Steve Mcdonagh

I was just retiring to bed when I found this article: "Obama's national security team is another priority as the country fights wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It could also be an area where he goes outside his party for an appointee. Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel and current Defense Secretary Robert Gates are among the names floating around for that team. Hagel, who was elected to the Senate in 1996 and is a Vietnam veteran, has been a fierce critic of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war. advertisement Gates has served in Bush's cabinet for almost two years. He worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for 27 years, serving as its director from 1991 through 1993. He also served as deputy national security adviser under President George H. W. Bush." What is the 'spread' on Gates getting this post (or any post) in Barack Obama's Admininstration? And if he got it, would it be a plus or a minus on new information re: JFF/MLK/RFK turning up?

Hi Terry, Yes I appreciate your comments, but saying one thing if you have a chance to do another thing are totally different. I believe the Kennedy’s have always been biding their time, it’s an Irish thing and as an example I will tell you a true story. Two Irish families have been fighting each other for generations and the feud started so long ago that hardly anyone knows what the original cause was. Anyhow, both families end up in front of the magistrate again and the magistrate asks the two patriarchs how old they are you. One says he is in his 70’s and the other one states a similar age, so the magistrate then asks: “Why don't you both just forget about this feud and shake hands, after all you’re in the latter stages of life and this can’t go on forever” “Why can’t it go on forever?” one of them asks. “Well to put it bluntly you will both probably be dead in the next 10-20 years” the magistrate replies. “But don't we have son’s” one of them retorts “And don't they have son’s” the other adds. For a moment it even appeared that the two men were pleased with each other as they looked first at the dumbstruck magistrate and then at each other. That feud is still going on to this day and although they don’t go at it every time they see each other, it is a buried deep and I suspect it will never be forgotten. Steve

McCain made three such gracious and admirable gestures during the final stage of the election: 1) Where he corrected the woman about Obama being a Muslim, which he did in a no nonsense fashion. 2) His gracious comments during the benefit dinner. 3) His concession speech today. He ran a very good race considering he was trying to sell the GOP brand after Bush - kind of like trying to sell milk on the corner of the street right now here in China. I wonder if his age was a factor (last shot and all) in him becoming the GOP nominee. - I mean how many younger alternatives genuinely wanted to risk taking their shot at it now, with the 'Bush affect' in play. Anyway, I wish him all the best. Steve

Don’t discount the possibility - I have believed for a while now that if Obama with his seemingly close links to the Kennedy’s and MLK would open up new avenues in all three assassinations if elected president. I still sincerely believe this; although it will not be on the priority list. Steve I think that's wishful thinking. I was reminded how the powerful in DC protect each other when Bush took office in 2001. I naively hoped, with the Republicans in power, that there would be some real investigations and prosecutions for the crime wave of the Clinton years. Ha ha ha ha ha. The Bush regime was too interested in moving forward with crimes of its own. I realized that it was simply one crime family turning the reigns over to another. Even crime families protect each other (at least when mafiosi aren't busy killing each other). "Change" is a good campaign slogan, and it's what people voted for. But I didn't see the resolution of political assassinations and other high treason anywhere on the people's priority lists.

Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Men, Women, Young, Old, Rich and Poor. Today I witnessed tears on all of this collection of people’s faces as I felt a single tear running down the cheek of my own face; the first since my daughter was born 10 years ago. Thus was the impact of Obama’s speech. Steve

Your heart and mind it seems - at last. These pictures are going out all over the World - I am currently in China - and I am sure they will give inspiration and hope to everyone.

Obama's election shows why America is truly a great country. After the goodwill afforded America after 9/11 which Bush and Cheney recklessly squandered, I believe this election result may well go a long way in returning some of that goodwill. Let us all look to the future now and let God not only bless America, but indeed bless us all - wherever we may live. Steve

I believe he/she just has. Steve

This is a Great day in History. The free world now has a new leader (elect). I sincerely hope he will deliver on the promises of hope he has installed in Millions of people throughout the whole world. Congrats Barack. Steve

Hi, “12:17 - Tippit "out of the car a minute, 4100 block of Bonnie View” – “12:20 - Tippit radio’s "clear" from Hodges, apparently with the shoplifter in his car” “12:45 - Tippit contacted by dispatch, indicates that he is at "about Kiest and Bonnie View."” Duke, do you know for certain what Tippit was doing during this crucial period of 12.20 and 12.45? And can you categorically state that “Tippit was up to nothing nefarious at that point in time”? How did Tippit know about the shoplifter, was he sent to 4100 bonnie view by his dispatcher? Thanks - Steve

Barack Obama Beats John McCain - Official Result Just In I thought this might lighten the mood around here since the election is only a matter of hours away, and very little either candidate does now is likely to change anything. Steve PS: The result was fair.

