Living in UFO Land: Call Me a Hippy, But . . .

So many researchers, investigators, organizations, pundits, witnesses, UFO television programs, books, theories, speculations, …

So many categories of experience. Genres of aliens and contact.

And an equal amount of disagreement about all of the above. "Disagreement" ranging from mild difference of opinion to out and out attacks of the most vile nature, verging on the illegal.

Then there is the Drawing Of Lines In The Sand. UFO groups (Gatekeepers, UFO Police, Scientific Organizations) get together and make damn sure they keep out any person or theory they don't like. They insist their take is the right take. They insist that "we'll never get anywhere" unless… unless their theory is accepted, unless the rest of us agree that such and such -- take your pick; contactees, abductions, ET, disclosure, -- is ridiculous. But more to the point, not just ridiculous but not to be entertained. Not to be included.

I'd like to see, not a "rigid scientific" UFO organization, or one that keeps all but one or two ideas within, but one that includes a diverse bunch. Call me a hippy, (which wouldn't be wrong) but the only way to begin to maybe get at It All is to look at the UFO phenomena/phenomenon with compassion, respect, and patience. That does not mean agreement. 

Regan Lee with friend, Venice Beach CA 1971, photo by John Lee

Instead, the majority of UFO people are running around fighting, attacking, sneering at others within. In other words, as had been said many times by others, the inhabitants of UFO Land are eating our young. With friends like that who needs enemies?

I think part of the problem is the crazy need to be accepted by mainstream society, by the institutions considered respectable (Big Science, academia, politics even) and main stream media. If only, think many UFO Land residents, we stick to …. pick your favorite: rigid scientific methods, and so on. Then we'd be accepted and taken seriously and everything will be cool and oh yeah, we'll also find out what it's all about.

Not one bit likely. All that will happen if we stay on that road is the continual fighting amongst ourselves, as well as the hoaxes, attention seekers and cheesy carny-like creeps that infest our fringes. Which is a part of the whole thing anyway, so not much use in bemoaning that reality.

This is what happens in UFO Land. An individual, or often enough, a few individuals who get together, find a little plot of land that has a sign on it: "ET", "Disclosure," "Abductions", "MILABS," "Fairies", "Mind Control", "Nazis" -- you know. Then a barbed wire fence is erected around this little bit of land. Often, rocks are thrown at the neighboring plots of land. No one shares, everyone fights, and the Big Answer is still a long ways off. Which brings us to . . .

The Big Answer. Expecting there is a Big Answer is equally futile. There might be one, I'm optimistic, but that's not my priority. It's the process, the quest, the journey, the effect of these still unexplained encounters upon not just the individual but the culture surrounding the individual, that is the issue. For now.

Of course, there is much more beyond that, but baby steps, baby steps. Such as agreeing to disagree while working together, not apart.

Gatekeepers: On Whose Authority?

UFO Gatekeepers. They come from all sides; uber-skeptics, debunkers, as well as those who believe, but insist on scientific approaches to exploring all that is UFO. The Gatekeepers wrangle one tentacle of the UFO Kraken, ignoring the rest -- even while it strangles them -- rejecting the elements that annoy them.

They decide who gets to, what methods, which cases.

On what authority?!

There is none.

James Mcgaha, uber-debunker, asks UFO witness if "she's qualified to look at the sky"

There is no UFO Authority, no matter how desperately some want there to be. There is no Official Method, case, researcher, witness, spokesperson.

No one is more, or less, qualified than anyone one else in this realm.

As soon as someone starts spouting off a need for standards: academic, scientific, "legitimate" cases, etc. I do not take them seriously.

Honesty is expected, at all times. That's about all we should expect. Sincere desire to explore, to share, to research, while holding the ball of integrity.

Other than that, the rest is a form of bullying. Self-righteous and arrogant demands to join, if you don't, then you're not honest, sincere and legitimate.

I Feel a Rant Coming On . . .

