BruceSmith

Bruce, With all due respect, your "encounter with an interdimensional being" is a bit too much for some of us. I hope this being stayed out of your Cooper research. Robert99 Yes, Robert 99, I agree. I should have put a woo-woo warning on the post. On the other hand, it can be reassuring to know who the New Agers are amongst us! (smile). Rest easy, my Cooper writings do not mention any angelic encounters. However, I do discuss remote viewing in Chapter 28, though, so be careful when you read the book. Would you like a copy? I can send you an electronic version that has had two edits. No Index, yet, or Acknowledgements, however. No book deal either with a mainstream pub, so I am launching a hunt for a literary agent. BTW: In terms of a "Way, far out" rating scale, let's say 1-10, what would you give my Flight 800 story? 9.9? Just asking.

At the risk of sharing information that you may already be familiar with, here is an update on the forthcoming Cooper exhibit at the Washington State Historical Museum in Tacoma. I received this information from Pat Forman who got it from another Cooper friend. "I see that the Washington State Historical Museum has a “Cooper” exhibit August 24, 2013 – January 5, 2014. “Investigate the mysteries surrounding notorious skyjacker D.B. Cooper and discover the NORJAK(FBI designation) hijacking in a different light. Learn about the long history of this investigation, its ties to the Pacific Northwest, and its impact on modern national security and aviation. Historical photographs, eyewitness accounts, and artifacts – including one of the original parachutes provided to Cooper as part of his ransom demands – will be on display. They’re having a special event on August 24th on “Cooper: Public Opening”. 10am to 3pm, they have these activities: 10:30 – 11:30am – Cooper Curators Fred Poyner and Gwen Perkins lead gallery tours. 11am – Parachute expert and professional stunt man, Gary Young talks about jumping out of a 727, jumping at night and surviving the type of jump Cooper made; and demonstrates how parachutes work and how to pack a chute like the one Cooper used. 2pm – Tom Kaye of Citizen Sleuths presents an analysis of the Cooper case. Through forensic analysis of microscopic particle evidence from Cooper case materials, learn what the Citizen Sleuths team uncovered. "Thought you might be interested."

Greetings Everyone, A shocking new documentary, titled "Doctored," will be shown on cable TV in a couple of weeks that sheds light on how the FBI conducts controversial investigations. In this broadcast they present information concerning the downing of TWA Flight 800 on July 17, 1996 in New York. Although not directly involved with Norjak, the documentary reveals a certain federal culture that suggests how and why the DB Cooper case might have been compromised. "Doctored" presents six members of the original NTSB investigatory team and they claim that the FBI tampered and removed critical pieces of evidence to alter the findings of the inquiry. I have many personal and professional ties to this tragedy and I've written about it extensively on the Mountain News for your review. http://themountainnewswa.net/2013/07/01/local-ties-to-new-revelations-about-the-downing-of-twa-flight-800-in-1996/

Greetings everyone, I have some news on Earl Cossey. I spoke with two of his poker buddies and they have shared a few interesting pieces of information. First, both confirm that Cossey liked to gamble and generally had a wad of cash on his person. Estimates vary from $1,500 to 50K, but this seems like a sizeable sum and one friend said he felt that Coss was a risk for being a "target." Both individuals said that Coss "liked action," and bet often in many ways - sports, poker games, casinos. He had a friend in Nevada placing sporting bets for him as well. One of these individuals posted at the Mountain News as "Clancy Crossroader," and we are now corresponding regularly. Clancy is actually named Steve, and he told me that he has been in contact with the KCSO, but doesn't feel that they are doing much. He asked the lead detective to give him instructions on how to advertise Coss' murder and solicit help from the card players in the rooms that Coss' frequented, but Det. Pavlovich apparently hasn't responded to Steve. I contacted Sgt Cindi West today, the PIO of the KCSO, and she said that she has passed my information to the "major case" division at the KCSO. Coss had a varied life according to his poker buddies. He was a handy carpenter and an accomplished electrician. He had lots of rental properties that furnished much of his income. He also worked with his son in the restoration and upkeep of these rental units. Coss rarely talked about the Cooper case, and mostly just complained about pesky journalists. Coss was a short guy, maybe 5'5", and he wasn't in great health in recent years.

