Transcendent TV & Media

Appropriate security on UFOs probably 2-way street

2011-12-17T05:42:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

If some unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are related to intelligent visitors from elsewhere, what is the impact on national security and global security? This is a question that may have faced U.S. and international officials at least since the World War II era.

Wartime security and secrecy procedures probably would have been implemented in such a case. The alleged Roswell incident reportedly occurred in that climate when “Loose lips sink ships” was one of the mottos to remind Americans to keep information about sensitive military activities secret so it would not fall into the hands of enemies.

Many elements of American society including industries, scientists, journalists and others understood the reason for this kind of security related to defense matters and gladly cooperated. American lives were at stake and the outcome of WWII hung in the balance.

And, the “need-to-know” guideline used to maintain security was (and is today) widely accepted as reasonable and necessary in many cases.

During and after WWII, loyal Americans were helping make sure that necessary secrecy was maintained to protect the country and our friends around the world. Most people probably assumed that this was a united group effort that benefited everyone in the long run.

GRASSROOTS INTELLIGENCE

Today, concerns exist about finding the balance between certain security situations, including UFOs and other anomalous phenomena, and making sure that this balance is a united group effort that benefits everyone. Is secrecy at the appropriate levels? Do Americans have a need to know about certain developments?

Many researchers and others have weighed in on these kinds of questions. In fact, there may be different kinds of views within the defense, intelligence and scientific communities about how much and what kind of information and awareness should be made available to the American people.

Additionally, how the information is made available may be a key factor.

It’s hard to make a judgment without knowing more about what we might be facing. Is there a threat from hostile adversaries from elsewhere? Are there friends and allies who want to help the human race? Are there just explorers, visitors and those passing through who are neutral and unconcerned one way or other about the human condition on Earth?

Managing relationships with our international human friends, allies, “frenemies,” competitors, adversaries and flat-out enemies is quite challenging. Maybe we can think about how more complex it would be when dealing with unusual visitors from elsewhere.

Gathering intelligence might be a lot more difficult. As in dealing with other human groups, communication and cultural differences could also play a part. In the case of certain extraterrestrials or other anomalous beings, actual physical and biological differences could also be an element. Gaps between humans and others in technology and/or deeper knowledge might be significant.

If unusual visitors are actually interacting with Earth and humans, who are friends, allies, frenemies, competitors, adversaries and flat-out enemies?

And, what if some visitors want to “save us from ourselves?” That is, they look down on the Earth, gather intelligence about how it is functioning and being run, and note that there is vast poverty, hunger, suffering, disease, ignorance, injustice and overpopulation.

What if they note that the Earth’s ecosystem and climate are in grave danger? Or, maybe they know that Earth may face some other threats that we do not fully understand at this time.

And, they may see that the human race has the potential to rise to a higher consciousness and deeper understanding, but is not there yet.

TEAM EFFORT

These are quite complex dynamics that could actually be facing us now, if you believe the many credible researchers looking into these topics.

Maybe we can understand how difficult it would be for insiders in the defense, intelligence and scientific communities to sort it all out and make sound decisions. Their missions include protecting and helping the American (and other countries’) people in various ways. Maintaining appropriate security is part of this.

And standard intelligence tasks do not just include gathering information and keeping it secret. They also include interpreting and organizing the information, then disseminating it to the right people in the right way.

In the case of the UFO subject, providing information to the people about what they need to know may be a legitimate and important part of this intelligence mission.

The people, for their part, probably must take the responsibility for being open to new information, including that which is subtle, complex, “between the lines” or presented in relatively general ways. We might also need to use our own judgment, perception and gut feelings about what we are told.

We might need to find understanding within ourselves about what is going on. Human consciousness is undoubtedly a key factor that is part of the overall situation.

As we move forward, there will be more research into UFOs and what is going on. Many people will learn more, one way or the other. This ongoing educational process can contribute to national and global security, as well as enhance the development of the human race.

Extraterrestrials curious about American football?

2011-11-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Two recent incidents being reported in the media involve unidentified objects flying through the air near U.S. football games.

These unidentified flying objects (UFOs) might turn out to be something quite normal and become identified flying objects.

One case occurred Sunday, Oct. 23, in New Orleans during the game between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. An unusual-looking object appeared to be zipping through the night sky and was caught by NBC cameras.

The following Friday evening, Oct. 28, in Scottsdale, Arizona, (northeast metro Phoenix region) Horizon High School was playing the Notre Dame Preparatory High School. During the game, unusual lights were seen by many people in the sky and videotaped.

Interestingly, on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 27, another witness on the other side of town in the northwest region of metro Phoenix spotted a blue light, larger than a star or plane light, moving at a high rate of speed through the northwestern sky and changing directions rapidly three times before it suddenly disappeared. It seemed to be generally over the Lake Pleasant area of the far northwestern part of the city of Peoria, Arizona.

The Lake Pleasant area was also the location of a daylight sighting of an unusual object in April 2010. A reliable witness reported the sighting of large U-shaped or V-shaped object with flashing red, yellow, blue and green lights. The object zipped around the sky briefly west of the I-17 freeway, according to the witness, then disappeared into the clouds.

HUMAN BEHAVIOR, PUBLIC EVENTS

Public sightings of what appear to be unusual objects in the sky have happened at football games before.

Back on Sept. 3, 2011, several unidentified objects were spotted in the sky above the Notre Dame University stadium during a storm-related delay of game when Notre Dame was playing the University of South Florida.

A 1973 case in eastern Kentucky also involved a UFO over a football game. Multiple witnesses, including a police constable, saw a large oval-shaped object move slowly through the sky. Details of this incident were reported in a local newspaper and included in the book “Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters and Unexplained Phenomena" (Volume Two) by Kyle Lovern.

If unconventional visitors were actually observing Earth close up, would they be interested in human social behavior, such as humans watching a sports event together in outdoor stadiums?

Maybe they would wonder if these public venues are reasonable places to make themselves seen, as part of a more open contact with humans.

The well-known example of the 1997 Phoenix lights case as well as other incidents may indicate that people will not necessarily panic when a very unusual craft appears in a public way. However, certain public health and safety concerns seem valid.

FIREFIGHTER MANUAL

The 1992 training manual for firefighters “Fire Officer's Guide to Disaster Control” may have good tips in case more public sightings take place that could be “the real deal” – the public appearance of anomalous craft.

In their chapter titled "Disaster Control and UFOs" authors Charles "Chuck" Bahme and William Kramer say the two main hazards from UFOs are powerful energy fields and psychological impacts.

Electrical field phenomena could affect firefighters' and public safety communication equipment and vehicles, they wrote.

Hypnotic, paralyzing, disorienting or confusing mental and emotional states could be faced by firefighters, peace officers and others, according to the authors. Public anxiety or concern could affect human behavior.

Their section on "Adverse Potential of UFOs" reviews several aspects of a public close encounter and ways public safety personnel can mitigate problems.

In their conclusion of the chapter on “Disaster Control and UFOs,” Bahme and Kramer say that planning, adequate resources and good leadership are important in handling many kinds of challenging situations.

They indicate that these resources can be applied to an unconventional public close encounter as well.

Ohio University is much more than ‘party school’

2011-08-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Work hard, play hard.

The annual Princeton Review ranking of universities on various attributes, or lack thereof, has rated Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, the #1 “party school” in the U.S.

News articles on the ranking have noted the rowdy Halloween parties in Athens along with beer-drinking and other alcohol use.

Yet, if we look at the deeper and more comprehensive picture at Ohio U., there probably could be a clarification about whether students are studying hard as well as having fun and blowing off steam.

The well-rounded university has a fine medical school, top mass communications programs and other respected programs in a wide range of fields.

PAST AND PRESENT

Ohio U. alumni include Matt Lauer of NBC’s Today show, FOX News chief Roger Ailes, journalist Clarence Page, former Ohio governor and U.S. senator George Voinovich, and actors Ed O’Neill, Richard Dean Anderson and Paul Newman, who attended OU during World War II as part of a Navy pilot candidate program (he washed out because he was color blind).

Two of these alumni have established activities at OU in their names: The Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs and the Roger E. Ailes Newsroom at the Scripps College of Communication.

Many other alumni have been successful in many professional fields. Most look back fondly at their time at OU.

What are some of the factors that may have contributed to the dubious ranking of Ohio U. as a premier party school?

In small-town Athens, students tend to focus their activities on the university and the uptown area, rather than what might be available at a college in a larger city. Additionally, nearly all students reside in the Athens area, rather than commute.

Student demonstrations and disturbances in the late 1960s and early 1970s were in large part due to protests against the Vietnam War. Yet, years after that war ended, rowdy spring student disturbances at OU continued, apparently in some kind of misguided “tradition.”

BEER AND BEHAVIOR

In those days, Ohio law (and many other states) allowed people to drink “low” 3.2 percent beer at age 18 through 20. Back then, students could go into a tavern or restaurant in Athens or elsewhere and sit around drinking low beer and having a bite to eat. Drinking low beer rarely resulted in significant intoxication. At age 21, “high” beer (6 percent), wine and hard alcohol could be purchased.

According to some researchers, including a national group of university officials, this makes sense by allowing young adults to learn how to handle alcohol gradually and legally.

However, during the Reagan administration, in a federal power vs. states’ rights scenario, the federal government pressured states to adopt a uniform age 21 law covering all alcohol, even low beer. This helped drive college student and young adult drinking underground. Rather than legally drinking low beer, young adults acquired stronger drinks.

In the Appalachian region where Ohio U. is located, there is a history that parallels this issue somewhat. Before, during and after Prohibition, moonshine was distilled, distributed and consumed despite the efforts of federal and local peace officers tasked with preventing Americans from drinking alcoholic beverages.

Today, there may even be similar activities afoot. There are rumors that medical marijuana is also grown in the vast stretches of forests and farmlands in the Appalachian region.

Despite the Princeton Review ranking, those who have experienced Ohio University and those who care to look deeper into the character of the Athens community can easily conclude that this fine higher-education institution offers a rich and rewarding college experience for current, past and future students.

‘Roger E. Ailes Newsroom’ created in 2007 at top college mass media program

2011-07-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

People involved in the profession and craft of journalism have been taking a closer look at their field in recent weeks.

Consumers of journalism, news programs and other media products have also been following ongoing developments that continue to shape how we perceive the news media.

And at colleges and universities that teach journalism and mass media studies, instructors and students examine how they should approach topics such as journalistic ethics, responsible news reporting and how their efforts affect people in American society and globally.

A renewed focus on what American and international journalism is today and should be is undoubtedly a topic at the prestigious Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and Scripps College of Communication, home of the “Roger E. Ailes Newsroom.”

Ailes, chairman and chief executive of FOX News, made a large contribution in 2007 to establish the newsroom, though the exact amount has not been publicly disclosed.

The journalism, broadcasting and mass communications studies at Ohio U. have long been viewed as some of the top such programs in the United States.

A GREAT UNIVERSITY

The FOX News chief graduated from Ohio U. in 1962 and was quoted in an Oct. 31, 2007, university public-information article as saying, "Ohio University ignited my interest in broadcasting, which became my lifetime career. I'm happy to contribute to a great university."

In addition, since 1994 Ailes provided scholarships for students in the Scripps College of Communications involved in telecommunication studies, including the public broadcasting operations of WOUB TV and radio.

Ailes majored in radio and TV at OU and was a WOUB radio student station manager for two years, according to university information.

Scripps College Dean Gregory Shepherd was quoted in 2007 as saying, "This state-of-the-art newsroom will allow Scripps College students and WOUB professionals to work side by side. This gift is a wonderful and generous act of giving back by a very accomplished alumnus. I am very grateful to Roger for this extraordinary support."

According to an April 2008 Associated Press report, that month Ailes returned to the OU campus, nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian region of southeastern Ohio, to attend a ceremony that rededicated the student radio and TV newsroom to honor him.

DOWN TO EARTH

Ohio University and the Athens region are unique places that do seem to stay in the hearts of alumni, apparently including Ailes.

The university was conceived by veterans of the American Revolution and was formally established in 1804, when southeastern Ohio was still a forest wilderness in many ways. At that time, settlers were moving over the Appalachian Mountains and into lands on the western side of the mountain range. In fact, many Revolutionary War veterans settled in the area.

Native American Indians who had lived in the region were in the process of being involuntarily moved westward.

Ohio University grew and changed over the decades. After World War II, returning veterans with GI Bill education benefits flooded the OU campus to obtain their college education.

A little more than two decades later during the Vietnam War era, the university was forcibly shut down in the spring of 1970 and occupied by Ohio National Guard troops, as were other state universities in Ohio, following the Kent State shootings.

But turbulent national and international developments did not necessarily take away important parts of the Ohio University experience for students.

The rolling and forested foothills of southeast Ohio introduced many students to traditional Appalachian music, rural living, down-to-Earth local people and rich history of the area as well as other natural aspects of college life.

Let’s hope that journalism and mass media students at Ohio University today and in the future, as well as alumni, will continue to value high standards of professionalism, ethics and a deeply-rooted love for their country as they pursue their communications endeavors.

'White House press briefing’ on Roswell: National security, public safety, scientific understanding

2011-06-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(A slightly different version of this article appeared previously on the Joint Recon Study Group site. The article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The recently-published book about Area 51 brings the so-called Roswell incident to the public mind once again.

It’s a fascinating tale: A post-World War II U.S. Army Air Forces air field in Roswell, New Mexico, is alerted to something unusual in the summer of 1947. A local rancher far outside of town found his land littered with very odd materials.

The county sheriff and possibly the local fire department are also aware of this general situation. A local radio station also gets wind of it.

The base intelligence officer and possibly other intelligence personnel go out to the rural area where the material has been found.

They find something very surprising.

COMPLEX AND SENSITIVE

It is undoubtedly a complex and sensitive matter. According to some reports, past U.S. presidents have received only limited briefings on the subject. Presidents don't always have a "need to know."

Likewise, there is a view that the general public does not have a need to know. In fact, some elements of the situation could be troubling for the public. In addition, there is probably much that the U.S. government and other governments internationally do not know or do not fully understand.

As a result, there may be a legitimate view that it is best if a formal statement on the status of the UFO situation does not occur and that people inquire and discover information about this subject on their own.

Of course, movies and TV, books and articles, and other kinds of media platforms often serve to inform us and get us thinking about the possibilities involved.

This "grassroots" kind of emerging awareness might have significant advantages over a "top-down" announcement from government officials. That said, recent releases of reports and documents by various international governments have been interesting and informative.

When dealing with such an unconventional situation, maybe the standard kinds of governmental public statements are not the most effective and appropriate means to communicate with the public. It might be very challenging for any president or his administration to handle such a delicate, complex and important task.

WHITE HOUSE MEDIA BRIEFING 2011

Wouldn't it be interesting if the White House made the following announcement? The White House press secretary starts what seems to be a routine briefing:

"Good morning. You know, we get inquiries from Americans on many kinds of topics, and we try to be as responsive and open as possible."

"As you are aware, this administration is interested in government transparency and being as straightforward with the American people as we can be, while respecting the need for discretion at times."

"One of the interesting subjects that some Americans ask about is the topic of UFOs and what the U.S. government might know about them. We want to try to address this question to the best of our ability, but you should consider my comments today as a preliminary introduction, with more follow-up at a later time."

"In the summer of 1947, something crashed in the region near Roswell, New Mexico. Local public safety officials and U.S. Army Air Forces personnel from the nearby base responded to the scene. It was quickly determined that this was an aircraft or spacecraft of some kind that was piloted or occupied by apparently intelligent beings who were not humans."

"At the time – immediately following the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War – it was decided that it was very important to maintain the secrecy of this event, as scientists and others tried to determine what was going on and how to handle it."

"In the years and decades since the so-called 'Roswell incident,' much more has been learned. However, our knowledge and understanding of the situation are still incomplete, and we are learning more all the time."

"There are some details of the history and current status of this subject that we will be able to brief you on in the coming months. However, some aspects must and will remain classified until such time as it is determined that releasing such information is in the best interests of the American people and the United States of America."

"I can say that maintaining the safety and security of the United States and all Americans continues to be a top priority for this administration, whether we are talking about terrorists, natural disasters or any other kinds of scenarios that might present themselves."

"We encourage Americans to maintain open minds, and also maintain a healthy skepticism, about various reports, claims, rumors and perceptions on this interesting and complicated subject. There is a lot of material and information out there about this subject – some of it reliable and some of it inaccurate."

"Americans can rest assured that your government is doing all it can to handle the many aspects of this situation in the most responsible way possible, working with experts from many fields, both nationally and internationally."

"I won't be taking follow-up questions on this today. And, as I mentioned, I hope to be able to provide more information to you in the coming months."

Area 51 book is thought-provoking despite doubts on Roswell case

2011-06-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The new book about Area 51 by writer Annie Jacobsen has triggered controversy about what actually crashed – if anything – near Roswell, New Mexico, in the summer of 1947.

The explanation for the Roswell incident, reportedly from a retired scientist, that Jacobsen reports seems far-fetched to many readers.

Yet, her book seems to lead many people to wonder about connections between classified defense aerospace activities and ideas about much more exotic spacecraft and technologies from “somewhere else.”

Are there connections between secret, advanced relatively-conventional aerospace development and the acquisition of aerospace technology that is “unconventional?”

Rumors, reports, tales and even deathbed affidavits have surrounded the Roswell case for many years now, as have stories and accounts about Area 51. Yet, the unusual story that connects the two in Jacobsen’s book may be bringing such research to the attention of a much wider audience.

OPEN SOURCE RESEARCH

Even in Hollywood, this subject is currently the focus of creative exploration. Producers Bryce Zabel and Don Most are moving forward on a film project called Majic Men about two real-life well-known researchers who uncovered very interesting elements of the Roswell situation.

Other interested people are not focused on movies or books, but rather on the sharing of sensitive technologies that may have been obtained or learned about.

Have any of the alleged advanced technology and knowledge made its way beyond very classified defense activities? Is it happening now? Can advanced understanding like this help us today or maybe someday?

Maybe such knowledge could help us achieve a better life and a more prosperous, forward-looking human society. Maybe we could make quantum leaps in outer space travel along with greater understanding about “inner space.”

Although some researchers and members of the public find tales of secret projects and strange UFO incidents fascinating, many people tend to write off such stories as part of overactive imaginations.

The truth may be that there exist both overactive imaginations as well as real situations that we should know more about.

GRADUAL PROGRESS, TIPPING POINT

We probably don’t need classified documents and mysterious witnesses to learn more about the theories, speculation and some apparent evidence related to exotic objects that have been reported by very reliable witnesses over the years.

A robust amount of valid information is available in open, public sources – “open source intelligence” or OSINT.

With a little common sense and an open mind, anyone who is curious about the Roswell case and related defense efforts can find plenty of reasonably reliable perspectives and interesting circumstantial evidence in libraries, bookstores and on the internet.

Nonfiction, creative fiction and fact-based fiction can often blend in some of these sources and resources. Movies and TV shows also sometimes mix reasonable speculation with far-out scripts and special effects.

But, maybe all of these OSINT platforms do provide the valuable service of making available thought-provoking information about places like Roswell and Area 51.

If there is any truth to some of the stories of extraterrestrial or unusual visitors coming to Earth in advanced spacecraft or even stranger methods of travel, we probably have a “need to know” about the general circumstances.

Finding the balance between keeping some information protected and releasing other knowledge could have been a challenging task over the years, if you believe the stories about Roswell.

Today, some people call the UFO situation “an open secret” and say that disclosure about UFOs has essentially already happened.

Maybe slowly and gradually, adequate amounts of information and understanding have now reached a large enough population of us humans. Maybe one of these days we will get to a tipping point where our accepted view of what is real undergoes a significant change.

Roswell tale in Area 51 book makes sense as safety cover story

2011-06-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

A logical explanation for the seemingly illogical story in a new book on Area 51 and Roswell may be right under our noses.

Some researchers indicate that identifying sensitive foreign technology, materials and maybe even bodies as “Russian” or “Soviet” helped maintain operational security.

If U.S. military personnel, technicians, scientists, engineers, contractors and even those in the intelligence community would have reason to come into contact with certain sensitive items or situations, they could be told they were related to the U.S.S.R., our Cold War enemy at the time.

As a result, these loyal Americans – who also may have had very stringent security requirements – kept things secret, but for reasons that were different from what they were told.

Therefore, the story that Russians launched an advanced aircraft containing strange bodies to Roswell could actually have been part of a valid and valuable safety and security process at that time.

AEROSPACE DEVELOPMENTS

In the summer of 1947 in Roswell there was already an important focus on safety and security on the Army Air Forces base. Various stories about what happened there all seem to agree that tight security measures would be a normal situation.

The same can be said about what was then called Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, home to a foreign technology evaluation center. According to many accounts, sensitive materials were flown there from Roswell for analysis.

In the summer of 2011, many interested people are continuing to learn more about the Roswell case, Area 51 and advanced aerospace developments.

Additionally, in this new era of commercial aerospace tourism and activities, it could be helpful to consider advanced and exotic technologies.

Human aerospace efforts in the U.S. and internationally are currently moving into the hands of entrepreneurs and pioneering companies in partnership with large established aerospace-related corporations.

LARGER MYSTERIES

What is the best balance between keeping certain technologies secret and closely held versus moving them into the pipeline to benefit society in some ways?

If tales and rumors about Roswell and Area 51 have any truth to them, this question of balance could be a legitimate discussion.

Maybe the same can be said about other advanced knowledge and understanding. Is there new information available about biology and medicine, clean energy or agriculture? What about economic prosperity and human development?

The questions about Roswell and Area 51 might also include other areas of interest that affect daily life and future progress for us and our grandchildren. There surely must be many more kinds of valuable information and experiences that could be very helpful and worthwhile for people.

In considering the balance between secrets or mysteries with that which is open or overt, there could be many factors involved that are not related directly to defense or intelligence security processes.

Some things in life seem to need to be discovered in an ongoing personal way. Mysteries about Roswell and Area 51 are probably only parts of a much larger situation waiting for us to steadily gain more understanding.

What crashed at Roswell? Deceptions may include truths

2011-05-31T11:38:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

A recently-published book about U.S. defense activities at southern Nevada’s Groom Lake region and an unusual view of the alleged Roswell crash mystery seems to raise interesting questions.

Maybe the most important of these questions is whether the American and international public is ready for more information – accurate information – about the so-called 1947 “Roswell Incident” and related circumstances.

Some researchers say that the global public is ready for “the truth” on the topics of UFOs, extraterrestrial and unusual visitors, and the apparently complex and sensitive elements of the situation.

Other people who have looked into these subjects say that the U.S. and global public might not be ready, but the truth should come out anyway regardless of possible difficult or troubling aspects of “disclosure.”

Another view is that the public is, generally speaking, not yet quite ready for more information and the gradual process of education and acclimation needs to continue in a more seamless manner, not with any kind of jolting announcements or revelations.

BIOLOGICAL BEINGS

Since the Roswell case is a foundational part of current perspectives about UFOs, the reference to it in the newly-released book has sparked much discussion in the media and among credible researchers.

The book proposes a quite unusual explanation for the Roswell crash stories.

Rather than a routine weather balloon, a secret high-altitude device with wooden dummies, a test craft with monkeys onboard or the other explanations of the Roswell case, the new book relates an account that reportedly does not seem logical to many researchers.

This new story does say that very odd biological beings were found in an unusual foreign-built craft that crashed near Roswell.

Is there any truth to this version of the Roswell tale? Is it yet another cover story of some kind – a deception operation? Is it also a clue for researchers and the public to follow?

Media professionals have paid quite a bit of attention to this new book and particularly the section about the alleged Roswell crash. As a result, we might wonder if this book, despite doubts about the Roswell section, moves the ball forward in public understanding related to highly-sensitive circumstances and activities?

If so, are we now in a position to learn and understand more about certain details? And, perhaps importantly, can we put new knowledge into a healthy and constructive context that helps human development?

Can we see the forest for the trees?

PUBLIC READINESS

Despite various views about what the situation might be regarding unusual visitors and anomalous objects and phenomena in our skies, it seems clear that this new book has contributed to a renewed focus on some of the relevant questions about Roswell and the larger situation.

Does this improve our “situational awareness” about emerging and forward-leaning research and discoveries related to the rumors about contact with unconventional visitors?

The longstanding and natural explanation about alleged secrecy and security surrounding this area of study is that national security and possibly global security were involved. As a result, above top secret classification, need-to-know protocols, compartmentalization and deception activities were implemented, according to some researchers.

Additionally, some information has claimed that parallel efforts were undertaken to carefully inform Americans and others in certain ways about what was being discovered – and what we should prepare for.

The question about public readiness for further information seems to still be an important one.

As the public becomes more psychologically, emotionally and spiritually prepared, we may see more relevant information emerge in the media. This public readiness could be directly linked to the surfacing of further interesting insight and understanding.

Insight, understanding not always found in official reports, documents

2011-04-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Sometimes things like government documents, news accounts and scientific investigative reports don’t always convey the deeper potential of forward-leaning research into human perception and awareness, as well as other interesting phenomena.

For example, the open-source files on Project STAR GATE provide plenty of educational information about research into extrasensory perception (ESP), anomalous cognition, remote viewing and transcendent warfare.

Much of this material seems quite helpful. And, it seems to be associated with several other types of anomalous, unconventional and leading-edge topics.

ESP research with dolphins seems particularly fascinating. Other studies indicated that humans might be able to perceive across time. Actually, there are several other aspects of “integrative perception,” “complementary cognition” and "transcendent power" that appear to open up new potential for many people around the world.

Yet, when we see these kinds of approaches in real-life practice, they may take many forms. While many modern researchers try to use scientific methods, other examples follow another path. They may be rooted in ancient understanding.

In my novel Mission Into Light, published in 2001, elderly Navajo and former U.S. Marine Corps “Code Talker” Joe Bear is thinking about his association with the Joint Reconnaissance Study Group, a 10-person joint-service military and civilian team based in San Diego. The son of Joe’s former World War II buddy is now an Air Force colonel and commanding officer of the group.

Below is an excerpt from Mission Into Light, Chapter 10, called “Navajo Intel.”

CHAPTER 10, NAVAJO INTEL

Joe Bear and his wife Maggie had returned to their home in the Navajo Nation in the northeast corner of Arizona. Their visits with friends in San Diego had been fun, but the trip was tiring. He still drove his pickup the full distance to San Diego and back.

He felt a need to make arrangements with certain friends. Code Talker friends. But for now, he sat on his front porch.

Joe thought about the things he’d seen and done in his time on Earth. As a young man, he and other Navajo Code Talkers were part of the networks of OSS, intelligence, and cryptography experts fighting the Japanese military in the Pacific. The Code Talkers went on dangerous missions and were often near, on or behind the front lines. Many of them did not make it back to the Navajo Nation alive.

The Code Talkers still alive sometimes got together. Some of them belonged to the VFW post in Gallup, New Mexico, just across the Arizona state line. A small modest museum in a Kayenta restaurant displayed memorabilia about the Code Talkers.

And yet, Joe often felt his duty as a Marine was not yet done. Old OSS and intelligence buddies from World War Two kept in touch from all over the country. Some of them helped put together the meeting they had planned.

Tom O’Brien was the son of one of his old Marine buddies. Grown up from the boy Joe remembered. And now an Air Force colonel in charge of an intelligence and research team in San Diego. Joe had a feeling this group was going to accomplish something good.

As he was thinking about these things and looking out toward the rocky hills in the distance, his wife Maggie opened the front door and came out on the porch with lunch time plates of mutton stew and two glasses of cold lemonade.

She put the food and glasses on the table nearby and silently sat down next to him. They had raised two sons, now grown and married with children of their own. Joe and Maggie were the grandparents of three girls and two boys.

They lived comfortably in a newer double wide factory-built home that had all the amenities. A satellite dish on the roof brought in dozens of TV stations to the new thirty-two-inch TV their sons had given them last Christmas.

Joe and Maggie had lived almost their entire lives on the Navajo reservation. When Joe was recruited for the Marines at age nineteen, Maggie went to San Diego briefly to be near him. Joe had often sent her letters from strange places in the Pacific, and the letters were frequently edited by military censors for security reasons.

Maggie took bites of the stew, sipped on her lemonade and reached over to touch Joe’s hand.

“What are you thinking about, old man?”

“Oh, those people on Thomas O’Brien’s team in San Diego. I think about what they are doing and what they might accomplish. I feel hopeful, but sometimes worried,” he told her as he picked up his lemonade and took a sip.

“They have enemies, don’t they, Joe?”

“Yes, wife, they do. Dangerous enemies.”

“They’re coming up for your meeting?”

“Yes. We’re going to take them to that old kiva in the hidden canyon we discovered. Maybe it has some power from the ancient times,” Joe speculated.

Maggie would also attend as well as their two sons, who would help with all the guests.

“Eat your stew, old man. It’s getting cold.”

Joe reached out and took the nearby plate and a fork. He held the plate of mutton in his lap and started to eat. He’d been eating mutton since he was a small child.

As a young boy he helped his family with the herd of sheep the family had. Both Maggie’s and Joe’s mothers, like many Navajo women, used the wool to weave beautiful clothes and blankets on old-style traditional looms.

Joe remembered the horses and dogs the family had when he was a boy. It was a good life. They lived in a traditional hogan back then. No modern kitchens, bathrooms, and carpet in those days.

Many Navajo families still lived in hogans, or kept one nearby their more modern homes. Even today, many did not have electricity or phones.

As they finished their lunch, Maggie started to clear away the dishes to take them inside to the kitchen.

Joe then made some phone calls to a couple of friends and confirmed a sweat ceremony for that afternoon. These men had known each other since childhood and through World War Two service in the Pacific. After the war, they had grown older, raising families, living out their lives on the Navajo Nation and sometimes traveling around the Four Corners area and the Southwest.

From their home in the Navajo Nation, they had watched the turbulence of the Cold War and Vietnam years shake the larger society of the United States. Assassinations, racial troubles, terrorist threats, had come and gone. They had also witnessed abuse of natural resources, extinction of animals and plants, weather changes, and natural disasters. Technology had made quantum leaps in their lifetimes.

INNER VISION

Later that afternoon, Joe and three friends met at a small hut-like sweat lodge. The rocks to be used for the sweat lodge were sitting on a campfire outside. Using a shovel, the four each carried one large, hot rock to the center of the small hut, then sat in a circle. From a bucket inside, water was poured on the rocks, causing great clouds of steam, and filling the lodge with heat.

Joe had suggested the meeting, and he led the proceedings.

“Great Spirit of all life, hear our words. We seek guidance from You. Our friends and our people want Your Path to be made clear.”

The four good friends then began a song, an ancient song of special medicine words. More water was added to the hot rocks. White clouds of steam again filled the air.

Joe closed his eyes and listened to his friends’ songs. Sometimes they took turns, or joined one another as the feeling moved them.

After twenty minutes or so, Joe started to see something in his mind’s eye.

Clouds. White clouds against a deep blue sky. From inside the clouds, something stirred. Joe tried to see what was inside, but could not. Then he relaxed, and watched, and waited.

Very slowly, a large, white bison stepped out of the cloud and looked straight at Joe. The huge animal then looked down, and gestured with his front leg, as if pointing down. In Joe’s vision, he looked down and saw the shape of the continent of North America. The bison then spoke to him.

“See how the land has changed, my brother.”

And Joe saw North America as it was long ago. Thick forests across all of the eastern half of the continent and into the central plains. This was the land long before the Europeans discovered it.

The only humans were the thousands of native tribes, clans, communities, and families. These people had spread and populated the continent from coast to coast, and from the frozen north to the Gulf of Mexico and beyond.

This vision triggered many feelings in Joe Bear. Strange feelings were swirling inside him. Sadness, grief, anger. But something else was moving him. The white bison again was looking at him, as if trying to communicate.

Joe tried to focus his vision on the face, the horns, the powerful body of the buffalo. The animal was calm and looked at Joe again, then started to glow, radiating a strange light. It again spoke to Joe.

“My brother, beautiful days are ahead. Nature and the Spirit have brought us along this river of life. Our land will be beautiful again.”

The buffalo was happy, Joe thought. That was a good sign.

The bison then gestured again to him.

“Your friends can help us, brother. They may take us home. Look here and see them.”

As the bison gestured down again, instead of North America, Joe saw a large cloud, swirling gently like a slow-motion cyclone. Inside the circling mass were millions of people. A brilliant golden light was shining on one part of the slowly spinning cloud. Part was in darkness.

“Your friends are here,” the buffalo said, pointing to a small bright spot in the cloud. Joe noticed other points and regions of darkness and light.

Joe had questions.

“How can I help them?”

“Look closer, brother.”

Joe then saw the faces of Tom O’Brien and the others as he did when he spoke to them in San Diego. He remembered looking into the faces sitting around the small table in the JRSG office at Point Loma. Joe heard his own words as he talked to the group about the Code Talkers and World War Two.

Then the scene suddenly changed. Those young people were now in Arizona. Joe could see pine trees. It felt like north central Arizona, south of the Navajo nation, maybe the Apache lands to the south. Or maybe he saw the Four Corners region of the southern Rockies. Maybe Ute country. Joe wasn’t sure, but he somehow felt it was Indian land.

In his vision, he saw Thomas O’Brien and these young people involved in a struggle. He saw danger and heard the sound of weapons. He heard O’Brien call out Joe’s name. Joe saw injured and dead people lying on the floor of a pine forest.

He then heard soothing words.

“All is well, my brother.” It was the white buffalo again. “Do you see?”

Joe then looked down and saw North America, the slow swirling cloud of people, and O’Brien’s people of the JRSG, all in one scene.

The play of light and darkness slowly changed, and the darkness faded away like the dawn of a new day. The swirling of the cloud gently stopped. The cloud and the picture of North America started to glow like the white bison.

Joe slowly opened his eyes. He was laying down in the sweat lodge, his body and the towel beneath him were soaked. His friends were also lying down and silently sleeping, dreaming, or having their own visions. One of his old friends was snoring loudly.

Joe slowly got up and walked outside. It was almost sunset now. A warm and gentle breeze dried some of the moisture from his body and hair. The old man raised his arms above his head and stretched. His old body had many aches from eighty-five years of life.

He drank from a canteen of water nearby and ate from a bag of food that their wives had prepared. One by one, his friends slowly awoke and came out of the sweat lodge to join him.

They passed around the canteen and the bag of food. As the four old men sat in the setting sun and relaxed, they started an informal debriefing. What kind of visions did each have? What was seen or learned?

Each had an unusual dream or vision that day. They compared the messages they had received. They tried to interpret images and words. They revealed to each other what their buddies had a need to know.

Joe told his friends about the bison, and looking at North America as if he were up in space.

The Code Talkers had once again completed an intelligence mission, like the days of their youth in the Pacific.

Phoenix-area Indian lands are down-to-Earth site for UFO conference

2011-02-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

It seems to make sense that the 20th annual International UFO Congress will be held on Native American Indian lands in Arizona.

The conference, beginning Wednesday, Feb. 23, and running through Sunday, Feb. 27, is located at the upscale Radisson Fort McDowell Resort on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation northeast of Scottsdale. The hotel at the resort is reportedly sold out.

A connection between UFOs and other unconventional phenomena with Native American Indians is something that researchers and average people may want to pay attention to and think about.

Many Indian people have legends of “star people” or “sky people” that visited long ago ... and maybe still do today. In addition, Native American cultures often value several kinds of human perception, including dreams, visions, instincts and signs.

In today’s scientific jargon, we could call these kinds of awareness “anomalous cognition,” a term describing extrasensory perception (ESP) and related to what U.S. defense and intelligence researchers called “remote viewing.”

Some of the traits of American Indian perception could also be related to space-time anomalies and “synchronicity” – unusual coincidences that seem to have meaning. And, certain understanding we might acquire through unconventional methods could be interpreted as mysterious communication from the Great Spirit.

Indian consciousness, in many ways, looks at life and Nature as a cycle, circle or hoop. This viewpoint could also provide insight about anomalous phenomena of various kinds.

ANCIENT REALITIES

As a retired Army Special Forces colonel, John Alexander, PhD, explained on the Feb. 20 “Coast to Coast AM” radio show, UFO disclosure has essentially happened. Several U.S. presidents, high-ranking U.S. military officers and others have made this clear, Alexander pointed out.

He stated to his radio show host, award-winning investigative journalist George Knapp, it appears to be a fact that various kinds of unusual unidentified objects in the skies have been around for decades.