(cross posted at my blog The Orange Orb)

I Feel a Rant Coming On...

Which is one aspect of this blog -- all about ranting on some days. Migraine fueled rant at that.

What I posted on UFO Updates:

"Only $90.00?" That's a lot of money for some of us. MUFON, once upon a time, a long time ago, they did good things, good intent. Now they're in bed with Bigelow, and, oh dear. Individuals remain who do good work but as an entity, MUFON, no thanks. As to UFO events; the skies are busy busy busy these past decades with our own lights and it's hard to distinguish between the truly strange and "just" one of ours. Of course, "one of ours" often has its own sinister implications, but that's another track. Meanwhile, there are witnesses to really weird events -- myself included -- that have to do with UFOs. Aliens, or what, who knows, but the experiences are real, and I, for one, am not lying when I report on them. So I will continue to ponder and ask and wonder and delve. Sometimes it means looking at the light in the sky, if only to realize it's nothing. Other times it means asking -- demanding! -- hey, just what the hell was that whole missing time thing about?! Witnesses need to keep exploring and investigating, and researchers need to stop putting limits on what is acceptable and what isn't. True, Roswell slides mysteriously present showing real aliens is a huge and silly distraction, but knowing the players promoting such stunts helps and then we can move on.

The $90 reference was to the supposed cost of MUFON's official UFO investigation kit.

Things in UFO Land have been busy lately, what with the Roswell alien slides and TV programs about aliens and UFOs in general. On one hand, we have such a lot of popular culture stuff out there about UFOs. Within UFO Land, lots of the usual debating and in-fighting and arguments.

Distractions.

Meanwhile, the real questions and experiences seem to be ignored. Relegated to the fringe of the fringe. Unasked, not pursued. In fact, demands are shouted. Demands for science to step up. Demands for everyone else involved to be more scientific in the pursuit of UFO knowledge. As if that approach will answer, once and for all, The UFO Question.

Feh. And meh.

I'm not bored. I'm not giving up. I'm not shutting up. I encourage every witness, from the Bigfoot-UFO witness to the reptilian alien witness to the spinning lighted disco ball mother ship witness to report, write about, talk about, discuss, argue, defend, explore, investigate. Just be honest and clear. Hold your intent and focus. Compare and contrast.

Check yourselves. Check your religions, your belief systems. You do the work; don't let others dictate to you what that is. Now that's a hard one, because it's very difficult to be honest in that context.

But don't shut up. Don't stop. Don't let others tell you your story is unacceptable because it's too weird or that you're not a scientist.

The Bragalia Files: THE SEEDY SIDE OF SAUCERS BY ANTHONY BRAGALIA

Oh please. Thrown into the same pot as child molesters, Bragalia (ever trustworthy) (that's sarcasm) tosses Tim Beckley, "Mr. UFO" himself, into the supposed squalor of UFO-dom. Beckley is considered equally heinous as literal criminals because he's produced and acted in porn. Which is legal, and to which Becklely has cheerfully acknowledged on many occasions. Seriously, get a life.

The Bragalia Files: THE SEEDY SIDE OF SAUCERS BY ANTHONY BRAGALIA: But he also has another source of revenue from exploiting a markedly different market- porn. He has contributed articles to the industry trade Adult Cinema Review (including an in-depth piece on porn actress Marilyn Chambers.) Beckley has also written and produced his own such films, including a raw porn “parody” entitled Driller: A Sexual Thriller. He has even appeared as onscreen talent and actor in films like Barely Legal Lesbian Vampires.

And yet, notice that UFO researcher David Jacobs is not on Bragalia's list.  Yes, I would switch the two; remove Beckley, and add Jacobs.

Michael Shermer on...some kind of ET show

Yesterday I turned on the television hoping to find some para-tainment program to calm that positively thrilling feeling of folding and putting away the clean laundry. Stumbled on some kind of show to do with aliens, but don't recall what it was. I think it was on the H2 (History channel 2) but not sure. The date was fairly recent; from this year.

