Joint Recon Study Group

Project STAR GATE return on investment huge for Americans

2012-01-22T12:33:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

As we look for ways to make more intelligent choices about defense expenditures and trim wasteful and inefficient spending, the joint-service and joint-agency funding of Project STAR GATE might serve as an example of obtaining tremendous return on investment from defense dollars.

From the initial research phases to implementation of operational activities, several code names were given to this secret project on human consciousness. It was begun the mid-1970s and continued through the mid-1990s. (Some researchers say the efforts may have continued under even greater security.)

Information about this program publicly surfaced in 1995 and entered into public awareness.

What was it and how did it get started? In response to robust research on extrasensory perception (ESP) or “anomalous cognition” in the Soviet Union, U.S. intelligence initially wanted to determine that the Soviets were wasting their time and money on “psychic spying” and other research into human consciousness.

To the initial dismay of some CIA officers, U.S. researchers were surprised to learn that the Soviets were on to something very significant. As a result, the small secret program that later came to be known as Project STAR GATE was intermittently funded by the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and CIA during the ’70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.

EXPANDED AWARENESS

There was natural skepticism about the program inside the U.S. defense and intelligence communities. The value of research and operational activities was questioned, even though the amount of dollars invested in the project was quite small.

When information about the program became public, some people again questioned the wisdom of the relatively modest expenditures involved. There was speculation that it was yet another example of wasteful Pentagon spending.

However, today we have significant evidence that Project STAR GATE helped uncover a whole new understanding of the human mind and the abilities of perception and awareness that we all have to one degree or another.

The Project STAR GATE teams developed a protocol for using the human mind to gather intelligence. They called it “remote viewing.” They found that people with particularly good natural and/or acquired aptitude in this area could obtain accurate information about persons, places, things and situations at a distance using only their consciousness.

It was not 100 percent accurate – far from it. But enough solid information was obtained in many cases to clearly demonstrate that people can accurately perceive things from afar.

Remote viewing has been compared to the more common feelings we often experience: hunches, gut instincts and intuition.

In the years since Project STAR GATE became public, a much greater awareness of the potential of the human mind has steadily expanded throughout America. Many credible books about remote viewing and Project STAR GATE have been published and read by millions. TV shows and movies have tackled the subject, sometimes with mixed results. Training programs (not all of them reliable) have been available to the general public.

BANG FOR THE BUCK

Project STAR GATE has been the subject of defense-related academic research as well. A graduate-level paper for the Marine Corps War College was written in 2001 by a Navy SEAL officer. The paper was titled “Unconventional Human Intelligence Support: Transcendent and Asymmetric Warfare Implications of Remote Viewing.” The author coined the term “transcendent warfare” to describe the identification and utilization of new and emerging discoveries to enhance success of U.S. defense activities.

In 2010, another graduate-level paper was prepared for the National Defense Intelligence College titled “Anomalous Human Cognition: A Possible Role Within the Crucible of Intelligence Collection.” This research report provided updated perspectives on the roles of expanded human consciousness in national security matters.

Many other reports of various kinds have been written about the Project STAR GATE, remote viewing and anomalous cognition efforts.

One such worthwhile article appeared in the summer 2001 edition of “The Intelligencer,” the Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). The article, “CIA-Initiated Remote Viewing at Stanford Research Institute” by Project STAR GATE researcher Hal Puthoff, Ph.D. presented a solid overview of the program.

From the modest funding for initial research, the program was able to keep going over the years by way of additional funds that appear to have been very minimal considering the implications and eventual outcomes we see today.

Americans have received tremendous “bang for the buck” from Project STAR GATE.

The idea of transcendent warfare related to remote viewing research seems truly applicable now in efforts to make intelligent use of defense dollars available. Ways in which human consciousness can be used to enhance U.S. defense and American society as a whole sometimes appear to be unlimited.

This return on investment from the early days of Project STAR GATE may not be on the radar of all Americans at this time. However, by taking a good look at these efforts, it seems clear that the smart use of defense monies can be more important than unwise massive expenditures on activities that can sap our national strength rather than enhance it.

‘Dumbed-down’ approaches needed for White House UFO petitions?

2011-12-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Petitions to the White House asking for the release of more information about unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have stirred up controversy, curiosity and hope for improved public understanding about the UFO phenomena.

Some observers seem to think the petitions are dumb, especially if they associate UFOs with some kinds of intelligent beings from elsewhere.

Another concern is that asking for the truth from politicians is often not successful, no matter what the topic may be.

Additionally, the high classification and secrecy about the subject could be related to legitimate national security and public safety issues. In that case, the situation could be quite sensitive and complex.

Yet, there may be a view that dumbed-down tactics and strategies are needed to make progress on learning more about what is going on behind the scenes with UFOs.

But first, some background about the online petitions: The newly-launched White House petition program called “We the People” allows citizens to create online petitions on the White House website and gather signatures. The petitions cover a broad range of topics.

Previously, if 5,000 signatures were gathered in a certain length of time, the White House would give a formal, official response. Now, 25,000 signatures are required within a narrow time frame.

People and groups curious about UFOs launched such petitions to try to get a response from government officials, or at least get the topic on the radar of the pubic, the news media, elected officials, the defense and intelligence communities, and the scientific community.

SOMETHING FLYING AROUND

The Paradigm Research Group created one petition, gathered the 5,000 signatures and received a response from the White House that seemed inadequate and inaccurate. Now, the same group, headed by Stephen Bassett, is following up with a second petition approaching the subject from a different angle.

A third petition trying to get an intelligent response from the White House was launched by historian and researcher Richard Dolan and TV/movie writer and producer Bryce Zabel. They are also taking a certain approach in how they worded their petition. For more information, go to Dolan and Zabel’s website AfterDisclosure.com.

Dolan and Zabel recently co-authored the book “A.D. After Disclosure” on UFO-related topics. Zabel has been involved in other media projects related to this subject.

One main motivation for these petitions and other efforts seems to be the concern that more understanding about UFOs should be available to, and acquired by the public. Greater understanding would include insight about what various UFOs might be and what impact they have on us.

Unusual objects have been seen and reported over the last few decades, as well as in centuries past. Some objects seem to be hard-shelled craft of some kind. They are sometimes disc-shaped, V-shaped, triangle-shaped or cigar-shaped. They can hover silently, cruise slowly or zip away in the blink of an eye. They have been seen at high and low altitudes as well as on the ground.

Other odd things in the sky appear more like lights or energy of some kind, not necessarily a hard-shelled craft.

Military personnel and pilots, peace officers and thousands of reliable witnesses have seen these kinds of phenomena. High-ranking U.S. and international military and defense officials have, over the decades, stated that these objects are real.

There have been indications that international governments and militaries have long investigated these objects which intrude on nations’ airspace and sometimes seem to pose a risk to air-traffic safety, among other concerns.

Based on documents and other information-gathering, many qualified researchers have concluded that much has been learned about UFOs and the subject is generally handled as a top-secret situation. Research, counterintelligence measures, scientific projects and other activities since the World War II era may have discovered significant amounts of information and insight about UFOs, some researchers indicate.

As a result, many people, including those authoring the White House petitions on the subject, would like to get more information.

AN INTELLIGENT PUBLIC

Challenges facing the petition coordinators include those related to the White House petition process.

The White House website has reportedly experienced glitches or difficulties for petition-signers. Getting 25,000 signatures in a short time frame may prove tough to accomplish.

Other difficulties include the complicated and mysterious nature of the UFO phenomena itself and the security surrounding related defense and intelligence activities on UFOs.

Ridicule of people interested in the subject, or even those who have witnessed such objects, has long discouraged the conversation. And ridicule is still a factor in play by some news commentators, a few scientific writers and even UFO researchers themselves.

And yet another element to consider is that the UFO topic may not simply about one type of visitors from another planet. It could be much more complex and involve many factors that could be truly mind-boggling.

Because of this, it has been theorized that information available to the public about the situation is probably best handled in coordinated, careful and safe ways.

In addition, it may be better if people become informed on this topic by learning about it themselves. This "grassroots-up" awareness may be better than "top-down" information from U.S. government officials.

Will the petitions make progress in raising awareness about the UFO phenomena? Undoubtedly they will to one degree or another. Will the 25,000 signatures be attained? It’s possible but could be a challenge. Will the White House team come up with a better reply than their response to the first petition? We can always hope so.

It may be interesting to see how it all plays out.

But one thing seems probable, the American people and many people internationally may not want dumbed-down approaches or answers about UFOs or the other important more-conventional issues of the day.

And, interestingly, the UFO situation may have direct connections with the many other current developments and challenges the human race faces on Earth today.

US space activities evolving – will efforts help Americans?

2011-11-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The end of the space shuttle era brings new challenges and opportunities for American activities in space.

The next wave of U.S. spacecraft is under development on many fronts: rockets, the commercial crew-and-cargo capsule CST-100, space planes and expandable orbital space habitats that could someday double as Moon and Mars habitats.

Boeing recently announced that it will lease a former space shuttle hangar at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to continue work on the CST-100. Hundreds of aerospace and other jobs are expected to be created.

The CST-100s will be built in and launched from Florida’s “Space Coast,” said John Mulholland, a Boeing executive.

These hopeful developments occur in an overall economic downturn that has caused immense suffering by many American families who have lost jobs, seen the value of their homes crushed and in many cases lost their homes.

Many Americans may fairly and honestly ask if investments in the evolving U.S. space activities will give a return on investment.

EXPANDING PROSPERITY

As we know, in past decades most of the U.S. space effort centered in the U.S. government agency NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Now, NASA is working with the commercial aerospace community in an expanded way.

New approaches to doing things are being explored. The government-private partnerships are evolving in attempts to help move the ball forward on U.S. space activities of many kinds.

If done wisely, these efforts may be able to create jobs and reap benefits from advanced technologies and methods. These, in turn, could help contribute to economic prosperity and overall progress for America.

At least that is an optimistic view.

The nuts and bolts of the changing commercial space community involve many companies, groups and organizations. Smaller entrepreneurial outfits are teaming up with established aerospace-related corporations.

Their efforts could bear fruit in ways that can be anticipated, and maybe also in ways that will be surprising.

PUBLIC SUPPORT IMPORTANT

Advanced technologies and knowledge acquired in the aerospace community are certainly impressive. And, we can guess that in terms of national defense aerospace, the developments could be really quite advanced.

How can we merge these elements with the very difficult state of the U.S. economy that is affecting so many of our fellow Americans at a very human level?

If we can find relevant answers, then an increased support for U.S. space activities might result.

In this time of difficult economic choices and challenging developments, the efforts of the aerospace community will undoubtedly move forward to the best of their ability. Getting public understanding and support might enhance this progress.

There also could be a range of new information and concrete benefits coming from aerospace-related leading-edge and forward-leaning research. Some fields could be specific to aerospace efforts and some could be more broadly-based and broadly-applied in ways that help Americans.

Evaluating the merits of robust U.S. space activities will probably continue to be in the eyes of the beholder.

Highly-advanced spacecraft to replace space shuttle?

2011-07-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

As the space shuttle program ends and new commercial spaceflight endeavors accelerate, some people may wonder if there is another major element of U.S. space activities – one that is top secret and the public knows little or nothing about.

Rumors, reports and a bit of natural curiosity make some people wonder if the U.S. may already have spacecraft that are tremendously more advanced than the space shuttle.

Is there a classified and covert space fleet? Are they manned or unmanned? Are special pilots and crews operating in space in advanced, secret craft?

We know that U.S. defense and intelligence requirements include sophisticated satellite systems and that these generally remain behind the scenes. And, there have been defense-oriented shuttle-like space planes.

But do our space activities and spacecraft go beyond this? Beyond the space shuttle and beyond the International Space Station (ISS)?

HELPING AMERICA

Common sense and common consensus tell us that there most likely are advanced technologies being researched, created and used that are decades or even centuries ahead of what most of us think of as state-of-the-art U.S. aircraft-spacecraft development.

We don’t need to consider situations like the so-called Roswell incident, UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation to come to the conclusion that our space program may actually not miss the shuttle that much. Human engineers and scientists are capable of making tremendous progress on their own, thank you very much.

It could be that we are now in a new age of space travel and it may be more interesting than some people think. Technologies and aircraft-spacecraft in the pipeline might be quite astounding.

A recent book about Nevada’s Area 51 aircraft development and test facilities sparked the interest of many readers. The book also generated admiration for the people who have worked on advanced aircraft there and elsewhere.

The efforts of Area 51 personnel and the efforts of others like them should not be underestimated.

A question that might arise in some minds, though, is “Are these advances being used to help America as a whole?”

IN THE PIPELINE

Defense and intelligence applications of advanced technologies are obviously needed to help ensure national security. Yet, wider dissemination of some of these same technologies might help meet some of our current economic and human challenges.

And – back to the expanding commercial spaceflight community – certain technologies probably could be put in a proper pipeline to help the development of this new industry.

What will our space program look like in five or ten years? We may have bases on the moon. We may have missions to Mars. We may be zipping through weird time-space wormholes and star gates to faraway galaxies, surfing quantum energies that we are now learning more about.

