The thing is they are kind of trick questions because you've worded and presented them in a way that a genuine honest answer to each is somehow meant to weaken the case of the LN theory.
Obviously there is no conclusive proof that Oswald purchased the rifle solely for himself, it's mere circumstantial evidence and a general assumption. Even if Oswald had said during interrogation that he 100% definitely purchased the rifle for himself and his sole use only, CTs would then ask the question "How do we know for sure that he wasn't lying or covering for someone else".
To sum it up an honest answer in simple and obvious terms; Assuming, as you said, that Oswald had indeed written the order form, envelope and money order we can conclude he definitely did order the rifle. We are told that the rifle was dispatched to a PO Box which Oswald had access to and addressed to an AJ Hiddell which we know Oswald had a fake ID for in his possession (If he was simply purchasing it for someone else, why bother trying to hide his identity?). And then he was later photographed holding the same rifle.
Now to me, they are fairly justifiable reasons to conclude that he bought the rifle for himself. Granted there is no definitive proof that this is the case but if people took that attitude with everything they ever saw or heard, practically every murderer in history would have walked free.
The honest answer doesn't make any difference to the LN theory.
More to the point, with no conclusive evidence to suggest he purchased the rifle for someone else or was indeed photographed holding a gun that wasn't' his property, can you, as a CTer, genuinely and honestly answer your questions if they were flipped the other way?
1. How can you justify the conclusion that Oswald DIDN'T order the rifle for himself or actually receive it?
2. Let's assume that the BY photos are indeed authentic, how can you justify the conclusion that Oswald is holding a rifle that is NOT his property?
The thing is they are kind of trick questions because you've worded and presented them in a way that a genuine honest answer to each is somehow meant to weaken the case of the LN theory.Partially right. My questions are indeed worded to get a genuine honest answer. If that answer weakens the case of the LN theory, then so be it. If you want to find the truth, you shouldn't be worried about the possible weakness of the LN case.
Obviously there is no conclusive proof that Oswald purchased the rifle solely for himself, it's mere circumstantial evidence and a general assumption. Now, there's an honest answer! Kudos! And I agree. The problem is that once you say that, the next question is going to be; If there is no conclusive proof that Oswald purchased the rifle for himself, how can anyone claim his alleged ownership of that rifle as a foundation for the accusation that he shot Kennedy with it?
Even if Oswald had said during interrogation that he 100% definitely purchased the rifle for himself and his sole use only, CTs would then ask the question "How do we know for sure that he wasn't lying or covering for someone else". That's a moot LN talking point which is of no value, as Oswald didn't say that during interrogation.
To sum it up an honest answer in simple and obvious terms; Assuming, as you said, that Oswald had indeed written the order form, envelope and money order we can conclude he definitely did order the rifle.If you mean by "he definitely did order the rifle" that he ordered it for himself, then I have to disagree with that conclusion as it is also possible (although I admit there is no evidence for it) that he was manipulated into writing the the order documents and making available his P.O. box address for someone else. Perhaps even for somebody he knew as A. Hidell, who asked him for a favor.
The available evidence does not, in any way, shape or form, show us conclusively that Oswald used an alias to order the rifle for himself, but it does also not show he ordered it for somebody else. Nevertheless, if you are honest, you will agree that both options are possible, right?
We are told that the rifle was dispatched to a PO Box which Oswald had access to and addressed to an AJ Hiddell Indeed...
We are told that the rifle was dispatched based on a marking on an internal document of Klein's (iirc Waldmann 7), but there is no evidence whatsoever that a rifle was actually shipped (there is no record of postage, which seems odd for a postal sale company not to have, in case they had to show a product had indeed been sent). So, yet again, we get to assume that what we are told is in fact true, when we have no evidence to confirm that.
which we know Oswald had a fake ID for in his possessionDo we really know that? Let's consider the facts we do know for a moment. Paul Bentley was the officer who took Oswald's wallet from him in the car, during the ride to DPD HQ. In a television interview, the next day, he was asked about the content of that wallet and he answered that it contained an ID, in Oswald's name, a credit card and a driver's license. Not a word about an ID in the name of Hidell! In fact, there isn't one report of any DPD officer that mentions the discovery of an Hidell ID in that wallet.
