Farflung

snowman, You're right, I have been careless about redundant posts. I should have known the path of fiber bearing, quadrupeds, owned by meat eating, dancers being Cooper was well trodden. I've got to stop being so conventional and get weird with my analysis. Otherwise the same old theories will get recycled as I so adroitly demonstrated.

I'm in the process of cross compiling the names of people who were registered in the Fred Astaire Dance Studios and Arthur Murray Dance Studios from 1954 through 1971. This will be of great value as there is no evidence that Cooper had any dance training but he was wearing low quarter shoes which are favored by dancers more than jumpers. I've tried to make contact with a well know Alcapa breeder for the obvious reasons. Slowly I'm starting to connect the dots and am not quite sure if I like what I see.

snowman, What is the accounting nightmare? $200,000 all in 20's with the serial numbers recorded. or $???,NNN in every denomination from every state from individuals making a purchase as small as a few dollars. Yes, siphoning small amounts is genius. Why do you need accountants? According to Bernie Madoff you don't. Monetary crimes need probable cause just like any other crime. Mr. Minimum Wage suddenly having a pile of money may be investigated by a government hired accountant. Believe it or not, accounting is a very desirable skill to have in the government. Where did you get this money? Mr or Ms America better have a good one or they will get the visible means of support clause used. Mr or Ms Foreign National says; "None of your business" or says nothing. Strange thing about the Mafia types or Conforte who end up overseas is how they want to negotiate their way back into the US. Why? If your living the Life of Riley in some exotic location surrounded by beauty, why the desire to return to Lawng Island, New York or more baffling Sparks, Nevada? Their actions should be telling. How many times have I heard someone go on and on about how they luuuve their job and can't imagine doing anything else? Yet the day they ALL (100%, every single one, no exception) turn 65 years of age they develop a desire to not luuuve their job any more and travel or go fishing. Love your job, keep doing it for free after your retirement or Social Security kicks in. Yeah, this happens all the time. So I have learned to ignore what people say and observe what they do. For people with millions in cash having any desire to return to the US may be indicative of a gilded cage. My personal security budget for travel across North America is zero. Ever been to a country where a beer or soda delivery truck is bristling with guards armed with Uzis? What does this one silly, stupid, ubiquitous service tell you about that country? I truly feel that once you make it across the border with your marked pile of money; the fun has just begun. I realize there are other larger enterprises which operate with impunity. Will they let you in the club because you have managed a 'one off' of theft? A highly visible one as well. Even the nature of this post illustrates how the challenge of managing this money is viewed. It's no problem, others are getting away with much larger amounts, don't worry about it and so on. Who has escaped with a ransom in the US? I simply can't think of any and view ransom demands in cash as extremely high risk.

snowman, I do have some vague recall of Felhaber and the antics associated with a multi-million dollar exchange of cash. I recall thinking what a brilliant ruse it would be to attempt such an audacious move unless you were incredibly innocent or incredibly stupid. Yet the basic assumption remains valid that you are going to have to leave the country. Mexico is well known for having large amounts of drug cash. How tolerant would the UK be about this? Or most of western Europe for that matter. As the curve goes up regarding a country accepting your cash and person, the other curve trends down which represents life style and security. Imagine having a few million in cash but living in Burkina Faso. How much of this cash is from a 'lump sum ransom'? Drug money is collected in small amounts by bad people doing bad things with other bad people down the line. A ransom is gathered by a victim under the supervision of the FBI and inherently passed to a known location. The two only have the end result in common - a large pile of cash. One is a very traceable ransom and the other is an accounting nightmare of tiny sources from across the country. Did McCoy, McNally and crew strike you as having a plan of what to do with these large amounts of traceable cash in the US? Only one chose a foreign country to jump, but that was his home country so only half credit. These drug enterprises have been operating and evolving for years where the cash handlers are out front and taking all of the risk. The guys making the big bucks are insulated deep within the organization and typically live in a compound in some less than desirable location. Just make sure you keep everyone paid very, very well and you can probably enjoy some sort of zoo exhibit type life for some amount of time. Recall how much easier it was for gangsters to operate in the early 1900's. The FBI was created partially to control the growth of interstate crime and their biggest cases have been solved through the application of tax laws rather than a western style shoot out. What have you done to demonstrate you are a good American? (raspy voiced response) I paid my tax. What sort of answer was that? You rob, murder and steal for a living but want the world to know you paid your tax. This is funny stuff, the next thing people will be hiding micro-film in pumpkins or acting crazy in order to avoid court all together. I see a ransom as inherently difficult to handle. So did Cooper. This is why he made his drop off mobile. After jumping then what? Spend $30 on a milkshake and ride home which is enough money to make the person remember you. No one waiting in a get away car for McCoy or in any of the other examples. Perhaps Cooper was the exception.

