BruceSmith

Also, Geoffrey’s responsibility to disclose his FBI docs sources ____________________ We seem to have an emerging problem equal to the dilemma of deciding who owned how many parachutes, and that is the issue of what Geoff was told about them and by whom. Clearly, Geoffrey Gray had unprecedented access to FBI files and agents. Good for him; that is a remarkable journalistic achievement. But at some point I think Geoff has to come clean on what he knows and when he knew it. Simply, he has to identify his sources and validate his claims as expressed in his book, "Skyjack." Geoff says that Norman Hayden is the owner the back chutes delivered to DB Cooper. Okay, so now let's see what documentation that is based upon. I'm in the process of doing the "what is your source" dance with Geoff, which is not a new tune for me - it's part of Geoff's charm to be taciturn. Gawd knows he could wipe me clean in a poker game. After a bit of a swirl this week, Geoff has confirmed that the three-page document identifying Hayden as the owner that has been linked on these pages is legit and comes from the FBI. This document clearly declares Norman Hayden to be the owner of the two back chutes delivered to Cooper. However, these pages, number 226, 227 and 228, come from what document? Along those lines, can I see it? That question is ultimately one I have to resolve with the FBI, I suppose, and this leads back to the tangled web that enshrouded Larry Carr's work: how come some guys get to see the good stuff and other guys are left out in the cold. Okay, so Geoff developed a singular relationship with Larry. Great. Now, where do we (me and the other guys) go from here? We only get bupkas? Nah, I don't think so, not when my tax dollars paid for parts of pages 226-228. Simply, I wanna see what Geoffie saw, and I want Geoff to tell me what the file is called or numbered. Also, is it in Seattle? This issue is still unfolding. Nevertheless, here is what we know about Hayden's two back chutes from the FBI docs and examining that information in light with what Hayden and Cossey told me last week. 1. A "civilian, luxury"-type but "military" parachute, the FBI docs say; with tan, soft cotton material outside and a white inside on a 26-foot canopy. Parachute has a foam pad cushion and a fray mark from rubbing on metal. 2. A "military back pack parachute," according to the docs. Standard "military drab green on outside," with a white inside on a 28-foot canopy. This chute also has a “foam pad cushion.” These descriptions are a little different than what Norman told me last week, when he said that both were identical military chutes. What is described above, one 26-footer and one 28-footer gives rise to explaining why the FBI says Cooper jumped with a 26-foot canopy. However, we still have confusion about Cossey stuffing a 28-footer into a NB 6 bag. However, the two chutes somewhat resemble what Cossey described to me last week, with one chute being a bit more of a Cadillac - the "luxury," model. But, it is a 26-footer, and after waffling a bit Coss emphatically declared that Cooper took a 28-foot canopy out the door with him. Hmmm.

Thank Gawd Georger is back. Maybe he can help us with the mathematics of the current investigatory algebra. Let's see: We (may) have four back chutes plus two owners, divided by one taxi cab, with that sum multiplied by one skyjacker taken to the fourth power of Jerry's four fight attendants subtracted by the square root of two composite drawings. Is that the case in its current condition?

Welcome 377 to the Land Far Beyond the Box! (smile). So many chutes, yet only one skyjacker! Oi vey - Ole! And now, I think we're going to see the power of love - The 40th Anniversary Amnesty Special for Snowmman, Knossie and Jamie. Wow. Not even I had dared to dream so big. But now I am. My 4th Chakra is buzzing, and as I close my eyelids my 3rd eye sees this image of a Paul Quade beginning to crack a smile....could it be?

