A JFK conference in Hawaii to promote unity

[Joseph Backes]

See - http://justiceforkennedy.blogspot.com/2010/09/len-osanic-planning-jfk-conference-in.html

Len Osanic is planning a conference in Hawaii to promote unity among the JFK assassination research community. We are about to face a barrage of attacks as the 50th anniversary approaches. If we are unified, or at least more unified than we are now, it will help get the message out that JFK was not killed by a lone gunman.

Edited September 14, 2010 by Joseph Backes

[Greg Burnham]

I spoke with Len about this a few months ago and it is a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with other researchers in a very "hospitable" environment--after all it IS Hawaii!! I'll be there.

[William Kelly]

See - http://justiceforken...ference-in.html

Len Osanic is planning a conference in Hawaii to promote unity among the JFK assassination research community. We are about to face a barrage of attacks as the 50th anniversary approaches. If we are unified, or at least more unified than we are now, it will help get the message out that JFK was not killed by a lone gunman.

Sept. 7, 2010 note from Roger Feinmann:

Now that this awful summer has passed, and with the Jewish High Holidays, which fall early this year, about to follow, I would like to see a small discussion group form to anticipate the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination. Although I will presently offer some thoughts to help kickstart the brainstorming process, I want to emphasize that I have no fixed, preconceived ideas about this, except for two general concepts:

· We should not focus on the anniversary itself, but on the run-up to the anniversary, anticipating preemptive strikes by our adversaries, such as the Hanks/Goetzman-Playtone production, which will appear sometime in 2013 no doubt close to the anniversary, and other reactionary efforts to promote the lone assassin thesis.

· Our overarching goal should be to "own" the 50th Anniversary by mounting one of the largest citizen-led, grassroots commemorations ever seen, tantamount to a day of national mourning and reflection, and to do it in a way that maximally leverages technology while remaining cognizant of the country's current financial climate and our own limited resources.

Brief and Cursory Overview of Recent History

In past years, the critics have tended to look at November 22 as a magic date. We might do better to relieve ourselves of any such constraint and start beating our drums well in advance. We can safely assume that the next election cycle, 2012, will be the dominant news story of that entire year, so that gives us virtually all of 2013 to play with. That's the frame I'm thinking about. What can we do, together or individually, starting to prepare soon, to bring the case back into public view during 2013 on terms favorable to our side of the controversy, even if only temporarily?

I am thinking particularly back to 1993, but with a wary eye looking ahead to Hanks/Goetzman/Playtone. Back then, Random House upstaged and preempted everyone by releasing Case Closed on August 23, just one day shy of three months before the 30th anniversary. Their publishing schedule also coincided with, and diverted attention from, the first bulk release of documents from the HSCA files under the JFK Records Act. By seizing the field, Random House and Posner essentially buried the critics. In the ensuing decade, they were effectively marginalized to small corners of the World Wide Web. The momentum gained from Oliver Stone's "JFK" dissipated. Yes, the creation of the ARRB was a plus, and it added to our body of knowledge. It is significant, however, that congressional and public interest in the case petered out without even a oversight hearing on the ARRB's final report and conclusion of business.

Expect the same as, or worse than, 1993 from the propaganda experts who will be out in full force in 2013.

Now, we had a very good event in 2003 at Duquesne. The peak turnout was about 1600 in a single day, dwarfing previous events, and we received excellent local and regional press coverage. The national press, however, ignored us and resorted to typically perfunctory anniversary coverage, notwithstanding our general anticipation of the 40th as "a major anniversary." We were also disadvantaged by the ABC Jennings special and the somewhat controversial "Guilty Men" sequel to "The Men Who Killed Kennedy," among other media mishaps.

Turnout for the 45th anniversary event at Duquesne in 2008, however, was disappointing, largely due to the fact that administrative and financial complications in setting the thing up resulted in a late start in soliciting registrations. And, quite frankly, I was particularly galled by the behavior of the King people who seemed to lose interest in the event and disappear as soon as the portion of the program (which preceded all the others) devoted to his assassination was over.

The Future

Obviously, Ben Wecht will be working (hopefully in tandem with John Judge) to mount the largest JFK symposium ever seen for the 50th, but we'll also need some more "ooomph" than just conferences.

While we may anticipate good turnouts for the anniversary weekend events, we must also recognize that, today's economy being what it is and the travails of contemporary airline travel being what they are, the turnouts likely will comprise the hardiest among our enthusiastic supporters. Of course, we should always hope for the best. On the other hand, we must be cognizant that the hardcore ranks are thinning, and that the country is, in general, preoccupied with economic concerns and lingering military involvements overseas.