Since it was 1971, I would have used Bearer Bonds. Using much lighter financial instruments would allow the use of my only trusted accomplices. After jumping I would pass the ransom off to them to carry to a predesignated location in Brazil. One would be familiar with South America and the brains while the other would be tireless and driven.

snowman, Good additional data points with Heady and Hahneman. This will increase the US originated jump pool to six with five quick captures and five known successful jumps with experience levels spanning Goober to Master. Still leaves a mixed bag of men from 20's to late 40's. The passing of money is NOT difficult. The sustainability of having passed that money is the hard part. I was asking specifically about ransoms since they require a third party to handle it before the crook can get to it. Robbing a bank or business is not the same as receiving a ransom then getting away. Yep, the wife bitched about the house because she didn't want to get ripped off by the carpenter. The irony makes me tingle 'down there.' Just because she is a low life thief does not mean she lost her eye for value. She also assumed that all business men that accept cash payments are not reporting this on their income tax. Great for movies but too risky in real life. Go ahead and take that cash and don't report it. Now pray nothing happens that requires an insurance adjuster or some accountant producing actuarial stats. Then hope there is never a problem with an employee on the job who gets hurt or divorced and the wife of the employee bitches to her lawyer about you paying the husband under the table. Oh yeah, your asking for a penthouse suite in the tower of pain. People will accept cash payments for many services and products. If some of that cash is found to be from a ransom you must not carry the expectation of being protected because you generously paid in cash and with a 15 percent bump. You are going to be in the cross hairs of the Department of Whatever and the house of cash will fall apart. So Mr. $47,000 @ year, where did you get all this cash for a waterfront home? Think its a free country? Inheritance - we have a paper trail for that...who died? Saved it up you say? Well you show past deductions on your 1040's which would make such a savings balance mathematically impossible. At this moment you are either getting charged with tax fraud or theft. Well played so far. Are you getting that warm feeling in your groin from a bladder failure? I'm pretty sure you will once you have realized you are painted into a federal corner while comfortably seated in one of their field offices. Having piles of cash is in fact no big deal as long as it stays buried and used extremely sparingly, as in - no changie your life style. Perhaps I'm wrong and should break out the 'ol shovel.

Of the four people to jump three survived and Cooper is unknown. Two had jump training and one had never touched a harness before, Cooper is unknown. The three landed in obstacle free, open and flat areas, Cooper is unknown but Battle Ground to Portland is open, flat pastures and farmland. Of the four, three were captured quickly because they blabbed, were spotted or tracked after the jump. Cooper is unknown. Of the four, one spent $30 the night of the jump, one was captured with his dough while the other lost his during the jump where a farmer found it all and turned it in. Cooper was separated from around $6,000 and no other examples have surfaced. The three that were captured were for most accounts quite average individuals. Average intelligence, income and lifestyles. They did have an event which triggered their nefarious deeds such as unemployment or a demanding spouse. None of them had made long term plans or considered downstream effects. Things such as processing the money or moving or changing identity. What would these people do with such large amounts of cash? Putting it in a bank is unlikely and laundering a large amount would make them a get out of jail free card for who ever they did business with. That money was going to be more difficult than what appears on the surface. Gold would be easier to fence but $200,000 in 1971 would have been over 400 pounds. Other than the Patricia Hearst "Grocery Ransom" has anyone ever escaped with a pile of cash? It appears you would have to plan on leaving the country at minimum and the three jumpers had no such consideration. Not exactly masterminds. They almost seem fatalistic in how the hijackings were carried out. I would have no plans on how to handle the ransom because I did not figure I'd make it that far. Joe Conforte is thumbing his nose at a multi-million dollar tax debt from the shores of Brazil without worry about being identified. Publishing your life's story from Rio would not involve a great deal of risk and would sell quite well if you could produce just one $20 bill with a magic serial number. Cooper would be in his 70's by now and managed to commit his crime without killing anyone before achieving cult Robin Hood status. If anyone could profit handsomely from a bad deed it is Cooper. Yet not a legitimate peep.