Talk was of ancient aliens, and skeptics were giving their two cents, Michael Shermer being one of them. Now, one can have any opinion they care to about the ancient alien theory or anything at all to do with UFOs, ET, aliens, but you do not get to say "This is the way it is."

So, Shermer is almost angry, stating that there is "absolutely no evidence" (paraphrasing) of alien intervention/interference. None. No evidence. "Pulling things in from here and there and everywhere to make up an ancient alien theory." (paraphrasing.) Well, "pulling things in from here, there..." does not make something untrue or invalid by that action alone. And those seemingly random unconnected things, which I assume Shermer was insinuating they were and therefore, invalid, does indeed make a pattern. The point is, Shermer, like all skeptoids, confuse evidence with proof. There is a massive heaping pile of evidence. Anyone who still chooses to say otherwise is either lying outright, or truly ignorant. The issue isn't the "lack" of evidence, it's how one interprets that evidence.

The second ridiculous thing Shermer said was that "There is no proof aliens are here, have been here..none. Because it didn't happen. It couldn't happen." (paraphrasing.) Now, that's pretty astounding actually. How does he know? He doesn't, of course. Granted, most of us don't, but at least those that say otherwise have directly experienced something -- non-human entities, weird creatures, reptilians, just for starters -- and have a lot more to stand on than Shermer's opinion on the subject.

Why shows continue to have sketpoids on I'm not sure. Producers will tell you it's part of the need for balance and fairness, which is untrue, given the producers own agendas in twisting the topics to where they want them to go.  If anything, it's simply action -- the battle between skeptoid debunker and "believer"  as entertainment. More "excitement" equals more ratings.

Roswell: Keep it Up

I'm no expert on Roswell. Being so is a full time job for a solid UFO researcher. But one thing we can all agree on: something happened at Roswell. Aliens or sinister human caused doings; something occurred that was so huge that it still needs to be kept secret after all these decades.

Let's pretend for a moment Roswell had nothing to do with aliens from outer space, and was an utterly, completely man made event. The heavy handed actions of our military towards American citizens, the life long effects of the event on the witnesses and their children and families, the secrecy, disinformation and lies from our government that spun (and continues to spin), not to mention the deeds performed on either human or animal subjects (if indeed, there were any) adds up to both intriguing and despicable deeds. Doesn't that deserve on-going research?

And of course, if the Roswell event was aliens-crashed-to-earth-in-a-space-ship, then we certainly need to know about that! Or at least get as close as we can to that particular truth.

Some might argue that, if Roswell was strictly a war related event, that national security demands such secrecy, and we shouldn't be delving into areas that might make us vulnerable to others. That's disingenuous or naive, depending on which reason is believed by those who utter such denials.

No matter what it was that happened at Roswell, something did happen, and while some say they're bored by such a story, I say we do indeed have the right to know. The witness survivors and their children have a right to know. The town has a right to know.

So thank you to all the Roswell investigators out there (and I mean real UFO researchers, not the, you know, skeptoids of the realm) who still go at it in terms of uncovering what really went on at Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.

Lehmberg: The "You" You'd Recuse...

Another great piece by Alfred Lehmberg: UFO Magazine - UFO Magazine Blog - ...The "You" You'd Recuse...

Think what you want, friend, regarding *Abduction*. A nest full of liars, mistaken, or cursed? Consider them making a play for your dollar, not worthy your notice—revolting, or worse?
.
Then make them a scapegoat? Make them your clowns! Make them embarrassed?  Make them suffer your frowns!
.
Use them, abuse them—assign "yellow stars"! Mock them as bar-flies from Venus or Mars! Do what you will to stay 'comfy' and 'safe.' Lie to yourself!  Pretend it's you, brave!

I don't know if Alfred has considered this, but I think it'd be great if he put together, thematically for example, his work as a collection. E-book or what have you.