My ex, who in my absence has gone on to be the president of her shule, used to have an old Yiddish expression to characterize the proliferation of information in family disputes: "Two Jews, three opinions," which invariably proved to be correct. Hence, in our family of six practicing Jews we often had a plethoria of opinions, some facts, and lots of animated discussions, which I loved dearly. We seem to have the same dynamic at work in the Cooper case. Four parachutes, two owners, one packer and 226 pages of FBI documents. Nu? After much cajoling, Geoffrey has finally admitted to me that his claim that Norman George Hayden is the owner and provider of the two Cooper back chutes comes from FBI documents, specifically pages 226-228 of some yet unidentified larger FBI document. In our trade, Geoffrey also asked for Coss' latest phone number, which I readily gave, because Geoff would like to invite Coss to the hoe-down at Ariel this Thansgiving. As a result, we should have a minion at Donna's place, and be able to continue this broucka. It is truly a mitzva to be able to function as such a yenta, and for such blessings they should come to a Shaygutz like I! Nevertheless, I travel, not to Anatevka, but Renton on Monday to see Norman and wear a parachute for the first time. Like Norman, I see no reason to use it in order to step out out of a perfectly good airplane in flight. But, ahhh, to touch something that has actually been on board 305, with my own hands.... Along the way, I will continue to unravel the Cossey dilemma. If he only packed the chutes, and thus lied about owning them and providing them to the FBI, why and how has he been so inextrictably intertwined into the Cooper fabric? Ah, the Vortex is powerful my friends. Chapter 26 grows daily. So much to tell, so little time to write. Answers! Facts! Like a clarion call across the Widerness twitching the ear of this vigilant creature of the woods, I heed the summons and run. Onward to Renton. And Ariel.

QuoteMy thanks to Quade for un-banning me. He asked for a few changes on my part, and I said yes. Quote Welcome back, Robert. Do the few changes you've promised include showing my mug shot to fewer cops by any chance? Oh well, one can always hope. But then I always get my stories where ever I find them. Could you or Quade tell us faithful readers what triggered the amnesty? Insatiable intellectual curiosity, perhaps? A burning passion for the truth? Embracing the notion of unconditional love that is sweeping the globe? Has the Arab Spring become the Cooper Autumnal? Ahhhh...Halleluejah! Will we next see the others - like ghosts coming out of the Iowan cornfields, asking, "Is this really the DropZone? Have I really returned?" Ah, etherial spirits of the DB Cooper Vortex - I beckon you - and you know I can - I call you forward! Come forth Snowmman, Galen, and Georger! Your souls are forgiven and your past deeds have been scrubbed from the Akashic Records! The Wheels of Karma have been greased and your flat tires pumped full of fresh, pure air! Let your wheels spin and spin, and let us search for Danny Boy together, in bliss. I always follow my bliss. To Ariel. You? Om.

Quote I'm always happy to talk with principals in the DB Cooper case, Jerry. If you want to set up some interviews, just let me know where and when.

Quote Questions come to mind: BRUCE- One curious question then resurfaces. Ask Hayden his opinion of the canopy CKRET and the FBI found. in his opinion was it the "other" rig? Quote I assume you are referring to the large canopy found in Amboy, WA a couple years ago. Now, two parachutes were not found on 305 when it landed at Reno. One was the front, reserve chute that was supposedly sown shut because it was a practice chute. That is clearly not the canopy found in Amboy. That leaves the NB 8, or NB 6, or Hayden's rig - the one that Cooper supposedly used. The FBI has ruled out the Amboy chute as this second chute, and for this determination they cite "experts" as their source, which include Mr. Cossey. Coss has stated numerous times, and once to me, that the Amboy chute was a 34-foot cargo chute and not Cooper's. However, he has also told several reporters and researchers that the Amboy chute was DB Cooper's getaway chute, "absolutely!" Then minutes later he recants and says he was joking. That is a well documented prank by Mr Cossey, and I have spoken directly with an investigator who experienced this canard; the "Oregonian" was the primary recipient of this joke and may have published the error before they were informed it was a April Fool's stunt. Cossey has freely admitted to me that he made these jokes. Nevertheless, I'll ask Mr. Hayden what his opinion is concerning the Amboy chute.

