2 comments about To Kill a Black Man: The Shocking Parallel in the Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr..

1. The late Louis E. Lomax (1922-1970) wrote this book shortly after Dr. King's assassination. He traces the path of both leaders. He shows the forces that brought the 2 leaders together on many issues. He also show the opposition forces to these men that materialized into assassins. I recommend that you read this book.



2. It's not that I disagree with a review of this book, "an excellent read for the black youth of today". I just feel that whatever useful tools and social benefits this book presents, and there is literally a truckload of them, they cannot be segregated.

5 comments about Who Killed John Lennon?.

1. John Lennon's death never DID make sense to me outside of the context of some kind of conspiracy. When he died, I was 27 years old. I had lived through the trauma of JFK's, RFK's and MLK's assassinations. I did not believe they were lone nut killings either, they were too important, and the question "who benefits?" usually leads to an obvious motive and an obvious suspect, even if it can't be proven. Once he was dead, I understood that John Lennon was the last hope of a dying spirit, the spirit of the 60s, the hope of a generation that had dreamed of creating a world of freedom, love and non-violence. That, to me, was the motive of a generation unwilling to pass the torch of life onto the next generation, the very baby boom they had created at the end of WWII to expand their own egos, yet were unwilling to acknowledge as having minds of their own and perhaps valid resentments having grown up with the values of a war torn parentage. This book dovetails nicely with the other books I have read and reviewed (see more about me) and the evidence is startling and massive to validate Bresler's theory that Chapman was, indeed, a mind controlled killer. The fact is, the CIA's shenanigans go far beyond MK-ULTRA, and have not stopped yet. They are gathering power as you read this, and looking the other way will not stop them. I'm not sure what will, but letting anyone else do your thinking for you won't. Learn as much as you can and know your own mind. Question authority, as the mantra from the 60s challenged, and do not allow the dreams and visions of the flower children to be silenced. They are not dead. They did take root. The toxic poison that surrounds us all is a deadly threat, but as long as we are open to learning and knowing and speaking truth to power, there is hope.



2. This well researched book explores a possible political component to the 1980 murder of John Lennon. Outspoken and involved in political causes, the late former Beatle had a dossier by the FBI. He was considered an insurgent rebel by many politicos of the day.

   Bresler's book does an excellent job of following the man who killed John Lennon. He accurately chronicles the assassin's movements during the latter part of 1980 and his boyhood overidentification with the former Beatle. Bresler does not skip a beat, his work takes his readers along that sad, psychotic trail Lennon's killer took in late 1980.

   The assassin, caught in a love-hate obsession concerning John Lennon appears to be confused about his own identity. A former Beatles fan, the killer would, by 1966 turn against them because of John Lennon's comment that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Irate and confused, the killer appeared to try to suppress his natural love for their music while justifying his hatred of John.

   It is indeed the killer's behavior that calls attention to his desire to emulate the late Beatle. The assassin marries a woman who is Japanese; he expresses an enjoyment for the same types of art and music that Lennon publicly endorsed. By late 1980 the lines between reality and fantasy blurred; on his last day of work, the killer signed out of his company log book as "John Lennon." He then left Hawaii where he was then living for New York. An extremely confused man, he overidentifies with Holden Caulfield, the young protagonist of "Catcher in the Rye" infamy. He, like Holden declares a moratorium against "phonies" and in his mind, John Lennon is one of those phonies His fantasies ultimately consume him and the results are...devastating.

   Bresler does an excellent job of chronicling the series of events that took place when and after John Lennon was murdered; he also does an excellent job of debunking many of the tabloid biographies of the day, e.g. Goldman and Guiliano's biographies of the late Beatle. John's youngest son, Sean, for example comes down hard on the Goldman book which portrays John as punitive and uncomfortable around children as a "total lie." He said that John did indeed enjoy being kissed by Sean and his older half brother Julian and that Goldman's statement otherwise was untrue.

   I was impressed with the accuracy and objectivity of this work. It will certainly hold a reader's interest and is an invaluable source of information. I'm lucky to have this. It would be nice to see this back in print.