Perhaps Coast to Coast is a good news source with a wide bandwidth. Four hour segments of the life of J. Allen Hynek a noted Ufologist is probably such an example. The installment about Spirit Attachments and the Federal Reserve was probably a fluke in that it got some air time. Then there is the time tested Bermuda Triangle where a professor has been researching electronic fog and linear displacement of aircraft also known as local space warps. Following the guidelines of most research projects with a quarter centuries old subject, you must exercise extreme caution about what and when you publish. This insures accuracy for disclosing too much may inspire parallel development or research or validation. In order to preserve the integrity of your 38 year old subject you must guard your data. This is common practice. Of course it is even more common or dare I say universal, to release absolutely nothing. Simply grind away on your 38 year old subject matter and release a comprehensive solution which is sourced and verified with copyright protections. What would be the point of releasing hints about shocking new data as it relates to a case that is, did I mention; 38 years old? These are not standard research practices nor are they all that common outside elementary schools or grocery check out aisles. Of course the ultimate validation would be a conviction or closing of the case from this research; but first let there be books. The validation of individuals through personal interactions is a good thing. A man is judged by the company he keeps, as the saying goes. But for all the people who vouch for, play golf with or do lunch with a person; I want to be able to check their data. Nothing is too secret to escape validation yet still be published. But this 'special access' technique is used because it works so very, very well and on people who consider themselves rational and even holding a superior intellect. I've know person X for 22 years and I can tell you without reservation that his results are consistent. Of course he protects his source, that's how Bernie Madoff is such a success. How many of the people who vouched for him for all those years have since published details about what utter fools they have been for most of their lives? OK, how about what imbeciles they were on this subject? OK, ok, ok...did anyone admit they truly knew nothing about the person or the subject, but simply relished the role of handing out tidbits of information which made people take tiny and constant bites out of their seat cushions? .... .. .... ..

377, I would cast Pamela Anderson as Tina with opening shots of her running back and forth with messages for the flight crew. Each shot zooming closer and closer as she trundles between disinterested passengers on a mission to save lives. But on the seventh or eighth trip I would have the camera do a tight zoom to her nameplate as a protest to the corporate world and how people are reduced to mere numbers. I'm sensitive like that. Flo would have to be played by Adrienne Barbeau, it's been a while since she's had some screen time and would work well with the Anderson motif. Cooper would have to be Raquel Welch as a vehicle to reprise her caveman role. I've also got some ideas about how to make better use of a black raincoat and time in the lavatory. The flight crew are little more than window dressing since they just did what Tina told them after she ran down the fuselage in slow motion. Pilot- Ann Margaret, Co Pilot- Tura Satana and Flight Engineer- Sophia Loren. Of course the F-106 pilot would be Angelina Jolie and the Rigger grabbing the parachutes would be Salma Hayek who would be doing lots of running in order to convey a sense of urgency. I don't see anything wrong with a few 'dream sequences' involving the cast in some sort of tropical or Icelandic prison setting where retribution is meted out with the most medieval of devices. Just some quick ideas, haven't given the subject that much thought.