There is no investigation! You've maintained that it's unneeded! No one's even *looking*! "Looks" entreat and beg, beleaguered! No one has the *courage* 'cause they know it's unrewarding. Ford knows *that* kind of courage is discouraged—MAIMED, and thwarting!

David Jacobs to Speak at MUFON Los Angeles: A Message From Jeremy Vaeni

As I posted on Orange Orb, David Jacobs is going to speak at MUFON in L.A. He's slated to talk about the psychology of the abductee. We will remind the reader Jacobs is a Dr. of history, not psychology. Following are some words from Jeremy Vaeni:

Alright, this has to stop. MUFON LA is promoting a speaking engagement with David Jacobs. The title of his lecture--tellingly enough--is, "Abductees and their Involuntary Tasks." This is set to take place on Tuesday the 15th. Read all about it here:

http://www.mufonla.com/meetings-mufonla/

Now, Steve Murillo is the section director for MUFON LA. He knows all about the Emma Woods case. In fact, she tried to warn him about Jacobs when he was previously scheduled to give a lecture entitled, “Hybrids: New Research into the Integration Program.”

She gave him a brief description of what had taken place between her, Jacobs, and Elizabeth along with links to her website and audio backing up her claims, to which he responded in email:

[i]Emma,

Your website has a ton of information to go through. It's going to take a while to go through it. Suffice it to say that your remarks here regarding Dr. Jacobs are duly noted. Forgive me if I seem obtuse, but are you a hybrid as well?

Steve Murillo
State Section Director

MUFON LA[/i]

Clearly, this man is not a serious researcher and does not care. So who do we turn to? Is anyone above Steve Murillo? Do [i]they[/i] care? Well, Jeremy Vaeni wrote about him in the Woods/Jacobs cover story for [i]UFO Magazine[/i] and he's still got his job, so draw your own conclusion there.

What can we do, then?

I urge everyone to call or write to the Unitarian Church in which this is supposed to take place. Let them know who the man is they are welcoming into their fold.

That phone number is: (818) 769-5911
Their email address is: info@uustudiocity.org

Send them a link to Emma's website: http://www.ufoalienabductee.com/

Tell them that this was the big shocker of the year in ufology and although they may be unfamiliar with the issue, it is unacceptable that this man be given a platform in their church!

Steve Murillo, California State Section Director of MUFON, actually had the classless chutzpah to ask Emma Woods if she was a hybrid. Doesn't this astound anyone else out there?

Alfred Lehmberg on John Ford: UFO Magazine blog

Alfred Lehmberg has been writing about John Ford for years. He's one of the few writers on UFOs who've been doing so. We can't forget about the experiences and treatment of Emma Woods, Carol Rainey, Leah Haley and so many others who share their experiences; John Ford's story belongs in the category of those who have been wronged because of their UFO experiences. Or those who have been so affected by those experiences they seek attention, rashly, in the sense of needing to be heard. It's at that point, when the protests against treatment become too unbearable for others to hear, that others just turn away: those within UFOlogy, general culture, the mainstream media.

Not mentioned since our summer of abnormal discontent, still, Ford remains in gulag, minus bail! This is not incarceration, it is dogged persecution, so it's so much more than prison, or a jail.

A *threat* to dangerous shadows, he is locked up in their hole; he is incommunicado; he is totally controlled. He is fed his spice-less meals lacking interest or confection, and he's led around in routine's mindless grunge, lessexpectation... He is made to follow orders from the folks he'd disrespect, but he's drugged to an indifference—indistinct... and he forgets!

...And that was just the high point, folks! It's a pay back, day by day. He challenged *their* authority—you can bet *they* make him pay. He had the gall to stand up straight, and ask the tougher questions. He questioned the hypocrisy, so he suffers their "correction." What Ford had—I've not the courage... and neither, friend, have you. We're stunned by Ford's example... as the facts of it? They're true.