3. Today marks the 25th Anniversary of John Lennon's death. I got Bresler's book from the library and read about half of his book last year and I must admit I'm starting to believe that his death was politically motivated. Not only that, he gives hard evidence that this government, particually the CIA, ordered Mark Chapman as a hitman to kill John Lennon (there is good reason why: They were getting revenge for not kicking Lennon out of the country for his actions against Vietman; since that England was not involved). When I read that the first person that came to mind as a conspirator was the lame-duck President of that time, Jimmy Carter. Why? Because he was in the same position as the other white Southern President before him, Lyndon Johnson: President about to leave office, decides to take out the biggest peacekeeper(s) in America (in LBJ's case-Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy) because in their eyes, their agendas were a threat to National Security while the FBI and CIA's powers are in the hands of the President. In the book the author gives an idea who was behind the conspiracy and picks an unlikely choice: The Y.M.C.A. since that it helped Chapman in the midst of his troubles. I know that I'm maybe crazy and Carter can deny all he wants just like Fidel Castro can deny that he was involved in President Kennedy's death.
   Speaking of that, in Bresler's book he brings up another distrubing fact that Chapman was under "mind control" to kill Lennon and there can be a possibility that's what happened to Lee Harvey Oswald when he shot Kennedy and in the book, he states that Chapman was like Oswald: Running into one disater after another.
   Not only does he talk about Chapman's behavior, Bresler portrayes Lennon as a musician who became an enemy of himself and began to gather demons (which included his "Beatles are more popular than Jesus" interview, the nude photos that he did with Yoko Ono while still married, and evenually his fight to stay in America). Out of all the things Lennon did to offend the American physic and sealing his fate of an early death, none was more damning than the Rolling Stone interview that Jan Wierner did in 1970 in which Lennon ranted about America being "f-ing pesants" and ended his sentence by saying "the (American) dream is over." In my opinion, I think he deserved to die.
   Another story the author brings up about Lennon came in the next year when he and Yoko Ono were at a Vietman protest on the University of Michigan campus and what they didn't know was that two CIA officers were spying on them. For those that aren't convinced yet that the CIA was involved in Lennon's death should consider this: His death occurred four years after the same agency try to kill another peace-searching musician, Bob Marley and failed as he survived despite being wounded.
   To close it out, I will try to get back to the library soon and finish up this somewhat fascinated and intriging book.



4. Have we really come to this?
   
   John Lennon was murdered by a clearly-deranged fan in 1980. Anyone who believes that Lennon was a grave enough threat to the USA and the world obviously has a bizarrely inflated opinion of the former Beatle.
   
   John was practically in hiding for the five years before his death and had distanced himself from the hippie peace movement which had faded away during the disco era. Upon releasing his return album, "Double Fantasy," he and Yoko gave many interviews about how they'd settled into private life and made a fortune off real estate and such. Come on, people, one of the main reasons his killer struck was because John had become such a sell-out.
   
   Even back then, the "bed-ins" for peace and all the anti-war posturing came off as more silly and mischevious than dangerous and anti-American.
   He loved America, he loved New York. We'd been out of Vietnam for five years.
   
   Documenting all the movements and rantings of John's crazy killer doesn't make his horrible crime a CIA conspiracy.
   
   Wherever John is, he's probably laughing.



5. Chock full of suppositions as to how Mark David Chapman was a mind-controlled assassin programmed by the CIA to kill John Lennon, since Lennon was coming out of retirement and was apparently going to speak at an anti-nuke rally (thus inspiring everyone around the world to abandon nuclear weapons and putting the military-industrial complex out of business). In the end, it's a bunch of mildly interesting bunk that lacks only the merit of being true...and if it IS true, one certainly wouldn't know it from the lack of evidence presented here (unless conjecture and innuendo count as evidence).

3 comments about The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies.

1. This book showed each side to any conspiracy that could have been involved in the Lincoln assassination. I became confused after reading a chapter and then all of that historian thinking was rejected by some other guy. If you are into that kinda thing, sure go ahead and read the book, but I just got confused. I can't determine what really happened and what was people's thoughts.



2. Since the day Lincoln was assassinated, many theories have emerged about who was the mastermind behind the plot. Among the accused have been members of the Confederate government, including Jefferson Davis, the Catholic Church and members of Lincoln's own Cabinet.

   Hanchett examines these conspiracy theories and the people who put forward the theories in an attempt to find out if a higher authority, civil or religious, ordered John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators to kill Lincoln and members of his Cabinet. By examining each theory individually as well as the motives behind those who suggested the theories, Hanchett does an excellent job of refuting some of the more unlikely theories.




3. I've had it with all these idiotic "conspiracy books" that flood the market. If it's not JFK, it's space aliens and "black helicopters" and sad to say, Abraham Lincoln is not imune to the lunacy. But for the SERIOUS student, here is a book that dispells all of the dribble concerning the assassination of our 16th president. The author takes on each of these wacked out theories and disects them. BRAVO! The most laughable ones concern the Vatican's involvement as well as the European bankers. When in doubt, blame the Catholic church or the rich was the montra in America during the late 1930's and '40's. I'm neither rich, nor Catholic, so I have no axe to grind. Oh, I'm sure the "believers" will continue this psychophantic devotion to blaming Stanton, Andrew Johnson, et al. But face it, Booth was a basket case and he destroyed any attempt at a peaceful reconstruction after the war. What really amazes me is how this hack actor managed to pull off the murder with such a motley collection of mental idiots and buffoons. Booth's derringer was of larger caliber than their collective I.Q. If you are tired of the nonsence of conspiracy theories and want to deal in solid fact, read this book.

5 comments about Kill the Shogun: A Samurai Mystery (Samurai Mysteries).

1. Dale Furutani gives us an excellent ending to his ronin Kaze mystery trilogy with "Shogun". Japanese history buffs like myself should agree he depicts the early Edo era wonderfully, with great use of imagery, believeable characters, and even some historical figures. His fine woven mystery will have you hanging on edge, his sense of humor will have you chuckling constantly, and his usage of some Japanese words (with its English equivelent following!) will please Japan fans.

