Hi Richard,
thank you for your considered response. Firstly I'd like to make it clear I am not suggesting Oswald was innocent. His actions of slipping away as soon as possible, going home, picking up a revolver then heading out doesn't speak of innocence. How carrying fake ID that links him to the murder weapon suggests innocence really is a head scratcher, as is the notion that an innocent person would hang around telling everyone they had an alibi, why would an innocent person think they needed to do that? Whether he was on his own or with others he was involved to some extent.
I'm also not sure about the characterisation of him as a bumbling criminal. He was intelligent, albeit with mental health issues, but most importantly he was a military man and it was in the military he learned to use a rifle. While the assassination of JFK can obviously be classified a crime it can also be viewed as a military operation and I find it difficult to believe Oswald wouldn't have approached it that way. He would have to plan how to be in the right place at the right time with a rifle without getting caught, he would then plan his getaway - get out of the building, get on a Greyhound, head for Mexico or some prepared location. Heading to the movies is not a getaway plan.
If we assume Qswald was the lone assassin then it is easy to classify as some kind of moron - by shooting from his own place of work he incriminates himself, by slipping away he incriminates himself, he has no getaway plan and in his wallet is false ID linking him to the murder weapon. Moron or intelligent, military trained man?
I find Oswald's use of the word 'Patsy' interesting. As I understand it this word has a very specific meaning - someone being used or manipulated by others. The way he uses the word seems to have a similar meaning to 'Fall Guy' or 'Scapegoat'. He is obviously involved but feels he's being set up. Looking at it this way a lot of the above contradictions can be understood to a certain degree but it leaves us with another conundrum.
If there is a bigger operation going on that is going to be pinned on Oswald how can they have their 'Patsy' just wandering around the TSBD? He could be outside being photographed or talking with colleagues when the assassination occurs. How can the whole TSBD be controlled, making sure nobody else in on the 6th floor and that the 'Patsy' is isolated?
Oswald understood and accepted the fact that he would be arrested or killed. Any notion of escaping from this act was a fantasy. There was no good plan for escaping. Oswald would have taken that into consideration in making the decision as to whether or not he would commit this act. His only good option for not being arrested was not to commit the act. He decided to do so knowing the consequences. In terms of his use of the term "patsy," when you look at the full context of his statement he is suggesting that he has been arrested because he lived in the Soviet Union. It is a rush to judgment claim that he has been arrested due to his political beliefs not a claim of any specific knowledge of a conspiracy. That fits perfectly with Oswald's desire to portray himself as some type of political prisoner.