UFO Magazine - UFO Magazine Blog - "...John Ford Rots In Prison,Still!"

"Absurd Bits" in Fortean Phenomena

 My current Trickster's Realm column for Tim Binnall's site. My new column will be up Monday. 





"Absurd Bits" in Fortean Phenomena

Reading one of my favorite esoteric Fortean authors Colin Bennett right now: Flying Saucers Over the White House; The Inside Story of Captain Edward J. Ruppelt and His Official U.S. Airforce Investigation of UFOs. I'm only just into it, but, as usual when I read Bennett, there is so much rich, juicy and insightful right on stuff it's exhilarating. It's almost too much, one quick brilliant statement after another. One of the numerous gems is the "psychosocial filter" as Bennett calls it concerning UFO (and, I'll add, paranormal events in general) witness experiences: It is an amusing feature of the Western mind that those people who have had a UFO experience of any kind are judged to be people least worthy of analyzing that experience." The witness is often treated as an afterthought, or even an embarrassment. And all is lost if the witness has things that clogs up that "psychosocial filter": The courts of "proper" debate rule out any odd, highly individualized, comic, or ludicrous or absurd elements. Here we see the most tragic-comic emblem of mankind's philosophy: get rid of the nutcases and there will be revealed the shining truth. [Bennett: 39] It seems obvious that without UFO witnesses we wouldn't have UFOs to investigate in the first place. The UFO investigator wasn't there, nor the Sasquatch explorer or the ghost hunter. The witness was there, and she knows of her experience. The problem is with interpretation and assumption. But that's different than what happened, no matter how crazy it may sound. The researcher brings her or his own bias as well. The whole thing is -- I don't want to use words like contaminated or polluted because those words frame UFO and paranormal events as a negative -- but it's all messed up, turned inside out and upside down, from the moment it started. That's okay. That in itself is part of the phenomena. Instead, there are a lot of people out there chasing UFOs and ghosts and Bigfoot who believe they'll get to the truth of things if they reject anything that hints of those "absurd elements" Bennett refers to. That, and bringing along a lot of clanking high tech equipment that lights up and does other cool stuff. I don't remember where it was that I read a suggestion from Jacques Vallee, who commented that many UFO researchers were going about things all wrong. Instead of asking the witness about measurements, size, yards, feet, longitudes and latitudes and behaving in somber UFO Investigator mode, just give the witness a pad of paper and a pencil and have them draw what they saw. In their own words, in their own way. Stand back, don't talk much, and just let them relate their experience. Then go from there. It's a symbiotic relationship between witness and chroniicler of the event. Despite the insistence of some, Fortean phenomena isn't scientific (not to be confused with complete rejection of using scientific methodologies when desired), it's not objective, and it's nothing to be embarrassed about. You're either in it or you're not. You're in it and that means you take in the "absurd elements" along with the rest. The moment you start rejecting bits from a report because it's too weird or subjectively stupid, you've "contaminated" the research. The UFO Police (and the Bigfoot Police) pop up with regularity, with new mission statements and rules about what will, and what will not, be accepted into their (always) scientific minded organization. Embarrassed by most all of UFOlogy UFO Police want to be treated with respect by the residents of Debunkerville and the MSM (mainstream media.) Those invites will never happen, because the phenomena won't let it. Which the UFO Police would realize, if they stopped rejecting the "absurd elements." Meanwhile, witnesses continue to have UFO sightings that often contain high strangeness. I can only speak for myself, but I take it very personally when a stuffed shirt UFO investigator condescends to me that they only consider "hard evidence" and my experience is "only anecdotal." Well kid, it's all I got. But really, in my case, as with many other witnesses, that's a lot. It's actually huge. Lately I've been chronicling all of the strange UFO events in my life, going back to my childhood, (including those pesky "absurd" bits) and it's startling how connected and big this all seems to be. The "problem with UFOlogy" as some like to say, isn't with the "absurd bits." It's with the idea there's a "problem" that needs to be fixed.