In general, what I think we need to do is to provide people, especially those who, for whatever reason, won't be able to show up in person at the organized conference(s), with various opportunities to express themselves and participate in alternative ways. Here are some quick ideas

· Largest-ever gathering at the assassination site. If we can't actually produce a crowd that will close Dealey Plaza between noon and, say, 2:00 pm, it may be wiser from a PR perspective to plan a simple wreath-laying ceremony.

· Possible "memorial march", single or double-file, from the Washington Mall (possibly starting at the Vietnam War memorial) past the Arlington gravesite. Could attract many thousands. Tremendous photo opportunities with possible coverage by alternative media.

· A "candlelight vigil" at the JFK Library. (Substitute small battery-powered lanterns, if you will; people will use their common sense and resourcefulness.)

· Non-denominational community prayer services Friday evening throughout the country. A very simple way for people who wish to avoid travel to remember and pay tribute within their localities.

· A nationwide minute of silence at 1:00pm, the official time of death.

· Speakers bureau for the purpose of promoting these events and mounting instantaneous responses to opposing interests.

· Ken Burns-type YouTube videos for speakers to introduce themselves to the public via personal messages.

· Our resident educators collaborating on a syllabus and "essential reading" list related to the Kennedy administration and assassination to be distributed via the Web with teachers' guides. Geared to K-12 and college reading levels.

· Twitter as an organizing tool: news updates, syndicating weblinks, helping people to find events or organize, etc. To build and maintain interest, we will tick off chronological events during 1963 leading up to the assassination as "tweets".

I'm also suggesting that, as soon as he is clear of his political campaign this November, we look to Jerry Policoff for some idea input, since he's had recent successful experience in organizing issue-oriented events, specifically those related to health insurance. Jerry now qualifies as a community organizer.

Goals:

Official retraction of the Warren Report and recognition of the assassination as an unsolved crime.

Final declassification and release of all documents previously withheld from public view.

A worldwide public appeal for any outstanding films or photos taken during the assassination that have not previously come to light.

A worldwide public appeal for any verifiable information, including "dying declarations", memos, etc. in private hands that might lead to the identification, arrest and/or prosecution of those who had a hand in the assassination or possess personal knowledge that would assist in same.

Public debate

Bugliosi/Hanks/Goetzman-Playtone

We must request an advance courtesy screening of their project. If this is denied, we must communicate that denial in written and/or electronic form to every MSM news editor and TV reviewer in the country, as well as to the blogosphere, before the project airs.

Regardless of what Hanks/Goetzman/Playtone end up with, it won't prevent us from suggesting to the programming executives of competing cable and broadcast networks, particularly those that specialize in running movies, that they program pro-conspiracy movies opposite the Hanks/Playtone project in the corresponding timeslots. There is plenty of material from which they might choose.

Our legal eagles might wish to investigate the formal status of the old Assassination Information Bureau (AIB). Is the name available so that it can be used as an all-encompassing "umbrella" for the purpose of communicating with/to the general public on matters related to the 50th anniversary as previously outlined? Is there an available Internet domain name? There are people still around who would know.

Assassination Books

A special note to people who are writing, or planning to write, books to coincide with the 50th anniversary. Plea-se, if you have something really, really newsworthy and startling -- as opposed to being merely interesting or intriguing -- do not hoard it until the anniversary or the week before. Get your book proposal, outline, and sample chapters to your agent or publisher's representative ASAP. The idea should be to seek sponsorship for tie-ins such as news specials or documentaries, as well as personal appearance tours, because all these things take time to set up. The idea should be to make news and build anticipation well BEFORE November 22, 2013, not just that day or week, because whatever you may want to put forward will otherwise likely get lost.

But what if you don't have anything new and sensational? Again, please, don't try to manufacture something out of nothing (example: "The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After", a thinly disguised attack against the Kennedys that offered absolutely nothing new.

Conclusion

So, to summarize, my concern is that we get to the post before others do. And that we are ready. Wherever the 50th anniversary gatherings are ultimately held, they should be the culmination, not the lonely climax, of laying the groundwork throughout 2013. Our time begins after the 2013 presidential inauguration and the Super Bowl. It all belongs to us. It is our combined will that will make all of this happen. Let's deliberate and decide how we can make the most of it.

Roger Bruce Feinman, J.D.

