The Bus Stop Farce

[John Iacoletti]

You simply cannot dismiss his methods of deriving “real” time

Yes we can. And we do.

Show us how you believe his methods of deriving “real” time become arbitrary by examining his method and pointing out exactly where you believe that they become arbitrary. You cannot.

Already done in spades. His zero-base time is arbitrary, and by his own account, the time-pieces are not accurate or synchronized.

[Martin Weidmann]

All ya gotta do is read Callaway's own words.  He did not make his way up to the corner until after the killer had reached the corner of Patton and Jefferson.

Callaway was at the scene sooner than five minutes after the shots; he just did not get on the police radio to report it immediately upon arriving at the scene.

You really should read his testimony a little closer.

He did not make his way up to the corner until after the killer had reached the corner of Patton and Jefferson.

Show me where he said that in his testimony.

Callaway was at the scene sooner than five minutes after the shots; he just did not get on the police radio to report it immediately upon arriving at the scene.

Indeed. He arrived on the scene within 2 minutes after the shots. Even if - as you incorrectly claim - he waited until the killer got to Jefferson. The time needed to walk one block (from Jefferson to 10th Street) is roughly one minute, but Callaway and the killer both ran. So, roughly one minute for the killer to get to from Tippit's car to Jefferson and less than one minute for Callaway to get to 10th street makes 2 minutes.

And you clearly misread my words because I did not say he got on the police radio immediately upon arriving at the scene. But it didn't take him 3 minutes either.

Mr. BALL. When you got there what did you see?
Mr. CALLAWAY. I saw a squad car, and by that time there was four or five people that had gathered, a couple of cars had stopped. Then I saw--I went on up to the squad car and saw the police officer lying in the street. I see he had been shot in the head. So the first thing I did, I ran over to the squad car. I didn't know whether anybody reported it or not. So I got on the police radio and called them, and told them a man had been shot, told them the location, I thought the officer was dead. They said we know about it, stay off the air, so I went back. By this time an ambulance was coming. The officer was laying on his left side, his pistol was underneath him. I kind of rolled him over and took his gun out from under him. The people wonder whether he ever got his pistol out of his holster. He did.

You really should read his testimony a little closer.

I have and that of Croy also, because if you read that carefully, that's where you'll find the corroboration for what I have been saying.

[Charles Collins]

Yes we can. And we do.

Already done in spades. His zero-base time is arbitrary, and by his own account, the time-pieces are not accurate or synchronized.

Yes we can. And we do.

Not legitimately. Not with your silly statement.


His zero-base time is arbitrary,


It most definitely is not arbitrary. It is a rational assumption. You can argue the accuracy of his rational assumption. But to claim that it is in any way form or fashion arbitrary is dead wrong.

[Martin Weidmann]

Yes we can. And we do.

Not legitimately. Not with your silly statement.


His zero-base time is arbitrary,

It most definitely is not arbitrary. It is a rational assumption. You can argue the accuracy of his rational assumption. But to claim that it is in any way form or fashion arbitrary is dead wrong.

And since when is a "rational assumption" not arbitrary?

[Charles Collins]

And since when is a "rational assumption" not arbitrary?

I said many posts back in this thread that you two have a problem with that term.

I also posted that rational and reasoned are antonyms of arbitrary.

I also said that just because something is an assumption, that doesn’t mean that it is arbitrary.

There are arbitrary assumptions, but Bowles’ rational assumption is not one of them.

Dig into his reasoning, then come back and tell us why you thing that there is anything whatsoever arbitrary about it.

[Martin Weidmann]

I said many posts back in this thread that you two have a problem with that term.

I also posted that rational and reasoned are antonyms of arbitrary.

I also said that just because something is an assumption, that doesn’t mean that it is arbitrary.

There are arbitrary assumptions, but Bowles’ rational assumption is not one of them.

Dig into his reasoning, then come back and tell us why you thing that there is anything whatsoever arbitrary about it.

Total BS. An assumption is by definition always arbitrary as it is designed to bridge a gap from A to B. For this purpose an assumption is made which, in the mind of the person making the assumption, best fills that gap, and this disregards the other possible options, which makes the assumption arbitrary.

[Charles Collins]

Total BS. An assumption is by definition always arbitrary as it is designed to bridge a gap from A to B. For this purpose an assumption is made which, in the mind of the person making the assumption, best fills that gap, and this disregards the other possible options, which makes the assumption arbitrary.

An assumption is by definition always arbitrary

Show me a definition in the dictionary that says that.


Here is the definition in the one that I am looking at:

a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof

[Martin Weidmann]

An assumption is by definition always arbitrary

Show me a definition in the dictionary that says that.


Here is the definition in the one that I am looking at:

a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof

An assumption is usually believed and perhaps even accepted to be true by the person making the assumption.

It doesn't mean that it is actually true, when there are alternatives to choose from. The selection of one over the others is what makes the assumption arbitrary.