Other researchers note significant indications that the same kinds of phenomena may have been present for centuries.

Here in North America, it is probably reasonable to consider that Native American Indian people could have had close encounters with UFOs, unusual intelligent beings and other unconventional phenomena that modern scientists are still trying to understand.

In Arizona, original inhabitants included the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, Zuni, Yaqui, Southern Paiutes, Akimel O'odham, Tohono O'odham, Mojave, Maricopa, Cocopah, Halchidhoma, Havasupai, Hualapai, Jocome and Jano tribes, as well as the Yavapai, hosts of the UFO conference.

In the Phoenix region, at the northern edge of the Sonoran Desert, there are several Indian communities whose lands nearby help form a rich cultural environment in a modern metropolitan area.

Throughout North America, Indian people have beliefs, legends and perspectives that could be very valuable to us today as we try to learn more about forward-leaning edge-science topics of interest.

ADVANCED PERCEPTION

How can we combine ancient accounts and insights with our modern research into unconventional phenomena that are not completely understood?

One way might be to develop an “integrative perception” or “complementary cognition” that merges our logical mind with intuition, gut feelings, ESP and instincts. This approach seems to be at the heart of the many successes of the U.S. Project STAR GATE remote viewing program.

Prayer, meditation, creativity and other kinds of internal exploration and communication can probably also play parts in increasing our understanding about our environment and ourselves.

Looking to Nature, as American Indians do, might provide additional understanding about realities, both conventional and unconventional – including UFOs.

Who knows? The circles and cycles of Nature might contribute to a repeat of the March 1997 phenomena when one or more large mysterious objects or craft reportedly cruised at low altitude right over the metro Phoenix area one evening.

At least that’s what hundreds or thousands of people living in Phoenix’s “Valley of the Sun” claim to have seen.

The International UFO Congress is featuring many credible researchers and will also have sky watching sessions at night. The heavens above Arizona’s Sonoran Desert at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation should provide a good view.

Being on the far northeast outskirts of metro Phoenix, the urban “light pollution” will be replaced by vistas of the Milky Way Galaxy, our home neighborhood in this vast Universe.

Or maybe, unusual visitors will pick a bright, sunny Arizona day to show us they are here.

Focus of UFO disclosure should be on meaningful factors

2011-02-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Some unidentified flying objects (UFOs) seem to many people to be “intelligently controlled physical craft of some kind from some place that is not here.”

That is a premise of and a quote from the new book A.D. After Disclosure: The People’s Guide to Life After Contact by Richard M. Dolan and Bryce Zabel.

These authors use a starting point that is beyond the various discussions about the question of “if” Earth humans are being visited by spacecraft and other kinds of phenomena that are quite unconventional.

They seem to feel that this has already been well established.

As a result, Dolan and Zabel say that their book is not trying to prove that some UFOs are related to intelligent beings, though they do include some very interesting information that supports this view.

“Thousand of books have been published, all debating whether UFOs are real or just figments of our imaginations. This book is not one of them,” the authors state.

READINESS AND PREPAREDNESS

Their starting point is: What does it mean? What are the factors involved? How is human society on Earth going to adjust to it? How will it unfold?

Dolan and Zabel may have a point. A moderate amount of research using reliable sources certainly gives the impression that it is quite possible or probable that some UFOs represent real circumstances that we should look at carefully.

It naturally follows that we should be prepared psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. In addition, human societies and cultures should be ready for various impacts affecting public health and safety, economics, technology, scientific knowledge and other elements of life.

Dolan and Zabel say, “An acknowledgment that ‘UFOs are real and some of them are not us’ will not end the debate, but only lead to more questions. It might also mark a new phase of the mystery.”

As the authors of A.D. After Disclosure point out, there are many valid questions and some lead to other unknowns.

The desire for full disclosure of information about the UFO phenomena related to the U.S. and other nations is understandable. Yet, there could be certain aspects that require careful consideration.

Is the standard “need-to-know” guideline for the handling of sensitive information a good way to proceed? Or, should different methods be used to increase acclimation, readiness, insight and understanding?

Dolan’s and Zabel’s website AfterDisclosure.com presents a variety of views from researchers and observers who are interested in these kinds of subjects. The site is a resource that seems to provide a reasonable overview of the investigations into and discussions about the UFO topic.

WHERE TO FOCUS

It might be helpful to consider the viewpoint of Dolan and Zabel about where to focus our attention. Is it worthwhile to engage in endless debates about whether Earth is being visited by intelligent beings or is that actually already evident?

Maybe our discussions should be related to more useful directions such as: Are there more than one type of visitors or unconventional intelligent beings? Who are they? Where are they from? What do they want? How long have they been around? Are they friendly, hostile or neutral? Are there dangers involved? Can they help us in various ways?

As the authors of A.D. After Disclosure and many other researchers point out, the roles of our defense, intelligence and scientific communities are also of interest. Certain elements of these groups probably have gathered solid information on the subject over the years and decades.

Our communications media also have an interesting position in dealing with this general topic. Are the increasingly diverse mass media being responsible and providing credible perspectives for their audiences?

And will average people in many walks of life and in many circumstances use the information and insight in ways that are constructive and healthy?

These appear to be issues that are worthy of examination and exploration.

An additional element to consider is that the idea that we are being visited by interesting beings may just be the tip of the iceberg.

We could learn that our basic understanding of Nature and the universe needs updating. There may be new insights about human consciousness, life after death and how time and space function in mysterious ways.

Dolan’s and Zabel’s position of looking beyond petty debates and misinformation so we can concentrate on more important and meaningful aspects of the situation seems to make sense.

Health consciousness studies at U. of Arizona relevant in shootings?

2011-01-13T11:22:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The shootings in Tucson have resulted in many broken hearts, as President Barack Obama said last night at the University of Arizona.

Loved ones have passed on and others are seriously injured. The rest of us are shocked, angry and are trying to understand how and why this happened.

What resources, knowledge and information are available to help us make sense of this and other terrible situations and move forward constructively?

In addition to having an excellent medical school and medical center, UA is home to two forward-leaning programs that may be useful to familiarize ourselves with at this time.

One is the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the UA College of Medicine led by well-known physician and health educator Andrew Weil, MD. This program explores blending concepts and practices of traditional medicine with additional approaches to health.

The other is UA’s Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health led by Gary Schwartz, PhD. This activity explores human consciousness in relation to personal and social health as well as leading-edge research into the nature and properties of human consciousness, including theories about life after death.

An examination of these programs and other advanced research may be very useful.

BREAKTHROUGHS IN HEALING

Modern medicine is making tremendous advances every day. For example, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been funding studies to learn if we can regrow amputated missing limbs, much like a salamander or newt.

When these creatures lose a limb, they create new "progenitor cells," also called "precursor cells." These cells gather at the site of the injury, forming a "blastema." The blastema continue to grow and specialize into cells that form the nerves, bones, cartilage, muscles and skin to create a new limb.

Will we soon be able to do this for people who have lost limbs or have had other significant injury to various body tissues?

Other research in the medical community and the news is also promising regarding ways to regenerate damaged or lost tissue. The UA medical school is certainly in the loop on these state-of-the-art developments.

In addition to these kinds of research efforts around the country and internationally, the website of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine explains about other aspects of health and healing. "Since its inception, the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine has focused its efforts on three domains: education, clinical care, and research – with the primary emphasis on education."

The website notes the "Defining Principles of Integrative Medicine:"

1) Patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process.

2) All factors that influence health, wellness, and disease are taken into consideration, including mind, spirit, and community, as well as the body.

3) Appropriate use of both conventional and alternative methods facilitates the body's innate healing response.

4) Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive should be used whenever possible.

5) Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.

6) Good medicine is based in good science. It is inquiry-driven and open to new paradigms.

7) Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.

8) Practitioners of integrative medicine should exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development.

FRONTIERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Our understanding of human consciousness is rapidly advancing. One good example is the U.S. defense and intelligence community program known as Project STAR GATE.

The potential of human consciousness and the way it operates stunned the researchers in Project STAR GATE even as they began to utilize mysterious advanced perception in national defense tasks.

Though not a health or medical research effort, this activity showed that our minds, perception and awareness can be much more robust and unconventional than what we normally believe. It seems clear that there are significant health and medical considerations involved in the discoveries and accomplishments documented by Project STAR GATE.

In research that seems to dovetail significantly, the UA Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health also investigates advanced concepts that seem both fantastic and full of hope.

The program’s website outlines some major points, noting “Our universal or metahypotheses include: Consciousness exists and can be investigated scientifically. Consciousness is in a dynamic state of change and evolution.”

Their efforts include “eight specific consciousness research areas that are controversial in society as well as in mainstream scientific disciplines, including psychology:”

1) Evolution of Consciousness and Understanding

2) The Role of Consciousness in Health and Healing

3) Survival of Consciousness After Death

4) Quantum Holographic Consciousness

5) Group and Global Consciousness

6) Animal Consciousness

7) Other Worldly / Higher Spiritual Consciousness

8) Universal Intelligence Hypothesis

TRANSCENDENT BREAKTHROUGHS

As we think about Tucson, American society and the human race on planet Earth, it is easy to become discouraged and angry at times. The violence, destruction, injuries and disease, mental illness, poverty, hunger and other challenges seem overwhelming.

Yet, by carefully examining and testing new theories and discoveries about human beings and human consciousness, it seems clear that the potential exists to transcend many of these problems.

While conducting research for a graduate-level paper at the Marine Corps War College several years ago, a Navy SEAL officer coined the phrase “transcendent warfare.” He was referring to possible outcomes of discoveries from Project STAR GATE and similar advanced research.

Taking his concept further, it is not much of a leap to consider that transcendent breakthroughs in science, medicine, health and healing, and many of the other areas of human endeavor are not so far away.

In fact, we could soon possibly reach a tipping point that makes many kinds of breakthroughs a reality.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine

Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health

Disclosure on anomalous topics not so mysterious after all

2011-01-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation, multiple dimensions, the afterlife, extrasensory perception (ESP) – these are just a few of many forward-leaning and edge-science topics that seem to be generating increased public interest.

The natural curiosity about certain unconventional areas seems to be very understandable and appropriate.

Leading-edge research into anomalous subjects can sometimes seem a bit “far out.” However, in many cases it may not be much of a leap from more conventional areas of common knowledge and routine study.

The continually evolving mass media appear to be handling emerging understanding about anomalous phenomena in a wide variety of ways. In some cases, the media presentations on certain topics may seem to be “dumbed down.” In other instances, the intelligence of the general public is respected.

An element that could sometimes be overlooked is the significance of grassroots factors involved in the increasing awareness and perception about interesting unconventional phenomena.

MORE UNDERSTANDING

The concept of “disclosure” in regard to certain unconventional topics can imply many kinds of developments.

For example, many people think that government officials should announce something of significant interest about UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation.

At the same time, disclosure can involve gradual education and acclimation through various media platforms that inform people in different kinds of ways. Movies, TV shows, books, articles and other works of fiction and non-fiction can be important parts of disclosure.

Consumers and audiences of many kinds of media seem to be increasingly aware of emerging possibilities and probabilities about some edge-science topics.

A good example might be the open-minded way that theories and research about ESP are sometimes presented and accepted.

Since many people have had experiences with significant gut instincts and intuition proving to be valid in their own personal lives, the concepts surrounding expanded human consciousness may seem quite reasonable and logical in some ways.

Although the research and activities of the U.S. government efforts known as Project STAR GATE might stretch the limits of usual beliefs about human abilities of perception and awareness, even these interesting multi-decade defense and intelligence programs may not seem all that strange after all.

LEAP OF FAITH

An additional area of interest is how the many types of unconventional phenomena seem to be related.

What about connections between ESP and the afterlife? Do certain UFOs zip in and out of hidden dimensions? To some researchers, there are multiple combinations of anomalous topics that seem to have connections.

Are there any common denominators? Where do some of these phenomena overlap? When do we consider something “scientific,” “natural” or “spiritual” in discussing these kinds of subjects?

These questions do appear to indicate that what we might consider unusual areas of research could actually just be very natural. ESP, multiple dimensions and other intelligent life are, somewhat obviously, part of Nature.

To the degree we consider edge-science subjects as an integral part of the natural world and universe, we will probably be more able to accept and understand various situations.

Of course, just because something is part of Nature does not mean it is always pleasant or wonderful. Life and death, creation and destruction, survival of the fittest – these kinds of dynamics in Nature are serious factors indeed.

Yet, the vision of transcendence beyond some of the difficult aspects of life and “reality” is something that humans have reached out for throughout history. Transcending our normal state of affairs on planet Earth is a goal that seems to be increasingly achievable.

More disclosure – various kinds of disclosure – will most likely move us forward to greater understanding of ourselves, Nature and a transcendent intelligence.

Southwest's Four Corners is region of beauty, mystery, UFO reports

2010-12-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

In fiction and fact, the Four Corners region of the American Southwest has long been an area associated with beauty, nature and mysterious phenomena.

The convergence of the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah is an arid region of dramatic rock formations, fantastic canyons, vast dry plains as well as the pine-covered mountains of Colorado’s southern Rockies.

American Indian nations and communities of the Navajo, Hopi, Ute and others are also found in the Four Corners. Many American Indian tribes have beliefs and legends related to unconventional phenomena.

Mysteries in the area are sometimes associated with the American Indian residents, the ancient history of the region as well as secret government activities and even UFOs.

Accounts of a UFO crash in northwestern New Mexico in 1948 continue to be part of UFO lore.

STORIES AND REPORTS

Popular and prolific western novelists and World War II veterans Louis L'Amour and Tony Hillerman are just two writers who explored the cultural, historical, physical and metaphysical landscape of the area. The works of both writers have been adapted for TV and movies.

Both Hillerman and L’Amour had strong connections to the Four Corners. Hillerman’s mystery novels about two Navajo Nation tribal police officers set in the region gained tremendous popularity. L’Amour lived part of the time in the Durango, Colorado, area where he did much of his writing.

And, both men delved into unusual and anomalous phenomena associated with the history of the area and the people who live there.

Hillerman’s Navajo police characters Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee often faced strange phenomena in their investigations. L’Amour made an interesting departure from his more conventional old West tales in his 1988 novel set near the Four Corners titled The Haunted Mesa about a portal into another dimension.

L’Amour’s part-time home in Durango plays a part in the ongoing research about UFOs. Some researchers claim that in 1948, the year following the alleged Roswell incident, another unusual flying craft crashed south of Durango near the town of Aztec, New Mexico.

According to these reports, secret U.S. government teams responded to the area and flew in scientists to examine the situation. The only nearby airfield at the time was in Durango and these personnel were flown in and then traveled by road the 35 miles to Aztec, according to some researchers.

As part of the clandestine operation, the craft and possibly bodies were obtained and transported to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, a center for analysis of foreign aircraft and technology.

A March 28, 2010, article in the Durango Herald newspaper reported that a former U.S. government “remote viewer” (one of the psychic spies who allegedly used ESP to gather intelligence) spoke about the Aztec incident at the 13th annual Aztec UFO Symposium held in March 2010.

The individual, Lyn Buchanan, told the audience that his remote viewing consulting and training firm examined the Aztec UFO crash reports and concluded there is truth to the accounts, according to the article.

"In short, there was a crash,” Buchanan was quoted in the Durango Herald as saying. “The ETs in that ship weren't dead; they were alive. And negotiations happened between them and the government."

The same newspaper article also reported that Buchanan revealed to the symposium audience that the George Clooney character "Lyn Cassady" in the 2009 movie "The Men Who Stare at Goats" was based on Buchanan.

SECRET SIGNAL

In the second of my two novels, Light’s Hand (the sequel to Mission Into Light), I also take readers into the Four Corners region with three members of the secret 10-person Joint Reconnaissance Study Group (JRSG).

The main character, Mike Green, along with Amy Mella (an Air Force captain) and CIA analyst Jennifer Thorsen are sent from their home base in San Diego to the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona and then on to Durango.

Their first task is to link up with two National Security Agency (NSA) officials who are interviewing a good friend of the Joint Recon Study Group, WWII Marine Code Talker veteran Joe Bear, at his home.

The NSA has picked up signals intelligence (SIGINT) coming from deep space. And, the signals appear to be in two codes – World War II Navajo Code Talker language and Morse code.

Green, Mella and Thorsen are to find out what is involved, assist as needed and report back to their team leaders and the JRSG commanding officer in San Diego, Tom O’Brien, an Air Force colonel. They are authorized to access information from the two NSA agents and from Joe’s interpretation of the mysterious message.

From northeastern Arizona, the three JRSG members are sent on to Durango to interview a former Army intelligence officer who is now an instructor at the state college there. He reportedly has knowledge about unconventional topics of interest to the JRSG.

They are also directed to scout around the Durango area to locate a suitable property for a safehouse. The reason is not immediately clear to them.

In the partial excerpt below from Chapter 7, Mike, Amy and Jennifer arrive in the Navajo Nation after flying from San Diego to Farmington, New Mexico:

By lunchtime they were pulling into the small Navajo town of Kayenta in the northeast corner of Arizona. The village was a jumping off point for trips to Monument Valley and other nearby scenic sites.

Mike drove the final stretch down the highway and turned off on a gravel road. After three or four miles, they spotted Joe’s and Maggie’s names on a mailbox and drove up the dusty road toward the house, sitting on a small hill. They noticed Joe’s pick-up next to the house and a navy blue sedan parked in front. Mike pulled up behind the sedan and the three of them got out.

Joe opened the front door and stepped out on the front porch, raising his hand in greeting and smiling broadly.

“Welcome,” he simply said as Amy and Jennifer hugged him. Mike managed to find Joe’s hand for a shake. Then, more hugs all around as his wife Maggie came out to the porch.

“Come on inside you three,” Maggie said as she led the way.

In the living room, Mike, Amy, and Jennifer saw a woman and a man sitting on one of couches typing on laptop computers. Joe introduced them.

“This is Jane Danski and Mark Jensen from the NSA. They wanted to talk with me about some things. I think O’Brien wants you to talk with them too.”

After more handshakes and introductions all around, everyone took a seat, except Maggie, who went out to her kitchen.

Jane Danski explained that they were authorized to fill in the JRSG operatives on the reason they were talking with Joe. She and Jensen spelled out the situation briefly. A Morse code transmission had been detected by NSA signals intelligence.

After a lot of research on the translation from Morse code, someone knew enough about World War Two cryptography to suspect it might be related to the Code Talkers, or something similar.

Joe had confirmed it and had made a preliminary interpretation for them. They were writing their reports, which they would soon transmit via communications equipment in their car that included a satellite uplink connection. They would send their encrypted reports directly to the NSA in Virginia.

Mike, Amy, and Jennifer had become accustomed to unusual events since they joined the JRSG. However, that fact didn’t dampen their excitement. Amy posed the obvious question.

“Are you free to tell us what Joe thinks the message says?”

Danski and Jensen both shook their heads in the affirmative.

“Go ahead Joe, if you want,” Mark Jensen said.

As calm and steady as ever, Joe gave them his interpretation of the message.

“As you know, back in the war, we used Navajo words for animals and natural things to stand for military meanings, to identify things like aircraft, ships, troops, or military activities.”

“Out of the message these folks gave me, and I figure it was translated the right way from Morse code by the NSA, there were some key words.”

“I picked up Code Talker words for ‘ships,’ ‘scouts,’ ‘friendly indigenous forces,’ ‘liberation,’ which was a term we used back then to mean a few different things. Also, the words ‘secret’ or ‘covert,’ ‘landing,’ such as a plane or marine beach landing, and a word that could mean ‘supplies.’ There were some other references to ‘darkness’ or ‘night time’ and ‘light’ or ‘daylight.’ I also think some of the words were trying to say something about a time frame or schedule.”

“The basic message, as best as I can figure out, is something like ‘scouts will recon a target covertly at night, or during the dark, to liberate the local friendlies. Then, later, a landing will bring supplies in the day or daylight.’ Something like that. That’s what I make of it anyhow.”

They all glanced at one another and it was obvious they all were thinking along similar lines. The NSA people knew, in general terms, that the JRSG was working on usual phenomena, such as UFOs, among other things. Jane Danski posed the question to them.

“So, Mr. Bear, do you have an idea what this might mean? What do you think?”

ON TO DURANGO

After this meeting at Joe Bear’s house in northeastern Arizona, Mike, Amy and Jennifer head to Durango where they are to interview a Dr. Ben Westman, an anthropology instructor at Fort Lewis College, a state college there. Westman is reportedly a retired Army intelligence officer.

They have been assigned to interview him, take notes and make reports on what he tells them.

Then, they are to conduct reconnaissance in the Durango area to find a property suitable for a secure “safehouse.”

Their trip to Durango is partly described in the following excerpts:

They were on the road by eight o’clock the next morning. Amy was driving their rental car east northeast on U.S. 160. After about an hour, the highway took them past the small park that marked the meeting point of the states of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado.

U.S. 160 cut through the corners diagonally and a minute later they were in Colorado. The road climbed steadily through hilly country due north to the town of Cortez. More trees and green plants, they noticed.

The highway turned east at Cortez and Amy was now piloting the rental car steadily higher into the mountains. The road curved through beautiful pine-covered forests and pastures where horses grazed. Before long, they’d be pulling into Durango. Amy wondered if they should call the man they were supposed to interview today, or wait until they got oriented and rested.

“What do you guys think? Want to get in touch with this Ben Westman guy right away today?”

Mike just wanted to get where they were going and get out of the rental car.

“I say let’s get settled in our rooms, get something to eat, walk around Durango and get our bearings, then decide.”

Jennifer was in no rush.

“Sounds good to me. Colonel O’Brien told us to take our time and add on some R&R days for ourselves too. We’ll be better interviewers if we’re rested, I think.”

In another fifteen minutes they were getting into the outskirts of Durango. Neighborhoods of homes were nestled here and there among the pines. The road brought them to the central part of the town, tucked in the San Juan Mountains.

On Main Avenue, downtown buildings still reflected the 1800s history of the Durango. Now, shops, restaurants, and offices filled the restored downtown area. The Animas River flowed right through the middle of town.

They drove past the train station where the famous Old West steam train was ready to take visitors further up north into the mountains. Up to the town of Silverton at over eleven thousand feet and back.

On a small plateau above downtown was Fort Lewis College, where the man they were to contact was a professor of anthropology.

After backtracking, Amy found the inn they were looking for and pulled in the parking lot. On the drive up, the three had decided to get a one-bedroom suite instead of two adjoining rooms. They all wanted to get out of the car and walked together up to the lobby. It was a newer inn just outside of town on U.S. 160 with residential style suites complete with kitchens.

They brought in luggage and cleaned up. It was lunchtime too and they had left Kayenta without much of a breakfast. All three were eager to scout around town. Mike had been in Durango a few times before.

“There’s a lot to see around here. Purgatory ski resort, the Mesa Verde National Park ruins, and San Juan National Forest. This is wild country. Bears, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, elk, a lot of wildlife.”

Amy was getting a funny feeling. For some reason, this town felt familiar, yet she’d never been here before.

“I like the feel of this town. I sort of feel at home.”

Jennifer looked at her with a smile.

“I know what you mean, Amy. I’m glad we have some extra time here after we do this interview. It’s good Mike’s been here a few times before too. We’ve got some advance recon on the area. Let’s get some lunch in town and look around.”

They left the inn and drove for a few minutes back into town. They found a small restaurant not far from the train station and ordered sandwiches. The window next to their table faced Main Avenue and they watched the people and cars pass by. It was a sunny sixty degrees or so outside today. Visitors and locals walked around town, enjoying the day.

Amy wanted to call Westman that afternoon. If they were going to reach him at the college they should call before the end of the day. They only had his office phone number at the campus.

“We’ll feel better about taking some R&R when we’re done with our duties, I think. I say we get in touch with him after lunch.”

Jennifer agreed.

“Work first, then play.”

“Sounds good to me,” Mike said.

As they ate their sandwiches, Amy pulled a cell phone out of her fanny pack and dialed a number she had written down in her small notebook.

“I’m trying to reach Doctor Westman. Yes, I can leave a message. Voice mail is fine, thanks. Doctor Westman, this is Amy Mella from Colonel O’Brien’s group. My associates and I are in Durango and we would like to meet with you at your convenience. I will call you back when you return from lunch.”

ANTHROPOLOGY INTELLIGENCE

When they finished their meal, they walked around the downtown area. The architecture of many of the old nineteenth century hotels and other buildings gave them a feeling of the Old West. Western art galleries, hotels, saloons, and stores offering everything for the outdoor mountain life lined Main Avenue. Over an hour passed quickly as they explored.

Sitting on a sidewalk bench soaking up the sunshine, Amy called Fort Lewis College again.

“Doctor Westman? This is Amy Mella again. Yes, sir. That will be fine. Will do. See you shortly.”

“He’s back from lunch and done teaching classes for the day and told us to come over to his office at the college.”

After walking back to where their rental car was parked, they drove up to the small mesa where the college campus overlooked Durango. They found a visitor parking and Amy asked some students for directions to the anthropology department. A short walk through campus brought them to Ben Westman’s office. The door was open and a man in a checkered flannel shirt stood up from the desk and waved them in.

“Hello, welcome to Durango,” he said as he reached out to shake hands.

“Hello Doctor Westman. I’m Amy Mella. This is Mike Green and Jennifer Thorsen.”

“Have a seat folks. First off, call me Ben. So, I understand you’re part of one Tom O’Brien’s research groups and he wants you to talk with me, eh?”

Westman got up from the desk and closed the office door.

“I’ve kept in touch will Tom over the years. We were in Vietnam together. Back in the sixties and seventies I was working in Army intelligence. Retired as a major in seventy-eight. Went back to school and got my Ph.D. in anthropology and I’ve been teaching here for over ten years.”

“O’Brien called and told me you three were coming up to get some intel from me. Sounds like an interesting little research group you’re part of. ‘Joint Reconnaissance Study Group’ is it? Well, I think I can shed some light on some of your inquiries and help out your group.”

Mike and Jennifer had taken out small notebooks and pens.

Westman lowered his voice just the slightest bit.

“You folks are getting to the heart of quite a few important issues. Things I’ve studied for government projects like yours, and things I’ve researched myself. From talking with Tom, it sounds like your group is on the right track. I’ve seen your mission statement and O’Brien’s told me about some of your latest work.”

“I think I can speak with some expertise on the human and social aspects, some of the geography and geology, and even some of the metaphysical stuff. Do you want to ask me questions? Or I could just tell you some of the things I think are important and you can follow-up if you want?”

Amy, Mike, and Jennifer looked at each other and shrugged.

“Go ahead, Ben,” Amy said.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at them for a moment.

“Enjoying Durango? It’s a great area up here. Well, I think I should tell you folks about where I’m coming from in terms of your research. You know, I have seen your mission statement. O’Brien sent it to me. I’ve worked on similar projects where we’ve looked into a lot of the stuff your group is now assigned to. I was thinking it might be helpful if I just give you a brief overview of what I know. What do you think?”

“Just go slow enough for us to take notes,” Mike said as he pulled out his small note pad and pen.

“Sounds good to me,” Jennifer agreed.

“Maybe we can just follow-up with questions here and there,” Amy added.

Westman nodded.

“Sure, ask away. Well, okay then. As I understand it, your group has some basic areas to look into such as social and human issues, the possible Earth changes scenarios, and the unusual or metaphysical arena. I’ll try to go down the list of your group’s areas of research.”

HUMANITY AND EARTH

“On the human part of it, from an anthropologist’s point of view, the human species is obviously still evolving. Hopefully into something worthwhile. Our societies have a lot of rough edges. There is still a lot of suffering all around the globe. Too much of it. We’ve got a ways to go.”

“So-called ‘Earth changes’ theories might be somewhat legitimate. This planet is also still evolving. There’s ongoing geological activity. There are some volcanoes around the world that could pop. The recent movement of the Pacific Plate, though devastating to some specific areas, is only a relatively small part of the Earth’s crustal area. Any number of seismic or volcanic events could occur.”

“Things like this would affect the human population in the line of fire. And yes, some places currently above sea level could be underwater. Temporarily from a tsunami, or somewhat permanently from rising water.”

“Now, how this all fits into the metaphysical realm, that’s interesting all right. You know, when I was a young man, I wasn’t very religious, very spiritual. Through what I learned in the Army, and from life, I’ve changed my ways over the years. If you believe in Heaven and angels, really believe, well, I guess that would qualify as some other dimension in the physics sense of it. I don’t doubt that some of those near-death experiences are people scratching the surface of the Heavenly dimension.”

“As far as UFOs, crop circles and the like, well, something sure seems to be going on. Never saw one. I honestly don’t know much about it officially. Never worked on anything that weird. But I’ve done a little reading on it. Pretty strange stuff.”

“The Army did do some work with ESP. Remote viewing, telekinesis, things like that. This is part of the evolution of humans I was talking about. We’ll develop greater intelligence of various kinds, if given time.”

“The DNA deep-memory theories have been around since the sixties. There were psychological researchers claiming to have accessed actual memories of ancestors. Legitimate, hallucination, or wishful thinking? Who knows? It makes sense that many different kinds of information could be encoded on the DNA helix, including memories of important or peak events, or knowledge needed for survival.”

“As far as ancient times here in North America, who the early people were and where they came from, there are some new and interesting discoveries about that. Think about the generations who lived in North America for centuries upon centuries before being ‘discovered’ by the Europeans in modern times. Some very unique cultures developed. Some very interesting knowledge about certain things. Interesting old legends, too.”

Westman leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on an open desk drawer. He took a sip from a mug of coffee on his desk.

“I guess it’s just a step-by-step process to learn about and understand these things. The continual expansion of knowledge.”

“Maybe we better get on that safehouse search, Ben,” Amy proposed. “Mike, Jennifer, what do you think?”

Both nodded their agreement.

“Let me give you a phone number and address of a property and real estate group I know of,” Westman offered and pulled a business card out of his wallet. “Their office is right in town by the train station. I’ll give them a call and tell them to take care of you.”

Amy also gave him the phone number and room number at the inn where they were staying.

“Well, maybe you three want to regroup, have lunch, and get in touch with those real estate folks. Since tomorrow’s Saturday, you might be able to make some progress this afternoon. Maybe they can get you started with some property locations and addresses. You’ve got the whole weekend to look around.”

They decided to follow his advice, said their good-byes and thanks, and headed out to the college parking lot. It was a bright, beautiful day and the sun was warming things up. The sky was a deep, dark blue. Jennifer drove as they followed a street that took them down the hill into Durango below.

SAFEHOUSE RECON

They parked in town and walked around until they found a restaurant. In a small booth, they were trying to put the pieces together. The developments they were dealing with now and many of the original JRSG missions were starting to make more sense, in a somewhat terrifying way.

Over soup and sandwiches, they made their plans to contact the real estate office Westman had referred them to.

After finishing lunch and paying the check, they walked back out into the beautiful day on Durango’s Main Avenue. As it turned out, the real estate office was just down the block and across the street from the restaurant.

It was in one of the older buildings from the eighteen hundreds. They walked up a narrow stairwell to the second story offices and a receptionist steered them to a nearby office where a man sitting at a desk waved them in.

“Hi folks. I’m Gary Billings,” he said as they shook hands. “Have a seat.”

“So, Ben Westman says you’re looking to lease a property outside of town somewhere. I know of several that might be what you’re looking for. A couple are on more than ten acres. Real nice homes among the pines. A few are horse properties. Some of the owners really want to sell, not lease, but the right lease deal might be something they’d consider.”

Billings gave them some property information sheets with photos and specifics on several homes scattered around the outskirts of the Durango area on nice pieces of land. He gave them an idea about where they were, and how far of a drive each was from town and main roads.

They told him they were looking at the properties for their boss back in San Diego, which was true.

Billings proposed that they review the dozen or so property information sheets he’d given them and send them to their boss if they wanted. When they narrowed down the field a bit, he could then drive them out to the properties and show them around.

“Durango’s a great place. I’ve been here nearly twenty years. Got out of the big city rat race. It’s God’s country up here. Your boss is smart to be looking at this area. You folks just give me a call anytime.”

They shook hands and thanked him, and Billings gave them each a business card. Once outside on the sidewalk, they decided to take a drive outside of town.

They headed north up Main Avenue through town. As they continued on past the outskirts of town, a narrow, green, and beautiful valley spread out on both sides of the road.

The Animas River paralleled the road and the Durango to Silverton train track, more or less. But the river knew no straight lines and meandered in gentle curves through the green pastures where horses grazed.

Rugged mountains covered with pine forests surrounded both sides of the valley. Snow could be seen on the high peaks. Bears, elk, and a diverse population of wildlife roamed these mountains. Living wild and free, surviving, mating, raising their young, and dying.

They spotted the train filled with people making its way back down the mountains toward town from Silverton.

Along both sides of the road were nice homes and small ranches, many of which had been built recently. Not exactly a building boom in Durango, but steady growth. People discovering the beauty and small town atmosphere.

Durango residents were sometimes refugees from the big cities and from some of the jet set-saturated Colorado ski towns where the rich and famous played.

The road climbed steadily higher into the mountains. It was beautiful country. Maybe God’s country at that, like Billings had said.

Open source intelligence on UFOs available online now

2010-12-08T14:15:00.001-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

In recent days there has been much speculation about the possible release of information by controversial organizations about unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

At the same time, it is worth noting that a robust amount of open source intelligence (OSINT) on this topic is already available online, in books and via other communications platforms.

It is true that some information is unreliable. However, there are also websites and other sources that appear to be highly reliable and credible.

Two such online sites that seem worth exploring are AfterDisclosure.com and MajesticDocuments.com. There are also many other websites and resources that are equally valuable and interesting.

For anyone interested in the subjects of UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation as well as research and speculation about other leading-edge scientific inquiries, the OSINT currently available appears very adequate to provide a fairly solid understanding of the situation at hand.

Of course, there are still many unknowns and much information is kept secure, probably for a number of reasons. Some of the rationale for information restriction and operational security (OPSEC) may not seem reasonable to many people, yet other reasons could be quite valid and understandable.

EDGE-SCIENCE RESEARCH

Many researchers and interested people are very curious about reports of various kinds of unconventional and anomalous phenomena that include UFOs.

Additional interesting topics are theories of multiple dimensions (including theories of an afterlife), beings and creatures that may move in and out of these hidden dimensions (including angels) and the related subject of near-death experiences (NDEs).

Synchronicity (odd coincidences that may have meaning) and the related concept of non-locality (things being connected in ways independent of time and space) are also fascinating to many people.

Likewise, extrasensory perception (ESP) and anomalous cognition of various kinds are subjects of interest not only for average people, but also for defense and intelligence activities, as reflected in the research and operations the U.S. Project STAR GATE.

A subsequent concept called “transcendent warfare” seems to demonstrate the useful nature of unconventional programs like Project STAR GATE.

Although these and other edge-science subjects often overlap, the many reliable communications platforms providing valid information on such topics sometimes specialize in one or two elements.

It is interesting to note that some research into these areas is being conducted at major universities by respected investigators. They are using sound scientific methods to explore, measure and try to understand these unusual phenomena.

As noted, the OSINT available on these kinds of subjects can be found in excellent non-fiction books and articles, credible websites and even some TV programs. Some works of fiction such as novels and movies also can provide valuable insight and quite a bit of truth.

SEAMLESS TIPPING POINT

On the subject of UFOs, it has long been rumored that information has been gradually and steadily emerging for several decades now. One view is that there has been a planned process of acclimation to prepare people for some of these more surprising developments.

If that is true, it is probably wise because some unconventional phenomena could be quite disorienting, disconcerting or even dangerous. There certainly are indications that these are factors to take seriously.

Many people hope for a silver bullet of UFO disclosure to reach a tipping point of greater public knowledge about such situations.

However, it may also be true that the acclimation process will result in a seamless trajectory of steadily greater understanding.

Whether new information is released in some kind of controversial public way or not, there undoubtedly will continue to be increased awareness about many of these interesting and forward-leaning areas of research, including UFOs.

In that sense, the debate about the release of restricted documents versus openness and transparency in government may not be as important as it appears, at least in relation to some situations.

The more significant issue may be the maturity and responsibility we demonstrate in handling the truth about subjects that could be very challenging to adjust to.

UFO disclosure could involve the dimension we call ‘Heaven’

2010-12-02T15:06:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

As scientific theories, popular discussion and significant indications about the possibility of other dimensions in our universe become more accepted, many people point out that unidentified flying objects (UFOs) could be several different kinds of phenomena possibly related to multiple dimensions.

