Do you believe in UFOs?
That is, do you believe that Unidentified Flying Objects are not the result of mirages, misidentifications and mendacity, but tangible evidence of intelligent life from distant planets traveling huge distances to gaze mutely upon us because, well, we’re so interesting and important?
You are not alone. Between a third and two-thirds of Americans — numbers vary depending on how the poll is worded — believe reports of UFOs reflect their extraterrestrial origins.
And now you can plow through those reports yourself, at least 10,000 of them, from 1947 to 1969, gathered by the Air Force in its Project Blue Book, posted online this week by an organization calling itself The Black Vault.
Rather than even try to read all 129,491 pages, I began looking at reports from Illinois, starting with one filed June 28, 1947 — four days after private pilot Kenneth Arnold started all this by reporting nine strange objects flying “like a saucer skipping over water” near Mount Rainier in Washington State. The Illinois report is less descriptive, consisting of the single sentence: “Only info given was that saucers were seen over Illinois,” on a faint, microfilmed page where some Air Force functionary had concluded, in the all-caps so popular when dealing with this subject: “INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR EVALUATION.”
The cover-up begins!To continue reading, click here.
I have three theories on this, two for the possible existence, which explains the coverup..
ReplyDeleteBoth involve the Air Force.
And one for their non-existence.
The only reasons I can come up with the Air Force covering it up is that for a long time, the USAF leadership, has been "taken over" by Evangelical Christians' who have attempted to force their values on the officer corps & denied advancement to many Jews, Catholics, Atheists & those of other religions.
The existence of UFOs would make a mess out of their beliefs of us being unique & being in god's image, if they have bodies of dead or even living aliens that are radically different in look from us.
The other somewhat contradicting theory is that they're real, but the USAF has no idea what they are, but if they said that, they would get more money than ever to investigate them, as Congress would give them the Moon, if they asked for it.
The only reason I don't believe either of them, is that common sense tells me that they aren't real due to the distances involved & the fact that few sober & intelligent people have reported them & the contactee reports are thoroughly illogical & most are obviously created by drunks or fantasists.
Clark, you are full of beans about the Airforce and just passing rumors.
DeleteWhat rumors?
DeleteYour "Continue reading" link is broken.
ReplyDeleteFixed now, thanks.
DeleteThe aliens are good guys. When they come to power, I will be on the protected rolls and I will come to no harm. In fact, they may well appoint me commissar of culture.
ReplyDeleteI love the picture.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Taken at that lovely law library atop 190 S. LaSalle.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went up there to the Library on Open House weekend, it was the first time I ever saw the non-face face of Ceres, up close.
Delete"Neil deGrasse Tyson is worried that humans are too stupid to be contacted by aliens"
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/Tt0uV5d8tss
My 2nd favorite Neil is in town next week for an appearance at the Auditorium. Wouldn't it be cool if he dropped a comment here?
DeleteJohn
What they saw was top secret, gov't flying devices or odd shaped planes.
ReplyDeleteAn early drone form, perhaps.