Jump to content
The Education Forum

Daniel Meyer

Members
  • Posts

    114
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Daniel Meyer

  1. I read and enjoyed Mafia Kingfish - it is well worth the cost and time it takes to read it. It gives a lot of insights into its topic - Carlos Marcello. I didn't realize the author was so prolific on JFK related topics, although I think I may own a copy of The Kennedy Contract: The Mafia Plot to Assassinate the President (where it's languishing in my on deck circle of books to read). My next book will be Mark Lane's new book. As an aside, I miss Tim Gratz and his input. I got to spend a little time with him in Key West several years ago. I agree about Mafia Kingfish -- especially since used copies of the paperback edition can be purchased fairly cheaply online. Seems a good overview of Marcello's rise to power. The main distortion seemed to me simply leaving out details that showed many of the individuals tied to the Marcello organization also had ties to Intelligence. By the way, the public libraries in Greater New Orleans have been unable to have any copies of the book on their shelves. Copies always had a way of promptly "disappearing".
  2. Or perhaps how much MORE time was erased from Zapruder than Bell. (Also notice the man in Bell reacting in shock not at anything regarding the Presidential Limo, but rather at the Queen Mary passing.)
  3. Since Zapruder anomalies are being discussed on other topic threads, I'm going to try bringing this up one more time. Non-alterationists: If this is unaltered footage, what is the innocent explanation? Can you point out any other examples of the same phenomenon seen in any other non-assassination related unedited films? Alterationists: Do you think this is an artifact of the film being messed with? If not, what is it? If it is, why is this largely neglected, when it would seem to be an excellent example to point out to non experts? One doesn't have to be familiar with the minutia of witness testimony, or even know who Clint Hill or Mary Moorman are, to know that lamp posts are not in the habit of jumping from one side of the street to the other then back again!
  4. Bernice Moore -- thanks for posting the info on Orville Nix. However I'm asking about a more narrow point: Nix saying the his film was not the same as the original and "some films maybe missing, some, uh, frames, the, some of the frames were ruined". Since the possibility of Zapruder film alteration seems not to have been a topic of first generation investigation, I find it especially interesting that Lane was taking a poke at Nix film alteration in the mid '60s. The "Rush to Judgement" film clip suggests to me that Nix had more on his mind than he was willing to state on film. Is there record of Nix expanding on the point elsewhere? Has Lane ever detailed what prompted his questions?
  5. If I recall correctly, there was an account of Zapruder at the showing of the film during the Clay Shaw trial; Zapruder becoming emotional and covering his face looking at the film on the screen. (Sorry I can't recall where I read that -- anyone have anything on that?) One interesting segment of the "Rush to Judgement" film is Mark Lane asks Orville Nix about his film after showing Lane his personal copy. LANE: Is that copy the same as the original that you gave to the FBI on December First? NIX: I would say, No. There is some films maybe missing, some, uh, frames, the, some of the frames were ruined. LANE:Does the film which you have at the present time have the same number of frames as the film that you delivered to the FBI on December First ? NIX: I would say no but its cause of losing, maybe a, a frame here and there. Interesting both that Lane would ask these questions, and Nix's reply with a "no but" as if to apologetically admit the point but minimize it. (Subtext: my film was modified, but nothing sinister here, just some ruined frames or something, move along...) Did Nix expand on the point off camera?
  6. For those not from the US or to young to remember, it should be noted that Art Buchwald was a prominent humorist of the era who specialized in political satire.
  7. Interesting. Though either the name of the park or the statue is wrong. In New Orleans the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson is in Jackson Square. Lafayette Square has standing statues of Henry Clay and Ben Franklin, and a bust monument of John McDonogh. Both squares are within walking distance of Canal Street, but in opposite directions.
  8. I'm trying to get in touch with Shackelford to follow up on this. I must admit that I'm surprised that I've never seen any other reference to such a film. "Our" Jack S. Martin Sr. does not seem to ever have referred to it in any of his numerous writings. Videotape: While videotape existed from the mid-1950s, it was only in the form of expensive studio-only machines; portable videotape (ENG-electronic news gathering) was not widely available until the late 1960s at the earliest. Any footage of Oswald and Bringuier would have been on film, 8mm or possibly 16mm. As far as I know, the only moving footage of the encounter was the 8mm home movie by Doyle. Parts of this were shown (I think) in the 1993 PBS special on Oswald. A slightly longer version circulates among collectors. All these versions seem murky and washed-out, appearing to have been shot off a movie screen (instead of through a "telecine"). Yes, in the early 1960s New Orleans television stations were still generally using film for out-of-studio footage. If I recall correctly, the footage of Oswald's in studio interview at WDSU-TV was on video tape. Supposedly the reel was in a box of tapes to be reused (recorded over) when word reached New Orleans that Oswald was now a figure of national interest.