Bug Eyed Monsters? ...Not So Bad!

On Alfred Lehmberg's Alien View (also cross posted at UFO Magazine): : Bug Eyed Monsters? ...Not So Bad! As it usually is with Alfred's writing, it's difficult to choose what to quote, since it's all fantastic, and I worry about taking things out of context -- or not giving his words all the attention they deserve. So here's just a snippet; enjoy!

Put your faith in Bug Eyed Monsters, dripping slime from every pore, before you trust a mean humanity malfeasant and abhorred! No, don't worry over-much, my friend, your B.E.M.'s intentions. They're the least of all concerns; fear Humans—my contention!

Autumn Williams' Enoch: Witness Researcher Dynamic

Bigfoot researcher Autumn Williams wrote a book last year about a Bigfoot witness named "Mike," and his on-going interactions with a Bigfoot he called Enoch. Enoch is the title of that book.

The book has absolutely nothing to do with UFOs, but I'm mentioning her book here because of the points Williams makes concerning the witness-researcher dynamic. Aside from the fascinating story of Mike's encounters with a Sasquatch is the concurrent story of the researcher and witness paradigm and how it must be, at the very least, evaluated, if not changed altogether. So many times while reading Enoch I thought "just replace Bigfoot with UFO and the message is the same" in terms of how witnesses are often considered and treated, and the power dynamic between witness and researcher.

Even if you're not interested in Bigfoot, I recommend Enoch for those reasons.

Imbrogno: Just a Baby Kraken

Uber skeptoid feels very proud of himself for revealing that Imbrogno lied about his degrees:UFO Magazine - UFO Magazine Blog - A Phil-a-buster He who released the Kraken is gloating, comments right and left.. including two by me.

I really hope this is the last I'll say on this, but I'll watch where this goes. While it's naturally disappointing to find that Imbrogno lied about his background, I also find it intriguing to watch how news of his exaggerations and lies unfolded. Waiting for any chance to pounce and devour, said uber-toid did so, almost channeling the spirit of Imbrogno while staring, once again, at Imbrogno's MIT shirt in photo after photo. Said channeled spirit told the debunker to go forth and reveal the truth, which he's done on many a forum. This wasn't done for any idealistic or altruistic reason or wrapped snugly in the vibe of truth; simply one more item brought to the Skepti World for the show and tell segment. It's all kooksville to them, all of it (as the skeptic who outed Imbrogno proves at his blog, opening with a rant against the contactees, as if that has anything to do with Imbrogno.) Look! The contactees were lairs, frauds! Look! Imbrogno's ideas about the phenomenon are wacky! Look, Imbrogno lied about his education! That proves it's all bunk!

Really, show's over.

Meanwhile UFO sightings and UFO witnesses and UFO stuff of a thousand different manifestations -- good, bad, ugly, beautiful, honest, dishonest, scary, benign, and oh so much more -- continue. But you know, who cares about any of that stuff? I mean, seriously? Not the debunkers. They're rational after all.

(If you weren't sure, that last was sarcasm.)

No prizes awarded here for any great truth telling. Truth had nothing to do with this latest whirlpool in UFO Land. Or Skepti World. No one's won anything. No one's lost much either. The fact of things Imbrogno brought to us exist. Details may have been fudged; but diligent research is a part of the UFO journey; whatever grime may cover some of what Imbrogno has contributed can be washed off. His ideas on things still stand as highly interesting and, by the way, they are not unique. Call them Djinns, demons, "the Devil," ultra terrestrials, or any number of labels, the esoteric theories of energies manifesting as "other" and manipulating the human experience has been around for a very long time.

UFO Magazine - UFO Magazine Blog - Gene Steinberg Shuts Down Alfred Lehmberg's�Internet!

