Shasteen's barber shop customer was not Oswald

[Greg Doudna]

The following document does not cast Irving barber Shasteen's testimony claiming he cut the hair of a jumpsuit-wearing, Ruth Paine-car driving Oswald accompanied by a 14-year old boy in his barbershop on Friday evenings as very credible as a sighting of Oswald (https://digitalcollections-baylor.quartexcollections.com/Documents/Detail/sightings-of-lho-nov.-1963-clifford-m.-shasteen/691160?item=691161).

 

Witness: Clifton M. Shasteen

Examining Attorney: Albert E. Jenner, Jr.

Place and date of Examination: Dallas, Texas, March 25, 1964

 

Mr. Shasteen lives at 2214 Fairfax in Irving, Texas. He is owner and operator of Clifton's Barber Shop located at 1321 South Storey in Irving, Texas. He has lived in Dallas for 20 years.

He testified that in the course of looking at television on the afternoon of November 22, 1963 he saw on the screen the man said to be Lee Harvey Oswald and it occurred to him immediately that the man was the fellow who had come into his barber shop to have his hair cut. (p. 7) While looking at television some more "it finally dawned" on him where he had seen him; "I knew where he lived". The witness also volunteered that "actually I knew where the station wagon was that was parked that I saw him and this lady in". So he allegedly took out to run to "the house". He testified that he drove "up there" and he couldn't get within four blocks of that house. He knew then that he was [not?] mistaken. When he got back to the shop they began to talk about it. He testified that all three barbers had cut Oswald's hair but he had cut it more than the others. He cut Oswald's hair three or four times. The boy in the middle chair cut it a couple of times and the boy in the front chair cut it once. Oswald was always disgruntled. (p. 😎

He then related an occasion when the man he thought was Oswald had come in to the shop wearing a pair of yellow house shoes which the witness admired. The customer said they had only cost a $1.50 and he obtained them in Old Mexico. He added that when next he was down there he would pick up a pair for Shasteen. This was the only time the customer was pleasant.

He also remembered a time one Saturday morning that after the barber in the front chair had cut the customers hair the customer pushed himself in back of the middle barber's chair and combed his hair and in so doing forced the middle barber out of his position. (p. 10) 

He volunteered that he had seen the customer in the Williamsburg Drug Store one night down on Rock Island and Rogers Road in Irving. He testified that the reason he remembered seeing the customer in Williamsburg Drug Store was that "I knew I couldn't understand his way, and that was before--I believe it was before she had her baby." He then purported to remember that this customer's wife was pregnant (p. 10). The witness did not explain how he knew the customer had a wife and how he knew that he would not be able to understand her if she spoke (p. 10). He added that this was the only time that he had seen her. (p. 11)

He volunteered that this customer sometimes came to the grocery store Hutchison Market across the street, from the barber shop; that sometimes there were two women with him; that he assumed one of the women was Mrs. Paine. He did not claim to know Mr. Paine or Mrs. Paine. He did not explain how he identified Mrs. Paine except that he claimed to know substantially everybody in Irving. (p. 11)

He volunteered that one Friday night about 7 o'clock he was sneaking out or knocking off early to go to a high school football game and the customer came in. As the customer came in the front door the witness went out the back. The next morning the boy or barber who had the middle chair reported that the customer had been highly inquisitive as to where Shasteen had gone the previous evening. (p. 12) There was no explanation as to how the customer knew that the witness had gone anywhere inasmuch as the witness had darted out the back door as the customer came in the front.

He purported to remember that a fourteen year old boy accompanied the customer a few times; at least two or three times. One day three or four days before November 22 the boy was in the shop having his hair cut in the front chair. It was in the evening. (p. 13) A moment later the witness changed the time from the evening to 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon. (p. 13-14) There was a discussion about politics among the customers who were present. Supposedly the young boy had remained quiet but he suddenly burst forth and said to everybody at large in the shop he could tell them when they would "stop all of this greed and everything" that this would be when there was one leader over everyone else; and the boy further remarked that the two barbers in Shasteens shop worked for Shasteen and Shasteen got part of their money and he warned Shasteen that when "one man is not allowed to hog up the whole country and let another man starve" that was when there would be no wars "and all this junk". Reportedly Shasteen asked the boy where in the world he got these ideas but the boy did not answer.

