Ruth Paine on "The Assassination & Mrs. Paine" film: "Well done, but powerfully awful"

[Greg Doudna]

From Joe Alesi in California, posted Oct 3, 2022, on a facebook site, JFK Truth Be Told (https://www.facebook.com/groups/553546571932211/) :

" 'Well done, but powerfully awful.' Those were Ruth Paine's words today after watching Max Good's film 'The Assassination and Mrs. Paine' with me today for the first time at her apartment where much of it was filmed. She held up well because the truth is on her side and she is a strong, optimistic and generous woman. Ruth turned 90 exactly one month ago today. God bless her."

Edited October 6, 2022 by Greg Doudna

[Sean Coleman]

2 hours ago, Greg Doudna said:

From Joe Ateli in California, posted Oct 3, 2022, on a facebook site, JFK Truth Be Told (https://www.facebook.com/groups/553546571932211/) :

" 'Well done, but powerfully awful.' Those were Ruth Paine's words today after watching Max Good's film 'The Assassination and Mrs. Paine' with me today for the first time at her apartment where much of it was filmed. She held up well because the truth is on her side and she is a strong, optimistic and generous woman. Ruth turned 90 exactly one month ago today. God bless her."

“Powerfully awful?”

Wow, I would have expected condemnation or comments along the lines of untruth, exaggeration, falsities etc.?

 

 

[W. Tracy Parnell]

3 hours ago, Sean Coleman said:

“Powerfully awful?”

Wow, I would have expected condemnation or comments along the lines of untruth, exaggeration, falsities etc.?

 

 

She isn't that type of person. I am sure she understands that Good was someone who got caught up in the conspiracy noise and his inaccurate film reflects that fact. But she knows the truth, so she is not overly concerned about the whole thing. But she is more tolerant than I would have been.

[Greg Doudna]

Joe Alesi, spelling of name. I've corrected.

[Kirk Gallaway]

Of course, I'd like to hear more specific details about her reaction. But wherever you stand on Ruth Paine, she's had to deal with this for almost  60 years. She's resigned to the fact that people are going to think whatever they think. If you don't see her as sinister, a certain resignation, when you're 90 years old, is a healthy thing.

[Cory Santos]

As usual, vague.   I still want to know why she didn’t go to watch the parade.   
 

At least Max tried to fill in some puzzle pieces Tracy.   Why dont you go film her?

Edited October 9, 2022 by Cory Santos

[Max Good]

This is interesting.  Last I heard, was this post below from Joe Alesi that someone re-posted on another forum a while back.  From what I understand, the Facebook group "JFK Truth Be Told" is a private group mostly dominated by official story supporters.

Ruth made it clear to me that she didn't want to be involved in the project anymore in 2019.  Since then, I have left her alone, out of respect.  Alesi seems to be Ruth's main ambassador to the JFK community at this point (some would, no doubt, use the term "handler").  You may remember him from my film--he was the one who got one of those infamous filing cabinets from Ruth after striking up a friendship with her.  He also had binders full of autographed photos from the Paines, and a box full of FOIA documents that Ruth gave to him after requesting all of her files from the FBI.  Alesi is a JFK memorabilia collector and a former employee of the Defense Investigative Service, where he worked on validating people for security clearances.  He was quite open with me about this when I interviewed him.  He even held up his placard for the camera.

Joe Alesi escorted Ruth to Dallas when she made a couple appearances there in 2019 and it looks from his message like he plans to do the same in 2023.

It's not a bad endorsement: "Well done, but powerfully awful."  I thought Ruth might actually appreciate the film if she gave it a chance.

[James DiEugenio]

I thought this was one of the most telling moments in the film.

I mean to have a guy like this as your aide de camp?

[David Von Pein]

http://DVP's JFK Archives / Defending Ruth Paine

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by David Von Pein

[Joseph McBride]

So she agrees it's powerful.

And "awful" has a double meaning:

it can mean "full of awe." With

CIA asset Ruth Paine, one must

read in code.

Edited October 9, 2022 by Joseph McBride

[David Von Pein]

6 minutes ago, Joseph McBride said:

With CIA asset Ruth Paine, one must read in code.

plus the obligatory:

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by David Von Pein

[W. Tracy Parnell]

In addition to DVP's fine site, those interested in the Ruth Paine debate should check out my 17-part series:

W. Tracy Parnell: The Assassination and Mrs. Paine (wtracyparnell.blogspot.com)

Also see Greg Doudna's excellent series of posts here at EF which may be accessed through the following link:

Greg Doudna's Ruth Paine Archive ~ W. Tracy Parnell (wtracyparnell.blogspot.com)

As for Max Good's comments, there is, of course, zero evidence that Joe Alesi is a "handler" for Ruth Paine. It could be that at age 91 (in 2023) Ruth will be glad to have Joe along to assist her and keep the crazies at bay. And the fact that Alesi worked for the Defense Investigative Service as an investigator for security clearances has nothing to do with anything. Good seems to understand this but chooses to mention it anyway for unknown reasons. BTW, Jim D incorrectly stated in an online discussion that Alesi worked for the Defense Intelligence Service, a claim he later backtracked on after he was called out on it.