   I highly recommend you buy this book if you can; if not, borrow it from your library (I had to). If you love Japanese history/myseries, this is an excellent book to read. I also suggest you read "Death At The Crossroads" and "Jade Palace Vendetta" first, but this book can stand by itself.




2. It's an alrite book, although, sometimes i get confuse with what's going on. It's a pretty good buy, so u should buy it if you want.



3. It's an alrite book....nothing really special. It's an okay buy if u want to buy it...



4. ...Matsuyama Kaze ("Pine Mountain Wind") is a ronin (masterless samurai) on the run. He is being hunted by a boyhood enemy, the ambitious and ruthless Lord Okubo, who wants Kaze's head, literally, for besting him in a wooden sword match that severely injured one of Okubo's legs. Adding insult to that crippling injury, Kaze was awarded the top prize by Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu himself. This event took place years before the historic battle of Skigahara in 1600 which led to the forces of Tokugawa defeating those loyal to the late Lord Hideyoshi. Japan was finally united under the rule of Tokugawa. Kaze's Lord was on the wrong side in the battle and, true to the Warrior's Code (bushido), chose to die in battle rather than be captured and lose his honor. Kaze was ordered by his master to guard the Lord's Lady and young daughter, so he was not present at the battle. This caused him much anguish, as his home is destroyed and his wife and children die because of Kaze's loyalty to his Lord and Lady. Much is told about honor, duty, and loyalty by the author, so I'll not go into that here. Suffice it to say, Kaze rescues the dying Lady from her captors and promises to search for his mistress's daughter no matter how long it takes. It takes several years and three novels.

   The search begins in the first book DEATH AT THE CROSSROADS and continues through JADE PALACE VENDETTA and KILL THE SHOGUN. I found the trilogy entertaining and informative. As the author said, the reader will recognize similarities in each book to the films of Akira Kurosawa. There is humor to be found in these books, also, so don't fear they will be weighty, historical tracts. They're supposed to be light and fun. The best part is that they also inform. I learned much about medieval Japan that I didn't know...




5. I liked this one even better than Jade Palace Vendetta and Death at the Crossroads. It can stand alone, but there's several little elements that would make more sense or be more enjoyable if the books were read in order. This book has a relatively lighter tone, and there was more humor than in the other books. The history is of course very interesting. Tokugawa Ieyasu shows up in this book along with five daimyo, so power politics result, which is very entertaining to people who like power politics. Furutani has a very nice descriptive style and whenever he explains elements of ancient Japanese culture, he manages to keep it interesting and maintains the flow of the novel. Also, this book has more and better developed characters. There's more parts that aren't from Matsuyama's point of view, which might help. I was slightly disappointed because Okubo (the enemy) was absent for basically 3/4 of the book, but he did have some backstory, which was slightly funny and also a great insight into his character :D. Overall, it was a must read.

5 comments about J F K: A Conspiracy of Silence (Signet).

1. I loved this book! It was only after I had completed it that I found that there were questions concerning Dr. Crenshaw's integrity and account of the assasination. Even if some of what he writes is exaggeration, this just can't be complete fabrication and still makes me think in terms of conspiracy. Regardless, this book, if nothing else, gives a new view of the assasination and is worth reading. Entertaining!



2. Dr. Charles A. Crenshaw worked to save President JFK, and later Lee H. Oswald, at Parkland Hospital. He
   had firsthand personal experience with the crime; he saw that JFK was struck twice from the front: once in the neck, and once in the right side of the head. President LBJ called him to ask for a "deathbed confession" from Oswald. Dr. Crenshaw and the other personnel in the emergency room were ordered not to speak about the events, citing the standard medical confidentiality.

   Charles A. Crenshaw was a surgeon for over thirty years. He watched thousands of trauma victims enter the emergency room. Trauma is the greatest killer of America's youth, and can affect anyone regardless of age, race, sex, occupation, or status. It also has psychological after effects on survivors.

   When Oliver Stone's "JFK" was filmed in Dallas the doctors were again warned to keep quiet. The hundreds of similar gunshot cases seen by Dr. Crenshaw since 1963 have confirmed his conclusions on JFK's wounds. He finally decided to write his story in November 1990 when his career was over and he no longer feared the "men in suits". Dr. Crenshaw saw photos of JFK's Bethesda autopsy - it showed a different wound to the back of the head, one that would support a theory of a lone gunman firing from the back. The front of JFK's neck showed a larger and jagged opening than was seen in Dallas (p.111). According to reports, JFK's body was wrapped in a white cloth and placed in a bronze casket in Dallas. At Bethesda the body was in a zippered body bag in a gray casket. This book was written to present his witness to the events.

   There is one thing that I remember from that time. Right after the assassination the first newspaper reports said JFK was shot from the front. J. Edgar Hoover then said that JFK was shot while the limousine was heading towards the School Book Depository Building. When photos were printed to show that didn't happen, this story was changed. To learn more about this, read "Act of Treason" by Mark North.

   Could the "alterations" in the wounds between Dallas and Bethesda be explained by use of a "body double"?




