Alien Lore No. 33: Gordon Cooper On Astronaut UFO Sightings

There is a fairly widespread belief that American astronauts witnessed, on more than one occasion, UFOs in space. One name often associated with these tales is that of Major Gordon Cooper, who was apparently a believer, but also tried to clear up a lot of the wacko information.

Cooper was interviewed by the magazine OMNI in March, 1980:

OMNI: What about the repeated allegations that the astronauts saw
many UFOs?

COOPER: It got so bad that there were deliberately falsified tapes of communications with the astronauts, where UFO material was simply edited in. To my knowledge, the only astronaut on any of the Mercury, Gemini, or Apollo missions who ever saw anything that might have been a UFO was Jim McDivitt, but he didn't get enough pictures to prove anything substantial. That's the only case, in spite of all the stories you hear.

OMNI: Didn't you go after some UFOs as an air force pilot in Germany in the 1950s?

COOPER: Yes, several days in a row we sighted groups of metallic, saucer-shaped vehicles at great altitudes over the base, and we tried to get close to them, but they were able to change direction faster than our fighters. I do believe UFOs exists and that the truly unexplained ones are from some other technologically advanced civilization. From my association with aircraft and spacecraft, I think I have a pretty good idea of what everyone on this planet has and their performance capabilities, and I'm sure some of the UFOs at least are not from anywhere on Earth.

OMNI: Aren't you concerned about the reaction of people who may read this?

COOPER: I've always been honest about my views on this subject. Because the astronauts have been so badly misquoted by irresponsible journalists, it's up to each of us to say what he believes in. I'm engaged in a lawsuit against people who used my name for a commercial venture, quoting me to the effect that I'm dedicated to forcing the government to tell the truth about UFOs. I never said that at all. If any UFO information is being suppressed, it's certainly not in the U.S. Air Force, because I was at a high enough level to know about it.
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Painting: President Bush Jawboning

click painting to enlarge...

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Alien Lore No. 32: The Condon Report - The Study That Killed Project Blue Book And All (Admitted) Government Research On UFOs And Alien Visitors

Earlier, I wrote about some of the early government studies and investigations into UFOs. Project Blue Book was the Air Force project charged with researching UFOs. In later chapters, I will get into the whole conspiracy angle. Many UFOlogists believe that Project Blue Book was a cover organization, fed easily debunked reports concocted by wackos. The real research, they claimed, was being done elsewhere, in total secrecy. We'll get into the stories of John Lear, Bill English, Bill Cooper, Allen Hynek, and others later.

The Air Force commissioned an analysis of Project Blue Book, and a 1,465-page document based primarily on data collected by Project Blue Book was delivered to the U.S. Air Force in November 1968 and released in January 1969.

The head of the study, Dr. Edward Condon, wrote:

"Our general conclusion is that nothing has come from the study of UFOs in the past 21 years that has added to scientific knowledge. Careful consideration of the record as it is available to us leads us to conclude that further extensive study of UFOs probably cannot be justified ... "

The Report attracted widespread criticism, from both UFOlogists and even the mainstream scientific community, which felt that the Condon study had been too quick to dismiss certain well-documented UFO cases for which there was no obvious explanation.

The American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) had formed a subcommittee on UFOs in 1967 which, following the release of the Condon Report, issued its first public statement:

"The Committee has made a careful examination of the present state of the UFO issue and has concluded that the controversy cannot be resolved without further study in a quantitative scientific manner and that it deserves the attention of the engineering and scientific community. In December 1969, at its annual meeting in Boston, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) held a symposium, organized by a committee including Carl Sagan, Philip Morrison, and Thornton Page, to allow a more open and thorough airing of scientific views than it was felt the Condon report had achieved. "

Project Blue Book was cancelled. Some would call this a victory for Majestic 12 and other nefarious forces, dedicated to hiding the truth.
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The Incredible Blinking President!

In the Washington Post last week, columnist Dana Milbank wrote a piece, For President Under Duress, Body Language Speaks Volumes. He analyzes The President's physical responses to various questions. His piece contains gems like these:

"The fidgeting clearly corresponded to the questioning. When Lauer asked if Bush, after a slow response to Katrina, was 'trying to get a second chance to make a good first impression,' Bush blinked 24 times in his answer. When asked why Gulf Coast residents would have to pay back funds but Iraqis would not, Bush blinked 23 times and hitched his trousers up by the belt. When the questioning turned to Miers, Bush blinked 37 times in a single answer..."

"Lauer's query about whether conservatives 'are feeling let down by you?' appeared to provoke furious jiggling of the right leg."

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Alien Lore No. 31: The Hynek And Vallee Alien Contact Classification Systems

Jacques Vallee (best selling author, scientist, and Silicon Valley entrepeneur) believes there a compelling case for the existence of UFOs. He has also said that one of the greatest impediments to understanding UFOs are the hard-core believers. UFOlogists exhibit a high degree of territorial sniping and infighting. Vallee is often considered one of the brightest scientists who actually believes in UFOs.