As we know, many UFO sightings involve stars, weather phenomena, conventional aircraft and probably advanced human military aircraft-spacecraft.

However, some of these flying objects may very well be extraterrestrial spacecraft, some type of vehicles or other anomalous phenomena.

When certain objects like this are repeatedly tracked on radar and observed by very reliable witnesses (sometimes multiple witnesses), it seems reasonable to accept this possibility.

In a “multiverse” that we might be living in, there are many possibilities to wonder about. Could some UFOs come from other natural dimensions? Such other dimensions could be hidden from us though elements of physics and Nature that we do not fully understand.

Because of the probability that some kind of intelligent other beings are involved, we could also wonder if they are friendly and good, hostile and evil or something altogether different that would be challenging for us to understand.

And, could some of the beings not be biological, and some of the flying objects not solid, but be some sort of energy or quantum form?

GUARDIAN ANGELS

Credible studies on the “near-death experience (NDE)” from a number of researchers have resulted in strong indications that there may be an afterlife or some other dimension that humans have often referenced in spiritual traditions.

Seemingly related to the NDE phenomena, in 2008 the Baylor University Institute for Studies of Religion made public the results of a survey that many people found surprising. More than half of people polled believed they had been helped by a guardian angel during their lives.

Interestingly, one in five of the people who responded identified themselves as not being religious.

The survey of 1,700 people also asked questions about various religious topics. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed agreed with the following statement: "I was protected from harm by a guardian angel."

Agreement with the statement was consistent across educational levels, geographic region and religious denominations, according to Christopher Bader was the director of Baylor poll.

Bader said in a TIME magazine article, "If you ask whether people believe in guardian angels, a lot of people will say, 'sure.' But this is different. It's experiential. It means that lots of Americans are having these lived supernatural experiences."

He added that the amount of people reporting saying they believed they were protected by an angels was "the big shocker."

The same TIME article also quoted Randall Balmer, chairman of the religion department at Barnard College in New York. Balmer stated that the Baylor survey reflects that "Americans live in an enchanted world" and that "There is much broader uncharted range of religious experience among the populace than we expect."

In another response to the study, an ABC News article quoted Rodney Stark, a professor of social sciences and co-director for studies of religion at Baylor. Stark said, "While I knew there were a lot of people who had such [beliefs in angels], I wasn't prepared for the frequency of it."

FROM SEDONA TO HEAVEN

In my novel Mission Into Light, I explore the ideas of NDEs, another dimension and encounters with beings who reside there.

The incident involves the main character, Mike Green. On an operation in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain national wilderness area north of Sedona, Arizona, with the San Diego-based 10-person U.S. Joint Reconnaissance Study Group, Mike is shot by a sniper or snipers hidden on high ground and is hit in the leg. Another bullet grazes his skull.

He instantly looses consciousness, falls to the ground and starts loosing significant amounts of blood. Other team members immediately start first-aid for Mike and another wounded teammate.

Meanwhile, he has a near-death experience:

Slowly, Mike's awareness returns. He is disoriented. He looks below and sees his own body, unconscious and bleeding profusely from the leg and head. Another member of the group is bloody from his shoulder down to his hand, the arm of his shirt soaked with blood.

He sees his friends pinned-down by two snipers below him. Below him? Where is he? Had he somehow gotten to a high point along the cliffs?

Mike sees his Uncle Jack directly below him, firing bursts from his automatic weapon and pulling more ammo clips from his pockets.

Near Jack lies Mike’s own body. Jack picks up Mike's body, throws him over his shoulders and tries to make his way down a hill, which Mike watches from above.

Slowly, the green forest below him fades from Mike’s view. Darkness comes over him.

Then, a point of light becomes visible on the horizon. He is being drawn toward the point of light, first slowly, then more quickly, as if he were shooting river rapids in a canoe. The point of light draws closer and Mike finds himself in a tunnel of beautiful golden light.

He seems to slow down now, like the inevitable calm water at the end of a river’s rapids. Mike drifts slowly through the tunnel and the golden light becomes brighter. Other colors seemed to sparkle through the golden light like hundreds of tiny rainbows.

Ahead, he can see figures that seemed to be people. As he flows closer to them he can make out four beings. They seem to be waiting for him as he comes closer and closer.

Then, he finds himself surrounded by the four figures. He knows them. They are his four grandparents and they embrace him. They passed on many years ago, though were a big part of his life when he was a kid. The five seem to float in the light. His grandparents communicate with him in unison.

They tell him, "Yes, Mike, this is the land of the Great Spirit. It is the beautiful place that many religions and philosophies have always taught."

"There is constant rejoicing and peace in this land. But we feel sadness at the hardships faced by our people in your world. And we feel a longing to help the people there."

"There are groups of beings who want to bring the two worlds together, to make Heaven and Earth one place. There are efforts underway to accomplish that very mission."

"That work is proceeding. One day soon, that miracle will come to pass, and there will be a great celebration, a great happiness among all the people."

"You, Mike, must return to the other world, and tell your family and friends about what you have seen."

"We have one more thing to show you, something you have a need to know."

Then, they help Mike take a fantastic journey into deep memories in his DNA, or maybe it is time travel into the ancient past of the Cherokee people in their Smokey Mountain homeland, or maybe both simultaneously. He learns some amazing things.

After this experience concludes, he finds himself with his grandparents again.

"Mike, you must now return to the other world. You still have many more seasons before you join us here in the Spirit land."

They embrace him again, with happiness. Slowly, the golden light begins to fade and Mike is moving back through the tunnel of light. He sees his grandparents waving good-bye to him until they fade from his sight.

The light grows dimmer and dimmer until it is only a point on a distant horizon. And then, darkness.

Mike's next sensation is the sound of other people talking. He opens his eyes and sees a hospital room in Sedona, his friends gathered around his hospital bed.

He tries to tell about his experience.

"I was floating above the fight at the canyon, watching you scrambling for safety. I saw my own bloody body being carried by Uncle Jack down the rocky path away from the snipers."

"A tunnel of golden light led to the land of Spirit ... It wasn't a dream."

"I was in the golden light, and saw my grandparents."

The others listen carefully as Mike tries to recall details of his journey and his meeting with his grandparents.

After he finishes his story, Mike looks closely into the faces of the friends around his bed. Some of their eyes are wider than usual. Some are expressionless, though a smile can be seen in their eyes.

The group's commanding officer, combat veteran Air Force Colonel Tom O'Brien, standing near the door, gives Mike a knowing wink.

Book ‘A.D. After Disclosure’ explores UFO mysteries, human race

2010-11-21T10:42:00.001-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

A new book by a historian and a Hollywood writer-producer about the complex issues of the UFO situation seems to be both radical and conservative, vast in scope and specific in detail.

This book provides a valuable, mind-expanding look at a significant scientific and cultural issue facing us today.

In an article posted online on Nov. 6, 2010, I wrote an overview, preview or preliminary review of this new book, A.D. After Disclosure: The People’s Guide to Life After Contact by Richard M. Dolan and Bryce Zabel.

Working from the press release about the soon-to-be-published book and an advance look at a pre-printing nearly-final PDF, I was able to get a good feel for Dolan’s and Zabel’s valuable information, perspectives and theories.

When I obtained a hard copy of A.D. After Disclosure, held it in my hands and began a detailed reading and study of it word for word, I was struck by how comprehensive the book really is.

It is not just about more disclosure on UFOs. It is also a solid look at the current state of American and global society and the human race on our planet. The book helps us examine where humanity has been, where we are now and where we are going.

Much of the book is actual fact. Other parts of it are logical conclusions or theories based on known fact and reasonable circumstantial evidence. And yet other elements go out on a limb about what the mysteries of the UFO situation might involve and how they could unfold.

MANY POSSIBLE SCENARIOS

When I finished reading the final page, the next phase was trying to absorb and organize in my own mind about the many points, scenarios and circumstances that the authors look into. That’s not easy, though it may be one of the most interesting aspects of reading the book.

Dolan and Zabel invite readers to think seriously about the possibilities.

How will we humans respond to the many possible situations and outcomes if more information becomes public about UFOs and visitors or “others?”

How will I, as an average human being, react? In fact, how I am reacting now to the apparent steadily emerging open source intelligence (OSINT) on this subject available to us at this point in time and in coming days?

Why do I say that, to me, A.D. After Disclosure seems both radical and conservative? This is because the authors look at a very unusual unknown, or really a complex set of many unknowns, from the viewpoint of our current everyday life and the present state of affairs on planet Earth.

Although Dolan and Zabel certainly expand readers’ thinking tremendously, the fact is that human consciousness, with or without more revelations about the UFO mystery, could change in ways that would be more fundamental and more significant than even these authors propose.

They don’t pull many punches. They speculate about the significant changes and adjustments that could occur on virtually all levels of society and in our lives once we reach a tipping point of learning more about these interesting, important, complex and sensitive situations.

Dolan and Zabel don’t sugarcoat it. In fact, many of their proposed scenarios give us reasons to be very careful and even understand the alleged need for decades-long information security on the UFO topic and other possible surprising discoveries.

While the authors obviously advocate for more public awareness about a variety of down-to-Earth subjects and various unusual phenomena, they are not naïve about possible difficult and problematic outcomes. Dolan and Zabel seem realistic. They look at some best-case scenarios and some worst-case outcomes as well as the middle ground.

In some of the more theoretical sections of their book, the authors are giving it their best educated guesses, based on reasonable and logical aspects of history and current events.

And, they freely admit that they may be wrong about some of the possible effects of more public knowledge about UFOs, various kinds of other intelligent beings and the way planet Earth is currently being run.

PREPAREDNESS AND READINESS

From our day-to-day routines to changes in our understanding about Nature and the universe (or even the “multiverse”), our viewpoints will develop further, possibly quite a lot. That is one of their main messages.

In many ways, A.D. After Disclosure reminds me of a well-known chapter in the 1992 firefighter training book, Fire Officer's Guide to Disaster Control by Charles Bahme and William Kramer.

That manual mainly looks at the conventional situations that fire agencies and firefighting professionals can face.

But in the chapter "Disaster Control and UFOs," Bahme and Kramer also address unconventional situations that could require special training and awareness by public safety officials.

These include public psychological reactions as well as the kinds of physical dangers firefighters often encounter such as hazardous materials (hazmat) precautions and mitigation.

In other words, it is about preparedness and readiness on many levels. Dolan and Zabel focus on this too.

Psychological and emotional factors, social and cultural issues, defense considerations, public safety elements, intelligence community participation and mass media’s handling of ongoing new knowledge and understanding are just a few of the areas explored in A.D. After Disclosure.

The book reminds us that we must be adaptable to change while retaining our fundamental identity as human beings.

Qualities like basic human decency, honor, strength, compassion and similar positive human traits will serve us well in a variety of possible future situations, whether they are unusual and unconventional or more conventional and normal.

In the closing words of their firefighting manual chapter on “Disaster Control and UFOs,” Bahme and Kramer remind firefighting professionals about the crucial importance of planning, adequate resources and good leadership.

Dolan and Zabel also advise us to consider these factors, and others, as we move inevitably toward change and new understanding of UFOs, several kinds of unusual phenomena and the state of the human race on Earth.

Disclosure, ‘breakthrough event’ could change humanity, Earth

2010-11-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

A significant development or event that has constructive effects on the human race is sometimes the topic of theories and hopes.

Some viewpoints propose that this will be the result of tipping points of various kinds related to human progress and improved human consciousness.

In the new NBC TV show “The Event,” we don’t really know what it will be.

That program seems to dovetail with the idea of “UFO disclosure” – that extraterrestrial, inter-dimensional, time-traveling or some other kinds of intelligent beings will make more open contact with humanity, or there will be some public acknowledgment of this situation.

Other views hold that a breakthrough event would be of a more grassroots kind of development. It would not necessarily come from an external source, but would be related to that which is inside human beings or inside our natural environment in some way.

This type of tipping point could involve a more cohesive human consciousness. In such a scenario, ideas like teamwork, fellowship and cooperation would become a more significant characteristic of human thought and feelings. Maybe we just reach more of a consensus on general current events and issues.

We might discover interesting elements of consciousness within our biological beings – in our physical bodies and DNA.

Yet, we could even look deeper. Some ideas about the quantum realities beneath (or above) how our world appears to us on the surface seem to indicate that the nature of Nature holds the promise of transcending certain current limitations. A situation like this could open up different dimensions for us.

EMBRACING CHANGE

There could be many kinds of scenarios that could develop or emerge. Several of them could be, and probably are, related in various ways and could happen together or be linked in some manner.

In the spirit of readiness and preparedness, it could be useful to consider how certain unique or surprising situations might play out.

How would the news media and other communications platforms handle it? Would public safety officials such as peace officers and firefighters be involved? Are special rapid response teams positioned to assist?

And, what would it feel like if a sudden change, positive though it might be, gave us a little jolt?

Happiness, joy, relief, peace of mind, a certain familiarity, increased faith, a heartwarming sensation and other related feelings and physical effects could all be related to a constructive development or scenario that some people envision, or even pray for.

Change can be good and can also create disorientation, uncertainty and anxiety. Even when we suspect that certain changes are needed in our lives or in society, sometimes we still cling to a familiar way things are.

In the case of a helpful breakthrough event, tipping point or paradigm shift, it might also be constructive to focus on those personal and cultural touchstones and basics that keep us grounded and rooted.

If some researchers are correct, the human mind, heart and spirit will all be involved in a breakthrough event along with other elements that we might not be able to fully predict or understand at this time.

We may need to “go with the flow” as an act of faith to a certain degree, while also being more intelligent and taking a good, hard look at what might be going on.

FIELD OF LIGHT

In my second novel, Light’s Hand, published in late 2001, I wrote about a possible emerging development that could serve as an example of such a breakthrough event.

That book was a sequel to my first novel, Mission Into Light, published in early 2001. Both books focused on the discreet research activities of a San Diego-based, U.S. joint-service team of ten women and men, military officers from the various service branches as well as intelligence community personnel and the main character, a civilian.

Throughout the two-book story, the members of the “Joint Reconnaissance Study Group (JRSG)” conduct various kinds of research into unconventional topics and areas of interest. They attempt to compile and cross-reference connections and common denominators among some of these research areas.

From their office in San Diego, they travel throughout the southwest, looking into certain mysteries. During their activities and operations, they get increasing indications that a breakthrough event of some kind might or will happen.

Then, on an average morning, when some of them are at their home base and some are in Flagstaff, Arizona, their commanding officer is driving to the office in San Diego and a brief segment of the radio news catches his attention.

"And now, your up-to-date news. In Phoenix, Arizona, public safety officials are baffled by an unexplained area of light near the foothills north of the city. Police and fire officials say the unusual field of light was first spotted by a highway patrol officer in the early morning hours. The strange glow seems to be stable, though some of the hundreds of bystanders told reporters that this field of light is getting larger, hour by hour."

What the C.O. of the Joint Recon Study Group didn’t know at the time was that when he hears this news on his car radio, dozens of firefighters and peace officers have already responded to the scene of this strange field of light in north Phoenix.

The Arizona Highway Patrol officer first saw the light before dawn thought it was a small fire. On closer inspection, he realized it was something unusual, and called for backup from other officers and firefighters. A fire department hazardous materials (HazMat) team was also dispatched.

While the JRSG quickly mobilized helicopters in San Diego and Flagstaff to fly them to the site in Phoenix, local news choppers were also now circling overhead of the field of light. People driving to work on the nearby freeway were stopped alongside the road watching all the activity.

The firefighters and peace officers close to it noted that the field of light seemed to subtly illuminate the surroundings in ways that were different from normal light. Things seemed to have an inner glow.

And it got more interesting. Something occurs that clearly indicates the field is part of some kind of boundary between our world and another dimension we often believe in, but are not quite sure about.

When the choppers carrying the JRSG teams arrive on scene, they land near the desert hills where the field of light continues to gradually expand. They flash IDs and tell officers that they are a federal rapid response team and need to get up to speed about what has been going on.

Even with the open minds they have developed during months of research into unconventional phenomena, the JRSG are truly amazed by what they are told by officers and what appears to be going on.

As the day progresses, more understanding is gained about the situation and eventually police allow the public to get closer to the continually expanding light field.

There is now a new normal, and the surprise of this breakthrough event has passed, now replaced with a new hope about our future.

‘Dark Skies’ TV series about UFOs, ETs, secret agency and 1960s era now on DVD

2010-11-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

A special DVD collection of the 1996-1997 extraterrestrial and UFO-related NBC TV series “Dark Skies” is scheduled for release in the U.S. on Jan. 18, 2011.

“Dark Skies” follows a young congressional staff member, John Loengard, as he comes to Washington, D.C., during the period from 1961 to 1967.

When Loengard (played by Eric Close) is recruited into a secret government UFO agency, he and his girlfriend (Megan Ward) find themselves in the strange world of extraterrestrial invaders and government operatives trying to deal with the challenging situation.

The release of the series on DVD is sure to increase awareness and preparedness about various scenarios generally associated with the UFO phenomena.

People placing advance orders can receive the DVDs by Dec. 9, 2010, when ordering directly from the Shout Factory! home video company.

A “Dark Skies” DVD collection was also released in the UK in October 2010.

The series was created and written by Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman. It aired on Saturday nights in 1996 and 1997, and included 18 one-hour episodes as well as a two-hour pilot. Zabel and Friedman have both had distinguished careers involving many successful TV projects.

The special U.S. DVD release includes three hours of audio commentaries with the creators and actors Close and Ward about the series pilot and closing episodes.

A 90-minute documentary section gives viewers behind-the-scenes insight into the creative and TV business elements of the series.

TRUTH THROUGH FICTION?

The original NBC promos and Emmy Award-winning title sequence opening each episode featured the provocative statement, “They're here ... they're hostile ... and powerful people don't want you to know. History as we know it is a lie.”

The fast-paced action and suspense drama focused on the experiences of the characters played by actors Close and Ward as they learn more about the disturbing dangers facing the U.S. and the human race.

“Dark Skies” provides insight about possible or probable secret operations and organizations dealing with UFOs, ETs and other unconventional phenomena.

The series also gives viewers perspectives about the 1960s by incorporating real events, music and public personalities of that era.

Other leading actors play fascinating roles. J.T. Ward plays a Navy officer who is part of the secret “Majestic-12” agency dealing with the UFO and ET situation. Jeri Ryan is a covert agent in the same organization.

John M. Jackson also gives an impressive performance. Interestingly, Jackson portrayed the real-life commanding officer of the Roswell Army Air Force base in the revealing 1994 TV movie Roswell.

Many other actors contributed to the series, playing roles of people like President Harry Truman, Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Dr. Carl Sagan, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, Marilyn Monroe, Sen. Robert Kennedy, Navy Adm. Roscoe Hillenkotter, Dr. Timothy Leary and others.

Viewers revisit the 1960s yet see those years in a new light, looking deep behind the curtains – behind what we thought was reality.

THEN AND NOW

There are interesting parallels between “Dark Skies” and the current NBC series “The Event.” Both deal with secret goings-on regarding UFOs and unusual visitors or beings.

In both shows, a naïve young couple find themselves thrust into the middle of frightening and mind-bending conspiracies involving shadowy and dangerous agents and the UFO phenomena.

Both series involve a U.S. president and his administration trying to deal with the situation, and deciding how much to tell the public. And, both tell us that beings appearing to be normal humans may not be.

“Dark Skies” creator and writer Zabel also recently co-authored a book with researcher Richard M. Dolan called A.D. After Disclosure: The People’s Guide to Life After Contact. This book certainly dovetails with “Dark Skies,” which was probably a TV series ahead of its time.

There are many video clips, promos and episode segments of “Dark Skies” on YouTube and other online platforms.

Zabel's and Dolan’s website AfterDisclosure.com also contains links to information on the series and the upcoming DVD release as well as related developments and research.

The special DVD collection will most likely be a valuable contribution to the ongoing learning curve and acclimation for Americans and people around the world as we prepare to deal with more information about UFOs, extraterrestrials, unusual intelligent beings and mysterious scientific discoveries.

New book ‘A.D. After Disclosure’ – adjusting to UFO truths and realities

2010-10-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle and AfterDisclosure.com.)

Can we handle the truth about UFOs? And what exactly are those truths? What are the impacts on societies, the international community, humanity and planet Earth? What adjustments will be needed and made?

These are just a few of the questions explored in the newly-published book A.D. After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact by Richard M. Dolan and Bryce Zabel.

According to an Oct. 21 press release, the book is "speculative non-fiction" and "confronts all the disturbing challenges facing government, science, religion, media, culture, law, education, and politics once the denials end. How do we cope with the reality that we are not alone?"

The book examines various scenarios that could occur, and probably will, regarding increased transparency during and after events and processes related to the UFO phenomena.

Since it is widely suspected, or has already been determined, that some UFOs are advanced spacecraft from "elsewhere," who are they, what are they doing and what do they want? How have government officials been handling the situation and what will their position be going forward?

The press release states that the book, "combines meticulous fact-finding from historian/researcher Richard M. Dolan and journalist/screenwriter Bryce Zabel to confront seven decades of secrecy on the world’s most revolutionary subject."

The authors predict a radically changed worldview after official acknowledgment that at least some UFOs are intelligently-controlled physical craft from somewhere besides Earth.

TIPPING POINT

Our worldview may indeed change, but how will our day-to-day lives be affected? There will obviously be significant updates to our science textbooks for kids and college students. Our spiritual views could certainly also could be a factor.

And, as apparently has been the case for decades, our defense and intelligence communities will continue to fulfill an important role.

The two authors have robust backgrounds that make them uniquely qualified to tackle this complex and fascinating subject. Dolan is a respected historian, researcher and speaker who wrote the pioneering historical book series UFOs and the National Security State. Zabel is a former CNN journalist who became a Hollywood writer and producer, and also served as chairman of the TV Academy.

Zabel created five primetime network series including the UFO-related "Dark Skies" series that aired on NBC and won the 2008 Writers Guild screenwriting award. A "Dark Skies" DVD set was recently released in the UK and special-edition DVD set is due for release in the U.S. soon.

The authors have created a website, AfterDisclosure.com, filled with essays and insight from experts in the field and abundant information about related research.

Dolan's Keyhole Publishing released the hardcover book Oct. 25. It will also be available as an e-book. Zabel's Stellar Productions has movie and TV rights.

A.D. After Disclosure envisions a tipping point when the process of public disclosure makes the transition to open announcements and acknowledgments about at least some of what is known about UFOs.

And what would trigger such a tipping point? The authors explore several possible factors that are probably in play right now.

When more information does begin to surface publicly, the range of elements involved could be quite broad, the authors indicate. Various aspects of society, government, media and science would make significant adjustments – as will individuals, families, communities and societies.

PREPAREDNESS MANUAL

A.D. After Disclosure provides a manual of sorts to examine and consider what we might be wise to prepare for. Our readiness to deal with the new information and greater understanding about these sensitive and complex issues will be key in successful adjustment to more openness on this topic.

In fact, if the speculation is true about a decades-long process of acclimation to get us ready, our psychological and emotional readiness is an important consideration in more disclosure.

This new book will surely help the preparedness process and move the ball forward toward greater public knowledge about the situation.

The authors seem to feel that more disclosure is inevitable. They are probably correct. The elements they examine include how it might occur, what government officials might say – or not say – on the TV news and what the full scope of effects on humanity will be.

What new technologies could emerge? Those exotic devices and technological knowledge our defense and intelligence communities may have already acquired could be released into the pipeline to better benefit all of us.

Low-cost and nonpolluting energy sources may be available. Advances in medical science could heal the injured and cure the sick. We could experience greater prosperity, peace and happiness on many levels around the world.

But is there a downside? In part, this goes back to the question of who are these "others," as Dolan and Zabel call them, who apparently are engaged in some kind of activities involving Earth and the human race?

Is there more than one type? Which are friendly or hostile?

Like our human international challenges, this might be difficult to sort out and our defense and intelligence communities may still have a big job in front of them.

Another concern relates to other kinds of negative impacts on human culture. Would we humans think less of ourselves in the face of other intelligent beings who are far more advanced in several ways? Would some people kowtow and worship visiting beings in some kind of unhealthy cult-like way? What does the human race bring to the table?

And, what is the deep history of the situation? Did this just begin in the World War II era or has it been going on for centuries and in many cultures? For example, is there some particular link to Native American Indian history that we should investigate?

Readers of A.D. After Disclosure will encounter these questions and many more. Plenty of answers are also provided in the book ... at least tentative and reasonably probable and possible answers are presented.

Readers can consider the very-educated guesses and speculation from Dolan and Zabel and make up their own minds.

Human mind and UFOs: Dilemmas and dangers

2010-10-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The psychological factors surrounding the topic of UFOs and visitors to Earth from elsewhere seem to involve complex circumstances.

One example may be the paradoxes of UFO sightings. Often, people see something in the sky that looks odd and may jump to the conclusion that it could be something very, very unusual such as a spacecraft of some kind.

In other cases, something truly anomalous is seen, often by multiple reliable witnesses, and the sighting is explained away as something natural or a misperception.

When people may spot a top-secret advanced military aircraft, they reportedly are allowed to believe it is an alien spaceship.

And when people see other kinds of very unusual craft that don’t appear to be human-built at all, they may be told that it is simply an advanced secret military plane.

The human mind does sometimes have a tendency to want to interpret and understand what the eyes see. This can result in inaccurate conclusions.

At other times, the mind may not want to admit what it has seen or what is apparent, and prefers denial.

MIXED MESSAGES

Another interesting aspect in the area of UFO sightings is that active efforts to keep the situation secure and discreet over the decades may have had many influences on people.

Some individuals will conclude that every UFO sighting is by a troubled person who is having delusions. Other people might think that every UFO sighting is a real extraterrestrial or inter-dimensional spacecraft that is being covered-up.

The psychological operations (known as PSYOP) involved in UFOs and a range of other leading-edge scientific phenomena could be complex, mixed, harmful or helpful. Because they are usually secret, it is difficult to know.

And, who is conducting the deception, covert activities and mysterious goings-on involved with UFOs and other unconventional phenomena? There probably are multiple players involved.

Are we simply being persuaded or guided in certain directions for reasonable, legitimate and even positive purposes? Or, are we being deceived in ways that could be dangerous?

Again, answers to these questions seem elusive and complex.

Persuasion and the manipulating of opinions and viewpoints are common. Attorneys in the courtroom, advertisers of products for sale, politicians and others try to persuade us all the time. That is a normal and legitimate part of life, though sometimes problematic.

As we dig down into the reasons for, and methods of the persuasion, as well as the underlying truths, we may also evaluate the whole process more completely and see it in a certain light.

The same is probably true of the many kinds of forward-leaning scientific research into subjects that seem to be strange, far-out and sometimes hard to understand.

UFOs are a good example, but not the only one.

Using careful analysis, avoiding jumping to conclusions and keeping open minds, we might be able to get a better grasp on these interesting kinds of situations.

But what if our minds themselves are directly affected in some way we don’t understand?

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS

Research into the human mind has made significant advances of many kinds. Again, there are paradoxical factors. In some cases, knowledge of medicine and psychology has been misused. In other situations, we have used this greater understanding to help individuals and humanity as a whole move forward in positive ways.

In the case of “non-lethal weapons” there has been the development of methods that can substitute for shooting bullets and dropping bombs. Some of these methods may work directly on the brain and body in some way.

These may include mind-altering drugs sprayed over a population, broadcasting certain wavelengths of various kinds of energies or even deploying foul-smelling odors.

There can also be methods that are much more sophisticated and subtle. Some of these may be highly technological and some may be more natural and non-technological, such as various kinds of extrasensory perception (ESP) and telepathy.

What actually is deep inside our minds at the deeper levels of consciousness anyway? Can we gain important insight through introspection, prayer, meditation, contemplation and tapping creativity?

Is it possible to gain useful solid information through ESP, like U.S. teams in Project STAR GATE did?

How might various kinds of psychological influences like these be playing a part regarding unconventional and anomalous phenomena such as UFOs and other leading-edge research areas?

And, if certain psychological methods are part of the overall scenario, who or what might be involved? Defense and intelligence agents? Angels? Alien beings? Are they good, bad or ugly? Is there a higher intelligent force of some kind involved?

As with other kinds of influencing or intervention, are methods and goals constructive and positive, or destructive and hostile? Should we resist and defend against them, or embrace and learn from them?

There seem to be no easy answers, but the questions are interesting and probably relevant.

By trying to keep our eyes open, our thinking clear and looking both outward and inward with strength and compassion, we may be able to appropriately deal many kinds of contingencies.

Adequate preparedness of public now on UFOs, new discoveries?

2010-10-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

According to some researchers, one important reason for security about UFOs is the concern that information related to this topic could be upsetting or too disorienting for the general public.

Part of that thinking is reportedly the possibility that the situation could be more complex than simply one intelligent civilization traveling to Earth from their home planet to look around and make contact with humans.

The situation could involve new discoveries about multiple dimensions and inter-dimensional travel and phenomena. It could relate to time and space operating in ways that are surprising to us. In addition, there could be several kinds of beings and life forms involved in various kinds of anomalous or unusual phenomena.

Some researchers theorize that since the World War II era there may have been efforts to prepare and acclimate people about these kinds of new discoveries.

If so, then have movies, TV shows, books, articles and similar communication platforms adequately prepared us for what might be ahead?

PUBLIC SAFETY

A 1992 firefighter training manual, Fire Officer's Guide to Disaster Control, addressed the issue of UFOs in a very interesting chapter titled "Disaster Control and UFOs."

According to authors Charles "Chuck" Bahme and William Kramer, the two main hazards are powerful anomalous energy fields and psychological impacts, including problematic public anxiety and subsequent behavior that could create public health and safety problems. Some of these safety issues are addressed in the section "Adverse Potential of UFOs."

People interested in the UFO field as well as general public safety would be well advised to review this chapter. The authors are respected in their fields and have robust professional backgrounds and experiences.

We might expand on Bahme’s and Kramer’s UFO chapter to include other kinds of unusual phenomena that could also create concern or worry by the public.

What if some other kind of mass psychological phenomena took place? After all, recent discoveries in the field of human consciousness indicate that the deep human mind is still mysterious, as demonstrated by the research and operations of the U.S. defense and intelligence activity known as Project STAR GATE.

Things like extrasensory perception (ESP) and the connectedness of consciousness could be a bit surprising and disorienting if sudden tipping points or paradigm shifts occurred.

And, of course, things like human consciousness, multiple dimensions and UFOs could all be intertwined in some way that could be even more complex.

It might take a while for us to respond, adjust and get oriented while keeping our feet on the ground and our heads on our shoulders.

PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP

Some social scientists might conclude that the best approach to wide communication about some new discoveries would be a safe, slow, gradual process of education and orientation. Certain leading-edge scientific topics and forward-leaning research can be challenging to wrap our minds around.

Disclosure about various particular aspects of scientific and defense developments would seem to naturally be linked to public readiness and preparedness.

Books like A.D., After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel, due out this month, may be an example of solid psychological preparedness.

A smooth transition to new knowledge, understanding and even technologies seems to be a desirable outcome when it comes to public education about special scientific topics. In fact, in some important ways, certain new discoveries have not only important scientific and psychological aspects, but spiritual elements as well.

If we do face emerging unconventional situations, we might want to stay rooted in our basic human decency, our fundamental social and cultural touchstones, and even our sense of humor.

Authors Bahme and Kramer tell us in the conclusion of their chapter on “Disaster Control and UFOs” that planning, adequate resources and good leadership are all important for public safety professionals who handle many kinds of challenging situations.

This advice probably includes both the conventional and unconventional scenarios that could emerge.

‘Jellyfish’ witness description of UFO significant?

2010-10-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Citizens who witnessed something that appeared to be unusual in the sky over the Chelsea area of New York City on Oct. 13, 2010, do not seem to agree on what they saw.

However, one witness was quoted as saying he thought the object or objects seemed to resemble “a jellyfish made of lights.”

This description may be significant.

Tim Powell, 28, was quoted in media reports as saying the objects were "the most bizarre thing I've ever seen.” Powell reported, “It looked like a jellyfish made of lights that just hovered in the sky like it wanted to be seen."

There have been witnesses in other cases in the UK, Texas and Ohio in 2008 and 2009 where witnesses described an appearance of an object that looked like a “jellyfish,” “octopus” or something with “tentacles.”

In past cases, some witnesses thought this seemed to look like something organic or living.

However, researcher Ray Stanford, a pioneer in studies of UFOs by use of optical and electronic instrument systems, said about previous similar UFO reports in the UK and Ohio in 2008 and 2009 that, "Although some UFO-generated physical phenomena may, through human mind's ever-interpreting 'lens,' look 'organic' (as though what was observed is something alive), that absolutely is not the case."

According to Stanford, this tentacle-like effect is "most often and readily visible when a craft is either slowing down or moving very slowly over an uneven surface."

Stanford had noted that a case of a UFO’s "tentacle" appearance reported over a wind turbine farm near Conisholme, England, on Jan. 4, 2009, may have been "constantly changing, torque-generating plasma beams" related to an exotic propulsion system.

He proposed that the "jellyfish" or "octopus" visual effect could actually be what is called a "magnetoplasmadynamic" or "magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)" field.

Stanford also prefers to use the terminology "anomalous aerial objects (AAOs)" instead of “unidentified flying objects (UFOs)."

In certain UFO sightings, Stanford stated witnesses often see a "pulsing" visual effect associated with some anomalous objects but the "jellyfish" appearance is not the object itself. He has even seen this effect himself and filmed it several times, he said.

What are these objects seen by multiple reliable witnesses? The recently-published book UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record by journalist Leslie Kean and the upcoming book A.D., After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel may shed light on these kinds of interesting situations.

SIMILAR WITNESS REPORTS

The Conisholme case in the UK occurred near a 213-foot-high wind turbine. The UFO was described by witnesses has having "tentacles of light," the Guardian newspaper reported.

Local resident John Harrison stated he saw a "massive ball of light with tentacles going right down to the ground" above the nearby wind turbine farm on Jan. 4, 2009. "It was huge. With the tentacles it looked just like an octopus," he was quoted as saying by the UK newspaper The Sun.

His description was similar to that of a local peace officer in the Stephenville, Texas, area who described a UFO he saw on police video in January 2008 as appearing like a "jellyfish."

In another case, a woman in central-eastern Ohio saw a large orange glowing object in the sky near her house in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, 2008. She said it looked like an "amoeba” and it changed shape as it moved at a low altitude above the trees.

Similarly, in the early morning hours of Oct. 23, 2008, an Ohio truck driver, reportedly with a background in military aviation, said he saw a glowing yellow and white object that "seemed like a biological shape" and "organic" above the tree line in eastern Ohio near the Ohio River. He also said it resembled a "cocoon."

In another UK case, a resident in Wimbleton posted feedback on a local media website of The Guardian newspaper. The resident reported an object that he said looked like "a large bright pink jelly-fish looking object surrounded by a pink haze."

He wrote "Until this morning I was skeptical about UFO sightings. I looked out my flat window (in Wimbledon) this morning over towards Merton way and to my surprise notice a large bright pink jelly-fish looking object surrounded by a pink haze. it appeared to be hovering over or above the pylons in the distance."

SCIENCE OF UFO PROPULSION

According to researcher Stanford, "The 'jellyfish' phenomenon (contracting and expanding at a rate highly reminiscent of a jellyfish pulsating in water) was first filmed (8 mm daylight movie) by me at 12:55 in the noon hour of Sept. 18, 1956."

He remembers the incident. "Three of us there about 1/2 mile from 'Giant Rock' [in southern California's Mohave Desert] each saw the phenomenon surrounding the descending craft, until two jets from Edwards Air Force Base chased it away. And even as we watched, we compared it to each other as looking like a jellyfish pulsing in water."

However, Stanford and his associates believed they knew what the appearance meant. "Fortunately, we had enough background in science that we realized it was really a pulsating magnetoplasmadynamic (some use the term 'magnetohydrodynamic') field, visible due to light-emitting plasma (and/or, simply ions) contouring the object's magnetic field."

Stanford also noted that, "The pulses, per se, occurred mostly during the aborted descent. How so? I asked Dr. Jean-Pierre Petit about that during the 1976 CUFOS [Center for UFO Studies] conference in Chicago. I spoke there about my project's studies of UFOs using optical and electronic instruments at Dr. J. Allen Hynek's request."