He then volunteered that the 14 year old boy had been with Oswald on the occasion when the witness had darted out one Friday night to attend a high school football game. In first relating this event he had not mentioned the fourteen year old boy. He fixed the Friday night as being the eighth of November, or two weeks preceding November 22nd. He fixed the occasion the boy was in there alone as having occurred the Monday preceding November 8th occasion. The witness neglected to explain why when he first referred to the event of the boy being in the shop alone that he fixed the time as "three or four days before November 22nd" (p. 13) and then later without any prompting, at all, fixed it as having occurred on Monday November 4th. (Transcript p. 18)

He then volunteered that he was certain the Friday night was November 8th because he (Oswald) always got his hair cut on a Friday night, or on a Saturday morning and he always wanted his hair to look "about a week old" after it was cut. The customer has his hair cut regularly every two weeks. (p. 19-20) He hasn't seen the fourteen year old boy anywhere in Irving or otherwise since the November 8th occasion. (p. 20)

He cut the customers hair at least three times and perhaps more and the other barbers in the shop also cut the customers hair. (. 21) He fixed the total number of haircuts at five and possibly six. (p. 22) He then testified that the last three hair cuts were in succession and these were preceded by a "dead spot" of "a month or six weeks" that the customer was not in the shop. (p. 23) He thought the hair cutting with respect to this customer ran back in to the summer time of 1963. (p. 23)

He added when posed with the specific question that the fourteen year old boy had been in the shop with the customer on two occasions. (p. 24)

He then testified that he "had on some kind of cover-alls nearly every time he came in". They were government issue of some kind and were green or khaki colored. The only night the customer was not dressed that way was the night the witness sneaked out to the football game on that occasion the customer had on a pair of old worn out dress pants dark in color; and he had on a sports shirt with his shirt tail out. The cover-alls had full length sleeves. The cover-alls were one piece. They buttoned down the front and they completely covered the body of the customer. (p. 26)

He then testified that the customer had heavy black hair on his arms and then he added that the cover-alls had the sleeves cut off and were ragged. Because the customer never had a shave or shampoo; nothing but a hair cut. (p. 27)

There were occasions when he saw this customer go into Hutchison Market across the street. The customer had on cover-alls on all those occasions also. (p. 28) The witness said that the cover-alls were too big for him, in fact they were so big he could have gotten somebody else with him. (p. 29) He saw him on three or four occasions across the street at Hutchison Market. (p. 29) He described the fourteen year old boy as being blue-eyed, blonde-headed. He was dressed in tight-fitting blue-jeans and wore an old, striped shirt. He was husky, strong and broad shouldered with a full wide face. He was nice looking (p. 30-31)

He volunteered that on occasions he saw or thought he saw the customer going into Hutchison's Market. The customer's back was always toward the barber shop. He claimed that on those occasions "they" got out of a car and walked to the market. He remembers the car was a 1955 Chevrolet station wagon blue and white or green and white in color. But then he volunteered that on all the occasions that he saw the customer going into Hutchison's Market a lady would be driving the station wagon. (p. 32) He saw the customer and two ladies going into Hutchison's Market on at least three occasions. He fixed one of the times as being the Saturday following the Friday he (the witness) had sneaked away to the football game. He saw them at the market at around 8 or 8:30 in the morning. (p. 33)