georger, Why would Cooper bail over Portland and follow it up by jumping over Utah closer to McCoy's home? Why did McCoy have such trouble getting home the second time? Mormons wear skinny ties? Do they smoke Raleigh's and drink? Did McCoy wear a tie, smoke or drink on his flight? Require gear down, flaps, airspeed 160? Ask to fly to a point well outside the 727's range? Did Tina Mucklow say sumin' like "That's him"? He does resemble the Cooper drawing and had jump training. Why wasn't LaPoint Cooper? Use the same sun tan disguise logic and mistaken age without the smoking and drinking thing on a different airline and different route it's exactly the same. Not having eyewitness verification leaves a very large hole in the theory for me. If a witness is not good enough for identification how could they be relied upon to supply a description for the composite drawings? snowman, Other than McNally, I don't know who jumped, is out and still alive. Other than......

1972 was a landmark year for jumping out of 727s and even a DC-9. At minimum there should be no fear of running out of bat crap crazies who view hijackings as viable solutions to some problem. Why the desire to combine McCoy and Cooper is beyond me. Perhaps the resemblance was too strong, as the techniques were very different. Here's two more contestants that were completely different. One was an Army vet named LaPoint who nabbed a Hughes Airwest plane in Las Vegas. He wanted two chutes, one helmet (kinda gave away his intentions) and $50,000. Well the Hughes Airwest motto was YES! and they delivered the goods. Come on, a bright yella' plane getting jacked in the town where Hughes himself lives; classic. Told to fly towards Denver the plane is shadowed by F-111s. LaPoint jumps over the wheat fields of Colorado and is immediately tracked by the survival radio activated in the harness. Mr. LaPoint and his $50,000 were apprehended and he sentenced to 40 years. So well done Air Force and FBI. Guess the successful stories aren't as exciting. Enter Martin McNally. He produces a submachine gun and demands $502,000, a parachute and instructions on how to use it. Landing in St. Louis he is given all he requested. He tells the pilot to head towards Canada and then zoom it before returning to the US. Somewhere over the sovereign state of Indiana, Martin manages to open the air stairs and exit the aircraft. Unfortunately he lost the money bag but made up for that blunder by losing his machine gun next. He did manage to get his chute open and land safely before calling for a ride home. A couple of farmers found the cash and the gun and turned both into the FBI. The guy who gave Martin a ride home no doubt measured the long term effects of forced 'man love' in a federal facility against dropping a dime. Martin was captured and sent to the clink for a term which he finished serving just last month. So if I were the guy who turned him in, I'd be on the move right now. LaPoint was released after serving 7 years. I guess saying you have a bomb is not as bad as pulling out a machine gun. LaPoint while dependant upon an oxygen machine died last year when an ice storm knocked out power to his apartment. So there is a sampling of jumpers. Ages 23 to 50-ish, 2 vets, 1 civilian and 1 unknown with ransom amounts from $50,000 to $502,000. 3 quick captures and 1 mystery. None were airline employees, in fact 2 were unemployed. 2 blabbed to others about their crimes and were turned in for that indiscretion. Airlines included Northwest, United, American and Hughes Airwest; we realize you have a choice when it comes to hijacking.....

