A new web site is now up and running. The site -- WWW.HAUPTMANNSLADDER.COM -- will offer information as it becomes available about my book. You can also offer comments or ask questions about the book or the case. My answers must be limited until the release date of March 1, 2014 though.
You can pre-order the book from this site, and soon I will be listing book signings and other events.
Thanks.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
My Book is now available for Pre-Order
My book, Hauptmann's Ladder, will be released on March 1, 2014. However, you can pre-order the book by clicking HERE.
Here is a copy of the book description from the Kent State University Press web site.
Here is a copy of the book description from the Kent State University Press web site.
Hauptmann’s Ladder
A Step-by-Step Analysis of the Lindbergh Kidnapping
True Crime HistoryRichard T. Cahill Jr.
In 1936, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was executed for the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr. Almost all of America believed Hauptmann guilty; only a few magazines and tabloids published articles questioning his conviction. In the ensuing decades, many books about the Lindbergh case have been published. Some have declared Hauptmann the victim of a police conspiracy and frame-up, and one posited that Lindbergh actually killed his own son and fabricated the entire kidnapping to mask the deed.Because books about the crime have been used as a means to advance personal theories, the truth has often been sacrificed and readers misinformed.
Hauptmann’s Ladder is a testament to the truth that counters the revisionist histories all too common in the true crime genre. Author Richard T. Cahill Jr. puts the “true” back in “true crime,” providing credible information and undistorted evidence that enables readers to form their own opinions and reach their own conclusions.
Cahill presents conclusions based upon facts and documentary evidence uncovered in his twenty years of research. Using primary sources and painstakingly presenting a chronological reconstruction of the crime and its aftermath, he debunks false claims and explodes outrageous theories, while presenting evidence that has never before been revealed. Hauptmann’s Ladder is a meticulously researched examination of the Lindbergh kidnapping that restores and preserves the truth of the crime of the century.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Ulster County Needs Nina Postupack to Run for State Senator
Within the last few days, some of my sources in Albany informed me that the Republicans either have or will be approaching Nina Postupack in an attempt to convince her to run for State Senator against Cecelia Tkaczyk. In fact, it is my understanding that polling has confirmed that even at this very early stage, Nina leads Tkaczyk by a considerable margin. She would more likely than not win the seat.
Local politicos I have spoken with do not believe that Nina will run. They usually cite her love of her current job or say something like, "She's County Clerk for as long as she wants. Why leave?"
I have thought about this for a while now and I think Nina should run. In fact, I think she owes it to Ulster County to run for State Senate. Let me tell you why.
Every reasonable political prognosticator knows that control of the State Senate will be decided by whether or not Senator Tkaczyk gets reelected. Last time, she lost almost everywhere except Ulster County. In Ulster County, she won by a considerable margin. Ulster County and Greene County together make up half of the voting district. Thus, anyone running strongly in Ulster County is likely to win.
If Nina were to run and win, Republicans would likely regain control of the Senate without relying upon 4 disenfranchised Democrats. To keep the seat thereafter, you can bet your last dollar that Ulster County would be the recipient of numerous political and legislative things of value. It is simply the way that Politics work. I am not advocating it, but it is the way of the political world, particularly in New York. Thus, Ulster County would tremendously benefit from a Nina Postupack senatorial victory.
Now, the second question -- Could Nina win? This is a no-brainer. She would win quite easily. Look at her numbers in the 2013 election. Nina got 39,318 votes pending the counting of absentees and affidavits. Of those, 18,482 votes came on the Democrat line. That is just shy of half her entire total. The Republican and Conservative lines combined were only 17,709. This shows tremendous cross party support.
Nina has the popularity of the late Senator Arthur Wicks, if not even more so. Art Wicks was our State Senator and later Lieutenant Governor. Ask anyone who remembers and they will tell you of all the positive things and good paying jobs that he brought to Ulster County. Without Wicks, the Thruway would have been on the east side of the Hudson.
There is little question that Nina would run extremely well in Ulster County and would become State Senator. This leads to the final question. Will she or rather should she run? I cannot answer whether she will. That is up to Nina and her family. I can answer, however, that she most certainly should.
I was active with the Republican party in the city and county for over 20 years. I am currently active with the city and county Conservative committees. As such, I have heard Nina speak and seen her campaign many times. One of the things that voters really like about Nina is the humility she expresses when she speaks and campaigns. She always thanks the people of Ulster County and tells them how much they have done for her over the years. She always expresses her wish that there was even more she could do to give back to them.