He then volunteered that "occasionally he (the customer) drove himself to get a hair cut" (p. 34) He added that one of those occasions was the Friday night of November 8th and on that occasion the fourteen year old boy was with him in the automobile. He fixed the "yellow shoes" event as having occurred two weeks prior to November 8th and on a Saturday morning which would be the 25th of October 1963. (p. 36) He remembered telling FBI agent Berry that Oswald had come into the shop on a Saturday "two or three months ago at 6:30 in the morning". He acknowledged that he also told Berry that this particular occasion was the one on which the discussion of the yellow house shoes had occurred. (p. 37) He had no explanation of the substantial discrepancies in his testimony respecting the date and day when the "yellow house" shoes event had taken place. (p. 38)

This particular customer never tipped anybody. (p. 6)

The cover-alls had two large pockets on each side over the breast. (p. 49) There were also hip pockets. The breast pockets had flaps but the hip pockets did not. The customer kept his billfold in a rear pocket even though the pockets sagged badly and anybody could have dipped in and stolen his billfold. (p. 51) The witness finally added patch pockets to the front and on each side at the hip. (p. 51)

The customer was not talkative and therefore the witness did not converse with him. (p. 523)

The witnesses description of the kind of hair cut the customer is classic. The witness stated: "He didn't wear it long and he didn't wear it short. It was almost short enough to stand up but it was too long to stand up". (p. 56)

Having forgotten that he had testified earlier that the customer had a full head of hair he later testified (p. 56) that the customer "didn't have a full head of hair". He said it was short and thin around the temples. He guessed that in another five or xsix years the customer would have been bald-headed. (p. 56)

He acknowledged that he had been interviewed by agent Odum on December 16th on which occasion he stated to agent Odum that the last time he saw the fourteen year old boy was about two months prior thereto, which would have made it around the 16th of October. He had no explanation of the many discrepancies in his testimony.

Memorandum: This man obviously is imagining things. His story was made completely out of old cloth.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Greg Doudna

[Ron Bulman]

Speaking of barbershop quartet's.

 

[Greg Doudna]

The Shasteen barbershop customer never claimed he was Lee Harvey Oswald, never spoke of himself as a Marine, never mentioned being in Russia, did nothing by word or action to represent himself as Oswald. Therefore there was no impersonation.

Shasteen's customer drove. Oswald had no car to drive. Ruth said she never lent him her car. 

Shasteen said his customer always wore oversized one-piece coveralls with baggy pockets. This distinctive clothing item was not found among Lee's possessions nor has any witness described Oswald in that clothing. Since Shasteen's customer normally got his haircuts on Friday afternoons after work, it is difficult to reconstruct how and why Lee, who did not wear such clothing to work at the TSBD, would change into that after his ride to Irving with Buell Wesley Frazier--change from one workwear to another--for his trip to the barbershop.

Shasteen said the final haircut he gave this customer was two weeks before the assassination. That is about a five-week period since Oswald started his visits to Irving in early October. Shasteen first estimated seven or eight total haircuts he or the two barbers he had working for him had given that customer, later reduced to five or six by the time of his WC testimony. Shasteen was certain he had given three haircuts to this customer personally, and Shasteen knew Glover had given at least one and Buddy Law at least one and maybe two, five minimum. Most men on a budget and not having hair styled in high fashion might get haircuts maybe once a month or so. Shasteen described his customer as meticulous about his hair and very regular in getting his hair cut every two weeks. But there is only a five week time frame in which to fit what Shasteen said, from his personal knowledge and witness, was at least five haircuts of that individual in his shop, spaced no more frequently than two weeks apart. Furthermore, Shasteen in his WC testimony thought there was a "gap" of a missed month or so in the midst of that sequence (in which Shasteen speculated the customer may have gone elsewhere for his biweekly haircuts once or twice), in addition to the five minimum in Shasteen's shop. That does not work for Oswald in Irving.