***Life is not so easy anymore maybe it is just the medication messing with my co-ordination. The last few wks, I feel so clumsy. I drop everything I pick-up and my hand writing has gotten terrible in just a few short weeks. Lots of confusion about simple things I have done very day for most of my life. Nothing seems to work right and now my legs are swelling. I am on a really heavy dose of prednisone, but I have had that before and I do not remember being like this. I knew I had been slowing down since the surgeries and thought I would get my strength back - but I just keep going down. Let me tell you guys - the GOLDEN yrs are NOT what they are cracked up to be! Quote As Bettey Davis once said, "Getting old ain't for sissies."

I wasn't able to make it to Seattle to see Wayland Cossey today, but here is the press release from the King County Sheriff's Office. You can also go to the Mountain News and see new pix of Coss that the family has provided. http://themountainnewswa.net/2013/05/30/earl-cosseys-son-speaks-to-media/ Murder victim’s son pleads with “Good Samaritan” to come forward Wayland Cossey, son of murder victim Early Cossey, met with the media today to ask for the person to come forward who found the identification belonging to his dad, and mailed it back to his house. The family has offered a $1,000 reward if the person who found the identification and credit cards will contact the police and tell them where the items were found. The lead detective in the case, Jake Pavlovich, said the person can remain anonymous. He said the finder can mail a letter to him with a handwritten note describing where the items were found. Detectives will use handwriting from the original letter to verify the mailer is the same person that mailed the found items. During Wayland’s interview he also expressed how important it was to the family that the suspect to be caught. He said over time the family would forgive the person that murdered his dad but they needed the case to be solved to help them move on. Many details of the case are being withheld while the investigation is being conducted. Detective Pavlovich said, “Some of the details of this case are known only by the suspect and the detectives working the case. We want to hold those details back until we have our suspect(s) in custody.” If you found Cossey’s identifications and credit cards and mailed them back to his address PLEASE call Sgt. Cindi West with the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-263-2560 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Or mail a letter to Sgt. Cindi West at 516 3rd Ave Seattle, WA. 98104-2312 Sergeant Cindi West King County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer

Sgt Cindi West called me this evening to inform me that the son of Earl Cossey will be addressing the media on Thursday morning to announce the family's increase in the reward, and to strengthen his appeal for the Good Samaritan to come forward. I will be there and give you a full report.

The sign at the beach says "Tina Bar," not Tena Bar. I posted a pix of it on the Mountain News some time ago.