"Petit was taking questions during his very important presentation titled 'Magnetohydrodynamic(MHD) Aerodynes' (See pages 201-233, Proceedings of the 1976 CUFOS Conference). Had UFOlogers at-large studied Petit's paper, they could be much farther along in understanding UFO propulsive physics," Stanford explained.

He also said that Petit "explained that in steady flight, conditions are such that MHD flow is stabile and shock-free, but in, for example, descent, this must be constantly altered for several reasons. Resultant instabilities of the MHD flow create shock disturbances which must be constantly damped, so we see the pulsed interplay between increasing instabilities and decreasing instabilities in the MHD flow around the craft."

Stanford added, "It looks as though a craft is breathing, but that is only an interpretation the human mind makes in searching for analogs. In such case, it is a big misinterpretation. Likewise for the 'tentacles,' which are really only constantly-changing, torque-generating plasma beams."

"But, they can bend under the 'Lorentz force' and other forces which are most often and readily visible when a craft is either slowing down or moving very slowly over an uneven surface," he said.

Journalism is evolving on leading-edge science and UFOs

2010-10-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The journalism craft and profession continues to rise to new standards of quality and maturity in the coverage of leading-edge scientific developments, including the uniquely puzzling topic of unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

The most recent incident involving a UFO near a Chinese airport has been covered by ABC News, USA Today, TIME magazine and other credible mainstream media platforms.

A press conference in Washington, D.C., Sept. 27, 2010, involving the testimony of several former U.S. Air Force officers about UFOs near military bases led to mixed though generally responsible and professional news media coverage.

These two recent examples are just a few in the continuing story of journalism coverage of the possibility that Earth is being visited by some kind of unusual intelligent beings – or at least that there are some kind of odd objects in the skies being spotted by thousands of credible people, as well as being tracked on radar.

GRASSROOTS JOURNALISM

In modern times, we can probably say that a front page article of a small town newspaper in New Mexico on July 8, 1947, was a major step in journalistic coverage of this situation.

On that summer day in the era following World War II, the Roswell Daily Record announced in a large-font headline “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region.”

The story quickly spread through news outlets around the country and around the world.

The commanding general of the Eighth Air Force subsequently informed reporters that the object was actually a weather balloon, and the base intelligence officer and commanding officer of the 509th Bomb Group at the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF), the only atomic-bomb air base in the U.S., had made a mistake.

Many people now believe that the Roswell Daily Record had the story right the first time.

Some researchers of the UFO subject claim that national security concerns about this situation led to top secret projects and operations to determine if there was a threat, if advanced technologies could be acquired and if diplomatic relations could be established with possible extraterrestrial civilizations.

These projects and operations also may have required that security should be maintained about this sensitive and possibly dangerous scenario.

As a result, various strategies were implemented to publicly deny or deflect reports of UFOs that appeared to be intelligently-controlled craft of some type.

Making sure journalists and the organizations they worked for stayed away from or ridiculed the UFO subject could have been part of these security protocols, according to some investigators.

These security measures may have taken on even more importance as additional details about this situation emerged and came to the attention of defense and intelligence personnel tasked with understanding and dealing with it.

ENHANCING PROGRESS

Many journalists may have wanted to stay away from the subject for fear of ridicule. Some in the media prefer to ridicule other people and topics, rather than be the subject of mockery themselves. This is natural and is human nature.

And, it could be used to good effect in keeping news coverage of UFOs within parameters that enhanced the requirements for secrecy and security.

Today though, it is possible that these policies and historical trends are changing and evolving.

Decades of discreet acclimation and psychological preparedness may make Americans and the international public less likely to panic in the face of the admission that we are being visited by unusual intelligent beings.

Now, journalists can pivot and cover the subject in sober and responsible ways that enhance public understanding about possibly very significant scientific and cultural developments in this area.

Just as old media platforms are changing and new ones are emerging, it also seems like the time to take a new look at the evolution of news coverage about forward-leaning subjects like UFOs and unconventional visitors to Earth as well as other fascinating "edge science" subjects.

Respecting national security requirements or even avoiding ridicule are reasonable, understandable and even appropriate in the minds of many people.

At the same time, robust and responsible investigative journalism also has its place. If conducted appropriately, this kind of journalism can enhance social, cultural, scientific and national security progress.

Unusual visitors in NBC’s ‘The Event’ and alleged real intelligence report

2010-10-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The new NBC TV series “The Event” proposes that there are human-like, human-looking or unusually unique and different humans who are operating in our society.

Since there are still many unanswered questions in the show, we are not quite sure if they are humans like us, but possibly from another time or dimension of some kind. They may be extraterrestrials who are distant cousins of Earth humans.

In the real-life research into the UFO and extraterrestrial visitation topics, some reports claim that there are certain visitors from elsewhere who look very human. Some of these have been called the “Blonds” or “Nordics” because of their Scandinavian appearance. They are said to look like very healthy and fit humans.

In April 2010, an alleged report claimed to be from within the U.S. defense and intelligence community described a case of the investigation, surveillance, apprehension and “deportation” of a human-looking extraterrestrial.

According to this account, although the being appeared human, his true appearance was quite different.

DIVERSE BEINGS

The case of the human-appearing alien reportedly dates back to 1980. It is claimed that the male being made contact with a female federal government employee in 1977. Her experience eventually reached government security officials who began an investigation.

But before reviewing some key points of this case, it might be useful to look over some of the other tales from UFO lore regarding the diverse descriptions of extraterrestrial and/or inter-dimensional visitors.

Some reports allege that there are small-statured beings referred to as “Grays” with large heads and very large eyes. Another type of small-built ETs are known as “Ebens” based on an earlier scientific term given to them of “extraterrestrial biological entities" or “EBEs.”

And then there are rumors and tales of intelligent beings who look like a large praying mantis and others who are reptile-like with characteristics we might find similar to lizards or even some kind of highly-evolved dinosaur.

In Hollywood movies we have seen a range of portrayals of aliens, from the cuddly and heart-warming to the truly frightening.

We have also been exposed to reports of angels and beings that are not biological, but exist as some kind of energy or in some invisible way.

If there truly are intelligent beings from elsewhere visiting Earth, and there is any truth to the reports from various sources, the visitors may be quite diverse in appearance, psychology, culture, technology, abilities, knowledge, motives and in ways we do not fully understand.

But to consider some of the possibilities, and the similarities to the plot of NBC’s “The Event,” it seems instructive to look again at the April 2010 story about the U.S. intelligence community’s alleged investigation of an alien’s contact with the federal government employee.

OPERATION ‘TANGO-SIERRA’

The alleged incident surfaced via a former federal government employee in the Los Angeles area who coordinates an e-mail news and information service, Victor Martinez.

Martinez has an interest in science, space, society, health education, journalism and other subjects, and his e-mail service reaches hundreds of people, including those with significant military, intelligence, scientific and other backgrounds.

On Saturday, April 24, 2010, Martinez sent out a report about U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and other U.S. government agencies having been on a case that involved a human-looking extraterrestrial being in the U.S. The initial account about this ET reportedly came from a current or former DIA official.

Martinez alleged that his contact wrote to him, "In reference to your repeated requests to present some new information never before disclosed to the public ... I went outside of our agency to close intelligence contacts of mine and secured the following ... I just received information on a highly sensitive operation code-named 'Operation TANGO-SIERRA' that occurred in early 1980. It involved U.S. intelligence capturing an alien being living among us."

The source continued, "Here is the story. Personally, I've never heard of this particular operation before in all of my years in intelligence circles and employment. This information extracted about the alien is still highly classified and extremely difficult to obtain."

"From what I've learned, except for former presidents Carter, Reagan and Bush I, most presidents since then have not been briefed on this specific operation."

This source referred Martinez to another person who reportedly had more direct knowledge of the case. This new contact person reportedly said, "I am an intelligence colleague of the man whom you have come know as 'Anonymous' who has asked me to brief you on a very special USG operation."

"I was directly involved with 'Operation TANGO-SIERRA.' It involved the finding, tracking and eventual capture of an extraterrestrial entity."

WOMAN ABDUCTED

"The original operation began in early 1980 when an Earth female was identified by U.S. intelligence as being a so-called 'alien abductee.' She had been abducted by a male non-human in 1977 which was her first abduction," this new contact reportedly told Martinez.

"This woman was single, 23-years-old and a trusted, well-respected U.S. government employee."

"The male non-human showed the Earth woman abductee projections of alien life on another planet. The projection was from a small, triangle device. The woman viewed this projection which she described as images displayed in a 3-dimensional 'holographic' view."

According to Martinez’ contact person, “The male non-human never harmed the Earth woman abductee. During the three years of her ongoing abduction, the Earth woman was taken by the male non-human through a 'veil of light' to another place. The Earth woman described this place as being 'a light bubble.' She would sit inside the bubble and view these holographic projections with the male non-human."

The source further explained, "When the Earth woman brought up her abduction by a male alien to the attention of a co-worker, the co-worker contacted an office security official, who then contacted U.S. intelligence officials."

"U.S. intelligence spent hours and hours vetting the woman's story, conducting thorough background investigations, performing surveillance, and administering several polygraph examinations."

"The Earth woman's story was eventually deemed to be factually true and correct. U.S. intelligence then mounted a very special, highly classified operation to capture this alien being, who lived near Landover, Maryland."

INVESTIGATION INITIATED

The source also said, "In early 1980, the 7602 Air Intelligence Wing, Section III, began a detailed, intense investigation involving the presence of extraterrestrial creatures having infiltrated the highest levels of the United States government."

"This information originated from several abductees, who underwent extensive screening to determine their credibility."

"With the assistance of the 4th District, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, a highly classified operation was launched, code named: 'Operation TANGO-SIERRA' to find, detain and debrief that 'human' and determine whether or not he was an actual extraterrestrial creature/non-human and an imminent or potential threat to our national security."

According to the anonymous source, "The entire operation lasted five months and involved approximately 60 intelligence officers. Every intelligence gathering capability was utilized at the time: Ground, aerial surveillance, telephone wiretaps, photographic evidence and other undisclosed clandestine operations were all conducted and some simultaneously in concert with one another."

"The non-human entity was quickly identified, carefully watched, photographed and eventually captured near a shopping mall (southeast of Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland) after it walked up an embankment. It was quickly determined that this male alien had no special powers nor abilities."

"The male non-human voluntarily complied with the U.S. intelligence AFOSI special agents and went quietly and without incident. The male non-human was then remanded to custody and placed in captivity at Ft. Belvoir Army Post, Virginia."

ALIEN’S BACKGROUND

The account continued and Martinez quoted the source as saying, "The male non-human was interrogated by teams of AFOSI special agents over several weeks and in total was questioned and intensely interrogated for many months by other agencies."

"It was during this time that the male non-human disclosed its race, its resident planet and the reason it came to Earth. The male alien basically cooperated and provided details of its life on his alien home world."

"The non-human entity was released on the direct orders of then President Carter in late 1980, and subsequently left Earth and returned to its home planet."

"The male non-human originated from the star system Delta Pavonis, 20 light-years from Earth where it was the 4th planet from their sun. It is roughly the same size as our Earth."

Martinez’ contact reportedly said, "The travel time to Earth was 18 Earth months using a very complex propulsion system and time-space displacement travel mode. Back then in 1980, we could not understand the alien propulsion system and we never saw his spacecraft."

"When President Carter let the male non-human leave, he just vanished. I was never in the intelligence loop as to how he left or how he departed Earth."

"These aliens from Delta Pavonis have been visiting Earth for 100 Earth years. Apparently, they could assume the human shape and form and easily live among us."

"I'm not sure how they learned English so well nor other languages. You've got to remember that this was extreme compartmentalization. I knew just what I was suppose to know. There is much more to the alien debriefing that I do not know."

"From what I've learned over the years, this race of alien beings originally came to Earth as explorers about a century ago."

HUMAN APPEARANCE

The anonymous source also explained that the outward human appearance of this being as looking like a normal human, the situation actually was more complex than that.

"Although they possessed the human shape, form and basic anatomy, they were not human beings like you and me. Their actual, normal, 'real' appearance was that of a hideous-looking creature that would most certainly scare, frighten and terrify a normal Earth human."

"Above all, they did not have any extra powers nor abilities. They had no weapons and never tried to harm Earth humans. Their sole intent and stated mission was that they just wanted to study Earth humans and obtain the basic structure of the human body, anatomy and social interplay."

"I don't know how many others of this specific type of aliens were among us as I was not authorized that specific highly classified information."

"However, I am positive that there were more similar-type operations than just this one. 'Operation TANGO-SIERRA' was just one operation that lasted nine months from start to finish in the D.C. area."

"U.S. intelligence had more such operations around the U.S., with one in the southwest and another in the northwest, but I don't know for sure on the location details."

"As for other visiting alien races, we knew of nine of them."

"The Ebens were the nicest while the Trantaloids were the ugliest, meanest sons-a-bitches and most dangerous."

RELIABLE INTELLIGENCE

So, what are we to make of a report like this? Is it pure fiction or some kind of deceptive “disinformation” to make the UFO and extraterrestrial topic seem foolish?

Is it verbatim truth, accurate and factual in all ways?

Or, is it some mix of truth and fiction that generally tells us about a real incident or overall situation?

It seems unclear what the facts are in many aspects of research into UFOs and unconventional beings, as well as many topics in leading-edge science that are somewhat mind-boggling.

Visiting different galaxies, moving in and out of dimensions through star gates and wormholes, warping or surfing time-space to travel great distances all seem very hard to believe or even imagine.

However, as many people have pointed out, our ancestors probably would have found it very difficult to comprehend today’s thousands of scientific and technological developments that are still evolving now.

We may be in the same boat, trying to wrap our minds around new technology, knowledge and understanding.

One way to improve our abilities to comprehend far-out possibilities is to read credible information such as the upcoming book A.D. After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact by respected researchers and writers Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel.

When it is published later this month, it will give readers much to consider about how to prepare, respond, adjust and thrive in the face of surprising and challenging new information.

Similarly, the recently-published book UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record by journalist Leslie Kean is a very valuable piece of research. It looks at important facts which seem to indicate that we should move forward with a more mature and reasonable perspective on possible visitation to Earth by intelligent beings from somewhere else.

These non-fiction books along with TV projects like “The Event” all add to the many other books, movies, TV shows and other media and communication platforms about subjects that at once may interest us, provide reasons for hope and also cause some concern and anxiety.

But by being prepared mentally, emotionally and spiritually for surprising changes, we can increase our readiness and our ability to make smoother transitions into the future – a future that may be challenging and also very rewarding.

Truths about UFOs explored in press conference, NBC’s ‘The Event’

2010-10-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Fact and fiction seem to have been merging and emerging in recent weeks as NBC launched the TV series “The Event” and former U.S. Air Force officers held a press conference about UFOs apparently conducting surveillance on, and interfering with U.S. nuclear weapons.

Both the new NBC series and the press briefing describe scenarios involving visitation to Earth by what appear to be extraterrestrials or some other kind of beings.

In the two situations, there are many unanswered questions, including the goals and motives of the visitors and goals and motives of factions within the U.S. defense and intelligence communities.

What are average people to make of the imagination-stretching concept that some UFOs could actually be space craft piloted by highly unconventional visitors?

If we noted what the retired Air Force officers said, it seems fairly clear that there was surprise, awe, concern … and a significant degree of security and secrecy. These same elements have been in the opening episodes of “The Event.”

Those who have researched these topics often indicate that much of what we know, or think we know about such unusual circumstances is probably just the tip of the iceberg.

FORWARD-LEANING RESEARCH

Although most Americans probably understand that certain information must be protected carefully, there is also a natural curiosity about the topic of extraterrestrial visitors to Earth, as well as a wide variety of other interesting unconventional phenomena of various kinds.

Once the turf of “fringe science,” many areas of scientific study are now more accurately referred to as “edge science” – research that is on the leading edge of discovery and understanding.

Forward-leaning investigators are looking into human consciousness, fascinating aspects of quantum physics, ideas about multiple dimensions around us, new perspectives about biology and DNA, and yes … the possibility that we have been, and are being visited by extraterrestrials and/or other intelligent beings.

Some of this research is discreet and behind the scenes while other investigators are quite open about their projects and activities looking into these kinds of situations.

By looking at published and public information about such research, as well as reading between the lines, we can generally get a fairly good picture of the status of up-to-date knowledge about unique subjects.

Finding information about various unconventional topics is easy. Figuring out what is true and what is fiction can be more difficult. Sometimes information presented as fact is not accurate. And sometimes stories presented as fiction are actually telling important truths.

It’s not always easy trying to figure it out. It can be challenging to be a human nowadays.

ONGOING DISCOVERY

But, if we listen to credible witnesses and researchers, it appears that getting a reasonable grasp of leading-edge discovery is within our reach.

Some of it is not rocket science, though other aspects may be more complicated than rocket science.

Just like the dramatic suspense, twists and turns, and that which is unsaid in “The Event” TV show, the real-life positions we find ourselves in might also be a continuing series of revelations, more questions, some answers and more mysteries.

People who want all the answers about UFO visitors and other unusual scientific and spiritual developments might be frustrated.

In some cases, those “in the know” are not going to reveal all, even if they knew the answers. In other cases, the answers and ultimate outcomes and truths are just not known.

For many citizens, researchers, journalists and people from all walks of life, there may simply be a process of ongoing inquiry, discovery, education and communication about the emerging understanding of life in this still-mysterious universe we find ourselves in.

Resources such as the recent press conference by determined and honorable Air Force veterans and insightful creative media projects such as “The Event” will probably continue to lay the foundation for greater readiness as we face an interesting future.

Journalism tipping point: Media coverage of UFO situation now serious

2010-09-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The comprehensive news coverage of a unique press briefing this week indicates that the topics of UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation to Earth are now a reasonable subject of serious journalism.

When former Air Force officers and other military men presented credible information in Washington last Monday about unidentified aerial objects in close proximity to sensitive U.S. military facilities, American newspapers, magazines, TV networks and media organizations of all kinds generally covered the story in professional ways.

Is it a real paradigm shift for responsible and mature journalistic coverage of this unconventional topic? It may be.

Recent public discussion by scientists regarding contact with intelligent extraterrestrial beings certainly seems to have brought credibility to the overall subject.

In addition, the recently-published book UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record by journalist Leslie Kean also raised the standard of public discourse on the topic. Kean’s book, which received good marks from respected scientists, brought objective reporting standards to the exploration of a very challenging area for journalism.

In addition, significant UFO incidents such as the 1997 “Phoenix lights” case, the 2006 O’Hare airport sightings and many similar credible reports seem to have steadily moved the ball forward on responsible news coverage.

POSSIBLE SITUATION

Consider for a moment that some of the major accounts of the underlying and historical situation could have some truth to them.

A key element of this story is the claim that our U.S. defense and intelligence communities have known since the 1940s that some UFOs are extraterrestrial spacecraft and their occupants are intelligent non-human beings.

As a result, robust efforts were initiated to understand and handle the situation, and to determine what defense and diplomatic measures might be appropriate.

Acquisition and development of advanced technologies were also goals, according to some researchers. Some of these technologies could have been inserted into American engineering, electronic, aviation, space programs and other fields.

It has also been alleged that at the same time, elements of our defense, intelligence and scientific communities believed that an educational and acclimation process to prepare Americans, and people internationally, for this surprising situation was needed. However, other factions may have felt that there should be total secrecy on the entire subject.

Are any of these assertions credible in any way?

If so, then responsible journalists will probably want to take a second look, and a more thorough look, at any reasonable evidence or circumstances that support these kinds of claims.

It seems as though this is now happening, thanks to a number of factors including eyewitness testimony, credible research, historical documents and possibly a general gut feeling by many people that there is some truth to these scenarios.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

But, determining that some UFOs are intelligently-controlled craft of some kind obviously just raises a number of further questions.

Who are the visitors? Is there one type, several or many? Are they friendly, hostile or neutral? What do they want? How do they regard humans and planet Earth? How will our world change if this new awareness is accepted as truth?

A smooth transition in the educational process about such a situation would obviously be helpful.

And, as in the more conventional day-to-day news coverage, there certainly could be some things to be worried and concerned about, as well as reasons to have hope and move forward in positive ways as individuals, families, communities, nations and humanity as a whole globally.

We might get a good idea of how such a transition might play out in the book A.D. After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel. The book is due out in October and should provide a reasonable blueprint for how we can adjust to more overt understanding of unusual visitors to Earth.

Dolan is a respected researcher on government and the UFO phenomena. Zabel is a former CNN journalist and now a film and TV writer and producer. Both should bring solid journalistic standards to this discussion.

The new NBC TV suspense series “The Event” uses episodic drama to portray such a situation, as have many other TV shows, movies, novels and works of creative fiction – or, in some cases, possibly fact-based fiction.

In the meantime, we only need read the local newspaper, turn on the TV news or scan the Web to find an increasing amount of serious, open-minded and professional journalism coverage of this interesting topic.

And, if we want to read between the lines or delve deeper into the many books, documents and historical records, there is even more to discover and consider.

Journalism will continue to play an important role in exploring the subject of UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation. The scientific, defense, intelligence and the creative film and TV communities will undoubtedly also be key contributors in helping us to grasp the truth and adjust to changes.

Eventually, many of our school books and college courses might need to be updated as new information is learned and confirmed.

These all seem to be reasonable, natural developments that might now be accompanying a safe and steady process of education and disclosure about the real possibility that we humans are not alone in this vast universe.

Defense, intelligence communities face UFO challenges

2010-09-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

To explore the current situation regarding possible visitation to Earth of intelligent beings from other planets and/or other dimensions, some people say we should look back to, at least, the 1940s.

According to many researchers, during the World War II era a mysterious phenomenon began to show itself – unidentified objects in the sky, sometimes near military aircraft. American air crews nicknamed the objects “foo fighters.”

Also during the World War II era, there are claims that crashes of unusual craft that contained occupants may have taken place. The recovery and examination of such craft and occupants would have certainly created amazement and concerns among defense, intelligence and scientific experts and officials.

Other researchers say we should look much further back in history than World War II. They say there are indications that some kind of, or several kinds of unconventional and secretive intelligent beings have been part of Earth for centuries.

Across human cultures and civilizations, there are ancient stories that seem to possibly be related to unusual beings of several kinds. The legends and insights of Native American Indian tribes could be particularly helpful.

Research by people in the defense, intelligence and scientific communities would also probably have looked at this much broader picture to determine if UFOs and their pilots, crews and passengers were simply a specific phenomena, or part of a much more complex tapestry in a more mysterious universe.

ALIENS, ANGELS AND AGENTS

Today, it is sometimes assumed that unconventional visitors or beings would be from another planet in another solar system and galaxy, possibly from another time, or another bordering dimensional neighborhood of our universe or “multi-verse.”

This might very well have some truth to it. There are indications that this kind of scenario is something that we would be wise to prepare ourselves for.

In fact, some people say that elements of the defense, intelligence and scientific communities have been trying for some time to educate, acclimate and prepare us for such a situation.

Yet, to expand our thinking about unusual possibilities, we might also consider the concept of angels as one type of extraterrestrial or inter-dimensional being. Stories about angels tell us that they sometimes move between our worldly dimension and the one we call the afterlife or Heaven.

And, it is assumed that many of them once walked the Earth as average humans, then became spiritually advanced during and/or after their life on Earth as they passed on to another dimension, or possibly accessing multiple other dimensions.

Additionally, there seems to be a general belief that angels, if they exist, behave in secretive and mysterious ways, often behind the scenes and with plans and agendas that are sometimes difficult to understand.

In this sense, they seem to behave like covert intelligence agents, although we probably expect angels to rise to higher levels of professional conduct in their methods and objectives.

How should we try to understand such apparent diverse concepts as angels possibly existing around us along with beings from other planets who come here in advanced spacecraft?

If this spectrum of possibility was real, would the goals of multiple kinds of beings be the same? Would they have different agendas and different ideas of moral and ethical behavior?

Would these diverse beings have something in common, such as greater understanding of the physics of the universe and how time, space, energy work? Would they use the same kinds of wormholes, portals and star gates to get from one place to another?

Do they utilize extrasensory perception and mental telepathy in the same way? Do they perceive a larger and more fundamental force in play or even a master plan of some kind?

DISCOVERY, CHANGE AND UNDERSTANDING

People in the defense, intelligence and scientific communities tasked with tackling such questions might have found the job challenging and difficult. Many of them might have been psychologically unprepared for some of these contingencies.

The same could be said about the rest of us too.

As we move forward amid various reports of UFO encounters, new and different scientific views of nature and the universe, and greater understanding about the potential of human consciousness, we all may find it challenging and difficult.

There may even be threats to consider that are different from, and in addition to the conventional dangers we face such as nuclear war, degradation and pollution of Earth’s natural environments and overpopulation.

Still, there seem to be many kinds of potential benefits and rewards. These include achieving greater understanding of the world around us, acquiring and developing advanced technologies that benefit humanity and our planet, mitigating human suffering and enhancing the development of the human species.

The UFO situation is probably quite complex, just like many of the other predicaments and dilemmas we face throughout life.

We know that humans often find it difficult to get along with other humans. Adding other intelligent beings to the mix – including beings who could be quite different in certain ways and more advanced in some ways – is bound to require and result in change.

What kind of change? That seems to be a reasonable question.

So who do we look to for answers? To our defense, intelligence and scientific communities? To our friends, families and communities? To our personal beliefs, perceptions and gut feelings?

Probably all of the above. In fact, to try to deal with significant discovery and change that could be around the corner in these interesting areas of science and psychology, it might be helpful to develop a range of resources that help all of us gain greater understanding.

NBC’s ‘The Event’ part of UFO, ET disclosure, acclimation?

2010-09-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

It’s above top secret, need-to-know and classified for compartmented security clearance only.

No, it’s not the real-life fields of leading-edge research into UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation, quantum physics discoveries, human consciousness or possible paradigm shifts for humanity – we’re talking about the new NBC TV series “The Event.”

When “The Event” begins on Monday, Sept. 20, viewers will be in for a wild ride of conspiracy and very strange happenings.

Although the cast and crew are maintaining tight security on the show’s secrets, some rumors indicate that it might portray the issue of U.S. government officials dealing with the visitation to Earth of human-looking extraterrestrials and/or beings from another dimension.

Are they human or related to Earth humans? We don’t know – yet.

And, we don’t know how close this TV series reflects real developments, as far-fetched as that may seem.

Are there strange space-time anomalies involved or other aspects of forward-leaning “edge science” and “weird physics?”

Creator Nick Wauters probably knows. He developed the story and wrote the original script in 2006. Working with Steve Stark, executive producer, they kept the concept alive and eventually successfully pitched the series project to NBC. Director Jeff Reiner (also an executive producer) and showrunner Evan Katz will help bring the story to life.

MYSTERIOUS GROUP

Whoever the mysterious beings are, more than 90 of them have been held at a secret U.S. facility in Alaska called Mount Inostranka and the U.S. president learns about it.

Blair Underwood plays President Elias Martinez, who has a Cuban-American ethnic background. The president apparently wants to go public with this information after visiting the Alaska facility.

However, elements of the defense and intelligence community don’t agree.

How will Americans and people internationally react and adjust to this news? How will this affect the human race and life on Earth?

But that development in itself might not be the complete “event.” These visitors, or whoever they are, may know something else that is in store for the human race.

As President Martinez and the group’s leader (Laura Innes as Sophie Maguire) prepare to begin a press conference to announce this news, an assassination is attempted using a hijacked airliner.

Is the high-level CIA officer Blake Sterling (played by Zeljko Ivanek) involved in this? CIA operative Simon Lee (Ian Anthony Dale) is also assigned to deal with the group at the Mount Inostranka base. Where does he stand?

Hal Holbrook will make regular appearances as an enigmatic businessman somehow involved in the situation.

Meanwhile, “everyman” character Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) is drawn into the complex tale by the disappearance of his fiancé.

The story will unfold at a quick pace, the show’s creative team tells us, and the audience will be kept up to speed on the disclosure of underlying secrets.

SCIENCE FICTION OR FACT

Viewing audiences as well as researchers who have looked at UFOs and a number of fascinating “outside-the-box” scientific subjects might find the lines between fact and fiction are blurred in “The Event.”

The recently-published book by respected journalist Leslie Kean, UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record, is certainly providing credible information about what seems to be an unusual situation.

Another book scheduled for publication in October is A.D. After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel. Dolan is considered to be a very credible researcher and Zabel has a significant track record as a journalist and Hollywood writer-producer.

Whether we look at factual reports on these kinds of developments or enjoy fictional portrayals of similar scenarios, it seems clear to many investigators and many people in the general public that something interesting and important may be going on.

It may not be so simple as one type of intelligent beings from another planet visiting Earth.

It could be far more complex involving multiple types of beings and influences operating in surprising ways and with complex agendas. We could be facing significant new understanding about the Universe or multi-verse and a different view of the human race and the challenges facing us.

“The Event” looks like it will provide valuable perspectives and insight into these kinds of topics.

And, like the new NBC series, real kinds of similar elements and phenomena may also be unfolding. We may be seeing an emerging process as well as some kind of events or events that we should probably be ready for.

Journalism makes news with coverage of UFOs, ET visitation to Earth

2010-09-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The subject of contact with intelligent extraterrestrial beings seems to steadily be gaining more credibility in mainstream media outlets, thanks to increasingly responsible journalism.

In the Sunday, Sept. 12, edition of Phoenix’s The Arizona Republic daily newspaper, an excerpt from the new book by journalist Leslie Kean was printed in the “Viewpoints” section of the paper.

Kean’s book UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record has been praised by scientists and others who have looked carefully at this subject.

On pages B-11 and 12, the Sunday Republic printed an excerpt from the book that dealt with the 1997 so-called “Phoenix lights” incident, which is of special interest to Republic readers in Phoenix and throughout Arizona.

Accompanied by a large beautiful photo of deep space was the article headline, “What if we are not alone in the Universe?” Two sidebar articles that carried over on page B-12 were brief Q & A pieces discussing the topic with Kean and former Arizona governor Fife Symington who has stated he saw a huge craft overhead that night.

By applying professional journalistic standards to this interesting yet unconventional topic, the Republic stands out as a model of forward-leaning journalism.

Coverage of the general topic of UFOs and extraterrestrials includes relevance not only to everyday current events such as the launch of a new book, but is specific to science journalism, society, education, human development and the creative community involved with media such as TV and film.

NBC’s upcoming series “The Event” beginning Monday, Sept. 20, looks like it will be a good example of creative media treatment of this topic.

And, the Republic sets a good example for other media outlets, reporters and journalism students, such as those at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU’s new downtown Phoenix campus.

EXCERPT ON PHOENIX INCIDENT

Of course, what particularly interested Phoenix citizens and Arizonans was the excerpt from Kean’s book on the 1997 sightings. Sections from the excerpt can help us get a better grasp of that interesting night:

“It was March 13, 1997, a pleasant spring evening in Arizona, clear and still. Countless families were outside in larger-than-usual numbers gazing at the sky because Comet Hale-Bopp was to be visible that night.”

“Instead, beginning about 8 p.m, they were provided with an even more astounding aerial spectacle: a series of massive, eerily silent craft gliding overhead.”

Note that she says “a series” of craft. This is because there were reports that more than one strange craft flew over the Phoenix metro region’s “Valley of the Sun” that night.

“One central object moved from the north, southeast across the state, traveling about 200 miles from Paulden to Tucson, passing near Phoenix and surrounding communities. It was on display from 8:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Many hundreds – more likely thousands – saw it that night.”

“Police phone lines were jammed, and Luke Air Force Base was overwhelmed with calls. Reports of sightings from around the state flooded the lines at the National UFO Reporting Center, a well-known Seattle-based repository for UFO reports cited in the Federal Aviation Administration manual.”

“Even so, air-traffic controllers apparently did not register the strange objects on radar. Although descriptions of the array of lights differed, one overriding characteristic prevailed: The craft was massive; it was a solid object, not merely lights; and it often appeared to be low in the sky, blocking out the stars behind it.”

Kean also makes a statement that we may want to consider carefully, because she reports only on information that is public knowledge.

“No government officials were dispatched to investigate or respond to questions from alarmed and awestruck citizens. To put it bluntly, the federal government failed to react to the presence of something huge and unknown invading restricted airspace over a capital city in the United States.”

Would any of us be surprised if, in fact, the U.S. Defense Department, NASA or elements of the intelligence community did discreetly investigate this case? Would it surprise us if they had additional knowledge of what happened that night, but keep it classified?

Kean also provides an interesting overview of local and national media coverage of the incident.

“Minimal coverage was provided at the time of the incident by the media, even in Phoenix, with a few local papers and news stations making note but few following up.” Kean said.

“Three months later, on June 18, that all changed when USA Today brought the case into the national spotlight with a front-page story. It was further catapulted onto the network evening news when the sightings were covered, although minimally, by ABC and NBC, and became known as the Phoenix Lights.”

QUESTIONS, ANSWERS, MORE QUESTIONS

In one of the two Q & A sidebar articles, Kean addresses the call for a federal government office to investigate UFOs. And again, it seems natural for us to speculate about the many reports of longstanding and robust U.S. government research and monitoring of this situation, possibly beginning in the World War II era. Such a group or several groups may have been created decades ago.

Q: Why are you pushing for creation of a government agency to investigate UFOs?

A: Even if there is only a 5 percent chance we are actually witnessing visitations from another planet, why would we not want to find out? How could we turn away from the possibility of making that kind of discovery? And so far we have, because we haven't been proactive and put resources into getting to the bottom of the mystery. Such a discovery could significantly change our perceptions of ourselves and impact the evolution of our civilization - no matter what it turns out to be.

Q: Which U.S. agency would you like to see take oversight of such investigations?

A: I have a feeling it will end up somewhere within the Department of Defense, but we really don't know yet. Our vision is that once this agency is established - a small office that would not cost much - it can work on making resources available to scientists. I'm convinced scientists who are smart enough to build 5-mile particle accelerators to smash atoms while discovering what's going on in distant galaxies are also smart enough to develop a methodology involving the necessary technology to determine what these things are that are repeatedly being documented in our airspace. [End of Kean's Q & A]

The Republic’s brief Q & A with former governor Symington was also interesting. The article noted that, “Symington, a pilot and former Air Force officer, has become a national figure in the debate over UFOs ever since revealing in 2007 that he had seen a massive, delta-shaped craft 10 years earlier - the so-called Phoenix Lights.”

Q: Could you describe your own experience in seeing a UFO in 1997?

A: Whatever it was, it was huge and lumbered quietly across the Valley. It had embedded lights and was really fascinating. Apparently, it traversed from the northwestern part of the state and came right across the Valley and headed southeast.

Thousands of people saw it. I made the comment at the time that maybe Boeing or some other operation had something going in the Skunk Works. The only problem with that was it was bigger than anything I had ever seen. And if we were developing some sort of secret aircraft, why would we be flying it over metropolitan Phoenix?

I went (looking for it) when all the hoopla was on the radio. I drove down to (Squaw Peak, now Piestewa Peak) off Lincoln. There were a bunch of people out there; everybody saw it. I drove home and Ann (his wife) looked at me and said, "You look like you've seen a ghost." And I said, "Well, I'm not sure what I saw, but it wasn't a ghost."

Q: If you speculated, what was that craft? Extraterrestrial?

A: I think that's the only explanation left. It shouldn't be a surprising conclusion. Even the great minds of this world, like Stephen Hawking, recently wrote that the universe is a big place, that the mathematical odds that there is life in the universe, that civilizations much more advanced than ours exist, are very high. (Hawking) made a wry comment, though. He said we better be careful about what we wish for because you just never know if they will be hostile.

Q: Did your sighting change your philosophy of life?

A: I've always been open to the idea, never looked at it with a sense of ridicule. If wayfarers in space are passing by our planet occasionally, I'm such an optimist that I think they are probably quite likable ... [End of Symington's Q & A]

Symington makes some key points about whether ET visitors might be friendly or hostile. If there has been secret research into this situation over the decades, maybe someone somewhere knows the answers. It could be that some visitors could be friendly, while others might be hostile. Some might have agendas that are neither, but would be very strange to us.

As the public considers these interesting possibilities, it seems clear that more examples of responsible and professional journalism on this topic will be helpful for us on many levels.

‘Gravity’ movie, Natalie Portman could explore human mind, space mysteries, UFOs

2010-09-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The movie project that has offered the lead role of stranded astronaut to Natalie Portman has the potential to delve into many interesting areas that are both familiar and on the leading edge of understanding about human consciousness and space.

