all places at once and didn't detect it, that still leaves the possibility that it exists but wasn't observable to your senses or instruments. To [loosely] prove that something does exist or that something can be done (which would be proving a positive), you just have to observe it existing or being done.
"True, but you want us to just accept that the pipes, window, and angle place this situation in that category. With no actual experiment to back up that claim. (Except for something someone might have mentioned.)"
It doesn't matter that idiots like you, who have never even fired a gun before, can't grasp the problems with the alleged shooting scenario. People who know what they're talking about when it comes to shooting can easily grasp the problems. You believe the official narrative so go ahead and demonstrate that the official narrative is even possible for a human. Until you do that, there's no good reason to believe the extraordinary claims of the official narrative.
"Sorry, I'm not that gullible."
More comical irony from the simpleton who believes that Oswald was apparently the best sniper in the world, despite being known to be a poor shot.
"They predicted the building would collapse, and it actually did."
Again, buffoon, they predicted it because two other similar buildings had recently collapsed ostensibly because of fire. None of them collapsed due to fire, because that type of fire doesn't have nearly enough quantity of heat to collapse a steel-frame skyscraper.
"You seem to be attempting to pin me into this 'collapsed by fire' idea. I haven't made that claim, and neither did the firefighters. Damage done by the collapse was mentioned, so it's entirely possible they factored that in also."
The official NIST-approved narrative is that it collaped due to fire. I guess that makes you and them "conspiracy theorists" according to your own idea of what a conspiracy theorist is.
"And there we have it. Mr. 'I'm not making any claims' reveals his true conspiracy colors."
I never said I'm not making any claims, dumbass. I'm obviously making the claim that fire can't cause a steel-framed skyscraper to collapse. I said that I haven't put forth any theories regarding what actually caused their collapse, because I have no idea what actually caused their collapse.
"Of course they did."
Your bald-faced lie is dismissed. None of the documentaries duplicated the shots, which means you were duped, and your reason for changing your mind wasn't even valid to begin with. And since you're still holding onto your new belief despite the invalidity of the reason that brought you to it in the first place, you're now in a state of cognitive dissonance.
I have a question for you about your ideas on 9-11.
You imply that the building was rigged for demolition, and then at a certain time charges went off and the building fell down just like a building being demolished with explosive charges.
For the sake of argument, lets go with that. So, at some point, some number of expert people went in and wired the WTC, including I would guess WTC7 with explosives, right?
Now, that is one thing of itself that is a conspiracy that people may find hard to believe or unacceptable.
But, you go further and say that this wiring of the WTC buildings to explode, was tied to "someone's" attack on the WTC and Pentagon, right? The wiring of the WTC, I can provisionally accept, but how is it that and who would be the coordinator that could bring together Al Qaeda agents with Osama bin Laden, and execute this conspiracy, and for what reason?
So my question would be, does the wiring and rigging of the WTC of emergency demolition HAVE to be connected to the 9-11 attacks on the building and done by the same or connected groups?
By the way, there is no real need to call people idiots is there?
"I didn't imply any such thing. I don't know the true cause of the collapse, only that fire couldn't have done it."
This is MaximRecoil's attempt at sounding logical and level-headed. No, he's not attempting to claim the buildings were blown up. Why would you think that?
And then, in a later post, he says this:
"Because they just saw two other similar buildings that were on fire collapse. Those shouldn't have collapsed either. The entire thing was a load of horse ----, and you were duped by it all."
And the mask comes off, revealing the rabid squirrel running on the exercise wheel beneath.
Also, after looking into Hathcock, I could only find instances of someone else claiming he said that about Oswald. I couldn’t find him actually saying it anywhere.
He lived until 1999. One would think someone of his stature would’ve gone on the record if he really believed it.
"It's been duplicated, multiple times, in multiple videos."
No, it never has; not once, let alone multiple times. LOL at you reading a quote from the most legendary sniper in history, and thinking he doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to shooting. I've seen the videos where they allegedly duplicated what Oswald allegedly did, and they are a joke. In one video they duplicated the moving target but the shooter was just standing in an open tower, so the obstructions weren't duplicated (the obstructions are the main reason he couldn't have made those shots), and in another video, the shooter was just standing out in the open and shooting at a stationary target.
As long as I live I will never believe that Oswald alone killed JFK. That assassination was one big fuck you to all Americans that your government holds you in contempt and will lie and manipulate you for whatever reason they want, and we cannot do anything about it.
I remember reading or seeing somewhere that the bullets were different. I am going from memory but two of the bullets were copper jacketed with lead cores, and the third bullet was some kind of fragmenting bullet.
Actually that is not a quote by Carlos Hathcock. Craig Roberts is just making an unsupported claim that Hathcock said this.