~ I have one too. * I wrote this almost a decade ago, got to thinking about my father on this Memorial Day and thought I'd share it. They truly were our greatest generation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Picture it... A 17 year old kid out 4 wheelin’ in a jeep with buddies, cruising slow through the tall grass following the river. Been going pretty much ‘balls out’ all morning to get to the spot you're at, but experience tells ya it’s time to maybe play it a little safe and take it easy thorough this particular section. You come up to the top of a rise in the terrain and there it is, just a few miles ahead... The last standing bridge across the Rhine river into the heart of Germany. The day is March 7th 1945, and the ‘kid’ is my father. A small town boy from Illinois that quit high school to fight for his country, in the 'latest' war to end all wars. Trained as a tank driver, he was somewhat surprised to find himself reassigned as a machine gunner on the lead scout jeep in a re-con unit for the 9th armored division. He said it took him all of 4 hours to figure out why he'd been ‘reassigned’, or rather... just ‘why’ the seat he was now filling was EMPTY! Sitting up high, on a jeep mounted .30 cal machine gun for the 89th Cavalry (mechanized) Re-Con company ‘C’, 9th Armored Division...was a job with shall we say, a rather significantly high ‘turnover’ rate. I’d heard the story many times, and my dad took me to see the movie about this important World War 2 battle back in 1969 when it came out. I've always, from that time, wanted to see where he'd fought, where he'd walked, what was left of ~ “The Bridge At Remagen” Last week I went. Faith and I entered the town from the opposite direction that my dad did six decades ago. It’s a small, quaint, sleepy little village along the Rhine. As we came into town and followed the narrow streets down toward the river, I looked up and said, “It’s farther down to the right.” She asked how I could possibly know that and I pointed out the high peak a mile up river and told her that’s where the 88's were positioned to shoot straight down on the American attackers. I had seen the little black and white photos dad took, hundreds of times, and the images were ingrained. A dozen blocks more and I turned down an alley that lead right to the approach to the bridge. ~ ~ I've been a lot of places and seen a lot of things, but nothing could prepare me for the rush of raw emotion and sense of awe that I felt, standing in the shadow of the black stone relics I had been told about since a child. It was all I could do to keep my composure and sit on the steps leading into what is now a museum, looking across the river at the matching set of black stone towers that once held machine guns aimed at my father. Faith touched my shoulder and handed me the hat that earlier that morning I’d sewn the 9th Armored patch from dad’s uniform on. Squeezing my hand as I took it from her, she said simply, “I’ll meet you inside” and knowingly walked away. I must have sat there for an hour, thinking of the 17 year old kid.....who lied about his age so he could join the Army. The kid who grew up without a father, who sent all his money home to his mother to help raise other kids in the family. The kid who crawled in the dirt beneath me, with bullets and anti-aircraft shells impacting all around him, and what he must have been thinking then. I’m sure he wasn't betting on another day alive, much less having a son that 61 years later would be sitting here gazing across the same expanse of water. He'd come home from that war, married the prettiest gal in town then supported them both while he earned a Masters at Bradley University. ....Not too bad for a High School 'drop-out'! It was getting hard to breathe and even harder to see, so I walked up toward the door to the museum inside of the once heavily defended towers. As I reached for my wallet to pay the admission fee, the older German gentleman at the door pointed to my hat... ”Father or Grandfather” he asked, ‘Father’ I replied with a tightness in my throat... ”Go ahead in please, he's already paid ”. I just nodded and went in. I couldn't muster any words... The museum was interesting, it told of the history of the bridge and the town. It highlighted the strategic importance of capturing this ‘highway’ across the Rhine and how it likely shortened the war by at least a month and probably saved 10,000 lives all told. I read everything in there and took well over 100 pictures, but I kept wandering back outside. I crawled all over the structure and walked in and around places not usually ‘open’ to the public. I found a rusty piece of iron and stuck it into a bullet hole in the stone face, chipping out a small rock. Maybe a hole from bullet that was meant for my father...I dropped the stone in my pocket. To me... more precious than gold. Took one more pass through the inside to be certain I hadn't missed anything and then it was time to go. I again nodded to the man selling tickets, this time I was able to thank him properly. He handed me a pen and said, “You MUST sign the guest book” ...took me to a small corner that I hadn't noticed, opened the book and patted me on the back before returning to his job at the door. I didn't pause for a moment before I began writing... 10-10-06 - James Twardowski Proud son of Arthur Twardowski - 89th Cav. Re-Con 9th Armored Div. "It’s with honor and respect that I walk in your footsteps Dad. After seeing all of this, I know that I could never fill your shoes. I love you." It’s been a tough few months for my family, dad has suffered a series of major strokes and other serious medical setbacks. He’s been in the hospital for some time, and we’ve been told, he won’t ever come home. He’s done quite well for himself, and us. ...he’s getting the best care possible, but all we can really do is try to make him comfortable until the end. My father and I have always been close. It’s a constant cloud over me of late, and of course the sadness of what’s coming does weigh. For some reason, for a while that day anyway, that weight seemed off my shoulders. I was walking a little lighter, a bit straighter... I’d actually gotten to be with the ole man again, in a way I’d never imagined, a way I'll never forget! I don’t particularly have a lot of pride in who I am, what I’ve accomplished... But thankfully, there IS some of him inside me...and ya know...that’s enough. Wonderful post AirT. Reminded me of the stories my dad told me, over and over..... When you dad was going over the bridge at Remagen, mine was in Belgium, south of Brussells, fixing jeeps and artilllery that the 7th Inf and 3rd Army had gotten shot-up at the front.