Update on Earl Cossey and the DB Cooper Parachutes October 17, 2011 I spoke with Earl Cossey this evening to clarify the controversy over who owned the back chutes that were delivered to DB Cooper. This subject has associated issues, such as how they got to Sea-Tac, what types of parachutes DB Cooper could choose from, and what does Cooper’s choice say about his skills as a skydiver. Mr. Cossey strongly affirmed to me that he owned the two back chutes. When I asked him what his relationship was with Norman George Hayden, Cossey relied, “Who’s he? I’ve never heard of him.” When I informed Cossey that Mr. Hayden is listed in FBI documents as the owner, and that Hayden told me over the phone today that he owned the chutes and provided them to the FBI for the Cooper case, Coss replied, “He is so full of s**t.” When I asked for reconfirmation on ownership, Cossey plainly said, “Yes, I owned them, absolutely.” He continued. “I packed them, and I sold parachute gear for a living. In fact, I was paid back by Northwest Airlines for the chutes – that should tell you something!” Mr. Cossey was good-natured throughout the conversation, and quite animated. As a result, we were able to speak at length about the two back parachutes. However, there is still some confusion over the chute that Cooper used. Generally, Cossey said that the parachute that Cooper used was an NB 8 container with a 28-foor canopy inside. When I reminded Cossey that my understanding of our prior conversation in March 2009 was that he had stuffed a 28-foot round canopy into a NB 6 container, making for a hard pull, I heard him say, “that’s pretty much accurate.” Nevertheless, when I returned to this question a few moments later, Cossey veered from his prior statements to me and said that a NB 6 container had never been used. Cossey’s final description of Cooper’s parachute was that it was a canopy designed for an NB 8 in an NB 8 container, and he re-iterated that a NB 6 had never been used. As for the second parachute, the one that was left on the plane, Cossey said that it was not an NB 8, and neither was it a “Paracommander” or a “Paradise,” or any other kind of rectangular, steerable sport chute. Rather, it was a modified parachute that would typically be used as an emergency parachute by aerobatic pilots, but it was packed in a container that often housed sport parachutes. Cossey said this second chute was made by the Pioneer manufacturing company. Mr. Cossey said this second chute was well-padded in the chest and crotch areas - making it a preferable rig. He also said this chute had a superior rip chord, effecting an easier pull. In addition, Cossey said the chute had “sleeves,” again making it a superior chute over the NB 8 because the sleeves would slow the opening of the canopy and lessen the severity of the shock experienced when the canopy did open. Cossey confirmed his characterizations that he had given me in 2009, calling the NB 8 a “broken-down VW” and the Pioneer a “Cadillac.” Cossey also said that neither chute was his personal rig, and that he used a separate parachute for his own recreational jumping, which is not what I heard in our 2009 conversation. © 2011 Bruce A. Smith

Ok I'm confused. There were a total of 4 chutes. Two are missing from the plane after Cooper jumps. (One of these is presumably a training chute (inoperable for Cooper's purpose). That leaves two left on the plane. One is intact, the other one has the cords cut up. Are you saying that the only parachute that the FBI has in its possession now is the cut up one? Plus I'll have to go back and look, so I might be wrong - but for some reason I had the impression that Cossey was not credited (and did not claim) that he provided the chutes, just that he packed them. ?? Quote Here is what I know. (or think I know): 1. Two chutes were left on plane; one is the cut up reserve, the other is the main chute that apparently is in the possession of its owner, Norman George Hayden. 2. Cossey told me that the chute Cooper used was a 28-foot round stuffed into an NB 6 bag, and that it was Cossey's personal parachute for recreational jumping. Further, Cossey told me that he had modified the rip cord assembly so that it was a "hard pull." 3. Cossey never mentioned Norman Hayden to me. 4. Cossey identified the chute not used by Cooper as a "cotton canvas Paradise sport chute" and he characterized it as a "Cadillac" chute compared to the one Cooper used, a "sage green NB 8," which he called a "broken-down VW." 5. Cossey told me that he had provided them to the FBI.