But for today, the news media tells us about the space shuttle’s last mission. The ISS is occasionally in the news – as it was recently when the crew had to get to the “lifeboats” when space debris came too near.

How do we understand the gap between what has been and what will be? How will developments in space affect life on Earth? How will humans make the next steps in understanding the Universe and ourselves?

If Roswell was extraterrestrial crash, can more details be released?

2011-06-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

What if the incident in the Roswell, New Mexico, region in the summer of 1947 actually was a crash of an extraterrestrial craft with deceased and live “extraterrestrial biological entities (EBEs)” aboard?

What if it was not a weather balloon and not an experimental high-altitude device with crash dummies inside? What if it was not a Russian psychological operations (PSYOP) plot as an Area 51 scientist says he was told, and is reported in the new book by writer Annie Jacobsen?

There seem to be significant reliable indications of various kinds that the Roswell case is based on a very unusual event that was deemed to be very important at the time and in subsequent decades … up to today.

Does the Roswell incident explain all of the UFO sightings that have been reported over the years? Or, is it just part of the overall situation that could be quite complex?

Is it all good news? Maybe not.

LESSONS LEARNED

Additionally, other research into unusual or anomalous phenomena is not specifically linked to UFOs, but may be related in some way.

These possibly-related kinds of studies include new and different views of space, time, wormholes, star gates, multiple dimensions and other forward-leaning scientific theories that could change our view of reality and Nature.

Edge-science topics such as extrasensory perception (ESP) and theories about an afterlife also might play a part in the overall scenario that could be related to extraterrestrial visitation – or visitation by other anomalous intelligent beings.

The impacts on human society of such new knowledge could be quite valuable, according to some researchers. The development of humanity could be helped quite a bit by accessing advanced knowledge and understanding, they say.

Yet, the dangers of one population interfacing with another technologically-advanced group of beings can have negative consequences, many people have pointed out.

A common example is the way Native American Indians were affected by the arrival of Europeans. The many tribes had their own unique experiences with these strange visitors from faraway. But, in most cases the Indians’ land was taken, their cultures damaged and they were killed directly by the newcomers’ weapons or by European diseases.

Some researchers say this is a lesson we should learn well when thinking about extraterrestrial visitors.

MAJIC MOMENTS

Many qualified researchers seem to be trying to find out more about these kinds of leading-edge subjects. They report their findings in books, TV shows and other communications platforms. These all probably contribute to our understanding in one way or another – though figuring out what is true can be challenging.

Fantastic stories in movies and fictional works also can contain very helpful information that advances our orientation and acclimation about unconventional situations. They can help our situational awareness.

The new movie project Majic Men about the Roswell case looks like it will also be informative and fun. The tentative title is based on the rumor that “MAJIC” was shorthand for a group and was also a security category for U.S. government activities handling the extraterrestrial situation.

Majic Men may join the ranks of other successful movies and media projects about aliens, edge-science and anomalous phenomena. Maybe audiences are attracted to such works because people sense that there is some good open-source intelligence (OSINT) to be had – maybe even intelligence information that can benefit them and their loved ones directly and personally.

There seem to be indications that human consciousness and the understanding of it are making progress. If significant progress can be made in these fields, then it is theorized that many other areas of life on Earth (and maybe elsewhere) can also be improved significantly.

Steady progress and safe release of information on certain subjects are probably good ways to proceed. That said, a breakthrough once in a while might also be helpful and inspiring.

Maybe the recent media and public attention to the alleged Roswell incident in the context of other factors will contribute to such a breakthrough in human consciousness.

'Inside sources’ say Roswell was extraterrestrial crash

2011-06-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The so-called “Roswell incident” has been in the media recently due to a new book about Area 51 by writer Annie Jacobsen. In her book yet another version of the story has been put forward, this one even stranger than some of the others – if that is possible.

However, the often-told and widely-known story about a crash of an extraterrestrial craft near Roswell in the summer of 1947 keeps surfacing.

In April 2011 a researcher who claims to be in contact with well-placed former and current officials in the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) released an alleged statement from his DIA sources related to Roswell.

The report was identified as “Release 35” and was the latest of many such information “releases” posted on the website serpo.org. The series of releases began in November 2005.

This new information about the Roswell case seems to support the overall view of the situation as depicted in certain reliable investigative research as well as in some movies, TV shows and other media.

CRASH SITES

Below is what the anonymous source had to tell the researcher, according to the “Release 35” information posted on serpo.org:

“Here is the correct information regarding the reported two or three crashed alien craft and sites,” the alleged DIA source reportedly claims.

“In 1950, the FBI Foreign Counterintelligence (FCI) was investigating the UFO phenomenon. The FBI received a classified briefing from USAF Intelligence in 1950.”

“During the briefing, the USAF reported that there might have been three flying saucer crashes in New Mexico. U.S. Army/Air Force found three possible crash sites in NM.”

“One site was located approximately 40 miles north of Roswell.”

“One site was located approximately 10 miles southeast of Corona.”

“And one site was near Shaw Mountain, south of the Plains of San Agustin in western NM. The latter site was found in 1949 by some ranchers,” the anonymous source reportedly states.

“The first two sites were believed to be two different craft, however, the USAF later determined that the site north of Roswell and southeast of Corona were the same craft, which broke up into two distinct pieces.”

“In 1947, another piece of the Roswell craft was found by a rancher east of Corona, along State Route 247.”

The alleged anonymous source reportedly goes on to state, “As I have said for many years, there has not been a single book written that tells the true, real story of Roswell nor the other crash site in western New Mexico.”

"’Flying saucer’ researchers have ignored the real information and relied on outright false or faulty information given by second and third person witnesses.”

BODIES FOUND

According to the “Release 35” report on serpo.org, the anonymous source told the researcher more details about the alleged crash at Roswell:

“In 1957, the USAF published a highly classified report that fully detailed all of the crash sites in New Mexico.”

“The report lists one crash site for the Roswell craft, but two two different debris fields.”

“One being where part of the craft landed north of Roswell and the second being southeast of Corona.”

“The second crash site was listed as Shaw Mountain. Alien bodies were recovered at both crash sites.”

“The USAF theorized that both crafts collided in midair north of Roswell.”

The source goes on to explain the results of this alleged midair crash: “One craft broke up with one piece landing north of Roswell and the other piece landing southeast of Corona.”

“The second craft made it west to the area just north of Shaw Mountain where it crashed.”

“The first alien craft was found a few days later, but the second site wasn't found until 1949.”

“The alien bodies found in the second craft were highly decomposed.”

“The first alien crashed craft was taken to Roswell and later on to Wright Air Field in Ohio.”

“The second alien craft was taken to Kirtland Field, Albuquerque, where it was carefully examined. It was later taken to Los Alamos Labs where it was subjected to a thorough, highly detailed examination.”

“The USAF were able to compare both pieces of the craft from Roswell and Corona and determined it was just one craft. Later, they used the piece found in 1957 to fully reconstruct the alien craft.”

“The second alien craft was heavily damaged, but was in one piece,except for small fragments that landed within one mile of the crash site.”

“Although heavily decomposed, the USAF and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology were able to determine that both sets of remains were from the same alien species. There were classified as non-humans, but were air breathing life forms.”

CRASH DATE

A second anonymous source, also reported to be associated with the DIA, is also quoted in “Release 35.” He addresses the researcher’s question about the date of the Roswell crash.

“That is conjecture on the part of the entire intelligence community. Col John Merritt, former chief at AF intel back in the old days – and now long since deceased – was convinced the crash occurred on Saturday, June 14, 1947. That is what many of the early filed reports stated,” the source is quoted as stating.

“However, in the mid-'90s, a team of Los Alamos scientists determined the crash date to be around Thursday, June 12 - Tuesday, July 1, 1947. I tend to agree with those dates. There are many factors involved.”

“Marcel stated it was about Tuesday, June 24, 1947, but then changed that date several times during later interviews.” [Jesse Marcel was the Army Air Forces intelligence officer at the Roswell base.]

“One factor you must remember is that EBE-1 [extraterrestrial biological entity] was alive and found in pretty good shape by the first U.S. Army recovery team at the site where the craft was found. That site was different than what Marcel and Brazel found [rancher Mac Brazel].They found the debris field. The craft was about one mile away.”

“Although it has been years since I had access to that information, I can say this: Based on all of the field reports, the approximate crash date for the Roswell sites was stated as Thursday, June 12 – Tuesday, July 1, 1947. That is based on several factors with the primary ones being radar profiles recorded by the U.S. Army in New Mexico.”

These alleged accounts from anonymous sources may be interesting to some people, yet others will discount them as probable fantasy, disinformation or simply more rumors.

It seems clear that the Roswell case still holds the interest of many people and all the details – whatever they may be – have probably not yet surfaced.

Troops in the afterlife: Special perspectives, new missions

2011-05-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Some recent research into near death experiences (NDEs) has noted that U.S. troops in current combat zones who experienced a group trauma of injuries and death might also experience group NDEs.

In other words, if a team of soldiers was attacked using an improvised explosive device (IED) for example, injuring some and killing others, they could have a shared experience of moving from their bodies in the classic NDE as they proceed as a group toward the rumored tunnel of light, a portal to the afterlife.

Those injured troops who might eventually survive the attack could go part way with their buddies, then say goodbye and return to face urgent medical treatment.

If reports and research into NDEs and the afterlife have any truth to them, we might wonder what our fallen warriors now think about their lives, their loved ones and their sacrifice.

Do they have new insights and useful perspectives about the reasons they went to Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Korea, World War II, World War I, the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, the Native American Indian wars and the many other battles large and small throughout American and human history?

Can they teach us anything? Are we able to hear them?

ANOTHER OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Although many faiths tell us that an afterlife exists in some other dimension of space and time, many people have their doubts. Proving the existence of a place we might call Heaven or some other name is apparently quite difficult using current scientific methods.

Yet, many studies of people who have experienced severe injury or illness and who report an afterlife-type encounter have been conducted using reasonable scientific protocols to the degree possible.

Particularly interesting and potentially valid are the reports of ill or injured young children who have not been indoctrinated into religious or philosophical beliefs, nor exposed to literature or media portrayals of an afterlife.

Many of these children have reported going to a beautiful place filled with light, love and happiness before they return to their families on Earth.

Military personnel who might experience the same journey would seem to be in a different position to evaluate such a situation that they also go through. What is their “situational awareness” as they realize they have been killed?

Are they alone or with some of their platoon members, shipmates or aircraft crewmates as they lift out of and above their bodies, then find themselves moving toward a strange and beautiful light?

Do they have communication among themselves as they transition from being in a combat mode to the acceptance that they are now in a new operational environment?

We might imagine that their military training and experiences could be useful as they use reconnaissance and intelligence perspectives in the reportedly brief trip to another dimension.

Maybe other fallen veterans greet them upon their arrival. Or, maybe a favorite grandmother and grandfather who passed on years ago are waiting to welcome them.

ONGOING COVERT MISSIONS

On this Memorial Day, it seems reasonable to consider the possibility that our troops who have passed on may still be with us, though in a place that is both far away and very close at hand.

Somehow, it is difficult to see former Marines and other U.S. troops sitting around playing harps. These are beings who take bold action and have outstanding courage. They want to tackle worthwhile goals and accomplish them successfully.

Do they have current ongoing training and missions? If so, what might those entail? They may involve somewhat covert operations that we can only guess about. They could be related to tactics and strategies to further win the peace and establish a lasting victory of some kind.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if clandestine insertions by Heavenly recon teams are taking place now to prepare the way for a more major operation – some kind of beach landing or airborne arrival to liberate us in fantastic and amazing ways?

Maybe there are there other discreet and covert activities “behind the lines” to help prepare the way for such a liberation. Appropriate security measures could be in place to help ensure victory.

This Memorial Day, perhaps we can view the bigger picture of human conflict and development, and see things in a new light.

Maybe we can not only honor our warriors who have passed on, but also prepare to meet them again.

ESP may be useful in defense, health, survival, unconventional areas

2011-05-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Of the many kinds of so-called anomalous or unusual phenomena, the mysteries of the human mind certainly seem to be among the most interesting.

For example, the extrasensory perception (ESP) techniques and processes generally called “remote viewing” have provided valuable information and insight for U.S. defense and intelligence activities.

Although many of these remote viewers reportedly had better-than-average natural ESP abilities to begin with, it is also conjectured that all people have these sixth-sense perceptions too. However, many people probably don’t recognize their internal hunches and feelings. Further, most of us don’t practice using these awareness skills on important defense and intelligence efforts.

A range of ESP-type perceptual abilities have been referred to as anomalous cognition. We might also call these skills “enhanced situation awareness.”

Following on from the leading-edge health care concepts of integrative medicine and complementary medicine, the terms “integrative perception” and “complementary cognition” have also been proposed as a broader view of ESP.

ONE WORD

An inspirational and amazing incident involving U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, current nominee for CIA director, occurred in June 2008. Something very interesting happened that appears to be related to these concepts, including their application in health care as well as defense and intelligence.

