REVIEW -- "JFK: Beyond The Magic Bullet" (From "The Discovery Channel")
David Von Pein
(THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
THE CLOSEST WE'RE LIKELY TO EVER GET TO A PERFECT DUPLICATION
OF THE SINGLE-BULLET THEORY.....
http://shopping.discovery.com/product-56798.html
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The cable television network "The Discovery Channel" aired the
documentary program "JFK: Beyond The Magic Bullet" in November 2004, a
very impressive John F. Kennedy assassination-related program which
set out to attempt to duplicate (with all possible accuracy) the
controversial "Single-Bullet Theory"; and it's a program which
hammered one or two more nails into the "conspiracy" coffin.
The more and more time that passes, the firmer and more solidified the
"Lone Assassin" position becomes with respect to JFK's murder in
Dallas on November 22, 1963; while the "It Was A Conspiracy" side
makes no headway whatsoever, with zero tests like that of The
Discovery Channel's "SBT" test being performed to prove the conspiracy
buffs are correct. Nor do we ever see any computer simulations for the
"CT" side to "prove" their case for conspiracy (a la Dale Myers'
exacting animation project, which, like the "Magic Bullet" program,
goes a long way toward proving the SBT is a truism).
Several impressive things supporting the overall doability of the SBT
scenario came out of the "Beyond The Magic Bullet" program.....such as
the "log" test (with a bullet being fired into a solid block of wood).
The test bullet looked absolutely perfect after being dug out of
several feet of wood.
And, of course, the actual SBT re-creation itself....which proved
beyond any doubt that a WCC, 6.5mm, FMJ, Mannlicher-Carcano bullet
exactly like "CE399" (the actual bullet from the JFK case in 1963)
could, indeed, take a very similar path through two "bodies", and then
emerge in pretty decent shape....as we can see here:
http://216.122.129.112/dc/user_files/6735.jpg
The Discovery Channel test bullet was more damaged than CE399, but IMO
the test proved a very important thing -- it proved that a bullet like
Oswald's 399 could go through two bodies, do a lot of damage, and NOT
BE BROKEN UP AT ALL.
The test bullet, just like 399, emerged PERFECTLY WHOLE (i.e., not
fragmented at all). It's all in ONE PIECE. It's flattened more than
399, sure....but certainly not banged all to hell like Dr. Cyril Wecht
seems to think a bullet like 399 would HAVE to have been if it went
through the bodies of both Jack Kennedy and John Connally and caused
seven wounds; and the "test" bullet caused an extra (2nd) rib fracture
within the John Connally mock-up "body" during the re-creation as
well.
The nose portion of the test bullet wasn't flattened at all either,
which is an important factor, indicating almost certainly it took a
similar path through John Connally's "mock" torso in the test, just as
CE399 most-likely took through JBC's real torso in 1963 -- indicating
a bullet that smashed into most of the hard objects that it hit in a
BACKWARD, END-FIRST manner, thereby keeping the nose undamaged.
And another impressive part of the "Magic Bullet" broadcast was the
ending sequence which had a doctor giving his erroneous opinion that
the damage he had just seen in the X-rays from the re-creation almost
certainly must have been caused "by more than just one bullet".
When proven wrong in this multi-bullet belief, the Los Angeles doctor
was genuinely surprised. (Do CTers think that he's a "CT plant"
too...only feigning "surprise" when confronted with the test results
to further the notion of the SBT?)
Another point I'd like to make regarding the "Beyond The Magic Bullet"
re-creation (with respect to Connally's thigh wound)......
Many CTers like to point out (with some glee) that the "test" bullet
in the Discovery Channel re-creation/simulation didn't penetrate the
surrogate "thigh wound" of JBC. Instead, the test bullet struck the
simulated thigh and then immediately bounced off into the grass.
But it's very, very possible that a similar occurrence DID happen with
the real John Connally on 11/22/63 -- that is to say:
It's quite possible (given the nearly-"spent" condition of Bullet
CE399 at the time it struck Connally's leg) that CE399 did not remain
in his thigh for any length of time at all. Perhaps it immediately
came out of that shallow leg wound and then simply fell down into
Connally's pants leg....where it remained until later falling out of
the clothing onto his stretcher inside Parkland Hospital.
But the main point I want to make about the "bouncing off the thigh"
test bullet vs. the real bullet that struck Connally on November 22nd
is.....