Then, very important, the kind of haircut: Shasteen described the man's hair length very distinctively--cut just long enough that it would almost lay down flat when combed but kept short enough that it would not lay down flat. A ragged look in which the man's hair sort of stood up partway, because it was too short to lay down flat and comb easily flat. But Oswald's photos do not show that style of hair--Lee's hair was no-frills, combed flat with a part.

Shasteen also characterized his customer's hair color as appearing "black". Technically a dark brown, but appearing "black". Lee's hair was light or medium brown. 

Ruth Paine not only never lent Lee her car, she also said she knew of no time Lee ever got a haircut in Irving. 

Shasteen's shop was only 0.6 miles walking distance from Ruth Paine's house. Why would Lee want a car to drive there? Leonard Hutchison of Hutch's Grocery across the street identified Lee as having bought milk and cinnamon rolls in his store early mornings on several occasions, and that is a credible sighting of Lee (there is testimony from Marina that Lee was a milk-drinker). Hutchison said Lee always walked into his store, coming south from the direction of Ruth's house, and then Lee would leave the store walking north again in the direction back to Ruth's house. No need to borrow Ruth Paine's car in order to drive 0.6 miles to Shasteen's barbershop.

Shasteen's customer had a distinctive pair of yellow shoes, which the customer had bought in Mexico, and offered to buy Shasteen a pair next time he went to Mexico, implying he made regular trips across the border and shopped. There are no yellow shoes known for Lee, nor was Lee making regular trips across the Mexican border.

Then there is the 14-year old which Shasteen had seen accompany the customer twice, then come in on his own for a haircut making a third time. There was no 14-year old boy in Lee's life. Ruth said she never saw him with a 14-year old boy. This was not 15-year old Hootkins, Ruth's Russian tutoring student in Dallas, who both Ruth and Hootkins' mother said was tutored in Dallas, Ruth driving to Dallas for that, with no record of Hootkins coming to Irving, let alone staying overnights in the crowded Ruth Paine house. Obviously what Shasteen was seeing was a family, who happened to drive a station wagon that was similar to Ruth Paine's but not the same. The customer was not Oswald and Shasteen was mistaken.

Lee got his haircuts in Oak Cliff, not in Irving, specifically as Harrison's Barber Shop, 2005 N. Beckley in Oak Cliff, within walking distance of his rooming house on N. Beckley. https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=10672&relPageId=240&search=harrison's_barber shop . Proprietor Herman Harrison cut Lee's hair twice. Two haircuts in a seven-week period, with haircuts spaced ca. 4-6 weeks apart, is about right for a working man on a budget not overly concerned with fashion. Those two haircuts near Lee's North Beckley address satisfactorily account for all haircuts Lee would reasonably be expected to have obtained in that time period. 

Edited June 6, 2022 by Greg Doudna

[James DiEugenio]

Shasteen recognized Oswald the day of the assassination and he said there was a 14 year old boy with him.

Doudna tried to say this was Wesley Frazier at one time.  Which is utterly wrong as Greg Parker showed. But Parker made a good argument this was Hootkins, a student that Ruth tutored who later became a successful actor in films and TV and stage.  As Parker said about Doudna and Frazier, "This is how far some will go in the blind defense of the indefensible."

For anyone to quote Al Jenner on a witness' credibility is ridiculous. Jenner is the guy who rehearsed and then directed Kerry Thornley's perjury before the Warren Commission.  BTW, in his argument with Parker, Doudna said back then that Shasteen was not making the story up.

The thing that made Jenner want to discredit Shasteen is that Oswald and Hootkins did a neat little play acting scenario before him.  They were talking about how bad capitalism was and how Shasteen was a part of that system. In this instance, Hootkins rattled on until LHO told him to knock it off. (WC Vol. 10, p. 312, Armstrong, p. 732). This is why Jenner was so opposed to it.  Its one thing to have Thornley incriminate Oswald as a commie in the service.  Its quite another to have Oswald do that in Texas within weeks of the assassination, with an acquaintance who is being tutored by Ruth Paine. In fact, as Greg wrote, Shasteen said they drove up in her car, not Frazier's.

