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Sci Fi Channel-backed researcher sues NASA over UFO files
First Amendment Center Online ^ | Wednesday, December 17, 2003 | The Associated Press

Posted on 12/17/2003 6:09:59 PM PST by Momaw Nadon

PITTSBURGH — A researcher backed by cable television’s Sci Fi Channel sued NASA for the release of records she contends the agency has of a UFO that reportedly crash landed and was recovered by government workers in southwestern Pennsylvania in 1965.

The lawsuit was filed Dec. 9 in U.S. District Court in Washington on behalf of Leslie Kean, a San Rafael, Calif., investigative reporter backed by the cable channel and a group called the Coalition for Freedom of Information.

“Our lawsuit is aimed at getting NASA to tell the public what it knew and when it knew it,” said Ed Rothschild, a lobbyist the Sci Fi Channel hired from the Washington firm PodestaMattoon, who is also identified as CFI’s executive director. Former President Clinton’s one-time chief of staff John Podesta is backing the Sci Fi Channel’s efforts, and his brother, Anthony, is a principal in the lobbying firm hired by the channel.

Bob Jacobs, a NASA spokesman, said he was unaware of the lawsuit and could not comment.

The filing marked the 38th anniversary of the Kecksburg UFO incident, which occurred in the unincorporated hamlet about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

Witnesses described a “fireball” in the evening sky, and a metallic, acorn-shaped object about 12 to 15 feet high and 8 to 12 feet in diameter that landed in the woods, according to news media accounts in the Tribune-Review of Greensburg and other outlets at the time.

Military personnel quickly surrounded the site, removed the object, threatened residents who tried to inquire about it, and left — later calling the object a “meteor,” according to news accounts.

James Romansky, 57, of Derry Township, was then a 19-year-old volunteer firefighter. He told the Associated Press that he was among those who drove to the landing site.

“Now, I’m prepared for a smashed-up airplane ... and I’m thinking, ‘What in the hell is this?’ I’m looking for wings, propellers, motors, a fuselage — but there’s none of that,” Romansky said. “There’s no rivet marks on it, no weld marks on it, no windows, no doors — no possible way of getting in and out of this thing that I seen.

“There was writing on it, but not writing that you or I could understand. I always referred to it as something like the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. There was dots and dashes and circles,” Romansky said.

The cable network announced in June that it was backing the effort to research the Kecksburg incident in promoting a documentary, “Out of the Blue,” which examined various UFO reports.

“This should have been done a long time ago,” Romansky said. “The United States government has given us a snow job for the last God knows when. I can’t understand it for the life of me. They can’t come out and say it’s nothing because I was 10, 20 feet away from it.”

Sci Fi Channel officials said they’re looking for an explanation of what occurred. They’re also looking for viewers.

A November 2002 documentary on the suspected 1947 UFO crash in Roswell, N.M., was the highest-rated special in the network’s 11-year history. It was seen by nearly 2.4 million people, or about 2 1/2times Sci Fi’s usual prime-time audience.

The lawsuit contends NASA has thwarted Kean’s efforts to retrieve official files on the incident by sending her irrelevant information or nothing in response to Freedom of Information Act requests.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; US: Pennsylvania; Unclassified
KEYWORDS: 1stamendment; alien; associatedpress; constitution; firstamendment; foia; incident; johnpodesta; kecksburg; lawsuit; lesliekean; nasa; pittsburgh; podesta; roswell; scifichannel; ufo
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To: B-Chan
allowing the "alien UFO" legend to grow to divert media attention from the fact
that we had a top-secret Soviet spacecraft in our possession.

For what purpose?
Surely the Soviets knew they'd lost the thing, and that what we found was it.

The opposite argument would make more sense.

Allowing the Soviet spacecraft legend to grow to divert media attention from the fact
that we had a top-secret ET spacecraft in our possession.

121 posted on 12/19/2003 7:56:26 AM PST by ASA Vet ("Those who know don't talk, those who talk don't know." (I'm in the 2nd group ;-)
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To: VaBthang4
Why? If they're bopping around here with all their ubertechnology you'd think they'd be able to make themselves known to all quite easily.

For the same reason that a rich man walking alone down an alley doesn't want to make himself known to all the bums and crackheads milling about.