That day in 2008 when Petraeus went to visit Army 1st Lieutenant Brian Brennan in the hospital, there was little hope for the 101st Airborne Division officer. He had lost both legs in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Afghanistan. He had suffered extremely serious traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Brennan had been in a coma, unresponsive to medical staff and his family. Petraeus paid his respects and tried saying a few words of support to the comatose 101st lieutenant, also with no response from Brennan. As Petraeus began to leave, a thought struck him.

He thought of the motto, battle cry and touchstone concept of the 101st Airborne: “Currahee.” This is a Cherokee word that means “We stand alone together.”

Petraeus spoke the word aloud to the comatose officer and immediately Brennan began to move his body vigorously. His responsiveness continued to the point where he eventually made an apparent miraculous recovery, according to his family and health care professionals.

When President Barack Obama recently visited the home of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, did this mysterious incident cross his mind? After all, Obama has stated that he has some Cherokee background in his family tree, like millions of other Americans.

And, interestingly, Fort Campbell is located on the Kentucky-Tennessee border in the general area of the ancient and traditional Cherokee homeland of the Appalachian Mountain region.

TRANSCENDENT PATHS

When a Navy SEAL officer coined the term “transcendent warfare” in a graduate-level research paper for the Marine Corps War College several years ago, he was referring to forward-leaning discoveries and concepts, particularly those related to ESP and remote viewing.

However, this officer did not limit the transcendent warfare concept to the activities of Project STAR GATE and related research into human consciousness.

Rather, he noted that advanced research into a range of unconventional scientific developments could be applied to defense, intelligence and other areas of human endeavor to produce positive results.

When the idea of transcendent warfare is applied as a complementary or integrative component of hard power, soft power and smart power, a follow-on modality of “transcendent power” may be quite useful.

Additionally, when transcendent power is applied to a wider range of activities such as health care, communications, education, technology and various kinds of research and development, we may be able to envision further significant emerging progress.

How wide and deep could such progress be? Could new (or rediscovered) aspects of human perception and awareness contribute to significant change on planet Earth? Could human development itself be impacted by this kind of understanding?

In addition to the serious conventional challenges such as war and terrorism, injury and disease, overpopulation and hunger, poverty and injustice, pollution and climate change, we also may be facing some very unconventional developments.

These challenges could also be approached using a more up-to-date view of human consciousness and new theories in quantum physics about the Universe and Nature.

What are the limits of the application of transcendent power when applied by individuals and groups to even more unusual situations and theories?

For example, can we use advanced perception to verify the existence of an afterlife or Heaven where our ancestors and loved ones who have passed on now reside? Will we be able to confirm that angels do exist and conduct covert operations here in our world?

What about the idea of a larger intelligence – an overarching intelligence that may even have a plan for us?

An even more unconventional area of study involves the reports, rumors and indications that Earth could be visited by unusual beings from other planets, dimensions or times. How would expanded or enhanced human awareness dovetail with such developments? Do certain unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have real significance for national and global defense as well as other human activities?

These questions seem like interesting food for thought.

When we do think about possible future events and outcomes, it could be helpful to remember the work of Project STAR GATE, other advanced research, the concept of transcendent warfare and Gen. Petraeus’ sudden impulse in 2008 to say the word “currahee” to seriously-wounded warrior Lt. Brennan.

Human progress, Earth’s future could be related to UFOs

2011-05-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Have we acquired advanced technologies from contact with extraterrestrials? Many credible researchers who have looked into the general topic of alleged UFO incidents and evidence say the answer is yes.

Although average people might conclude that Earthly human consciousness might not be ready for more advanced technological knowledge, it could be the case that we are already engaged in this expansion of our understanding.

If certain elements of governmental defense, intelligence and scientific communities have already obtained some of this advanced technology, what have they done with it?

One logical conclusion is the application for advanced human aircraft and spacecraft. Propulsion systems that use anti-gravity methods have been reported and speculated about. Exotic materials from crashed or obtained spacecraft have also been alleged by some researchers.

There would also probably be many more kinds of technologies and knowledge related to communication, biology and other fields of human study and interest.

Have any of these alleged technologies been funneled into the pipeline for the wider benefit of human society? According to some speculation, the answer is yes and this has been ongoing for several decades. Additionally, more new public understanding based on sensitive projects of this kind may also be on the way.

EARTH IN TRANSITION

The smooth and seamless transition of new technologies into the larger human society might be the easy part. A more complex challenge could involve preparing Earth humans for new awareness about the Universe, other intelligent life and the nature of human consciousness.

Would such an ongoing transition be part of a secret master plan or just the natural progression of our overall understanding? Probably both.

And, there may be many ways to present or interpret such information in various kinds of media platforms and other methods of information distribution.

New perspectives from certain research projects and operational activities could also be much wider, deeper and more unconventional than most of us can imagine. Our views of life and reality could change quite a bit.

At the same time, maybe more clear and constructive viewpoints about Earth, humanity and the Universe could emerge. Maybe human development could move forward in ways that allow us to use new knowledge and technologies to enhance progress and make sense.

Are there legitimate defense and intelligence concerns about these possible situations? If so, what are some of the issues involved? And, how should information and concepts be communicated to people globally?

Responding to these questions could be challenging because the state of human development and geopolitical circumstances on Earth remains problematic in many ways.

Wars, suffering, injustice, cruelty, disease, natural disasters, energy acquisition and use, food and water shortages, overpopulation, pollution and climate change are some of the indicators that the human race faces, and creates, many difficulties.

PROCESSES AND TIPPING POINTS

The human race seems to be a work in progress. New information about, and the application of unconventional and exotic technologies could be helpful, problematic and a mix of both.

Yet, because more awareness about leading-edge and forward-leaning research and discoveries will continue to reach larger segments of humanity, it seems intelligent to continue a process of communication, orientation, acclimation and education.

Will new technologies partly obtained from exotic sources allow humans to explore space in new ways? Actually, some speculation indicates that this may have already happened to a significant degree.

Can we gain new ideas about ways to solve environmental threats? This could be very helpful before it is too late and Earth’s ecosystem and climate deteriorate to a tipping point or even a point of no return.

Would discoveries about multiple dimensions, time-space anomalies, quantum physics and a larger intelligence in the Universe disrupt or confirm human beliefs? Although a bit challenging, most people might be able to wrap their minds around many of these types of ideas.

Global safety could well be enhanced by using discoveries about human awareness and perception, including wider application of the concept of “transcendent warfare.” This term refers to a view that embraces new developments to deal with the continued dilemmas of human conflict, war and destruction.

Whether we acquire new understanding from the alleged occupants or sources of UFOs, make independent discoveries ourselves, or some synergy of both emerges, it seems that there is potential to make many kinds of helpful breakthroughs.

If some researchers are correct, a process is underway to make progress in many ways. Such a process could also be punctuated by certain tipping points and these could possibly be quite inspiring, uplifting and even heartwarming.

Insight, understanding not always found in official reports, documents

2011-04-22T12:03:00.001-07:00

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.

Safety probably key aspect of UFO disclosure

2011-02-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Public health and safety, national security, as well as human development and survival are probably some of the important elements involved in the evolving public awareness about unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and other forward-leaning studies.

As many researchers, writers and creative media projects have noted, there are many possible issues involved in phenomena such as UFOs, extraterrestrial visitors, unusual creatures and life forms, multiple dimensions, an afterlife, expanded human consciousness, extrasensory perception (ESP), a higher intelligence, time-space anomalies and other topics.

Safety – on many levels – is probably something that should be on the minds of people who are interested or involved in these kinds of subjects.

Many Americans and people internationally include views and beliefs about some of these ideas in their normal worldview. Yet, others might find sudden indications or evidence of such phenomena and realities to be anxiety-causing or disorienting.

Additionally, there could be real and concrete dangers involved in some of these phenomena. As a result, one perspective is that public disclosure of additional information should be handled carefully.

SEVERAL CONSIDERATIONS

Looking specifically at the topic of UFOs (though there may be connections to other edge-science topics noted above), a helpful resource is the down-to-Earth 1992 firefighter manual Fire Officer's Guide to Disaster Control by public safety and firefighting professionals Charles "Chuck" Bahme and William Kramer.

Although the book is primarily a manual dealing with more conventional public safety situations, there is also a well-known chapter titled “Disaster Control and UFOs."

The subsection "Adverse Potential of UFOs" explores specific safety considerations: "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,” according to the authors.

These two areas of concern – physical and psychological – could, as a starting point, also be applied to other kinds of unconventional phenomena. More comprehensive impacts on human culture today and human development in the future are also issues to consider.

National and international security aspects of unusual phenomena are probably also involved. As we know, there are parts of these activities that are public and other aspects that are kept secret, or at least are handled in discreet ways.

For example, there may be intelligence operatives from other countries in your home city or state. Do you read about it in your news outlets or see it on the TV news? Normally, the answer is no.

However, there may be very significant activities behind the scenes by our own intelligence services keeping tabs on foreign spies in our country. By nature, the specifics of these activities are under the radar in terms of the public media. At the same time, if we think about it, we all know that these situations are real and ongoing.

GRASSROOTS PERCEPTION

Although there are legitimate reasons for discreet and secure handling of certain situations, there are also equally important factors involving public knowledge, information and awareness.

This is especially true in a democratic republic like the United States. Here, grassroots citizens are considered a fundamental force and resource.

That said, disseminating information, insight and understanding about certain complex topics may still be challenging for a number of reasons. And, judgments about what information should be made public and what should be held back are subject to various viewpoints.

A factor directly related to the grassroots responsibilities of average people is that knowledge and awareness about many important situations – both conventional and unconventional – rest with each of us.

We are responsible for learning more and handling the information and implications in appropriate ways. Waiting for some governmental agency or group to hand-feed us “disclosure” may not be necessary or even desirable.

Sometimes we must read between the lines.

As several researchers have noted, disclosure on UFOs and other kinds of interesting and surprising developments may come from the grassroots up, not from the top down. Or, these two will work hand in hand.

Maybe a better phrase would be that more disclosure might happen from the inside out.

Everyday life and special circumstances require ‘situation awareness’

2011-01-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The tragic violence in Tucson, Arizona, and many related factors under discussion surrounding it bring up the topic of “situation awareness,” also often called “situational awareness” or simply “SA.”

The public health and safety issues leading up to and culminating in the shootings indicate that several kinds of situation awareness were in play.

These include the alleged shooter’s symptoms of mental illness and might also be related to the larger social, political and media environment.

Urgent SA was also a key issue during the shootings when victims and bystanders dove for cover, ran for their lives, tried to protect their loved ones, restrained the shooter, grabbed the ammunition clip as he tried to reload and provided emergency first-aid to the victims as peace officers and emergency medical personnel rushed to the scene.

People involved in aviation, the military, projects involving high-risk engineering and other types of activities have long been oriented to situational awareness. In fact, the many elements and the critical importance involved in SA have resulted in robust research studies and training protocols.

In acute situations and in our everyday lives, situation awareness can help us be more aware of our environment, identify dangers and enhance our perception in many ways.

PERCEPTUAL RESOURCES

Situation awareness can involve the specifics of certain potentially dangerous tasks like flying a plane, drilling an oil well, working on a construction project, being on patrol in a combat zone and many other conditions.

Less acute activities like riding a bike, driving a car, climbing a ladder or stepping out of the shower on a slippery floor also require a measure of SA.

After the Tucson shootings, we now realize that even going to the local supermarket, greeting a member of congress or encountering an odd person in a college class require solid situation awareness.

Using our five senses of sight, sound, touch, hearing and even smell can be valuable or crucial for SA in normal tasks as well as in more unusual settings.

Additionally, our “sixth sense” using hunches, gut feelings, intuition and instincts may also be valid. This type of perception has been called “anomalous cognition” and has been found to be highly accurate in many cases.

In fact, the U.S. defense and intelligence effort called Project STAR GATE used anomalous cognition to develop an intelligence-gathering technique called “remote viewing” that was reportedly very useful.

Keeping in touch with our own physical and emotional feelings, stress levels, body awareness, thoughts and perceptions can be helpful in maintaining ongoing situation awareness for day-to-day life as well as under more challenging conditions.

Using these resources, we can be more alert about not only our physical and human surroundings, but also the social and psychological environment that involves exposure to TV, radio, movies, the internet, newspapers and in other kinds of media. Exposure to viewpoints, theories and beliefs about how certain things are require SA.

In addition to the many elements that are part of our human, social, emotional and psychological surroundings, the natural environment is also something that requires situation awareness. Violent weather, dangerous terrain, treacherous waters and volatile or hungry wild animals also require robust SA.

REALITY AND FANTASY

As noted, there are situational awareness conditions dealing with conventional elements such as personal health and safety, people around us, physical dangers, media messages and similar factors.

Psychological and mental health aspects of individuals, families, schools, workplaces, groups, communities, societies and cultures are also worthy of our situation awareness.

Ideas, concepts and information in the many media outlets we see, hear and read can require a very sophisticated kind of SA.