There is no evidence at all that Hathcock ever participated in any recreation of the JFK shooting.
Craig Roberts is prostituting himself for attention when he claims that he, as a trained sniper, could not hit a large target moving slowly away from him at short range; up to 88 yards.
Roberts claims of a drastic angle and dealing with elevation are lies. The street angled slightly away from the sniper's nest. Shooting from an elevated position at a slowly moving target just means you need to lead and hold over a bit.
Even a person like Oswald who did not shoot as well as some of his fellow Marines is still going to be a far better marksman than the average American. As I said, it is no big deal to hit a large target moving slowly away from you at short range.
Carlos Hathcock is a hero to the Marine Corps. He did not deserve to have his reputation dragged through the mud like Roberts does in his book.
"Actually that is not a quote by Carlos Hathcock."
Your mere assertion is dismissed.
"Craig Roberts is just making an unsupported claim that Hathcock said this."
I've already addressed this grasping at straws foolishness from the other moron. If Roberts had made up the quote, then where is the lawsuit (or even controversy of any kind from Hathcock) against Roberts and/or his publisher? Hathcock was still alive when the book was published and lived for about 5 more years after that.
"There is no evidence at all that Hathcock ever participated in any recreation of the JFK shooting."
See above.
"Craig Roberts is prostituting himself for attention"
Your mere assertion is dismissed.
"when he claims that he, as a trained sniper, could not hit a large target moving slowly away from him at short range; up to 88 yards."
He knows ~infinitely more about shooting than you do.
"Roberts claims of a drastic angle and dealing with elevation are lies."
False.
"The street angled slightly away from the sniper's nest."
~45 degrees isn't "slightly", and the angle matters because he supposedly shot out of a window while competing for space with a nearby wall. Had he supposedly been shooting from an open tower or wide open rooftop, the angle wouldn't matter, because he could simply turn and face the target straight on, unobstructed.
"Shooting from an elevated position at a slowly moving target just means you need to lead and hold over a bit."
LOL! You just established that you don't have a clue about what you're talking about, yet you think you're in a position to dispute a Marine sniper on the topic of shooting? You have to aim low (under the target), not high (over the target), and that applies to both shooting at an upward angle and at a downward angle. Also, LOL at "a bit". How many minutes of angle is "a bit" exactly?
"Even a person like Oswald who did not shoot as well as some of his fellow Marines is still going to be a far better marksman than the average American."
Again, you don't know what you're talking about. He failed to qualify on the rifle range, and anyone, even below average people, including invalids and people who don't even show up, can fail to qualify. Then, after some practice and a second chance, he qualified at the lowest possible level, which is well within the capabilities of the average person. In fact, the average person likely would have qualified at at least the lowest level the first time, since hitting unobstructed, stationary targets on level terrain at a straight-on angle with a reasonably accurate rifle isn't exactly rocket science.
"As I said, it is no big deal to hit a large target moving slowly away from you at short range."
That's comically ironic coming from the simple fellow who thinks you have to aim over the target when shooting from an elevated postion. You would have missed wildly, since even if your aim had been dead on target from your perspective, the shot would have gone high, and your "wisdom" of aiming high to "compensate" would have made it go even higher. Birds in the air best beware when you're trying to shoot something on the ground.
"Carlos Hathcock is a hero to the Marine Corps. He did not deserve to have his reputation dragged through the mud like Roberts does in his book."
You haven't established any such thing, and since you can't point to any fallout from it, there's no reason to believe that Hathcock objected to anything printed in that book.
"You can read my review of Roberts book "Kill Zone" here"
No thanks. You've already established that you don't know what you're talking about. Still LOL at "hold over a bit".
Do you have any evidence that Hathcock was even aware of Robert's claims about him? Just because Roberts is a trained shooter does not mean his foolish claims have any merit. You never heard of a person lying to sell a book? Like I said, Roberts is a whore, he makes up crap for money.
The slight angle I'm talking about is line of sight from the 6th floor window to the street and along the line of motion of the limo. Take a look at a map sometime.
When your target is moving away from you while shooting from an elevated position, you will need to hold over. A 6.5 mm bullet moving at 2100fps will take about .14 seconds to travel 90 yards. A vehicle traveling at 5-10 mph will move 7-14 feet in that time. When shooting from a higher elevation like Oswald was, he would hit lower on the body unless he held over.
Just because Oswald had a hard time qualifying, does not mean he never did. A person who not have to be a good shot to hit a large target at short range.
"Do you have any evidence that Hathcock was even aware of Robert's claims about him?"