Space psychology, human consciousness, modern “weird physics,” discoveries about space and time, as well as unconventional space phenomena such as UFOs and extraterrestrial beings are just a few of the fascinating and important areas that Alfonso Cuaron's planned Gravity film could explore.

According to published media reports, the story is a drama about a female astronaut whose return to Earth and her daughter are in jeopardy after her spacecraft is hit by debris and other crew members are killed.

Portman has not yet accepted the role, but her recent intense and rigorous physical training for Black Swan and her roles in the Star Wars movies could both be elements, among others, that click for her and the Gravity movie.

The Warner Bros. project is budgeted at $80 million, according to reports. Robert Downey Jr. is onboard and the shooting is planned for the end of January 2011.

EVOLVING SPACE TRAVEL

The space aspects of the story, from what is known about it now, are particularly relevant in our current era of positioning America’s space efforts amid the emergence of private, commercial space projects that may take many more people into Earth orbit and beyond.

The plot of the spacecraft being hit by debris is practically ripped from the headlines.

In February 2009, an American and a Russian satellite collided at approximately 22,000 mph 491 miles above Earth and left a huge debris field in orbit, adding to thousands of pieces of space junk already around our planet. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on ways to try to clean up this debris.

In March 2009, International Space Station (ISS) crew members had to hunker down in the ISS escape capsule as a precaution against space junk hitting the ISS. Such a collision could be catastrophic for a spacecraft or space station.

And this is why the main female character of “Gravity” finds herself isolated far from home and her daughter.

Back in the real world, one of the emerging commercial space industry’s innovative companies, Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace, says that the inflatable, flexible, multi-layered Vectran outer shell of their space modules are designed to better withstand space debris hits than conventional spacecraft. Their design using Vectran, which is twice as strong as Kevlar, has been tested and withstood tremendous impacts with little damage.

Bigelow Aerospace and other companies are currently on track to take astronauts, scientists and others into Earth orbit within a few short years. The Boeing CST-100 crew capsule is planned to provide transport to and from Bigelow modular space stations in orbit.

So, the planned Gravity movie is more realistic than we may think. The scenarios of astronauts facing space debris that cause severe damage to their spacecraft or space stations reflect real threats, and real astronauts could find themselves in the same predicament as the lead female character.

MYSTERIES OF OUTER AND INNER SPACE

While the nuts and bolts of space travel in the Gravity film and real life are interesting, what about the more exotic, mind-expanding and sometimes amazing space and science topics that are somewhat difficult to comprehend and accept?

Increasing public awareness about emerging discoveries in human consciousness, scientific anomalies related to space-time, theories of multiple dimensions, UFOs and preparedness for possible extraterrestrial visitation are also subjects that interest millions of people around the world.

The research and operational activities of the U.S. government’s Project STAR GATE into special kinds of human perception have clearly demonstrated that humans have an amazing sixth sense. It may show itself a little or a lot in various people. But, we now know that human consciousness can reach out in space and time with a kind of awareness that can be truly surprising.

As U.S. military and intelligence personnel were brought up to speed on this research, undoubtedly astronauts and others also found themselves in the loop about the newly-rediscovered abilities of deep human mind.

Other research in quantum physics similarly has found that space and time, as we understand them, do not work the way we have previously thought. People, places, circumstances and events can be connected in ways that are not obvious and that seem illogical. Coincidences and developments may not be random at all, but might have hidden meaning.

We can hardly talk about space and space travel without considering the increasing legitimate research and evidence that there is a reasonable likelihood that humans are being visited by some kind of beings from elsewhere.

Are they other beings from another planet, or from another dimension? Are they angels or some kind of life forms that we do not understand? Are all UFOs solid craft or are some of them part of an energy that is beyond our comprehension?

These questions are no longer just the stuff of science fiction. They are fact-based possibilities, probabilities or realities.

And several astronauts and cosmonauts have gone on the record with specifics about close encounters with what appeared to be non-human craft or some kind of UFO that could not easily be explained.

The Gravity movie seems to have the potential to examine many of these important subjects: the value of our home on planet Earth, our ventures into space, the love between a mother and daughter, a human being responding to a uniquely acute situation, and the many unknowns and mysteries about our world, the Universe and ourselves.

Telluride Film Festival held near Durango, 1948 Aztec UFO crash

2010-09-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on the Joint Recon Study Group site and American Chronicle.)

The 37th Annual Telluride Film Festival, beginning Friday, Sept. 3, through Labor Day, continues to be a unique event that brings the filmmaking community and film-loving viewers to the spectacular San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado.

Located in the Four Corners region and surrounded by the San Juan National Forest, the festival provides a special venue that often gives participants and visitors new perspectives on film in today’s world.

Beyond the beauty of the town of Telluride and southwest Colorado’s rugged landscape, the Four Corners region has long been home to topics about mysteries that still fascinate people today.

Native American lands of the Navajo, Hopi, Ute and others are located throughout the area.

Approximately 250 miles southeast of Telluride in south-central Colorado is the San Luis Valley, an area reported to be a hot spot for frequent UFO sightings and other anomalous situations.

And just a two-hour drive due south from Telluride is the town of Durango, which shares the same kind of charm and beauty that residents of, and visitors to Telluride enjoy.

Durango also has a unique history in the annals of UFO research and lore.

UFO CRASH IN 1948

Home to a state college, skiing, river rafting and outdoor activities of all kinds, Durango is also the place where famous Western novelist Louis L’Amour wrote many of his books, several of which were made into movies over the decades.

The Durango-based and internationally-known Durango & Silverton scenic train makes daily trips to Silverton which, as the crow flies, is just a few miles east of Telluride. However, the mountain road between Telluride and Silverton takes quite a bit longer.

Apart from the beauty and fun of the Durango area, according to some UFO researchers it was the jumping-off point for a secret team of officials and scientists who investigated a crashed spacecraft in 1948 (possibly in March) just south of Durango in Aztec, New Mexico.

According to various researchers, U.S. government groups that were attempting to understand and manage the UFO situation quickly flew various prominent scientists to the only nearby airfield in Durango. From there, they were transported by road 35 miles south of Durango to the Aztec area.

As the story goes, the government and scientific team found several dead bodies in a crashed disc-shaped craft, possibly 12 miles northeast of Aztec.

The deceased had large heads, large eyes that resembled an Asian-looking appearance, and small, slight bodies with unique characteristics. The craft was covered with a thin, metal-like material that was extremely strong.

Regional military radar may have also detected the craft as it flew into the area, according to some UFO researchers. The U.S. Army’s alleged Interplanetary Phenomenon Unit (IPU), reportedly part of Army Counterintelligence, located the craft and helped coordinate the response.

The investigation was done covertly, and those involved as well as local residents were reportedly sworn to secrecy, researchers claim.

Bodies and material were transported to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, the location of one of the military’s main scientific analysis centers for the examination of foreign aircraft and technology.

We might assume that the scientific investigators and others may have exited the region by way of the Durango airfield.

HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS

At the recent 13th annual Aztec UFO Symposium held last March, UFO researchers and interested people listened and learned about the supposed crashed spacecraft case.

Interestingly, one of the speakers was a former member of the U.S. government Project STAR GATE activity that investigated and reportedly was successful in using “remote viewing,” a type of ESP technique involved in intelligence efforts.

According to a March 28, 2010, article in the Durango Herald newspaper, former government remote viewer Lyn Buchanan said that his remote viewing training and consulting firm looked at the Aztec UFO crash stories.

Their conclusion: “In short, there was a crash. The E.T.s in that ship weren't dead; they were alive. And negotiations happened between them and the government,” the Durango Herald quotes Buchanan as saying.

According to the Durango Herald article, Buchanan also explained that he was part of the real-life basis for the George Clooney character “Lyn Cassady" in the 2009 movie The Men Who Stare at Goats, based on a book by writer Jon Ronson. Buchanan is also author of the book The Seventh Sense.

So, once again, filmmaking and the interesting topic of UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation to Earth and the U.S. seem to dovetail, this time in southwest Colorado.

The human creative process involved in films and other endeavors is often said to be a mystery of human consciousness in some ways. The same might be said about unusual scientific topics such as UFOs, ESP-related remote viewing, ancient Native American legends and many current situations.

While the creative film community is visiting Telluride, some of them might want to take the short drive down to Durango, look around, and consider the possibilities about the many mysteries of the region, and within themselves.

Upcoming book ‘After Disclosure’ is guide to UFOs, life after ET contact

2010-09-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Researchers and readers of all kinds are looking forward to the October 2010 publication of the new book A.D. After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel.

The two authors have robust backgrounds in writing and research about UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation to Earth.

Dolan’s multi-volume UFOs and the National Security State explores the complex and multi-faceted aspects of this fascinating subject. He is a frequent speaker on the UFO topic and has appeared on many TV programs that attempt to examine it.

Zabel is a former CNN journalist and now Hollywood writer and producer. He won the 2008 Writers Guild of America award for the Hallmark miniseries Pandemic and has written feature film scripts for Warner Brothers, Universal, Fox, Disney and New Line.

He co-created the NBC drama series, Dark Skies (scheduled for DVD release in 2011). His writing and producing of the original made-for-TV film Official Denial dovetailed with his work on the development team of the Steven Spielberg series Taken.

So what will the publication of A.D. After Disclosure tell us?

PRAISE FROM RESEARCHERS

Apollo 14 Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, Sc.D, says, "This new book by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel is an important attempt to prepare us for what will one day be inevitable: an open understanding that we are not alone. Not in this universe, and not even on Planet Earth."

Nick Pope, former chief of the “UFO desk” for the UK Ministry of Defence states, “What if the UFO cover-up is real and what if it ended? After Disclosure poses this fascinating question and looks at the societal consequences of such a revelation.”

Pope concludes that, “Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel have produced a thoughtful and provocative analysis that goes well beyond the usual scope of books on UFOs and alien life."

And Stanton T. Friedman, MSc., nuclear physicist and author of Top Secret/Majic notes that, "Considering the overwhelming evidence that Earth is being visited by alien spacecraft and that many intelligence agencies and military groups have known this to be true for some time, we certainly need to consider the serious question of what happens when disclosure actually occurs.”

“This book by Zabel and Dolan is the first in-depth attempt to answer that question. It is long overdue and sets a high standard of discussion about this very complex issue. Well worth reading," said Friedman.

Investigative journalist and New York Times best-selling author of Crossfire Jim Marrs tells us, "You may not have ever considered what life will be like after the reality of UFOs becomes publicly known. But Richard M. Dolan and Bryce Zabel have. Their book is absorbing and thought provoking. Don't miss it."

Stephen Bassett, executive director of the Paradigm Research Group claims, "Disclosure, the formal acknowledgment by the world's governments of an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race, is inevitable. So was this how-to book on what to do when a new world begins."

PREPARATION AND READINESS

Zabel himself writes, “We want our book to be accessible to people who have never read a UFO book before, to be a 'cross-over' project. Given that we're already living in life after contact, albeit in official denial and secrecy, we think it's time to get the general population up-to-speed on the issues so that when the truth finally is widely accepted it won't be such a shock.”

“The reality is that this transition from denial to truth is coming at humankind sooner than later now,” According to Zabel. “When the line gets crossed, it's going to affect everything from the economy and government to religion and science and even media and culture.”

Zabel adds, “The book, weighing in at over 300 pages … touches on all these issues. Lurking behind them all is the warning, one we've often heard expressed by concerned observers, that history is replete with cases where the weaker civilization is overwhelmed and ultimately destroyed by the stronger one. Think Cortez and the Aztecs.”

“We just don't think that has to be the fate of humanity,” says Zabel. “We do, however, believe that knowing what's coming and being mentally prepared is absolutely the most intelligent thing we can do now to make sure the outcome we get is the best one available when it all goes down.”

“What if UFO secrecy ended tomorrow?” Zabel asks. “What happens when the powers-that-be finally admit that we are not alone? And that the Others we share the universe with are not light years away, some kind of cosmic pen-pals chatting by radio telescope, that they are here, now. How will the truth change our society and your life?”

“A.D. After Disclosure is the first work of non-fiction to tackle these questions about the new winners and losers in government, science, religion, media, culture, law, education, and politics,” Zabel notes. “Life will go on, but it will never be the same.”

This book seems sure to be a valuable new resource for people trying to figure out what is going on with regard to UFOs and rumors of extraterrestrial visitation to, and activities on Earth.

Dolan and Zabel certainly seem to take it seriously, as do many other researchers and citizens who have carefully looked into this interesting and important subject.

One theory is that there have been decades-long public preparedness and acclimation efforts to get us ready for these kinds of developments.

Are we ready?

Many people think they are. But such a situation could be quite challenging in many ways.

The new book A.D. After Disclosure will undoubtedly inform and fascinate us, help public readiness and take us to the next level of understanding about this sensitive situation.

(For more information, visit the Dolan-Zabel "After Disclosure" site).

NBC journalist Tim Russert’s 2007 UFO question to candidates resonates now

2010-08-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle).

When NBC journalist Tim Russert passed on in June 2008, his colleagues, friends, family and the public said goodbye – or at least “until we meet again” – to a respected and loved individual.

Russert’s curiosity, insight and investigative journalism skills brought us plenty of worthwhile perspectives on politics and conventional current affairs.

Now may be an appropriate time to revisit his interesting question on Oct. 30, 2007, during the Democratic presidential candidates' debate. Russert asked Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich about an unidentified flying object (UFO) that Kucinich had reportedly witnessed.

People chuckled. Kucinich appeared a bit embarrassed. Some people thought it was an irrelevant question by Russert when there were so many other important issues to question candidates about.

Kucinich supporters griped that Russert was trying to make their candidate look foolish or quirky. Those who consider UFOs an interesting and legitimate topic thought Russert could have been ridiculing the whole subject.

Kucinich said he did see something in the sky that seemed unusual. It was unidentified (at least for him), it seemed to be flying and appeared to be an object. So, yes, he admitted, he did see an unidentified flying object. What it was, he didn’t know.

Where was Russert coming from on this question? Why did he ask it?

After Russert’s passing, and after I wrote an earlier article about him, a reliable source who requested to remain unnamed contacted me. He said he sometimes spoke with Russert about this subject told me he felt that Russert had a real interest in the UFO topic and the theories about extraterrestrial visitors to Earth.

MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT

During the same candidates’ debate, then-senator from Illinois Barack Obama was also asked about extraterrestrial intelligent life in the Universe. Obama avoided the question and changed the focus by replying that he was more interested in people's lives in the U.S.

But Russert seemed to have started something.

During further more informal press interviews with candidates after the debate, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews raised the same subject with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Matthews pointed out that New Mexico was home of the well-known alleged 1947 Roswell incident.

To his credit, Richardson replied that his view was that the federal government should be more forthcoming about the topic. He said some of his previous comments about Roswell were to help market the town as a New Mexico visitor destination (what kind of visitors, he didn’t specify).

It seemed unusual that both Russert and Matthews would ask presidential candidates in a prominent public debate and media platform about UFOs. The subject was just usually not discussed much on mainstream media or in public politics.

However, that situation changed quite a bit two months later when multiple UFO sightings in Stephenville, Texas, made headlines around the U.S. and internationally.

The Associated Press picked up the story in mid-January 2008 after a small-town reporter named Angelia Joiner of the Stephenville Empire-Tribune newspaper wrote that several credible community citizens had seen some very strange things in the skies above Erath County.

CNN's Larry King, NBC Today Show host Matt Lauer along with many other mainstream media outlets were now covering the Stephenville cases seriously.

Sightings in Stephenville and Erath County continued that entire year and several regional peace officers also saw very unusual objects in the area.

A couple of months before, Russert’s question seemed quirky and funny. Now, other journalists were reporting on a significant UFO incident in rural Texas.

JOURNALISTIC INSTINCTS

During the 2007 debate when the candidates were asked about UFOs, it is unclear if Russert, Matthews and others were aware of all the connections between certain candidates, their home states and UFOs.

In addition to New Mexico’s Richardson and Roswell, Ohio’s Kucinich is from the home state of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. This base includes centers that analyze “foreign technology” such as the aircraft of enemies or adversaries.

Legend has it that the wreckage and extraterrestrial bodies from the Roswell crashes were taken to Wright-Patterson for testing and analysis.

Although Obama deftly sidestepped the UFO question, his home state was the site of the significant Nov. 7, 2006, Chicago O'Hare International Airport sighting. In that case, many reliable witnesses at the airport reported seeing a gray, metallic, disc-shaped craft above the airport.

Witnesses said the object appeared approximately 6 feet to 24 feet in diameter, had no lights, was silent and hovered just below the cloud deck of 1,900 feet. The case was covered by the Chicago Tribune and the story was picked up nationally and internationally.

Russert, a devout Catholic, probably was aware of the May 2008 article in the Vatican newspaper by Father Gabriel Funes, the pope's chief astronomer. Funes' article was about intelligent extraterrestrial beings and was titled "Aliens Are My Brother."

Russert was known to have plenty of connections as a journalist. Did he have any inside information on UFOs and extraterrestrials? Was it suggested to him to pose a public question about the subject? These seem to be interesting questions.

POLITICIANS COME FORWARD

Russert's queries to the presidential candidates were not the first time that politicians commented on UFOs. President Ronald Reagan delivered a famous speech to the United Nations in 1987 about how the human race might overcome our conflicts and work together in the face of a danger from outside of Earth.

President Jimmy Carter filed an official UFO witness report after he and other people aboard an aircraft saw a UFO in October 1969.

Former Arizona governor Fife Symington has stated that he saw a huge craft of some kind during the “Phoenix Lights" incident of March 13, 1997. It seemed to be a large triangular "craft of unknown origin" with lights, he said.

"It was dramatic. And it couldn't have been flares because it was too symmetrical. It had a geometric outline, a constant shape," according to Symington, a former Air Force officer and pilot. "It was enormous and inexplicable. Who knows where it came from? A lot of people saw it, and I saw it too."

So, Russert’s questioning of political candidates may have not been so offbeat after all.

The field of journalism is changing due to today's technology and the ways we access news and information. The kind of information journalists report on is also changing.

Professional and paraprofessional journalists might want to consider Russert's role as a responsible reporter who thoroughly covered the conventional news, as well as being informed and bold enough to explore unconventional current affairs.

UFO over Texas – again! Camera snaps hovering ‘Frisbee’ with lights

2010-08-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle).

(Please note: After an investigation by the Mutual UFO Network, MUFON, it was concluded that the photo image was a result of the camera's function and the horizontal line of lights was a reflection of the camera's internal LED lights.)

Dallas-Fort Worth TV station KXAS, NBC 5, reported on Aug. 25, 2010, that a local resident’s infrared game camera, used to photograph deer and animals moving through the property, had caught something very unusual.

KXAS reporter Omar Villafranca’s account of Lisa Brock-Piekarski's game camera explained that it photographed its intended target, a deer. But, the camera also picked up a very strange sight, apparently hovering over the landscape.

"What I see looks almost like a Frisbee," she told Villafranca. "You see several lights going around, and they're all symmetrical and lit up, and it just looks like an object in the sky."

The camera is motion-activated and uses infrared instead of a flash.

A LITTLE FREAKED OUT

Brock-Piekarski can’t figure out what the object is. "There's nothing back there but trees and sky. There's no hills, no buildings, nothing back there. It's all flat."

According to the timestamps on several pictures, the odd object hovered for nearly two hours.

KXAS wasn’t the only news outlet to pick up this story.

Los Angeles Times blog writer Kelly Burgess noted in her “Outposts – Outdoors, Action, Adventure” article on the incident that, “Fort Worth area resident Lisa Brock-Piekarski is a little freaked out by images she discovered on an infrared camera mounted at her family's favorite hunting spot.”

Like reporter Villafranca, Burgess also noted that Brock-Piekarski’s property is in Archer City, near Sheppard Air Force Base. They both report that, so far, the base has had no comment on the photos.

Was it an advanced U.S. aircraft of some kind? Or, could it be something more unusual and interesting?

STEPHENVILLE 2008 INCIDENTS

It’s not the first time strange objects in the skies have visited the great state of Texas. Back in 2008, residents of Stephenville and Erath County reached out to local newspaper reporter Angelia Joiner with stories of very strange lights in the sky and solid objects close to the ground that appeared to be some kind of craft.

Stephenville is located in the rural region of northeast Texas, approximately 70 miles southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.

Dozens of citizens came forward, including respected and reliable local residents. Several local peace officers also reported UFOs.

Officers caught UFO photos on their police car dashboard cameras. One officer clocked a slow-moving UFO with his speeder radar gun (it was going 27 miles per hour).

Some officers also created a diagram of one of the UFOs. The diagram described one object as being somewhat flat and octagon-shaped, with raised portions on the top and bottom.

The object was described by witnessing officers as 400 feet long and 35 feet from bottom to top, a dull green color with lights in various configurations.

Describing the diagram, one officer stated, "This is what I and several other officers saw. I did not see the back, only the frontal view. The two large lights were bright like landing lights, but solid light blue in color similar to LED. The wing tip lights remained steady. The top and bottom tower lights strobed sporadically. It had three towers on the bottom and two on top. It was bigger than a B1 bomber. It lumbered around town then headed off towards Mineral Wells."

There were many dozens of UFO sightings throughout 2008 in the Erath County area by people who saw things from anomalous lights in the sky to solid objects near the ground. Multiple unusual radar targets were also picked up in the region that year.

Did the UFOs go away, or just become more discreet?

They didn’t seem to know the infrared game camera in Archer City was on, ready to snap their picture – or did they?

O’Hare airport UFO case noted on ‘Colbert Report’ show

2010-08-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle).

The 2006 O’Hare airport UFO incident came up in the Aug. 23, 2010, “Colbert Report” TV show when host Stephen Colbert interviewed journalist Leslie Kean about her new book, UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record.

That incident does seem to be a good example of the many cases when multiple credible witnesses saw something distinctly unique and highly unusual.

The case made headlines back on Jan. 1, 2006, when Chicago Tribune transportation journalist Jon Hilkevitch reported on the Nov. 7, 2006, incident – the sighting by multiple witnesses of a gray, metallic-looking, disc-shaped object hovering over Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Eyewitnesses stated that the disc was "well defined" in the sky and its size was estimated to be 6 feet to 24 feet in diameter. No lights were reported on or from the object.

Additionally, witnesses stated the object was in a stationary position and was silent, Hilkevitch reported. It hovered just below the cloud deck which was estimated to be 1,900 feet on Nov. 7.

MULTIPLE CREDIBLE WITNESSES

According to Hilkevitch’s reporting, the object was first seen by a United Airlines ramp worker at about 4:30 p.m., while directing a United plane at Gate C17. Several other United employees also reportedly witnessed the odd object in the sky.

Hilkevitch also reported that a United mechanic in the cockpit of a Boeing 777 spotted the disc above Gate C17.

A witness was quoted as saying, “ ... I know that what I saw and what a lot of other people saw stood out very clearly, and it definitely was not an aircraft."

When the sighting was broadcast on an internal airline radio frequency, a United manager reportedly ran outside from his office to take a look.

After a few brief minutes, witnesses said the object suddenly shot up and created an odd circular hole in the clouds, through which clear sky was seen.

News accounts at the time reported that at least six people or more saw the object. There was also speculation that many witnesses did not to come forward for various reasons.

Initially, United Airlines and the FAA stated they had no information on the case. Then the Chicago Tribune filed a Freedom of Information Act request and United and FAA officials reportedly found information on eyewitness reports.

In response to the incident, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said, "Our theory on this is that it was a weather phenomenon."

MEDIA COVERAGE

The O’Hare airport incident is only one of many, but it seems to be a significant case due to the number of witnesses, the nature of the object itself, responsible local coverage by a major newspaper and the subsequent coverage by major mainstream media outlets.

Stephen Colbert’s tongue-in-cheek questioning of journalist Kean – as is often the case with Colbert’s kidding of his guests – did reveal some significant facts and viewpoints. In this case, he elicited useful and interesting information from Kean about the UFO phenomena for his audience who may or may not have in-depth knowledge of the subject.

Kean’s new book is being viewed as an important contribution to the large body of research on the UFO subject and has been recommended by respected scientists and researchers.

And good for her that she was willing to face Colbert’s rapid-fire quips that require his guests to be quick-thinking and keep the conversation on a track to get their points across.

The Colbert Report show also deserves credit for venturing into this controversial and sensitive area of research. Through their willingness to have a guest like Kean on the program, they are advancing the public awareness of what is probably a very important phenomenon that we should try to learn more about.

Under Colbert’s questioning, Kean was clear that sightings of unusual objects in the sky – even metallic discs that hover and shoot into the sky – do not prove that we are being visited by extraterrestrials.

What she did not say is that the many sightings like the 2006 O’Hare incident present very strong indications that something along these lines probably is going on.

Prominent journalist not up to speed on UFO situation?

2010-08-21T10:19:00.001-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle).

Journalists who have a reputation as solid investigators with open minds, common sense and constructive viewpoints may show excessive arrogance when it comes to unconventional phenomena such as UFOs, advanced human awareness (extrasensory perception) and other leading-edge areas of research.

A case in point is the Aug. 20, 2010, column by David Corn, posted on PoliticsDaily.com, in his “Deep Background” article titled “Where Are All the UFO Photos?”

Corn is Washington bureau chief of Mother Jones magazine and was The Nation magazine’s Washington editor for twenty years. He has written for many major American newspapers, magazines and online platforms.

He begins his article with a common but reportedly erroneous premise – that no legitimate photos have been taken of anomalous objects in the sky.

Corn wrote, “In recent years, the world has exploded with photographic and video equipment. There are about 5 billion cell phones in circulation throughout the world – many, if not most, equipped with still and/or video cameras.”

“And there are millions, if not billions, of easy-to-use video cameras in circulation, as well as billions of still-picture cameras. Essentially, billions of people are able to snap or otherwise shoot the least bit interesting thing that happens at a moment's notice,” Corn wrote.

“So with all this gear in use, I'm wondering, why has no one captured clear and unambiguous evidence of UFOs from outer space? And why have none of the humans abducted by aliens flipped out their Flip video cameras and shot a minute or two of the historic moment – and later uploaded it to YouTube?” he asks.

More in-depth research by Corn, and by any other interested researchers, would strongly indicate that not only have many credible photos of highly unusual objects in the sky been taken, but other factors that may or may not be in the public domain support theories that highly unusual objects in the sky are real.

PSYCHOLOGICAL DENIAL AND ARROGANCE

Corn is the co-author of Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War. Is he demonstrating his own hubris now – excessive pride or self-confidence, or arrogance?

Or, as a progressive journalist, does he feel a need to be “conservative” on this topic? Is he simply coming across as a know-it-all?

In these questions we get to the psychological aspect of the UFO phenomena and other unconventional scientific topics. Denial and a reluctance to think outside of the box can be a real dilemma for journalists, scientists, defense experts and people in many walks of life.

Yet, it is a common trait that is particularly evident in relation to certain unconventional subjects.

Corn continues in his column with the statement, “As each year goes by in our easy-to-record era with no hard video or photographic proof, we have to ponder the possibility (or probability) that there are no UFOs visiting from out there.”

Again, he disregards the many credible photos that are part of the public record and is not taking into consideration photos not in the public domain, going back to World War II aircraft gun-camera photos of unusual “foo fighters.”

Additionally, non-photographic credible witness testimony, a large amount of solid information and many reasonable investigative indications on the subject of UFOs are apparently not taken into account by Corn.

Has he done his research?

He writes, “One key part of the grand swirl was UFOs: Roswell, Area 51, crop circles, cattle mutilations, men in black, abductions, Chariot of the Gods, and the government cover up of all this. Secret government seemed to be the name of the game. And what could be a bigger secret?”

“But nothing undermines conspiracy theorizing better than reporting. And after reporting in Washington for over two decades, I came to the conclusion that the government is generally not capable of mounting extensive and complex, years-long conspiracies that transcend administrations. The bureaucrats are just not that good, and risk-averse political leaders often don't have the guts to do so,” according to Corn.

EFFECTIVE, ACCURATE JOURNALISM

Corn might want to read the new book by respected journalist Leslie Kean, UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record. The book is recommended and praised by credible scientists, science journalists and others.

Significant comments about the value of Kean’s book come from Michio Kaku, Ph.D., author of Physics of the Impossible; Rudy Schild, Ph.D., Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; Miles O’Brien, former CNN space/science correspondent; Neal Lane, Ph.D., Rice University; former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Don Donderi, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, McGill University (Ret.); John L. Petersen, founder & president of The Arlington Institute; Harold E. Puthoff, Ph.D., director of The Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin.

Also weighing in to compliment Kean’s book are Jean-Claude Ribes, Ph.D., Paris Observatory (Ret.); Stuart Appelle, Ph.D., dean of the School of Science and Mathematics, State University of New York, Brockport; Christopher C. Green MD, Ph.D., Harper University Hospital, Wayne State University School of Medicine; and Mark Rodeghier, Ph.D., scientific director of the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS).

Kean’s thorough professional reporting on this subject far surpasses Corn’s apparent limited mindset on the topic of possible or probable visitation to Earth of other intelligent beings.

If he reads the book, Corn will see that there are many fine details and sensitive elements of the security measures that might have been established around the World War II era to deal with a scenario such as extraterrestrial and/or extra-dimensional visitors to our planet.

If Corn conducts his own more rigorous research using a robust variety of sources and resources, he might shed some of his own hubris and develop a more sophisticated and constructive perspective on this topic.

Psychological denial, ridicule and closed minds are probably not helpful for our human societies on planet Earth.

Now may be the time for further readiness, preparation, acclimation and education for all of us about this significant area of discussion.

It is undoubtedly a complex and sensitive area that has ramifications that could be far-reaching and profound. In fact, the unfolding nature of our understanding about the Universe or multi-verse, and our very consciousness, may be difficult and challenging.

Responsible journalists may want to step up to the plate and exchange denial and hubris for thorough research and greater insight. This is useful not only for journalists themselves, but also for the public who rely on today’s journalism for a legitimate source of information and perspective.

Journalist’s new book, planned movie examine UFO questions

2010-08-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle).

Two new examinations of the UFO situation may provide increased insight and understanding for much larger audiences.

Journalist Leslie Kean’s book UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record goes on sale Aug. 10, 2010, and is being praised as thorough and professional reporting on this mysterious topic.

The planned feature film Majic Men is based on the research and books of physicist Stanton Friedman and investigator Donald R. Schmitt. Producers Don Most and Bryce Zabel are helping lead this project.

Kean’s book and the Majic Men movie, along with an increasing number of responsible, intelligent and fascinating media explorations of the UFO subject, are sure to improve public awareness and expand our perception of the possibilities involved.

By doing so, our readiness and preparedness to deal with certain possible or probable situations of this kind will be enhanced.

CREDIBLE JOURNALISM

Kean has worked as a journalist for major newspapers and has a rich background in investigative journalism. She has had a longstanding interest in the UFO phenomena, having conducted in-depth research on the subject for a decade or more.

As the book title indicates, she focused on interviews with high-level government officials from the U.S. and other countries as well as the American and international aviation community, military and civilian.

She provides more solid facts that further inform us about something real that is going on regarding UFOs.

The apparent secrecy and security surrounding this mysterious topic presented significant challenges even for an experienced investigative journalist like Kean. Human development, scientific advancement, international relations, national security or even planetary security are reported to be possible elements of this puzzling situation.

Her book description notes that, “Throughout, she presents irrefutable evidence that unknown flying objects – metallic, luminous, and seemingly able to maneuver in ways that defy the laws of physics – actually exist.”

Kean’s book has received praise from scientists, scholars, journalists and others.

Well-known physicist and TV science host Michio Kaku, Ph.D., wrote, "At last, a serious and thoughtful book about this controversial subject. Skeptics and true believers will find a treasure trove of insightful and eye opening information. This book is bound to set the gold standard for UFO research."

Another respected physicist, Harold E. “Hal” Puthoff, Ph.D., said, “In these pages we are confronted head-on by the UFO phenomenon as revealed firsthand by highly credible government officials and military aviation experts. Their credibility and integrity cannot be questioned, and their firsthand observations cannot be ignored.”

He also added, “Leslie Kean provides a challenging analysis and she writes with penetrating depth and insight. The revelations in this book constitute a watershed event in lifting the taboo against rational discourse about this controversial subject.” Puthoff is director of The Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin.

John L. Petersen, founder and president of The Arlington Institute also pointed out that, “In an area of study where there aren’t many, this is a serious book. It is credible, clear, and compelling, without any farfetched jumps in logic and assumption. Leslie Kean not only makes the case for, but calls for, a whole new concrete and realistic perspective on UFOs that has more honesty and integrity than any other that I have read. This is a book for anyone with an open mind.”

Christopher C. “Kit” Green, MD, Ph.D., of Harper University Hospital and Ohio’s Wayne State University School of Medicine, also gave the book a thumbs-up. "Leslie Kean’s astonishing book is the finest piece of investigative journalism ever written on this subject. She has an incomparable ability to ‘give voice’ to a constituency of exceptionally qualified and unbiased first-hand observers. They are not from the fringe, not groupies, and not delusional.”

Green noted, “Rather, they are high-level military, intelligence, aerospace, and government officials who speak with authority while providing reports that document actual, physical craft. Kean’s book represents the first important step toward a new U.S. government openness about UFOs. It brings forward a reality otherwise buried for far too long inside official mystery, and elevates the discourse above that of small-minded public discussions."

MOVIE ON INVESTIGATIONS, INVESTIGATORS

The Majic Men film project is based on the lives of Stanton Friedman and Donald R. Schmitt and their years of research into the so-called Roswell incident and circumstances involved in UFOs.

Schmitt and co-author Thomas J. Carey wrote the book Witness to Roswell, released in 2007 with an update in 2009. Friedman’s book Top Secret/MAJIC was published in 1997 and updated in 2005.

The titles of the book and movie reference an alleged secret group formed by U.S. President Harry Truman following the Roswell incident. The group is rumored to have been called Majestic, Majestic-12, MJ-12, Majestic Agency for Joint Intelligence or, simply MAJIC. There have also been indications of a security clearance level called MAJIC.

Stellar Productions, a southern California production company, has acquired rights to the stories of Friedman’s and Schmitt’s investigations.

According to a July 2, 2010 press release, Bryce Zabel, president and writer/producer at Stellar said, "Our film is about two down-to-Earth guys who are chasing a story that is literally out-of-this-world. Both Friedman and Schmitt are underdog American heroes, men who hate being lied to and will bear almost any burden to get at the truth."

The press release also explains that the film will focus on lives of Schmitt and Friedman “as they continue investigations from the late 1970s to our near-present day, revealing how the original UFO secret was handled. What they discover is an intense five-year-period from the Roswell crash of 1947 through the briefing of President Dwight Eisenhower in 1952.”

“The screenplay for Majic Men will be written by Zabel, winner of the 2008 Writers Guild of America award for the Hallmark miniseries, Pandemic,” according to the press release. “He has written feature film scripts for Warner Bros., Universal, Fox, Disney, and New Line.”

“His work in the UFO field includes creating the NBC drama series, Dark Skies (scheduled for DVD release in January 2011), writing and producing the Sci-Fi Channel original film Official Denial, and working on the development team of the Spielberg series, Taken.”

The press release also noted, “The production team's Don Most, although best-known for his work on the popular sitcom Happy Days, is also a long-time activist in the movement to end UFO secrecy. He recently produced and directed two feature films, Last Best Sunday and Moola.”

Most said, "Majic Men is as much about the investigators as it is the investigation. Audiences are going to find both their hearts and their minds opened when they watch it."

“Stellar Productions may partner with another production company or studio to develop the Majic Men project. Additionally, a new non-fiction book, also titled Majic Men, is expected to coincide with the release of any future film,” according to the press release.

For more information, visit the website of Kean’s book and the Majic Men website.

Bigelow Aerospace’s new website enhances view of space efforts

2010-07-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle).

The website of Bigelow Aerospace has been enhanced with a new design and more informative, fascinating features.

BigelowAerospace.com now provides updated information on their "next generation commercial space stations" and the many operational components of the company's past, current and future endeavors.

As the website notes, NASA's Commercial Crew Development program is partnering with a range of private companies to develop the resources to take commercial space travel to the next level in safe, cost-effective and innovative ways.

Bigelow Aerospace is now an integral part of the mix with its expandable space station modules.

The redesigned website provides a comprehensive view of their role in future commercial space activities.

Their relationship with Boeing in the development of the CST-100 capsule is a key part of plans to provide crew and cargo transportation to and from Bigelow's expandable space modules.