  9. I believe the now well known photo only surfaced long after Ferrie's death, and was not in Ferrie's possession. There seem to have been other photos that were destroyed. The known existing photo was publicized in the PBS TV series "Frontline" in an episode profiling Oswald in 1993. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/oswald/glimpse/ferrie.html
  10. As to the actual crew at Dealey Plaza, let me redraw attention to Harry D. Holmes. http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=16815 IMO one of the people there most clearly with foreknowledge and active participation -- not as a shooter, but watching it go down then actively taking part in the coverup pretty much before the bystanders in the plaza had time to catch their breath. If he was watching from the rooftop on the South side of the plaza as he said, he seems to have gotten down to the street quite quickly, pocketing physical evidence including a piece of Kennedy's skull which was then lost (!) and checking out what could be seen on Moorman's Polaroids before the newsmen got to them. Might have had some interesting cross examination of him if the HSCA had been allowed to be a real investigation.
  11. As I mentioned a while back on the "Carlos Marcello" thread, the New Orleans Times-Picayune has been doing a series of local history articles. The articles are generally not particularly high quality (and too often poorly researched). The accompanying selection of photos they've pulled out of their archives, on the other hand, are often interesting. Here's their one on Garrison and the Clay Shaw trial: http://www.nola.com/175years/index.ssf/2011/12/1968_the_clay_shaw_trial_in_jf.html
  12. My Spanish is rusty and I was never up on Cuban slang. Is "pentaho" similar to "pendejo"? What was your understanding of what he meant by this? Thanks.
  13. Hey Ian, There is a bit more motion blur to the car on 459, much more than the LP. I'm examining the sign on the lamp post, it appears blurred as to look twice its size on 458, which is interesting as the post itself does the opposite when you follow it down to the car it gets so small it basically vanishes. A curious optic effect? 458 = Car is sharp but Lamp blurred. 459 = Car blurred but Lamp sharp. Ed Thanks Ed. I am positive that someone on the forum has found this before I will just have to look through the old threads. Ian I haven't come upon earlier discussion of it here yet. That's why I brought it up as a separate topic. Jack White mentions it on a presentation on alteration of the Z film available on YouTube, but just briefly as if it was hardly worth mentioning, unlike other points he treats at length and in detail. To me, however, it seems at least as bizarre as anything in the film.
  14. "He may have been there, after all". In any case, it sound like he was familiar with what Dealey Plaza witnesses were saying when not filtered by Belin, Specter, et al. Please forgive my ignorance: Has any confirmed Dealey Plaza witness either recalled Witt being there or identified Witt as the man with the umbrella? Did Witt talk about being in Dealey Plaza with friends or family or anyone else soon after the event? Earlier forum discussion of Witt: * http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=14870 Louis Steven Witt : Umbrella Man * http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=2725 Was it Louie Steven Witt after all?
  15. The New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper, in marking their 175 anniversary, has been running a series of New Orleans area history articles. Most of the articles are nothing special (and many regrettably sloppy), but lots of the old photos they've been digging out from their archives are of interest. Today's feature was on Carlos Marcello: http://www.nola.com/175years/index.ssf/2011/11/1951_mafia_boss_carlos_marcell.html Photo gallery: http://photos.nola.com/4500/gallery/1950_carlos_marcello_and_organized_crime/index.html I'm amused to see that Marcello's forged Guatemalan birth certificate seems to be written in a mix of Spanish and Italian. Also note some reader comments defending Marcello. While far from general, such opinions are still heard. Many who encountered him while they were working in service industries or as musicians remember him as a very generous tipper. One musician friend has an amusing story of how he was in a band playing for the St. Joseph's Day Italian Parade. Different prominent families and organizations sponsored carriages they rode in and bands that followed them. The band my friend was in was a good hot New Orleans jazz brass band, getting an enthusiastic response -- so Carlos Marcello hired the band away from their original sponsors during the event with handfuls of banknotes and had them follow his carriage for the rest of the parade. Related threads on this forum: * http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=3174 Carlos Marcello Admits Involvement * http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=4068 The Mafia Did It * http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKmarcello.htm Carlos Marcello bio on Spartacus Educational One more Marcello related observation tied to earlier discussion on this thread: I find it remarkable how few who allege a major connection between Marcello and Garrison have observed that Marcello's family home, country house, casino, base restaurant, and office were all out of Garrison's district. Come to think of it, I can't recall any of them ever making that observation.
