Cola

The other girls were captives while Tina went to and fro getting the chutes and food. The plane landed at 5:39 and Flo and Alice did not depart till about 6:44ish. The plane took off an hour after that at 7:36. I'm sure Cooper was assured numerous times that there would be no action taken and that Nypro himself had approved the payment of the ransom and there be no intervention. Cini put down his sawed off shot gun...he was brought the axe to cut the tightly cinched twine on a package that was holding his parachute. Cini was holding the axe with one hand and shot gun with the other but he could not manage cutting the twine with both hands full so he then standing in the isle, placed the gun in the middle seat. Captain Ehman seeing this realized his moment, lunged past Cini, grabbed the shot gun and hurled it over the isles as far as he could. Then Cini's fantasy came crashing down as Ehman went to town.

Yes he had the mistake of leaving the stairs truck in place, he should have pulled the truck once Tina completed her last run. Then hooked it back up for the departure of Flo and Alice. This was something Cooper could have been able to pickup from Cini but missed. Cini collected his ransom by lowering a rope from the aircraft and hauling it the 20 feet. Cini was more cautious in this regard not using a stairs truck initially. Thats Cooper's on the ground mistake IMO.

Your such the comedian, care to share any Cooper jokes? Here I'll give you a lead in. What did the skyjacker say to the stewardess

Provocation Fridays “It’s not because I have a grudge against your airlines, it’s just because I have a grudge.” Has anyone here ever had a real grudge or a true brooding of wrath? Have you ever been compelled into action because of a grudge? Are grudges healthy? Can grudges be productive? When Dan Cooper said he had a grudge do you think he was being facetious, flippant, or revealing something deeper of himself? Here is a thought –Newtonian physics – one of the greatest achievements in human history is alleged to have been spurred by a grudge, a brooding of wrath! Yes, possibly there is more truth in this than Newton’s metaphor of an apple falling from the tree of knowledge and giving Newton his inspiration for gravity! (Think of Newton’s symbology of gravity – the apple tree the apple. Was this symbology a heretical attack on Adam and Eve eating form the tree of knowledge, the church and Christianity or a clever combining of Science and Gravity with elements of Christianity - as if gravity were Manna from Heaven falling from the tree of knowledge on Newton…? Who knows the truth but Newton?) Anyway, the story loosely goes that Newton as a boy was kicked in the stomach by a school bully and that in this action Newton’s defense against this much larger individual was not to physically challenge him but to apply himself to mentally dominate this bully. Allegedly, the bully was the head pupil at Newton’s school, so Newton set about whipping this individual’s mind by applying himself to his studies and besting the bully, unseating him from his position as valedictorian. It may have been something as simple as being kicked unjustly in the stomach that ultimately put Newton on an academic and intellectual path to create Newtonian Physics! Has this one kick to the stomach affected man? Is it possible the reason we put a man on the moon in 1969, the reason we were able to put a man on the moon in 1969 was that a bully 340 years prior kicked Issac Newton in the stomach and the effect was a grudge and brooding which may have ultimately lead to the develop Newtonian Physics... Anyone aware of other historical grudges like Newtons? (All comments welcome - This is all for fun)

Provocation Fridays (on a Saturday) You pull a card from life’s Chance pile and the card reads: Congratulations ! the identity of Dan Cooper is... (if only it were that easy!) Anyway lets imagine you did pull such a card, elaborate a little or explain in detail what 3-5 potential things come to mind that you see yourself doing within say the next day, weeks, months or years with this random revelation. This is all for fun..