Here is the opportunity. Ulster County has become the forgotten county in New York. The district was created for someone from Rotterdam and the wishes of Ulster County (and their candidates) were ignored. If Nina runs and wins, Ulster County gets placed back on the political map. As the likely deciding district for control of the State Senate, the people of Ulster County would regain their prominence and would be the recipient of various state government opportunities. Back in the day, there were quite a few state employees assigned to work in this county. Not so much anymore. Imagine the opportunity for the people of Ulster County if good paying state jobs were again stationed here. Ulster needs jobs more desperately than I can express. This would create such an opportunity.
Nina's local popularity and the current political opportunity together would result in great economic benefits for Ulster County. We certainly need them.
In summary, I am very hopeful that Nina Postupack will decide to run for State Senate. It would give her the chance to give back to the people of Ulster County in an absolutely monumental way. It could bring jobs and economic development back to our county.
I call upon the politicos in this county from the Republican, Conservative, and Independence parties to start a Draft Nina movement. I hope the people of this county who have repeatedly placed their support behind Nina will let her know how good a State Senator she would be and how much they would like her to run. Let the word go forth. We want Nina for State Senate!!
Local politicos I have spoken with do not believe that Nina will run. They usually cite her love of her current job or say something like, "She's County Clerk for as long as she wants. Why leave?"
I have thought about this for a while now and I think Nina should run. In fact, I think she owes it to Ulster County to run for State Senate. Let me tell you why.
Every reasonable political prognosticator knows that control of the State Senate will be decided by whether or not Senator Tkaczyk gets reelected. Last time, she lost almost everywhere except Ulster County. In Ulster County, she won by a considerable margin. Ulster County and Greene County together make up half of the voting district. Thus, anyone running strongly in Ulster County is likely to win.
If Nina were to run and win, Republicans would likely regain control of the Senate without relying upon 4 disenfranchised Democrats. To keep the seat thereafter, you can bet your last dollar that Ulster County would be the recipient of numerous political and legislative things of value. It is simply the way that Politics work. I am not advocating it, but it is the way of the political world, particularly in New York. Thus, Ulster County would tremendously benefit from a Nina Postupack senatorial victory.
Now, the second question -- Could Nina win? This is a no-brainer. She would win quite easily. Look at her numbers in the 2013 election. Nina got 39,318 votes pending the counting of absentees and affidavits. Of those, 18,482 votes came on the Democrat line. That is just shy of half her entire total. The Republican and Conservative lines combined were only 17,709. This shows tremendous cross party support.
Nina has the popularity of the late Senator Arthur Wicks, if not even more so. Art Wicks was our State Senator and later Lieutenant Governor. Ask anyone who remembers and they will tell you of all the positive things and good paying jobs that he brought to Ulster County. Without Wicks, the Thruway would have been on the east side of the Hudson.
There is little question that Nina would run extremely well in Ulster County and would become State Senator. This leads to the final question. Will she or rather should she run? I cannot answer whether she will. That is up to Nina and her family. I can answer, however, that she most certainly should.
I was active with the Republican party in the city and county for over 20 years. I am currently active with the city and county Conservative committees. As such, I have heard Nina speak and seen her campaign many times. One of the things that voters really like about Nina is the humility she expresses when she speaks and campaigns. She always thanks the people of Ulster County and tells them how much they have done for her over the years. She always expresses her wish that there was even more she could do to give back to them.
Here is the opportunity. Ulster County has become the forgotten county in New York. The district was created for someone from Rotterdam and the wishes of Ulster County (and their candidates) were ignored. If Nina runs and wins, Ulster County gets placed back on the political map. As the likely deciding district for control of the State Senate, the people of Ulster County would regain their prominence and would be the recipient of various state government opportunities. Back in the day, there were quite a few state employees assigned to work in this county. Not so much anymore. Imagine the opportunity for the people of Ulster County if good paying state jobs were again stationed here. Ulster needs jobs more desperately than I can express. This would create such an opportunity.
Nina's local popularity and the current political opportunity together would result in great economic benefits for Ulster County. We certainly need them.
In summary, I am very hopeful that Nina Postupack will decide to run for State Senate. It would give her the chance to give back to the people of Ulster County in an absolutely monumental way. It could bring jobs and economic development back to our county.