Many, most or all of the media messages in our environment are designed to influence and persuade us. Maybe the persuasion is to buy a certain product. In other cases, the ways we feel, think and believe are the targets of those who seek to affect us. Adversarial discussions about politics, economics and society in the media are part of this environment that often requires deep-thinking situational awareness.

The conventional current events of the day are not the only subjects that we are exposed to. The more unusual and unconventional concepts that sometimes seem interesting can be enlightening or problematic.

For example, “conspiracy theories” are out there in society and the media. Many of these theories seem quite strange. Yet, some of them cannot be ruled out. Some conspiracy theories appear to be paranoia. At the same time, we know that real conspiracies do actually exist.

Discerning fact from fantasy can be challenging.

Some people believe in angels, a Heaven and life after death. To others, these may appear to be ridiculous beliefs. Near-death experiences (NDEs) are interpreted as strong indications of an afterlife by some people. Others believe NDEs are delusions, hallucinations or a neurological and biochemical reaction in the brain.

Extrasensory perception (ESP) is an older term that relates to the earlier discussion of intuition, instincts, gut feelings and hunches. Some people believe this is not only possible, but that valid research has gone a long way already in proving it. Others believe there is no way we can perceive things using ESP.

Even those who believe ESP or anomalous cognition is real also sometimes note that it is easy to be fooled by one’s imagination and faulty interpretation of internal perceptions.

Another interesting example is the topic of visitation to Earth of extraterrestrial intelligent beings. Many people think this is a reasonable possibility or may already be happening. They point to various documents and witnesses as evidence that some unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are advanced spacecraft. Others think this kind of attitude and the idea of "UFO disclosure" are silly or nutty.

There are many other kinds of conventional and more unconventional perceptions, beliefs and messages in our media and social environment that can be legitimately considered and questioned.

When do certain kinds of messages, information or communications become red flags for concern or alarm? When do public health and safety, mental health, law enforcement, national defense or other factors come into play?

Considering these and other complex elements, how should we move forward to create a healthier society and a better world?

Our situation awareness can probably assist us at many levels in responding to these kinds of questions.

Tucson shootings probably caused by complex mix of factors

2011-01-12T12:24:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

In the public discussions about the Tucson shootings, there has been heated debate but possibly an inadequate amount of light shed on the probable key issues involved.

There seem to be many complex factors that played roles in that tragic event last Saturday morning.

The current national discussion includes the following questions: Was the situation due to the isolated mental health problems of one particular individual? Was it part of the Arizona and U.S. “gun culture” and Arizona’s gun rights laws?

Was it related to extreme adversarial language by politicians, media personalities and organizations, certain groups, the general public as well as internet sites, particularly during the last election cycle? Was it part of holes in the mental health assessment and response systems?

It seems that the answers are yes, yes, yes and yes.

MENTAL HEALTH SAFETY NETS

I have lived in Arizona for nearly 20 years. Back in 1995 I worked on the newly-created crisis phone line that was part of the main behavioral health urgent response system providing services to the Phoenix and the surrounding Maricopa County region.

This work experience has been on my mind since the Tucson shootings last Saturday morning.

The system was part of the local State of Arizona-contracted entity called the regional behavioral health authority.

We took calls from people identified as having mental health issues, concerned family members, hospital personnel, professional counselors and regional peace officers, firefighters and paramedics, as well as others.

We transferred some calls directly to 911 dispatchers and the 911 system transferred some calls to us. We spoke with peace officers in the field dealing with citizens who were in significant behavioral health situations.

The information, evaluation and response system included a crisis phone line, computerized records system, mobile behavioral health teams, urgent care centers and other components.

At the time, many of the calls were related to people who appeared to family members or other professionals as being impaired by the very dangerous drug known as crystal meth, a type of methamphetamine.

Other calls involved people classified as seriously mentally ill and already in the behavioral care system, which had transformed over recent years nationally from costly and problematic long-term hospitalization in institutions to placement in community settings.

Some calls were not about acute situations, but just moderate or general concerns and questions about certain situations as well as requests for referrals and resources.

Some calls were acute and involved people who appeared to be a danger to self or a danger to others, the legal criteria for involuntary detention for an initial 72 hours, followed by a possible 14-day hold decided by a judge.

Peace officers can assist in detaining a person if these legal and behavioral health criteria are met.

It may be instructive for public safety officials, educators, health care professionals, the media and the general public to take note of possible follow-up steps in the case of someone who makes statements or shows indications that they may be a danger to self or a danger to others.

A useful approach may be to ask the person in a straightforward way about their thoughts and feelings on harming themselves or others.

Do they have a plan? Do they have the means to carry out the plan? This can be asked in a reasonably diplomatic, calm and supportive way, but must be straightforward.

What is the plan? (To jump off a bridge? To overdose with pills? To shoot themselves or others with a gun?) When do they plan to do this? (Tomorrow? Next month? One of these days?) Do they have the means to do it? (Have they selected the bridge to jump from? Have they acquired the pills? Do they own a gun? Do they know where to get one?)

If the responses to these kinds of questions are affirmative, specific and indicate imminent threats, there may be reason for very prompt action and thorough follow-through.

Our intuition, gut feelings, instincts and “anomalous cognition” about certain people and situations can also be helpful and should be taken seriously. Reliable research indicates that these perceptions are often very valid.

Even with all these precautions and interventions, the behavioral health systems are imperfect and underfunded. A seriously disturbed person may fall through the many cracks. Or, the signs of danger may not be apparent, though they often are.

Regarding purchasing firearms, certain criminal histories can prevent the purchase of a firearm, but many mental health status situations do not appear on computerized databases for a number of reasons.

GUN CULTURE AND LAWS

As Arizona historians have recently pointed out, before the gunfight at the OK Corral, Tombstone (which is in Gabrielle Giffords’ congressional district) had a town policy or ordinance prohibiting the wearing of guns by non-peace officers within the town limits. Guns were to be checked upon entering town and picked up upon leaving.

This did not prevent the bloodshed in the OK Corral incident.

Giffords herself reportedly owned a 9 millimeter semiautomatic handgun, which is a standard weapon for peace officers and was also used by the shooter in Tucson.

One of the bystanders who responded quickly to the scene of the shooting was armed with a handgun (apparently concealed) and was reportedly prepared to use deadly force against the shooter himself if needed. But, the suspect had already been physically restrained by others.

The argument that a trained citizen who is armed is sometimes able to mitigate a situation like this with the appropriate use of a firearm seems compelling.

If the shooter would have been able to reload the more 30-bullet clips and had not been restrained by those nearby, this other armed citizen may have been able to prevent further carnage.

Whether the shooter had multiple smaller standard ammunition clips or the extended 30-round magazine may or may not have made a difference.

The armed citizen nearby would have had to be a good marksman and be able to hit the shooter instead of innocent bystanders. This requires training and a very steady hand during a crisis when adrenalin is flowing. Even highly-trained professionals may not always be able to hit their target in an acutely stressful situation, especially in a crowd or if the target is moving.

The citizen would also need to be aware that when peace officers arrived on the scene, they might mistake him for the suspect and shoot him. This has happened in the case of plainclothes and off-duty officers who have been mistaken for criminals and shot by fellow officers.

In Arizona, gun laws have evolved in recent years. Allowing citizens to carry a weapon openly has long been legal. Several years ago, carrying a concealed weapon was allowed if a citizen completed a one to two-day class that covered gun use, safety, laws and related topics.

More recently, the requirement of the brief gun orientation class was eliminated and almost any Arizona adult citizen can now carry a concealed firearm with no restrictions.

Most recently, Arizona workplaces and public places were required to allow citizens to possess firearms on private property under certain restrictions. Other conditions for the legal use of a firearm have also been loosened.

What concerns many people is that some or many Arizonans are probably buying handguns and have minimal or no safety training, marksmanship training or knowledge of the legal consequences of using the firearm inappropriately. This impacts citizens carrying a gun either openly on their belt or concealed in a purse or under a shirt.

Many people point out that obtaining a driver’s license requires a demonstration that we can drive a car competently and safely, and have a reasonable knowledge of traffic laws, street signs, proper driving procedures and similar factors.

There are no such similar training or testing requirements for gun use in Arizona. There is no license required.

The use of guns and that relationship to society, psychology and mental health come into play in ways other than public safety. They are often part of a feeling of self-esteem, of feeling powerful and of being a man (or a strong woman). They may even be a phallic symbol.

Many people join the military as part of a rite of passage into adulthood. This includes becoming familiar with weapons and the role of a warrior. In some cases this may be healthy, in other cases, not so.

Obviously, using a firearm does not make a person a better human being. It is a cheap and invalid way of building one’s self-esteem. It does not automatically imbue a person with courage or honor (nor does hunting or wearing a military uniform for that matter).

However, being competent with a firearm can include the important element of taking responsibility, enhancing safety and not leaving the serious responsibility for possessing and safely using firearms only to others such as peace officers. Average citizens also encounter dangerous people and a peace officer is not always nearby.

POLITICS AND VIOLENCE

The need to appear strong and powerful via weapons and violence is something we sometimes see in politicians, too. For example, some may want to appear strong by going to war. Of course, in most cases they don’t actually go themselves.

The recent election cycle was marked by widespread incidents at town hall meetings when citizens were reportedly encouraged to try to intimidate senators and members of Congress with very aggressive and hostile words and behavior.

One politician indicated that citizens should use their “second amendment rights” (right to bear arms) to resolve problems if government was not responsive to their views and wishes.

Websites, circulating e-mail messages, some militia groups and others openly advocate using firearms against government officials.

For a nation like ours, born out of armed rebellion against the King of England, some of this kind attitude seems understandable. But, in the recent elections, extreme and over-the-top language was used for purposes and on topics that did not always seem reasonable.

People were encouraged to be fearful, to be hateful, to demonize others with a certain view of public issues. Citizens were told the sky was falling. They were told to grab their guns.

Parts of this psychological operation were characterized in patriotic terms and in the context of the American Revolution.

What forces were behind these extreme political developments and what funding was provided behind the scenes for them?

Some observers suspect those with financial and business interests, lobbyists, certain media groups and personalities as well as other politicians might have knowingly or inadvertently contributed to the escalated hostility.

Did this kind of climate create or influence the tragic shooting in Tucson last Saturday? It seems very difficult to say what, if any, influence this had on the shooter. At the same time, it appears obvious that such influences and connections cannot be ruled out, even considering the alleged suspect’s confused mental state.

The larger social environment at any given time can contribute to circumstances that may be associated with a violent and tragic incident. The Kent State University shootings in the spring of 1970 come to mind.

Then, too, a climate of fear, violence, war, polarized politics and social unrest was part of the environment that contributed to Ohio National Guard personnel shooting, killing and wounding multiple unarmed people, many of them innocent bystanders who were not involved in public demonstrations.

Were the individual Guardsman who pulled the triggers ultimately responsible? Yes. But it was not that simple.

The Kent State shootings and the Tucson incident are very different in many ways. Yet, there are also some similarities that may be worth reflecting on.

The adversarial relationship between citizens and government officials can exist at a healthy level or can escalate to a very sick and dangerous extreme.

Whether the government official is the local peace officer on patrol or a federal official, it is probably helpful to examine the many aspects that can contribute to extreme adversarial relationships and perceptions about government infringement on personal freedoms and similar heartfelt issues of concern.

The many apparent dynamics in the Tucson shooting prevent easy blame on any single element. At the same time, there are several factors that should probably be honestly looked at regarding what role they could have played in this case or in other similar situations.

UFO acclimation: ‘Dark Skies’ TV series special DVD collection released

2010-12-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

It was a TV series ahead of its time. Consider it advance reconnaissance information.

Airing on Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. in 1996 and 1997 on NBC, “Dark Skies” took viewers inside a secret U.S. government group dealing with UFOs and strange visitors.

Yet, time and certain situations sometimes have a way of circling around in surprising ways.

Nearly 15 years later, the series is now once again in the public consciousness and is reaching a new and expanding audience with the release of “Dark Skies: The Declassified Complete Series” DVD collection.

The show features two twenty-something characters, John Loengard (played by Eric Close) and Kimberly Sayers (Megan Ward), who come to Washington, D.C., from California in 1961.

Loengard is hired as an aide to a California congressman and Sayers lands a job in the office of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

WELCOME TO MAJESTIC-12

When Loengard conducts routine research for the congressman’s office on topics like funding of the Air Force’s “Project Blue Book” at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and interviews alleged UFO “abductees” Betty and Barney Hill, he comes into unpleasant contact with a covert group that the “Dark Skies” writers (and many others) have called “Majestic-12” or simply “Majestic.”

After he is initially intimidated and roughed up by Majestic agents led by Navy officers in plainclothes, Loengard is recruited into the group and transforms from a naïve and optimistic citizen into a hardened, though somewhat frightened, undercover agent who wavers between working for the group and breaking off as a “lone wolf.”

However, he is a lone wolf with a beautiful girlfriend (Ward). Although their romance lends warmth and emotional depth to the story, threats to the Kim Sayers character take dark turns.

In some episodes we go back to the alleged 1947 Roswell incident and even to ancient times when North American Indians are visited by “sky people.”