Quote You always wind up bottom feeding and shoot for the political; prematurely. At best what you have are contradicting incongruous stories on the part of multiple individuals, which does not automatically lead to a conspiracy theory. For example Haydon: has said multiple times the chutes were 'exactly alike', then above says 'but one was a military version' (of the other)? That is not alike! Haydon's is just one example. To complicate things further, your personal bias against Himmelsbach comes through loud and clear - he won't talk to you! H is alleged (by you) to have allegedly pushed for Cooper having died without any firm evidence of the fact. Now you are enlisting Cossey as a co-conspirator into H's "conspiracy". What we are left with is confusion. And no good source(s) to help straighten the confusions out, including the reporter's bias on top of the other confusions ... It's not a good model for writing history. I don't know where Robert got the information that the "not-used chute" was a military canopy. Norman never said that to me, and the FBI document clearly indicates a "luxury, civilian type" parachute. {Edit: I just re-read the FBI doc, and it does say a military parachute inside the civilan rig. Hmmm. I had never caught that before. So, is the Steinthal that Ckret talked about about, a military chute? Norman's chute is a Steinthal and the serial numbers match what Ckret shared here.} My bias towards Himmelsbach, as you call it, is more of a concern for his sloppy police work, and a penchant for getting details wrong throughout his Norjak journey. To Whit: 1. He misspells Bill Rataczak's name in his book, "NORJAK." 2. He presents himself as the primary investigator in the case, and he is clearly not. 3. His statements about the money find are not fully supported by the evidence in Seattle, in particular, there are no substantive shards in Seattle nor any records detailing where and how they were found at Tina Bar, as far as I know. 4. He misplaces Cooper aboard Flight 305. 5. He doesn't explain the obvious contradictions on the flight path, ie: Scott's contention that the plane was over Woodland, the official report saying Ariel, and Himmelsbach claiming Washougal. His book was written over 10 years after the skyjacking and one would hope that his account of Noprjak would be more precise. 6, Himmelbach's contention that Cooper was a rotten, sleazy crook is not supported by the information provided by the FA's, nor does Himms specifically state why he makes the characterization. 7. Himms never talked to Tina when she lived in Portland, and I find that incredulous, in particular since the money was found at "Tina" Bar and she split for the convent shortly afterwards. 8. We have no record or commentary of what Himms or any of his agents did after the money find. Did they ask fishermen if they had found money shards? Yes, no, maybe? Did Himms do what Galen did in 2012? 9. On a personal level, I strongly object to Ralph's insistence on being paid for an interview on Norjak. The taxpayers already paid for the information he has, and I think he is duty bound to share it with the public. Yes, interviews with pesky journalists are a chore, which is why I offered to buy lunch for him and his wife as a way to lessen the sting of talking to me. 10. Releasing the personal contact information on a retired police officer who was in cognito due to wise guys cruising for a revenge hit, as described by George Nuttall, in unconscionable. That said, I am grateful to Ralph for sharing all that he has.

He also wanted the KC report and a copy of Blast in PDF, so I sent those along as well. I was able to narrow down his date of purchase to 'at least' (Hayden says) eighteen months prior to the hijacking. From his tone, I would guess it was more like a minimum of two years prior, maybe longer. Quote I'm glad that Norman is talking to somebody. He won't talk with me.