Is that a joke? They were both Marines, both Vietnam veterans, and they were both snipers. So you think it's plausible that one of them could publish a book which not only mentions the other person, but also quotes him, and for the ~5 years that the other person remains alive, he never hears about it, even though you claim that Roberts dragged his reputation through the mud? As I said, you're grasping at straws. In reality, Roberts referred to Hathcock in his book as his friend and repeated a story he had told him, which isn't even remotely an extraordinary claim since they were in the same, rather exclusive, circles, and had been for a few decades at that point in time.
"Just because Roberts is a trained shooter does not mean his foolish claims have any merit."
You're not even remotely qualified to determine anything whatsoever about the merit of his claims, let alone that they are "foolish".
"You never heard of a person lying to sell a book?"
There's nothing to suggest he's lying; the Hathcock quote isn't even a prominent part of the book; it's not an extraordinary claim, and Hathcock never disputed the quotation, which means you're grasping at straws for no other reason than your laughable bias towards the "trustworthy" (lol) government's implausible narrative.
Like I said, Roberts is a whore, he makes up crap for money."
Your mere assertion is dismissed.
"The slight angle I'm talking about is line of sight from the 6th floor window to the street and along the line of motion of the limo. Take a look at a map sometime."
I already have, Slow Doug, and I already told you the angle. It's ~45 degrees. Do I need to draw a line on an overhead view map for you?
"When your target is moving away from you while shooting from an elevated position, you will need to hold over. A 6.5 mm bullet moving at 2100fps will take about .14 seconds to travel 90 yards. A vehicle traveling at 5-10 mph will move 7-14 feet in that time. When shooting from a higher elevation like Oswald was, he would hit lower on the body unless he held over."
LOL at you doubling down on the thing which proved you don't know what you're talking about. When you're shooting from a high-to-low angle, you have to aim lower (not higher as you foolishly asserted) than you would for the same shot on level terrain; that's a fact, and facts aren't debatable. Whether or not the target is moving along the ground, and how fast it's moving, has nothing at all to do with it. The reason for it is that on level terrain, gravity has more of an effect on trajectory than when shooting from a high-to-low angle. To illustrate this not-exactly-rocket-science concept to yourself, imagine shooting at a target that was directly beneath you, i.e., the most extreme high-to-low angle possible. In that case, gravity won't affect the trajectory at all because the bullet is traveling in the same direction that gravity is pulling it, and it will hit higher than your point of aim. The same applies to firing at a target directly above you; the pull of gravity is parallel to the bullet's path rather than perpendicular to it. To compensate for that you'd have to aim low, obviously.
When a bullet's path is angled high or low, gravity exerts more effect on velocity (which doesn't change a projectile's path appreciably) and less effect on its path. As a result, trajectory suffers less earthward "bend" and the bullet flies on a straighter path. The takeaway? Bullets hit high when shooting down and up.
Furthermore, your math is wrong. 10 MPH = 14.67 FPS, so a car going 10 MPH obviously can't travel 14 feet in .14 seconds, since it takes about a whole second to go 14 feet at that speed. In reality, a car going 5 to 10 MPH would travel ~1 to ~2 feet in .14 seconds. If you were the shooter your shot would have been way, way off.
"Just because Oswald had a hard time qualifying, does not mean he never did."
Thank you, Captain Obvious, but I already said that he did (after failing to qualify the first time he tried), at the lowest possible level of qualification, like getting a D- on a test, which is the lowest possible passing grade above an F. And no, that's not better than what the "average American" can do.
"A person who not have to be a good shot to hit a large target at short range."
It wasn't a large target, it wasn't short range, and you conveniently left out the other pertinent details. Consider your not-even-close to accurate, and not-even-close to complete, summary of the shooting scenario dismissed out of hand. Roberts and Hathcock are ~infinitely more qualified than you to assess a shooting scenario. Remember when you said "hold over a bit", and remember when you doubled down on it after being told you were wrong? Still LOL at that.
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Just because Hathcock and Roberts were in the Marines does not mean Hathcock was aware of Roberts or his book.
Yes, I got the math wrong. 15 fps limo speed would cover about 2 feet. Any forward motion of the target will drop point of impact when shooting from an elevated position.
Your link to the rifle shooter says a vertical elevation change of 15 degree would make a 96% difference in the yardage. So this would change Oswald's effective distance from 88 yards to 85 yards. This is really not much difference at all when a bullet is moving 2100 fps.
I don't know what kind of shooters you're used to meeting, but I work at a rifle range and know that most people would be unable to do what Oswald did, but anyone with the kind of training that Oswald got should be able to.
Oswald shot a 212 (sharpshooter) in 1956 and a 191 (marksman) in 1959. A score of 220 was required for expert. Being able to shoot well enough to qualify in the Marines means he doesn't suck.
The human torso is a large target at 88 yards. If the target is 16" wide and at least as tall, then at 88 yards, it only takes 18 MOA accuracy to hit it.