Author Cola of the Dropzone.com Title: Just for fun Fictitious thoughts for Cooper 8:17 I landed in a field west of Brush Prairie. I planted the landing, but the cordage of the ransom twisted around my right foot and with my momentum and the dead weight of the bag I went down. I didn’t go face down but stumbled and came on one knee. My right hand stretched out before me to steady the fall but it slipped completely out from the wet grass. I came to rest laying on my right side. I managed to catch the silks gracefully float over me obscuring my vision for a moment as they cradled to earth in front of me. The first thing I could make out beyond the silks were some heifers now at a distance trotting away. There was a slight breeze on the field but nothing of immediate concern. A little mud on my palms, soiled trench coat. My legs and shoes were muddied. In the distance some 240 yards I could see a light on a barn and beyond that mostly obscured I made out the silhouette of a farmhouse. Laying quietly, I listened for any dogs. Nothing stirred and the night was silent except for a slight flapping of the chute and ringing in my ear. I got to my feet and took measure of myself. Standing there I noted my legs worked and nothing of body had broken. Mistakenly I was standing upright, I then hunched down bringing my head below the grassy barbwire edge of the field. I further knelt on one knee. Taking a glance around, my nerves were on, my senses sharpening as I looked over to the field, bordered by a road to my left, another field to my rear, the farmhouse in front and some pines opposite the road on my right. Evergreens in that country there. I felt I was facing south. I looked to the horizon of the barbed wire outline of the field and toward the barn for any threats. My breathing went flat as I sucked air over my tongue and gazed intensely in every direction. Moving slowly I took in the full detail of my surroundings. Coming down I had seen a single vehicle traveling the road some 600 yards past where I landed. I was confident he’d not seen me or the chute in the rear view. The acid of my stomach had started to sour in those 30 minutes I waited to walk down the stairs. In my waiting, I had found up front a turkey sandwich I’d ordered for the crew and I forced it down then to settle the acid. However, as I now knelt quietly looking around, I noticed a burning sensation in my sinuses and back of my throat. My stomach must have splashed into my esophagus during the jump or when I pulled the rip cord. I don’t know for how long I stared out at my surroundings, time slows in moments like that. I sat there listening on every bug walking every blade of grass or fluttering in that field. I was still undecided thinking over if I had the resolve to do what might be required had I been seen. I guess in the sheer intensity of working through my pan-acy and on those nasty thoughts I felt my stomach empty out into my lower bowels. It’s odd to think yourself fortunate in life to have shit yourself a time or two. However, in having the benefit of these prior experiences, when the feeling now came over me I quickly unfastened the parachute harness, stepped back, dropped my drawers and relieved myself. With this relief my mind relaxed and an incredible rush came over me. Squatting there I couldn’t believe what I’d pulled off. It started to sink in. It began with a slight snicker at my thoughts and my spirits lifting. As I crapped, I passed a little gas and then giggled on that, and more gas chased after my giggle. I set into a pattern of giggling then gas, giggle louder, then louder fart still and this sequence twice over, took me into a chuckle. I tried to cup my mouth, with one hand, but the absurdity of shitting in that cow pasture and having to quiet myself, further served to intensify my snickering. As I pressed my hand against my mouth to hold in any laughter my own hand worked against me. The hand being moist from touching the ground when pressed to my lips, let out its own little series of farts, that were because of the cupping directed straight into my left ear drum. All of this was too much for me in that moment and I then came into a roaring laugh which discharged my bowels completely. I stood partially out of panic, pulled my pants up, belly laughing into the open field and then cackling like a lunatic of sorts as I applied some restraint in clamping down on my mouth while I buckled my britches. I thought for sure that dam Farm dog had heard me now. I buried my mouth in the crook of my elbow but the wet overcoat did not lessen the effect. After so many hours playing the stoic, the pressure valve had suddenly blown open, I’d never had such a high, I was now uncontrollable as the laughter from the stress of it all took me over. Cackling. Cackling. Cackling grinding my teeth pinching my mouth shut. The first thing that came to mind was a pillow, so I took off my raincoat and then my jacket. I balled up the jacket and buried my face in it. This dampened my laughter and taking a seat I let it roar on for a few until I came to that point of being strained by the laughter, dry from it. Taking those last few heavy and deep breaths. Exhaling. Inhaling. Exhale -Inhale to gain my composure. a ohhhhhh, a-hewwwww followed by a snickering, he he he he he. Then an a ohhhhhh in, an a-hewwwwwww out, an another snickering he he he he he. As I went on like this I became a little emotional. Being at the edge of tears from the laughing I was a little glum at having to force myself to dampen my own high spirits. After I had suffocated this untimely bliss my body felt wrung out as if I had just had one of those cries a man is known to have. The kind of cries we men have, the alone ones, behind closed doors, once every 8 or 12 years or so. That’s how I felt in that field, broken up. I snickered some here and there the rest of that evening as I walked the rails. For a long time after, that dam snicker was friendly to me warming my spirits and tickling my senses the rest of my days. It would come on at the most inappropriate of times. This new aspect of me unfortunately served to often intensify future assaults upon me from every angle. From that point on I seemed to cackle in the face of conflict and this blessing of light spirit brought with it women problems, authority problems. The snicker was not of my own doing but a reaction. The perception of which by others often interpreted as a sign, a proof, of my pleasure in their displeasure with me. How do you explain this to someone that you do not take joy in their displeasure, that you’re not part, of that part, of the lowest part, of human existence.