A variety of elements involved in Bigelow Aerospace's efforts are explained in the user-friendly and visually exciting new features of BigelowAerospace.com.

Visitors to BigelowAerospace.com will find five main sections at the top of the home page: Station Development, Station Operation, In the News, Company Profile and Careers. Under each of these categories, several subsections provide further fascinating information.

STATION DEVELOPMENT

The Station Development section includes subsections on the history of expandable spacecraft. For readers who think this concept is recent, the website points out the interesting background of the idea.

The website explains that "The concept of utilizing expandable, or, as referred to in the past, 'inflatable' spacecraft and space systems, is not a new idea. The history of inflatable space systems goes back to the very beginning of America' space program." The website traces the history of the expandable space module concept.

The successful launches of Bigelow Aerospace's two prototypes, Genesis I and Genesis II, are also described.

"Launched on July 12, 2006 at the ISC Kosmotras Space and Missile Complex near Yasny, Russia aboard a converted Russian ICBM (the Dnepr), Genesis I became Bigelow Aerospace´s first operational spacecraft and was a tremendous success."

"Genesis II was successfully launched from the Kosmotras Space and Missile Complex ... on June 28, 2007. Like its predecessor, Genesis II is testing and validating the technologies necessary to construct and deploy a full-scale, crewed, commercial orbital space complex. Although externally, Genesis II may look like an exact duplicate of Genesis I, the similarities end there. Genesis II contains numerous systems not flown on its predecessor ..."

And now, the larger and more sophisticated Sundancer and BA 330 modules are in the pipeline.

The website explains that "Bigelow Aerospace's planned first full-scale module is the Sundancer, targeted for launch and orbit in 2014." In addition, "Bigelow Aerospace's first station complex will also include the BA 330 module, which will have almost twice the volume of Sundancer."

Detailed information on the website about Sundancer and the BA 330 include specifics about occupancy, radiation protection, ballistic protection, propulsion, electrical power, avionics, environment control and life support system as well as the windows that will offer amazing views of Earth and space.

STATION OPERATION

Under the website's Station Operation section, readers can learn about the planned construction of orbital complexes, linking several inflatable modules, crew and cargo transportation capsules, and other components.

A video on the website's home page shows how this process would work.

Astronaut training is also explored. "Our space station leases will include training for our clients' designated astronauts. Training will include qualification screening for mental and physical health, acclimation to physical forces including microgravity, operation of space station daily living systems, and mission specific training," the site explains.

Bigelow Aerospace plans for these efforts to be a sound business investment by developing customers who will pay for time in space aboard their stations.

"Bigelow Aerospace's clients will be able to lease the entire station, an entire BA 330 or Sundancer or share space within a module," according to the website.

The site also notes, "We will provide a comprehensive turn-key experience including our clients' transportation and on-orbit needs. Whether you are a sovereign nation developing an astronaut program, a corporation interested in microgravity research, or an individual with a desire to experience space, we can help you achieve your goals."

IN THE NEWS

This section of the website includes recent announcements, print articles and interviews, as well as video interviews from a wide range of national and international media outlets.

More than 300 media articles are listed and linked. These provide a comprehensive overview of media focus and public attention about Bigelow Aerospace's projects.

Recent interviews with Bigelow Aerospace representative Michael Gold bring readers up to date on the latest developments and plans.

Photos in this section include a view of the plant floor where the modules are being constructed. Website visitors can also see a model of the concept of a moon base using Bigelow Aerospace modules.

Quoting from a New York Times article, this section also points out, "Mr. Bigelow has spent about $180 million of his own money so far and has said he is willing to spend up to $320 million more. An expansion of the factory will double the amount of floor space as the company begins the transition from research and development to production."

COMPANY PROFILE

This section of the new website provides a robust overview of Bigelow Aerospace, its activities, vision and the background of founder and President Robert T. Bigelow.

The website states, "With over ten years of research and development, we are dedicated to providing affordable options for spaceflight to national space agencies and corporate clients. In 2006 and 2007, we launched our orbiting prototypes Genesis I and Genesis II, and we are currently working on new-generation spacecraft."

"Using our patented expandable habitats, our plan is to greatly exceed the usable space of the International Space Station at a fraction of the cost."

"Bigelow Aerospace's founder and President, Robert T. Bigelow, is a Las Vegas native who for nearly forty years has operated as a general contractor and developer in the Southwestern United States. Mr. Bigelow's primary activities have been in real estate development, as well as banking and finance," the website says.

"Mr. Bigelow created Bigelow Aerospace with the express purpose of revolutionizing space commerce via the development of affordable, reliable, and robust expandable space habitats."

This section of the website also contains interesting details about the Bigelow Aerospace plant. "Soon after beginning operations, Bigelow Aerospace purchased a 50 acre plot of land in North Las Vegas, Nevada, and initiated construction on a world-class aerospace center."

"Today, Bigelow Aerospace's headquarters contains its primary manufacturing, fabrication, and testing facilities, along with its mission control room, a ground station for communicating with spacecraft, a neutral buoyancy tank where structures have been tested to destruction, and high-bays."

"With a new 265,000 sq. ft. addition now underway, total building size of this facility will be 425,000 sq. ft."

MISSION CONTROL

Readers will want to check out the subsection on the Mission Control Center. "The Bigelow Aerospace Mission Control Center in North Las Vegas, Nevada, monitors and operates the company's spacecraft currently in orbit and will control Bigelow Aerospace's future space facilities."

"Mission controllers sit at various multi-monitor consoles below two large video walls that show telemetry, spacecraft position, orbital pass times and photos returned from the spacecraft," the website notes.

"Data and imagery are transmitted into Mission Control from the two Bigelow Aerospace spacecraft currently orbiting the Earth – Genesis I and Genesis II."

"Communications take place when either spacecraft makes a 'pass´'over any of Bigelow Aerospace's four ground stations – positioned strategically around North America – in Na'alehu, Hawaii, North Pole, Alaska, North Las Vegas, Nevada, and the former site of Loring Air Force Base near Limestone, Maine."

The website also explains that "Unlike NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, Bigelow Aerospace's Mission Control consists of a small team of engineers with various backgrounds that are each responsible for the broad operation of all systems on each vehicle."

"Each controller is responsible for vehicle command and control, data acquisition, vision/imagery operations, ground station operations, and the development and testing of future Bigelow Aerospace modules, among other duties."

"The Bigelow Aerospace Mission Control Center may be manned at any given time, 24 hours a day, based on the window of time that each spacecraft's orbit brings it within sight of any of the four ground stations."

"As Bigelow Aerospace progresses from operating the unmanned prototype Genesis spacecraft to larger, manned space facilities, Mission Control will transition and grow to include system specific operators providing around-the-clock on-console support."

For professionals with experience and training in areas related to Bigelow Aerospace's activities, the list of job openings and online application are also available on the new website. Bigelow Aerospace's sister company, Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies, is also looking for qualified individuals.

Readers interested in space exploration, commercial space travel and the increasing partnerships between the federal government and commercial space businesses will find BigelowAerospace.com a source of useful information and insight.

UFOs, extraterrestrials, edge science topics explored on updated website

2010-07-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle).

A longstanding website that explores unconventional and leading-edge phenomena was recently redesigned and updated.

UFODigest.com, based in Ontario, Canada, launched its new version in an effort to continue to present “in-depth and quality research and resources on the UFO phenomenon,” the site notes.

“This website aims to raise awareness about the UFO phenomenon, and to show the extent of serious, quality and scientific information and evidence available on the subject.”

Editors Dirk Vander Ploeg and Robert Morningstar have been working hard to launch the new website and have a message for readers: “Welcome to the brand new UFO Digest! We are really proud of this version and hope that the extra features we have added will have you coming back to us daily.”

“This site is designed for your ease of use. UFO Digest is now a community of authors, readers, writers, photographers and videographers. A place where you can share your ideas, thoughts, criticism and submissions with others sharing your enthusiasm for UFOs and the paranormal. We have added a new forum, to go along with our comments, polls and our ever popular newsletter."

FASCINATING TOPICS

But UFO Digest does not simply examine the UFO subject. Other categories of forward-leaning studies include the Bermuda Triangle, climate change, conspiracies, crop circles, cryptozoology, the Da Vinci Code, ghosts, hollow Earth theory and the Holy Grail.

Additional topics include lost civilizations, Mars, space, time travel and the broad category of paranormal. Subcategories linked to the UFO phenomena include alien abduction and cattle mutilations. The website also presents book and movie reviews.

UFO Digest has recruited researchers and writers with interests and backgrounds in these subjects to contribute articles that are of interest to readers.

And, readers are interested. According to UFO Digest, “We have steadily increased our readership and currently receive over 4.0 million page views annually, which are tracked and verified as accurate by AddWebStats, a third-party provider.”

Professional and paraprofessional writers are wanted as contributors. According to the website, “The UFO Digest online magazine is offering writing opportunities with UFO Digest throughout the United States, Canada, England and the world. Contact us at publisher@ufodigest.com and let us know you want to regularly publish your work with us, or tell a friend.”

UFO Digest notes that “These are unpaid, yet rewarding opportunities. Writers may regularly submit their work on a variety of subjects. Authors retain the copyright of their work and may publish the identical article elsewhere if desired.”

NEW MEDIA

The updated UFO Digest is another example of expanding types of new online media that are filling a void in so-called mainstream media.

Edge-science subjects that many conventional media outlets don’t cover, or don’t cover adequately, can be explored on websites like UFO Digest. In addition, the new feature allowing comments and discussion makes for a comprehensive experience of give and take for readers.

The new UFO Digest is continuing its improvements and evolution as the launch of the updated site goes forward.

And, the site is up to date on current aspects of online information, including security. The site explains, “We are very conscious of your right to privacy regarding the information you supply to UFO Digest. At UFO Digest, our policy is to use the information you supplied to us only to better serve you. We are not going to sell your information to people who want to send you junk mail. We have adopted a comprehensive set of security measures to ensure that your personal, business and financial information is protected at all times.”

So, enjoy the interesting, educational, thought-provoking and sometimes amazing information on UFODigest.com – “UFO and paranormal news from around the world.”

What would public readiness officer say on UFOs, extraterrestrials, edge science?

2010-05-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Amid the research into alleged UFOs, extraterrestrial visitation, unusual intelligences, weird physics, expanded human consciousness, other dimensions and similar kinds of edge-science topics, there is also the element of public acclimation or public preparedness.

Some researchers have indicated that certain individuals and groups may have been working for several decades to gradually get us ready to face some of these interesting and surprising developments.

The public acclimation agents and activities might have discreetly worked with moviemakers, writers, journalists, others in the media as well as those researchers looking into unconventional science subjects.

At least that is one line of thought.

Are certain areas of our defense, intelligence, scientific, media and other communities involved in this?

If so, what might such a public readiness officer say to us?

BIGGER PICTURE

He or she might tell us that there are several areas of discovery that are complex and sensitive. These developments could change the way we look at ourselves, life, the Earth and the Universe.

We might be told that gradual and safe public education and orientation about discoveries in human consciousness – such as those of Project STAR GATE – will benefit the human race.

Even though Project STAR GATE was top secret for many years, information about it is now widely available and awareness about the implications is steadily growing.

A public acclimation advisor could explain that enhanced human perception might be helpful in dealing with extraterrestrial and/or extra-dimensional visitors, as well as other intelligences that may be around us, but are hidden or semi-hidden.

Some of these intelligences could be angels or unusual creatures of some kind that can move in and out of different dimensions that exist in a multi-verse around us and within us. They can move through the mysterious veils, boundaries or portals, and can be both seen and unseen, our readiness officer might tell us.

And, we might be cautioned that, though many intelligences and forces are good, some may be problematic or even dangerous. Some might also simply be wild and free creatures that are unpredictable.

In short, there are several kinds of emerging developments that may or may not be connected in clear ways. Our readiness agent might explain that all the answers and all the puzzle pieces are not fully understood, though they and we are trying to gather more information and get a better understanding of the bigger picture.

That bigger picture could include a much larger and more comprehensive intelligence, force or plan. And the coincidences and synchronicities we sometimes experience can have meaning that we don’t understand at the time, according to the hypothetical preparedness advisor.

There are many mysteries. And even though we try to understand them to the best of our ability, maybe it is supposed to remain an ongoing mystery. Maybe it is supposed to be that way, we might be told.

PARADIGM SHIFT

The American and international public will continue on their learning curve about these leading-edge subjects, the officer tells us.

Educational institutions, media platforms, scientific activities, governmental groups and average people will continue on a path of greater understanding and will apply this understanding in positive ways. However, there could be some challenging elements as well, according to the readiness advisor.

Eventually, there will most likely be a tipping point or paradigm shift when we experience a more comprehensive changed awareness. Then, things will become a bit more clear, the officer says.

Our acclimation agent might hint to us that the picture might become a lot more clear and something quite interesting and positive could occur.

But what? We aren’t quite sure, the acclimation advisor tells us. It’s somewhat out of our hands. We just have to do our best and be prepared. There are larger forces at work.

Our research, intelligence and reconnaissance have picked up a lot of information and indications. But, it’s difficult to identify the exact path that emerging developments might take, the advisor tells us.

We can just do what we can do, and try to improve our understanding and make the best choices we know how to make. We public acclimation officers can’t hold your hand – each human being, family, organization, community, tribe and nation must take responsibility to open their minds, learn, develop, be honorable and compassionate, do the right things and move forward.

The preparedness officer might ask us if we have any further questions. Only about a million.

Journalism’s dilemma – covering weird science, UFOs, extraterrestrials

2010-05-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Today’s journalists, whether they are working in print media, online platforms or both, face new challenges and opportunities.

More and more people are realizing that some of the most important issues of the day are what could be called unconventional science or unusual emerging developments.

A large and growing awareness in the national and international public about leading-edge and forward-leaning research and discovery is changing the views of serious professional journalists.

Editors may often want to avoid these more unconventional topics, preferring the standard coverage of current events that are somewhat more tangible and accepted.

However, some journalists are willing to take a look at unusual topics as well as the psychology of society and the field of journalism in relation to them.

SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS

A May 17, 2010, “editor’s blog” by Christian Science Monitor editor John Yemma was titled “Skeptical about skepticism.” Yemma pointed out that “a true skeptic questions even conventional wisdom.”

“Journalists are professional doubters,” Yemma wrote.

Whether the topic is UFOs and extraterrestrials, tales of odd creatures like Sasquatch, crop circles, ESP or other subjects, Yemma points out that excessive negativity can be a form of denial about unusual or uncomfortable possible truths.

He noted, “And that’s where we have a problem in rational discourse today. Writing in a recent issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Carlin Romano made a distinction between today’s ‘science warriors’ and the real ‘philosophers of science.’”

“The former take an absolutist approach to science, skewering everything from the Loch Ness monster to conventional religious beliefs as ignorance,” according to Yemma.

“Philosophers of science, however, understand science to be a set of beliefs and knowledge that at times can be turned on its head, a recurring process that Thomas Kuhn described in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions,” Yemma said.

CHANGED CLIMATE

In recent decades, anomalous phenomena had not received the more robust scientific and journalistic attention that we see emerging today. So, past journalists can perhaps be excused from their failure to adequately cover these subjects.

In addition, certain security procedures and activities might have actively discouraged investigative journalists who delved into topics like UFOs and extraterrestrials. This may have been an area of national security that was best left alone.

But that was then.

Today, the climate seems to have changed and is continually changing.

Now, it might be more important to inform the public about unconventional phenomena than to keep those subjects quiet under a blanket of secrecy and ridicule.

It seems that maybe journalism must shift gears and take a vigorous and reasonable look at the fascinating discoveries being made about human consciousness, extraterrestrial visitation, “weird physics” and similar kinds of topics.

If journalists do not do this, they risk losing more credibility and being left behind by not only the public, but by the facts on the ground in a changing reality.

UFOs, extraterrestrials invade 1800s Arizona in new movie ‘Cowboys and Aliens’

2010-05-15T09:37:00.001-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

While the people of a small Arizona Territory town in 1873 are busy battling regional Apaches, hostile extraterrestrials attack and unite the warring humans in the movie project Cowboys and Aliens.

Will the foreign invaders try to push the humans off their land using advanced technology and weapons? Do the extraterrestrials regard the Earthlings as primitive savages?

Maybe the humans have a higher consciousness and are better prepared to fight this unconventional conflict than the aliens expect.

Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde are among the cast members who will push back against the hostile ETs.

Universal Pictures, DreamWorks and Imagine Entertainment will reportedly begin shooting in Arizona’s neighboring New Mexico in June or July and casting calls for extras have already been announced. Cowboys and Aliens is planned for release in summer 2011.

Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard are two of the many moviemaking and creative development pros involved. Jon Favreau will direct.

Other members of the writing and creative team include Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus, Alex Kurtzman, Robert Orci, Hawk Ostby, Brian Grazer, Alex Kurtzman Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, Bobby Cohen and Denis L. Stewart.

INVASION OF AMERICA

Discussions about the possibility of visitation to Earth by extraterrestrials or other unusual intelligences, including the story in Cowboys and Aliens, often note the impacts on Native American Indian tribes when Europeans landed in “The New World.”

Using high-technology weapons and what we might now call psychological warfare, Europeans dominated Indian tribes militarily and obtained nearly all of the lands the indigenous people had lived on.

Biological warfare also played a part, both intentionally and inadvertently, as Indians were wiped out by European diseases.

Some tribes, notably the Cherokee in the 1700s Appalachian Mountain region, intermarried with English, Scottish and other Europeans to a degree, and assimilated into the new dominant culture.

Still, their lands were taken from them and their way of life was changed forever.

A century later in the mid-1800s southwest, where Cowboys and Aliens takes place, a similar story played out as Apaches, Navajos, Utes and many other tribes were militarily defeated and the lands they lived on taken by the waves of strange invaders.

Today, Arizona and New Mexico are both home to large Native American Indian populations descended from ancient people who lived in the region for many thousands of years. Some of these tribes also have longstanding legends of star people and intelligent beings who are not humans.

These tales are not only historical accounts. There are also current and ongoing reports of anomalous beings, UFOs and other mysterious situations on Indian lands, including in Arizona and New Mexico.

STORY OF CURRENT SITUATON

These alleged incidents and experiences are in many ways consistent with continued indications about the possibility that Earth is currently being visited by extraterrestrial and/or some other kinds of intelligent beings.

Tales of the 1947 crash of a spacecraft near Roswell, New Mexico, still fascinate the public. These kinds of stories also form a basis for other claims that the U.S. government, military and intelligence services have been dealing with such a situation ever since.

In fact, Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) is rumored to be partially based on a real-life U.S. operation referred to as Project SERPO that sent a team of U.S. personnel with friendly aliens to their home planet aboard their spacecraft.

A claim that human-looking extraterrestrials are among us was also the theme of a recent story about the alleged Operation TANGO-SIERRA, a U.S. intelligence effort that investigated and captured such an ET.

Also in recent weeks, a new emphasis on these kinds of issues emerged in the mainstream media as prominent scientists openly discussed possible impacts of human contact with extraterrestrial or anomalous life forms.

Cowboys and Aliens might also help us think about the many elements of such a scenario, not only in the present day or even in the 1800s, but also in the more distant history of American Indians and the human race as a whole.

In the movie, the townspeople and Apaches work together, adapt their minds to a rapidly-changing reality and develop new methods to deal with it.

This sounds a lot like “transcendent warfare,” a term used by a Navy SEAL officer in a research paper about the U.S. government activities involving human consciousness and perception known as Project STAR GATE.

Cowboys and Aliens has the potential to take audiences to an exciting exploration about these many elements of human and American history, accounts of real extraterrestrial contact with Earth and how we might deal with different types of strange visitors who could be friendly, hostile or some mix of both.

Arizona: Land of beauty, mystery, UFOs and extraterrestrial visitors

2010-05-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Although Arizona has been in the news for the recent actions by the state legislature and governor, the state also is known for its other alien visitors – and these are not from Mexico.

Arizona is home to an interesting array of locations and incidents associated with leading-edge scientific developments and even highly unusual incidents.

For example, the March 13, 1997, so-called “Phoenix lights” case was clearly one of the most significant UFO sightings in recent decades. One or more large unusual flying objects were reportedly witnessed by hundreds, or maybe thousands, of Phoenix-area and Arizona residents that evening.

Theories about that night include views that the sightings were of U.S. advanced aircraft or that witnesses mistook a group of conventional planes for one large object.

Other opinions involve the idea that the incident was a U.S. “psychological operation (PSYOP)” of some kind. And, of course, one view is that it was an extraterrestrial craft.

This past April, a reliable witness reported the sighting of large U-shaped or V-shaped UFO near Lake Pleasant, at the far northwest edge of the metro Phoenix region.

The object had flashing red, yellow, blue and green lights and zipped around the sky briefly west of the I-17 freeway near the turn-off of the Carefree highway, the road to the towns of Cave Creek and Carefree on the far northern side of Phoenix, according to the witness.

Former U.S. senator from Arizona Barry Goldwater, who was also an Air Force reserve major general, famously inquired up the chain of command about UFOs and extraterrestrials, but said he was strongly told to back off from the topic.

Some researchers also say smaller unusual globes of light are often seen flying around the metro Phoenix “Valley of the Sun” area.

But the Phoenix lights case and other reports of unidentified flying objects are not the only aspects of Arizona related to forward-leaning scientific investigations of the unknown.

LEADING-EDGE SCIENCE

At both Arizona State University in Tempe and the University of Arizona in Tucson, scientific activities involving the U.S. space program have reportedly been key to the success of several U.S. space projects, including the search for extraterrestrial life.

Additional advanced programs in various other fields are also leading the way.

These include the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at ASU which explores a wide range of scientific disciplines. The center calls itself “a pioneering center devoted to tackling foundational questions of science and philosophy.”

In addition, the U of A’s Veritas Research Program is looking at consciousness and life after death. The interesting investigations there are changing how we look at human consciousness and the nature of reality.

The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at U of A is headed by well-known physician and professor at U of A’s respected medical school, Andrew Weil, M.D. This center is providing valuable leadership in reshaping and improving wellness, disease prevention and health care.

Several major observatories are also located in southern Arizona’s majestic Sonoran Desert. Here, leading astrophysicists and other scientists are making significant progress in knowledge about the Universe and Earth’s place in it.

These and other activities in the Sonoran Desert region of Arizona are fascinating and leading to progress in the sciences and the human condition for people throughout America and around the world.

The many Native American Indian communities throughout Arizona are also contributing to cultural awareness and expanded views and perspectives about history, philosophy and Nature.

Their traditions and ancient knowledge are now apparently blending in many ways with modern scientific understanding. And, some of their legends seem to reflect unusual happenings going on now.

UNIQUE, DIVERSE, BEAUTIFUL, MYSTERIOUS

In the central Arizona mountain region, Sedona is internationally known as a physically beautiful and mystical place that could involve unknown energies.

The amazing red rock mountains and outcroppings of the area are truly breathtaking. Visitors from around the country and around the globe travel to Sedona to see and feel this magical beauty.

Have unconventional or anomalous incidents also occurred in the Sedona region? You bet, say some of the locals. Ancient Native American Indians of the region reportedly considered it a special and sacred place.

Today, visitors hike the many trails, take adventurous jeep tours, enjoy the Western art galleries and relax in the local inns and resorts. Some even find that the alleged metaphysical and spiritual energies in Sedona help them gain new perspectives.

In northeastern Arizona, the “Four Corners” area is home to the Navajo and Hopi nations, as well as Monument Valley. This region is not only rich in history, culture and unique beauty, there have also been reports of unusual happenings that are not fully understood by modern science.

The spirit of creativity is also alive and well in the state. Arizona has been a location for movie-making since the 1920s. The diverse landscape offers deserts, mountains and forests for filmmakers.

From the 1930s to the ‘50s director John Ford returned to Arizona many times to make his memorable westerns. Over the decades, dozens of western-themed films were shot in the state, and this trend continues.

However, Arizona also has a film connection to space and other worlds. It was also a shooting location for the portrayal of another planet in Return of the Jedi (1982). Starman (1983) was shot in Arizona and included a climactic scene at the famous meteor crater east of Flagstaff.

A wide variety of movies telling stories about different lands and many kinds of people have been filmed or partially filmed in Arizona.

Today, creative media professionals, many living in Arizona, are continuing to develop innovative films, TV shows and other projects that tap into the natural beauty and special energy of Arizona.

Despite current controversies in the news, Arizona’s true nature is deeper and different than today’s headlines.

At a more fundamental level, the region is a place of mystery and beauty, enjoyed by human beings – and maybe visitors from elsewhere, too.

Intelligence officials may have unique approaches for UFOs, ETs

2010-05-12T09:22:00.001-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

If extraterrestrial and/or extra-dimensional beings, or other intelligences, are visiting Earth as some researchers suspect, are we approaching the situation in the best way?

This discussion has been in the news recently due to the comments of physicists Stephen Hawking and Paul Davies as well as other emerging developments.

In his book Messengers of Deception, researcher Jacques Vallee describes his interaction with a person he calls “Major Murphy.”

“Then he posed a question that, obvious as it seems, had not really occurred to me: ‘What makes you think UFOs are a scientific problem?’” wrote Vallee.

Vallee explained, “Now, the UFO phenomenon could be controlled by alien beings.” To this, Major Murphy responded, “If it is, then the study of it doesn’t belong in science. It belongs in intelligence.”

“Meaning counterespionage,” Vallee noted. “And that, he pointed out, was his domain.”

Murphy told Vallee, “Now, in the field of counterespionage, the rules are completely different.”

Murphy also advised Vallee “ ... you should look for the irrational, the bizarre, the elements that do not fit ... Have you ever felt you were getting close to something that didn’t seem to fit any rational pattern, yet gave you the strong impression that it was significant?”

TRANSCENDENT INTELLIGENCE

Does Vallee’s mysterious source Major Murphy have a point?

Is the conventional scientific approach used by humans in our current stage of understanding the only or best way to deal with the question of possible anomalous visitation to Earth and contact with humans?

We might consider the same question when pondering other interesting phenomena. What about life after death and the alleged dimension we call the afterlife? How about extrasensory perception (ESP) of various kinds?

There may be several complementary paths that can be used to explore these and other fascinating topics. The conventional scientific approach has an important role. First-hand experiences and intuitive perception about certain phenomena might also be helpful.

And, as Major Murphy told Vallee, the intelligence and counterintelligence concepts and methods might also be valuable and useful.

The integration of these different ways of perceiving current situations might lead to a synergy or transcendent perspective and understanding.

Maybe this is part of what has been termed “transcendent warfare.” The phrase was used by a Navy SEAL officer for a research paper about the U.S. defense and intelligence program on advanced human perception, Project STAR GATE.

The follow-on concept of “transcendent power” is meant to be one that is complementary to and synergistic with the military, diplomatic and persuasive elements called “hard power,” “soft power” and “smart power.”

Major Murphy might have even been referring to something we could call “transcendent intelligence and counterintelligence.”

ADVANCED UNCONVENTIONAL OSINT

Just as average people from many walks of life try to become familiar with scientific developments, current events and contemporary issues of various kinds, our exposure to intelligence concepts might also be helpful.

In fact, “open source intelligence (OSINT)” is simply the information out there in the media, the Web, books, movies, TV shows and elsewhere that we can access and interpret.

In this sense, all people can become agents of transcendent intelligence.

This perspective about the grassroots awareness and empowerment of average human beings might also create increased synergy that can contribute to progress in many areas of human development.

When it comes to normal current events as well as unconventional topics such as UFOs, ETs, ESP, life after death and angels, a higher intelligence and many other mysteries of Nature and the Universe, we probably all have potential access to greater understanding.

We might even consider that OSINT, though it typically refers to gathering open information from conventional sources, might also have leading-edge aspects related to unusual or alternative acquisition of knowledge and understanding.

That is, greater perception by average people at the grassroots can include normal information gathering and more forward-leaning methods, such as intuition and advanced perception that have been identified by U.S. intelligence and defense programs such as Project STAR GATE.

By exploring these kinds of transcendent intelligence, it is possible that we can learn more about the many mysteries that seem to hold the potential for important discoveries.

Awareness grows about extraterrestrials, consciousness, emerging mysteries

2010-05-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Researchers, journalists and others seem to be re-evaluating reports about unconventional U.S. defense and intelligence activities regarding contact and interaction with extraterrestrial life.

The “situation awareness” about possible visitation to Earth by extraterrestrials, as well as other emerging scientific understanding about many phenomena, appears to be steadily improving.

The nature of time and space, advanced research in human consciousness and the nature of apparent mysterious intelligences in the Universe or “multi-verse” are just a few of the key areas in leading-edge and forward-leaning investigations.

There are specific areas of interest and study as well as broad themes and indications that probably are worth paying significant attention to.

There are misconceptions as well as misinformation about some anomalous and mysterious phenomena. And, there are many areas of importance that we just don’t fully understand, according to some researchers.

RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION

To address, respond to and enhance increasing interest in various kinds of edge-science developments, new education, communication and information platforms are coming forward.

For example, Open Minds Production in Tempe, Arizona, provides online news, radio, TV and related resources about certain unconventional areas of study. Their Open Minds magazine also explores extraterrestrial contacts, UFO research and other fascinating topics.

Interestingly, Tempe is also home to Arizona State University’s Beyond Center for Fundamental Research, led by Dr. Paul Davies, author of the book The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. The Beyond Center, staffed by ASU professors from diverse fields, is investigating and discussing a wide and deep range of emerging scientific knowledge.

The new magazine EdgeScience, associated with the Society for Scientific Exploration, recently published its third edition. This publication also looks at forward-leaning views and research in a variety of scientific fields.

And, information continues to surface about the U.S. defense and intelligence communities’ research into human consciousness, extrasensory perception and remote viewing.

Usually referred to by the final code name known to the public, Project STAR GATE, these research and operational intelligence activities provided tremendous new understanding about the potential of human perception and awareness.

Through these and other efforts, there appears to be increasing awareness that there is much to be learned and understood about unknowns and mysteries in Nature around us and within us.

SECRET GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS

The recent attention paid to an account of the alleged U.S. investigation, apprehension, interrogation and “deportation” of a human-looking extraterrestrial reflects changing perspectives on such possible situations.

Referred to as “Operation TANGO-SIERRA” in recent online accounts, in 1980 U.S. defense and intelligence agents reportedly intervened in the ongoing contact between the extraterrestrial and a federal employee that had begun in 1977.

The initial source for this report is allegedly one of a handful of current and former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officials who for the last several years have been releasing information about U.S. government activities involving extraterrestrial contact.

The DIA source put a researcher and educator, Victor Martinez, in touch with another source from an unnamed government agency. Martinez then passed the report on via e-mail to a large list of researchers, current and former government officials, and others.

These same current or former DIA officials had reportedly followed similar procedures leading up to the release of information in late 2005 about an exchange program between the U.S. and a friendly extraterrestrial race of beings.

The program, which reportedly began in the early 1960s, sent 12 carefully selected and trained U.S. military personnel to the home planet of these extraterrestrials for a planned ten-year stay.

The effort, referred to in the releases as “Project SERPO,” may have been the basis for part of Steven Spielberg’s 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Are reports about Operation TANGO-SIERRA and Project SERPO entirely true? Are they partially accurate mixed with inaccurate information? This is obviously difficult to determine. It is possible that there are truths “between the lines,” though the details might be altered or even untrue.

The broad concepts about UFOs, extraterrestrial visitation and U.S. government engagement in the situation may, though, be truthful. What general messages can be taken from these two accounts?

It seems that some of the main themes are: ETs and possibly other anomalous intelligences are here on Earth, certain U.S. government elements have been actively involved for quite a while and the situation is complex, sensitive and challenging.

In addition, the wider public may have a “need to know” through a gradual, safe and steady process of information, communication, education and acclimation.

For more information, visit Open Minds Production at OpenMinds.tv, the Arizona State University Beyond Center and the first three editions of EdgeScience magazine on the Web site of the Society for Scientific Exploration.

Extraterrestrials in the news, and maybe in America

2010-05-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on AmericanChronicle.com.)

Recent news and related accounts such as those described in the online article “Human-looking ETs secretly in U.S.?” seem to have resonated with many people.

Factors involved in the apparent large amount of interest probably include statements by astrophysicist Stephen Hawking on the potential hazards of contacting extraterrestrials.

His comments in a Discovery Channel documentary program have been covered by many journalists and media platforms.

Recent news articles about the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program have also probably provided synergy regarding interest in this topic.

And, NASA recently held an open teleconference on astrobiology, the science of the search for extraterrestrial life. NASA has several projects on the drawing board to expand the search for extraterrestrial life.

Additionally, other scientists, experts and interested people have weighed in on this fascinating topic.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND PREPAREDNESS

Is the apparent convergence of these and other current events some kind of “synchronicity” – seeming coincidences that actually have connections, meaning and intelligence? This possibility might be worth considering.

There might also be an education or preparedness plan of sorts in the works.

Many individuals and groups are interested in greater understanding and the availability of information about the possibility or probability that we have been visited by extraterrestrial and/or extra-dimensional intelligent beings, cultures and civilizations.

Bringing more appropriate information on these kinds of topics into the public media and public consciousness may have some benefits, and some drawbacks.

Anxiety or concerns about extraterrestrial visitors, famously evidenced in the 1930 “War of the Worlds” radio show that caused widespread panic in the U.S., are and should be a legitimate concern.

As noted in the 1992 firefighter training manual Fire Officer's Guide to Disaster Control, psychological impacts of UFOs and related phenomena are a major hazard involved in public safety.

The authors of Fire Officer's Guide to Disaster Control point out that “one of the reasons often cited for the tight secrecy on government UFO research findings is the need to prevent the possible panic that a revelation of the truth might arouse.”

Additionally, the Fire Officer's Guide states that secrecy seems to cut both ways. “One reason given is that military intelligence may view the UFOs as a tool of either a known or unknown potential enemy. If these vehicles prove evasive and surreptitious, all the more reason to suspect them ... the probability looms large that the minds behind these vehicles may well be gathering intelligence of their own."

“Another reason for secrecy may lie in the hope of obtaining knowledge relating to advanced propulsion methods and anti-gravity systems before other potential enemies on Earth may acquire it. Hence, though many nations are secretly investigating UFOs, they are reluctant to share their findings,” according to the Fire Officer's Guide.

The authors also point out that “ … if the apparent visits by alien beings and their space vehicles should pose any type of threat, it will, as always, be the fire service that is called upon to provide the first line of life-saving defense and disaster mitigation.”

CODES, COMMUNICATION, CONTACT

In an April 30, 2010, article titled “Stephen Hawking alien warning: Could we talk to them?” on the Christian Science Monitor Web site, CSM staff writer Peter Grier tells readers that a respected cryptologist at the U.S. National Security Agency wrote an unclassified paper decades ago about developing communication methods for contact with extraterrestrials.

NSA cryptologist Lambros Callimahos “developed and taught the NSA’s most intensive senior cryptology course,” according to the article.

Callimahos' paper, “Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence,” proposed communications concepts and methods that could be used.

“Fascinated from childhood by both music and codes, he volunteered for cryptology during World War II, and eventually developed and taught the NSA’s most intensive senior cryptology course,” Grier noted in his article. “He died in 1977 and was inducted into NSA’s Hall of Honor in 2003.”

Grier’s article also explained that Callimahos apparently had a positive view of human contact with a superior extraterrestrial intelligence. “Like Hawking, Mr. Callimahos assumed that any aliens who contact Earth probably will be our technological betters.”

“Unlike Hawking, Callimahos thought this would be great,” Grier wrote. Callimahos reportedly noted “the enormous potential gain from our contact with a superior civilization” in a 1966 article he wrote for the NSA Technical Journal.

In sync with Grier’s enlightening information about Callimahos’ formal interest in this topic going back at least to the 1960s, other accounts of U.S. government interest and activities regarding possible ET contact also claim that much work has been discreetly conducted in these kinds of areas.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS

One of the most interesting reports is the claim that Steven Spielberg’s 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind actually was based on a true U.S. operation in the portrayal of a secret, special 12-person U.S. team in a planned rendezvous with ETs on U.S. soil.

According to information that has been catalogued on the Web site Serpo.org, in the early 1960s, after many years of preparation following the Roswell incident and other related situations, certain U.S. military personnel were screened and trained for a planned 10-year exchange program.

They reportedly went to the home planet of apparently friendly extraterrestrial representatives.