"Just because Hathcock and Roberts were in the Marines does not mean Hathcock was aware of Roberts or his book."
Reading Deficiency Alert
Again:
Is that a joke? They were both Marines, both Vietnam veterans, and they were both snipers. So you think it's plausible that one of them could publish a book which not only mentions the other person, but also quotes him, and for the ~5 years that the other person remains alive, he never hears about it, even though you claim that Roberts dragged his reputation through the mud? As I said, you're grasping at straws. In reality, Roberts referred to Hathcock in his book as his friend and repeated a story he had told him, which isn't even remotely an extraordinary claim since they were in the same, rather exclusive, circles, and had been for a few decades at that point in time.
Does the "bolding" help?
"Yes, I got the math wrong. 15 fps limo speed would cover about 2 feet. Any forward motion of the target will drop point of impact when shooting from an elevated position."
No, it won't, and LOL at you now tripling down on your asinine assertion. The difference in the point of impact when you're at an upward or downward angle is due to the effect of gravity. It will always shoot higher than point of aim regardless of whether or not the target is moving along the ground.
"Your link to the rifle shooter says a vertical elevation change of 15 degree would make a 96% difference in the yardage. So this would change Oswald's effective distance from 88 yards to 85 yards. This is really not much difference at all when a bullet is moving 2100 fps."
That doesn't have anything to do with anything, i.e., the difference in yardage isn't a point of contention. The problem is that you claimed you'd have to aim high which is exactly the opposite of what you'd have to do, which proves that you don't know what you're talking about.
"I don't know what kind of shooters you're used to meeting, but I work at a rifle range and know that most people would be unable to do what Oswald did, but anyone with the kind of training that Oswald got should be able to."
To date, no one has proven that they can do what Oswald allegedly did. If Craig Roberts and Carlos Hathcock couldn't do it, the chances of anyone else being able to do it, especially on the first try, are somewhere between zero and none.
"Oswald shot a 212 (sharpshooter) in 1956 and a 191 (marksman) in 1959. A score of 220 was required for expert."
190 is the lowest possible score to qualify at all, so he qualified by the skin of his teeth.
"Being able to shoot well enough to qualify in the Marines means he doesn't suck."
Yes, it does mean he sucked. He certainly wasn't sniper material; not even close.
"The human torso is a large target at 88 yards. If the target is 16" wide and at least as tall, then at 88 yards, it only takes 18 MOA accuracy to hit it."
Is that a joke? The fatal shot was to the head. Random torso shots have a high survivability rate, and had he only been shot in the torso, there would have been a high likelihood that he would have survived. Head shots are particularly difficult because, in addition to being a relatively small target, people don't generally hold their head perfectly stationary when they're out and about. Combine that with being in a moving car, the high-to-low angle, the ~45-degree angle of the shot relative to the building's window, the wall next to the window, the trees obstructing the view until the last second, and a guy who got the equivalent of a D-minus on the rifle range, and add to that the evaluation of two Marine snipers, one of whom is a legend, and that all adds up to the official narrative being a laughable crock of shit.
Roberts wrote an obscure little book that hardly anyone paid any attention to. Why should Hathcock know about it? There are many Vietnam vets and a ton of people claim to be snipers. Roberts used Hathcock's name to give his story some support. There is just no evidence at all that Hathcock ever said what Roberts' claims in his book; all we have is Roberts' word on the matter. Your bolding does not convince me that Roberts and Hathcock ever met.
So how much will an elevated position of 50 feet affect the point of impact on a target 265 feet away? Very little I think and not enough to be a factor. The vehicle moving forward will affect it more. While you're claiming it matters, how about you show me your math?
The fact that Oswald qualified in the Marines should mean something unless you're of the opinion that Marine marksman are crap.
How do you know that Oswald's intended target was JFK's head? If he was as poor a shooter as you claim, then he would have most likely aimed for center mass.
I used a shooting position height of 55 feet and a horizontal distance of 265 feet. This means a true ballistic distance of about 271 feet with an angle of 13 degrees from horizontal. The change in bullet drop is about an inch.
You can also see that the target moving away from the shooter means the bullet will strike a bit lower. The limo moving forward also means the bullet has more time to drop, but this is not enough to make any difference.
You can also see that the bullet path and the path of Elm street do not diverge at the 45 degree angle you claim.
So you can see that a large target moving slowly away from the shooter at a small angle of elevation and a small angle across the field of view should not present much of a challenge; especially for any former Marine who qualified as Marksman and Sharpshooter.
And LOL at "claim to be snipers". The fact that Roberts and Hathcock were both Marine snipers in Vietnam is a matter of public record.
"So how much will an elevated position of 50 feet affect the point of impact on a target 265 feet away? Very little I think and not enough to be a factor. The vehicle moving forward will affect it more. While you're claiming it matters, how about you show me your math?"