The creators and writers of the series, Brent Friedman and Bryce Zabel, have done their research on the many elements of the UFO phenomena and it shows in “Dark Skies.”

In fact, Zabel, a former TV journalist at PBS and CNN, recently co-authored a non-fiction book about the inside story on UFOs with historian Richard Dolan titled A.D. After Disclosure: The People’s Guide to Life After Contact.

Public awareness about visitation to Earth of extraterrestrial and/or other intelligent beings is different in 2011 than it was in 1996.

Today, respected scientists openly discuss the possibilities of contact with other intelligent life.

Reputable journalists like Zabel, Leslie Kean and others provide solid information and insight about the situation. Kean’s recently-published book UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record presents a very credible look at certain important developments.

And, the general public can’t help but notice the unusual UFO incidents in recent years such as those in Phoenix (1997), at Chicago’s O’Hare airport (2006) and in the Stephenville, Texas, region (2008). All three of these incidents were covered nationally and internationally in the mainstream press.

Are various kinds of visitors in exotic spacecraft trying to tell us they are here?

Are people associated with the U.S. (and international) defense and intelligence communities also providing acclimation to prepare us for this unconventional emerging situation?

How does “Dark Skies” fit in?

OVERT AND COVERT

The series uses a unique blend of history, reasonable speculation about UFOs and creativity to look at important issues and events during the period from 1961 to 1967. Zabel and Friedman present an alternative view of the ‘60s, merging real people and circumstances of that era with possible clandestine scenarios.

They ask us to consider many “what ifs.” What if the public story of past events is part of a larger and more complicated picture? “History as we know it is a lie” ... this is the line from the Emmy Award-winning main title opening sequence of “Dark Skies.”

We might also ask what the truth is about our current situation with regard to UFOs, unconventional visitors, expanded human consciousness and other edge-science theories and realities.

And, what does the future hold?

By opening our minds to many possibilities, we can probably enhance our psychological, social and cultural readiness to deal with challenging developments.

In this sense, the reappearance of “Dark Skies” on the public and media scene may be very helpful and even trigger new creative communication efforts that both entertain and enhance understanding of leading-edge scientific topics.

The collection includes all 18 episodes that aired on NBC including the two-hour pilot. Extra features of the DVD set include the two-hour international pilot shown in Europe.

The 2010 documentary “Signal To Noise: Uncovering Dark Skies” is particularly enlightening, featuring a discussion between the creators Friedman and Zabel along with views and insight by the show’s main stars Close and Ward. (It is nice to see that Ward is more beautiful now than ever.)

Viewers can also watch the first and last episodes with the option of an audio overlay of interesting and fun commentary among Friedman, Zabel, Close and Ward. Behind-the-scenes stories and incidents about the making of the series are fascinating.

Information about pitching the series to NBC, the original sales presentation, network promos that aired and other background information are also included in the DVD collection.

The “Dark Skies” DVD set can be ordered from Shout Factory! home video company. A valuable related resource is the website about Zabel's and Dolan's new book at AfterDisclosure.com.

Secret UFO leaks? Journalists face many responsibilities on disclosure

2010-12-11T10:42:00.001-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The recent and ongoing controversy about releases of sensitive information seems to raise both new and longstanding fundamental points about freedom of the press and the role of journalism in society.

An aspect of the discussion that appears to many people as an odd side issue is the reference to unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in some documents or materials.

However, this topic might serve as a unique example about the way we look at the roles of journalism, government and citizens on an issue that could be both important to know about and also require discretion and sensitivity.

Today’s journalists and many other segments of society face continual changes in the evolving economy, technological development, scientific updates and the many other aspects of everyday life.

Journalism in particular is dealing with longstanding ethical and professional guidelines about freedom of the press and responsible reporting. These are combined with a changing landscape of Internet technology and certain characteristics of major media companies.

BALANCING ACT

The touchstone of the U.S. Constitution and its provisions outlining freedom of speech and freedom of the press continue to be fundamental reference points. Many of the U.S. Constitution’s other attempts to strengthen human liberty are equally valuable and often equally controversial.

The task of balancing these freedoms with responsible behavior and common-sense discretion is now front and center in discussions about various current events.

And, odd as it may seem, the UFO subject is one of these current challenges.

Just like other sensitive subjects involving national security, some people who have researched the UFO situation claim that a high level of restriction by governments on information about UFOs is interfering with the right of citizens to know what their governments are doing.

And, the argument extends to the view that human beings at the grassroots of society have a need to know about certain subjects that could affect them, including unusual and unconventional discoveries and developments.

The counterpoint to this view is that some subjects must be kept secret for the sake of the greater good of maintaining national defense. And, in many cases, international alliances and friendships among nations and societies are also at stake.

How should the profession and craft of journalism handle these factors?

When the additional challenges of certain perspectives by media bosses in a time of changing economic dynamics come into play, journalists are now, as they often have been, faced with soul-searching dilemmas.

REPORTING ON MYSTERIES

In the case of unusual and unconventional scientific subjects, additional obstacles for journalism include self-censorship by media management and often by certain elements of scientific communities. These factors may also dovetail with defense-related information restriction for reasons of strategic national and global safety as well as tactical operational security.

Despite the statements from people with various viewpoints that decisions and judgment about the balance between security and freedom of the press are easy and clear cut, this is probably not always the case.

As we know, sometimes a “top secret” classification is used to cover up wrongdoing and inappropriate conduct.

At the same time, other classified situations, including highly compartmented and need-to-know circumstances, might truly require robust information security for a number of legitimate reasons.

According to some researchers, the UFO situation falls into a complex category of emerging scientific developments that could significantly change our views of Earth, the universe, life and the human race. It may be quite complex because the various kinds of unusual flying objects seen over the decades and centuries are probably associated with even more surprising mysteries.

Extraterrestrial visitors, multiple dimensions, space-time anomalies, forgotten histories of human civilization, undiscovered aspects of human DNA, extrasensory perception and other edge-science subjects have all been linked to the UFO phenomena, both directly and indirectly.

Some researchers indicate that may only be the tip of the iceberg.

Responsible journalism on these kinds of subjects seems to have been somewhat limited to date. But that does not mean today’s journalists are incapable of handling the situation responsibly and professionally.

Understanding various security implications of unconventional situations that could affect the safety of American and global society must be part of journalistic considerations and judgment.

Important foundational elements of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights are also factors that are key parts of responsible journalism in days past, now and in the future.

Advances in human consciousness linked to UFO disclosure

2010-12-04T08:48:00.001-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

When we think about human readiness to deal with significant new scientific discoveries, we often think about conventional psychological and emotional preparedness of individuals, groups and societies.

For example, the issue of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), other non-human intelligent beings on Earth and similar subjects often result in reactions such as uncertainty, anxiety, curiosity and denial.

Our self-esteem and self-perception are also part of the natural reactions to certain leading-edge and forward-leaning theories, possibilities, indications and discoveries.

When new discoveries are about human consciousness, then our psychological and emotional reactions could be even more interesting, and also natural. Our mind is looking at itself.

In one such case, the U.S. defense and intelligence activity usually referred to as Project STAR GATE conducted research and operations related to extrasensory perception (ESP). The researchers and participants discovered that human consciousness is not nearly as limited as we often believe and that humans can tap into extraordinary perception and awareness.

DISCOVERY AND UNCERTAINTY

Many of these Project STAR GATE researchers faced their own reaction of denial about the results of their experiments measuring ESP or “anomalous cognition.”

This couldn’t be happening, they told themselves. How can a person in a room at one location accurately perceive the details of something going on miles away with no other information available other than internal perception?

After their denial subsided, then other feelings such as uncertainty, anxiety and curiosity may have kicked in ... uncertainty about their previous beliefs, anxiety about what this could mean and curiosity about how this could be.

Eventually, the STAR GATE personnel apparently developed an appreciation about these discoveries, though they faced skepticism and even ridicule from within their scientific and intelligence communities, and later in the media and general public.

Today, though, there seems to be a much greater acceptance about these kinds of research results and many other investigations have come to similar conclusions. Several kinds of research into human awareness and perception have branched out into different fields that may also yield very interesting and significant results.

Some of these studies have looked at near-death experiences (NDEs), dreams, telepathy (mind-to-mind communication), precognition (perceiving the future) and using human consciousness to reach out in many other ways and in many directions.

Human awareness and perception regarding UFOs and other intelligent beings have also been an element of this kind of research.

SECRECY AND UNDERSTANDING

Visual sightings of unusual objects in the skies (and sometimes on the ground) that appear to be craft of some kind and alleged even closer encounters are particularly interesting and somewhat concerning.

Like the Project STAR GATE teams, we probably also have similar feelings about the UFO topic. That is, after our denial subsides, then uncertainty, anxiety and curiosity come into play ... uncertainty about our previous beliefs, anxiety about what this could mean and curiosity about how this could be.

Project STAR GATE’s research, activities and “remote viewing” intelligence-gathering techniques were above top secret, compartmented and on a need-to-know basis within the defense and intelligence community for several decades. This was due to the perceived importance related to national security.

The unique nature of the research also probably resulted in some of the secrecy. As noted, there was denial, skepticism and ridicule within the defense and intelligence communities about the STAR GATE investigations and operations.

Today, a large amount of information on remote viewing, ESP and Project STAR GATE is widely available on the Web, in books, articles, on TV shows and in other communications platforms though much information remains classified.

In an apparently similar situation, more information and disclosure about the UFO phenomena seems to be emerging in various ways. What was once above top secret, compartmented and on a need-to-know basis within the defense and intelligence community is now more widely available though much information remains classified.

Now what? The discoveries in Project STAR GATE about the nature of human consciousness resulted in some answers and also raised more questions. The same is probably true about research into UFOs, multiple dimensions and other kinds of edge-science research.

And, as with other changes in human knowledge and beliefs, once our denial subsides, then uncertainty, anxiety and curiosity may come into play ... uncertainty about our previous beliefs, anxiety about what this could mean and curiosity about how this could be.

As part of this process, hopefully we will continue to gain greater understanding, though many questions will probably remain and more will be raised.

Some information will remain secret. New discoveries will emerge. Many mysteries will probably continue.

Disclosure, ‘breakthrough event’ could change humanity, Earth

2010-11-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

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.

Disclosure not just about UFOs – other mysteries connected

2010-11-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

When we read and hear about “UFO disclosure” it may seem that this is the main unknown of our era. It may be. Yet, there are other scientific mysteries that are also very interesting and may be equally important.

In fact, these other anomalous phenomena could be related to the UFO situation.

For example, the idea of multiple dimensions is gaining credibility among physicists and mathematicians.

A concept called the “Calabi-Yau space” proposes that the universe could be structured like a crumpled up or folded up piece of paper. This would create dimensions that may be far away or very near.

Our ideas about the afterlife or Heaven could fit in nicely with this concept.

Another mystery is extrasensory perception (ESP), sometimes called anomalous cognition. It has been adequately proven by the U.S. defense and intelligence activity referred to as Project STAR GATE that this human “sixth sense” is real and capable of fascinating perception and awareness.

Although the defense and intelligence personnel involved named their specific technique and protocol “remote viewing,” it appears to be a very natural ability and is within all of us.

SYNERGY OF RESEARCH, DISCOVERY

And then there are space-time phenomena that seem to connect events, people, times and places in ways that don’t always make logical sense to us.

This “synchronicity” can be puzzling. Physicists use the term “non-locality,” meaning things can be connected in ways that do not seem obvious. But do these strange phenomena have special meaning?

New understanding of space and time could provide more insight into UFOs, multiple dimensions, ESP and other challenging topics.

In addition, the mysteries of, and in our DNA continue to be a source of discovery too.

What may be deep down within the genetic core of all of us? Ancient ancestors’ memories? A master plan for the development of the human race? Surprising origins and histories of the human race? Or simply a fluid and responsive system or mechanism of adjustment to our environment over the centuries?

Are there methods and tools that could be keys to unlock the information and experiences within our DNA?

Again, these kinds of possibilities might be connected in some way to other leading-edge or forward-leaning research.

Being human might get more interesting.

UFOs could seem boring in comparison to some of these other interesting topics. But, actually, there may be a synergy in the significant connections among all of these subjects, as well as other mysterious goings-on around us and within us.

The whole may be greater than the sum of the parts.

OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE

Of course, “disclosure” about these kinds of subjects has different characteristics.

In the case of UFOs, there seems to have been defense and intelligence security that sought to limit public information about the issue for various reasons.

This was previously also the case in Project STAR GATE. For more than two decades, the research and operations were top secret.

But now, much of the information is public. However, many details of actual defense and intelligence operations using remote viewing remain classified.

Topics like multiple dimensions, DNA research (including more unconventional research), time-space theories, synchronicity and similar issues can be found in textbooks, writings and various media platforms about physics, spirituality, biology, philosophy, psychology and other fields.

There is a huge amount of “open source intelligence (OSINT)” on these areas.

Disclosure in these cases is not so much about some powers-that-be releasing secret files, but more about our own curiosity and willingness to look into the available information.

We can empower ourselves by learning more about such fascinating concepts. In fact, some of these subjects could help us in our daily lives and even be key to survival in certain ways.