  16. Thanks. For clarity, here's 458 where the lamp post seems to be on the far rather than near side of the street.
  17. (edit... I tried to post cropped images of the 4 frames in question, but get the notice "Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to" )
  18. Frames 456 through 459 of the Zapruder film look to me to show something astonishing. http://www.jfkassassinationforum.com/Zapruderframesviewer.php Zapruder film viewer Look at that lamp post towards the rear of the limo. It looks like the bottom part leaps from being anchored on the near side of the street in 457 to the far side in 458 and back again in 459. Well, if that really happened, the Zapruder film would have captured something even more astonishing than the assassination of a President! So... What's going on here? Do all known prints show this? If this is some type of optical illusion, what is the phenomenon, and can people give other examples of films where this can be seen? (I request replies addressing what is seen in this particular segment of the film, rather than broader arguments on the authenticity/lack of authenticity of the film, thank you.)
  19. If anyone can translate the above into plain english I WILL GIVE YOU FIFTY BUCKS! Mr. Carroll: I apologize if my writing is confusing. 1)Dr Fetzer stated in his reply to me that he was an expert on rationality. For the purposes of my reply, I accepted his statement. 2) I noted that some people can be rational and contribute to human knowledge while still having beliefs which most other people would consider irrational. (For example: Pythagoras stating that the squares on the legs of a right triangle add up to the square on the hypotenuse, and eating beans is sinful.) 3) Dr. Fetzer stated he is not a psychologist. 4) An unstated assumption was that psychologists may deal in topics relating to human irrationality. 5) Since Dr. Fetzer considers himself expert in rationality but not psychology, I respectfully suggest he not jump to ascribing motives to people when they say something he does not consider rational. I ask for no monetary compensation. I hope this is now clear enough for you to puzzle out. Thanks for your attention. -- D.M. Hey, that's not fair. I wanted a shot at that fifty bucks. Yo! JRC, Is that American or Euro? That's twenty five beers in my neckof the woods. I had asked the derelict next to be at the bar what it means and before you explained it, after reading it and taking a shot of whiskey he said: "As a professor dude who hangs out at school and knows his xxxx on logic, he wants you to knows that there's a lot of assholes who are bigon logic and in certain areas while also being freaked out and off the walls nuts from your grandmothers oldest furniture to Charlie Chaplin. Not having been certified, be careful not to give spark to other nut cases when you see they lost it all compared to you." Do I have to share the fifty bucks with him? BK Mr. Kelly: I was regretting sticking my toe into the discussion, but your reply made the ordeal worth while. A hearty thank you. Mr. Carroll: Since I've already opted out of any share of the reward, you now owe Mr. Kelly $50.
  20. If anyone can translate the above into plain english I WILL GIVE YOU FIFTY BUCKS! Mr. Carroll: I apologize if my writing is confusing. 1)Dr Fetzer stated in his reply to me that he was an expert on rationality. For the purposes of my reply, I accepted his statement. 2) I noted that some people can be rational and contribute to human knowledge while still having beliefs which most other people would consider irrational. (For example: Pythagoras stating that the squares on the legs of a right triangle add up to the square on the hypotenuse, and eating beans is sinful.) 3) Dr. Fetzer stated he is not a psychologist. 4) An unstated assumption was that psychologists may deal in topics relating to human irrationality. 5) Since Dr. Fetzer considers himself expert in rationality but not psychology, I respectfully suggest he not jump to ascribing motives to people when they say something he does not consider rational. I ask for no monetary compensation. I hope this is now clear enough for you to puzzle out. Thanks for your attention. -- D.M.
  21. Thank you for your detailed reply, and your pointers to articles and links which I shall check out. (...edit...) If the "you" is still addressing me, please do not assume I am "willing to reject" witnesses. I rather feel you are putting words into my mouth and assuming I hold opinions which I have not stated. This may not have been your intention, but I find it rather disconcerting. Noted. As an academic and expert on rationality, I would hope you have noticed that there have been no shortage of individuals who have made contributions to rationality and science in specific areas while at the same time holding superstitious/irrational views on other subjects, from classical antiquity to modern times. Not being a psychologist, perhaps some caution might be appropriate in assigning specific motives to other individuals when you perceive them to have moments when their rationality does not reach your personal standards. (...edit...) Cheers, -- D.M.
