In spending some time revisiting this whole discussion and thinking about it further, it seems to me that a lot of my objection to the "conspiracy theories" is based upon my dislike and distaste for "sensational journalism." Topics that have "sex appeal," like Elvis, visitors from outer space, and the destruction of Camelot seem to be kept alive in large part by border line journalism like the National Enquirer and Star Magazines.

In closing the door on this topic (at least here in Archipelago) let me share a brief excerpt from an Aaron Epstein article in the San Jose Mercury News upon the release of the 800,000 pages of "paranoia and pursuit, intrigue and enigma, rumor and speculation that piled up in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination."

"Obviously, the Soviets conspired with Lee Harvey Oswald to fire the shots that triggered a national nightmare and terminated a mythical Camelot on Nov. 22, 1963. No, it was the CIA, not the KGB. Fidel Castro was the mastermind. Or the mob. Maybe both. What about Lyndon Johnson? Or could it have been reactionaries among the Dallas elite who hated Kennedy, as the FBI was informed by a couple who knew Oswald well? No, it was a conspiracy between Neiman-Marcus and another powerful Texas retailer, Oswald's mother insisted. Her evidence, an FBI memo said, included a pre-assassination Neiman-Marcus ad for a pearl necklace, titled: 'The Connecting Link.'"