As in the Close Encounters movie, the operation allegedly did proceed, and at a landing of the ETs’ spacecraft within the U.S., the 12-person team boarded with years’ worth of supplies and equipment for the extended mission.

The Project SERPO accounts are claimed to be accurate, at least in the broad sense and with regard to the core story. Information about the program was reportedly released for the public by current and former officials of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. However, the accuracy of these reports has also been questioned.

Now, there are similarly-based reports of a U.S. intelligence operation that investigated and apprehended a human-looking male ET who was conducting some kind of activities involving a female federal employee.

The alleged Operation TANGO-SIERRA carried out by U.S. intelligence community personnel reportedly came to the attention of then-president Jimmy Carter, according to the recently-released information.

Can troops find hidden bombs with sixth sense?

2010-03-27T16:33:00.001-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on the American Chronicle and Joint Recon Study Group sites.)

Recent research has determined that some U.S. military personnel are better than others in the ability to detect hidden improvised explosive devices (IEDs). But why?

According to a U.S. Army research project, troops raised in rural and forested areas seemed to be better at it. Troops who grew up in tough urban areas also seem to excel in this kind of perception.

The common denominator is “situational awareness (SA)” that is key to hunting and being aware in the natural environment as well as in dangerous neighborhoods where people can become a victim of violence or other crime.

But what other important factors might be in play? And how might the understanding of human perception and consciousness benefit all of us?

In the first issue of the fascinating new magazine EdgeScience (October 2009 edition), editor Patrick Huyghe’s article “Straight from the Gut” explored the two-year Army study on perception led by researcher and psychologist Steven Burnett. Huyghe also took a look at some of the media coverage on the study.

In addition, he notes the work of other well-known researchers on human consciousness who propose that other interesting elements may affect troops’ abilities to perceive IEDs.

These theories, backed up by significant research, note that hunches, intuition and gut feelings might be linked to the acquisition of information through human consciousness in ways we do not fully understand.

The conscious perception that something is going on that we need to be aware of might be related to factors other than clues in the physical environment that troops and all of us process consciously and unconsciously.

In some cases, another kind of perception may kick in. These may be split-second premonitions or what has been called “presentiment.” Troops and all humans (and maybe many animals) can use perceptual abilities and resources that have sometimes been called “anomalous cognition” of various types.

The recognition of danger, linked directly to personal and group survival, is a fundamental priority of human consciousness. As part of this perceptual priority, do we have a “sixth sense” that supplements and assists our other five senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste?

MEDIA COVERAGE

In Huyghe’s EdgeScience magazine piece, he examined the New York Times article on the Army study by Benedict Carey who Huyghe described as an "experienced science writer hired by the Times in 2004 to cover human behavior and psychology.” The headline of Carey’s July 27, 2009, article was “In Battle, Hunches Prove to be Valuable.”

In Carey’s article, he notes, “The United States military has spent billions on hardware, like signal jamming technology, to detect and destroy” IEDs. He also explains that IEDs “have proved to be the greatest threat in Iraq and now in Afghanistan.”

“Still, high-tech gear, while helping to reduce casualties, remains a mere supplement to the most sensitive detection system of all – the human brain. Troops on the ground, using only their senses and experience, are responsible for foiling many IED attacks,” Carey wrote.

Carey also pointed out, “Everyone has hunches – about friends’ motives, about the stock market, about when to fold a hand of poker and when to hold it. But United States troops are now at the center of a large effort to understand how it is that in a life-or-death situation, some people’s brains can sense danger and act on it well before others do.”

Another article, this one in the Los Angeles Times, also examined the Army study. “Some troops have a sixth sense for bombs” was written by Tony Perry and published Oct. 28, 2009.

Reporting from the U.S. Marine Corps base at Twentynine Palms, Calif., Perry wrote, “Military researchers have found that two groups of personnel are particularly good at spotting anomalies: those with hunting backgrounds, who traipsed through the woods as youths looking to bag a deer or turkey; and those who grew up in tough urban neighborhoods, where it is often important to know what gang controls which block.”

Perry added, “Of the bombs spotted before they could kill or maim, an estimated 90% were detected by someone, for instance, sensing something amiss along a dusty roadside in the southern Afghan province of Helmand or a crowded street in the western Iraqi city of Fallouja.”

Both articles by Carey and Perry examined the Army research project in some depth, interviewed researchers and troops, and explored theories of training to perceive threats and possible psychological aspects of this perception.

But, did either article (or the Army researchers) “take the next step” as EdgeScience magazine editor Huyghe called it?

Huyghe pointed out in his article that extensive studies “show that the brain actually anticipates emotionally charged situations, not only before the person is aware of them, but before any hint of them is available in any way, shape, or form.”

In other words, there are significant experimental and experiential indications that we have the capability to perceive things before they happen in linear time.

This view is consistent with research from the U.S. joint military and intelligence project of the 1970s, ‘80s and early ‘90s generally referred to as Project STAR GATE. This project documented and used aspects of human perception and human consciousness that did “take the next step.”

A subsequent 2001 research paper by a Navy SEAL officer, prepared as part of his studies at the Marine Corps War College, proposed that implications from Project STAR GATE seem to demonstrate the advantages of learning more about human perceptual abilities.

In addition, he suggested that incorporating this kind of emerging understanding can be a key part of what he called “transcendent warfare.”

Project STAR GATE research and operational activities involved what some might call extrasensory perception (ESP). The project involved strict protocols trying to make use of this kind of perception. These formal procedures and methods were key parts of what was eventually called “remote viewing.”

Science journalists could focus more on these developments. In fact, journalists covering many kinds of beats may find important elements related to their work.

SITUATION AWARENESS

Interestingly, in the second edition of EdgeScience magazine (January-March 2010), a letter to the editor was published that provided more useful information on these subjects.

EdgeScience reader John MacLean explained that as a college instructor in Utah, he teaches a class in “Technology Management Program” called “Reliability Engineering and Safety.” MacLean noted, “One of the chapters in this course is situational awareness.”

MacLean provided a short definition of situation awareness (SA): knowing what is going on around you.

In addition to MacLean’s succinct definition, SA has also been described as the perception of environmental factors within time and space, understanding the meaning of the factors and anticipating possible outcomes in the near future.

SA has become an important area in military activities, aviation safety, emergency services, critical engineering operations and similar fields.

“In this class we discuss how to have situational awareness and how to recognize when you have lost it. There are 11 clues that can be observed in one’s operating vocations that tell you that you are losing your situational awareness,” Maclean explained.

He points out in his letter to the editor that the 11 clues to the loss of situational awareness are primarily involved with conventional awareness of instrumentation, communication, adherence to standard procedures and similar aspects.

However, he notes that one of the clues involves “confusion, apprehensive feeling or gut feeling that something is wrong."

MacLean wrote, “Many dismiss various explanations as the subconscious observing a bad developing situation or seeing several of the clues by the subconscious. Personally, although some of these other explanations may be valid, I am wondering if precognition may be operable in these situations that are generally life threatening.”

MacLean goes on to explain how this “gut feeling” clue appears to have been demonstrated. He wrote, “An incident several years ago occurred with a Flying Tigers Airlines 747 on approach to Kuala Lumpur in Indonesia in the middle of a very dark night. From the direction they were on approach, the Instrument Landing System was out of service and they would have had to go another hundred miles to come in from the other direction where it was in service.”

“While several of the clues to losing awareness were eventually present, the first officer tried to get the captain to do the fly around, saying on three occasions, ‘Captain, I really don’t feel good about this, let’s go around and use the instrument system.’ These protestations occurred before any of the other clues were observable,” MacLean said.

“Because of the ultimate presence of several of the clues, unrecognized, they flew into a mountain. The other four clues were observable only just prior to the crash. From the data I observed in this incident, it appears the first officer’s comments were begun at least 15-20 minutes prior to the other four clues being observable.”

MacLean concludes his letter with a thank you to EdgeScience editor Huyghe. “The info you supplied in your article ('Straight From the Gut,' EdgeScience No.1) will be valuable in my class when we discuss situational awareness. I can’t put my finger on it precisely, but I have a feeling the ideas on precognition may be interacting somehow in the other 10 clues. Something to continue to ponder. Great article.”

NEUROBIOLOGY AND QUANTUM PHYSICS

From SA training to premonitions, ESP and remote viewing, we see a growing body of research and knowledge about human perception and human consciousness.

New studies in neurobiology are looking more closely at how the human mind and body might be processing information from our environment that we have no consciousness knowledge of. And when we say “our environment,” we can no longer limit the meaning of this term to the immediate environment that we can see, hear, touch, smell or taste.

Our perception can apparently reach out beyond these five senses. The hypothesized sixth sense may work both independently of, and in cooperation with our other five senses. And, we may have other sensory abilities we do not understand. These might have neurological, chemical and biological aspects.

We may even have some kind of perceptual abilities like the radar and sonar that some other mammals seem to use.

Emerging understanding from quantum physics implies that consciousness itself can be in more than one place at a time. Beyond the physical level of reality there may be more exotic energies and forces that work in mysterious ways.

Consciousness may not be bound by limitations of only the five senses and other possible neurobiological perceptions, nor bound by time and space.

The recent Army study into troops’ ability to perceive IEDs seems to be another valuable step in the analysis of human perception, especially in the maintenance of safety and survival. However, as EdgeScience editor Huyghe noted, maybe we must be willing to go beyond some of the more conventional and limited perspectives.

The safety and survival of our troops, and all of us, are of the utmost importance. In addition, the larger field of human development may be an issue. Should current training and education in diverse and widespread settings include more robust examination of the emerging understanding about human perception?

Let’s catch up to the leading edge of the research and knowledge in these areas and provide training for our troops, students, professionals and people in all walks of life. Let’s cover these developments in science journalism and in the broader media.

Our safety, survival and success may depend on it.

(The first two editions of EdgeScience magazine are available free in PDF on the Web site of the Society for Scientific Exploration.)

More clues revealed on 1997 Phoenix lights UFO incident

2010-03-11T05:24:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

The mystery of the 1997 “Phoenix lights” incident seems to continue. TV shows, films, research articles and other explorations of the case still fascinate us – and still raise many questions.

As the 13th anniversary of the strange incident approaches on Saturday, March 13, 2010, it does seem an appropriate time to take a new look at clues about this case.

The theory that the Phoenix lights were a U.S. psychological operation of some kind gained new attention late last month when experienced researcher and writer Randall Fitzgerald published a thought-provoking article online titled “Were the 1997 Arizona Lights a psychological warfare experiment?”

This unique hypothesis was based on Fitzgerald’s two-month fulltime investigation and interviews with more than 50 witnesses in 1997 funded by Reader’s Digest magazine.

CONFUSING PERCEPTIONS

Fitzgerald reviewed points that most people are generally aware of. The lights were first seen in southern Nevada in the early evening and then mid-evening across the state line in west-central Arizona, moving in generally a south-southeast direction.

The lights were large and bright. They did not resemble normal aircraft lights to many observers. Some witnesses, but not all, saw five lights in a V-shaped formation.

Steadily making their way south-southeast, the lights entered the metropolitan Phoenix area in mid-evening and crossed the area diagonally, entering from the northwest and exiting the metro area on the southeast. The lights reportedly continued all the way to Tucson, Sierra Vista and possibly the Mexican border.

During this general time frame, out-of-state Air National Guard units training at Luke Air Force base on the western edge of metro Phoenix dropped flares in an area of the Barry M. Goldwater Range. The site of the flare drop was reportedly in an unusually far north part of the range and within sight of metro Phoenix.

Many factors in the case led to much speculation then, and over the years.

Did people see military flares from the training exercise? Was there something else that was not over the Goldwater Range but was directly over the city and surrounding communities (as well as other parts of Arizona and Nevada)?

Were both happening that night? And, if so, was this a coincidence?

It seems clear that something apart from the flares did fly directly over Phoenix. Were there five or more individual objects or aircraft? Or, was there one huge object with five or more bright lights on it?

This question is a main focus of Fitzgerald’s article. Some witnesses saw distinctly separate objects and lights. Others are sure they saw one huge solid craft with multiple lights. Some witnesses thought they saw a translucent aspect of the object where they could see stars or the moon in a hazy and altered way through the craft. Other people said it was so solid that it blocked out the stars.

These and other interesting elements led Fitzgerald to speculate that this incident could have been a U.S. psychological operation (PSYOP) of some kind. He wondered in his article if several aircraft could have been equipped with holographic projection equipment that could create the illusion of a large craft.

He pointed out that the lights were first seen in the region around Area 51 in southern Nevada and last seen near the Army’s Fort Huachuca (a major intelligence facility), southeast of Tucson near the Mexican border.

ANONYMOUS SOURCE

In his article Fitzgerald also notes an account of an anonymous source who claims to have been in the Air Force on active duty in Arizona at the time. I also explored this source’s comments in a Feb. 16, 2009, article “New information alleged in 1997 ‘Phoenix lights’ UFO case.”

In an online discussion forum about unconventional scientific and other topics, the source logged on in January 2009 and called himself “Topol-M” and “AL.” This source stated his information was based on both first-hand knowledge and accounts directly from trusted friends and associates, apparently other Air Force personnel.

He brought some interesting information to the discussion and understanding of the Phoenix lights case. It is unclear if his information is accurate. But, it seems worthy of review.

He wrote: “ … on the night of March 13, 1997, USAF personnel stationed at both Luke AFB in Glendale and Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson were a bit scared, as something was occurring over the skies of central and southern Arizona that night, and the on-duty personnel at both bases had no idea what it was."

"That night, Luke AFB scrambled two F-16Cs from the 56th Fighter Wing, however, these aircraft were not vectored southwest of Phoenix towards the source of the lights [the flares over the Goldwater Range], but directly south towards Tucson. What is known further, is that less than 10 minutes later, a second set of F-16Cs from the 56th were also scrambled and sent southeast."

"Radio reports from the first flight of aircraft indicated something 'odd' was occurring, however the pilots never gave any indication or specifics (in the open at any rate), as to what that was.”

"It was obvious to all with access that there were other aircraft in the area, with orders to drop flares. It was felt that this was indeed a 'deception' measure to keep curiosity focused on one space in the sky, as flares were never used that far north of the Goldwater training range (as any Luke personnel can tell you, if they were, there would be weekly 'Phoenix Lights' incidents)."

Topol-M/AL continued, "The next morning, wing intelligence units at both Luke and Davis-Monthan were scrambling to compile information. No one knew what had occurred the night before, but for some top officers that were summoned in during or just after the incident, there was an element of anxiety (I would not say fear, though many were disconcerted)."

"The 'hush' order took a few days to trickle down …”

"The first two aircraft, from the 56th Fighter Wing (310th Fighter Squadron), were armed only with 2x AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles and 20mm Vulcan cannons each. Once the flight was airborne, the flight leader called in that something 'odd' was occurring after he picked up a radar contact a few thousand feet below, and several miles ahead of his position. His radar was showing 'clutter' common to stand-off jamming."

"This led to two further F-16Cs from the 56th, that were being fueled and armed since the first flight was launched, being sent up. This pair, in addition to the armament as above, also carried 2x AIM-7M Sparrow medium range missiles as well."

Flight 1 leader was able to regain radar contact on something large and low that was beginning to accelerate rapidly. Flight 1 lost the contact approximately 7 miles south of Tucson, and was ordered to proceed close to the border and try to regain contact."

"Once Flight 1 lost radar contact, Flight 2 was ordered back to Luke (Flight 2 had just approached the Tucson area). Once Flight 1 was on station, attempts were made to re-establish radar contact to no avail. After 10 minutes or so, Flight 1 was ordered back to Luke.”

“Further scramble of aircraft was initiated from Nellis AFB, Nevada (prior to the Phoenix sighting) and Holloman AFB, New Mexico (around 10 minutes after the Flight 1 scramble from Luke). F-16s from Nellis, no word on aircraft type from Holloman (at the time it was the only F-117A 'Stealth Fighter' base, with the Luftwaffe having a training squadron of Tornado aircraft, neither would have been used on an intercept mission)."

Topol-M/AL also noted, "Towers at several locations had tapes of the 'event.' Radar at Luke and Davis-Monthan were picking up low level 'noise' on several frequencies, similar to what had happened to Flight 1. This 'noise' was consistent with active wide-spectrum jamming."

"It was highly unusual for this to occur in an area that did not have that type of (jamming) training environment (nearest place this was done was at the Nellis AFB range)."

"According to many in the know, something physical was in the sky that night, with radar data providing the primary source of evidence. That 'something' entered Mexican airspace and promptly disappeared. Maximum recorded speed was at Mach 1.8 past Tucson nearing Fort Huachuca."

"The next day, intelligence units at both Luke and Davis-Monthan were abuzz. No one knew what had occurred, other than something physical was in the sky, an intercept was attempted, and there were thousands of eye-witness accounts (many of these being the flares)."

"Orders were apparently given for a flare-drop near Phoenix by a unit returning from the Goldwater range. This was considered highly odd to say the least, as that order was given while the main event was unfolding. These aircraft were likely A-10s."

"The orders that were given for the flare drop would have had to have been very high up, probably even officers outside the Luke and Davis-Monthan chain of command. For the average intelligence personnel working on the bases, this event was no doubt 'above their pay grade' and security clearance."

"The alert aircraft being scrambled is not uncommon. Anytime a small aircraft that is unidentified violates southern Arizona airspace, and does not answer radio hails, we will scramble fighters to intercept and ID the 'bogey.' What was unusual about that night were the contact reports from the first flight, and a second scramble of two additional aircraft. This is simply unheard of in day to day intercepts.”

"However, I do know that USAF aircraft were chasing down something that night they could not positively ID, either on radar, or visually. Massive electronic interference occurred, knocking out the F-16s BVR (Beyond Visual Range) capability, forcing the fighters to close at short-range. After brief contact, the 'bogey' accelerated close to mach 2, and dashed south-southwest into Mexico," Topol-M/AL said.

TRAINING AND PREPAREDNESS

Some of the anonymous source’s information does seem to dovetail with Randall Fitzgerald’s speculation about a U.S. operation of some kind. It also seems to point out that there may have been secrecy about the operation that even excluded Air Force personnel.

If it was a PSYOP test of some kind, the experiment seems to have also been planned to explore the reaction of local Air Force bases and units, local public safety officials and the news media (local, national and international) as well as the general public.

The idea that this was a planned event to test reactions seems to make sense to some people. The object or objects obviously wanted to be seen or didn’t care if it was seen. But why? To see if there was mass panic? To prepare us for something in the future? It’s unclear to most people.

Because of the many reports of UFOs and related phenomena and activities around the U.S. and around the world, it does seem wise to be prepared for many types of challenging situations that could occur.

A worthwhile training source is the well-known firefighter training manual "A Fire Officer's Guide to Disaster Control," published in 1992 by Fire Engineering Books & Videos, and written by firefighting experts William M. Kramer and Charles W. Bahme.

The authors are highly-trained and experienced. In addition to important and conventional firefighter training, a chapter is included titled "Disaster Control and UFOs." It covers certain risks and dangers associated with UFOs.

One section is subtitled "Adverse Potential of UFOs." The authors note that, "The two principal hazards noted with relation to UFOs have been attributed to powerful electrical fields which they can project in a general or localized area and the psychological effects they have produced on the general populace or individual contacts."

The authors also explain that "force field impact" can affect the electrical systems of vehicles and aircraft. Disruption of electronic-related communications systems can also occur. They also point out that regional power blackouts have been reported in conjunction with UFO incidents. Kramer and Bahme point out that public panic is also a concern for public safety officials and could be related to some of the other effects.

My March 27, 2009, article on these topics, “UFOs and public safety: Firefighter manual explains risks,” might be worthwhile reading for those interested in the Phoenix lights case.

Because, who knows, we may experience another incident like this in the future – and we should be prepared.

‘Phoenix lights’ 13th anniversary is March 13

2010-03-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

The 13th anniversary of the so-called “Phoenix lights” UFO incident is next Saturday, March 13.

As usual at this time each year, the case is revisited by many researchers, writers and interested people.

In addition, the National Geographic Channel is airing an episode of its new show "Mysterious Science" about the Phoenix lights incident.

Also, respected researcher, journalist and editor Randall Fitzgerald recently wrote an extensive article (available online) with the headline "Were the 1997 Arizona Lights a psychological warfare experiment?" Fitzgerald covers some interesting new information and theories.

As part of this discussion, I thought it might be interesting to include a chapter on the Phoenix lights case from my first novel, “Mission Into Light” (published in 2001).

I would add that on March 13, 1997, I was living in an area of metro Phoenix’s “Valley of the Sun” that was in the line of the flight path of this object or objects. However, I must not have been looking up at the evening sky at the right time and did not observe the anomalous sight reported by so many others in Phoenix and west-central Arizona.

CHAPTER 20: UFO OVER PHOENIX

That evening, things were going as usual, pretty much. At Kaneohe Bay, Amy got back from work and had dinner with Mike while they watched TV.

In San Diego, the Joint Recon Study Group members had closed up the office for the night and headed to their homes, families, and friends.

Some went for an evening jog around their neighborhood. Some worked out at home or at a gym. Major Valdez was at her daughter’s school play. Jim Etienne hit a few golf balls at a driving range near his apartment.

But in west central Arizona, something unusual was happening.

Driving south on a road near Prescott, retired police officer William “Buck” Baird saw something in the night sky. It was typical dry and clear night in Arizona’s central mountains. The evening was dark and quiet. Plenty of stars out tonight.

Buck spotted a large object slowly drifting straight over his pickup truck.

The shape seemed like a triangle, or maybe a boomerang. Large, bright, yellowish lights were spaced underneath the front angles of the object and were clearly visible.

Buck pulled his pickup truck off to the side of the road and turned off the motor. He wanted to listen for an engine sound from the object. But the night was quiet. All he heard were crickets and a hoot owl as the object continued to move south in the general direction of the road at what seemed like a leisurely pace.

Fifteen minutes later, in the Prescott area, fourteen citizens spotted the object and called local police and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department.

Twenty-one people at a backyard party in Wickenburg also spotted the object a half-hour later. Two of the people there had video cameras with them and started rolling videotape with nervous narratives of the object. It was still moving gently and silently south-southeast.

Half a dozen people in smaller towns in a general line from west central Arizona to just north of Phoenix were calling police, UFO hot lines, neighbors and relatives. They had just seen something. Something big, with lights. Not a regular airplane, no sir-ee. Maybe a top secret Air Force stealth plane though.

And then it did an unusual thing, for a UFO. In mid-evening, it sailed slowly, gently, right over a major U.S. city: Phoenix and the metropolitan sprawl of the “Valley of the Sun.”

People sitting outdoors in the warm desert evening saw it. Both teams in a softball game saw it. Three little girls playing with a puppy in their backyard saw it and called for their mommy and daddy to look at it. A commercial pilot coming in for a landing saw it.

Phoenix police phone lines lit up, and five officers later admitted to their buddies that when they had responded to radio calls about the object, they had seen a huge boomerang or triangular object with large, evenly spaced lights underneath, or along its front edge.

A dozen people around Phoenix pulled out video cameras and started shooting. Several witnesses called local TV stations and Luke Air Force Base.

The object apparently continued its way slowly toward the southeast and drifted out of sight.

The next morning, the Phoenix newspaper had an article about the object. Local TV news carried the story. And before long, newspapers in other cities picked up the story. Even the TV networks covered it. “UFO over Phoenix.”

People from other parts of the country noticed that Arizona was down there by New Mexico. Roswell. And not so far from the so-called “Area 51” in Nevada, either.

People from all over had their theories. A formation of small planes, maybe. Could’ve been a secret stealth bomber on a night flight. Obviously an extraterrestrial craft. No, definitely flares from the nearby Air Force range used for practice bombing runs.

At first, Luke Air Force Base reported that they got no calls about it. But local news reporters found sources from the base who said the phone lines at Luke were lit up like a Christmas tree. And maybe some fighter jets had been scrambled to intercept something that night.

* * *

The next morning, back in San Diego, JRSG folks had their own opinions.

Ed Thompson and Bill MacNeil were supposed to be researching UFO reports, among other things.

Colonel O’Brien thought this was a highly unusual case. He even called a special afternoon meeting. All of them were there except Amy and Mike. Dan Wells and Jim Etienne walked up the hill from the dolphin facilities. Gene Voss, Karen Valdez, and Jennifer Thorsen canceled a drive to Camp Pendleton.

O’Brien opened the meeting and passed around copies of newspaper articles on the incident. A few of them had heard about it on TV or the radio.

“I’ve called the meeting to discuss the situation in Phoenix. I’ve asked Team Two to give us a briefing on it. This seems like an odd UFO sighting to me. I’d like us to kick it around a little. Colonel Thompson, enlighten us please.”

“Well, sir, MacNeil and I called some TV stations over in Phoenix and read the newspaper articles. I called Luke Air Force Base and they can’t give us any more than is in the press. That’s about the extent of our inquiry at this time. MacNeil called some relatives who live over there and they just know what they saw on TV and in the papers. MacNeil has prepared a brief report. Mac, go ahead.”

Bill glanced at his legal pad and skimmed over the notes he had jotted down on the UFO.

“Well, basically about fifty or more people in central Arizona and Phoenix reported the thing. It started in small towns up in the mountain area north and northwest of Phoenix. The thing apparently stayed fairly steady on a course of southeast or south southeast right through the center of metro Phoenix.”

“Reliable witnesses. Pilots. Cops. Average citizens. Video and still shots clearly show a boomerang, or some say a triangular shape with bright, oversized lights. Air traffic controllers reportedly saw it visually but there was no signature on radar. Or so they say. Witnesses reported no engine sound and the thing was reportedly cruising at a relatively slow speed. Most of the reports and calls to the cops and TV stopped as the thing apparently cruised out of town on its course to the southeast.”

“It’s probably a safe bet that a few folks who saw it or took video didn’t necessarily call it in,” MacNeil said.

“Like Ed said, Luke Air Force Base isn’t saying anything. The Air Force just finished trying to handle to fiftieth anniversary of the Roswell incident not too long ago.”

Dan Wells was looking at and listening to MacNeil. Dan needed to tie up some loose ends in his mind about this. As Bill paused for questions or comments, Wells posed his question. Not really a question. A funny feeling.

“Bill, this somehow makes me think of your crop circles. An obvious, open thing that a lot of people see. An action with a purpose. What do you think?”

He directed the question to MacNeil, but really, Wells put it on the table for the group to discuss.

Bill was well aware of the possible connection here. So were Ed and Jim Etienne. Team Three had some knowledge of this but had not talked about it with Teams One and Two. They had been busy with their physical fitness and Camp Pendleton.

Several of them glanced at O’Brien. Over the months they had worked with him, he seemed to know a lot more than he was saying. Since they were all on a need-to-know basis, that was an accepted way of doing things. But maybe they did have a need to know at this point. O’Brien waited and listened.

MacNeil didn’t say anything.

Wells wanted to pursue the point of the public nature of the crop circles and this apparent public fly-over by something over Phoenix.

“You all know that one of my paths of research has been geological and other Earth changes,” Wells said. “I’ve passed on the intel on the pole shift theories and melting glaciers. But I have to admit I’ve held back a little.”

“There’s a line of thought that integrates some of the astronomy, archeology, and geology with the metaphysical … and maybe with the UFOs.”

He had their attention. His seven colleagues looked at him in the supportive manner they had all become accustomed to.

“It’s sometimes called names like ‘Planetary Ascension.’ The idea is that our planet is evolving on many levels: Earth’s position and trajectory in the solar system might be changing. Geological changes on a big scale could happen such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis.”

“But there’s something else going on at a more subtle level. The sub-atomic and quantum physics, and the spiritual factors in our environment on Earth may evolve in a noticeable way.”

“I’ve looked at the crop circle photos and read all the different analyses and opinions. It seems to me that they are messages directly to the public about these kinds of Earth changes. Sort of a ‘one picture is worth a thousand words’ kind of thing. There clearly is mathematical and physics-oriented symbolism in them.”

“A friend of mine who works with Navy crypto looked at the photos and the intel. He agrees that they say something interesting. He’s preparing detailed interpretations of several of the crop formations for us.”

Dan felt better now. Like he had gotten something off his chest.

Karen Thorsen responded first.

“What’s a time frame on these alleged changes, Dan?”

“Unknown, Karen. My crypto buddy is looking at that.”

“The reason I ask is that we’re sitting here on the edge of the Pacific Plate and the Ring of Fire, aren’t we?”

Karen Valdez also wanted to know about Wells’ reference to spiritual factors.

“Dan, is this like the Bible prophesies about some kind of change, and breakthrough?”

“Could be, major. Unknown at this time. At least unknown to me.”

Wells and several of the others turned to O’Brien, expecting him to comment.

O’Brien had been involved in this kind of research for a lot longer than these folks. He and Jack Allen, and others. He did know more.

“You’re all on the right track,” he told them. “There’s a consensus by many groups in our special research area that we are evolving toward interesting changes that may be quite significant and visible.”

“As far as the Phoenix situation, I think it’s worth sending Team Two over there to nose around. See me after the meeting about arrangements. We’ll use a different safehouse at the foot of the mountains north of the Phoenix metro area.”

“I’ve also been in touch with our old friend Joe Bear. He’s invited all of us up to the Four Corners area for a visit. I think he’s got something of interest for us. Maybe one of his sweat lodge ceremonies and some sightseeing around the Four Corners. He’s always telling me about the mystical things going on up there. I think we’re ready to spread our wings a bit.”

“With the exception of Mella and Green, we’ve all stayed here close to base since the Sedona incident and the temporary stand down. Ed and MacNeil will head to Phoenix, the rest of us will be going to the Four Corners. We’ll all link up at some point afterwards.”

“Colonel Allen is already in the Flagstaff, Arizona area along with Doctor Carruthers. We’ll connect with them too, I’m sure.”

“Dan, you and Jim make arrangements to take a break from the Marine Mammal Program please. Gene, Karen and Jennifer, same for you and the Marine Pups program. We’ll need to make air transport arrangements for both groups.”

Thompson already had a contingency chopper transport plan for himself and MacNeil.

“Sir, Mac and I would like to use the local Special Forces reserve unit on this. We’ve been working with them on a few things including little unconventional scenarios like this.”

“Sounds like a great idea, Ed,” O’Brien said with a smile. “Dan, get a Navy chopper for the rest of us, will you?”

“Aye, aye, sir. And, if needed, Etienne is our liaison with Navy special ops support, colonel.”

“Very well. Before I adjourn this meeting, are there any questions or comments?” O’Brien looked around the room at the JRSG team. Dedicated. Smart. Gutsy.

Despite the fact that Tom O’Brien had been passed over many times for promotion to general, he loved the Air Force and his job. Incidents in Vietnam, and after, had resulted in a marked lack of promotions.

Green Berets Ed Thompson and Jack Allen had also been stuck as colonels when they could have been generals by now. All three of them had been politically incorrect during and after Vietnam too many times.

But somehow it had all worked out. O’Brien didn’t need stars on his uniform, and he suspected Ed and Jack didn’t give a rat’s ass about general’s stars either.

“All right then. Group dismissed.”

UFO Congress convention lands in Laughlin Feb. 21

2010-02-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

Researchers and interested humans from around planet Earth will arrive at the Colorado River border of Arizona and Nevada later this month to encounter the mysteries, theories, evidence and possible answers about UFOs.

The 19th annual International UFO Congress Convention & Film Festival will be held in Laughlin, Nevada, from Feb. 21 through Feb. 27 at the Aquarius Casino Resort.

Dozens of U.S.-based and international speakers with expertise in the field of alleged extraterrestrial visitation to Earth will give presentations throughout the week.

Topics will include perspectives on the nature of ET encounters with the human race, U.S. and international defense and intelligence activities related to ET visitation, advanced technologies linked to ET contact and a range of related elements involved in these intriguing areas of research and widespread interest.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Donald Ware and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Wendelle Stevens will be among the speakers with decades of experience investigating these kinds of topics.

Other well-known speakers will include author Richard Dolan, Mexico TV host Jaime Maussan, filmmaker David Sereda and Travis Walton whose reported abduction by ETs on Nov. 5, 1975, near Snowflake, Arizona, was the basis of the 1993 movie Fire in the Sky.

EDUCATION, ACCLIMATION, PREPAREDNESS

Since the alleged 1947 “Roswell incident” near a U.S. Army Air Corps base in New Mexico, the U.S. government may have been concerned about the nature of UFOs and ET visitation.

When WWII allied pilots reported strange lights darting around their aircraft, these “foo fighters” might also have triggered interest by U.S. and allied defense and intelligence officials.

But, does this phenomenon go back further in history? U.S. newspaper accounts from the 1800s tell of strange “air ships” reported by apparently reliable citizens. Some researchers say the UFO mystery may have existed in ancient human history as well.

Some Native American Indians have legends of visitors from the stars.

In more recent times, an unusual cluster of UFO sightings occurred over Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1952. Eyewitnesses, photographers and radar operators reported and documented the unusual lights in the sky over the American capitol.

According to some researchers, in the post-WWII era it was determined by U.S. defense, intelligence and scientific personnel that something quite strange was indeed going on. But what?

Gathering information and developing plans accordingly were reportedly part of the response to this challenging situation. Other people and governments around the world also found themselves in the loop of the UFO phenomena.

Was Earth being visited by intelligent and advanced beings from another planet? If so, who were they and what were their intentions – friendly or hostile? And what was the technology that powered their spacecraft?

How would average people react to this scenario? Would there be mass panic in the face of potential adversaries? Or, would Earth be gradually infiltrated and conquered the way Europeans defeated the indigenous people of the Americas?

What methods could be used to educate and prepare average people for this alleged reality?

NEW UNDERSTANDING, MORE QUESTIONS

In the decades since the so-called Roswell incident, scientists have proposed theories about the interface of different dimensions in our Universe. In fact, it is now sometimes referred to as a multiverse – a place of parallel and intersecting realities.

Some theories now suggest that visitors are not only simply from faraway planets or moons, but exist in some other unique relationship to our world. They may get here through what are called wormholes, portals or star gates which provide shortcuts through time and space.

Why might these unusual visitors be interested in Earth, the human race and the diverse species of life on this planet in what we call the Milky Way galaxy?

It’s unclear to most people what the agenda might be.

Defense and intelligence activities in this area have reportedly been regarded as a very high priority, and with accompanying high security. What progress has been made in this area? This, too, is a matter that has been difficult for researchers to uncover.

Have diplomatic relations been established with some of these special visitors? Have tactical and strategic alliances been formed? And what about the stories of advanced technology being obtained by Earth officials from ET visitors?

The many incidents involving UFOs over the decades, and maybe centuries, certainly seem to provide many questions and a few possible answers. But, it continues to be a mystery to most people around the world.

From Roswell to more recent incidents such as the March 13, 1997, “Phoenix lights” case in Arizona, there seems to have been gradually increasing awareness in the public, the media, the scientific community and within governments that something quite significant is going on.

Is the whole UFO topic a fantasy? Is it a real situation requiring that the human race prepare itself?

Are human consciousness, human development and human survival at stake?

Maybe the 2010 International UFO Congress & Film Festival in Laughlin will help increase understanding about these fascinating topics.

‘Avatar’ also story of deep DNA within many Americans

2010-02-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

The blockbuster movie Avatar has triggered interesting discussions and perceptions by a wide range of observers and moviegoers.

However, have we missed some aspects of particularly relevant elements of the film?

There are millions of Americans who carry Native American Indian DNA with them. Yet, many of these people may consider themselves “white,” “black” or “brown.”

Might they also now be going through a transformation similar to some of the characters in Avatar?

James Cameron expands our views of other possibly-inhabited worlds and enhances our perspectives on planet Earth. In the movie, we see a people, the Na’vi, who are similar to Native American Indians.

Three of the main characters, particularly the character Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington), move their consciousness from their human bodies to hybrid, combined-DNA bodies similar to the Na’vi.

As they visit and live with the Na’vi, they come to appreciate and understand this unique culture, and eventually choose to help them defend their land.

Is Jake’s experience of living within a combined-DNA body similar to the many Americans who have mixed-ethnicity backgrounds – especially those with Native American Indians in their family trees?

WIDESPREAD CHEROKEE DNA

An especially relevant example of this situation is the history of the intermingling of Cherokee and early English, Scottish and Scots-Irish trappers, hunters and explorers in the Appalachian Mountain region, primarily during the 1700s.

The Cherokee culture and civilization had thrived for thousands of years in that mountain area that we now call northern Georgia and Alabama, up through North Carolina, Tennessee and the surrounding region.