Everything we thought was true about the parachutes is bogus. Earl Cossey lied about everything. I just spoke with the owner of the two back chutes, Norman George Hayden, and he thoroughly discredits Mr. Cossey. Here is my report: Breaking News. Cossey has lied Big Time. I just spoke with Norman Hayden, a very nice guy. He owned the two back chutes that DBC received. Cossey did not own the chutes, had never used them, and he did not give them to the FBI. "Earl Cossey is pretty much full of beans," said Norman. So, in essence Earl Cossey has lied about everything associated with the parachutes. Hayden is not a skydiver, and has never used the chutes. He still has the second one, and he invited me to inspect it with him this week, which I will do. As far as Hayden knows, the parachutes had not been used when he gave them to the FBI - at least not in the recent past. On November 24, 1971, he was contacted by the NWO ops guy who had gotten the referral to Hayden from someone at SeaTac. Hayden didn't know they were going to Cooper, and just put them in a taxi and they went to Boeing Field. I'm not sure how they got to Sea-Tac from there. I'm guessing the chutes may have been used in WWII, Korea, or Vietnam, but Hayden never used them. He's not even sure what kind of parachutes they are. Hayden is a precision aerobatic pilot, not a skydiver, and he bought them because he didn't like the chutes that the aerobatic school issued him for his lessons the prior year. Both chutes are identical as far as Hayden knows, and both are military rounds. None were rectangular, "stunt" parachutes. Also, neither chute had "D" rings. Hayden doesn't know the size of the parachutes, such as 28-foot or 26-foot or if they were in NB 8 containers, etc. I'm going to see Hayden in a few days, and take pictures of the second chute, which he has in his shop in Kent, just about 30 miles away. He said he had to hire an attorney to get his second chute back from the FBI and it took years. Plus, the guy he dealt with in the Seattle FBI office was very rude. Plus, the chute was in Washington, DC for quite some time, which is why it took so long to get it back. So, when I see Norman and the chutes, I'll know more. The only involvement with Cossey is that he packed the chutes, and his rigging card in still in the second chute. Who owned them before Norman I do not know, but I will when I meet with him. In addition, Norman said that the second chute was manufactured by a parachute company called "Pioneer," which is the name that Cossey had told me intitially and so many jumped up and down and said was a Paracommander. A whiff of truth in all the fiction....

Does anyone know who is the source of the claim that DB Cooper was giddy and child-like when he received the money? I've seen this observation bandied about, but no one seems to be able to pin down the source. Tina? Flo? Passengers? Alice? Who says Cooper was giddy? Thanks

Braden sure had the skills to do Norjack. No question about that. If he was DBC, and got away with nearly 200K cash in 71, why would he be driving a truck a couple of years later? Quote That is the Big Question that Hank, Allen and I (and others) have been wrestling with over the past 24 hours. 377, you may have hit part of it. If Ted was DBC, he may have lost the money and was back in Broke World. Other scenarios are possible: Ted displayed lots of eradic behavior, going "schizo" in Vietnam as JD Bath has described. Did he have mental health issues that culminated in his bizarre departure from Vietnam in December '66 and his reappearence in the Congo in January '67, with all of this condensing down to 18-wheelers in Pennsy as the only income he could sustain? Or was the truck gig part of something cooked up by USG Intel? Was Ted conducting surveillance of drug smuggling via 18-wheelers as Allen suggested to me last evening? In effect, was Ted "Running Recon" down I-65 while wearing a white hat? Or was Ted running recon for covert drug smuggling into the US for black budget ops, ala the Contras and all the CIA's friends in the land of Los Columbianos? Or are there two Teds? Also, Ted was well-known in Europe and apparently in Vietnam, as Allen described to me. Ted had a relationship with Gen. John Singlaub, and apparently they served together somewhere, possibly in Korea, as brother officers. Further, Singlaub was in command of SOG, too, and was apparently Ted's boss. What does all this mean? Further, how could a guy as well connected as Ted end up driving an 18-wheeler in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1975? Further, if he was realy looking for combat work and pay, why was he advertsing in Ramparts? Why didn't he just call Singlaub? But let's take this back to DB Cooper. If Ted was Cooper, why would he pose for Ramparts and tell his AWOL story? Is that our Danny Boy - so wild and wacky and out of the box that he would advertise himself - have his face in front of millions of readers - and then hijack an airplane a few years later? The mystery continues. I'm calling Billy Waugh and John Plaster next. I'll keep y'all posted. In my bones I don't think Ted is DB. Yes, Ted had the skills to do the job, but did he want to do the job? My intuition says that DB Cooper was deeper in the military than Ted ever got. Some unit much more cloaked, a unit where nobody ever talked, filled with guys who breathed secrecy, who needed the anonymity like a fish needs water. It was home to them. Buddies of Jake? I've got a call into Geoff to see about connecting with ol' Jake, whose exploits are described in Skyjack. Ah, if Jake can get to Ariel, now that would be one heckuva celebration.