So, now enter Detecive Rose, who was off duty but recalled to help out after the assassination. When he arrived at DPD HQ, Oswald was being brought in and Rose was the first officer to talk to him. Just before that Rose was given a wallet, which he was told belonged to Oswald and that wallet contained a fake Hidell ID. The weird thing is that nobody knows who the person was that gave Rose the wallet. It couldn't have been Bentley, because he had injured his leg during the arrest and had been taken to hospital after his arrival at DPD HQ. So, where did that wallet come from and who gave it to Rose? Where is the chain of custody for that wallet?
(If he was simply purchasing it for someone else, why bother trying to hide his identity?). I'm not sure I follow what you are saying here. If Oswald (possibly being manipulated) did somebody he knew as A. Hidell a favor by ordering the rifle and the revolver, then he wasn't trying to hide his identity, right?
And then he was later photographed holding the same rifle. First of all, I'm not so sure that it was the same rifle, but having said that, the fact that Oswald was photographed with a rifle doesn't tell us anything about the ownership of that rifle. I don't have any weapons myself, but I was once photographed holding a rifle that belonged to a friend of mine. That did not make it my rifle!
Now to me, they are fairly justifiable reasons to conclude that he bought the rifle for himself. You're entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. There is no way near sufficient evidence to justify that conclusion.
Granted there is no definitive proof that this is the case So, if there is no definitive proof, as you say, how in the world can you nevertheless reach your conclusion?
but if people took that attitude with everything they ever saw or heard, practically every murderer in history would have walked free.That's an extremely weak LN argument. In most cases ownership of a weapon is not crucial to obtain a conviction. If it was every murderer would use a weapon owned by somebody else to do the killing. The ownership the MC rifle is so crucial in this case simply because there is no other evidence to link Oswald to the Kennedy murder. When you take him owning the rifle out of the equation, you are left with very little else.
The assumption (because that's what it is) that Oswald ordered the rifle for himself and received it, allows for the conclusion that he was seen with the same rifle in the BY photos. It subsequently allows for the conclusion that he used this particular rifle to shoot at General Walker, thus demonstrating his willingness to kill and for the conclusion (based on absolutely nothing) that he stored this particular rifle in Ruth Paine's garage for 2 months. All of this and more goes out the window, if the assumption that Oswald ordered the rifle for himself and thus owned it is wrong! It's a house of cards!
The honest answer doesn't make any difference to the LN theory.If that were true, why are you the first LN to try to answer the questions? The others have all stayed away from this thread or simply avoided answering the questions.
More to the point, with no conclusive evidence to suggest he purchased the rifle for someone else or was indeed photographed holding a gun that wasn't' his property, can you, as a CTer, genuinely and honestly answer your questions if they were flipped the other way?
1. How can you justify the conclusion that Oswald DIDN'T order the rifle for himself or actually receive it?
2. Let's assume that the BY photos are indeed authentic, how can you justify the conclusion that Oswald is holding a rifle that is NOT his property?First of all, I'm not a CT. I couldn't care less either way. If Oswald did it alone, so be it, and if he didn't there is no other alternative then that there was indeed a conspiracy. I merely want to find out if the case against Oswald holds up under scrutiny.
The answer to your question is; I don't have to. I am not the one proclaiming Oswald to be guilty or innocent. What you are asking me to do is actually prove two negatives, which is near impossible to do.
Based in the available evidence you can not conclude that Oswald did not order the rifle for himself. But you also can not conclude that he actually did buy it for himself, which is exactly the point I was making. And the same goes for the BY photos. The only way you can conclude that Oswald ordered, received and owned that rifle is if you assume he did and there is not even enough circumstantial evidence to justify such an assumption.