Hi, Thanks alot guys for your suggestions, I will copy the combined list and and send to my freind. I would like to say how dissapointed I am that only three members bothered to make any suggestions - I guess something like this is not worth replying to? Lucky for the site we have you three members and I thank you. Steve

Hi Guys, Thanks Antti for the comment and links, thanks Jack for rightly pointing out that we don't know for sure if Oswald ever walked to 10th/P and even if he did which route he took, and a big thanks to Neville for supplying the YouTube link to the re-enactment of Oswald walking to 10th/P. Using the link Neville supplied (below) for time purposes, if one assumes that Oswald did walk to 10th/P, then I believe regardless of the exact distance (which seems to be somewhere between 8/10 and 9/10 of a mile) that it can be done without trying to break any records in just over 11 minutes. If we allow for a quick detour to the bus stop (to fit in with Earlene Robert’s testimony) and back, I can accept the time taken for Oswald to get to 10th/P at between 11 and 12 minutes. The problem is Mrs. Markham. To me her testimony seems very credible and as probably all of us have experienced at some point, anyone catching a bus, a train or an airplane for example are usually ‘hyper aware’ of the time. I know I certainly am, especially compared with normal day to day circumstances where I am usually pretty poor at keeping track of the time unless I have a meeting. So although Oswald can get to 10th/P in about 11-12 minutes, if Mrs. Markham’s testimony is correct (and I have no reason to doubt her) then Oswald would have had to leave his lodging at about 12.55 – 12.56 pm to get there in time to shoot Tippit. Which would then either call into question Earlene Roberts testimony or suggest Oswald must have used different means of getting to 10th/P. The only other option I see, is of course; could Oswald have left the boarding house before Earlene Robert’s estimated time of 1.00pm? Practically in my opinion, 4-5 minutes to the hour is close enough that it can be called approximately 1pm – I do it all the time when my wife asks me the time. More reading and research required here for me, so expect more questions Steve YouTube Link: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=15fRNaFQczc

Hi, I find it unbelievable that no one seems to have measured the distance - I will have to pack a measuring wheel next time I go to the states  - Seriously though, it is astonishing that it has not been accurately measured or more than likely it has; but the information is difficult to find. The problem is that the times and distances Google gives are more than likely inaccurate in my opinion. I say this because from experience in the construction industry, when we used to measure our works (using a measuring wheel), there would always be a significant difference (+20% sometimes) in measuring from the centre of a road than closer to the footpath as Google seem to be doing (for obvious reasons). In fact Google maps even states “Walking directions are in beta. Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths.” So without an actual measured distance I personally would allocate a significant margin for error on the distances we have. The other thing that I noticed was contradicting information on the “average” walking distance. A study (and book) published by Motor Control states on page 346 (link at bottom) that “...each was tested at his preferred and at a fast walking speed. Men over 67 years of age showed significantly (p < 0.01) slower walking speeds (118 – 123 cm/s) than the young adults (150 cm/s or 4.92 ft)/s. Stride length was also significantly shorter, especially during fast walking speed.” Now; one could presume that Oswald could even walk faster than that if he had the notion to do so. Thanks - Steve Link to Motor Control: http://books.google.com/books?id=HLpILbGSz...&ct=result) I sincerely doubt it, given the few number of people who've even walked the route without one. 8/10 of a mile is about right; the WC estimated it (also without a measuring wheel!) at 9/10 of a mile. You'll have to do the metric conversion yourself, along with the conversion of the "normal" walking speed of 4.3 feet per second.

Thanks Antti, I tried to upload a map that i stitched together from google (I will try it again here) and if you ignore the distance it (google) tells you (which I presume is autogenerated) and measure it (crudely but near enough) it came to approximately 620m-650m. Which although this measurement was obtained using the google measuring stick, doesnt seem right (although it looks right if their stick is accurate) and thats why I asked if there is a record of the exact distance - surely someone must have measured it using a measuring wheel? Thanks - Steve Steve, As far as I can tell, your addresses are accurate. The problem with the exact distance from 1026 N Beckley to 10th and Patton is there are several (ok, at least 2.) reasonable routes one could take, and therefore there isn't an exact distance imo. I think we'll just have to go with the 8/10ths or 0,73 of a mile, as per mapquest. That is I put in 1026 N Beckley and 400 E 10th Street as the destination.

Hi Guys, Just want to check some facts guys, do I have the correct positions (within a few meters) of the following? A = Earlene Roberts house was at - 1026 North Beckley. B = Officer Tippit was shot at - East Tenth Street and Patton Avenue. C = The Texas Theatre was located at - 231 W Jefferson Blvd (not on map due to file size restrictions) One more thing, does anyone know the ‘exact distance’ (within a few meters) from Earlene Robert’s house to E 10th & Patton? – An official measurement where someone had actually walked and measured the distance would be preferable please Thanks Guys - Steve Edited to add Map

Hi Guys, Thanks for kick-starting this thread for me with your suggestions - I hope others will take your lead and submit their suggestions also. Thanks - Steve

Hi, This seems a bit extreme especially if it was intended to disrupt the election - they could have just registered as 'Dems' through an 'ACORN' representative and given the names 'Mickey Mouse' and 'Donald Duck'. Steve

Hi Peter, Would you please elaborate on this comment for me: "The life expectancy of African Americans in the United States is about the same as that of people living in China..." Thanks - Steve