In case you haven't noticed, humans are a warped, primative and bloodthirsty species, as evidenced by all the fundamentalist fistshaking here.

122 posted on 12/19/2003 7:56:30 AM PST by Jim Cane
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To: Malsua; Blood of Tyrants; VaBthang4; Momaw Nadon
"All of this nonsense implying that Humans arent the beginning and end of God's plan for the universe.

News flash...we are it. " - VaBthang4

"Amen. IMHO, the alien crap was another plan of the evil one to get people distracted from church and Christ by believing in nonsense. When Christ raptures the church, the antichrist will claim that aliens were able to "beam them up" because their simple minded belief in silly religious superstitions. He will of course ignore that Muslims and Buddhists and others were left behind." - Blood of Tyrants

Apparently, once God created man, he never thought to do aught else but watch and toy with us every now and then.

Being omnipotent has got to be more fun than that...

And on the 8th day and forever after God thought 'I did good, this creating thing is fun and all but I think I'll just play with my new toys and not make anything else.'

I wonder if God know's he was trapped in a book and can no long do anything else because it isn't written in that book that he does anything else until the end of man's days? I think I'll ask him that when I thank him for this day.

There is a school of belief that says God knows(And he might just tell us someday). Some folks think that God is beyond our understanding, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. Others figure he's just a book. Which category do you belong in?
123 posted on 12/19/2003 7:58:19 AM PST by Outlaw76 (Citizens on the Bounce!)
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To: MitchellC
Not to discredit your argument, but "philosophical evidence"?

There is no such thing. You can have a philosophical arguemnt, theory, etc... but evidence is something that can be proven - Philosophy is guess work at its best.

Philosophy of mind - The branch of the philosophy of science concerned specifically with psychology. It is concerned with the sorts of models, theories and explanations used in psychology to address psychological phenomena.

Philosophy of psychology -The branch of philosophy that is concerned with the nature of mental phenomena in general and the role of consciousness, sensation, perception, concepts, action, reasoning, intention, belief, memory, etc. in particular. Standard problems include those of free will, personal identity, mind-body problem, other minds, computationalism, etc.


See? Those are definitions from a phylosphy web page. I don't make it up. (of course, I might percieve that I do and that perception might be the sum total of the reality of the situation. --but that's just my phylosophy... LOL)
124 posted on 12/19/2003 8:14:56 AM PST by Outlaw76 (Citizens on the Bounce!)
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To: Jim Cane
"In case you haven't noticed, humans are a warped, primative and bloodthirsty species, as evidenced by all the fundamentalist fistshaking here."

HA!!!
Ummmmmm, unfortunately I really don't think they're quite ready for that level of wisdom, Jim.

...& in particular "that" one.

125 posted on 12/19/2003 8:25:25 AM PST by Landru (Tagline Schmagline...just a drag on my line.)
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To: Outlaw76
First of all, God didn't create man to be his "little playthings" for His amusement. God created man in His image to worship him and to bring glory to himself. Second, no, just because it isn't in the bible doesn't mean that it didn't happen. He may have put life on other planets, but WE are the only intelligent life.

However, I have faith (and isn't that what we are talking about?) that God created us alone for His glory.

There are no outer space aliens with intergalactic spaceships, as much as I like to read about them and watch that on TV.
126 posted on 12/19/2003 9:31:39 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Even if the government took all your earnings, you wouldn’t be, in its eyes, a slave.)
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To: Momaw Nadon
Can I sue Sci-fi for the lack of quality programming?
127 posted on 12/19/2003 9:33:04 AM PST by KevinDavis (Let the meek inherit the Earth, the rest of us will explore the stars!)
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To: Outlaw76
"Apparently, once God created man, he never thought to do aught else but watch and toy with us every now and then. "

LOL...

128 posted on 12/19/2003 9:56:05 AM PST by VaBthang4 ("This is an outrage! I'm voting for Howard Dean!" -Loserdopians)
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To: Jim Cane
Bro that has got to be the dumbest statement ever made on the internet.
129 posted on 12/19/2003 9:57:51 AM PST by VaBthang4 ("This is an outrage! I'm voting for Howard Dean!" -Loserdopians)
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To: DannyTN
"I think that applies only to earth, not to the universe."