It had passed my attention that Tosaw was the Ingram's lawyer. Do you or anyone know when Tosaw began this crusade and for how long this legal dispute went on for until the division of the bills? I had though there was a 6 year legal stall by the agency, but when you mentioned Tosaw was the lawyer I now think that a case may have only been out there for a year or two? Any insights on that.

If you took this on I'd ask that postings come across on Thursday evening. I'm planning on putting out a new provocation Friday.

Provocation Fridays: Anyone care to put their imagination to work? Should you choose to take this on. The assignment for the next 2 weeks is to write a fictional account of Cooper starting form one of these lead ins: - What I have to say goes like this - I landed in - It were my grudge that were my trouble - I noticed that Or chose your own lead in.. Thinking 500-800+ words or more, should take 2-5 hours to write. Narrative style from the view of Cooper or from another characters view... Will check back in two week time to see what stories percolate up. This is all for fun.

Olemisscub, any insight on what the average ransom ask was for the copy cats? I have always though Coops was low given Cini's starting point. Possibly Coops asked based on what he knew Cini was able to receive. Anyone have any reference for what other take me to Cuba type extortionist asked for on the whole? Cini asked for 1.5 million got 50K Coops asked for and received 200k McCoy asked for and received 500,000

haha - touche Noted don't pull a knock and talk on Chaucer. I was going for a rhetorical post but you did git me thinking: there are questions, answers for questions, explanations to questions, then there are the Answers.

What would you rather? a) spend 5 hours with Cooper b ) spend 1-6 years engaged in an agency investigation c) or be harassed by obsessives every so often who would leave you well alone if you answered their questions. this is all free form and for fun, I am interested in seeing any insights that may percolate up and if there is a threshold or conditions which must be in place for society to tolerate criminal acts.

Provocation Fridays: Just tossing some questions out there to explore a criminal act vs. a criminal man - all comments are welcome.. Leaving aside insanity, are there any scenarios where Cooper may engage in this criminal act and not be perceived as a criminal himself? When does society tolerate criminal acts? What conditions, scenarios or thresholds must be present for society to tolerate a criminal act? Is criminality perceptual? Is criminality conditional? Is Cooper someone that could be trusted to hold your wallet, watch your kids, marry your daughter…? Not that anyone need or should share - but just as a thought exercise has anyone ever been a victim of a crime that you would estimate as psychologically more severe than NORJACK turned out to be for the 35 passengers and 6 crew memebrs...

I'm 4 post back on your live streams. Thanks for posting. (The DZ will always be XEROX- PARC in my book.)

Good thought on taste in music being formed by ones 20's. I think we all add songs in our repertoire well into our 50's but our taste are set by our 20's. I think Coops was a Midwest - depression era child. Country and folk seemed to be on the rise in the 40's - 50's so my imagination would like to place Woody Guthrie Dust Bowl Ballads in Coops record collection maybe later in life he added some Johnny Cash. Who knows - a touch of melancholy, The rebel, all kinds of folksiness come to mind when I think on Coops. Yes, agreed no question a criminal act. Think on that, and I'll put another provocation question out on Friday.