See below.
"The fact that Oswald qualified in the Marines should mean something unless you're of the opinion that Marine marksman are crap."
Marksman is not only the lowest level of qualification, but a score of 191 is only 1 point higher than the lowest possible score to qualify at the lowest possible level. It's not even remotely impressive.
"How do you know that Oswald's intended target was JFK's head? If he was as poor a shooter as you claim, then he would have most likely aimed for center mass."
Lucky shot? That's what you're going with now? LOL at that.
"I used a shooting position height of 55 feet and a horizontal distance of 265 feet. This means a true ballistic distance of about 271 feet with an angle of 13 degrees from horizontal. The change in bullet drop is about an inch."
Your drawing doesn't take into account the lessened effect of gravity on trajectory when firing from a high-to-low angle. Also, a centerfire rifle is typically sighted in at 100 or 200 yards. For one sighted in at 100 yards, it will hit a little higher than point of aim at 85 yards, and for one sighted in at 200 yards, it will hit even higher at 85 yards. Either way, it's going to hit high, and the lessened effect of gravity on trajectory when firing from a high-to-low angle will make it hit even higher still. See here:
With the rifle sighted in at 200 yards, and shooting at a 13-degree angle, it hits 3.72" high at 85 yards. If sighted in at 100 yards it hits 0.42" high at 85 yards:
"You can also see that the bullet path and the path of Elm street do not diverge at the 45 degree angle you claim."
Say what? I never claimed any such thing. The bullet path is at a ~45-degree angle to the face of the building. That's the "drastic angle" that Roberts was talking about; it means the alleged shooter would have had to aim out the window at a ~45-degree angle, which is especially hard to do with a wall close to the window competing for space, and for a right-handed shooter:
"So you can see that a large target moving slowly away from the shooter at a small angle of elevation and a small angle across the field of view should not present much of a challenge; especially for any former Marine who qualified as Marksman and Sharpshooter."
Not a large target, not a small angle out the window, plus there were other hindrances which you keep conveniently failing to mention. Craig Roberts' and Carlos Hathcock's assessments of a shooting scenario trump yours; and to say they trump yours by a mere "landslide" or "country mile" would be a drastic understatement.
Your photo is more convincing than your unsupported claim, but is it possible for you to supply one that is not so low resolution? I've seen pictures of Carlos Hathcock before; I'm not convinced that this is him standing next to Roberts.
Where is this public record supporting the claim that Roberts was a sniper in Vietnam?
So your opinion is that a Marine that only qualifies at the marksman level is a poor shooter? Does the Marine Corps feel the same way you do?
Yes, I understand that the path a bullet takes is affected by the adjustment of the sights or scope. But both of your examples show that a bullet at that range will still hit a large target like a man's torso at short range.
I check your results with JBM ballistics and they agree. But being 3 to 4 inches high at 85 yards with a 200 yard zero still means a hit when aiming for center mass.
Positioning a rifle barrel out of a window and pointing it 45 degrees is not hard, I don't see why this is a factor at all when the range is so short and the target so large. Have you never done any practical shooting at a rifle range? I have, it's not that hard.
"Your photo is more convincing than your unsupported claim"
I haven't made any unsupported claims, and the photograph is proof that they knew each other, though it was already obvious that they did to anyone not being deliberately obtuse.
"but is it possible for you to supply one that is not so low resolution?"
Ask Craig Roberts.
"I've seen pictures of Carlos Hathcock before; I'm not convinced that this is him standing next to Roberts."
Your bad eyesight isn't my problem.
"Where is this public record supporting the claim that Roberts was a sniper in Vietnam?"
The National Archives, obviously. I'm not your research assistant. Also:
Craig Roberts retired from the armed forces in 1999 with 30 years total service. He was awarded ten decorations for his Marine Corps service in Vietnam, where he served as a Marine sniper. He was also a career police officer with the Tulsa, Oklahoma, police department. An internationally published writer, he is the author of Combat Medic-Vietnam and Police Sniper, as well as the co-author of One Shot-One Kill, and The Walking Dead.
Only an idiot would be naive enough about how the world works to think that the legal team of one of the "Big Five" publishers in the world would allow them to publish that mini-bio of Craig Roberts without verification. "Stolen Valor" is taken seriously in this country (it's a federal crime):
The Stolen Valor Act of 2013 was signed by President Barack Obama on June 3, 2013.[36] The Act makes it a federal crime to fraudulently claim to be a recipient of certain military decorations or medals in order to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit.