3. This book is absolute pulp fiction trash. Charles Crenshaw is trying to "cash in" on the Kennedy assassination by writing a book about his recollections at Parkland Hospital on the day Kennedy was shot. Crenshaw makes it sound like he was a major player in the trauma room where Kennedy was treated for his gunshot wounds, yet, the other doctors, including the doctor in charge of the case, cannot recall if Crenshaw was even in the room! Clearly, Crenshaw is writing this book for the money, and not to blow the lid off the assassination. It is a pathetic attempt to make money off a dead man.
   
   Crenshaw brings up conspiracy issues of which he knows little or nothing. He writes about the possibility that Oswald was picked up by Jack Ruby at the Texas Schoolbook Depository after teh shooting occurred! This "truth" of Crenshaw's is based on the unreliable account of a Dallas policeman who later suffered a mental breakdown and killed himself. How utterly ridiculous, yet, this is the kind of innuendo, lies, and half-truths that Crenshaw spins to make his book intriguing to the reader to sell more copies. Crenshaw is a Kennedy assassination fraud and his fellow doctors at Parkland have said as much about him in other publications.
   
   This book does nothing to advance research on the Kennedy assassination. To the uninformed reader, it sends one down a path of conspiracy that is not provable nor feasible. I'd give this book a negative star rating if I could. Avoid it all all costs unless you want to read it for pure fiction, for that is what it is.
   
   Jim "Konedog" Koenig, Kennedy Assassination Buff



4. Few actual eyewitnesses to the JFK assassination and cover-up have provided us with an inside look into the happenings of that November 22, 1963. Dr. Crenshaw finally does so. His book is simply written, void of complicated medical terms and clearly illustrates the fact that the information provided by the government and certain investigative agencies was untrue. A small book, easy to read and although there is no real "smoking gun" here, the information provided grants credence to the conclusion millions of U.S. citizens have arrived at: President John F. Kennedy's assassinated was a high-level conspiracy and cover-up.



5. Chuck Crenshaw was a friend of mine at Parkland Hospital. We both were there at the time of the assassination. We were both residents in general surgery. He was in the trauma room with Kennedy. My only criticism with his book is in his exaggeration of his role. The facts he related were identical to those of all the other physicians who were in attendance. They were all friends of mine and I knew them well. I heard what each of them had to say moments after the ordeal. They all saw the same wounds which were described by Dr. Crenshaw. The things seen at Parkland and reported by all these doctors are clear evidence of a conspiracy. Who and why are issues not addressed. Those would require another book and a huge paradigm shift in thinking on the part of most Americans. Another good book is "Best Evidence." It is more thorough.

5 comments about High Treason: The Assassination of JFK & the Case for Conspiracy.

1. I bought this book when it first came out. The authors bring out a number of questions that still to this day have not been answered completely. What happened to the President's protection that day?? Anybody with common sense can tell that the final head shot came from the front by the way his head snapped back and to the left. The President's brain was missing. The eyewitnesses to the autopsy discredit the photos that were released. A retired GREEN BERET COLONEL was asked to kill William Bruce Pitzer because he had film of the autopsy. This is just a few areas that should raise everybody's suspicion. The government has and always will hide evidence in the name of "national security". Until someone comes forth with more information, I will remain suspicious.



2. "High Treason", co-authored by Harrison Livingstone and Robert Groden, is yet another on the all-too-long list of JFK conspiracy books written since November 22, 1963, the day when President Kennedy's life ended so violently and tragically as a result of two rifle bullets that penetrated his body (both fired by Lee Harvey Oswald).
   
   One of the authors of this publication (Livingstone) states his firm belief that not only were all or most of the autopsy photos of JFK's body "faked" and manipulated by evil conspirators following Kennedy's assassination -- but that the Abraham Zapruder Film also fell into the hands of these same conspirators and that the Z-Film has been "faked" in some manner too (to conceal evidence of multiple gunmen firing at the President).*
   
   * = These two (IMO) silly beliefs of widespread "photo fakery" (and film alteration too) have since been adopted by many other conspiracy theorists (CTers) in the years since "High Treason" was originally published. The "Z-Film Has Been Phonied" theory is particularly crazy when one considers the fact that the #1 thing within Zapruder's home movie that makes most CTers believe that JFK was shot from the front (the proverbial "rear head snap") has been retained within any and all "faked" copies of the film! How dumb is that? The photo-fakers go to the trouble of changing Zapruder's film to "hide" any indication of conspiracy, but they seemingly just forgot about the main item that makes most conspiracy theorists shout "Frontal Shot!" when viewing the film -- that head snap to the rear. This LEAVING IN of the rear head snap is the best indicator of all that Mr. Zapruder's film has never been "tampered with" by unknown plotters.
   
   Groden and Livingstone don't seem to agree, however, on whether or not the Zapruder Film was altered. Livingstone definitely thinks it was; while Groden does not. Groden, like most other hard-line pro-conspiracy rooters, does believe that a goodly number of the autopsy photos and X-rays of JFK have been faked and altered in some fashion. It's interesting, I think, that even the CTers cannot seem to get together and agree on many aspects of the JFK evidence, as seems to be the case re. the personal conspiratorial preferences owned by Mr. Livingstone and Mr. Groden (heck, even two guys writing the SAME BOOK can't even agree). That says a lot, in my view. And such ambiguity and disagreements between the authors of the very same publication certainly does not bode well for the overall "conspiracy case" re. JFK's murder.
   