He was a nice boy - that belonged to a good Family... he's buried with the flowers now. (wise guy version)

We need you. I think Chris used the metaphor of "we all stand on the shoulders of giants". Ultimately all of us will help bring this case to a conclusion. In this regard there is no question you are a contributor. No one doubts you are not invested or that you do not bring both unique insights and perspectives to the group. This DNA and Stylometry stuff is not for everyone, but you seem to have a very good grasp on the technicals. I speak for myself in saying that I think there will be a deficiency here in the groups understanding if you were to pull away completely. Take a few months off, but always know that whether your candidate is or is not Cooper ultimately your contributions will help in some measure to resolve this case.

O-ya the Doors they're good too ... Any one want to entertain the provocation of what kind of music Coop's listened to and why? My take on the Blues is... Aww geez Dontcha know, if Tina were spot on and Coops had mid-western sensibilities then - for crying out loud - his taste would have evolved worlds away from the blues. (Aww geez ,Dontcha know, crying out loud - that's Minnesotan wholesome slang) Anyone have any songs that bring Coops to mind?

I hate to be meme, but I think we could all let some steam out

Wow... double wow... congrats to Chris on that one. I'm amazed they are not cracked after so long, at fist blush those are by far the closest I have seen and I love your "proto-Oakleys" description which is precisely what they are. Would it be possible to post a few more photos of those. A shot of them relative to something that provides some scale. Maybe even flipped upside down lenses facing away from the shot at a slight elevation decline to the camera so we could observe the bridge. I know you said your on the last chapter of the book, but any ball park ETA on the release?

As far as holding Coops out as a moron I just take that as a basic tenet of any law enforcement agency as classically: The primary objective of the law - is deterrence. Investigation and prosecution are secondary and tertiary objectives when the primary objective of deterrence fails. That's just the game..

In all of the 302's a reference to Benzedrine only occurs one time in the records from a Newspaper article in the Oregonian on November 30th - 71 quoting Rataczak. Rataczak is quoted making reference to a conversation Tina held with Cooper, where Coops made the request for food and indicated he had stimulants / Benzedrine for the crew. The Portland office clipped the article, but there no indication that the article was shared with other field offices. There is nothing in the 302's indicating that this detail was followed up on and if Tina, Rataczak or the Author were contacted to verity Coops indeed offered pills, stimulants or Benzedrine to the crew. Although, it is always a possibility that any sharing of the article was pulled from the 302's being a duplicate copy and that within the 302's a record indicating this was followed up on or verified has yet to be released. Maybe it was just jotted down in agent notes and not added to the interviews. Who knows. Rataczak does make mention of Cooper having "some pills" in his NWO historical interview but he is prompted by the audience on this detail and affirms without ident. of Benzedrine specifically. I try only to read 302's so I can't speak to this being referenced in either Tosaw's or Grey's book. Maybe someone else that has read these would care to chime in. My doubt on this is that, had Coops offered pills to Tina, you woudl think she would have relayed this to Bill or a crew member directly. Bill's Oregonian quote comes off as second hand as if he had not heard this directly from Tina during the event but that it had been relayed to him after the fact. Further doubt on this is that the flight transcripts, handwritten notes and none of the witness interviews make mention of pills - stimulants or Benzedrine being offered to the crew. part 54 pg. 23008

I'm personally not into Gunther, Clara and all of that, but even in the tangential stuff I still believe there is good to come from it. Maybe the ultimate benefit of Gunther's work is that it has brought stylometry to the attention of the Vortex and that unlocks something further. Maybe Gunther's book is that first step or a step of a butterfly effect that brings this case to conclusion. who knows. I try to keep my energy and time on the case material and not go deep on candidates or tangential works.

That is a good visual - but in my book that item alone does not hold a candle to Marty's overall contributions to the Vortex. For me, I don't require a spreadsheet or any fancy programs to "know" that Barb's not Cooper. Mentally I can do the math on that candidate and it doesn't add up to our guy. I find it fun to ask myself often WWCT of all this?