Vallee worked early in his career for J. Allen Hynek, who, as you may remember, directed the Project Blue Book for the Air Force. Blue Book is often now considered as the government's program to bury all information about UFOs, under the guise of researching them...

Both of these scientists came up with systems for classifying encounters with UFOs and aliens.


The Hynek Classification System

A system developed by Dr. J. Allen Hynek which categorizes the various types of UFO sightings. The categories are as follows:

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FIRST KIND
A UFO in close proximity of a witness.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE SECOND KIND
A UFO leaves permanent or semi-permanent physical markings behind (such as burns on the ground or radiation traces).

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
A Close Encounter of the First or Second Kind where extra terrestrials are also seen.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FOURTH KIND
A UFO’s occupants abduct an individual. Abductee's experience severe reality distortion such as memory lapse, 'post abduction trauma' symptoms such as fear and anxiety.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FIFTH KIND
Communication occurs between a person and an extra terrestrial.


The Jacques Vallee Classification System


MA RATING
Describes the maneuvers of a UFO
MA1- A UFO has been observed which travels in an erratic trajectory. i.e. vertical drops, maneuvers
MA2- MA1 plus any physical effects caused by the UFO.
MA3- MA1 plus any entities observed on board.
MA4- Maneuvers accompanied by a sense of reality transformation for the observer.
MA5- A maneuver that results in a permanent injury or death of the witness.


FB RATING
The fly-by rating, describes the flight characteristics of the UFO
FB1- A sighting of a UFO travelling in a straight line across the sky.
FB2- FB1 accompanied by physical evidence.
FB3- A fly-by where entities are observed on board.
FB4- A fly-by where the witness experienced a transformation of reality into the object or its occupants.
FB5- A fly-by which the witness would suffer permanent injuries or even death.


CE RATING
Close Encounter rating, describes the level of contact between the witness and the UFO
CE1- UFO comes within 500 feet of the witness, but no after effects are suffered by the witness or the surrounding area.
CE2- A CE1 that leaves landing traces or injuries to the witness.
CE3- Entities have been observed on the UFO.
CE4- The witness has been abducted.
CE5- CE4 which results in permanent psychological injuries or death.


SVP RATING
Describes the credibility of the witness’s account of the UFO sighting.

A rating out of four is given for the three categories of the source’s: reliability, site visit and possible explanations. For Example:
source reliability-1, site visit-2, possible explaination-3 = 123
(A rating of 222 or higher indicates the case was reported by a reliable source)

SOURCE RELIABILITY RATING
0- Unknown or unreliable source.
1- Report attributed to a known source of unknown or uncalibrated reliability.
2- Reliable source, secondhand.
3- Reliable source, firsthand.
4- Firsthand personal interview with the witness by a source of proven reliability.

SITE VISIT RATING
0- No site visit, or answer unknown.
1- Site visited by a casual person not familiar with the phenomena.
2- Site visited by persons familiar with the phenomena.
3- Site visit by a reliable investigator with some experience.
4- Site visit by a skilled analyst.

POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS RATING
0- Data consistent with one or more natural causes.
1- Natural explanation requires only slight modification of the data.
2- Natural explanation requires major alteration of one parameter.
3- Natural explanation requires major alteration of several parameters.
4- No natural explanation possible, given the evidence.
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Karl Rove & Scooter Libby Will Resign When Indicted

Notice, my headline says "when," not "if." The Time Magazine online edition published an article today saying that if indicted, Rove & Libby will resign. Click here to read the full article. This excerpt is from Time:

"Karl Rove has a plan, as always. Even before testifying last week for the fourth time before a grand jury probing the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity, Bush senior adviser Rove and others at the White House had concluded that if indicted he would immediately resign or possibly go on unpaid leave, several legal and Administration sources familiar with the thinking told TIME. Resignation is the much more likely scenario, they say. The same would apply to I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, the Vice President's chief of staff, who also faces a possible indictment. A former White House official says Rove's break with Bush would have to be clean--no "giving advice from the sidelines"--for the sake of the Administration."

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Alien Lore No. 30: Sergeant Lonnie Zamora & The Strange Events At Socorro, NM

One of the most fascinating and best documented UFO cases is a pivotal event in UFO lore: The Socorro, New Mexico landing. Socorro is a small town located just south of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Air Force Project Blue Book, a notoriously skeptical agency, classified the encounter as "unexplained."



Lonnie Zamora was a sergeant in the Socorro Police Department. On April 24, 1964, he witnessed the Socorro landing in New Mexico. The investigation of the Socorro case was lead by Dr J. Allen Hynek with the FBI. The report on the case ended up in the Project Blue Book saying:

"There is no doubt that Lonnie Zamora saw an object which left quite an impression on him. There is also no question about Zamora's reliability. He is a serious officer, a pillar of his church, and a man well versed in recognizing airborne vehicles in his area. He is puzzled by what he saw, and frankly, so are we. This is the best documented case on record."