   The commonly-held belief that the autopsy pics are fakes has been put forth in numerous volumes of JFK-related literature, despite the fact that more than one dozen photographic experts, who examined all of the autopsy materials for the "House Select Committee On Assassinations" in the late 1970s -- an organization for which Groden himself served as a photographic consultant -- came to the conclusion that NONE of the pictures or X-rays that were taken at Kennedy's autopsy were altered in any way. Groden, therefore, must feel that every one of those men who looked at the pictures and arrived at that determination must all be lying "cover-up agents" of some ilk. To me, that notion is simply foolish.
   
   Here are the completely-unambiguous conclusions of that HSCA photographic panel:
   
   "From the reports of the experts' analyses of the autopsy photographs and X-rays, the evidence indicates that the autopsy photographs and X-rays were taken of President Kennedy at the time of his autopsy and that they had not been altered in any manner." -- From Volume VII of the Report of the House Select Committee On Assassinations
   
   Before anyone buys into the incredibly-complicated (and incredibly-ridiculous) notion that all of the JFK autopsy materials were manipulated by a band of conspirators, they should fully read the following report issued by that panel of HSCA photo experts:
   
   http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/autopsy2.txt
   
   
   The "Single-Bullet Theory".......
   
   Neither of the two "Treason" authors (Livingstone or Groden) believes that the "Single-Bullet Theory" is the correct version of events surrounding the simultaneous (or virtually-simultaneous) wounding of JFK and Governor John Connally on 11/22/63 in Dallas. This disbelief in the completely-acceptable-based-on-the-evidence "SBT" is, of course, to be expected from any CTer. I haven't come across a conspiracy theorist yet who thinks the SBT is a fact. But it's a shooting scenario that has never been disproven, that is for certain.
   
   But what I'd REALLY like to see is just one single solitary pro-conspiracy buff come up with a believable, logical, and non-laughable "alternative" to the SBT that comes even remotely close to a realistic way the shooting of both JFK and Connally could have occurred -- i.e., considering the documented evidence in the case, such as: the bullet holes in both victims, plus the lack of any and all bullets (except for Bullet CE399), plus the lack of any limousine damage in the back-seat areas of the vehicle, plus the Zapruder Film timing of the event (which would, of course, without the "SBT", indicate THREE separate shooters firing at virtually the same time, given the tight Z-Film timeline).
   
   Let's see some conspiracy theorist concoct a non-SBT "theory" (of the non-laughable variety) with those parameters firmly in place.
   
   I, myself, am rather sick of hearing how the Single-Bullet Theory is "foolish" and "impossible", etc. -- when at the same time not one CTer has placed on the table any kind of reasonable, logical (and above all, BELIEVABLE) alternative scenario to replace the SBT.
   
   Conspiracists who perpetually repeat the worn-out "The SBT Is Wrong" refrain, without offering up some kind (any kind!) of reasonable alternative for how the shooting DID actually happen that day in Dealey Plaza, are guilty of poor overall research, in my opinion. For, if the SBT is "wrong", then something ELSE is right.
   
   The President's and the Governor's many wounds certainly weren't "planted" there by mysterious covert operatives after the fact. Those wounds were REAL! And they were caused via SOME kind of rifle-shooting scenario in Dealey Plaza that Friday in Dallas, Texas. So, CTers, what the heck was it then (if not the SBT)? No CTer seems to want to reveal this all-important "truth" re. the wounding of JFK and Mr. Connally. (Seems odd to me, too -- because such a bombshell of a revelation re. the "way it really happened!" should be good for quite a profitable book deal, I would imagine. Funny we've never seen such a publication, huh?)
   
   
   An Assassination Overview.......
   
   1.) Lee Harvey Oswald's own rifle was found in the same building from where shots were fired (the Texas School Book Depository Building on Elm Street in Dallas).
   
   2.) Oswald's fingerprints (on various objects) were found at the EXACT same place where a gunman was located while President Kennedy was being shot (i.e., within the "Sniper's Nest" on the 6th Floor of the Book Depository Building).
   
   3.) Without permission from his supervisors, Oswald quickly left the Depository (his own workplace) immediately after shots were fired at JFK from that very building (i.e., within approximately three minutes of the last gunshot).
   
   4.) Stretcher Bullet "CE399" was positively linked to Oswald's 6.5mm Mannlicher-Carcano bolt-action rifle, to the exclusion of every weapon ever made.
   
   5.) Two bullet fragments were found inside JFK's limousine and were positively linked to Oswald's rifle, to the exclusion of every weapon ever made.
   
   6.) Three rifle shells were found beneath the "Sniper's Nest" window in the Book Depository and were positively traced to Oswald's rifle, to the exclusion of every weapon ever made.
   