Sail posted the following on the Mountain News on the article on the parachutes from a year ago. I thought it was worthy of re-posting here: ***** Bruce: Good writing again and a few comments here are: 1) Hayden told me he bought both chutes that he provided the NORJAK case as back chutes from a surplus place on Marginal Way next to the Boeing Development Center. He said the chutes were identical but were packed in different carriers. The carrier DB selected was the military version and the not the one left behind by DB. The carrier Hayden is wearing in your above photo's is a Pioneer Quick Fit and believe by Cossey to be the better selection when I talked with him. Once deployed, either chute would have performed the same as they were alike. Cossey believed the one selected would have had a harder "pull" on the jumper and showed Cossey that DB was not an experienced jumper. Cossey thereby influenced the FBI to think DB did not make it do to lack of knowledge. I believe Cossey came to the wrong conclusion possibly due to his confusion over who's chutes were used. 2) It can be noted that the above carrier being worn by Hayden does not have "D" rings on the harness to attach an emergency front reserve. So, DB had no D rings to tie the money bag to and had to tie it around his waist as observed by one of the Flight Attendants. Bob Sailshaw ****** My response to Sail: Sail, Congratulations on obtaining more information on the parachute issue. What you have posted here is in stark contrast to what Norman Hayden told me. 1. I asked Norman where he got the parachutes and he said he could neither remember where or when. Bruce Thun joined me in an exchange with Norman on the source of the parachutes, especially how Earl Cossey could have been involved in Norman’s procurement of them. 2. Norman said he had no recollection on where the chutes came from, and Earl Cossey was generally unfamiliar to Norman, although Norman seemed to know who he was. However, Norman had no recollection either on the packing of the chutes and said he never met Cossey, even though Coss’ signature was on the packing card. 3. We talked at length about the two chutes, and Norman repeatedly said they were identical, and he gave me and Bruce the clear indication he meant the outside carrier bag rig, as he really didn’t know what was inside, and still doesn’t. He has never opened the “not-used chute” that was returned to him. 4. When I read the FBI documents on the parachutes and their descriptions of the two back chutes, Norman was aghast at both descriptions – the used chutes and the one returned to him. When I read that the “not-used chute” was a “luxury, civilian type,” Norman sighed deeply and said, “That’s a luxury chute? Norman was vexed that the FBI could have gotten this aspect of the case so wrong. 5. Yes, Cossey has long stated that the not-used chute was a superior chute – but not always. Apparently Geoffrey Gray has uncovered new information from the FBI files that indicate that Cossey was a strong believer in the early days of Norjak that DB Cooper could have made the jump successfully with minimal training and experience. Gray writes in the May, 2013 Esquire magazine, in an article very tellingly titled, “The Man Who Believed in DB Cooper,” that Cossey was giving professional in-services and advice to the FBI agents hunting for DB Cooper – telling them that DB Cooper didn’t have to be a hot-shot, “professional skydiver”. 6. This is in absolute conflict with what Cossey told me. First, he told me in 2009 that he had never discussed the technical aspects of the parachutes or the jump with the FBI. Secondly, he was emphatic with me and many others that Cooper was a no-pull who cratered because the chute he selected was too tough a pull due to his modifications to the rip cord. In addition, Cossey has been quoted as saying the chosen chute was an NB-8 and also an NB-6 depending on whom you talk with that has talked with Coss since he has changed his story repeatedly. In fact, Coss told me first it was an NB-6, and then he changed it to an NB-8. Further, FBI documents reflect that confusion and apparently Cossey could keep his story straight with the feds, either. 7. Did Cossey have a memory problem? A cognitive deficit? Or was he just a bad liar – and if so, why was he lying? When we learn the truth of Cossey and his memory, and by extension the cause of his murder, we may be a lot closer to understanding what happened to the FBI’s investigation of DB Cooper. To me, it is becoming increasingly more plausible that Cossey was part of creating a new image of DB Cooper – one of an incompetent skydiver who died. That action relieves a very real political pressure to lessen the public’s love of Cooper as the guy who beat the system.

Well there's that... But if you read articles of the day, Cossey was not always advocating the position that Cooper didn't make it. He even said that it wouldn't require someone with a lot of experience. As for protecting the image and discrediting the guy who beat the system - that hasn't worked out too well for them. They obviously need to go to plan B.