Hi Everyone, A friend of mine is interested in reading about the assassination of JFK and has asked me to recommend several books. I am hoping some of you will suggest some for him, maybe 4 or 5 that would basically serve as a complete guide to the whole event with possibly 1 or 2 of them more recent and therefore acting as an update on developments since – any ideas? I sincerely appreciate any help with this, thanks - Steve

This CNN article was emailed to me today from a colleague, whom with 'glee' pointed out that articles like this published on American websites support the growing census of opinion regarding the US election - "If Obama loses this election, how can the USA preach to other countries about democracy?" I thought it was worth adding to this thread. Thanks - Steve CNN Article: Experts who have examined the allegations against ACORN have concluded that there is no significant threat of voter fraud. For the fraudulent registration forms to turn into fraudulent votes, they would have had to get through the election officials' vetting systems and make it onto the voter rolls. Next, someone would need to arrive at the assigned polling location with valid identification that lists the same name and address as the fraudulent registration. (This is fairly difficult to do if you're dead or named Mickey Mouse.) Then, having passed all these hurdles, that someone would cast a vote that will cost him or her 10 years in jail. Just find me someone willing to spend 10 years in jail just for a chance to vote for Obama or McCain? Let's look at the facts. ACORN labeled as "suspicious" the fraudulent registration forms a few of its paid volunteers submitted. Moreover, ACORN delivered them to election authorities under that heading. ACORN offered to help election officials pursue prosecutions against those who filled out the fraudulent forms. The so-called ACORN scandal is no more than a few canvassers trying to meet their quota and make easy money by cheating the system. Ask yourself how likely is it that someone would go through the effort and risk of submitting multiple false registration forms, find an accomplished forger capable of producing IDs of sufficient quality to trick election officials, and then spend Election Day racking up a couple extra votes at the potential cost of spending a decade in jail? A simple cost-benefit analysis tells us this is not a reasonable or significant threat. The real threat here is the Republican Party using attacks on ACORN as a calculated strategy to justify massive challenges to the votes cast in Democratic-leaning voting precincts on Election Day. And this is what is truly outrageous, but where is John McCain's concern when it comes to people being harassed at the voting booth? The same Republican Party shouting "Voter fraud!" is also furiously trying to prevent Ohio from registering voters at early voting sites and suing to shut down some early voting sites in Indiana. Just as the GOP will use the so-called "Bradley effect" to explain away voting irregularities it created through voter suppression, it will use allegations of voter fraud to cover its efforts of voter suppression. McCain and Republican candidates up and down the GOP ticket don't want increased voter turnout. Let them sputter and fret. A swelling of the voter rolls strengthens our democracy. The more eligible voters we have participating in the process, the stronger we are as a nation -- and the more accurately the results on November 4 will reflect our nation's choice for president. We must be vigilant in protecting people's right to vote, not vigilant in suppressing it. We must be vigilant that new voters aren't threatened, harassed or turned away. And we must be vigilant that resources like voting machines and poll workers are distributed appropriately to accommodate the projected influx of new voters. Finally, we must be vigilant that this election, unlike 2000 or 2004, doesn't return conspicuous voting irregularities, and that those irregularities aren't left unchallenged. We must be vigilant in the protection of our democracy because the way things are going in the United States right now, democracy may be the only valuable left in our national treasury. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Donna Brazile." http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/27...ref=werecommend

Hi Guys, I want to say that this thread is very interesting and not only that, but I think it could possibly lead somewhere. The work Duke, Ray, Dennis, Antti and others have researched and contributed has been a wealth of information for me and I sincerely appreciate it. I am very direct, but at the same time you can rest assured I hardly ever have hidden motives – I just like to cut to the chase so I can assess the information. I hope that is ok with everyone. Thanks - Steve PS: Yes, good job on the report Dennis. The most interesting question on this thread yet Steve, I like the way you come straight to the point. But will "THE DUKE" give as straight a reply? Mr. Pointing, if you had bothered to read Duke's posts on this very thread wherein he discussed his views/suspicions re Oswald's role you would not be making this kind of snide insinuation. Duke has long ago earned a reputation as a straight shooter. He is not a BELIEVER, like you, he is an INQUIRER, and true inquirers cannot state their BELIEFS until the inquiry is complete. BTW, good job on finding the radio report on the Tippit murder. Can you post a link?

Hi Duke, Do you believe Oswald played any part in the events of that day? Thanks - Steve

Thanks James, 10 Minutes after you say, interesting. Steve Steve, This is far from definitive, but 10 minutes after the shooting, Jim Murray snapped an image of the crowd gathering on the grass area next to Elm Street. In the background, strolling alongside the TSBD were two men - one of which does look like Oswald, in my opinion of course. I submit that this is the man Roger Craig saw climb aboard the Rambler on Elm. FWIW. James

Hi, Are there any known photos of Oswald in or around dealey plaza after he was seen inside the TSBD? - With so many cameras around, one would think that someone would have still been taking pictures. Thanks - Steve