I try hard to avoid personality ego clashes and fights but as well all know, in this field, it's impossible. The very best among the best in UFO research have found themselves at times in the thick of distasteful messes like the following: UFO Magazine - UFO Magazine Blog - Gene Steinberg Shuts Down Alfred Lehmberg's Internet!

To keep myself focused and on task I perpetually remind myself it's about my own journey and "the research." Well, part of this journey and research include many of the fellow travelers and sometimes you have to say something.

I find this whole thing from the strident deniers thoroughly disgusting. Read Jeremy Vaeni's comments at UFO Magazine because he puts it very well; really hits on the pertinent points.

Whatever one thinks about Carol Rainey's revelations about Budd Hopkin's research, or Emma Woods revelations (though I find it difficult to see how anyone can be so adamantly "against" Rainey and Woods, and so impossibly, vehemently for Jacobs) it's not about us, it's about the nature of research. Which includes the witness-researches dynamic.

Instead of self-appointed UFO Gatekeepers who think nothing of insulting others, but more importantly, think nothing of shutting down -- literally, as in the case of one host who, driven by a frothing pettiness over the reality that someone else dare disagree with his views -- Alfred Lehmberg's ISP. Wow. This furthers UFO research how?

All the time wasted shutting down, and out, those who disagree, attacking Emma Woods and Carol Rainey with misogynistic spewings, inserting oneself into the debate with rambling and paranoid accusations towards those who are on the "wrong side" --- instead of exploring the issues that have come from this, such as the witness-researcher relationship, the usefulness of hypnosis in abduction research, and so much more.

Instead, we have some very ugly people out there saying and doing ugly things, distracting just about everyone from the real stuff: witnesses, the research, the data, etc.

In some ways, this is  part of the UFO phenomena: the Trickster circus, distracting theater of the absurd. The real stuff is ignored, the petty ugly stuff takes center stage.  This is so obvious, yet ironically, the ones who are sticking up for the so-called esteemed researchers can't see that.

In UFO Magazine: Jeremy Vaeni's 'Aliens vs. Predator: The Incredible Visitations at Emma Woods

There is so much to say about the fantastic article by Jeremy Vaeni in this issue of UFO Magazine. (Aliens vs. Predators: The Incredible Visitations at Emma Woods.)

But for now, please, please, go and get yourself this issue, and read the article. Vaeni has done an excellent job with unraveling the seeming madness that is David Jacobs, the always precarious method of hypnosis used by some researchers to get at the submerged bits of missing time and nebulous memories of aliens, examinations, trips aboard saucers, and all the rest of "Abductions 101", and subject/witness Emma Woods.

From the beginning of this episode in UFO culture, I wondered why there wasn't more outcry from the UFO community. And yet, there still isn't; what there mainly seems to be, still, are a few stubbornly standing up for Jacobs, and misogynist pronouncements about Emma Woods' sanity, and worse. Other than that, little has been really said about this.

UFO Magazine Blog: James T. Carlson: Deeply Disturbed

Respone from Robert Hastings on James T. Carlson's incessant uber-skeptologizing on UFO Magazine's blog.

UFO Political Prisoner: "Albatross" on UFO Magazine Blog

Albatross, on John Ford, a UFO U.S. political prisoner, by Alfred Lehmberg.

Richard Dolan at X-Conference 2010 (A.D. Disclosure)

On Orange Orb: My Truth Can Beat Up Your Truth

More on James Carrion and CUT on The Orange Orb: My Truth Can Beat Up Your Truth.

James Carion's New UFO/NOT UFO Organization

Ex-director MUFON director James Carion announces a brand new UFO organization: CUT. CUT stands for Center for UFO Truth.

