At one time, I strongly believed in the existence of other possible shooter(s) besides or in addition to Oswald. But that was so 15 years ago. Today, none of the conspiracy theories seem to pass my smell test. Does anyone else feel this way?
Agreed. It is easy to raise questions, but hard to find answers. Most of the conspiracy theories contradict themselves. They exist only to attempt to raise doubt and not to provide answers.
I agree with you...
years ago I thought there was more than one shooter
and the Mob and many others wanted JFK dead but after seeing the evidence, I now believe that Oswald just happened to get JFK before anyone else did...
wrong/right place at the wrong/right time...
I also believe Jack Ruby was just a head case “mafia wannabe” who happened to be in the garage at the time Oswald was being transported.
again right/wrong place right/wrong time...
I do have a problem with the JFK autopsy pictures.
Some have a small hole in the back of JFK’s head while other pictures show a HUGE hole in the back of his head.
I was pretty sure there was a conspiracy until I started looking at the evidence more seriously. Gerald Posner's "Case Closed," despite its ambitious title, wasn't the end of the road for me, but it definitely had an impact on my thinking.
The case for a conspiracy, by and large, hangs on a few alleged facts -- 1) that Oswald could not have fired three shots in the time allotted; 2) that the path of the "magic bullet" was physically impossible; 3) that the Warren Commission missed key facts, and therefore must have been covering them up.
1) the "time allotted" was based on a misreading of the Zapruder film and the acoustical analysis of a dictabelt recording that, come to find out, wasn't recorded ad Dealey Plaza at all. When you go from three shots in <5 seconds to three shots in >8 seconds, it becomes far more plausible. Not even that difficult, really.
2) The meandering path of the "magic bullet" is only valid if you assume that Kennedy and Connally were sitting bolt-upright with their hands in their laps. If Kennedy was leaning a few degreed forward and Connally a few degrees back -- which is not merely plausible, but supported by the Zapruder film -- the bullet's path is a straight line.
3) The Warren Commission was tasked with a large job on a tight deadline, and there are certainly gaps in its investigation. But the evidence that has since come to light tends to bolster rather than undermine its basic conclusion that Oswald was the lone shooter. Whether he was supported or encouraged by others is unknowable; that knowledge died with him.
I think a lot of people cling to conspiracy theories because the Kennedy assassination will be the last of its kind; since JFK, every presidential sneeze is covered by state-of-the-art TV cameras. Of course, that won't stop speculation -- the 9/11 attacks were the single most documented event in all human history, but that doesn't stop people from reading a sinister meaning into every shadow.
The conspiracy theories, if you look at them critically instead of accepting them on their face, are nearly incoherent; Kennedy was killed by the Mob because he was after them, by oil barons because he was a communist, by the communists because he tried to kill Castro, or by the Military-Industrial Complex because he wanted to pull out of Vietnam. Oh, and the CIA fits in there somewhere. None of these theories fits the Occam's razor test as well as does one loon, one rifle, three shots.
The problem is the conspiracy nuts can’t leave well enough alone. There are so many theories, so many suggested assassins, that one comes to realize they cannot all be true.
The books “Conspiracy of One” and “Best Evidence” turned the tide for good with me. The OJ trial had a strange relevance as well, for I saw first hand how someone can build a case on nitpicking, distortions, and innuendo. The techniques were exactly the same as those employed by the conspiracy nuts. In both cases there was not a single shred of evidence of another killer, just bogus doubts about the facts that pointed to the real killers.
Not here:
Several things keep me from accepting either the official story or the various alternates - it just don't feel right.
(a) I listened/watched the reports in real time.
(b) I had the opportunity to listen to tapes of the radio/TV coverage 15 or so years later.
(c) I've handled and fired Carcano carbines a few, very disappointing, times.
(d) I've worked with the FBI and have a serious attitude regarding their veracity.
(e) Oswald + Carcano + range and time to fire + moving target + grassy knoll + Tipitt + Ruby + total change in the dem party following 1963 + everything happening in 1963 + sealed records + lost records + anything Kennedy + a healthy distrust of what's commonly accepted about most anything...
No, I'm still open for a better answer.