 

 

Edited February 19, 2021 by James DiEugenio

[Greg Doudna]

The issue is whether Shasteen's customer was Oswald. There were mistaken claims to have seen Oswald among the true claims in the aftermath of Nov 22, 1963. Unrelated people in the same city can have similar-appearing vehicles. In light of the things I brought out showing how improbable Shasteen's customer as Oswald is, the question is what about Shasteen's testimony concerning his barbershop customer convinces that it really was Oswald and not a mistaken identification.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Greg Doudna

[Ed LeDoux]

So who was this alternate barber of Lee Oswald?

TIA

[Greg Doudna]

55 minutes ago, Ed LeDoux said:

So who was this alternate barber of Lee Oswald?

You mean where did Oswald get his hair cut? One possibility would be this barber in Oak Cliff near his rooming house on N. Beckley who said he cut Oswald's hair: 

“Mr. Herman I. Harrison, owner, Harrison’s Barber Shop, 2005 North Beckley, Dallas, Texas, advised SA John V. Almon on December 5, 1963, he recalls having cut Lee Harvey Oswald’s hair on two occasions, although he  was not aware of Oswald’s identity until after the President’s assassination. Harrison stated that Oswald was quiet and made no comment concerning his personal affairs, associates or political ideas.” (https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=95673#relPageId=31)

That barber's two haircuts in Oak Cliff could account for all haircuts of Oswald between Oct. 4 and Nov 22.

I have a more recent and fuller discussion on the Shasteen barbershop which supercedes this one, at https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/28181-the-coveralls-wearing-customer-in-shasteens-barbershop-in-irving-was-that-oswald-or-a-mistaken-identification/.

 

[Allen Lowe]

On 10/17/2022 at 6:07 PM, Greg Doudna said:

You mean where did Oswald get his hair cut? One possibility would be this barber in Oak Cliff near his rooming house on N. Beckley who said he cut Oswald's hair: 

 

“Mr. Herman I. Harrison, owner, Harrison’s Barber Shop, 2005 North Beckley, Dallas, Texas, advised SA John V. Almon on December 5, 1963, he recalls having cut Lee Harvey Oswald’s hair on two occasions, although he  was not aware of Oswald’s identity until after the President’s assassination. Harrison stated that Oswald was quiet and made no comment concerning his personal affairs, associates or political ideas.” (https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=95673#relPageId=31)

That barber's two haircuts in Oak Cliff could account for all haircuts of Oswald between Oct. 4 and Nov 22.

I have a more recent and fuller discussion on the Shasteen barbershop which supercedes this one, at https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/28181-the-coveralls-wearing-customer-in-shasteens-barbershop-in-irving-was-that-oswald-or-a-mistaken-identification/.

 

and yet Greg, as we know (because you told us so) a lot of people thought they saw Oswald. Unfortunately for your case, Shasteen was the most credible.

[Greg Doudna]

12 minutes ago, Allen Lowe said:

and yet Greg, as we know (because you told us so) a lot of people thought they saw Oswald. Unfortunately for your case, Shasteen was the most credible.

https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/28181-the-coveralls-wearing-customer-in-shasteens-barbershop-in-irving-was-that-oswald-or-a-mistaken-identification/ explains why I disagree. I would be interested in your opinion or reasons if you think the same as here after you consider that (if you would please post there if so, thanks). Unfortunately it is a long article and I know you prefer brevity. If you can tolerate the length.  

 

[Allen Lowe]

3 hours ago, Greg Doudna said:

https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/28181-the-coveralls-wearing-customer-in-shasteens-barbershop-in-irving-was-that-oswald-or-a-mistaken-identification/ explains why I disagree. I would be interested in your opinion or reasons if you think the same as here after you consider that (if you would please post there if so, thanks). Unfortunately it is a long article and I know you prefer brevity. If you can tolerate the length.  