The Lonnie Zamora case is well-known and highly regarded by most of the UFOlogy community. The credibility of sergeant Zamora is untarnished, and the fact that there appeared to be some credible physical evidence led J. Allen Hynek remarked, "I personally am willing today to accept his testimony as genuine.." Let me point out that Hynek is not just your typical UFO nut. He was chairman of Astronomy at Northwestern University, and worked for the U.S. government as a researcher in Project Blue Book. Over the years, he moved from being highly skeptical to being convinced a genuine and potentially important phenomenon lay behind some of the unresolved UFO reports.



Zamora reported seeing two, small aliens beside a white, egg-shaped object minutes before it blasted off. Incredibly, earlier the same day, Gary T. Wilcox reported practically the same event on his farm near Tioga City, New York. He also said he saw two small beings near a metallic, egg-shaped object in a field surrounded by woods. This case was dismissed at the time because Wilcox claimed to have talked to the two aliens. He was, naturally, written off as a nut-job.

There is no way that Zamora or Wilcox could have known about the other's report (unless they knew each other, which does not seem likely). This is an extremely unlikely coincidence whether either or both reports were true, or confabulations.



Lonnie Zamora's encounter is one of the landmark ufo events in the history of the phenomena. To this day it remains a case in which all the facts involved support the witnesses claims. It is this kind of case that makes ufo lore endure.

While Socorro does not prove the existence of extraterrestrial life or E.B.E.s, some type of unusual craft with occupants did land, and take off again. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who interviewed Zamora on more than one occasion, believes every word that Zamora said. He played his cards pretty close to the vest however: "There is much more evidence to indicate that we are dealing with a most real phenomenon of undetermined origin."

If this vehicle was not extraterrestrial, where did it come from? Why did it land? Who were the occupants? To answer that question, you need to read the next chapter of alien lore, where we analyze just what they were building at Area 51 and who was piloting these craft. That, of course, is another long and often shaggy-dog story we will get to in the future.
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Painting: The Nudist Beauty Pageant

Click the painting to enlarge. . .

Some Days You Just Feel Like A Clown

click image to enlarge

The President's Approval Free-fall Continues Unabated:::::POTUS's Face Almost Seems To Mirror The Emotional Meatgrinder Under Which He Is Laboring

You have to admit, you can almost see the confusion and tension in his face these days.

In a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, The President's ratings continue to sink into the rathole. For the first time in the poll's history, POTUS's approval rating plunged below 40 percent. The percentage of people who believe the country is heading in the right direction has fallen below 30%.

For the icing on the cake, only 29% of those polled believe that Harriet Miers is qualified to serve on the Supreme Court!
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Three Presidential Candidates Bite The Dust

Last month, I pondered just who would run for President. Like others, I concluded Al Gore might be our best bet. And I liked the guy. Alas, this week he seemed to pretty specifically rule out a run for the White House. Scratch Al Gore from the list.

We can probably scratch off Governor Jeb Bush's name. Someone put the stinkeye on the Bush clan. I don't think the Bush brothers could take a city council seat right now.

Dr. Frist's ethics issues seem likely to eliminate him as well. There are rumors afoot concerning at least two more of the people on this list too.

Democrats Still Standing
Senator Evan Bayh
Ex-Gen. Wesley Clark
Senator Hillary Clinton
Ex-Senator Tom Daschle
Senator John Edwards
Senator Russ Feingold
Governor Bill Richardson
Governor Mark Warner
Senator John Kerry
Senator Joseph Biden


Republicans Still Standing
Ex-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
Ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Senator John McCain
Governor George Pataki
Governor Tim Pawlenty
Governor Mike Huckabee
Ex-Governor Mark Racicot
Governor Mitt Romney
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Some Things I Don't Get

Some of them may be good things. Things I do get, I don't expect you to get. Or love. You don't have to love everything "they" tell you is great. On the other hand, everything you love may not necessarily be great. You don't have to disparage things you dislike. I am always stunned when someone tells me they don't like Shakespeare, Melville, Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Emily Dickinson, Warhol, red wine, The Grateful Dead, John Coltrane, Keith Haring, Mark Ryden, cottage cheese, Joni Mitchell, Bartok, truffles (the mushroom, not the candy), Bob Dylan, flank steak, or Bobby Kennedy. But, hey, I can live with that. Here's my partial list:

awards shows (all of them)
ringtones
heavily groomed/absent pubic hair
$4.00 coffee
obsessive hydration
candy bars
smacking bitches
tattoos
rolling suitcases
caviar
Hitting the start button to quit Windows
Believing death means ceasing to exist and thinking that's OK
drinking beer from the bottle
rape
people who insist that you call them Doctor (I do call some of my Dr. friends Doctor or Doc, but they don't insist).
people who don't believe in TV
depression
people who don't like rock and roll
facial and genital piercings
reality shows
SUVs
republicans who are in it for something other than the money
marketing people
novelty records
bukkake
shriners
people who won't read books
Garfield
scat sites
baseball caps
people who think modern art "sucks"
handguns
action-adventure games
Paris Hilton
Hummers (the vehicle)
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