You're making a fool out of yourself here with your nonsensical, lazy, and intellectually dishonest gainsaying. First you suggested that Roberts simply made the Hathcock quotation up, even though it stands to reason that if that were the case, there would have been fallout from that, since Hathcock was still alive when the book was published. Then you made the laughable suggestion that Hathcock didn't know about it, despite the fact that Roberts was a fellow Marine sniper in Vietnam. Then you suggested that they never met, and when shown a picture of them together you suggested that it isn't really Hathcock, even though it clearly is. On top of that you suggested that Roberts wasn't really a sniper, despite it being a matter of public record that he was, and despite him having written multiple books on the topic, and despite him having worked for the Tulsa Police Department for nearly 30 years as a sniper as well. And all of your ridiculous grasping at straws is due to nothing more than an irrational bias toward the Warren Commission report that most Americans don't believe anymore, including at least two Marine Corps snipers.
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I don't see Roberts' own claim of being a sniper to be sufficient even if it is written on his publisher's website. How about something more official from the Marine Corps?.
Roberts is safe from prosecution per the Stolen Valor Act even if he claims to have been a sniper. The word sniper is a general term and not on covered by federal law. Claiming to be have awarded various medals is not illegal; he does not say which ones he was awarded and he is not, as far as I know, using stolen valor to obtain money.
So far, all of your reasons for a trained marksman being unable to hit a large target at short range, amount to nothing.
You act as though Roberts' books are something more than BS and that anyone would believe a thing he writes in them.
Nothing is clear in the photo you linked to, especially Hathcock's face.
I would have no problem believing that Hathcock was completely unaware of the claims Roberts makes about him in his book. I think you attach far too much importance to what Roberts claims in his book. But good luck with that.
"I don't see Roberts' own claim of being a sniper to be sufficient even if it is written on his publisher's website. How about something more official from the Marine Corps?"
You're an idiot (see above). Look it up yourself.
"Roberts is safe from prosecution per the Stolen Valor Act even if he claims to have been a sniper. The word sniper is a general term and not on covered by federal law. Claiming to be have awarded various medals is not illegal; he does not say which ones he was awarded
Idiot Alert: Part II
Shot down and rescued, wounded in action, Roberts survived against fantastic odds and served as an automatic rifleman, recon leader, sniper, and as an advisor to a Combined Action Company of ARVN Rangers. Transformed from an ordinary nineteen-year-old into a deadly killer, he was the recipient of ten decorations, including two Purple Hearts, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, and a Combat Action Ribbon. His memoir is a story of extraordinary challenges met for honor, freedom, and the Corps.
Both the Combat Action Ribbon and the Purple Heart are included in the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, and that summary is promoting a book that Roberts co-authored:
"and he is not, as far as I know, using stolen valor to obtain money."
The book isn't free, numbnuts.
"So far, all of your reasons for a trained marksman being unable to hit a large target at short range, amount to nothing."
Given that we aren't talking about a large target at short range, which would be e.g., a barn door at a range of 6 feet with no hindrances whatsoever, your non sequitur is dismissed. Also, LOL at "trained marksman", as if that means anything specific with regard to shooting ability. In any case, two Marine snipers' assessments of the shooting scenario trump yours by an ~infinite amount.
"You act as though Roberts' books are something more than BS and that anyone would believe a thing he writes in them."
Comical Irony Alert
"Nothing is clear in the photo you linked to, especially Hathcock's face."
Again, your bad eyesight (compounded by your stupidity) is your own problem. I can tell that's Carlos Hathcock in the picture. Furthermore, there's this:
Police sniper / Craig Roberts ; [introduction by Carlos Hathcock].
Carlos Hathcock wrote the introduction to that book by Craig Roberts, a year before Roberts' book "Kill Zone - A Sniper Looks at Dealey Plaza" was published. Still want to claim that Hathcock and Roberts didn't know each other, and that Hathcock didn't know that Roberts quoted him in his 1994 book?
You + an idiot = 2 idiots
"I would have no problem believing that Hathcock was completely unaware of the claims Roberts makes about him in his book."
LOL! See above, mooncalf.
"I think you attach far too much importance to what Roberts claims in his book. But good luck with that."
More comical irony from the rube who's too stupid to attach importance to what two Marine Snipers have to say about a shooting scenario, one of whom is the legendary Carlos Hathcock no less.
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That law (Stolen Valor Act) prohibits claiming that a person has various awards, not that they were in the military or served as a sniper.
So what is your definition of long range and large target? You would be the only person that I have heard of who claimed 88 yards is long range and a human is a small target for a sniper.
Setting the bar at six feet and barn door size is foolish.
I'm still not convinced that Hathcock made the claims that Roberts says he did. I think there is no way an accomplished sniper like Hathcock would say the Dealey Plaza shooting was too hard for him.
Seeing that Hathcock contributed to one of Roberts books is enough to convince me that he knew of him.