I call upon the politicos in this county from the Republican, Conservative, and Independence parties to start a Draft Nina movement. I hope the people of this county who have repeatedly placed their support behind Nina will let her know how good a State Senator she would be and how much they would like her to run. Let the word go forth. We want Nina for State Senate!!
Friday, November 8, 2013
Response to Feedback
I have received an email and some comments questioning my assertion about the lack of formal Republican support for Joe Corcoran. I have decided to add a further and more detailed comment to clarify my remarks. My initial comment was one line without detail. Allow me to elaborate.
There were a handful of longtime party loyalists who helped Joe. There have always been 3 to 4 people in the City GOP committee who have worked their tails off no matter how high the odds. I did not intend to disrespect them. If I did, I apologize.
My comments are focused on the lack of any true GOP party machine in the City of Kingston. My comments also are focused on the decline of the City GOP since 2011. If Joe had the backing of the type of party GOP machine that existed prior to the 2011 debacle, he would have won.
Unfortunately, the City GOP has never recovered from the 2011 election debacle. To recap, the party split completely over the 2011 mayoral election. The candidate's committee selected me as the candidate. The City Chair at that time was to endorse the candidate chosen by that committee, but failed to do so. Instead, despite promising me support (which he now denies ever doing), he chose to back a different candidate thus resulting in Andi Turco-Levin with the GOP line and myself with the Conservative line.
To make matters worse, a third GOP candidate (Ron Polacco) won the GOP primary. Without the party splitting between myself and Andi Turco-Levin, Ron would never have won the primary. He would have gotten his 40% in the primary, but either Andi or myself running without the other would have won. So, you had Andi knocked out of the race with her supporters being angry because she did not get any real chance to win. You had me on the Conservative line with my GOP supporters angry because of outright betrayal. You had Ron on the GOP line with a split ticket and a fractured party. Gallo went on to win easily. I will not claim that I or Andi would have beaten Gallo in a 1 on 1 race. I will say that the race would have been substantially closer and --win or lose-- the party would not have fallen apart as it did subsequently.
The long and short of it is that I left the committee and joined the Conservatives. The GOP Chair (Tony Sinagra) stepped down as Chair shortly thereafter. Ron left the committee. In the time since then, the party has been hopelessly fractured.
By example, look at the complete lack of candidates in 2011. Wards 1, 2, 5, 7 were blank. In wards 3 and 8, the candidates endorsed sought the Dem line which angered GOP loyalists. I am not going to roast any particular people, but the fact remains that the City GOP committee has still not recovered from 2011.
Joe Corcoran came very close. The race is still in recount though Ball has a clear advantage. My frustration is seeing the decline of the City GOP, an entity I supported and for which I worked hard for over 20 years. The GOP could have won 3 or 4 seats on the Council this year. They could have potentially walked away with wards 9, 6, 3, and 1. Instead, only 1 ward has a GOP lead and Dems have total and dominant control.
Again, if I offended my old friends in the City GOP, I offer my apology. I do not apologize, however, for my belief and my statements that a better organized City Committee of the type that existed prior to 2011 would have a made a substantial difference in 2013. That is just an absolute fact.
There were a handful of longtime party loyalists who helped Joe. There have always been 3 to 4 people in the City GOP committee who have worked their tails off no matter how high the odds. I did not intend to disrespect them. If I did, I apologize.
My comments are focused on the lack of any true GOP party machine in the City of Kingston. My comments also are focused on the decline of the City GOP since 2011. If Joe had the backing of the type of party GOP machine that existed prior to the 2011 debacle, he would have won.
Unfortunately, the City GOP has never recovered from the 2011 election debacle. To recap, the party split completely over the 2011 mayoral election. The candidate's committee selected me as the candidate. The City Chair at that time was to endorse the candidate chosen by that committee, but failed to do so. Instead, despite promising me support (which he now denies ever doing), he chose to back a different candidate thus resulting in Andi Turco-Levin with the GOP line and myself with the Conservative line.