Alright Bruce you got my attention. What do you know about Kamil Ross? Remember this is a common name so don't go bananas about me connecting dots that do not connect. I would like to know more about this Kamil Ross and the children of this Ross. Quote Okay, Jo, but you first. So, tell me, why do you want to know about Kamil and his kids. Please be specific.

If you would ever like to put your adventures on paper, Amazon, I'd love to publish them on the Mountain News. If you don't make it to Ariel, then maybe I can snag 377 and we can run down to Ilwaco. I was a Santa Claus at a big festival in Ilwaco about 20 years ago. It was frightening.

Ted Braden, Report on Interview with Pauline Braden, 10.12.11 I spoke with an elderly woman today who said she was Pauline Braden, the former wife of Ted Braden. I describe her with some reservation because the contact information that Snowmman gave me doesn’t quite jive with the circumstances of the phone call. Initially from Snow, I had thought Pauline was in some kind of assisted living community named the Devonshire, and maybe she is. However, when I called Pauline’s primary number I got a generic message greeting; but when I called the Devonshire, instead of a professional greeting from a receptionist or therapist, I got Pauline, but only after a long wait as the phone had a lengthy ring and I was half-way through leaving my message about being a newspaper reporter doing a story on Ted Braden and the rumors that he was DB Cooper. Pauline heard the message, though, and was quick to talk about Ted and DB, answering the question that was lingering in the air from the phone message. “Yeah…honestly, I did…think he could…be him,” Pauline told me. “It was like him (to do the Cooper skyjacking.)… I remember thinking that…at the time it happened.” However, she later told me that Ted never told her specifically that he was DB Cooper, and it doesn’t sound like she pried too deep into her husband’s past, either; to whit, she never asked him if he was DB Cooper. In addition, I found it difficult to understand Pauline and she said she had suffered a stroke recently and she often paused when she spoke, seemingly to gather the next group of words she wanted to say out loud. She also has a faint southern drawl and spoke softly, which further complicated the interview. Nevertheless, she was quite chatty, even if her memory was not blazingly sharp. As a result, I decided it was best to ask her questions directly about her experiences with Ted and not ask about Vietnam. She didn’t say a word about Ted’s experiences in the war, either. Here’s what she told me: She was married to Ted around 1970, soon after he got out of the military. He was driving a truck at the time and she lived in Ellsworth, PA. However, the marriage was rocky, and they never had any kids together. “He was a hard guy to live with….,” she said. “He was in jail, too,” she added with a laugh! “Jail?” I queried. Apparently, Ted was involved in some kind of truck piracy scheme where he would drive a rig some place and it would get hijacked. “The FBI came by and interviewed me. They told me about it…but I don’t really understand what he did,” she said. “They told me he had taken a quarter of a million dollars.” She continued. “But he was no good….He called me…we weren’t living together, then…He called me and wanted me to bring him some money…. Also: “He was never around for me….and he had a lot of different women,” she said, again laughing with a kind of Zen-knowingness. She had kids from a previous marriage to a Kamil Ross, and she wanted to divorce Ted but never had the money to finalize the details and pay for the attorney. As a result, she is still legally Mrs. Braden. “I was raising the kids by myself…so, I…just didn’t have the money,” she said. She never told me when she left Ted, but it sounds like the relationship just petered-out after a few years. However, she knew that Ted had died and confirmed that fact. “But we weren’t together, when he died,” she added. As for Ted’s life during the marriage, he was a truck driver the entire time and she says that he never went back into the military. “He tried to, though, but he didn’t get in,” she said. By this time, Pauline had thoroughly warmed up to our conversation and we started talking about her kids, living in Ellsworth, and her cousin Lillian, the woman I spoke with two years ago. After about 15-20 minutes, Pauline began to tire, and I prepared my good-byes. I gave her my phone number and it took a good 4-5 minutes for her to get a pen, some paper, and the correct numbers and their sequence written down. “You ought to talk to Noreen,” she said as we finished. “She’d probably like to talk with you.” We then launched into another round of telephone number exchanging. Whew. It seems that Noreen is one of Pauline’s four daughters. “They’re all over the place, but Noreen lives here.” “With you?” “No, not here in this place, but close by, here in…..the Pittsburgh area.” I also told her about the Mountain News, and she brightened considerably. “Let me know if you…find anything out, will you?” she said. Pauline sounded like a warm and earnest, but simple, woman. The Ted Braden she describes, coupled with what Lillian had told us earlier, sounds so different than the report we’re hearing from Hank and Allen. I find it so hard to believe that the Ted Braden who was fearless in combat and pioneered parachuting techniques in Vietnam would live in the boonies with a big-hearted country gal and drive a truck. What happened to his CIA buddies? Where did the uber warrior with 23 months straight in jungle combat according to his SOG buddy JD Bath, and with a ton o’ brains go? It’s hard to conceive that the USG, or Halliburton, couldn’t find a job for him somewhere. Do we have two Ted Bradens to look for? I have a call into Noreen, where I left a message. My next call is to Billy Waugh. Then Plaster. It’s good to be ridin’ with the posse, again. I’ve missed you guys.

