Journalism in media mix: New shows ‘Chasing UFOs,’ ‘Spacing Out’ help prepare public

By Steve Hammons

Two new shows exploring the UFO phenomena – “Chasing UFOs” on the National Geographic Channel and the online program “Spacing Out” from OpenMinds.TV in Arizona – attempt to find interesting, fun and credible ways to present information related to the UFO topic.

These programs join a long list of fictional (including fact-based fiction) and documentary-type TV shows and films over the years and decades.

The end result of these new efforts and the many other media projects that have gone before is that the general public has grown more aware of known UFO cases and elements involved, and what they might mean.

By being more aware, the public is also better prepared.

Improving general understanding about such an apparently complex situation is not always an easy task. To do it in a way that does not “dumb down” the topic and the audience has been an ongoing challenge for creators of TV and movies, researchers and writers.

At the same time, today’s audiences include adults, young adults, teens, tweens and even kids. Subjects like extraterrestrial spacecraft and intelligent visitors from elsewhere can be scary. The viewpoint of Earth humans about the Universe could change. In fact, this viewpoint is changing due to ongoing “edu-tainment” programs like “Chasing UFOs” and “Spacing Out.”

JOURNALISM AND NEWS MEDIA

Responsible news and journalism professionals also seem to be trying to bring objectivity to coverage of the UFO situation. Lee Speigel of the online Huffington Post is an experienced researcher and writer on this subject. His regular articles on HuffPost offer reasonable, down-to-Earth perspectives.

Actually, American journalism has been doing a better job of covering this subject over the decades than many people realize. In fact, newspaper reports and news media accounts of a range of UFO incidents have been important in much of our current understanding of the phenomena.

A review of newspaper articles going back to the 1800s and early 1900s include those describing mysterious “airships” seen by witnesses.

Other cases like the national and international press coverage of the Roswell incident in the summer of 1947 showed that, generally, news reporters did a decent job under the circumstances.

A few years later in the summer of 1952, headlines again appeared in newspapers about the multiple apparent objects over Washington, D.C. These objects were reportedly tracked on radar and chased by U.S. military aircraft. Coverage of this incident in newspapers was fairly thorough. (Interestingly, a member of the newly-formed Air Force “Project BLUE BOOK” at southwestern Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was in Washington at the time.)

Other cases large and small were covered by the news media over the years. For example, the 1973 “Coyne Incident” in the skies above central Ohio involving an Army Reserve helicopter crew is one very credible case that received solid coverage, at least by the local media.

And in 1997, the Phoenix, Arizona, incident generated intense local media coverage, as well as national and international news reports. A huge V-shaped or boomerang-shaped object or craft gently glided over the metro Phoenix “Valley of the Sun” region one evening. Later that evening, military flares were apparently dropped over a nearby Air Force practice range.

In 2006, it was Chicago Tribune transportation journalist Jon Hilkevitch who reported that multiple witnesses at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport claimed to have seen a gray, metallic-looking, disc-shaped object hovering over the airport, then zipping away into the clouds.

The 2008 Stephenville, Texas, sightings also credit good news coverage to local reporting. Small-town newspaper reporter Angelia Joiner followed up on reports from reliable local citizens. Before long, major national and international news media also provided reasonably thorough coverage of a series of incidents and sightings in the region.

BLENDING JOURNALISM AND ENTERTAINMENT

Is it possible to successfully integrate the factual reporting of conventional journalism with more creative and engaging media approaches?

It seems to have been done well in many films, TV shows and books. Elements of fact-based fiction can come into play to tell the story, explore the possibilities and prepare ourselves for further developments on the UFO topic.

Speculation and creative leeway may be needed in some cases because conventional journalism is usually limited to that which has been determined and is factual – the “who, what, when, where, why and how.”

Behind the scenes, there might be much more going on but that information is too sensitive to be released to the general public, probably for a number of reasons. National security or global security could be involved. Gradual public preparedness and limited public information might be considered a wise approach. And some aspects of the situation could be so complex or even troubling that they should be closely held or disseminated on a need-to-know basis only.