Here’s what I wrote on Facebook:

Oh dear. Not "affiliated in any way with UFology" yet "CUT" (there's an interesting Fortean twilight language kind of word to use)  studies "early days of UFOs ... answering the question long ignored by historians -- was the UFO subject purposely created by the United States. .. part of a cold war operation?" That's been asked before. But anyway, how is this NOT to do with UFology?! It'll be interesting for sure but how far is one willing to go in trusting government sources? Der.  And this gem: "CUT will work outside of the three ring circus that is Ufology and will not accept the contributions of anonymous individuals or alleged whistleblowers nor will it examine alleged leaked documents." So he's distancing himself yet once again from the unwashed masses and "...circus" of UFology, going so far as to call what he's doing - studying an aspect of UFOs --- not UFology.  Newsflash Mr. Carion, you ARE part of the "circus," -- we all are. How an ex-director of MUFON, who is currently involved in a new organization exploring an aspect of UFOs, say with a straight face he is not part of the "circus" is a deliciously ironic, er, circus like, stance to take.

I’ll add that the word UFO is in the name of the group! UFO is part of the acronym, yet, Carion insists, this new enterprise (heh, talk about twilight language) contains the word UFO in its very title. The title is also fun, in its ironic pot/kettle black way, for its word "truth." What a display of arrogance and self important stuff shirted puffery!

Carion never did like saucer heads. He reiterates his distaste for the distasteful and bothersome UFO witnesses and UFO explorers of various kinds:

CUT will work outside of the three ring circus that is Ufology and will not accept the contributions of anonymous individuals or alleged whistleblowers nor will it examine alleged leaked documents.

Yes, why bother with interviewing witnesses to see if they are credible or do the work involved to determine authenticity of documents? 

This is the problem with would be UFO Police; they set up their own little paradigm, decide to reject a good portion of what’s out there, and all the time, they’re congratulating each other on finally getting to the “truth.”

When you combine a systems like that with a dismissive attitude that reeks of classism and an obvious distaste for 90% of the thing you’re studying, you cannot possibly get to any “truth.” 

The Big Lie
Recently, the cyclic meme that “UFOlogy is dead” has been making the rounds, and I wonder: is this thing we loosely call UFOlogy really dead? Or is it just something people say out of frustration? I think the latter. UFOlogy is constantly shifting, and in fact, some big shakeups have been happening recently (David Jacobs, Cherry, and, um,  Carion. . . ) but that doesn't make it dead.

Do some think UFOlogy is “dead” because of the oft bemoaned statement that, “after such and such many years, we don’t have any answers?”

Carion remarks:

Ufology has nothing to show for more than 60 years of amateur investigation and research. By not establishing professional evidentiary standards, Ufology will neither join the halls of academic "ologies" nor will it discover the truth of what lies behind the subject of UFOs.

The us of the qualifier “amateur” is unfair. It’s snide. We’re all amateurs. Does he mean amateur in the popular sense: meaning, less than? Or in the true sense, meaning not paid for one’s work? Amateur has come to mean the former, more often than not, but being “amateur” does not always mean inferior. You cannot take away the study of UFOs from “the people” no matter how much you want to. And if you do, why do you want to? What's the intent?

We don’t have the Big Final Answer That Fits All to the UFO phenomenon. Carion’s mistake, as with many others: thinking there is one.

I don’t know what halls of “ologies” he means, probably the institutions of science, academia, and ironically, the very governmental agencies he plans on getting all this information from, but the reality is: CUT, too, is just another UFO group in the eyes of those “ologies.”

But back to the meme that “after sixty years we haven’t found the answer” -- I wonder if that’s true. No, we don’t have full disclosure, or the Beyond a Doubt UFO From Outer Space craft or an alien body. Well, not one revealed to the world on CNN anyway.

The UFO phenomenon has layers upon shadowy layers upon deeper darker layers. It’s a given UFOs and aliens are “real” and here,  We’ve moved way beyond that. We know they are; we don't’ know what they are.

Parsing the UFO experience down to a small segment --   U.S. government agencies intentionally creating false UFO scenarios to distract  -- is not a new idea, nor a surprise. And finding further proof that was the case at times won’t definitively provide an answer to what UFOs are.