It's unfortunate to read that Ralph may be unable to make the Ariel shin-dig as his driver may be unwelcome at the Tavern. However, there are some developments that might impact that decision. Galen has just told me that he will appear in Ariel if Ralph promises to come. Further, Galen says he'll be escorting Janet and wants to be present when she meets Mr. Himmelsbach. I certainly do, too. I don't get many opportunties to see Ralph, so I will be sure to be close at hand. In fact, if Ralph needs a ride because Jerry is indisposed, I will be happy to rent a car and scoot down to Woodburn and chauffer Ralph up to the show. In the event that doesn't materialize either, Galen says that he and Janet will motor down to Woodburn and ask for an interview with Ralph directly. Apparently Miss Janet really want to meet him.

Greetings Everyone, Galen just gave me a news flash that I think many here would like to know about. His witness, "Janet," of the Fiery Object phenomenon will be at the Ariel shin dig. She very much wants to meet Ralph Himmelsbach and see if he's the guy she met a long time ago. In addtion, her LE husband will be flying in to attend the festivities. Not sure where he is coming from, but he will be there. Oddly, Galen says he will not be in attendence, which I find disappointing and I hope that changes. I have every intention of being at Geoffrey's gathering in Portland on Friday and the Ariel hoe-down on Saturday. I'll be riding down with the Formans, of Barb Dayton fame. Along those lines, I understand that Barb's daughter, Rena, may be at Ariel as well. On a related note, I'll miss Georger. He was often a cranky guy, but he moved the investigation forward. Also, I spoke with Hank B twice today about Ted Braden. I'll have a full report soon. Hank is hooked. I heard his wife inquiring (multiple times) in the background why he was camped-out on the phone talking to this guy from Tacoma....let's just say that Hank ran down his cell phone batteries twice today. (Fact.) Thanks, 377 for posting the links to our old Braden stuff from 25 months ago. I had forgotten half that stuff. Whew. From what Hank told me, Teddy was a pretty snazzy SOG trooper. Polished, profesional and cool, calm and collected. Smoked Hava-tampas in solitary at Dix. That's my Teddy Boy! Plus, Hank gave me confirmation that Ted was back in Vietnam in 1973, which raises a ton o' questions about a whole lot o' things.

Quote I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was. You're on, dude. If my first social security check actually gets deposited into my account on Novermeber 23 as the Federal Government says it will, then I will be able to get my tuchie down to Ariel in time for the brouhaha.

You might like Colin Turnbull's books: his books on the pygmi hunting culture, his book about an Amazon tribe 'The Tribe that Hides from Man' ... he always lived with the cultures he studied and wrote about to get a firsthand view. I loved Colin. He was my anthropology teacher at Hofstra University in 1973-4. One of the worst teachers I ever had in a traditional sense, but he was a great storyteller and that's all he did in the classroom. I loved him, and I send my condolences to his family, friends and admirers alike for his passing several years ago.