[Bill Brown]

.

Edited October 10, 2022 by Bill Brown

[Joe Bauer]

Haven't seen the Good film.

Would like to know however, how and where from did Ruth Paine get money to pay her rent and living expenses during her time in Irving?

Or, did her and Michael own that house outright or were they making mortgage payments?

How much did Michael Paine give Ruth monthly all that time when they were separated?

I heard Michael Paine received family income from an endowment?

Did Ruth as well?

She didn't work all those years, did she? And who funded her later travels to Central America?

I know Ruth worked later as a child psychologist in Florida when she moved there. Maybe even a school principal for a time?

Michael Paine's family was wealthy. Wasn't Ruth's as well?

How much has Ruth touched on her personal feelings toward Marina Oswald?

Especially from the time of the JFK event and Marina being separated from her and even when Marina became involved with Priscilla MacMillan?

It seemed Ruth was hurt by Marina's fairly hard and cold cut off of her.

Any mention of this in the Good film?

It appeared that Marina appreciated all that RP had done for her, but never really liked her personally.

Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by Joe Bauer

[Greg Doudna]

I have spoken with Joe Alesi two times. Strikes me as a decent, quiet, soft-spoken guy, who lives in the area where Ruth Paine lives in California and came into contact with Michael and then her by accident through his collecting activities (a contact with Michael who was then in California but not at that time living in the same assisted living place where Ruth Paine is, over a collector's item as I recall is how it started for Joe). As I understand it he became a friend and confidante to Ruth (who I understand has had some dark moments of private grief over how she is portrayed, behind her strength in public, and can use Joe's shoulder, so to speak). The "handler" suggestion is unwarranted and baseless from anything I can see. I see no sign that anybody is handling Ruth Paine other than herself. If there is a handler in that relationship, it is Ruth handling Joe in the sense of Joe being willing to do favors for Ruth, but mostly a listening ear. Joe told me that as he came to know Ruth personally he came to totally believe in her innocence. I can relate to that.

In addition to working as an investigator for Defense Investigative Service, at an earlier stage he told me he worked for the IRS. Since Ruth has some history as a war tax protester (wilful violation of federal law with respect to income taxes, to make a political statement against how the money is used), Joe told me of that as irony since he was on the other side working for IRS (as an auditor I think). 

Joe told me many interesting stories of some of his collecting history, of encounters with famous people, both involved with the JFK assassination and apart from the JFK assassination. I have no experience in the world of collecting myself so for me this was an insight into that world and fascinating.

One item in particular of possible interest is Joe told me he has some original notes of Jack Ruby handwritten when Ruby was in prison, apparently not previously known. A letterhead authenticates them purportedly signed by Earl Ruby, Jack Ruby's brother in Chicago, deceased. I was intrigued and have seen and read them, several dozen pages of handwriting. Nothing in content that bears on Oswald or the assassination. Mostly it is stories of fights or altercations Ruby was in, names and details, with Ruby's side of those altercations explained. However, and I expressed this to Joe, certain things cause me to suspect a question of authenticity with these, i.e. possible forgery, in terms of content, late apparent emergence to knowledge of these notes, and chain of custody. However, the handwriting is extensive and since authentic Jack Ruby handwriting also exists in extensive quantity, expert comparison could be done and presumably establish up or down whether that is really Jack Ruby's handwriting (which is over my head in terms of expertise). 

But never mind that, back to Alesi. I looked up Defense Investigative Service, the former name for what is now called Defense Criminal Investigative Service (the name change occurred 1999). Wikipedia says this under its article by its current name:

The Defense Criminal Investigative Service is the criminal investigative arm of the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense. DCIS protects military personnel by investigating cases of fraud, bribery, and corruption; preventing the illegal transfer of sensitive defense technologies to proscribed nations and criminal elements; investigating companies that use defective, substandard, or counterfeit parts in weapon systems and equipment utilized by the military; and stopping cyber crimes and computer intrusions. (. . .) To be considered for a DCIS special agent position, an individual must: Be a U.S. citizen, age between 21 and 37 years, pass screening, background investigation and have exceptional communication skills. DCIS special agent candidates initially receive training at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) located in Glynco, Georgia. They attend FLETC's basic training course for special agents, the Criminal Investigator Training Program, which lasts about 12 weeks and represents the beginning of basic training received by DCIS special agents. Later, agents may return to FLETC to attend specialized training in contractor fraud, money laundering, computer crimes, advanced interview techniques, etc. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Criminal_Investigative_Service)

 I am glad Ruth Paine has someone supportive nearby like Alesi.