Any book or theory released always orbits around some coincidental facts which appear to become self supporting. Person 'X sub n' was an employee of Northwest and let me show you document after document and testimony from people stating he was an employee. Then this information gets supporting information and tertiary documents are introduced validating the documents which indicated this person worked for Northwest. Now it's easy to get caught up in the minutia of this persons employment with Northwest. He had a problem with the company or he would act as if he had something to say and stop himself; but we all knew what it was. How and when did Cooper ever become an employee? Has a hijacking ever been an inside job? You know McCoy was going to spend that money, in fact he was barely on the ground two hours and $30 was already in circulation. Yes it is interesting that someone holds a resemblance to the composites for Cooper was not described as a white haired woman. So there is some basis of fact in the drawings. Cooper did not indicate being an employee to anyone. No jargon or use of aircraft equipment. Why risk bringing a bomb in the aircraft when an employee would know where to hide such a thing for later use? The evidence presented is credible for points B to G or where ever. It's the way point A is glossed over as a given which makes for such frenetics. Person X3 was a special forces commando and I can prove it. That's not questioned by anyone as far as I can tell, what does special forces have to do with Cooper? Person X4 said skydiving was easy even though he had never jumped, then one day he quit work and was never seen again. Someone with that profile would be a more plausible/interesting starting point than people selected for being jump trained or former employees. Cooper wanted those stairs down and didn't seem to care that Mexico City became Reno because he expected to be gone. His targeting may not have been precise but it does not appear random either. He's careful to take everything with him except a clip on tie and clasp. So he is capable of making a mistake. How many cars were picked up in the area as abandoned? Was he wearing everything he owned? I doubt that. He would not have set up a way to go undetected if he didn't make it, as that isn't very logical. These suspects theoretically have access to enough cash to be comfortable for quite a while. Yet they go back to work and stay there until normal retirement age without a plan B for the cash. I'm not sure what I would have done....but....is that....samba.....Brasillllll......Meu Brasil brasilerooooohhh.

I was going over some old photos from the Sands Casino in Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. I found a beautiful picture of the sign at night and thought I would post it (Rat Pack Sign). Then I noticed some troglodyte with his pant leg hiked up and his foot on the stage. There was a time when you could go to a show like this and not have to deal with such riff raff (Sands Copa Room).

Some may find it surprising to learn the Rat Pack had Chicks. Or so they would like you to believe. First is Marilyn Monroe, blonde, blue eyed and shapely. Perpetually breathless and always running in a pair of heels that amplify any motions her body may produce. A natural choice to hang with the boys. Then there is Angie Dickinson, also blonde and with a slightly harder edge, the kind of woman that you wouldn't mind bossing you around. (Attach Rat Pack Chicks) Then there is the suspect. Always described as utterly forgettable and below average in appearance. Thin lips with a reptilian edge, a long narrow nose which adds to the androgyny. Those emotionless, close set, almost perpetually squinting eyes masking what has to be a bottomless pit of self interest. (Attach Age Progressed Cooper) Shirley you must be kidding.

Here's a photo I have found which includes Joey Bishop as part of the Rat Pack. I may have been making too much about him being an enigma before. Some times the imagination can get the best of me.

What programs did Joey Bishop appear in? Dinah! Break the Bank Celebrity Sweepstakes Onionhead Oceans Eleven Person to Person Esther Williams at Cypress Gardens Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In And what part did he play the majority of the time? That's right, himself. His last performance was in Valley of the Dolls in 1967. Then an obvious 'hiatus' when he inexplicably appears on the Dean Martin Show in 1972. It's all so very convenient isn't it? They all had their role to play, the Chairman in the Mafia, Dean-o as a wine-o, Peter as the lap dog brother in law to the Prez, Sammy as the token Jew; which left Joey to do all the dirty work. They let him join the Rat Pack but he never plays any Rat games. How could Angie Dickinson have such encyclopedic knowledge about everyone and constantly mistake Bishop for a washroom attendant? I can't believe that Joey didn't try to leave some kind of message about what the Rat Pack really did.

377, Be careful with what you disclose about the Rat Pack. Ask anyone to name the members of the Rat Pack and they ALWAYS forget Joey Bishop (Attach 1). Sure he is listed as a comedian but have you ever seen him perform? Name one Joey Bishop joke. That's right you can't, because there is no such thing. Gee, I wonder why Mr. Unknown Comedian was allowed entrance into the vaunted 'Rat Pack.' Why don't you compare (Attach 2) to Bishop's alleged picture and decide for yourself. Ranger in the Night, indeed

377, That's why it has taken this long to solve. Is what Tina described as a briefcase actually (Attach Cooper Case)? After all it was Miss Mucklow who described (Attach Contents) as being a bomb, not Cooper. My god it's so patently obvious. So just what was Cooper doing in the lavatory for all that time? (Attach Lav) Well, I think there's more than enough 'embarrass' to go around and I'm having seconds.