The matriarchal society of the Cherokee allowed significant independence and freedom for women. And when lonely European men first made their way into Cherokee lands in the early 1700s, Cherokee women were free to develop relationships with them. Nature took its course and babies of mixed ethnicity were born.

As the decades passed, this mixing of ethnic groups present in the Appalachian region continued. By 1800, there were large numbers of mixed-ethnicity people living there.

By the time of the infamous “Trail of Tears” in 1838 – the round-up and forced march to Oklahoma of the remaining Appalachian Cherokee – there were several generations of this mixed-ethnicity population.

Many Cherokee and mixed-ethnicity people had already left the region in previous years. Having seen the writing on the wall, they left their ancestral homeland for places like Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and other areas to the west.

By doing so, they avoided the Trail of Tears, on which approximately 4,000 men, women and children died from hardship, cold, starvation and illness.

Those mixed-ethnicity people who could “pass as white” in the region around the Appalachian Mountains often did so. With Scottish or English names, these people found it wise to self-identify as white due to significant social and legal discrimination against Native American Indians such as the Cherokee.

Over later decades, as many generations of Americans intermarried, this genetic and cultural connection in large numbers of American families became just a family story that no one was quite sure about.

Today, millions of Americans have Cherokee or other Native American Indian DNA within them. Some know it. Some wonder about it. Some suspect it. And many have no idea about this element of themselves and within themselves.

EMERGING CONSCIOUSNESS

Current research in genetics and DNA is making great strides, some people say dangerously so. Much DNA has been mapped and we can identify certain genes which may contribute to physical characteristics or medical conditions.

We can send a sample of a swab from our cheek to DNA testing labs to obtain information about our ancient ancestry.

But there is much about the DNA within us that we do not understand. Much of it is unidentified and its roles are not entirely clear.

Some people wonder what part our DNA plays in our personality, perspectives and consciousness. And, could certain elements of deep DNA, such as ancient Native American Indian genetic background, emerge in our thinking and feeling in some way today?

Like Jake Sully in Avatar, many of us may be experiencing new kinds of viewpoints and feelings about life, Nature and spiritual awareness based on the Cherokee or other tribal DNA and ancient memories within us.

The millions of Americans today who have Cherokee, Native American Indian or other tribal backgrounds within them might be undergoing a transformation. The push and pull within these Americans might be a struggle between different kinds of viewpoints and feelings that have connections to ancient DNA and ancient consciousness.

In some ways, maybe this is also a struggle to not only identify and understand our ancient ancestors within us, but to also experience them here and now in our daily lives and challenges.

As we know, Cameron’s Avatar is not only a fantasy about the future of far-away moon like Pandora or the experiences of the Na’vi people, it is about Earth and the human race today.

Many Americans may be experiencing the confusing and conflicting feelings, challenging decision-making, emerging perspectives and transformation of consciousness that Jake Sully experienced in Avatar.

ESP in sports: Watch ‘sixth sense’ in Super Bowl

2010-02-07T08:40:00.001-08:00

By Steve Hammons

This year’s Super Bowl might show us examples of ESP in sports.

It is well known that constant practice in sports, “situational awareness” and natural athletic gifts can all combine to allow an athlete to perform “on instinct.”

Intense focus in the here and now in the middle of multiple rapidly-occurring events in a sport contest can combine to create an environment where athletes can experience “anomalous cognition,” meaning unusual or unconventional perception and awareness.

Many people have read about ESP in fields like intelligence (U.S. Project STAR GATE), police work and martial arts, but the frequency of anomalous cognition in sports may not be as widely recognized.

What do we mean by the word instinct? Some researchers believe that instincts are also related to a “sixth sense” that can transcend our normal view of perception. That is, we can perceive in ways in addition to, complementary to, though slightly different than, our five senses of sight, touch, hearing taste and smell.

Some researchers suspect that ESP and anomalous cognition are not unusual at all. Rather, this is a natural part of human consciousness. It is not paranormal – it is normal. We might even call it “complementary cognition” or “integrative cognition.”

TWO RECON PIONEERS

When the book Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy was published in 1972, many people interested in sports had not fully considered the impact of unconventional consciousness in athletics. His 1992 book The Future of the Body also addresses related subjects.

Murphy was co-founder of the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, where many elements of the human potential movement and expanded human consciousness were explored. In his younger days, Murphy had served in the U.S. Army as a psychology specialist.

The interests and perspectives of Murphy and many of his colleagues involved in the human potential movement were recently explored in the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats.

A close associate of Murphy, President Emeritus of the Esalen Institute George Leonard, also wrote the 1975 best-selling book related to ESP or expanded consciousness The Ultimate Athlete.

A fifth-degree black belt in Akido himself, Leonard also explored these topics in the book The Way of Aikido: Life Lessons from an American Sensei (1999). Leonard was a former Army Air Corps attack (fighter-bomber) pilot during WWII, serving in the southwest Pacific theater. He served as an analytical intelligence officer during the Korean War.

Leonard passed on recently, on January 6, 2010.

STAR GATE AND SPORTS

Perhaps some of the most useful research on the topic of unconventional awareness and perception comes from the U.S. joint-intelligence effort known as Project STAR GATE, conducted during the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s.

This activity explored the ability of individuals to perceive things, places, information and situations they know nothing about from a remote location. They were able to gather important intelligence using only their consciousness.

In fact, a Navy SEAL officer wrote in a researcher paper for the Marine Corps War College that Project STAR GATE reflected a concept he called “transcendent warfare” – using advanced and emerging understanding in new ways regarding defense and intelligence.

Project STAR GATE activities also noted a key element that dovetails with sports and athletics: It seemed that the ESP impressions came to “remote viewers” through their bodies in a somewhat unconscious or subconscious way.

The people involved in the specific technique and protocol named “remote viewing” in Project STAR GATE found that letting impressions bubble up from their subconscious, and not using the conscious mind to try to interpret the information, led to more successful results.

They typically relaxed their minds and used various techniques to attempt to acquire information, then let their body express these perceptions by making sketches and notes in a spontaneous way.

Here we see the connection with sports and other activities. When the task at hand is partially a physical one, and we are using our body as much as, or more so than our conscious thinking mind, we may be more prone to accessing our sixth sense.

In this year’s Super Bowl, we might see examples of this if we look closely. And, if we open our minds to these possibilities, we might see expanded perception in our own lives.

These aspects of human development and education are relevant to not only sports and athletics, but a broad range of human activities in many fields.

And what is fun and interesting about the situation is the fact that we can look inside ourselves and explore these fascinating and transcendent elements of human consciousness, tapping into our own sixth sense.

Journalist teaches college class on covering fringe topics, cover-ups, UFOs

2009-12-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(Note: Due to certain circumstances, the college course referenced below did not go forward at this time as originally intended.)

How should journalists, the news media and informed citizens handle certain unusual and unconventional topics?

To try to find the answers, internationally-known and award-winning investigative journalist George Knapp will be teaching a journalism course at the College of Southern Nevada beginning in January.

The course, “Reporting from the Twilight Zone," will explore many elements involved in subjects that may be sensitive or secret, complex, strange, and at times, frightening.

Journalism students and professionals as well as the general public are welcome to take the course.

Knapp plans to include examinations of the roles of reporters, editors, news organizations, other media professionals as well as media consumers when it comes to topics such as alleged conspiracies, cover-ups and other unusual areas such as UFOs.

Is there peer pressure in the newsroom? Do elements of government shape coverage of certain topics, conspiracies and cover-ups? Do media owners and advertisers affect reporting on sensitive, unconventional or special topics? Are these kinds of subjects also exploited at times by and in the media? What are the current trends on this kind of journalism?

The class will tackle these and other important questions.

MODERN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

According to the course description, Knapp, students and guests “will examine the techniques and standards of modern investigative journalism as applied to ‘fringe’ topics and will identify key approaches taken by various media to the exploration and/or exploitation of controversial subjects.”

The course description also notes, “Another objective will be to question whether journalism standards for covering ‘fringe’ subjects are (or should be) different from other types of reporting. The course will explore these issues from many different perspectives, and will receive input from professional journalists, academic researchers, scientists, and skeptics.”

“The course will encourage critical thinking skills for both journalists and news consumers in evaluating the quality and accuracy of the news and information we see, and don't see.”

We might also ask: How do journalists cover topics on which there may be a lack of solid facts, yet persuasive sources, indicators or circumstantial evidence? How do citizens draw reasonable conclusions and understanding from a wide range of journalistic reports and other sources and media platforms?

In a Dec. 3 column he wrote for “Las Vegas City Life,” Knapp also noted that the course is being sponsored by Bigelow Aerospace, based in Las Vegas. Knapp pointed out that the company’s founder, Robert “Bob” Bigelow, has “a lifelong interest” in subjects related to unconventional topics such as UFOs. In addition, Bigelow will provide funding for guest speakers and lecturers to contribute to the course, Knapp wrote.

Are these kinds of topics worthy of news coverage or even a college class? Knapp raises this issue in his “Las Vegas City Life” column. Some people may not think so. Knapp says students, media professionals and the public should make up their own minds and maintain a critical and careful perspective.

FRINGE OR FUNDAMENTAL

But are courses and media coverage of certain topics really so unconventional?

Most so-called “fringe” topics actually deal with sociology, psychology, American and world history, anthropology, government, national defense and intelligence matters, various scientific disciplines and even spiritual beliefs.

And what kinds of subjects are we really talking about? Some have been part of the record of human experience throughout history. These might include social or economic manipulations, political assassinations, deceptive “false flag” attacks and secret activities of various kinds.

Other topics delve into the metaphysical such as life after death and afterlife concepts, extrasensory perception (ESP), higher human consciousness, ideas about multiple dimensions, intelligent life elsewhere, UFOs, synchronicity (meaningful “coincidences”) and the nature of a higher intelligence. Are these kinds of subjects “paranormal” or simply normal?

Are some of these topics really “fringe?” Or, are they fundamental and tremendously important for human education, development and even survival? Are they actually very important for American society and the human race as a whole?

For example, are ESP and “remote viewing” really “anomalous cognition” (unusual perception)? Maybe they are really just additional and natural kinds of human perception.

Are all conspiracy theories simply irrational rumors?

Can increased understanding about human history, human behavior, human nature, human potential and the how the Universe (or “multiverse”) works move us forward toward a brighter future?

If these questions are legitimate, then Knapp’s course certainly seems like a very worthwhile endeavor. Knapp, students and participants in the class might even come up with some interesting answers.

New book reports UFO encounters in Appalachia

2009-11-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

Eyewitness accounts of UFO sightings and strange encounters in the Appalachian Mountain region provide fascinating reading in a recently-published book by researcher, journalist and author Kyle Lovern.

Volume 2 of Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters & Unexplained Phenomena continues the exploration that Lovern began in the first volume, published in 2008.

Lovern brings a solid journalistic background to this challenging topic and the complex related factors involved.

He is an award-winning journalist from southern West Virginia with a background in newspaper work as an editor, columnist, reporter and photographer, recognized for his writing and photography. He has also worked in radio.

Recently freelancing for the Charleston Daily Mail, one of the state’s largest newspapers, Lovern also recently received first and third place awards in the 2008 West Virginia Press Association newspaper contest. As a reporter, he has also covered county and state sporting events. For several years he was a popular newspaper columnist in southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky.

Lovern is a graduate of Southern West Virginia Community College and Bluefield State College. His work has also been featured in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia magazine, Goldenseal magazine of West Virginia traditional life and Marshall Magazine (Marshall University).

While Volume 1 of Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters & Unexplained Phenomena focused entirely on incidents in his home state of West Virginia, Lovern’s new book also goes outside that state’s borders to examine cases related to the Appalachian region of bordering states such as Virginia and Kentucky.

Lovern brings the objectivity and straightforward writing of an experienced journalist to the topic of unusual phenomena that is so needed in our society today. Like all good journalists, he looks at and tries to document important elements of a journalist’s main targets: the “who, what, when, where, why and how.”

MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS

As with his earlier book, Volume 2 takes readers through the reports by down-to-Earth average people from different walks of life who have experienced something apparently quite interesting.

In addition, insightful quotes from famous public figures introduce each chapter and provide thought-provoking statements linked to UFOs and other unusual phenomena. Lovern uses quotes from astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edgar Mitchell and Gordon Cooper (Armstrong, an Ohio native, currently lives in Cincinnati, near the western Appalachian region).

Fascinating and sometimes cryptic statements by Sen. Barry Goldwater, Gen. Douglas McArthur and long-time FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover also lead readers into each chapter. Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon are also quoted.

Scientists Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, J. Allen Hynek (an official U.S. Air Force UFO investigator with the Dayton, Ohio-based “Project BLUE BOOK”) and Harvard psychiatrist John Mack, M.D., provide similar insights. (Mack became well-known for his research into alleged abductions of humans by non-human beings.)

We even hear from filmmaker Steven Spielberg as we delve into one of Lovern’s chapters.

Each chapter is a detailed account of a particular incident, carefully taken from the statements of eyewitnesses and individuals who directly experienced it, as well as reporting by the news media. In many cases, there were multiple witnesses to the incidents. In some instances, local public safety personnel were involved.

For example, in Chapter 2, a community college psychology professor and his two teenage sons were driving home one evening in 2003 near Morehead, Kentucky, and clearly saw an oval-shaped object or craft in the sky nearby. They also observed “dazzling” bright lights near the object.

Meanwhile, local police were getting calls from local residents of a woman screaming.

Upon arriving home, the college professor and his sons soon were visited by peace officers checking the neighborhood for a possible woman in distress. Soon, approximately 20 public safety, rescue and law enforcement personnel were searching a nearby field where the oval-shaped object had been seen by multiple witnesses.

It’s unknown to the professor and his sons what happened to the UFO. A woman in distress was apparently never located.

DANGERS OF ENCOUNTERS

The potential dangers of encounters with UFOs were part of Lovern’s account of a sad and touching report of a young boy who had apparent close contact with a beam of strange light from an airborne source or craft, and who died of a brain tumor approximately one year later.

The 11-year-old boy’s family had moved from their home state of West Virginia to Detroit, Michigan, and in 1993 they boy and his friend were in the yard during a heavy snowstorm building a snow fort to play in.

Suddenly, an “aircraft” of some kind hovered approximately 50 feet above the boys and two beams of light flashed down on them. One light was reported to be yellow and the other blue, according to the boys’ statements. An adult neighbor and other witnesses also saw the lights.

The boys were quite frightened, and shortly afterward developed an unusual rash all over their bodies, as well as other physical problems. Their emotional reactions to the incident were described as terror and fear.

But much more serious than these outcomes was the subsequent diagnosis of a brain tumor in the boy from West Virginia. He passed on from this medical condition in 1994.

Did the brain tumor have something to do with the UFO? We will probably never know. But, there have been other reports of UFO witnesses developing symptoms similar to radiation poisoning.

In Chapter 13, the potential dangers of close encounters are again noted in the account of three women driving through Kentucky in 1976. They saw an intense red glow about 11 p.m. and later seemed to have experienced “missing time” until 1:25 a.m. They noticed raw skin, blisters and odd marks on their bodies and they were unusually thirsty.

Under hypnosis by a psychologist at a later date, all three women reported similar accounts of being in a hospital-like setting, being examined and experiencing medical-type procedures by small beings appearing like the so-called “Grays.”

Elsewhere in the book, Lovern also notes the public safety considerations of close encounters with UFOs that are addressed in the well-known firefighter manual Fire Officer’s Guide to Disaster Control.

This manual includes a detailed must-read chapter about the history and dangers of UFOs to public safety, including radiation, and the way public safety personnel should prepare and respond.

GROUPS OF WITNESSES

In Chapter 5, we read about the people at a West Virginia high school football game who saw a “large bright round object” moving slowly over nearby terrain in 1973. Witnesses from other locations also observed it. A local newspaper noted that it was the largest crowd in that region to ever have observed a UFO together.

When a local constable who observed the UFO from the football game was asked why he didn’t shoot at it, he replied that it wasn’t breaking any laws as far as he knew.

The 1987 “wave” of UFO sightings in Virginia is reviewed in Chapter 7. UFOs shaped like saucers, arrowheads and cigars were reported by hundreds of witnesses. Radio stations and other media outlets reported on these incidents.

One newspaper reported the case of a group of people in the parking lot of a local restaurant observing a UFO that looked like a Frisbee, with bright red and white lights on it.

Chapters 10 and 11 tell of the encounters of hunters in northern Virginia in 1965-66 who observed a flat ball-shaped object with a metallic dome for ten minutes, and the Navy Vietnam veteran who, along with forty other men, saw two huge lights near the West Virginia coal strip mine they where they were working.

Chapter 12 recounts a particularly unique case when a CSX train carrying coal through Kentucky collided with three strange flying objects that were hovering just above the track. The metallic silver saucer-shaped objects with multiple lights were 18 to 20 feet long, according to the witnesses.

After the train’s electrical system was disrupted somehow, the automatic brake system kicked in, but it was clear that the train had collided with “something” since significant damage to the locomotives was apparent.

But what became more puzzling was when the engineer was directed by dispatchers to pull the train into an isolated location where unknown men in “weird outfits” began inspecting the train. The train workers were questioned while men in protective suits examined the locomotives.

Men who identified themselves as being associated with U.S. national security reportedly advised the train workers to remain silent about the incident, Lovern reports.

ANCIENT CHEROKEE APPALACHIA

The brief overviews above, describing a few of the book’s chapters, provide a window into the valuable information contained in Volume 2 of Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters & Unexplained Phenomena.

Lovern doesn’t draw any conclusions about where these reported craft or beings come from. Are they simply from another planet? Or, is it a more complex situation involving multiple dimensions, wormholes and portals, or even time travel?

Many of today’s scientists are trying to understand the physics of these possibilities. Psychologists and others are also researching a variety of unconventional phenomena that could be related somehow. We might also wonder if our defense and intelligence services are also taking a good look at these situations.

Lovern respects readers’ ability to look at the information presented and come to their own conclusions ... or to simply digest the accounts and reports without coming to final concrete conclusions.

These may be mysteries that cannot be completely solved.

The chapters and elements in this excellent book provide part of the story of UFO encounters in the Appalachian region, the U.S. and the world over recent decades. But the situation may go back further in time.

The Appalachian region was the ancient homeland of the Cherokee culture and civilization, as well as other tribes, for thousands of years before Scottish, Scots-Irish and other immigrants also settled in the mountain country of Appalachia in the 1700s and 1800s.

Many Indian tribes throughout North America have legends and tales of beings from the stars or from other dimensions in Nature who visited the Indians from time to time.

In a chapter toward the end of his book, Lovern notes the ancient Cherokee legends of the “little people,” known as the "Yunwi Tsunsdi," according to the 1998 book "Cherokee Little People: The Secrets and Mysteries of the Yunwi Tsunsdi" by authors Lynn King Lossiah and Ernie Lossiah.

According to those authors and other sources, the little people are beings sometimes described in ancient Cherokee tales as being spirits or small human-like people, about two feet to four feet tall. According to the legends, these beings may have different types of appearances and may be of three or four different types.

Descriptions of the little people allege that they can be kind and helpful, especially to children, while also playing tricks on people. In addition, they can also be dangerous if a human intrudes on them. They reportedly have the power to confuse the mind of a human.

They have the ability to remain unseen and invisible if they choose and generally avoid being detected by humans. But, according to the ancient tales, at times they will reveal themselves.

Were the “little people” known to the Cherokee related to UFOs, inter-dimensional mysteries or some other unusual phenomena?

To explore these questions, Lovern also includes a creative tale from my fact-based fiction novel “Mission Into Light” when I used the real-life accounts of the Cherokee’s Yunwi Tsundi little people to try illustrate a thought-provoking scenario from long ago in the Appalachian Mountains of the ancient Cherokee.

And, like the Cherokee and other Indian tribes of ancient days, we now seem to be dealing with mysterious forces and beings that visit us from time to time, conducting their activities in discreet and secret ways, while also occasionally revealing themselves.

And when they do reveal themselves, luckily we have researchers and journalists like Lovern to interview witnesses, carefully investigate and document their accounts, put the situation in context and inform the rest of us in effective communications platforms and books like Volume 2 of Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters & Unexplained Phenomena.

Through Lovern’s book, we see not only how unusual phenomena like UFOs might be occurring, but how average people react. The down-to-Earth people Lovern interviewed responded with surprise, curiosity, intelligence and appropriate concern and caution when faced with strange scenarios.

By picking up a copy of this book, we might further prepare ourselves with greater knowledge and understanding about emerging aspects of Nature and the Universe, or “multiverse,” that we are now beginning to more fully comprehend.

Movie ‘2012’ helps us prepare for future

2009-11-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

The new blockbuster movie 2012 is exciting and fun … but is it based on anything close to reality?

Could our planet Earth go through changes so fundamental that crustal plates shift and buckle, widespread earthquakes shake and multiple volcanoes explode? NASA says don’t worry about it.

But don’t rule it out, according to some theories.

Thanks to Sony Pictures and director Roland Emmerich, moviegoers get a look at what global geological catastrophe might look like. The movie portrays the disaster as occurring according to some interpretations of the Mayan “Long Count” calendar – in December of 2012.

But several kinds of calamities could strike Earth at anytime, according to some views. These include meteor strikes, man-made nuclear or biological death and destruction, sun-related anomalies, gamma-ray bursts from space or increasingly rapid global climate change.

One view proposes that “Planet X,” an alleged possible “dark star” or “dwarf sun,” could enter our solar system and affect Earth. According to these views, Planet X has an elliptical orbit that is quite different from other planets in our solar system. However, every so many thousands of years it enters our neighborhood of the Milky Way galaxy, causing massive destruction on Earth.

ANCIENT MAP

When John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson and the rest of the cast of 2012 face impending doom, they and the rest of Earth’s inhabitants experience sudden changes in the Earth’s core and crust.

Apart from Hollywood hype, there are actually theories out there that propose a pattern of periodic upheavals in our planet’s hard outer layer. No, not the slow “plate tectonics” theories we learned about in school. These other views consider the possibility of sudden global shifts of the Earth’s harder outer layer – the whole Earth’s crust shifting and sliding on the semi-liquid inner layers of our planet.

These scenarios have happened in the past and will happen in the future, say some “crustal pole shift” thinkers. They cite research indicating that such an event has happened in recorded human history. It could have even been related to the flood stories in many cultures, including the “Noah’s Ark” story.

But what is the evidence of something like this happening in the past?

One indication, it is said, is an ancient map, the so-called “Piri Re’is” map. It shows the coastline and geographical features of the continent of Antarctica, apparently from a time when it was not covered with ice. The significance of this is that many of the details of the coastline and the topography of the continent were unknown until the U.S. military used ice-penetrating radar during flyovers of Antarctica in the early 1960s.

The information from these flyovers reportedly closely matched the ancient Piri Re’is map, leading some researchers to theorize that there was a time in ancient human history when Antarctica was not covered with ice, and may not have been at Earth’s South Pole.

According to this idea, the continent of Antarctica may be been located at a different latitude, in a more temperate part of the world, before the Earth’s crust shifted the continent to the South Pole where it became covered in ice.

If Earth’s crust suddenly shifted long ago, the old ice-covered poles would have quickly melted, causing floods. The new pole areas, perhaps previously warm and green, quickly froze over.

As noted, one idea for the cause of a global crustal shift is an external gravitational force, such as “Planet X.” Another view is that it is just a periodic phenomena that happens every so many thousands of years.

This hypothesis proposes that as Earth revolves around the Sun over the centuries, the planet gradually tips slightly on its axis. This tipping continues for thousands of years and at some point, the crust slips or shifts in a big way, causing earthquakes, volcanic activity and tsunamis, as well as changing the location of continents in relation to the previously-existing equator and poles.

END OF TIME

These theories may or may not have any validity. The idea of “the end of time” or some kind of apocalypse is something that has been around in many generations. It hasn’t happened yet. Of course, that doesn’t mean it won’t.

The current problems of global climate change, overpopulation, advances in technology related to bio-warfare and other human-caused dangers seem to be growing.

Potential natural disasters like the Yellowstone “super volcano” are also a threat that could have global consequences.

But the concept of “the end of time” could also have other meanings – not a time of destruction, but one of transformation. Discoveries in modern physics seem to indicate that we are now learning that space and time are not what we generally think them to be. Time can be altered and experienced in various ways.

It could be that human consciousness might change in ways that are consistent with a change in our perception of, and the realities of time and space. Maybe this might happen in 2012 – or next week. Maybe it is already happening as more people learn about leading-edge and emerging views in physics, psychology and other arts and sciences.

2012 director Emmerich’s previous films such as Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow explored other kinds of global challenges.

In Independence Day, when unfriendly extraterrestrial aliens arrived in huge UFOs (actually they were not “unidentified” for long), humanity faced a serious threat. Is this scenario simply fiction or could such a development occur – or already be occurring?

The Day After Tomorrow put forth the concept that global climate change could alter planetary jet streams and cause sudden and severe cooling of the Earth, instead of warming. We have had various ice ages over the history of this planet. Could we experience another?

According to published reports, Emmerich has said that a TV series is planned based on the movie 2012. In the series, a group of survivors carry on in 2013. Such a TV series seems like a rich platform to explore many possible scenarios about how we might handle various kinds of catastrophes.

This may be a very good idea because despite the assurances from government agencies, scientists, scholars and others, it is usually wise to be prepared for known, suspected and unforeseen dangers and threats.

It might also be useful to believe that ideas like “the end of time” could relate to a new dawn, a new beginning for the human race and planet Earth – filled with peace, progress, prosperity, beauty, discovery and enlightenment.

TV show ‘V’ may reflect real UFOs, ET visitors

2009-11-15T07:10:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

The new ABC TV series “V” seems to be drawing a solid audience and may be helping us consider important issues facing our society today.

The original 1983 miniseries was reportedly related to the novel by Sinclair Lewis, “It Can’t Happen Here,” about the Nazis coming to power in Germany.

Yet, what if we look at the more literal context of the show – that extraterrestrial or unusual visitors of some kind have arrived, perhaps quite some time ago, and are among us?

In the original 1983 two-part miniseries, the 1984 three-part miniseries and the TV series that aired from 1984 to 1985, the visitors were portrayed as reptilian evil-doers who wanted to take over the Earth. Their human and friendly appearance was a cover for a more sinister agenda.

The new 2009 series, a “reimagining” of the 1983 TV miniseries, portrays a similar scenario.

What if there is some truth to a development like this? What if extraterrestrial or other kinds of visitors might arrive on Earth, or already have? Are they hostile? Are they friendly? Are there more than one kind? What might be their goals here? What activities are they conducting?

GOVERNMENT EFFORTS

In the new show, Elizabeth Mitchell plays FBI agent Erica Evans. Each week, she and her allies discover more about the visitors.

Does our real-life FBI take an interest in this topic? According to some UFO research, J. Edgar Hoover definitely had an interest and FBI agents have been involved in these kinds of investigations over the years. Hoover reportedly complained that he was cut out of the loop by other U.S. military and intelligence organizations on this subject.

The Air Force’s “Project Bluebook,” based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, investigated UFO sightings for many years. But some researchers claim that his project was a cover story for other research and activities regarding real UFOs and unusual visitors.

Some researchers say that a group of military and scientific officials called “Majestic” was formed in the late 1940s to investigate and handle an alleged real and serious UFO and visitor situation.

When audiences watch the “V” TV series, many viewers probably reflect on some of these reports and accounts of actual government interest in UFOs and alleged extraterrestrial visitation.

We might also wonder if this TV show, and many other movies, TV programs, books and related communications efforts are simply entertainment or something more.

GET READY

According to some researchers, efforts to prepare, orient and acclimate the American people and people around the world on this subject have been going on for decades.

Through carefully-crafted efforts by psychological operations experts to creative endeavors in the entertainment community, we may have been exposed to a wide array of orientation materials to get us ready to deal with surprising or even troubling situations in this area.

Are we ready? Are we prepared?

The impacts of such a situation could be mental, emotional, spiritual, social, governmental, military, economic, scientific, technological and maybe even biological. There could be many important, complex and sensitive aspects to such a scenario that would need to be handled carefully and safely.

If something like this was really going on, who are the good guys and bad guys? Who can we trust? What is the end game?

These are the same questions and developments playing out in the TV show “V.”

We also see these kinds of elements in apparently increasing numbers of movies, books and other information platforms. Surf your TV channels, scan the movie section of your newspaper or check out the internet or local bookstore and you will find a significant number and variety of materials addressing these subjects.

If there is any truth to the reports and tales about UFOs and unconventional visitors to Earth, we might want to watch “V” with a perspective that helps us prepare for the possibility that this TV show might reflect reality more closely than many people now realize.

'Goats' movie helps us stare at human mind

2009-11-11T17:52:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

The new fact-based fiction movie The Men Who Stare at Goats deals with more than meets the eye. Or at least, we see some subjects touched on in quick and sometimes subtle ways that might trigger more thought.

In other scenes, certain topics are dealt with at length or even hit viewers between the eyes with a cinematic sledgehammer.

Incredibly funny parts of the movie are juxtaposed with the troubling, tragic and frightening.

Besides looking at the concepts of the First Earth Battalion and its real-life outside-the-box leader Army Lt. Col. Jim Channon (played by Jeff Bridges), we also get a glimpse at the Vietnam War years and post-Vietnam U.S. Army. These were dark and difficult times in the military and in America.

Yet, the 1960s and ´70s also brought forth the "human potential movement" which included a variety of touchy-feely human encounter activities, experimentation with mind-altering substances, a renewed interest in planet Earth and the natural environment, as well as the value of peace and human love.

From the troubled years after the Vietnam War to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, moviegoers are asked to consider some basic questions about human beings, the U.S. government and military, and even the forces of good versus "the dark side."

THE HUMAN MIND

The movie, and the book upon which it is based, bring together various subjects in ways that give us the opportunity to reflect further about the larger, deeper and more complex aspects of the real-life material.

For example, the research and operational activities of Project STAR GATE, probably the most widely-known U.S. remote viewing program, was not part of Channon's First Earth Battalion.

However, as indicated by the scene when George Clooney identifies the contents of a small closed box as "a man sitting in a chair," remote viewing did turn out to be a real and valid human skill.

Generally speaking, it is a sub-type of ESP, but conducted according to specific and scientific research and operational protocols.

Remote viewing-type skills are related to what we call intuition, gut feelings, instincts and the sixth sense. We probably all have these abilities and can practice and develop them further.

Some of the Project STAR GATE personnel reportedly had quite excellent results at times.

On a separate topic, in the movie an entire Army outpost in Iraq is slipped a mind-altering substance, LSD, via the food and water. In fact, during Army and CIA research of LSD a couple of decades ago, unwitting troops, intelligence officers and civilians were reportedly given this substance to test its effects.

The dangers of this and other mind-altering substances are clearly demonstrated in one troubling and shocking scene. This danger is real and was an unfortunate result for many people in the '60s, '70s and beyond. In fact, certain mind-altering drugs continue to cause severe health, social and legal problems today.

The often valuable research into human consciousness, from the '60s to the present, has been marred in many cases by excess, ignorance, misuse and dangerous behavior.

Defining, understanding and separating worthwhile and constructive approaches from stupid and destructive behavior continue to be a challenge now.

VICTORY WITHIN REACH

In the movie, we also get glimpses of the positive potential of human beings, our military and our society.

When the Jeff Bridges character has a near-death experience in Vietnam after being shot, we might wonder about the many reports of similar encounters that have been thoroughly researched and documented. And we might wonder what conclusions can be drawn from them.

The reverence for the Earth through various rituals by some of the characters can also be interpreted as a valid perspective that connects humans with Nature – and helps keep our feet on the ground as well as offering benefits to mental and spiritual health.

Mention in the movie of U.S. military humanitarian operations, peace operations, conflict resolution and similar activities might seem whimsical. However, these activities are now considered important parts of American foreign policy and important missions of the U.S. armed forces.

How fitting that the movie portrays some recent activities in Iraq and Afghanistan as being part of "the dark side."

The Men Who Stare at Goats is a funny, thought-provoking and very entertaining movie. It moves along quickly, but not like the rapid-fire pacing of a thriller. It is more like a gentle roller-coaster of humor and tragedy, action and more contemplative moments, with representations of good and evil, light and darkness.

Perhaps most importantly, the movie gives us insight into human nature at its best and worst.

The lessons that can be learned from the film, and the stories upon which it is apparently loosely based, are probably more valuable than we might think.

Human consciousness is now changing and evolving in ways that might result in developments so positive that the goals of people like Col. Channon may finally be within reach.

TV project on CIA remote viewing unit underway

2009-11-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

Following on the heels of the release of the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats, a new TV project about a CIA "remote viewing" unit is in the works, according to a Nov. 3 article in Variety.

Widespread interest in the topic of remote viewing has grown steadily since information about Project STAR GATE emerged in the 1990s.

Recently, large amounts of documents associated with the project have been declassified and made public, although many remain secret.

The "Goats" movie deals with a wide range of human development methods that were explored in a U.S. Army activity headed by Lt. Col. Jim Channon. Remote viewing-type capabilities and the nature of human consciousness were part of these efforts. Channon served as an advisor for the film.

The Fox project is reportedly being developed with Chernin Entertainment, a TV-based production company associated with 20th Century Fox.

Peter Chernin, Katherine Pope and Lauren Stein will be the executive producers. Len Wiseman will direct. Writer Harris Wilkinson is also involved in the project.

Will they do their research to help ensure that their project is authentic and accurate?

PROJECT STAR GATE

There are many individuals nowadays claiming to be remote viewers or to have knowledge of the U.S. Government's projects in these areas. However, only a relative handful have solid first-hand knowledge and understanding of the programs that later became known as Project STAR GATE.

Although many people may have good abilities in ESP, or "anomalous cognition" as it is sometimes called, remote viewing was a term given to a specific scientifically-run protocol that had been developed and tested during years of research and real intelligence operations.

From the early stages of study at Palo Alto's SRI research center and think tank to sponsorship and management by various branches of the U.S. military and intelligence community, the research into and utilization of enhanced or advanced human perception yielded interesting, if not amazing results.

A former Navy SEAL officer wrote a very useful research paper on remote viewing for his graduate-level studies at the Marine Corps War College. He called remote viewing a good example of what he termed "transcendent warfare" – using leading-edge emerging knowledge to approach conflict in new ways. Transcendent warfare can be related to hard power, soft power and smart power – transcendent power.

Books, movies, TV shows and other communications platforms have explored ESP-related topics in one way or the other for many years.

Yet, the new Fox-Chernin project may have the opportunity to examine the subject more thoroughly in ways that potentially very large audiences will find intriguing and fascinating.

Because human consciousness is something we all have and experience, a TV project dealing with this subject is directly relevant to a wide and deep spectrum of viewers.

In fact, the potential educational value creates a significant synergy with the entertainment elements of such a show.

PART OF NATURE

As wider public awareness of ideas related to remote viewing has evolved in recent years, we now know that this ability and method are directly related to the intuition, instincts, hunches, gut feelings and "sixth sense" many average people have every day.

Scientific theories attempt to explain how we can obtain or access information and understanding of people, places and things outside of our direct five senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.

A brief explanation might simply emphasize that physicists, psychologists and others have determined that things in this Universe of ours are connected in ways that do not seem logical and that we do not fully understand at this time.

Using these potential connections through our deeper minds as well as our other senses and resources can give us greater information and comprehension.

Ancient humans may have used these non-intellectual abilities more than we do today. Animals and other creatures using their instincts are probably also tapping into "non-local" information in similar ways. There may even be connections to these phenomena deep within our biological beings, our cells and our DNA.

In short, these are very natural and normal aspects of the consciousness of life and of Nature. This is one of the ways Nature works.

So, remote viewing and anomalous cognition are really not so anomalous or unusual after all. Better terms might be alternative cognition or perception, or maybe complementary cognition or perception. Integrative cognition or perception might be another useful concept.

It's a kind of perception that can work with our normal five senses and our intellectual, logical brain. But, Project STAR GATE personnel also discovered that our thinking brain can get in the way of remote viewing and distort perception.

Remote-viewing types of perceiving may kick in more strongly when needed for survival in some kind of dangerous scenario that could involve injury and life or death situations. This is why these abilities seem to come forward in some military combat personnel, intelligence field operatives or assets, peace officers, firefighters and others.

The Fox-Chernin TV project about a CIA remote viewing group has the potential to take viewers into the amazing potential of not only a special aspect of the intelligence community, but also the human potential inside all of us.