"Fat cats"<BR> Posted by LovelyPigeon on May-19-02 at 07:15 PM (EST)<BR> The ransom note refers to other "fat cats" being available if the ransom for JonBenét isn't collected<BR> sucessfully by the kidnapper/s. The use of that descriptive phrase has been pondered and debated<BR> ever since the ransom note contents were publily released.<P> I've seen "fat cats" used in several contexts since realizing it was in the ransom note, and now I've<BR> just seen it again. John Le Carré uses it in The Constant Gardener (2001) hardback p24:<BR> "Nine months back. Bear-leading a party of fat cats in the aid game.World food, world health,<BR> world expense accounts. Bastards spent a mountain of money, wanted receipts for twice the<BR> amount..."<P> Le Carré is the pseudonym for famous English author John Cornwall (b. 1931) of worldwide reputation<BR> for The Spy Who Came In from the Cold and other books that predate the 1996 murder of JonBenét. <P> Maybe the note writer is a Le Carré fan or maybe it's an indication the writer is English? <P> <BR> <BR> <P><BR> Table of Contents <P><BR> James Carville used the term, Maikai, 11:54 PM, May-19-02 <BR> That may, Joyce, 03:09 AM, May-20-02 <BR> John The Square, DonBradley, 05:31 AM, May-20-02 <BR> MrPigeon, LovelyPigeon, 05:27 PM, May-20-02 <BR> interesting, mommyof2, 02:38 PM, May-21-02 <BR> He was, LovelyPigeon, 03:07 PM, May-21-02 <BR> Foreign to the truth, DonBradley, 05:50 PM, May-21-02 <BR> Fat Cat is common, Lilac, 11:34 PM, May-21-02 <BR> Did Mr. Paugh really, Maikai, 00:34 AM, May-22-02 <BR> The whole note , Joyce, 00:55 AM, May-22-02 <P><BR> <P> <BR> <P> Messages in this discussion <P> <BR> 1 . "James Carville used the term"<BR> Posted by Maikai on May-19-02 at 11:54 PM (EST)<BR> in a letter referring to Republicans when trying to drum up donations for the Democratic party. <P> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 2 . "That may"<BR> Posted by Joyce on May-20-02 at 03:09 AM (EST)<BR> be a reason that some who've looked at the note thought it was written by an older person rather<BR> than a younger person, and an older person who was 'well read' as the saying goes. I know someone<BR> now who is 'well read' and is always correcting my mis-pronounciations of forign words. "No Joy, it's<BR> not Ren-ore, it's Ren-wa". <BR> And after I'd mentioned something once, my uncle who was a farmer asked me "how virturous was<BR> that virturous china?" The correct pronounciation is "vit-re-ous". Guess my 'down home' accent was<BR> just a little TOO down home back then.<BR> That's okay I guess. My mother told me when she was young, her and her sisters pronounced a book<BR> as "Don Quik-oats". <BR> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 3 . "John The Square"<BR> Posted by DonBradley on May-20-02 at 05:31 AM (EST)<BR> >Maybe the note writer is a Le Carré fan or maybe it's an <BR> >indication the writer is English? <P> International best seller. Sold very well in the United States.<P> Someone who knew all those lines from crime films might well be interested in crime novels too.<P><BR> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 4 . "MrPigeon"<BR> Posted by LovelyPigeon on May-20-02 at 05:27 PM (EST)<BR> said the other day, when we were dining at Burger King, that he read there may be another baseball<BR> strike after August. He was disgusted about that, and said it's all about "fat cats" and money instead<BR> of the game of baseball.<P> I reached across our table for two, grabbed his by the collar and demanded where he had heard such<BR> language! He said he used to read "fat cats" in Justice League comic books. I let him go, smoothing<BR> out his collar as I did.<P> So maybe an English person over 50 who read Justice League comics? <P> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 5 . "interesting"<BR> Posted by mommyof2 on May-21-02 at 02:38 PM (EST)<BR> and just where was Mr. Pigeon the night of December 26th? ;) <P> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 6 . "He was"<BR> Posted by LovelyPigeon on May-21-02 at 03:07 PM (EST)<BR> in Paducah, KY <P> I think the note does read like someone of not-American education and upbringing may have written<BR> it.<P> Of course, the writer claims to be part of a "foreign faction" so it could just be that the writer tried<BR> to use a style of writing and language that would support the "foreign" claim. <P> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 7 . "Foreign to the truth"<BR> Posted by DonBradley on May-21-02 at 05:50 PM (EST)<BR> >the writer tried to use a style of writing and language that<BR> >would support the "foreign" claim. <P> Ain't no 'faction', so it could well be that there ain't no truth to the 'foreign' claim either. <P> Anyone so careful with the actual penmanship of the note would be careful to avoid any subtle points<BR> that he did not want to be in the note.<BR> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 8 . "Fat Cat is common"<BR> Posted by Lilac on May-21-02 at 11:34 PM (EST)<BR> I'm "only" 39, but I've heard that term my entire life, off and on. Just like "Big Cheese" <P> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 9 . "Did Mr. Paugh really"<BR> Posted by Maikai on May-22-02 at 00:34 AM (EST)<BR> use that term? I agree with LP about the writer not being a natural citizen----that the note sounded<BR> a bit too proper. The writer could have been "foreign"--from a country where kidnapping is<BR> common.....where they hate fatcat capitalists. Plenty of foreign students at the University. I hope<BR> they checked those that may not have come back to school in January....and don't forget that dollar<BR> sign in the note...that looks like a pound sign was originally written.....a pound sign is used in some of<BR> the middle eastern countries as well as England. <P> <BR> <BR> <P> <BR> 10 . "The whole note "<BR> Posted by Joyce on May-22-02 at 00:55 AM (EST)<BR> LAST EDITED ON May-22-02 AT 00:58 AM (EST)<P> was meant to mislead, and I believe it was left on the stairway to give the perp time to get out of<BR> the house if anyone found JBR missing before he was gone. In other words, it said a bunch of stuff<BR> about having taken their daughter, as in out of the house and it was just long enough to keep<BR> someone detained awhile while they read it. I don't really think that someone sat and 'cyphered' out<BR> all of those movie phrases since I have known people who could quote them seemingly rapid fire and<BR> probably hold a conversation with you using ONLY movie phrases or famous quotes if the need arose.<BR> So I think both the length of the note and the statement that she had been kidnapped were there to<BR> give the perp time to get out of the house if she was found missing. You note the perp left it on the<BR> spiral stairway and not the other staircase. I have wondered why except perhaps it's because if they<BR> found her missing they might first think that she went downstairs by the NEAREST stairway and that<BR> was the nearest one to her room. <BR> However, I don't think it was written by anyone forign. I know, some say it was planned over a long<BR> period of time and while it could've been and I've wondered about that myself, somehow I think it<BR> wasn't.<P> <P>