After I get past the premise that pipelines and high voltage transmission systems can actually be built then become inaccessible and must be maintained by a cadre of skydiving pipe fitters and welders, things start to come together. I long assumed Cooper was sporting a pair of Ray-Bans but in fact had on his work goggles. How could a 23 year old woman possibly know the difference? (Attach A) The black "Rain Coat" was in fact a well used welders apron which only stands to reason since Cooper was wearing welders goggles....helllllooooo. (Attach B) Mediterranean complexion or a face covered with the soot from a days 'jump welding?' (Attach C) Where would Washington Power and Light get jumpers? Of course they had civilians going through Ranger school. Northwest Orient had their pilots going through Air Force flight training as civilians, why should it be such a stretch to believe jumpers doing the same? Cooper clearly knew aviation inside and out. He had to have gone to flight school along with jump training. Now if there was a way to find a picture of a person in flight training, wearing jump wings and welders goggles I think the search would be narrowed. Armed with the above information I would find out who worked for Northwest then go for the Raleigh smokers. Under the guise of a friendly after work cocktail I would invite them to a local bar and announce the drinks are on me. Unencumbered by financial constraints the real Cooper would order a Bourbon and soda and that would bring to an end the so called fable that is D B Cooper.

Hopping a freight train to Oregon was child's play. The cargo was foolishly stencil painted Portland and protected me form the elements for a journey which would ultimately take six days. Adroitly I spotted the sign indicating the end of my travels and hopped off rolling down an embankment and pulling a muscle in my groin. Just my luck the train would shudder to a full stop. After a brief three hours of laying on the side of the tracks that train began to move to destinations unknown to me. A quick trip across the Columbia to complete my deception. After finding a local resident I asked for directions to I-5 which he tentatively gave out with a strange look on his face. Could they already know about me? Have their been composites of my face broadcast on TV? I may never know what was running through that man's head at that moment. I just had to keep playing the part of Max Guano, innocent hijack fugitive. OK, I find the interstate, but it's I-95 instead of I-5 and who besides Rand McNally knew there was a Portland, Maine? For Pete's sake. Getting back to Vancouver was going to take a little longer than I had originally planned. Perhaps I could find work on a tramp steamer and pay for my journey with the sweat of my brow and the brawn of my back. Doing what men have had to do since the dawn of time. So I found work at a Jo-Ann Fabrics store dressing mannequins and removing lint from bolts of material while middle aged women supervised and chatted with each other. It was part time and minimum wage but the benefits were choice and lemon cakes were served after the taffeta was re-fluffed. The average citizen could not imagine what animals the customers can be. One of them claimed I was rude to her...oh well, buyers are liars. Bitch.

Finding some chump to take the fall was going to be a tall order. In the mean time I would have to keep the FBI searching elsewhere. Following dead end leads and chasing shadows to places where the sun never shines. Like an animal being hunted I would have to keep moving while trying to blend into the local surroundings. How many plates could I possibly keep spinning at the same time? I needed a new identity so the name Max Guano had become second nature and most people recognized me as that. Hitchhiking all the way to Kingman, Arizona , I was able to fashion a crude but practical shovel out of six Taco Bell sporks which were secreted out of the restaurant in a body cavity. What else could I have done? I was desperate so I removed the sporks and thanked the hobo for his help. It's in situations like these when you learn who you can truly trust. The desert soil gave way little by little as I dug under the fence surrounding that desolate airport. Once inside what lay before me was a cornucopia of Boeing airframes in suspended animation, long forgotten as the apex of travel for the twentieth century. But I didn't come this far just to get sentimental, nope this was a mission for my freedom and nothing was going to stop me. There was my quarry, a three engined narrow body with the ability to drag its tail. Once inside I realized how useful some basic hand tools would have been to bring along. My frustration manifested in rage which was quickly subdued after racking myself on an armrest in row 14. It's amazing how dark the interior of a 727 can be. Along with the tools a flashlight would have been a pretty good accessory. I would have to McGuyver some sort of light and resourcefully pierced the darkness by chewing wint-o-green, Life Savers really fast. Feeling around in the dark I grasp what was clearly the handle for the stairs. Upon waking I realized how little pressure is required for release. As I lay there the slow sensation came over me that I could not feel anything from the waist down. I had to drag myself through the fence and fill the hole and throw the shovel into the airport. After all the cops would never imagine anyone digging themselves out. Suddenly I felt a shooting pain in my back and reached behind and removed a coiled piece of aviation grade plastic. This must have pinched a nerve as the feeling to my legs returned. It was a long walk back to Portland, but at least I could walk. The journey had been successful as I was returning with the Emergency Opening instructions for a 727's air stairs.