Quote Wonderful video. Thanks for posting. Do you know who the young man is who is interviewing Roy Rose?

Yes. No response back.

I just spoke with Sgt Cindi West, the PIO at the KCSD. Here is what she told me; it's also posted on the Mountain News. Update of the Earl Cossey murder investigation Sgt Cindi West told the Mountain News on Tuesday that the family of Earl Cossey intends to raise the amount of reward offered for the Good Samaritan who returned Coss’ driver’s license and other personal items to come forward. Earl Cossey was found murdered in his Woodinville’s home garage in late April. Cossey was widely known as the man who packed the parachutes delivered to DB Cooper the night of the famous skyjacking, and later Cossey became a primary architect of the FBI’s narrative that Cooper selected an inferior parachute to make his getaway and was most likely unsuccessful. This claim has been hotly disputed in recent years, and Cossey’s additional pronouncement that he was the owner of the parachutes used by Cooper have also come into questions as recently revealed FBI documents indicate that a Renton acrobatic pilot named Norman Hayden actually owned the parachutes and insured their delivery to airline officials at Sea-Tac. West also said that detectives on the case have “extensively” tested the driver’s license, credit cards and a casino chit returned to the Cossey family several days after the murder. When asked if detectives had examined the envelopes for DNA from the Good Samaritan and similarly the fingerprints on the credit cards, Sgt West replied in the affirmative. In addition, Sgt West declined to offer any comment on the declaration left on the Mountain News web site by a poster named Clancy Crossroader claiming that Earl Cossey was a gambler who regularly kept $5, 000- 25,000 in cash in his house. “We’re not talking about those kinds of matters at this point,” Sgt West said. “We’re not talking about his habits or personality.” Crossroader has declined to comment further on his gambling allegation despite multiple attempts to reach him. Lastly, Sgt West reassured the Mountain News that “We’re looking into all aspects of this case.”

***We agree on one thing. That the cops might have a reason to completely shut down outgoing info on Cossey's murder. They are more likely to do this when they are investigating a hot lead. When they have no leads, that's when they tend to go more public. ...etc.... ****************** *** I completely disagree, Robert. What police publicly say and what they don't has little bearing on the nature of the evidence that they possess. It is my experience with LE that when they don't tell the public anything substantial, such as in the Cossey case, it means they want the story to go away. The want the media attention to die down and the public to forget about it. The lack of public disclosure about Cossey is as important a clue as the lack of any real evidence in Norjak outside of the 5800 bucks. The real question is what does it all mean.

**************** Welcome to the discussion Martin Baker. All of the crew of Flight 305 are still alive with the exception of Captain Scott, who died of cancer in the 1990s. Yes, Tina Mucklow is still refusing to talk to anyone, as far as I know. She left the convent in about 1991. As for why DBC asked for assistence on lowering the sft stairs, all notions are speculative, as far as I know. By the way, answers to your questions above and much more can be found at "Sluggo's" web site and mine, "The Mountain News-WA." Google them and add DB Cooper and you get directly to our sites.

Pardon the interruption of the current FP discussion, but some interesting information has been posted on the Mountain News pertaining to Earl Cossey's murder. I do not know if the following description of Coss is true, but I am posting it here because it is unique and revealing. I am in the process of corroborating these claims and will let you all know what I find. ******************************* Clancy Crossroader commented on Update on the murder of Earl Cossey, an analysis of his role in the DB Cooper case "I've known Coss for over 30 years, there's not a chance in hell his murder had anything to do with DB Cooper. Coss was a well known gambler, he loved action, on all sports games and played cards numerous times every week. He was an aggresive player and former math teacher. He was also financially secure with quite a few rentals and a property management company. I was surprised to hear he got divorced last year, but even if his property was cut in two he still owns has plenty of assets and his income from his teachers retiement, social security, property management and whatever rentals he retained. A cardroom scumbag killed Coss, or someone who knew he kept cash around for his daily gambling. I haven't played cards with Coss for a while, but guess he had between $5,000 and $25,000 in his cash bankroll. A wonderful person who toyed with everyone, he didn't suffer fools gladly."