By taking responsibility to open our minds and explore these advanced, and probably fundamental and even ancient subjects, we may be able to create important disclosure on our own.

Further UFO disclosure requires readiness, teamwork and intelligence information

2010-11-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Over the decades and in recent years and months, many military officers have come forward with solid information about unusual unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

In many cases, the information includes direct sightings and experiences. In other reports, intelligence information on UFO incidents was compiled, and tentative or limited conclusions reached by very senior military officers.

Some U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts have also reported similar observations and encounters.

The intelligence community, being discreet as is required, prefers to work behind the scenes, both gathering and disseminating information on this and other subjects.

Closed-loop compartmentalization and “need to know” protocols attempt to maintain security on sensitive topics related to national security, including the UFO issue.

At the same time, the task of appropriately disseminating information could also be challenging in the case of unconventional and anomalous phenomena which include, but are not limited to UFOs.

SECURITY AND PREPAREDNESS

Evaluating potential dangers and threats of various kinds can be a complex task in both conventional and unconventional scenarios. The safety and well-being of the American people and our friends require that caution is paramount on the issue of UFO disclosure.

We have only to look at the apparent psychological denial by many people about UFOs to realize that this can be a difficult situation to accept.

Some of this denial may be due to years of security and secrecy measures. But part of it may also be emotional and mental readiness to accept unusual, surprising and possibly disturbing or dangerous elements involved.

As a result, a decades-long period of safe, steady acclimation and preparedness may have been going on using various media platforms. At least this has been theorized about.

For UFO disclosure to continue to unfold, there will probably need to be ongoing teamwork among various aspects of society. Citizens, media, public safety personnel, professionals of all kinds, educators, government officials and others will need to work together as a team.

Effective leadership and guidance, from wherever it may be found, will also be very helpful.

Is there a schedule, time constraints or some kind of master plan on an increasingly overt disclosure process? There has been speculation that this might be one factor involved. If so, then increased readiness on the part of many aspects of our communities and societies is also helpful and necessary.

INTELLIGENCE AND EDUCATION

Learning more about this subject is not as difficult as we might think.

One recently-published book is a good starting point. Journalist Leslie Kean’s UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record contains valuable factual information that includes a minimum amount of speculation.

The new book A.D. After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact by Richard M. Dolan and Bryce Zabel, on the other hand, does speculate about the possible or probable impacts on society from more open awareness of the UFO situation.

This book is also a comprehensive real history of the many complex circumstances and theories involved. The authors look at other unconventional phenomena that could very well be related to UFOs, or are just more scientific mysteries that we are gaining an understanding of.

Zabel's and Dolan's website AfterDisclosure.com is a good place to gain additional information about the subject.

Will some kind of event require government officials in Washington, D.C., to address the issue in a more open way?

Dolan and Zabel propose that it is possible. They also point out that a public explanation of the overall situation could be very difficult because of sensitive security issues, complex scientific unknowns and the information management challenges involved.

This, again, is where a certain level of cooperation and teamwork might come into play. Many elements of society will need to both try to absorb certain new information and also realize that some intelligence must be kept secure.

And, as noted, there probably are simply mysterious unknowns that cannot be fully answered at this time.

By working together, we may be able to expect more disclosure about unconventional subjects such as UFOs, unusual visitors or beings, new discoveries about the physics of multiple dimensions and many other advanced topics.

‘Close Encounters’ Wyoming landing zone: UFOs, secret missions, American Indians

2010-10-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

In the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with its amazing ending at Devils Tower, Wyoming, there were many references to real incidents and situations, as well as subtle connections to UFOs, extraterrestrial visitation and other mysterious phenomena.

For example, the police chase across the Ohio-Indiana state line resembled real police incidents in that general region.

And interestingly, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is also located near the Ohio-Indiana border. That base is home to an Air Force foreign technology research center and closely associated with the alleged Roswell incident and subsequent research.

In Close Encounters a mysterious red-suited team of 12 Americans is covertly sent to Devils Tower, a U.S. National Monument. That element parallels claims about a secret mission called “Project SERPO.”

According to reports about this allegedly real operation, 12 carefully selected and trained U.S. military personnel went on an exchange program in the 1960s with an extraterrestrial race aboard their spacecraft, staying on a faraway planet for more than a decade.

In Close Encounters the clandestine logistics and security operation at Devils Tower was largely facilitated by U.S. Army Special Forces.

In real life, some of their specialties are covert and unconventional operations. Army Special Forces also works in roles to establish rapport with indigenous populations and provide training.

But is there more about Devils Tower that we can learn?

BEAR’S LODGE

Native American Indians had a very different name for this unusual geological formation. To the Lakota and Cheyenne, it was “Bear Lodge,” “Grizzly Bear Lodge,” or “Bear Lodge Butte.” The Cheyenne and Crow also referred to it as “Bear’s House” or “Bear’s Lair.” It was also called “Bear’s Tipi” by the Cheyenne and Arapaho. To the Kiowa, it was “Tree Rock.”

How did an Indian identity associated with a bear lodge become “Devils Tower?” It is believed that an interpreter in an 1875 expedition in the area misunderstood the Indian words and translated them as “Bad God’s Tower” which was later changed to “Devil’s Tower,” and eventually to “Devils Tower” (no apostrophe).

President Theodore Roosevelt declared the huge rock formation a U.S. National Monument in 1906. Today, the entire monument area includes 1,347 acres.

Interesting legends and folklore about the site may also hold clues about more subtle connections at Devils Tower or Bear Lodge.

A Lakota tale reportedly describes six Lakota girls picking flowers there when they were chased by bears. The Great Spirit helped the girls by raising the ground under them. The distinctive vertical striations of the rock were made when the bears tried to climb it but slid down, leaving huge scratch marks, according to this legend.

A Kiowa story is similar. Seven girls playing were chased by large bears. To escape, the girls climbed a rock and prayed to the Great Spirit for help. Answering the girls’ prayers, the Great Spirit caused the rock to rise to the heavens, saving the girls as the bears tried to climb the rock, leaving their claw marks.

As the girls reached the uppermost realms of the sky, they became the star constellation the Pleiades. This star system is sometimes associated with extraterrestrial visitors in more modern cases.

There is another legend about several boys escaping a bear, praying to the Creator for help, being raised up on the rock and escaping back to their village with the help of an eagle.

ALIEN VISITORS

When Army Special Forces, scientists, technicians, defense and intelligence officials, and the mysterious 12-person team infiltrate the Devils Tower or Bear Lodge region in Close Encounters, can we make any connections to this Native American Indian lore or other possible factors?

Many Indian tribes have oral histories about unusual visitors or beings of many kinds. In some legends, the visitors come from far away in the skies. In others, certain beings are native to Earth, or live nearby, and are part of the mysteries of Nature and reality.

Even now, there are many reports of mysterious phenomena in Indian Country. And, Indian perspectives about Nature, the Great Spirit and other matters can be unique and helpful to learn about.

Another different type of link is the rich history in the U.S. Army of establishing connections to Native American tribes and traditions. Unit patches, words and concepts related to the identity and honor of a warrior can be found throughout the U.S. Army.

For example, the Army’s famed 101st Airborne Division uses the Cherokee word “currahee” as a touchstone concept. Currahee means “we stand alone together.”

The Army Special Forces motto, though not in American Indian language, is the Latin “de Oppresso Liber” meaning “Liberate the Oppressed.”

Of course, these two U.S. Army examples are paradoxical, to put it mildly, regarding the history of conflicts with Native American Indians over centuries as Europeans landed, conquered, took land, enslaved and destroyed or nearly destroyed native societies and cultures.

When the United States was formed and Europeans here became "Americans," regional militias and federal army troops often did the same.

In the case of the Cherokee, their ancient homeland in the Appalachian Mountain region stretched from Tennessee and North Carolina to Georgia and Alabama. Starting in the 1700s, there was a large degree of intermarriage with Scottish, Scots-Irish and English explorers and settlers, resulting in the millions of Americans today who have Cherokee DNA within them.

But this did not help them when in 1838 men, women, children and the elderly were forced at gunpoint and bayonet point from their homes and farms into prison camps, their land stolen, and marched to Oklahoma on the terrible and deadly “Trail of Tears.” Many mixed-ethnicity Cherokee were reportedly able to avoid this removal.

Their experience parallels the history of many other tribes.

Today, some researchers advise us to consider the experience of Native American Indians who faced a visitation or invasion of technologically superior “aliens” from England, France, Spain and elsewhere in Europe.

Could humans dealing with advanced beings from elsewhere experience a fate similar to that of American Indians?

Maybe we can take another look at Close Encounters in light of the history of Bear’s Lodge or Devils Tower. That location may serve as a way to explore the many lessons about connections between American history, humanity, Nature and the mysteries of the universe.

UFO disclosure has happened! Did you notice?

2010-10-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Maybe it has happened with a whisper, not a major public announcement or event.

Maybe the tipping point was the recent publication of journalist Leslie Kean’s book UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record or a recent press conference by retired Air Force officers.

Or, it could have been the steady release of information through discreet ways via Hollywood movies, TV shows and other communications platforms over the past months, years and decades.

There will continue to be people who prefer to debunk the topic as well as those who aren’t quite ready to wrap their minds around the situation.

Who can blame them? It is strange, amazing and scary.

And, maintaining security about it over past decades has been, and continues to be a major element as we move forward. From all indications, it is a highly sensitive and complex situation.

As a result, there are many moving parts that must be handled in intelligent and careful ways.

AFTER DISCLOSURE PHASE

Yet, any normal person of average intelligence can review the information about this topic and easily figure out that something is going on in this area of scientific discovery.

It also seems to be a defense and intelligence matter that must be dealt with in serious ways.

We now seem to be in the period that could reasonably be called “after disclosure.”

Interestingly, a new book due out later this month is titled A.D. After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact. Authors Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel have written this comprehensive overview that explores nearly every angle of the historical, scientific, governmental, social, media-related, psychological and educational aspects of disclosure about UFOs, unusual visitors and related mysteries and challenges.

The book looks like it will be a useful tool and interesting reading for many people as they get up to speed on these important subjects.

The transition from subtle orientation and preparedness to the “after disclosure” phase may have been carefully coordinated since the post-World War II era. Dedicated people in the defense, intelligence and scientific communities reportedly worried that people might become overly fearful about new discoveries in this field.

As a result, safe and gradual acclimation and education efforts may have been implemented to enhance our psychological and emotional readiness. And, these activities probably have been successful.

The smooth transition to general public understanding about the situation seems to be in process now.

MOVING FORWARD

There are a lot of details. The situation is not simple. Trying to understand the many factors involved is going to be a learning curve involving our understanding of the universe’s hidden mysteries, human consciousness, Nature and other interesting elements.

Yet, isn’t it a relief to know that humans have at least reached a level of awareness about ourselves and the universe around us where we can accept various kinds of surprising and far-out emerging truths?

We don’t know it all and it’s probably not wise to listen to people who claim they do.

The “after disclosure” period will most likely involve ongoing communication, education, counseling and orientation. We have the resources to accomplish all of these missions successfully.

And, it’s quite possible that a lot of good things will come out of this phase of human development on Earth.

We might be able to utilize new technologies that improve our quality of life. Human suffering of many kinds might be mitigated by advanced knowledge. Earth’s biological environment and atmosphere could be better protected and enriched. Greater prosperity for all people could be achieved.

The advancement of humanity might make a quantum leap forward.

Or, maybe we will just put one foot in front of the other and make steady progress in ways that lead to a bright future on this beautiful planet, and beyond.

New commercial space planes compete with UFOs for suborbital flights

2010-10-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Is there room in Earth’s orbit for both extraterrestrial spacecraft and a new wave of human commercial space planes and space stations?

UFO pilots will need to keep an eye out for a new generation of commercial space planes that will soon be taking passengers into space on suborbital trips above Earth’s atmosphere.

Recent developments point to increasing momentum for the commercial space activities industry.

Commercial spaceports have already been started and more are being considered in various international locations.

Just recently, Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space plane successfully completed a test flight over the Mohave Desert in southern California. It soared from an altitude of approximately 45,000 feet and landed safely at the Mojave Air and Space Port, the headquarters of Scaled Composites, the plane’s builder.

Meanwhile, another facility called Spaceport America in southern New Mexico is continuing to move forward. It boasts a state-of-the-art launch facility and has customers such as Virgin Galactic, Armadillo Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, UP Aerospace and Moog-FTS.

Canada is also considering construction of commercial spaceports, according to published reports. The Canadian Space Agency is reportedly considering Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton as well as Fort Churchill in Manitoba.

In addition, there are reports that the Caribbean island of Curacao could become a spaceport for suborbital flights of the Lynx rocket plane built by XCOR Aerospace. A South Korean spaceport is reportedly also being discussed by XCOR Aerospace.

JAMES CAMERON WEIGHTLESS

In another recent development, “Avatar” producer-director James Cameron went on a low-gravity flight on Oct. 9 called the ZERO-G Experience. Along with several other people associated with the X PRIZE Foundation, Cameron took the flight to help raise funds for the organization.