I was searching the woods of southern Washington and minding my own business. I looked up and there was a military harness and tattered remains of a canopy. I reached up and grabbed one of the D-rings when I realized they will think I did it! I can't prove I wasn't there and knew full well the FBI would do anything to pin this on me like Oswald or just take me out like Mansfield and Monroe. If a pair of buxom blondes couldn't stop them what chance did I have, even with my doe like eyes and impish smile. I had to think and act fast. I could hear the loping chop of a Huey's rotor blade in the distance and knew there was a seat waiting for me in 'Business Class.' I made a bee line for the nearest creek and began to run down the center while instinctively soiling myself to throw the dogs off my path. My mind was racing as I tromped further and further down the abyss with capture my constant companion. I had to find a place to hide while things cooled off. My survival instincts were operating at their peak when I was finally seated in the Waffle House. I could trust no one so I had to play it smooth and measure the locals reaction to my presence. The waitress was friendly at first then suddenly back away as if she knew what I had done in the woods. I tried to play it cool by asking detailed questions about various menu items but she kept backing away looking for a chance to drop a dime on me, no doubt. I ordered a Number 2 and coffee. An ordinary family came in and sat in an adjoining booth when the waitress blew my cover. Here's your Number 2, she said and quickly left. The family stared me down briefly and with the look on their faces which betrayed seeing a probable hijacker they left before ordering. Time was running out. I walked up to the waitress and while reaching for my wallet said 'let me pay you for that.' Her face morphed into abject fear as she shook her head and coughed 'no charge, it's free today.' That's when I knew that family was driving to the FBI with my description. I quickly went back to my table and discretely rubbed my prints off the utensils and cup. Then walked out and found a place in the shadows. Just as I thought, the waitress was handling my dishes like a crime scene and placing them in a garbage bag for the authorities. She looked agitated as she kept flailing her arms and pointing to where I was sitting. At one moment it looked like she was about to get physically ill and who could blame her. She thought she had just served D B himself and that would do a number on anyone. The only way out is to find a willing patsy to take the heat for this crime, but who?

An elk hunter finds a placard which he puts in his shirt pocket from Flt 305. A young boy digs up a stack of money a few inches thick. The government sponsored search party actually finds a body, just not Coopers body. The search efforts appear to be relatively effective if such small items are discovered. Of course there is the school of thought where the money was planted and the forest north of Vancouver is polluted with aircraft placards and undiscovered human remains. Who am I to question that? Seems perfectly reasonable for the money to be planted near the flight path of 305 in order to confuse authorities who suspected the jump occurred 10 miles north. I would have tried to confound authorities by leaving money in Scranton or Cleveland. I also would have scattered the bills rather than leaving them banded together, being a hijacker does not mean you loose your eye for value. Is there an exemplar where a thief buried some money in a decades late attempt to confuse the police? There must be many for this theory to have taken flight. How about a Cooper-amorphic dummy splash test? Give the dummy a retro wardrobe over which is lashed a Navy pack, reserve and money bag. Then drop this package in the Columbia with some electronics to track what happens? Maybe it will get hung up on a long submerged rig. Wouldn't that be a gas?