Edited September 15, 2010 by William Kelly

[Frankie Vegas]

WOW! That sounds amazing, and I do think it is very important for us all to be unified. I won't be able to attend as I am in New Zealand but we did start a Fb group to unite critics. If I can help just by lending another voice to the numbers or by writing or calling for a purpose please let me know.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=126310907417649&ref=ts

Its great to see such a strong movement towards unity and an end to the infighting! *high five.

[Guest James H. Fetzer]

The single most effective way to convince the average American that JFK was taken out by a conspiracy is to focus on the faking of the Zapruder film. That is the only attention-grabbing issue that has not been beaten to death in the past and is sufficiently non-technical, non-medical, and non-scientific to be effective, especially in our visually dominated, film and television culture. Once the public is exposed to the massive proof the film is a fabrication, it will finally understand we were sold a bill of goods using fake evidence, phony witnesses, and cover-up commission.

For those who are unfamiliar with the overwhelming evidence of film fakery, consider "US Government Official: JFK Cover-Up, Film Fabrication", http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_5772.shtml ; "THE JFK ASSASSINATION FILM HOAX: AN INTRODUCTION", http://www.assassinationscience.com/johncostella/jfk/intro/ ; "New Proof of JFK Film Fakery", http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_jim_fetz_080205_new_proof_of_jfk_fil.htm ; and "Zapruder JFK Film impeached by Moorman JFK Polaroid", http://www.opednews.com/articles/Zapruder-JFK-Film-Impeache-by-Jim-Fetzer-090324-48.html .

For an accessible introduction, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwks80Fz9Wo&p=8693C9FDAABC3EF9&playnext=1&index=6.

Edited September 16, 2010 by James H. Fetzer

[Dawn Meredith]

Sept. 7, 2010 note from Roger Feinmann:

Our legal eagles might wish to investigate the formal status of the old Assassination Information Bureau (AIB). Is the name available so that it can be used as an all-encompassing "umbrella" for the purpose of communicating with/to the general public on matters related to the 50th anniversary as previously outlined? Is there an available Internet domain name? There are people still around who would know.

[Roger Bruce Feinman, J.D.

BK, Bruce:

I have just sent an email to the members of the AIB who are online: Harvery Yazijian, Dave Williams, and Bob Katz.

After HSCA ended the AIB disbanded so I would believe that the name is available but, not wishing to make assumptions I copied the relevent part of Roger's post and sent. Will let you know when I hear back.

Dawn

[William Kelly]

Sept. 7, 2010 note from Roger Feinmann:

Our legal eagles might wish to investigate the formal status of the old Assassination Information Bureau (AIB). Is the name available so that it can be used as an all-encompassing "umbrella" for the purpose of communicating with/to the general public on matters related to the 50th anniversary as previously outlined? Is there an available Internet domain name? There are people still around who would know.

[Roger Bruce Feinman, J.D.

BK, Bruce:

I have just sent an email to the members of the AIB who are online: Harvery Yazijian, Dave Williams, and Bob Katz.

After HSCA ended the AIB disbanded so I would believe that the name is available but, not wishing to make assumptions I copied the relevent part of Roger's post and sent. Will let you know when I hear back.

Dawn

I don't know what Roger is thinking. I thought there already is an organization COPA.

And the majority of Americans already know that JFK was taken out by conspiracy, and the Z-film is one of the reasons why they think so.

In addition, if anyone is interested in getting new information, new evidence into the record and new witness testimony, the one goal that everyone should agree on, regardless of ideology or beliefs, is that new sworn witness testimony should be obtained while the witnesses are still alive.

Therefore, it should be clear that there should be Congressional Oversight of the JFK Act and public hearings on the destroyed, missing and wrongfully withheld records that were ordered released by the JFK Act.

And if the Constitution is ever to be followed, there should be a special federal grand jury convened to take new witness testimony and review the evidence of crimes related to the assassination to determine if any individuals can be indicted for crimes related to the assassination, including perjury, destruction of evidence, obstruction of justice, homicide and conspiracy.

The next significant JFK assassination conference will not be in Hawaii or Dallas but in Washington D.C. and it will be held to convince Congressmen to conduct the mandated hearings, and convince the Federal attorneys to convene a grand jury.

If they feel that it is proper to convene a grand jury just to indict former baseball star Roger Clemmons for perjury for lying to Congress about steroid use, then certainly the assassination of the President deserves at least the same legal considerations.

Bill Kelly

Edited September 15, 2010 by William Kelly

[Michael Hogan]

Len Osanic's stated purpose is to move towards unification of the JFK Research Community.

As Len puts it: "It's time to drop focus where researchers disagree... and focus on progress."