 

I have read plenty of length on the subject, mostly by Jim diEugenio, and that’s good enough for me.

[James DiEugenio]

Thanks Allen.  But Greg Parker did the best work on this.

Parker literally undressed Doudna more than once since Greg tried his usual escape antics for Ruth.

 

[Tom Gram]

Here is the latest debate of the Gregs on this topic if anyone’s interested. It just ended a couple days ago: 

https://reopenkennedycase.forumotion.net/t2633-and-now-for-something-completely-different

[Gene Kelly]

Thanks Tom ... I am interested in this haircut anecdote, which sheds more light on Ms. Paine's complicity.   I read thru the topical debate, where Greg parker makes a convincing case, and summarize/paraphrase it as follows:

Cliff Shasteen had cut Oswald's hair twice and Buddy Law once. Burt Glover was recalling someone else based on his description of the customer. Buddy Law only worked for Shasteen part-time and quit sometime after discussing the Oswald haircuts with Shasteen (suggesting he anticipated the controversy coming and did not want to be involved).  Shasteen testified that Law cut Oswald's hair on a Friday evening, close to closing time. Shasteen was getting ready to leave early for a football game and Oswald had wanted to know where he was going. Shasteen adds that it was just brushed off as Oswald indicating that he wanted Shasteen to do his hair.

Buddy Law told the FBI on 9/9/64, that he had no recollection of ever seeing Lee Oswald in the shop, or of the specific episode described by Shasteen where he (Law) cut Oswald's hair. He does say that Shasteen had told him that Oswald had been a customer on at least three occasions. This gives Shasteen credibility in that it shows he was recalling all of this right after the assassination. As for Law not recalling, he was likely trying to distance himself from it. Law was just there two days a week (extra money on top of his regular job), so he had no investment in in the work or the shop, unlike Shasteen who owned the business and - judging from his testimony - was invested in recalling his customers.

Mr. SHASTEEN. To me, he didn't have a full head of hair. It was rather short and thin around here by the temples and the way his hair lies back, he would have been bald if he had been 40 years old.

Straight after the assassination, Shasteen told Law that Oswald had been in the shop "at least three times". The only date that Shasteen was able to nail down precisely was the 8th of November, because that was the night of the football match. That means Oswald's next cut would have possibly been due the weekend of the assassination (as noted by Dallas police). The one prior to the 8th would have been on or about October 18 or 25. If it was the 18th, that puts the first cut on or about Oct 4 - the day Oswald returned to Dallas/Irving.  It all fits Oswald’s timeline like a glove; there were three Fall visits in total by Oswald: 1st on or about Oct 4 or (by Cliff Shasteen); 2nd on or about Oct 18; and 3rd on Nov 8 (by Buddy Law):

 

 

Mr. JENNER. I'm just trying to figure out this 22d and the 8th--did this hair-cutting go back into the summer? Mr. SHASTEEN. You know, that's--like I say, that's a saying--to point back, and you know, just to say that that is the first time this guy has come in here I just can't pinpoint the first time. In other words, it has been hard and I have tried to think, especially after I got that call yesterday evening to come over here. I tried to run that back through my mind and I wouldn't say when the first time was he was in there and of course we have talked about it--me and the barbers, and it seemed to me like there was a dead spot in there. Sometime maybe a month or 6 weeks that we might not have saw him, be the first time I cut his hair, but the last three haircuts--it seemed to me like he was pretty regular.

 

 

Despite matching these dates to Oswald's timeline - like any proper investigation would - the FBI and WC kept pushing for Shasteen to place Oswald's first visit back into the summer, making it impossible for it be Oswald … the false outcome they clearly sought. There is also another barber (Herman Harrison) who claimed to cut his hair in Oak Cliff on two occasions.  His interview is questionable and unconvincing, as the WC needed something to dispute Shasteen, so Herman Harrison came to the rescue. Notably missing from the interview are important details like a description, a photo, a time frame for the alleged cuts, and other barbers or customers named who could corroborate.