Snowman, The seeds of dis-information germinate in the very article which touts 99.44% purity. From the 4th to last paragraph: "A German-born carpenter who had fought against the US in the Second World War was eventually arrested and sent to the electric chair on the most tenuous of evidence." Bruno Richard Hauptmann was executed on 3 April 1936, in Trenton, NJ. Yet he is credited with having fought in a war which was some three years in the future. Not wanting to leave well enough alone, they had to claim he fought against the US. Cunning of the FBI to rely upon the ignorance of world history to propel this myth. Perhaps the "Independent" could get their facts straight if they were from a country which actually had some involvement in the Second World War. Of course it's connected to Whittington. Hauptmann is arrested by Norman Schwarzkopf for the Lindbergh kidnapping. All so very, very Germanic isn't it? But it kept the civil population quiet until the US could choose when to enter WWII in order to 'defend' North Africa and the Saudi peninsula. The US needed more oil and the delay Schwarzkopf facilitated was rewarded through the promotion of his son to the rank of General. What war did this son fight in? That's right, the Gulf War to free Kuwait's oil. With 800 oil wells burning out of control (thanks to the war fought by Schwarzkopf) the only company considered was Haliburton. The CEO agreed to managing the oil well fires on the condition of some day becoming a two term Vice President, that CEO was Dick Cheney. Whittington is appointed to the Texas Funeral Commission by none other than George W. Bush who was governor of Texas. Whittington has long been opposed to the death penalty and was active in investigating past executions (Hauptmann's perhaps) searching for evidence of misuse. Cheney was made aware of Whittington's investigations by the FBI upon which he called George W. Bush to arrange a quail hunting trip. Whittington is accidently shot at 5:30 (8 minutes AFTER sunset) by Dick Cheney. After being rushed to the hospital doctors begin the tedious task of removing shot pellets from the right leg, torso and face of Whittington. Doctors estimate approximately 200 shot were left in the victims body. Considering the average shotshell contains 75 pellets one could assume there was more than one shotgun blast directed at Whittington and there has to be a cover up. Whittington has decided to keep his mouth shut and carry 200 small reminders of what 'could be' if you look too closely at the death penalty. Texas remains the second most productive in regard to executions, first place - Saudi Arabia, oil and executions will forever be linked. Lindbergh lost an American born son to a German born kidnapper, who could possibly be surprised by the procreative retaliation exercised by Lindy gettin Lucky in Germany? It's all so clear now.

The only person in the history of earth to engage in two hijackings was none other than criminal mastermind and teenager, Glen Kurt Tripp. Once again Northwest found a PDX - SEA flight being ransomed. But this time it was for half the parachutes and money, no doubt a bargain of air piracy. The flight attendant put three Valium tablets into Tripp's drink. A crime for which she was never prosecuted for by the FBI, if anyone cares. Then the hijacker reduced his demands to some cheeseburgers and a wicked fast car. If you think about it, that's all any of us really want. While exiting the plane, Tripp was arrested and sentenced to almost 16 months in prison and told to feel really, really, really bad about what he had done. Another day another Portland based Northwest aircraft being hijacked. After completing parole, Tripp now 20 years old boarded a jet claiming to have a bomb. The government should lower the age for handgun purchase in order to give these youthful hijackers some options for weapons. But it may not have helped Mr Tripp in this case. Rather than going through the process of negotiations where the perpetrator is served several hamburgers in the end. The FBI served a federally approved meal of Yankee justice from the barrel of a Smith Wesson at a hyper-space velocity. 30 minutes or it's free indeed. So hats off to the only person on earth to hijack two planes. It would seem his possession a 68 point IQ was just the sort of criminal genius which facilitated his quick release from prison on the first offense. Releasing a person that can't appreciate the nature of his crimes into society? Nothing should go wrong here. Isn't America great? Even the intellectually challenged can aspire to and achieve greatness with little more than a dream, ransom note and a Northwest Orient ticket from Portland to Seattle. Twice.