"Goal: To Resolve Differences In A Common Agenda."

Some tentative speakers: Oliver Stone, Gov. Jesse Ventura, Mark Lane, Jim DiEugenio, Judge Joe Brown,

William Pepper, John Armstrong, Bill Davy, Doug Horne, Jim Douglass, Robert Groden with Len Osanic.

The single most effective way to convince the average American that JFK was taken out by a conspiracy is to focus on the faking of the Zapruder film.

That should unify everyone.

[William Kelly]

Len Osanic's stated purpose is to move towards unification of the JFK Research Community.

As Len puts it: "It's time to drop focus where researchers disagree... and focus on progress."

"Goal: To Resolve Differences In A Common Agenda."

Some tentative speakers: Oliver Stone, Gov. Jesse Ventura, Mark Lane, Jim DiEugenio, Judge Joe Brown,

William Pepper, John Armstrong, Bill Davy, Doug Horne, Jim Douglass, Robert Groden with Len Osanic.

The single most effective way to convince the average American that JFK was taken out by a conspiracy is to focus on the faking of the Zapruder film.

That should unify everyone.

If unity is the goal, then why do it in Hawaii, where 98% of those interested can't go?

If unity is the goal, then it should be held in DC, where the action and the power is located.

Bill Kelly

[Michael Hogan]

Len Osanic's stated purpose is to move towards unification of the JFK Research Community.

As Len puts it: "It's time to drop focus where researchers disagree... and focus on progress."

"Goal: To Resolve Differences In A Common Agenda."

Some tentative speakers: Oliver Stone, Gov. Jesse Ventura, Mark Lane, Jim DiEugenio, Judge Joe Brown,

William Pepper, John Armstrong, Bill Davy, Doug Horne, Jim Douglass, Robert Groden with Len Osanic.

The single most effective way to convince the average American that JFK was taken out by a conspiracy is to focus on the faking of the Zapruder film.

That should unify everyone.

If unity is the goal, then why do it in Hawaii, where 98% of those interested can't go? So far the speaker list is pretty impressive.

Maybe it's time to let the West Coast have a chance. Maybe John Armstrong and Jesse Ventura can come to agreement sipping a mai-tai on the

If unity is the goal, then it should be held in DC, where the action and the power is located.

Bill Kelly

Hard to imagine a more divisive environment than Washington DC. Maybe it's time to let the West Coast have their day.

That's a pretty impressive speaker list. Maybe they can agree to unify while sipping a Mai Tai on Waikiki beach.

This conference is Len Osanic's game. Let him have it where he wants to. As much as anyone, he seems to have a finger on the pulse of the "JFK research community."

[Frankie Vegas]

If unity is the goal then it doesn't matter where it is held, we are global and we can be united! The internet makes us united

No matter who speaks or who goes. We all work towards a common goal. Lets not bicker on how to be united. That just tears us apart.

[John Dolva]

When I was living in Brisvegas (the last time) I noted particularly how many Hawaiian americans were there. Later I found the flight from sydney through auckland to oahu, a very easy, tho long, experience. I'd rather go there than Washington any day. ( tho I doubt I'd get in this time. The prolonged chat about f'''all with the customs officer while he waited for confirmation was pretty freaky, ditto the 9 out of 11 random searches as I traversed the US, Still, it was fun. I wish I'd been interested in the JFK community then. Santa Fe would have been a good way to go to Dallas and on to Louisiana, instead of bloody st louis instead ) In many ways Hawaii is a good choice for access by the entire pacific. By all means organise one in the east too.

Edited September 15, 2010 by John Dolva

[Dawn Meredith]

Sept. 7, 2010 note from Roger Feinmann:

Our legal eagles might wish to investigate the formal status of the old Assassination Information Bureau (AIB). Is the name available so that it can be used as an all-encompassing "umbrella" for the purpose of communicating with/to the general public on matters related to the 50th anniversary as previously outlined? Is there an available Internet domain name? There are people still around who would know.

[Roger Bruce Feinman, J.D.

BK, Bruce:

I have just sent an email to the members of the AIB who are online: Harvery Yazijian, Dave Williams, and Bob Katz.

After HSCA ended the AIB disbanded so I would believe that the name is available but, not wishing to make assumptions I copied the relevent part of Roger's post and sent. Will let you know when I hear back.

Dawn

I don't know what Roger is thinking. I thought there already is an organization COPA.

And the majority of Americans already know that JFK was taken out by conspiracy, and the Z-film is one of the reasons why they think so.