Various kinds of approaches in TV shows, movies, books and other media platforms can sometimes help fill in gaps about UFOs and what they might mean. Some scenarios and perspectives in some media activities appear to be quite credible and others less so. But most such projects and products seem to help move the ball forward in public understanding.

“Chasing UFOs” and “Spacing Out” seem like two more examples of reasonable efforts to try to find effective and fun ways for more Americans to learn about the apparently complex and sensitive topic of UFOs.

Up to speed on UFOs, intelligent visitors? Revised ‘A.D. After Disclosure’ book release in May

By Steve Hammons

Because there is now more awareness about indications that Earth is being visited by intelligent beings from elsewhere, maybe it’s time to read the new, updated version of the book “A.D. After Disclosure” by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel. The updated book is due to be released in May by New Page Books of Career Press.

Publication of the original book in October 2010 presented a rich overview of the state of research into the UFO phenomenon and apparently-related activities. According to the authors, the revised book will have additional information, more photos and “new thinking.”

The new version of the book also has a revised subtitle: “When the Government Finally Reveals the Truth About Alien Contact.”

And, the authors focus on how greater understanding by the general public about these circumstances might affect people around the world. “A.D. After Disclosure: When the Government Finally Reveals the Truth About Alien Contact” will be available as a hard cover as well as an e-book.

HISTORY, HOLLYWOOD, AWARENESS NOW

Historian Dolan and Hollywood writer and producer Zabel teamed up to write the book in their ongoing efforts to learn more about this intriguing situation and pass on what they have discovered. They explore the effects of secrecy and security about the UFO phenomena and how this has played out in American and international society.

Dolan is a well-known speaker and the author of the historical book series “UFOs and the National Security State.”

Zabel is a former TV journalist who later transformed into a Hollywood writer and producer, serving as past chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Leveraging their backgrounds and years of research into the fascinating and somewhat concerning topics surrounding the UFO phenomena, Dolan and Zabel created a comprehensive view of the complex and sometimes surprising elements apparently in play. "A.D. After Disclosure" looks at facts, alleged facts and possibilities that we should probably consider.

Are intelligent beings from other planets and/or dimensions visiting Earth? How long have they been doing so? Are they friendly, neutral or hostile? What are their activities here? Have the U.S. and international governments been handling the situation in a competent way? What are the scientific implications? These are some of the questions the authors ask and attempt to answer.

BEING PREPARED

Importantly, how does this situation affect all of us, our children and families, our communities and the human race on planet Earth? What changes will occur as understanding increases about these circumstances?

Dolan and Zabel explore various possible developments from public announcements by government officials to the less dramatic but equally-significant gradual improvement in public awareness about these topics.

Because the UFO situation and related factors are reportedly sensitive national security concerns, readers will note that the authors take safety considerations into account. They freely admit that the truth about some aspects of the situation may be challenging or difficult and robust secrecy and security are understandable.

Yet, they also seem to recognize that the separate and probably complementary issue of increased public knowledge is also very important. Dolan and Zabel seem to have reasonable faith that the American people and humans around the world will be able to handle these discoveries. So, they lay it on the table for readers to see, to consider and to come to their own conclusions.

How we respond to the ideas and facts about this UFO-and-visitation situation will depend on human psychology, emotions and spiritual viewpoints. Another important factor examined by Dolan and Zabel is how the entertainment and news media have handled this subject so far and how their treatment of it could change significantly.

Being prepared for developments, whether sudden or gradual, about UFOs and visitors is something that the authors appear to believe is important for safety and positive outcomes for humanity.

For more information, visit http://www.afterdisclosure.com/.

Appropriate security on UFOs probably 2-way street

By Steve Hammons

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.

Insight, understanding not always found in official reports, documents

By Steve Hammons

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

By Steve Hammons

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 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, earlier and current inhabitants include 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

By Steve Hammons

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.

“Thousands 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.

Disclosure on anomalous topics not so mysterious after all

By Steve Hammons

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 there. 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 so 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.