"That law (Stolen Valor Act) prohibits claiming that a person has various awards, not that they were in the military or served as a sniper."
Reading Deficiency Alert: Part II
Once again:
Shot down and rescued, wounded in action, Roberts survived against fantastic odds and served as an automatic rifleman, recon leader, sniper, and as an advisor to a Combined Action Company of ARVN Rangers. Transformed from an ordinary nineteen-year-old into a deadly killer, he was the recipient of ten decorations, including two Purple Hearts, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, and a Combat Action Ribbon. His memoir is a story of extraordinary challenges met for honor, freedom, and the Corps.
Both the Combat Action Ribbon and the Purple Heart are included in the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, and that summary is promoting a book that Roberts co-authored:
"So what is your definition of long range and large target? You would be the only person that I have heard of who claimed 88 yards is long range and a human is a small target for a sniper."
It depends on the circumstances. I wouldn't consider 88 yards and a human head size paper target long range or a small target if you're e.g., at the rifle range. Add in a time constraint of a few seconds, an old stock military surplus rifle with a crappy 4× scope, a high-to-low angle, trees obscuring the view until the last second, shooting out the window at a ~45-degree angle to your right as a right-handed shooter while there's a wall and a set of water pipes perpendicular to the left side of the window, target in a moving car, the tendency of people to frequently move their heads around when riding in a car through a crowd that's there to see them, and the well-known phenomenon of "buck fever", which would be a lot worse when firing at a person, especially the POTUS... speaking of which:
The Warren Commission concluded that Oswald attempted to kill retired U.S. Major General Edwin Walker on April 10, 1963, and that Oswald fired the Carcano rifle at Walker through a window from less than 100 feet (30 m) away as Walker sat at a desk in his Dallas home. The bullet struck the window-frame and Walker's only injuries were bullet fragments to the forearm.
Here we have the same rifle, a non-moving target, no significant elevation angle, no few-seconds time constraint, etc., at a range of less than 100 feet (about a third of the range of the alleged JFK shooting scenario), and how did your "trained marksman" do?
"I'm still not convinced that Hathcock made the claims that Roberts says he did."
That's because you're dumb. You can't point to any fallout that should have happened had Roberts attributed a false quotation to him. Your initial "tactic" was to suggest that Hathcock didn't even know about the quotation (LOL), and now that that's been exposed as ridiculous, you stick to your irrational position like a child.
"I think there is no way an accomplished sniper like Hathcock would say the Dealey Plaza shooting was too hard for him."
Craig Roberts said the same thing. Your incredulity is ignorance-fueled, i.e., your simple mind glosses over the difficulties of the scenario that it can't comprehend and boils it down to "big human target only 88 yards away".
"Seeing that Hathcock contributed to one of Roberts books is enough to convince me that he knew of him."
The fact that they were both Marine snipers in Vietnam would be enough for any reasonable person, and the picture of them together in 1989 would be enough for everyone else who isn't a registered idiot.
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"We both agree that the Stolen Valor Act prohibits claiming unearned medals. Why are you complaining?"
Again, you're an idiot. You said:
Roberts is safe from prosecution per the Stolen Valor Act even if he claims to have been a sniper. The word sniper is a general term and not on covered by federal law. Claiming to be have awarded various medals is not illegal; he does not say which ones he was awarded and he is not, as far as I know, using stolen valor to obtain money.
You were proven wrong, since he does claim to have been awarded specific decorations that are listed in the Stolen Valor Act, and it's in connection with obtaining money (selling books). So, if he's lying about his military history, why hasn't he been arrested? And if he's specifically lying about being a sniper (as you've been suggesting), then why hasn't anyone called him out? Why didn't Carlos Hathcock call him out? Instead, he wrote an introduction to one of Roberts' books and is pictured hanging out with him, complete with both of their sniper rifles on the ground in front of them, in 1989. Would you like to suggest that Hathcock was a fraud too? Not really a sniper?
"JFK was also shot in the back. the human torso is much larger than the head."
Irrelevant, since that wasn't the most difficult shot. Had Oswald not allegedly made the headshot then his alleged shooting performance would be far more plausible.
"You think Oswald could not shoot left handed?"
This is yet another idiot alert for you. Any right-handed shooter can shoot left-handed, but they can't shoot as well, obviously, so it certainly doesn't help your case to suggest he made the shot left-handed.
"All I see you doing is making a ton of BS excuses as to why a person can't hit a large target at short range."
Your oversimplification fallacy is dismissed.
"Oswald missed once when shooting at JFK and missed once when shooting at Walker. So?"
Idiot Alert: Part XII (as well as another oversimplification fallacy)
Again: Here we have the same rifle, a non-moving target, no significant elevation angle, no few-seconds time constraint, etc., at a range of less than 100 feet (about a third of the range of the alleged JFK shooting scenario), and how did your "trained marksman" do?