If CE399 did, in fact, pop out of JBC's thigh just after entering his
leg, it would have had virtually NO CHOICE but to remain in Connally's
pants leg (unless CTers want to theorize that the bullet miraculously
exited JBC's leg by way of the very same small hole in his pants where
it entered).
Sure, the bullet could have conceivably found its way down to the
bottom of JBC's pants-leg opening and dropped out into the car
immediately. But a reasonable person researching the case knows that
that scenario did not happen....because if it had occurred, a bullet
would have been found in the car that could equate to Connally's
wounds.
In my opinion, it's very likely that that bullet (CE399) almost
immediately fell out of JBC's leg after striking the thigh, and it
remained in his pants leg until after he was wheeled into the
hospital.
Such a scenario would also (in a small way at the very least) explain
why there was no trace evidence left on 399....due to the fact that it
was never "buried" in a victim for any length of time
whatsoever....thereby making it less likely for trace evidence to have
accumulated on the missile.
All-in-all....that Discovery Channel broadcast did an amazing job at
replicating the damage path and general characteristics of CE399. The
test bullet exited the JFK mock body much lower than the real 399 did
in '63, true. I certainly cannot deny this obvious difference. But we
must keep in mind that a PERFECT re-creation can never be fully
achieved, with every single "human" nuance accounted for (since only
mock torsos were utilized in the re-creation).
With some unavoidable limitations in mind, the SBT re-creation done by
the Australian team of JFK researchers in early October of 2004 is as
close to the real event that I believe we're likely to ever see. And
the results most certainly do not debunk the likelihood of the Single-
Bullet Conclusion. To the contrary -- the results of that re-creation
enhance the viability of the Warren Commission's one-bullet conclusion
greatly.
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ADDITIONAL COMMENTS RE. "JFK: BEYOND THE MAGIC BULLET":
Prominent JFK assassination researchers Vincent Bugliosi and Dale
Myers both put in appearances in the Discovery Channel "Beyond The
Magic Bullet" documentary.
Myers convincingly demonstrates the rock-solid validity of the Single-
Bullet Theory, via portions of his Emmy Award-winning 3D computer
animation of the assassination ("Secrets Of A Homicide: The JFK
Assassination").
"It's a straight line....it's the only way it COULD have happened." --
Dale K. Myers ....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2kEh3Kgwhk0
Bugliosi, in his only appearance in a JFK documentary of this nature
(that I am aware of; not taking into account his appearance as the
prosecuting attorney in the 1986 TV Docu-Trial, "On Trial: Lee Harvey
Oswald"), provides a few tidbits of general information throughout the
early stages of the program.
I would have enjoyed hearing a lot more from Vince and Dale during
this documentary program, but their on-screen time is not very
prolonged...but intriguing nonetheless.
Here are some verbatim quotes spoken by Vincent Bugliosi during the
"Beyond The Magic Bullet" program:
"The American people are simply misinformed. They think they know what
happened; but there's an enormous amount of material in this case they
have no idea about." -- VB
~~~~~
"If, in fact, the bullet that passed through Kennedy did NOT go on and
hit Connally, then the bullet that DID hit Connally, by definition,
would have had to have been a separate bullet from a second gunman.
Why? Because Kennedy and Connally were hit virtually at the same time.
And with Oswald's single-shot, bolt-action rifle, it would have been
absolutely impossible for him to squeeze off two rounds within a split-
second of each other." -- VB
~~~~~
That last Vince Bugliosi quote above goes a long way, in my opinion,
toward debunking the "Anti-SBT/Pro-Lone Gunman" theory put forth by
Mark Fuhrman in his 2006 book "A Simple Act Of Murder", which is a
theory of Mr. Fuhrman's that DOES indeed have Oswald performing a non-
SBT solo act and doing what Vince has said (via the above quote) is
"absolutely impossible".
I agree 100% with Mr. Bugliosi -- it was "absolutely impossible" for
Lee Harvey Oswald to wound JFK and John Connally with separate
bullets, given the Zapruder Film timeline of the event.
The Single-Bullet Theory is still fully intact....and always will be
in my opinion. It's the "best evidence" in the case for what actually
happened to President Kennedy and Governor Connally on November 22,
1963.
http://hometheaterforum.com/htf/showpost.php?p=2360150&postcount=271
David Von Pein
December 2004
October 2006
November 2006
March 2007