"All" means all. There is no qualifyer anywhere in the Word limiting "All" to "Earth".

"I think it was Exekiel described an angelic chariot that had "wheels within wheels""

You'd be wrong. Next time post the actual scripture.

"What we don't know is whether God created any other life outside of our planet and those in the spiritual realm. He doesn't say."

Wonder why.

130 posted on 12/19/2003 10:03:53 AM PST by VaBthang4 ("This is an outrage! I'm voting for Howard Dean!" -Loserdopians)
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To: Jim Cane
"Spoken like a true talibani."

Speaks volumes.

131 posted on 12/19/2003 10:06:03 AM PST by VaBthang4 ("This is an outrage! I'm voting for Howard Dean!" -Loserdopians)
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To: Momaw Nadon
I believe a professional grade hairdryer is a professional wrestler's most important accessory.

-Rowdy Roddie

132 posted on 12/19/2003 10:10:58 AM PST by RightWhale (Close your tag lines)
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To: VaBthang4
"All" means all. There is no qualifyer anywhere in the Word limiting "All" to "Earth".

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Anything that follows is this context. Man has dominion over the earth, not the universe. I couldn't even find a verse that said Man had dominion over all the works of His hand. Maybe it's a version difference, but where is that?

You'd be wrong (Wheels on Wheels - Exekiel?). Next time post the actual scripture.

Exekiel 1:5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. 6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. 8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. 9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. 11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. 15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. 23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. 24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

What do you know, it was Exekiel, it was described as a wheel within a wheel, and if man ever had dominion over these creatures, I don't think they know it yet. So what was it I was wrong about???

133 posted on 12/19/2003 10:22:59 AM PST by DannyTN
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To: VaBthang4
The best argument I'm aware of to say that we are "it", other than the angelic hosts and other creatures described arround the throne of God, is that the heavens are rolled up as a scroll at the conclusion of man's history.

That's a fairly strong but not absolute argument that the heavens exist for our benefit and our's alone. But it's far from an absolute argument. Man could just be the final act. Or perhaps just our heaven's get rolled up and perhaps there are parallel universes that we can't see that don't get rolled up. There are probably all kinds of possibilities.
134 posted on 12/19/2003 10:31:33 AM PST by DannyTN
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To: RightWhale
"I believe a professional grade hairdryer is a professional wrestler's most important accessory. -Rowdy Roddie"

And I thought it was a steel chair?

135 posted on 12/19/2003 3:07:44 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: DannyTN
A pro has to look good no matter what furniture is bouncing off his back.
136 posted on 12/19/2003 3:14:08 PM PST by RightWhale (Close your tag lines)
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To: RightWhale
"A pro has to look good no matter what furniture is bouncing off his back."

LOL, I guess so.

137 posted on 12/19/2003 3:14:47 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: VaBthang4
All of this nonsense implying that Humans arent the beginning and end of God's plan for the universe.

News flash...we are it.

And you know this HOW? Do you have a direct line to G*d that allows him to answer any questions we might have.
Does it say anywhere in G*d's word that he did NOT create other beings somewhere else?

I don't mean to sound harsh but it sounds mighty egomaniacal of you to speak for the Lord of the Universe.

138 posted on 12/19/2003 3:17:46 PM PST by Just another Joe (FReeping can be addictive and helpful to your mental health)
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To: Just another Joe; VaBthang4
"I don't mean to sound harsh but it sounds mighty egomaniacal of you to speak for the Lord of the Universe."

Some might say such a person was using the creater of all's name with a little more than full basket of vanity.

But what do I know?
139 posted on 12/19/2003 11:19:30 PM PST by Outlaw76 (Citizens on the Bounce!)
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To: Lancey Howard
out of an infinite number of possible senses

Care to elaborate?

Ever read "Uncommon Sense" by the late Hal Clement?

It postulates a race of animals living on a planet without an atmosphere; molecules travel in straight lines, and the aliens have a sense organ with a pinhole lens that focuses the molecules. Smell and imaging.

I happen to think that this is one of the more imaginative science fiction stories. So show me a couple of dozen other possible senses.

140 posted on 12/19/2003 11:57:12 PM PST by Virginia-American
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