They took off from the Van Nuys airport in the Los Angeles area for the ride aboard the special plane owned by Space Adventures.

Cameron and his associates flew on a Boeing 727-200, the same kind used to train astronauts about reduced gravity. The plane flies 15 “parabolic arcs” to create zero gravity as well as the gravity on the Moon (1/6 of Earth) and Mars (1/3 of Earth).

The X PRIZE Foundation states that it has “a mission to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity” and that the foundation “is an educational nonprofit organization that creates and conducts large-scale, international prize competitions that stimulate investment in research and development worth far more than the prize itself.”

The group also states, “The X PRIZE Foundation conducts competitions in four prize groups: Education & Global Development; Energy & Environment; Life Sciences; and Space & Ocean Exploration.”

Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation was also aboard the flight. He noted that, "Entrepreneurs and innovators are creating technologies which are making spaceflight affordable ... whether it is flying aboard a Zero-G flight, a suborbital flight into space, or a private flight to orbit.”

“On Saturday's weightless flight we gathered six X PRIZE Trustees and 20 philanthropists who believe we can use incentive prizes to drive radical breakthroughs for humanity," Diamandis stated. "The funds raised during this flight will help us design and launch audacious future X PRIZEs which will help humanity expand beyond the bounds of Earth."

Moviemaker Cameron pointed out that "The rapid acceleration of technology is enabling small teams to conduct exploration that was only possible by national governments. The X PRIZE Foundation helps to set and incentivize audacious and worthy targets."

BOOKING YOUR RESERVATIONS

When the suborbital space industry gets fully underway in the next few years, seats on the multi-hour flights are expected to cost about $200,000. However, those prices may come down as more competitors begin successful flight operations

But suborbital flights are not the only commercial space activities on the drawing board.

Boeing’s new CST-100 space capsule will have room for seven passengers and will be launched atop rockets now in development.

Space Adventures and Boeing have signed an agreement to explore commercial passenger trips on the CST-100. Space Adventures is also working with the Russian space agency and private Russian firms on commercial space travel opportunities.

The CST-100 is expected to take over many of the crew and cargo transportation missions previously conducted by the Space Shuttle, including trips to the International Space Station as well as new commercial space stations in low Earth orbit now being readied.

Space travelers and researchers may be able to book a flight aboard the CST-100 and make a round-trip home, or stay aboard new commercial space stations being developed by companies such as Bigelow Aerospace, a Las Vegas-based firm.

That company plans to offer lengthier stays in its low Earth orbit space stations for scientific researchers as well as other types of customers.

Bigelow Aerospace appears to be the leader in commercial space station development, using a special design acquired from NASA that uses a unique inflatable structure and sturdy, robust, high-tech materials to enhance safety.

The inflatable design also makes the space station modules light and compact to launch, creating various efficiencies.

What other advanced technologies are in the pipeline for commercial space stations, new spacecraft and suborbital space planes? We can only imagine.

Yet, it seems clear that commercial space travel is well on its way.

Within a few short years, a very active commercial space industry will be making trips into space that expand our opportunities and our perspectives about the universe and planet Earth.

Many factors in UFO reports, including ‘jellyfish’ appearance

2010-10-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle and includes embedded links to related American Chronicle articles noted within.)

People who have sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) sometimes report discs or saucers, V-shaped craft, triangles, glowing orbs and many other kinds of unusual things in the skies.

Sometimes the objects are said to appear metallic and other times an anomalous energy or light is reported.

One of the more unusual kinds of descriptions includes witness reports of something that appears like a “jellyfish.”

In recent days, this description has been used, and there have been other incidents when witnesses said a UFO looked like a "jellyfish," "octopus" or appearing to be something with "tentacles."

What are UFOs and why would they have such diverse appearance? Are they different kinds of technology or different kinds of phenomena altogether?

And, could any of these possibly advanced craft and the equally possible intelligent beings who might be associated with them help humanity and Earth?

DIFFERENT OBJECTS REPORTED

In the 1997 Phoenix lights case, at least one huge V-shaped or boomerang-shaped object with a dark surface and several bright lights was seen cruising slowly and silently over the city on the evening of March 13.

A gray-colored metallic disc-shaped object reportedly hovered at about 1,900 feet above Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Nov. 7, 2006.

And in other cases, a glowing “jellyfish” effect is seen by some witnesses.

A 2009 incident in Conisholme, England, included an object hovering near a wind turbine farm that the witness described as having “tentacles of light.” One witness stated it looked like a "massive ball of light with tentacles going right down to the ground. It was huge. With the tentacles it looked just like an octopus."

In a separate 2009 sighting, a Wimbleton, UK, witness said he saw something that appeared like "a large bright pink jelly-fish looking object surrounded by a pink haze."

During the multiple sightings in Stephenville, Texas, during 2008, a local peace officer viewed a UFO on police video and described it as looking like a "jellyfish."

This seemingly unusual jellyfish appearance has a logical and scientific explanation, according to researcher Ray Stanford. He says it is related to the propulsion system of certain advanced and exotic spacecraft that we call UFOs and Stanford calls "anomalous aerial objects (AAOs)."

Stanford is known as a pioneer in the study of UFOs using optical and electronic instrument systems and has been investigating this subject for decades.

He theorizes that the "jellyfish" visual effect could be a "magnetoplasmadynamic" or "magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)" field. The jellyfish appearance is not the actual object, Stanford says.

Additionally, Stanford says the tentacle-like appearance is "most often and readily visible when a craft is either slowing down or moving very slowly over an uneven surface” and indicates “constantly changing, torque-generating plasma beams."

More detailed information on his views about some of these specific issues are found in the Oct. 14, 2010, article "'Jellyfish' witness description of UFO significant?"

DEFENSE AND DISCLOSURE

Many researchers and possibly people in the defense community may have more knowledge about what UFOs are, how they appear and behave, and who might be involved with them.

But for average people, it may be unclear what the details are surrounding this mysterious though interesting subject.

Some advocates for more disclosure of information about UFOs say that some of the advanced technology involved could help the U.S. and humanity globally in many ways.

This question is explored in the Sept. 30, 2010, article "Can UFO-acquired technologies help the U.S. economy?" and the Oct. 8, 2010, piece "Space travel could advance with UFO technologies."

But are people in the U.S. and around the world mentally and emotionally prepared for more information or disclosure about UFOs? To some people, the answer is unclear. Would there be undue worry and anxiety about extraterrestrial visitors? And, is there actually something valid to worry about?

What kind of changes would occur in human society? These kinds of questions are being addressed certain movies and TV shows, such as NBC’s “The Event.”

A book due out this month will also explore relevant subjects. A.D., After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel is certain to get readers thinking.

The TV show and the book provide food for thought in the Oct. 2, 2010, article "Earth before 'The Event' and 'After Disclosure' worth discussing."

Importantly, how would our news media handle additional coverage of the UFO topic? Would they be responsible and professional journalists? Would they sensationalize or provoke fear and panic? Or, as may sometimes be the case, would they help in a cover-up of sorts?

The articles "Journalism evolving on leading-edge science, UFOs" (Oct. 7, 2010) and "Journalism tipping point: Media coverage of UFOs now serious" (Sept. 29, 2010) take a look at the dynamics of media coverage.

As we move forward and gain greater readiness and understanding about the interesting subject of UFOs, there may be many factors to consider and prepare for.

New ideas, ancient views may explain UFOs, odd phenomena

2010-10-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

There seem to be many indications that modern humans are discovering or rediscovering knowledge and understanding that were known to ancient people.

One example might be the research into extrasensory perception (ESP). The operational intelligence "remote viewing" activities conducted by the U.S. program known as Project STAR GATE provided solid evidence that humans do have a “sixth sense.”

Historically, other cultures have also believed that humans can perceive information from within, using what we might call intuition, instinct, gut feelings or visions.

For example, Native American Indians had “vision quests” and other kinds of activities to help them perceive in different ways. Dreams and other non-logical perceptual experiences were thought to sometimes contain valuable information as well.

Another possibly-related field of investigation is the inquiry into concepts about multiple dimensions in our universe.

OTHER DIMENSIONS NEARBY

One idea of how the universe might be structured is called the “Calabi-Yau space.” It has been described as somewhat resembling a crumpled-up and folded-up piece of paper.

In this concept, time and space as well as other aspects of the universe twist and turn, and even fold back upon one another. Multiple dimensions – many of which we cannot easily perceive – are nearby.

This view could explain unusual phenomena that we sometimes refer to as anomalous, metaphysical or even paranormal. They might actually be normal.

Certain ideas about the movement between dimensions seem more feasible when looking at a visual representation of the Calabi-Yau space concept.

A close proximity of other dimensions folding upon or bumping into one another might help explain odd unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and reports of beings and creatures who may cross boundaries of one dimension into another and back again.

The nonlinear view of space also can apply to time as well as other elements of life.

Things we see and experience might have multiple connections in multiple ways, some of which don’t always make logical sense to us.

This nonlinear concept is also common to Native American Indian cultures. These nonlinear views of Nature and the universe sometimes include the circle or cyclical.

According to the Oklahoma Historical Society’s Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture, “As nonlinear people, Indians are cyclical by nature. Day changing into night is a cycle, the full moon's monthly repetition is another cycle, and the seasons rotate as well. Nonlinear reality is a powerful theme in the Oklahoma Indian experience.”

PERCEPTUAL SYNERGY

However, in light of new theories about physics, even the circular or cyclical view of reality may be overly simplified.

Lakota philosopher, historian, speaker, broadcaster and musician Tiokasin Ghosthorse has noted that Native American Indians, the first people of the Americas, accept the many interesting aspects of Nature and the universe.

Dealing with unconventional intelligent beings who may visit from time to time, different modes of human perception, alternative views of time and space, and acceptance of the universe as a mysterious place are part of this perspective, Ghosthorse has said.

Here in North America, we are uniquely positioned to tap into this ancient viewpoint about the nature of reality and the nature of Nature. Many people in North America have mixed genetic backgrounds that include varied European, African and Native American Indian DNA.

These backgrounds could be helpful in creating a synergy of understanding by merging many perspectives and histories to come up with a new paradigm of reality.

With new theories of physics and mathematical formulations trying to explain the universe emerging alongside our ancient experiences and knowledge, we might soon discover a more accurate understanding of the world around us and within us.

Human space travel could advance quickly with UFO technologies

2010-10-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Early American and Russian efforts at space travel in the 1960s are now a distant memory for many people around the world.

Those pioneering astronauts and cosmonauts risked their lives in tiny capsules just getting into Earth orbit and returning safely.

Now, decades later, we now find ourselves near the end of the Space Shuttle era and ready to take the next steps with new approaches to space activities and exploration.

Meanwhile, some people speculate that behind the scenes, the U.S. may have already developed highly-advanced spacecraft that are top secret. These spacecraft, if they exist, and like other classified military aviation projects, could be years or decades in advance of where the public thinks we are technologically.

There are tales of secret U.S. spacecraft that have capabilities far beyond the Space Shuttle. They patrol the outskirts of Earth’s atmosphere and can make interplanetary journeys using advanced propulsion systems and scientific knowledge, according to this kind of far-out speculation.

WRIGHT BROTHERS TO ROSWELL

There are also rumors that some of this technology could be quite exotic and was acquired or learned about from crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft or some other contact with extraterrestrial beings. This theory does stretch the imagination and is understandably difficult for many people to believe.

But, is it really so far-fetched?

Looking at the body of research about UFOs and alleged extraterrestrial visitation to Earth and trying to separate the silly from the serious, it does seem at least remotely possible that “foreign” technologies related to anti-gravity propulsion, energy generation, materials, engineering, electronics and a different understanding of physics could have been obtained by humans.

If we consider the possibility, just for the sake of interesting discussion, that humans could have acquired crashed “flying saucers” or other kinds of advanced spacecraft beginning back in 1947 or so, wouldn’t that technology have been fascinating and important for defense, aviation and scientific experts?

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, has long been a major center for the analysis of other countries’ aircraft and would have been a logical place for engineers to examine this completely different kind of foreign technology.

And, of course, as the Roswell incident story goes, crashed UFOs were taken to Wright-Patterson AFB.

Isn’t it also interesting that Dayton – the town where Orville and Wilbur Wright used their knowledge about bicycles and other mechanical devices to build and fly their airplane in 1903 – could have been the site where extraterrestrial flying craft were also examined?

That almost seems to take us full-circle, from the Wright Brothers to early space programs to the rapidly-advancing progress in aviation and space activities today, including speculation about UFOs, extraterrestrial spacecraft and secret advanced U.S. space activities.

HUMAN ADVENTURES

But maybe a circle is not the right metaphor to describe human advancement in space travel, overall technological progress and our understanding about humanity’s place in the universe.

After all, this story is not over. It is still unfolding. It seems to be on some kind of trajectory that is challenging to imagine. What will the future bring for humanity in our exploration of space?

Undoubtedly new knowledge and understanding will continue. New theories about how the universe works are already creating mind-expanding paradigms about multiple dimensions as well as different views of time and space, matter and energy, science and spirit.