Ruth Paine was William Hootkins’ Russian instructor at St Marks for the summer term and - following the summer term (mid-August) - he started having private instruction from Ruth. Ruth would pick him up on Saturday and take him to St Mark's for these lessons. The lessons were held at St Mark's initially, but this would change after Ruth picked up Marina in late September and brought her back to Irving Street. From that time, Ruth likely began bringing Hootkins back to Irving St. instead of taking him to St Marks. The assistant principle at St Mark's told Agent Hosty that, as at the date of the interview on October 31st, Ruth's private tuition (following her summer course) was taking place at the homes of the students (in this case, her only one). Shasteen's story is credible because:

1. His description of the customer is consistent with Oswald, including his apparent sullen presentation, the fact that he didn't really want a haircut, and hairy arms.

2. His description of the car is consistent with Ruth's car (with some minor discrepancies).

3. The description of the 15-year-old boy is consistent with Hootkins: a wide face and blondish hair (plus neither the boy nor customer returned post assassination).

4. The one date of being in the shop that can be nailed down is the 8th of November, which fits with the cuts commencing at the time Oswald returned to Dallas

5. Where Hootkins was having his lessons was confabulated; his mother believed they were taking place at the school, while the school believed they were taking place at Hootkins' own home. And the private lessons (started out at St Mark's) were most certainly not being conducted there by Oct 31^st, even though Mrs. Hootkins continued to believe that was the case.

A word of caution here (which I've pointed out previously) is that making the title of this EF thread "Shasteen's barber shop customer was not Oswald" is an example of the Illusory Truth Effect, where belief in certain statements, be they plausible or implausible, increases with repetition. Repetition makes assertions more plausible; it is also what makes fake news work, too. It's a brainwashing technique used by cults and disinformation specialists. The effect works because when we attempt to assess truth, we rely on whether the information jibes with our understanding, and whether it feels familiar.  In the latter case, hearing over and over again that a certain fact is wrong can have a paradoxical effect. It becomes so familiar that it starts to feel right.  The brain interprets that fluency as a signal for something being "true" (whether it's true or not). In other words, your busy brain is often more comfortable running on feeling. As with any cognitive bias, experts recommend that the best way not to fall prey to it is to know it exists and validate the facts (Reference: "I Heard It Before, So It Must Be True ... Repeated exposure to implausible statements makes them feel less so" by Susana Martinez-Conde, October 5, 2019, Scientific American).

 Gene

[Steve Roe]

6 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

Thanks Allen.  But Greg Parker did the best work on this.

Parker literally undressed Doudna more than once since Greg tried his usual escape antics for Ruth.

 

Really? Parker's explanations are laughable. His "Old Mexico" story was extremely entertaining. 

It was not Hootkins or Oswald at Shasteen's Barber shop. Hootkins lived in Dallas and was an Astronomy buff or student. He wanted to learn Russian so he could understand the language in regard to Astronomy. That's 100% verifiable. Hence Ruth Paine gave him lessons in the Russian language at St. Marks. 

Greg Doudna is correct, Shasteen is mistaken about the identity of Oswald. 

So, let's add this crazy theory to ROKC's list of Fiascos.

1. Prayer-Blob

2. Oswald never lived in the Beckley Rooming House

3. There were no shots fired or rifle being pointed out from the 6th floor of the TSBD

4. DPD planted the bus transfer on Oswald

5. The Baker-Truly encounter with Oswald in the 2nd floor lunchroom never happened. Yes, that's right, Baker and Truly who haven't never met before just made this story up despite the huge embarrassment to Baker letting the assassin go. That's ROKC logic.

And many more that I've forgotten about. Bottom line - ROKC hasn't proved anything in their Group-Think Country Club. 

Naturally DiEugenio supports them, 100%. 

 

[Bill Brown]