"A fact is not a fact just because you claimed it is. Actually bring evidence into your conversation works much better than unsupported claims."
Your non sequitur is dismissed, and Roberts' and Hathcock's assessments of a shooting scenario obviously trump yours by an ~infinite amount. LOL at you being too stupid to realize that.
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I think you vastly overestimate the liability of claiming certain awards and service without trying to obtain benefits related to service.
As far as I know, the only people who steal valor and get punished for it are those who use it to obtain veteran benefits and employment.
Oswald hit JFK two out of three times. That Oswald intentionally aimed for his head is something no one can prove.
I'm not claiming that Hathcock was a fraud. In fact I admire him and have read as much about him as I can. I think Roberts is insulting Hathcock by claiming he said he could not hit a large target at close range.
So you knew Oswald so well that you have determined that he was not a decent shot left handed?
I'm right handed, but shoot just as well left handed. It is not the big deal that you make it out to be.
As the shot was not a difficult one to make, I see no reason why doing it left handed would make it unlikely that Oswald could hit his target.
I think Roberts' assessment of Dealey plaza as laid out in his book "Kill Zone" is nuts. When your assessment of me consists largely of personal insults, it is irrelevant for the most part.
"I think you vastly overestimate the liability..."
Your laughable attempt to move the goalpost is dismissed. You said, "[...] he does not say which ones he was awarded and he is not, as far as I know, using stolen valor to obtain money," and you were proven wrong, end of story.
"Oswald hit JFK two out of three times. That Oswald intentionally aimed for his head is something no one can prove."
LOL at your "lucky shot" theory (again).
"I'm not claiming that Hathcock was a fraud. In fact I admire him and have read as much about him as I can."
Yet you think you know more about shooting than he does, which is hilarious and establishes you as an idiot.
"I think Roberts is insulting Hathcock by claiming he said [bald-faced lie removed]"
Quoting your friend isn't insulting your friend, dumbass.
"So you knew Oswald so well that you have determined that he was not a decent shot left handed?"
It was said that he was a right-handed shooter. That inherently means he doesn't shoot as well left-handed, obviously, and that's pretty bad when someone is as poor of a shot as Oswald is to begin with.
"I'm right handed, but shoot just as well left handed."
If that's true, which I doubt highly, that means you're an ambidextrous shooter, not a right-handed shooter.
"As the shot was not a difficult one to make"
At least two Marine snipers disagree, and they trump "Ranb" by an ~infinite amount. The fact that no one has managed to replicate Oswald's alleged shooting performance in ~60 years strongly supports those Marine snipers' opinions.
"I see no reason why doing it left handed would make it unlikely that Oswald could hit his target."
Negated by your false premise.
"I think Roberts' assessment of Dealey plaza as laid out in his book "Kill Zone" is nuts."
LOL at you thinking you're even remotely qualified to disparage Roberts' assessment.
"When your assessment of me consists largely of personal insults, it is irrelevant for the most part."
You've established yourself as being either an idiot or intellectually dishonest, multiple times, such as your recent attempt to move the "Stolen Valor" goalpost, as well as even suggesting that Roberts wasn't a Marine Sniper to begin with, and suggesting that he fabricated the Hathcock quote despite the fact that they were friends, as well as suggesting that they didn't even know each other even after seeing a picture of them together with their sniper rifles, and continuing to suggest that Hathcock didn't know what Roberts wrote about him in Kill Zone, even after learning that he and Roberts had recently collaborated on a book together. On top of that, you've repeatedly, and baselessly, insulted Craig Roberts, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran and long-time police officer with no evidence that he's anything less than an honorable man. In other words, you're well-deserving of "personal insults".
I have Gerald Posner's book. Read it three times over and looked up his sources (this was before Google and the convenience of Internet sources I actually went to the friggin library in person). It checks out and the conspiracies cited are all for the most part dark alleys that sound compelling but offer no solid data or reference points. It's funny because with critical thinking taking a nose-dive not even the QAnon shitheads today have the mental acuity to get into the JFK Assassination theories because it requires too much thinking and referencing, even if those sources are bunk. It's amazing how far we have fallen thanks to the Internet.
If you are referring to the 1979 The United States House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA), then you are greatly misstating their findings.
True, the HSCA was a total joke. They voted on a "95% probability of a 2nd gunman". Not that that gunman even hit anything, just that there WAS one. And of course there wasn't, as the audio evidence was easily debunked because someone without an agenda listened to it. Ozzy acted alone period. Anyone who doesn't get that should read Case Closed and/or Reclaiming History.
I'm sorry but there had to have been someone else that killed JFK. Nobody shoots someone through the bottom of their chin from several stories up in the air.