  22. Dr Fetzer: I think there certainly was a conspiracy and there certainly was manipulation and destruction of evidence to cover it up. That said, I don't have a strong opinion on Zapruder film falsification. (I have no expertise in motion pictures, and agree with the assertion that "If the Zapruder film is authentic it is proof of conspiracy; if the Zapruder film is modified or fabricated, it is also proof of conspiracy".) That said, for the sake of this argument I shall for the moment assume you are correct and Dr. Thompson is mistaken on this point. With your academic background I am somewhat surprised that you jump to the conclusion that Dr. Josiah Thompson's continued sticking to the authenticity of the film is evidence that he is an op of the conspiracy. It seems to me rather a very common phenomenon in topics of prolonged expanding research: excellent researchers of one generation can be among the most resistant to new developments from the next generation of researchers if it shows that large amounts of effort were expended by the earlier researchers based in whole or part on false assumptions. In my undergrad days I recall a geologist explaining that the theory of Continental Drift did not become accepted by by the consensus of geologists through dramatic additional confirming discoveries. When the theory was first advanced, most older geologists categorically dismissed it as simply being too bizarre to be true. The tide turned only with time as the field was became dominated by the next generation who encountered the theory in their youth and had no inherent emotional objection to it. Other examples that come to my mind: Mayanist J. Eric S. Thompson, the preeminent expert on Maya hieroglyphic writing of the mid 20th century, who in his later years became one of the most vehement critics of the phonetic syllabic theory of decypherment (which is now accepted as the most important development in the topic which led to the majority of the inscriptions becoming readable). Musicologist William Russell was one of the first to treat jazz as worthy of serious academic study and wrote pioneering books and articles on the subject; he also "rediscovered" retired old jazz musician Bunk Johnson, got him out of retirement and into playing and making recordings. But when later researchers determined that Johnson fabricated or exaggerated much of his account of his early life and career, Russell was one of the most resistant to the very notion that some of what Bunk told him in his interviews might have been "bunk". See any pattern here? Personally, I find discussions of differing interpretations to be more interesting and informative when they are weighted more towards data than ad hominems. Best wishes to all. -- D.M.
  23. See also earlier discussion on Clintons & JFK assassination http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=12612 Anyone have any info/source on the story that after Bill became President he asked for the true info on the JFK assassination and was told he lacked adequate clearance? Example http://www.examiner.com/exopolitics-in-honolulu/did-allen-dulles-draft-kennedy-assassination-directive-a-covert-mj-12-coup Urban legend?
  24. The US Army Corps of Engineers as villain became part of New Orleans culture since the disaster during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Prior to that they were generally highly regarded by local lay persons. Multiple studies have shown that the flooding disaster which inundated the majority of greater New Orleans in 2005 was not the result of the hurricane per se but rather 1)A very poorly designed canal (the Mississippi River Gulf-Outlet Canal or "MRGO") channeling huge storm surge from the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico directly into the heart of the city 2) A very poorly designed and constructed system of levees and floodwalls, which rather than buffering surge actually funneled in, and in many places was constructed so poorly that it collapsed catastrophically at water levels far below its supposed design limits. Both were specific responsibility of the Corps. As a Federal agency, the Corps is immune to lawsuit for negligence. Locals sometimes now refer to it as the "Corpse of Engineers" in reference to the deaths caused. Local resident comedian Harry Shearer has put together an excellent documentary film on the topic, "The Big Uneasy", although he is struggling with distribution. http://www.thebiguneasy.com/ The same Corps of course has been charged with fixing the problem. Scandals continue, including installation of a series of drainage pumps of unreliable design and short lifespan made by a company with political connections (instead of a reliable low maintenance type with a proven track record in this area for more than a century); a local blogger "Fix the Pumps" documents at http://fixthepumps.blogspot.com/
  25. When I heard that, I wondered if the "pretty ugly" meant Texas hospitality similar to that extended to Adlai Stevenson, or JFK, or James Byrd, Jr. Bernanke of course was appointed to his post by W Bush, but has committed what I think many on the far right consider an unforgivable sin in not constantly and actively snubbing Obama. One might note that the Federal Reserve doesn't actually print US money.
×
×
  • Create New...