   7.) Assassination eyewitness Howard L. Brennan positively identified Lee Harvey Oswald as the man Brennan saw firing a rifle at President Kennedy.
   
   8.) A massive amount of physical and circumstantial evidence exists providing conclusive proof that Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed Dallas policeman J.D. Tippit forty-five minutes after JFK was shot.
   
   9.) Oswald told many lies (provable lies) before and after President Kennedy's assassination.
   
   To all conspiracy buffs who think Oswald was nothing but a "Patsy" (Mr. Groden included), I challenge you to take a good look at the nine-item list I made above -- which is a list of ACTUAL EVIDENCE (official evidence in the case against Lee Harvey Oswald for two murders he was charged with in 1963; with #9 about "Oswald's lies" leaning more toward circumstantial evidence in the case against him, but still very solid evidence in favor of guilt) -- and then tell me (and the rest of the people on planet Earth) HOW in the wide, wide world of conspiracy theories and Patsy Plots all of this evidence could have possibly been "manufactured" by evil conspirators to implicate an "innocent patsy"?**
   
   ** = A "Number 10" could be added to the above list as well, to include details re. the SBT -- which would have had to be "replaced" with at LEAST three different shots/bullets if the SBT is false (as mentioned earlier in this review/essay). This "Three-Shot SBT Replacement", of course, just compounds the problems for any "conspiracy team" even more, and makes any perceived successful plot all the more incredible and near-miraculous from the standpoint of the plotters/conspirators actually getting LUCKY enough to have THREE bullets merge into JUST a "Single-Bullet Theory". Even most conspiracy theorists should agree that that "Faux SBT" accomplishment is worthy of God's own applause and admiration.
   
   I'd very much recommend a book by Larry Sturdivan (entitled "The JFK Myths") to anyone who is interested in learning about the physical evidence in the Kennedy murder case (which includes an undeniably-HUGE amount of such evidence that all favors Lee Oswald's guilt in both the JFK and Tippit killings, with virtually no physical evidence leading toward any other conclusion than Oswald's sole guilt in those crimes).
   
   There is one particular passage within the above-mentioned Sturdivan-authored book that is so incredibly simplistic....and yet so completely filled with everyday common sense and logic as to be considered by this writer impossible for CTers to overcome:
   
   "While one of the pieces of physical evidence could conceivably have been faked by an expert, there is no possibility that an expert, or team of super-experts, could have fabricated the perfectly coordinated whole {and have possessed such} superhuman abilities to fake physical evidence that is in complete agreement with all the other faked evidence." -- Page 246 of "The JFK Myths" by Larry M. Sturdivan; c.2005; Paragon House Publishing
   
   --------------
   
   Not even "remotely involved"? Oh, for Pete's sake! .......
   
   Let me close things out here with a direct quote from co-author Robert J. Groden himself. Mr. Groden, in the late 1970s, said the following in a radio interview (I'm not making this up, I swear; he actually said this):
   
   "As yet I have not seen one piece of evidence in 16 years to show that Oswald was even remotely involved in the murder except as a patsy." -- Robert J. Groden; Via a 1979 radio talk-show interview
   
   Anybody who would truly believe the above-spoken words by Mr. Groden should make sure they never, ever drive an automobile again for as long as they live -- because such a person is almost certainly completely blind.
   
   Such an outlandish declaration of Oswald's perceived innocence via the above-referenced quotation is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of a "conspiracy-favoring agenda"; and such an entirely-unsupportable quote would be quite sad and heartbreaking, I suppose, if it weren't so outright laughable instead.



3. To the gentleman above and all other debunkers, dismissing all
   of the damning evidence of conspiracy while siting the propsterous official version is either intellectually dishonest
   or you just havent done the work. Has the military-industrial
   complex, our country's misadventures in Southeast Asia, Central
   and South America, Government lies and corruption involving FBI,
   CIA, Pentagon and others instilled this unwavering faith? This
   may not be the best book (I recommend Fetzer's Murder in Dealey Plaza), but it's a good place to start. Too important to ignore.



4. Is a sales technique that is used to get attention. That is what is needed in the case of the Coup D Etat against the peace maker, John F Kennedy. The opposite position, the nonsensical Warren Report and it's apologists is so unbelievable that it takes Lone Nut Whackos like Donald R Von Pein and the Koenigs to write reviews to counteract the obvious. With their mile long , perfectly composed reviews they to attempt to pursuade an often gullible American public what they want to believe-that it was a senseless killing by an insignificant man. That notion could not be further from the truth and the volumes of evidence have shown us this over and over again.
   
   There was a State Execution of a sitting President. More than a Coup D Etat, they had to end the Kennedy Dynasty at whatever cost. They also need to cover it up with as much energy and planning as the original operation for there is too much at stake.



5. High Treason is one of the most shocking, truthful, explicit detailed account of the Conspiracy that killed JFK.the information in this book cannot be ignored.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

2 comments about California Justice: Shootouts, Lynching and Assassinations in the Golden State.

1. "I'm goin' to cut down my old lady, you know I caught her messin' 'round with another man."
   