To make matters worse, a third GOP candidate (Ron Polacco) won the GOP primary. Without the party splitting between myself and Andi Turco-Levin, Ron would never have won the primary. He would have gotten his 40% in the primary, but either Andi or myself running without the other would have won. So, you had Andi knocked out of the race with her supporters being angry because she did not get any real chance to win. You had me on the Conservative line with my GOP supporters angry because of outright betrayal. You had Ron on the GOP line with a split ticket and a fractured party. Gallo went on to win easily. I will not claim that I or Andi would have beaten Gallo in a 1 on 1 race. I will say that the race would have been substantially closer and --win or lose-- the party would not have fallen apart as it did subsequently.
The long and short of it is that I left the committee and joined the Conservatives. The GOP Chair (Tony Sinagra) stepped down as Chair shortly thereafter. Ron left the committee. In the time since then, the party has been hopelessly fractured.
By example, look at the complete lack of candidates in 2011. Wards 1, 2, 5, 7 were blank. In wards 3 and 8, the candidates endorsed sought the Dem line which angered GOP loyalists. I am not going to roast any particular people, but the fact remains that the City GOP committee has still not recovered from 2011.
Joe Corcoran came very close. The race is still in recount though Ball has a clear advantage. My frustration is seeing the decline of the City GOP, an entity I supported and for which I worked hard for over 20 years. The GOP could have won 3 or 4 seats on the Council this year. They could have potentially walked away with wards 9, 6, 3, and 1. Instead, only 1 ward has a GOP lead and Dems have total and dominant control.
Again, if I offended my old friends in the City GOP, I offer my apology. I do not apologize, however, for my belief and my statements that a better organized City Committee of the type that existed prior to 2011 would have a made a substantial difference in 2013. That is just an absolute fact.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
City Election Results
The Democrats have taken at least 6 of 9 seats and could get more. Three wards will have recounts.
Wards 1, 2, 5, and 7 had no Republican opposition. That is a shame because at least 2 could have been defeated. In Ward 4, Democrat Nina Dawson was victorious. In Ward 8, Steve Schabot defeated Ms. Bruck.
Wards 3, 6, and 9 will have recounts. In ward 3, the unofficial total has: Will 329, Champ-Doran 290, and Kelder at 30. There were 142 absentees sent out and thus far approximately 87 have been returned. Thus, assuming those numbers, Champ-Doran would need 64 out of 87 to win. (74%).
In ward 6, Ball leads Corcoran unofficially 288-266 with 75 potential absentees. Thus far, 51 have been received. They lean Republican (+8). To win, Corcoran needs 37 of 51 (72.5%). In reality, this race is separated by 1 vote. Ball won the Conservative primary by 1 vote. If Corcoran had won that line (or if he had any help at all from the Republicans at any time during the campaign), he would have won this race.
In ward 9, Debbie Brown leads Johnson by 13 votes with 57 possible absentees (38 received thus far). The ballots received are Dem +13 which evens it out. This race will be very close. To win, Brown needs 13 out of 38 to clinch (34.2%). Johnson needs 26 of 38 (68.4%).
These numbers all assume no further ballots received. As more come in, the numbers change. Also, this assumes no errors were made tabulating the machine totals.
As more information becomes available on the recounts, I will advise.
Wards 1, 2, 5, and 7 had no Republican opposition. That is a shame because at least 2 could have been defeated. In Ward 4, Democrat Nina Dawson was victorious. In Ward 8, Steve Schabot defeated Ms. Bruck.
Wards 3, 6, and 9 will have recounts. In ward 3, the unofficial total has: Will 329, Champ-Doran 290, and Kelder at 30. There were 142 absentees sent out and thus far approximately 87 have been returned. Thus, assuming those numbers, Champ-Doran would need 64 out of 87 to win. (74%).
In ward 6, Ball leads Corcoran unofficially 288-266 with 75 potential absentees. Thus far, 51 have been received. They lean Republican (+8). To win, Corcoran needs 37 of 51 (72.5%). In reality, this race is separated by 1 vote. Ball won the Conservative primary by 1 vote. If Corcoran had won that line (or if he had any help at all from the Republicans at any time during the campaign), he would have won this race.
In ward 9, Debbie Brown leads Johnson by 13 votes with 57 possible absentees (38 received thus far). The ballots received are Dem +13 which evens it out. This race will be very close. To win, Brown needs 13 out of 38 to clinch (34.2%). Johnson needs 26 of 38 (68.4%).
These numbers all assume no further ballots received. As more come in, the numbers change. Also, this assumes no errors were made tabulating the machine totals.
As more information becomes available on the recounts, I will advise.
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