Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

Michael Shermer. Just follow the money. 

Here's a guy who started his career as a skeptic challenging the whole idea of God. But that got sidelined in favor of him becoming a leading defender of State stories, whether JFK, 9/11, Pearl Harbor, or what have you.  

Why'd he switch? Because he found out that nobody was going to pay him to debunk God. However, people were going to pay him handsomely to debunk conspiracy theories about State crimes. That's where the money was, and he followed the money. 

Recently, Shermer was in Dealey Plaza filming a piece for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. That's the Canadian version of the BBC and with the same political bent. Did I mention that they were paying him? Hey, the man's gotta eat. 

So, he wrote something for his blog about his visit to Dealey Plaza, and always of course, with the tone of contempt and derision and ridicule that he's famous for. But, what did he really say to put down Oswald defenders? 

First, he pointed out that there are a lot of hucksters in Dealey Plaza trying to sell stuff to tourists: books, CDs, etc. Yes, they're trying to make a buck, but the Sixth Floor Museum charges a hefty fee to enter. So, what's the difference?

Then, he leveled a criticism about the number of people allegedly involved in the JFK conspiracy. He cited one vendor who named so many individuals (Bush, Johnson, Dulles, etc.) that "they would have needed a small sports arena to meet to plan it." Oh really? Don't you think that's a gross exaggeration.  

But, is it a reasonable criticism at all? However many people were involved in the planning of JFK's murder or had foreknowledge of it was whatever number it was. It makes no difference. It poses no plausibility problem to the scenario whatsoever. 

Someone would have talked, you say? But, they have talked. Didn't E. Howard Hunt talk on his death bed? Didn't he spill his guts?  

Again, the number of conspirators is NOT some kind of roadblock or dealbreaker, as Shermer implies. It poses no probability issue whatsoever. 

Shermer said one thing that's true. He said that the most striking thing about being in Dealey Plaza is to see how small it is. You get a false impression from watching the Zapruder film. It's really a very small place. 

Then, Shermer committed a faux pas: he admitted that Kennedy was "hit in the throat."  And he was hit in the throat- shot from the front. But, JFK was also hit in the back at the level of the T3. Gerry Ford moved it up to the "back of the neck" in order to tie those two shots together, and he got rewarded with the Presidency. 

Shermer noted that there are two X's on Elm Street, the first marking where Kennedy was "hit in the throat," and the second marking where the fatal head shot occurred. 

Note: I don't vouch for the accuracy of the placement of those X's. I am aware that some claim that were placed closer to the TSBD than they really were in order to make the shots look easier- to lessen the distance. But, I am not going to get into it because I am not an expert in that area. I just want to point out that their locations are disputed. Of course, Shermer tried to make hay out of it. 

What is astounding is how close both X’s are to the sniper’s nest in the Book Depository building. Both from the street level looking up and from the window looking down (there is a museum on the sixth floor from which you can gain the perspective of the assassin), it seems clear that Oswald could hardly have missed. Given the fact that he was designated a sharpshooter by the Marines during his time in the service, and the fact that Kennedy’s car was traveling less than 10 miles per hour after making the sharp left turn onto Elm street, one is left whispering under one’s breath, “Kennedy was a sitting duck.”

What a liar. Oswald practically failed his last shooting test in the Marines. He didn't make Sharpshooter. He made Marksman- the lowest passing grade. Two points less and he would have flunked. He got 191, and the lowest passing score to this the lowest level of proficiency was 190.  That was in 1959. After that, he did no shooting at all that we know of except to go rabbit hunting in Russia with his friends using shotguns. And they said he was a lousy shot. The claims of Oswald going to a firing range in Dallas prior to the assassination are bogus. They are riddled with improbabilities and implausibilities that are much greater than the one Shermer cited about the number of conspirators being too many.  

Finally, Shermer posted photographs taken from each of the X's of the Sniper's Nest, his intended message that it was an easy shot. 

Fact: NOBODY has EVER duplicated the shooting feat that Oswald supposedly did. In every case, they cheated, starting by adding shims to the rifle, then making the target too big, then making the shooting much more comfortable, less awkward, less cumbersome than it really would have been for Oswald. Then, they got marksmen who were much more accomplished than Oswald ever was. Then, they actually let them practice. Then, they gave them multiple tries and took the liberty of reporting their best try. But, Supposed Oswald only got one try.  This is from The Plain Truth:

CBS news did a reenactment in 1967 involving several expert riflemen firing from a 60 foot tower at a moving sled using a similar Mannlicher-Carcano rifle. None of these expert riflemen hit the target twice on their first try and 7 of them failed to do so on any try. They also were able to fire several practice rounds before the test. 
The Warren Commission’s tests were equally bad. The WC paid 3 expert riflemen to duplicate Oswald’s alleged feat. These shooters fired 18 rounds using Oswald’s gun and scope.They fired 3 rounds with just the iron sites. These shooters missed the head and neck area of the target 18 out of 18 times using the telescopic sight and 2 out of 3 times when they used the iron sites.Some of the shots missed the target completely. They were able to take as long as they wanted for the first shot. They were firing from a height of only 30 feet. Oswald fired from a height of 60 feet. They were also shooting at stationary targets instead of a moving limousine.
What many do not know is that the only man that CBS hired that was finally able to make the shot, came to the conclusion that Oswald DID NOT! Howard Charles Hinman Donahue first came to national attention in 1967 when CBS television investigated the Warren Commission report and had several gunning experts test-fire the same make and model of the Mannlicher-Carcano Italian rifle that was used by Lee Harvey Oswald to shoot at Mr. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas. He was the only one of these experts that "made the shot" --- After Several Tries! - In fact he discovered Oswald's gun wasn't even sighted correctly!
Donahue, a retired gunsmith and nationally known ballistics expert, concluded that a Secret Service agent fired the bullet that killed President John F. Kennedy. 

OK, now I'm going to give you the link to Michael Shermer's disgusting post. You know what his problem is? He went from being a God debunker to becoming an advocate for the devil.

http://www.michaelshermer.com/2010/12/conspiracy-central-dealey-plaza-jfk-and-lho/