Ok...... so this is freaky.... I picked Newark, NJ in my post above because I looked up the stinkiest cities in the US. and it popped up. What comes in the mail today? A legal notice from Newark, NJ telling me about a toll violation. (Accidentally went through the wrong lane and they don't give you a second chance to get it right) Within 15 days of 9/29/11, they want 2.30 for the toll (which I will pay) and 25.00 for administrative costs (code for fine), (which, of course, I will dispute - since NJ does a crappy job of directing Georgia drivers (who don't do tolls as a general rule) to the correct lane)).

Bruce, who I like, loses me when he strays from Newton and Einstein. I am one of those old fogies who foolishly believes that gravity can't be defeated on any large practical scale. That's why I pay $20 to the DZO to go to 14,000 feet rather than pay to take a Maharishi University levitation course. That's why I wear two parachutes rather than leaping bare and chanting an increasingly desperate mantra as I go past my backwards thinking buddies with deploying canopies. Bruce, you are sidelined with a blown head gasket in your truck. Forget remote viewing. If you can't use paranormal powers to fix it then borrow some tools and get a repair manual. It's a tedious job, but the parts are cheap. If the head isn't warped (a machine shop can check it for flatness) or the block cracked you could be back in business for the price of the head gasket, some manifold gaskets and sealant. Harbor Freight has cheap tools including torque wrenches for accurately tightening the head bolts. Then drive to Windsor and interview Sheridan Peterson. 377 Yes, this is my quintessentail dilemma. I'm looking for DB Cooper in the fifth dimension (I think) and I can't get my engine fixed - either through a time-line shift to a reality where my truck doesn't have a blown head gasket, or telekinesis where I stick a bit o' gunk back into the gap between the head and block. Plan C, currently, is to write a wonderfully delightful book detailing my "paranormal" search for Danny B, cash my royalty check and make a beeline to my Toyota dealer in Puyallup and get a Prius. Then I drive to Windsor. And then go out for a salmon dinner with you and yours - and hopefully Petey, too!

Quote Fair enough, Jerry. Do what you need to do to feel safe. Nevertheless, I assure you that I did not make the post that I think you're referring to on the Mountain News, the details of which I'm kind of hazy. In trying to assess who is lying here or telling truth, consider this: How do I benefit from making a false-flag comment in my own online magazine? What do I gain from such an act? Why wouldn't I just write a story on the subject I'd like revealed?

Um, okay, but you know you're gonna need a control if you want to convince skeptics. Not sure how what you're doing works, but maybe you can pick someone on here that knows exactly where they were or what they were doing Nov 24, 1971 so you can post that too.

Quote Yes, sometimes (and certainly at present) it is difficult to post comments on the Mountain News. Not sure why. We have had some serious technical glitches and this issue seems to be one of them. Word Press, the platform for the Mountain News, seems to be the primary source of the technical problems. As a result, I certainly offer anyone who would like to post on the Mountain News the option of sending me the commentary in an email, brucesmith@rainierconnect.com , and I will place your words on the Mountain News. As for revealing confidential information from you, Jerry, here or elsewhere, I am not aware that I have. However, in the event that I did transgress somehow, well, then I certainly apolgize. If you could tell me what the information was, I'd appreciate it so that I don't spill the beans again. As for using aliases or some of the ploys you've described, I never use them, as I have no need for them. If people don't want to talk to me, then that is what I write, namely their refusal to comment. I find such discriptions of fear produce excellent stories and draw plenty of readers. Regarding your charge that I delete people's comments, I have never done that on a DB Cooper story. On occaison I have had to make significant edits on posts that concern criminal activity, such as the recent homicide in Graham, WA by a former minister of the New Testament Christian Church that I've written about extensively. Sometimes, members of the victim's family say rash things that are unfair to the alleged murderer, and illegal in my view. As per your above post, I eagerly await to get the latest from you via the Seattle Times.

QuoteInteresting article. Written by one of Bruce's buddies ( in spirit at least