Report on L.A. conference

Friends,
Our regional meeting in Los Angeles was a great success. Wonderful speakers,
new evidence and information, and a real researchers’
conference. We were able to pay all our bills and our past debts, and have
funds for Dallas now. Due to a hotel venue cancellation, we were unable to
overcome technical problems with broadcasting it livestream,.
but the video will be uploaded and available on our website very soon.
Please visit www.politicalassassinations.com. John Geraghty, our webmaster,
has been doing a great job in posting new information, videos, etc. there
and at our YouTube site. The presentations by Dr.
Robert Joling, Philip van Praag and Paul Schrade were eye opening, and COPA
is working closely with them to get a new investigation on the presence of a
second gunman in the pantry based on new, hard evidence on an audio tape.
Dr. William Pepper, formerly the attorney for James Earl Ray in his last
appeal, and the King family in their civil suit, is now Sirhan Sirhan’s
attorney, and working to get legal review based on evidence that Sirhan was
under hypnosis and programming at the time of the shooting. Two new films,
“RFK Must Die” produced by Shane O’Sullivan and “RFK” by Marc Sobel were
shown, and the filmmakers spoke and took questions. The 92-year old Secret
Service agent who had been assigned to Bobby Kennedy and his family right
after the shooting spoke as well about his autobiography, Dar’s Story. Ted
Charach, producer of “The Second Gun” was with us for two sessions and spoke
from the audience.
Summer Reese helped get KPFK-FM, the local Pacifica affiliate, to sponsor
our event, and spoke about Larry Teeter’s case file records from his work as
Sirhan’s attorney and their status. Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney,
now a presidential candidate vying for the Green Party ticket, spoke about
her focus on political assassinations, starting with Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. Researchers Lisa Pease and Michael Calder presented their latest work
on the RFK case as well. Recently released books include An Open and Shut
Case (Joling and van Praag), Who Shot Bobby (O’Sullivan) and RFK Must Die
(Robert Kaiser, updated edition). DVD’s of the whole conference will be
available soon for a donation to COPA.

Four stalwarts came to our annual commemoration of President Kennedy’s
inaugural speech given June 10, 1963, calling for an end to the nuclear arms
race and testing, disarmament and detente with the Soviet Union and a real
peace, not a “Pax Americana” based on mutual interest for the future. We
gathered in the hot sun under an isolated monument to his talk at American
University campus in Washington, DC, and read out parts of his speech, as
well as the words of Robert Kennedy the night of the assassination of Dr.
King, given impromptu in Indianapolis, IN in 1968.
At lunch afterwards, we talked about the future work of COPA.

We will mark the 45th anniversary of the assassination of President John F.
Kennedy at our annual regional meeting in Dallas this year, from November
21-23, with our customary moment of silence at the Grassy Knoll, 12:30 pm on
the 22nd. We will stay at the Hotel Lawrence, just off Dealey Plaza. Here is
the basic information:

November 21-23 (Friday – Sunday)
*The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: The Death of Democracy* 45th
anniversary of his assassination in Dallas Regional Meeting of COPA in
Dallas, TX Hotel Lawrence, 302 S. Houston St. (at Jackson, off Dealey Plaza)
COPA rate: Single or double rooms for $79 per night for the 21st and 22nd.
Use the group code COPA08 when you call.
Call 214-761-9090 or 877-396-0334 toll free Registration on site

I am still lining up the best speakers for the event. Our keynote will be at
the nearby Adolphus Hotel at 7:00 pm on Friday, following dinner at their
Cafe Bistro restaurant in the lobby at 5:30 pm. We will end at 12:00 pm on
Sunday. Hope to see you there.

Also be aware that Dr. Cyril Wecht, our first COPA president, is organizing
a conference at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA from October 3-5
called Making Sense of the Sixties, regarding the major assassinations, with
major speakers. Flyer is attached.

COPA continues to support passage of a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Records Act, and we are pursuing it with Rep. William Lacy Clay, the
chairman of the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and
National Archives. Jim Lesar of the Assassination Archives and Research
Center in DC has recently written to House Committee on Government Reform
chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman to call for the legally mandated oversight
hearings on the JFK Assassination Records Act that have yet to happen. I am
working to combine the two issues into a discussion about using the JFK Act
model for future release of files of historical significance and broad
public interest. Please call or visit your Congress Member in the House,
especially if they sit on these two committees, and push for new law and
hearings.

Another recent development based on my work has been the introduction of
35 Articles of Impeachment or President George W. Bush by Rep. Dennis
Kucinich under House Resolution 1258. I helped to draft much of the bill and
hope to continue to work with him on future bills. You can see the text at
http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=93581. It
should be widely read and discussed. His floor reading took up 4 1/2 hours
on C-SPAN. The theme is that a pattern of abuses make clear Bush constantly
violates his oath of office and his Constitutional duty under Article 2 to
protect the Constitution, insure the faithful execution of the laws, and
execute the duties of his office. The resolution was overwhelmingly voted to
be referred to the House Judiciary Committee where it is expected to die
without hearings under Rep. John Conyers.
However, a groundswell of public support has been organizing petitions,
calls and visits to the Members on the committee, and others to demand
hearings and ask for co-sponsors for H Res 1258. A video of the reading of
the bill can be seen at
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=8583196. I have
initiated a petition at www.onlinepetition.com/HR1258/hr1258/htm and more
information can be seen at www.groundsforimpeachment.com, a website created
my Mike Zmolek and myself, who worked on these articles from 2006. Even if
they are never given a Congressional hearing, they deserve a public hearing.
Don’t forget the role of the Bush family in assassinations ranging from
President John F. Kennedy, to Orlando Letelier and attempts on Fidel Castro,
as well as President Ronald Reagan. For most people, this well documented
list of charges against the current Bush president will be an eye-opener.

COPA continues to work to release all files concerning all major political
assassinations or plots, as well as bringing forward the best current
information and new evidence. We are not allergic to donations, though they
are not tax-deductible. Some send us monthly donations to keep us going all
year. Donations of $50 or more will get a copy of the
2007 Dallas meeting on DVD.

John Judge