   California Justice. Yeah, it's a little screwy. Here Mr. Kulczyk gives us over 30 vignettes of what's passed for justice in the Golden State: lynching galore, Bugsy Siegel riddled with bullets in a Hollywood mansion, the saga of Sirhan Sirhan (the assassin so nice they named him twice), and Dan White's infamous Twinkie defense (look out, though, because the Twinkie defense is not mentioned by that name). California Justice is fine reading whether you're on the toilet or in your living room.
   
   Disclaimer: O. J. "Class-Act-All-the-Way" Simpson does not show up here, nor does "Hey Joe' by Jimi Hendrix.



2. California Justice is an well researched and eminently readable compendium of some of the most interesting cases of crime and punishment (often by mobs) in California from the 19th to the 21st century. Included are the more famous examples of Sirhan Sirhan killing Robert F. Kennedy, the mob rubbing out fellow gangster Bugsy Siegel, and the assassination of San Francisco's Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk by Dan White; but also more obscure though equally fascinating stories of the Golden Dragon Massacre, the (not so) Brite Brothers, and the last lynching in California in 1947.
   
   The author does a great job of bringing these true sagas to life by adding just the right amount of detail and by keeping the stories moving along at a brisk pace. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, offbeat characters, or crime.

No comments about April '65: Confederate Covert Action in the American Civil War.

No comments about COUNTDOWN TO VALKYRIE: THE JULY PLOT TO ASSASSINATE HITLER.

5 comments about The Shot.

1. i enjoyed the shot, although the ending was a let down.psfort sam houston is in san antonio, not dallas.



2. The Cuban Revolution, Castro, the Mob, the CIA, the FBI, JFK, RFK, Monroe, Sinatra, Hoffa, and the 1960 election. Havana, Miami, Las Vegas, Palm Beach, New York, and Harvard. Capitalism, communism, Khrushchev, spy versus spy, double agents, triple agents, moles, and one Tom Jefferson (alias Marty van Buren) (alias Franklin Pierce), hit man. This rip roaring trip back to the early `60s, complete with movie stars, gangsters, politicians, entertainers, ball players, blue suede shoes, and cherry coca will immerse you into nostalgia like few thrillers do. Characters that made the headlines some 40 years ago walk off the pages as you listen in on the plotting and back stabbing of the then-famous power brokers.
   Kerr's work is not so much a page turner of what happens next as it is a rich tapestry of the hows and whys of history in the making. Eavesdrop on bigger-than-life hoods and pols maneuvering for advantage. Watch while the little people get caught in the crossfire. And wonder if it really did happen this way. But don't look for a protagonist: it's not here. What is here is the early `60s milieu, in spades - and that's your leading character.



3. A professional hitman hired by the mob to kill Fidel Castro gets involved in more than he asked for. The hit is sponsored not only by the mob, but also by Kennedy who wants to become the president and then let the mob run the Cuban casinos. The mob possess a film of Kennedy's sexual adventures and thus all are tied-in in this game. When the hitman finds out that his wife also was Kennedy's lover, he takes things into his own hands and goes after kennedy. One of Kerr's best books.



4. There's no doubt that an assassin's bullet can change history--that's why the subject holds such fascination for authors. It's certainly gripping subject matter--in fact, some of the most memorable novels in recent memory deal with the subjects of assassins and assassination. Such novels include Adam Kennedy's The Domino Principle, Stephen Hunter's Point of Impact, Frederick Forsythe's classic The Day of the Jackal, and Richard Condon's spectacular The Manchurian Candidate. More germane to this review, however, are books that examine the Kennedy assassination, including Don DeLillo's Libra and James Ellroy's vastly under appreciated American Tabloid, both of which effectively melded fact with speculation in service of their author's narrative.
   
   Given such fertile ground, it's no surprise that Philip Kerr, author of The Berlin Trilogy, and, more recently, of a clever SF/caper novel called The Second Angel, also chose to work this particular literary field. Instead of 1963, however, The Shot is set in 1960. Instead of President Kennedy, the book focuses on candidate, and subsequently President-elect, Kennedy. Instead of Lee Harvey Oswald, the novel chronicles the activities of Cuban-American sniper Tom Jefferson, as he plans and executes a series of hits for a variety of organizations, including the Mossad, the CIA, and the American Mob.
   
   The main action of The Shot commences when representatives of Sam Giancana approach Tom with a proposal to assassinate Fidel Castro. Tom accepts the job, along with a $150,000 advance. He never fulfills his end of the deal however, as, shortly after agreeing, his Mob contact plays him one of many audio tapes in their possession, featuring the randy John Kennedy's sexual escapades with one of his campaign staff. To Tom's surprise, he recognizes the staffer's voice as that of his wife, Mary. Stunned, Tom abruptly drops out of sight.
   
   A week later, Mary is found dead, purportedly of an accidental drug overdose. Believing her death may yield clues to Tom's present whereabouts, the Mob hires ex-G-Man Jimmy Nimmo to investigate. After examining the evidence, Nimmo concludes Mary was murdered, probably by her enraged husband, who now appears to have switched targets from Castro to Kennedy. Thus begins a strange, twisted odyssey, as Tom closes in on the President elect, and Nimmo closes in on Tom.
   