In addition, if anyone is interested in getting new information, new evidence into the record and new witness testimony, the one goal that everyone should agree on, regardless of ideology or beliefs, is that new sworn witness testimony should be obtained while the witnesses are still alive.

Therefore, it should be clear that there should be Congressional Oversight of the JFK Act and public hearings on the destroyed, missing and wrongfully withheld records that were ordered released by the JFK Act.

And if the Constitution is ever to be followed, there should be a special federal grand jury convened to take new witness testimony and review the evidence of crimes related to the assassination to determine if any individuals can be indicted for crimes related to the assassination, including perjury, destruction of evidence, obstruction of justice, homicide and conspiracy.

The next significant JFK assassination conference will not be in Hawaii or Dallas but in Washington D.C. and it will be held to convince Congressmen to conduct the mandated hearings, and convince the Federal attorneys to convene a grand jury.

If they feel that it is proper to convene a grand jury just to indict former baseball star Roger Clemmons for perjury for lying to Congress about steroid use, then certainly the assassination of the President deserves at least the same legal considerations.

Bill Kelly

Reply from Harvey (Yazijian) of AIB, Bill if you could please pass this on to Roger. The BK Harv is referring to is Bob Katz.

Hi, Dawn.

I'd like to hear Willy and BK weigh in, but I'd like to know why the name AIB is needed, by who, and for exactly what reason. By the way, I'm going to try to see Douglas when he speaks in Cambridge on 10/1.

By the way, all the Tea Partiers who are going to vote voted yesterday. Turnout is much larger on election day; it remains to be seen how many will actually win.

Harvey

[John Kelin]

Reply from Harvey (Yazijian) of AIB, Bill if you could please pass this on to Roger. The BK Harv is referring to is Bob Katz.

Hi, Dawn.

I'd like to hear Willy and BK weigh in, but I'd like to know why the name AIB is needed, by who, and for exactly what reason. By the way, I'm going to try to see Douglas when he speaks in Cambridge on 10/1.

By the way, all the Tea Partiers who are going to vote voted yesterday. Turnout is much larger on election day; it remains to be seen how many will actually win.

Harvey

Hi all,

I seldom post here but lurk almost daily, and have been following this thread with interest.

Insofar as what to call this new effort, I have two cents to throw in. With all due respect to the AIB and everything it accomplished, I would suggest that after thirty-something years, it has no real name recognition with the general public. So I don't think there is any compelling reason to use it.

Likewise, with all the known differences of opinion between existing organizations, I don't see any reason to use COPA, Lancer, or whatever for this purpose.

I would propose some new name be dreamed up -- the Fiftieth Anniversary Coalition, or something along those lines. Something baggage-free, to reflect what I hope would be some new sense of at least temporary unity.

Beyond that, I think Roger Feinman's initial comments are excellent, in particular his "two general concepts."

John Kelin

[Guest James H. Fetzer]

How much of this evidence have you studied? This is not that difficult to understand. The average American will get it, even if die-hards here still resist it. This is not rocket science. Try reading these studies or review John's tutorial. This is the ONE AND ONLY issue about JFK that can affect the public today. All the rest are "old hat".

The single most effective way to convince the average American that JFK was taken out by a conspiracy is to focus on the faking of the Zapruder film. That is the only attention-grabbing issue that has not been beaten to death in the past and is sufficiently non-technical, non-medical, and non-scientific to be effective, especially in our visually dominated, film and television culture. Once the public is exposed to the massive proof the film is a fabrication, it will finally understand we were sold a bill of goods using fake evidence, phony witnesses, and cover-up commission.

For those who are unfamiliar with the overwhelming evidence of film fakery, consider "US Government Official: JFK Cover-Up, Film Fabrication", http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_5772.shtml ; "THE JFK ASSASSINATION FILM HOAX: AN INTRODUCTION", http://www.assassinationscience.com/johncostella/jfk/intro/ ; "New Proof of JFK Film Fakery", http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_jim_fetz_080205_new_proof_of_jfk_fil.htm ; and "Zapruder JFK Film impeached by Moorman JFK Polaroid", http://www.opednews.com/articles/Zapruder-JFK-Film-Impeache-by-Jim-Fetzer-090324-48.html

For an accessible introduction, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwks80Fz9Wo&p=8693C9FDAABC3EF9&playnext=1&index=6.

A large proportion of members of this board remain unconvinced that the Z-Film is fabricated. The Z-Film is kryptonite to the critic's cause. It will be the other side using it against us that is my worry.

Edited September 16, 2010 by James H. Fetzer