****************** In my opinion, it's a lukewarm declaration by the Woodinville Chief of Police, and further watered down since her department isn't the lead investigatory agency on the case. If the KCSD begins to say burglary, then I think it would have more weight. I'll be calling the PIO next week to see if I can get any more information. Keep y'all posted. Thanks, Robert for the heads-up on this latest development.

The King County Sheriff's Office is offering a reward for the Good Samaritan to come forward. $500. http://themountainnewswa.net/2013/05/09/king-county-sheriff-offers-reward-in-cossey-murder-investigation/

Sorry about that. We went on for a while there on the phone. I wasn't taking notes or anything. I thought that's what you meant when you were talking to the KIRO folks. reply: I did speak with KIRO reporters (a CBS affiliate), and they told me that they had just spoken with a clump of neighbors who had reported that about 40 burglaries had occurred in Coss' neighborhood in the past year. From that I said that the KCSD was between a rock and hard place. Eiither they have a Norjak mess on their hands or a 41st home break-in gone bad and the taxpayers there are gonna be screaming for round-the-clock patrols. I would imagine that the King County Sheriff is hoping for a wacko, angy family member who had a bad night.

Ah, Robert, your comments bear little resemblance to what I recall of our conversation. I never heard any reporters, let alone those at KIRO, say that they had been shut out of information worse on the Cossey case than any other similar investigation. That is not true. What I do remember saying and fully beleive is that PIOs only tell us what they want us to know and only when they want us to know it. In effect, PIOs use the media to spin a story for them. We are their means of distribution. I also remember saying that in my opinion the police do not view their primary job as catching criminals or preventing crime. If that was so, then half the police in the country would be camped on Wall Street. Rather, the primary mission for law enforcement is to tell bed-time stories, presenting a plausible scenario for the crimes of the day so that folks can feel secure, close their eyes and get some sleep that night. I also remember saying that the KCSD are spooling out the info on the Cossey murder very slowly and have chosen not to tell us stuff that they would have seen in the first few mintues, such as forced entry, nature of the head wound (front, rear, side), if a weapon had been recovered, etc. Not telling us these kinds of information is SOP for most PIOs and most crimes these days. Sad but true. Actually, I was surprised to receive the email from the KCSD PIO about the returned DL, credit cards and gambling chit. BTW: The PIO also told me that she reads the Mountain News. I take that as a good sign. She also listened to me explain the Cossey connection to Norjak. An even healthier sign of sound police work. Leaving no stone unturned is the best policy, I say.

This just in from Sgt Cindi King, the PIO of the King County Sheriff's Dept. ***************** Detectives Seek Good Samaritan in Cossey Murder "King County Sheriff’s detectives are asking for the “good Samaritan” who mailed murder victim Earl Cossey’s drivers’ license and credit cards to his house to come forward. "Detectives said family members had Cossey’s mail forwarded to a relative’s house after his death. Sometime during the last few days the relative received an envelope containing Cossey’s license, credit cards and a casino gaming card. "Detectives believe the items were found by someone and mailed directly to Cossey’s address which was listed on his driver’s license. "If you have any information regarding this case or the items mailed please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 (24 hours)"

One of the things I am learning by posting at the DZ is how many people really don't like conspiracies. They abhor the discussion of them, as if they are some kind of infectious disease that will rot their brain tissue. On the other hand, I live in a world that is peopled with many folks who see nothing but conspiracies. Frankly I find them boring and not very discerning. I'm not saying the truth lies in the middle. Rather, I espouse the notion that each mystery has to be considered on its own merits, a case-by-case study of the known facts. I like Occam. We've had a lot of good times drinking red wine together. That said, truth is often stranger than fiction and I have been around long enough to know that Big Power and Big Money are potent forces that like to stay in the shadows.