   The Shot is first and foremost a period piece, with Kerr injecting telling details from that time into nearly every scene. Thus, he mentions Eichmann's kidnapping from Buenos Aires, the Kennedy-Nixon debates, various members of Sinatra's Rat Pack, and, in a chilling set piece, describes a murder that takes place in a theater as the shower scene from Psycho unfurls on screen. It is also, in many ways, a by the numbers thriller. Kerr is careful to hew to the conventions of the genre, detailing a deadly game of international intrigue. But he also deftly stands these conventions on their respective heads, in ways I won't go into, for fear of ruining your read.
   
   The Shot is a meticulously researched, beautifully written thriller that holds an eerie mirror up to the Kennedy assassination. A book whose secret agenda is bound to confuse and shock its audience, it's a novel that is as challenging as it is exhilarating.



5. So far I read Kerr's first 3 books. "Gridiron" was thrilling, "Esau" was like an adventure novel and "A Simple Plan" was quite funny. 3 totally different books, not comparable to each other. And The Shot does not resemble any of the other books either.
   PLOT: It's 1960, the year of the election of J. F. Kennedy. Thomas Jefferson served in the army where he became one of the best snipers in the world, he fought in a war and was a POW. After his release from captivity he made a living out of his only skill and became a highly paid contract killer. His newest target: Fidel Castro; his employer: the mafia/mob. But then he stumbles about something that makes him change the target. And now the mob wants to see him dead.
   
   Especially in the beginning the reader gets bombed with names. There is a danger of losing track of who is who, who is working for whom, who is connected to whom, who is directly involved and who is only secretively, who knows what etc. But not all of Kerr's characters are fictitious.
   Sam "Momo" Giancana, Bugsy Malone, Meyer Lansky, Dave Yaras and Carols Marcello were actual historic figures from the mafia. A deeper survey shows that Momo is indeed linked with the CIA in planning to kill Fidel Castro. He also is said to have helped to fix the election of Kennedy as stated in the book! Therefore Kerr cleverly embedded the story into real past time figures and circumstances.
   Other figures are better known to the average reader but some might not like how they are portrayed/used here. If you like Marilyn Monroe there are some passages that you might really hate. The same goes for John. F. Kennedy who is portrayed as a sex maniac who jumps almost every woman in town and his connection to Marilyn Monroe is used accordingly.
   
   After an interesting start the pace of the story slows down significantly. Therefore the first 100 pages are a bit dull. Unfortunately after a short increase in tension the book continues slower than ever. Some passages are way too long. E. g. 22 pages for the introduction of an former FBI agent, hired by the mob to find Jefferson. They contain a lot of dialogues and tons of names that have nothing to do with the basic story, lead nowhere and contribute nothing at all. Some readers might like it when every character is introduced with ample background information but I wanted to scream "get to the point!". Especially when not only persons but objects in a room also came with a ample description plus a history!
   Furthermore whole chapters are completely tiresome because nothing of any relevance is happening. Like portraying solid police footwork. That might be realistic but kills suspense. Since that is done several pages long I finally gave in to temptation and did something I hardly ever do: speed-reading and skipping sentences or paragraphs.
   
   There are other flaws that spoiled the fun of reading:
   In this book Kerr uses a bit too much foul language and four letter words. There are long paragraphs where almost every sentence contains the f-word. That might be funny for American readers where every foul word on TV is censored but started to tire me after a while.
   Is it realistic that just everybody knows what Tom Jefferson does for a living and that basically everybody can get in contact and hire him easily? The same goes for CIA, FBI, the mob - everybody knows about everyone and talks to everyone?
   Should you like the main character Tom Jefferson? A contract killer who only kills because if he does not do it then somebody else will do the job? Somebody who works for CIA, FBI and the mob - sometimes even for all at the same time?
   After about 130 pages you learn what changes Tom's target and why. (No real surprise.) But shortly later you wonder what really changed is plans for the target to assassinate because Tom Jefferson has a secret agenda of his own. (One that makes it even more difficult to like him) But does that secret fully explain his change of plans? And does it make sense when you think about all the killings before and that he first accepted the contract for killing Castro? I could not get rid of the feeling that something was wrong and did not fit together. Explanations given later on could not really erase that feeling.
   The biggest flaw of the book? Certain historic figures in the book were either still alive over 20 years later or you know how and when they passed away. Therefore you know that Tom Jefferson will not be successful. Knowing the outcome kind of spoils the fun of reading.
   
   Some good things can be stated as well:
   Putting the story into a real past time environment and letting fictitious characters interact with historic figures is a clever scenario.
   Surprisingly the book's tension manages to rise towards the end. The last 50 pages are quite good actually. And the ending is not as expected but delivers an interesting new twist.
   
   The final twist in the end was a nice surprise but not good enough to make up for about 400 pages before. Given all the flaws mentioned it was no problem to put the book aside - even for days. Overall I must conclude that if "The Shot" had been the first Philip Kerr book I read I probably would not have read "A Simple Plan", "Gridiron" and "Esau". And that would have been a real pity.