Posted on 11/12/2007 3:53:44 PM PST by mdittmar
UFOs may be fodder for comedians and science fiction but there was no joking Monday when a group of pilots and officials demanded the US government reopen an investigation into unidentified flying objects.
The 19 former pilots and government officials, who say they have seen UFOs themselves or been involved in probes of strange flying objects, told reporters their questions can no longer be dismissed more than 30 years after the US case was closed.
"We want the US government to stop perpetuating the myth that all UFOs can be explained away in down-to-earth, conventional terms," said Fife Symington, former governor of Arizona and air force pilot who says he saw a UFO himself in 1997.
"Instead our country needs to reopen its official investigation that it shut down in 1969," Symington told a news conference.
Symington read an appeal on behalf of the group of who came to Washington to recount their sightings of UFOs.
"We believe that for reasons of both national security and flight safety, every country should make an effort to identify any object in its airspace," the statement said.
The group included a retired pilot from Air France who said he saw an enormous flying disc during a flight from Nice to London in 1994, an Iranian pilot who tried in vain to fire on a UFO in 1976 and a former US official from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who claims a probe into a UFO seen over Alaska in 1987 was squelched.
"'Who believes in UFOs?' is the kind of attitude of the FAA all the time," Symington said.
"However, when I asked the CIA person: 'What do you think it was,' he responded 'a UFO.'"
When Symington suggested the government tell Americans about a UFO, the CIA official allegedly told him: "'No way, if we were to tell the American public there are UFOs they would panic.'"
The subject of UFOs came up in a recent debate among presidential candidates, with Democrat Dennis Kucinich saying he saw a UFO.
Skeptics say UFO sightings are merely aircraft or meteors re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.
I’ve been msg’d more this thread than usual about
WHY CAN’T WE HAVE A SANE, SAFE PLACE TO DISCUSS THIS TOPIC without all the idiot uninformed naysayers throwing so much nastiness, orneriness etc. into the works such that good folks leave disgusted?
I don’t really know.
It is possible, when discussing the religious aspects of it to have a caucus thread in the rel forum for the Pentecostal/Charismatics to look at it from their perspective. That might be one way—but a caucus thread is for absolutely no contentiousness etc. I don’t know if even all of us who believe in the reality of UFO’s could meet that standard.
Certainly folks are welcome to ask JimRob directly for such a protected or at least more fairly moderated forum on the topic. But I wouldn’t expect a lot of sympathy—though I could be wrong. It’s been a while.
Anyway—those who would like to discuss the topic in peace could also just email all communications to the whole list of those wanting to do such.
IF FOLKS WNAT TO TRY THAT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
Stanton Friedman shredded the Drake equation quite handily and humorously . . . left Drake looking like an educated fool . . . I heard him do it in person. He’s also done it in a doc on his homepage/website.
http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/sfhome.html
OK, then show me your evidence that every single sighting ever, as you claim, is just just a misinterpretation, optical illusion, secret military craft etc.
Ya can't.
Therefore, I go with the more likely explanation.
You keep talking about evidence. Got news for you, "Likely explanations" are NOT evidence, and are more often just peoples opinions, like yours, all based on what *you* consider, "likely explanations".
Got a question for ya gun runner. Do you believe in God?
Do you believe in God?
I don't have evidence for EVERY SINGLE sighting, just like I can't debunk every Bigfoot, Nessie, or leprechaun sighting. I've given you a reasonable basis for my point of view, and nothing you've said comes close to convincing me otherwise. There is a multitude of evidence for UFOs being explained as earthly phenomena, and ZERO evidence for anything extraterrestrial. If there are two possibilities, I will go with the more reasonable one.
So some pilots have seen some strange things in the sky; there's also pilots that say September 11th was an inside job and that a plane never hit the Pentagon. Are you inclined to believe them as well?
Do ya believe in God?
Take your time with #187.
I’ll check back later.
But I think your question is indicative of your point of view coming more from faith than in an honest look at the facts at hand regarding UFOs.
Baloney. This excuse was lame fifty years ago, and makes no sense at all today. The only people who panic anymore are liberals hearing about the latest environmental hysteria. I don't think Symington talked to any "CIA official" about this at all.
How do you know about it then? (second hand rubbish from "martian face" Hoagland doesn't count unless you can show the so-called pictures, prove they are of a fossil, and prove that it was destroyed. Talk's cheap. Doesn't count.
Do ya believe in God?
I'm not interested in a theological discussion.
It's just a question. You made the above statement. Go ahead and answer the question.
Re-read 189. What's the relevance to the strange objects you've seen jetting around the moon's orbit?
Do ya believe in God?
Re-read 189.
189 is a dodge. The above legitimate question that was based on your own statement.
Otherwise I can only assume you're making inconsistent statements here, which would seem to put your credibility in question.
Jeez, you can't read between the lines? I'm a deist; as in belief in a higher power through logic and reason rather than bronze age myths and scriptures.
Now can you explain how it applies to the topic at hand?
It is easy to see why the government has been in a denial mode....the cold war etc. It was just too important then. Tough to change old habbits.
Re-read 189.
189 is a dodge. The above legitimate question was based on your own statement above.
Otherwise I can only assume you're making inconsistent statements here, which would seem to put your credibility in question.
Jeez, you can't read between the lines? I'm a deist
I admit I am a little ignorant of what a Deist is. So I took a look for myself. From the links I found below, it clearly states that they believe in God.
A deist is a person who believes that God designed and created the world and governs it through natural laws that are inherent in everything.
And another link states:
Welcome to Modern Deism Deism is a reason-based faith that postulates a belief in God through a foundation of Reason, Personal Experience and Nature (nature of the universe) with emphasis on freethought rather than a foundation of Divine revelation(s) and Holy texts. Essentially, through the use of Reason, God’s existence is revealed by the observation of nature and our own personal experiences. For the Deist, the order and complexity found in nature coupled with our rational experiences of nature leads to a belief in God.
So according to the above, you do believe in God right?
I do not believe in anything for which there is no evidence.
And if you do, well you know what I'm getting at...Lets cut to the chase, show me your *evidence* and quit weaving and dodging.
I'll check back later.
I would make a point in defense of your argument. One thing that has aways bothered me about UFO phenomena is the design of the crafts depicted in artistic rendering throughout the history of the subject.
For a comparison, I would offer the legendary bigfoot. Whether one believes in bigfoot or not, one must admit that the artistic depictions of the creature remain relatively identical through the course of it's history- Even to representations on totem poles constructed before the foundation of our country.
When one looks at the history of UFOs, using a slice of history from the 1950s through today, one does not find that same continuity. If anything, the depictions and even photographs offer style changes quite in line with the changes in industrial ability here on earth.
The depictions from the fifties offer a craft looking much like two opposing and crudely formed hubcaps welded together, while by the nineties, the craft tend toward a sleek triangular swept single wing approach. If one were to increment each decade between the two, one can plainly see the evolution taking place, and it follows closely with the futuristic visions of the earth bound industry of that respective day.
That being said, my own opinion will wind up somewhere between yourself and our FRiend Quix, whose position holds much value as well. I think technological advancement is driven by demonic forces, and always has been; their motive being to oppose Almighty God with the force available right here on this earth where they have been trapped among us. Our literal dependence on that technology drives us away from what God had intended and causes us to become calloused to the miraculous evidences of God by our reliance on false miracles.
What an excellent post!
Not to steal the thread, but your statement suggests there is no evidence for God... not a valid statement IMHO.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.