And space travel will continue to be a key part of scientific and technological progress as well as help us get a better viewpoint about Earth and humanity. From up in low Earth orbit, or even from a perspective further away, this small blue planet seems like a wonderful lush oasis.

If only we could make our planet really so wonderful in all ways for all humans and the other diverse plant and animal life here. We have a way to go in that regard.

As we step back, or out, through space travel, we surely will continue to get an expanded consciousness and a better understanding of ourselves and Earth.

And soon, more people will have this opportunity. A company called Space Adventures is already planning to book seats on Boeing’s new CST-100 spacecraft that will transport crew and cargo to the International Space Station and new commercial space stations being developed. These commercial space stations will also allow guest astronauts to enjoy extended stays in low Earth orbit.

What other kinds of space adventures might be coming our way? How big is your imagination?

So, the journey from Orville and Wilbur’s bicycle shop in Dayton to wild theories about UFO visitation continues.

Whether we are talking about conventional spacecraft and space stations or highly unconventional spacecraft piloted by extraterrestrial and/or inter-dimensional visitors, the future looks interesting indeed.

The seemingly endless universe around our planet is still a huge mystery in many ways, even though human knowledge has advanced tremendously. And here on Earth, amazing discoveries about Mother Nature also continue to further our understanding.

Even closer to home for all of us, the human mind and human consciousness may be one of the biggest mysteries of all, and be the source for great new discoveries.

Human consciousness cannot be looked at separately from these other scientific advancements and possibilities. Because we are part of this universe, part of the mystery and the adventure of discovery.

Commercial space travel: New perspectives for humanity

2010-10-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Will the human species continue to gain greater insight and new perspectives about planet Earth and the universe as we enter the new era of commercial space activities?

It looks like we will be finding out in the near future. Commercial space travel continues to move forward with the recent announcement by Boeing that it will partner with a firm called Space Adventures.

Boeing’s Crew Space Transportation-100 (CST-100) capsule, in development now, is envisioned as having room for seven passengers and Space Adventures will help promote, market and sell seats aboard it. The capsule should be ready for launch in 2015.

The CST-100 will be boosted into low Earth orbit by privately-built rockets and is planned to provide transportation for astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS) as well as private, commercial orbiting space stations.

Soon, many more people will have the experience that has primarily been the domain of American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts.

Growing commercial space activities will likely open doors to new understanding about Earth and, as many astronauts and cosmonauts have said, a deeper and more profound view of the human race and life on “the blue planet.”

COMMERCIAL SPACE STATIONS

Boeing has also teamed with Bigelow Aerospace, a Las Vegas-based company that has acquired NASA-designed concepts for expandable, flexible-hulled habitat modules that will be used in low Earth orbit space stations or, eventually, even as stations on the moon.

Bigelow Aerospace has already successfully launched two smaller-scale prototypes and plans to have a station in orbit by 2014 or 2015.

They plan to market and sell time on the space stations for a variety of potential clients. Their website explains, “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."

Using multiple layers of Vectran (twice as strong as Kevlar) for the outer shell of the modules, Bigelow Aerospace notes that this design is safer than conventional hard-hulled spacecraft when it comes to any contact with space debris. The Vectran design has been robustly tested and stands up to significant impacts with little or no damage.

The inflatable design is also more efficient to launch due to reduced size and weight.

Space Adventures is also planning to play a role in booking stays at orbiting space stations. They have an agreement in place with two Russian companies, RSC Energia and Orbital Technologies, which also plan to build an orbiting space station currently being referred to as the Commercial Space Station (CSS).

NEW KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCES

What will the clients of commercial space activities encounter? Certainly the experience of microgravity and looking out a window at the beautiful planet below, over the Earth’s horizon and into space will be life-changing for many passengers on the CST-100 and orbital space stations.

Media and communication projects following these developments could allow millions of people to share the experience of being in low Earth orbit and appreciate new perspectives of our precious planet and the life it provides for us.

Additionally, scientific and manufacturing research can be conducted in microgravity to yield new discoveries and progress.

And, as some astronauts and cosmonauts have reported, sometimes unconventional unidentified phenomena might be seen or experienced out in space. These situations could also provide commercial space travelers greater understanding and an even more exciting adventure.

The technological requirements and advancements involved in commercial space travel will undoubtedly ripple through our economy and society, affecting us here on Earth too, just as NASA similarly triggered many kinds of scientific and technical progress during past decades.

But, ultimately, some of the most significant outcomes of commercial space activities may be the appreciation of our simultaneously resilient and fragile planet, our attempts to comprehend the much larger picture of Earth’s vastly diverse plant and animal life, and trying to learn more about our place in this mysterious cosmos.

Earth, humans before ‘The Event’ and ‘After Disclosure’ are worth discussing

2010-10-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The new NBC TV series “The Event” and the upcoming book A.D. After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact both appear to trigger constructive and necessary thinking about the effects that unconventional developments might, or will have on the U.S. and societies around the world.

As we learn more about the possibility or probability that we are being visited by intelligent beings from elsewhere, possibly aboard a UFO we may see from time to time, responsible people must consider the impacts on our people and human cultures globally.

To maintain reasonable stability in the face of surprising situations, leaders at many levels may want to update their information about changes that could occur gradually or quite suddenly.

As TV viewers who have watched the first two episodes of “The Event” know, extraterrestrials or a kind of somewhat-human intelligent beings arrived on Earth and in the U.S. quite a while ago. Some were detained by U.S. government authorities and some discreetly merged into American society.

Since the book A.D. After Disclosure is currently being readied for publication in mid-October, we don’t yet know exactly what researchers and authors Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel will present to us about possible scenarios after humanity learns about some of the details of extraterrestrial activities on Earth.

UNKNOWN CHANGES

The NBC series writers are telling us that the simple, though profound, news that extraterrestrials or some other kind of unusual beings have been visiting Earth is not really “the event.”

People who have researched leading-edge scientific developments suggest that there could be a whole range of interesting changes.

Human consciousness itself could evolve, with the emergence of a more clear awareness of the deeper connections within our minds and souls. The physics of Nature around us might also change, and the underlying energy of the Universe might emerge in some new kind of way.

TV writers, various researchers and theoretical physicists might be equally puzzled. But, they also might have some valid views about the possible scenarios that could surface.

And if human civilization on Earth undergoes significant changes “after disclosure,” the changes might not be limited to simply the knowledge that humans are not alone in the Universe, but rather that the Universe itself is something much different than what we were taught in school.

The ideas that several kinds of extraterrestrials or inter-dimensional visitors could be moving in and out of our world via UFOs or other means and that we, ourselves, are different than we thought, are certainly more challenging to understand than just an announcement that we have made contact with another planet’s intelligent beings.

HUMAN NATURE

Many people seem to believe that if only the secret departments of the U.S. government would tell us what they know, it would be easy to adjust and figure out the rest of the story. This may not be true. To assume that government officials or others have the full picture could be an error.

It does appear reasonable to speculate that certain top secret research might have acquired some solid information that sheds light on the situation at hand.

But, do they have all the answers? Do they even know the right questions?

There is a mystery facing humanity. Some people frame it in scientific terms and others look at big questions from a spiritual perspective. Yet other people try to understand life through relationships with their families, friends and fellow humans. And others look to Nature around us for clues about life and reality.

Certain considerations might resonate for us as we think about the possibilities that could accompany significant change in our normal day-to-day lives and viewpoints. What is a good way to continue on a path that saves the best of human society, while moving forward on new knowledge and opportunities?

The often-cited example of what happened to Native American Indians in the Americas when technologically-superior Europeans arrived seems like a valuable lesson. As we know, many of the culturally and spiritually rich Native American Indian societies were destroyed while others barely survived.

How would modern-day humans make out in a similar situation?

There certainly are elements of human civilization that would be wise to leave behind if we can: poverty, injustice, disease, human suffering, destruction and pollution of Earth’s natural environments, and similar circumstances.

Still, much of the music, art, beauty, cultural aspects and other accomplishments of human civilization should be valued and cherished.

Maintaining the compassion, kindness, creativity, curiosity and similar valuable parts of our human nature also seems important as we move forward, possibly in the face of unusual changes or disclosures.

The NBC show “The Event” and the book A.D. After Disclosure may give us some guidance, or at least get us thinking about what unique and surprising scenarios could emerge, and how we might respond to them.

Can UFO-acquired technologies help the U.S. economy?

2010-09-30T13:41:00.001-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

According to some researchers, over the past five decades or so the U.S. government may have been able to acquire advanced technologies from crashed, donated or otherwise obtained extraterrestrial vehicles.

It seems unclear if this could be true or if various kinds of exotic devices might also have been procured that could vastly enhance energy production, health care, aviation, space programs, manufacturing, electronics, engineering, agriculture and other economically-significant activities.

Reports about the UFO situation often note that one of the reasons for security on this matter was to obtain advanced technologies that could give the U.S. an advantage over adversaries and keep knowledge about them top secret.

Once obtained, these technologies were then possibly incorporated into the pipeline for application in highly-secure defense programs and other efforts.

The tight security was to ensure that adversaries did not obtain these advanced developments, as the story goes.

SECURITY AND PROSPERITY

If there is any truth to these types of tales, it seems to make sense. Just like other more conventional defense and business methods and products, maintaining security from competitors is a normal and natural position to take.

There are also accounts that claim some of these unconventional advanced technologies were discreetly inserted into certain U.S. companies for integration into our overall technological progress.

At this point – with the U.S. experiencing significant economic difficulties, our manufacturing and other businesses going overseas, our energy dependence sapping our wealth, and the challenges of shifting to new and more prosperous economic activities – it seems like a good time to reconsider the application and integration of any advanced technologies into mainstream U.S. economic activity.

Most people would probably agree that security related to national defense should continue to be of utmost importance. There is already a big enough challenge regarding weapons technology falling into the hands of dangerous people.

But, if there are benign technologies or devices that can enhance America and our friends, then shouldn’t we take reasonable steps to get them into the pipeline of economic development and innovation?

After all, the problems of pollution could be solved by cleaner energy. The costs of health care that are draining our economy might be mitigated by advanced knowledge about biology, genetics and cellular function. Agriculture could be enhanced by new understanding of botany. The list of possible benefits appears to be very long.

And, maybe most importantly, human intelligence and consciousness might undergo significant advances by greater understanding about ourselves and our capabilities.

SUCCESS AND PEACE

Discussions about these kinds of issues, though seemingly far-out, might actually involve very practical and down-to-Earth considerations.

Hypothetically, what would be the best way to integrate exotic technologies and knowledge obtained from or taught to us by extraterrestrial or other beings who are more advanced in some ways than what we are today?

How do we move from our current sociological, technological and economic positions, or predicaments, to the next level of human development in these areas?

Maybe we are actually facing this question now. Or, perhaps we might face it someday in the future. In either case, it seems like interesting food for thought to consider what the most intelligent steps might be.

Because our current economic situation is so difficult, and the public discussions about UFOs, extraterrestrials, expanded human consciousness, new scientific knowledge and similar topics are in the news, TV, movies, books and the Web, maybe a national debate about carefully and strategically releasing any acquired advanced technology could be a good idea.

If the U.S. is to continue to be a world leader and be prosperous at home, it seems obvious that we need to keep moving forward with many kinds of improved technologies, greater scientific knowledge and a more successful society for our people on multiple levels.

Combining what we can achieve ourselves with what we can learn from others could help achieve greater prosperity, peace and successes of many kinds.

Arizona plays role in NBC’s 'The Event' – UFO cases involved?

2010-09-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Interesting links to Arizona surfaced in the second episode of NBC’s new metaphysical suspense series “The Event” that aired Monday evening, Sept. 27.

Audiences quickly learned that an airliner filled with passengers had disappeared over Florida because it had apparently been teleported using some kind of advanced technology.

The plane had previously been indirectly commandeered by ruthless shadowy agents to be used as a flying weapon to assassinate the president of the United States and the leader of a group of “non-terrestrials.”

One of these murdering agents was played by actor D.B. Sweeney. He also portrayed Arizonan Travis Walton in the 1993 movie Fire in the Sky about Walton’s alleged abduction by a UFO and extraterrestrials in the mountains near Snowflake, Arizona, in 1975.

Viewers of “The Event” also soon discovered that the plane was coming in for a rough belly landing in a desert region of some kind. The character Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) ends up leaving the area before the arrival of mysterious helicopters.

He eventually passes out from heat stroke and wakes up in a hospital in the Yuma, Arizona, region where he tells his strange story to a nurse, who then notifies local Yuma peace officers.

ARIZONA AVIATION

For those not familiar with the geography of the region, Yuma is in the far southwestern corner of the state, on the Colorado River, the border with California.

Interstate-8 runs through Yuma all the way to San Diego roughly parallel to the Mexico border. The San Andreas Fault is approximately 50 miles west of Yuma.

It is home to the Yuma Marine Corps Air Station and the Yuma Proving Ground, an aviation and weapons test range to the north of the town.

In addition to the Yuma Marine Corps Air Station, Arizona is home to three other major military bases: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on the south side of metro Tucson, Fort Huachuca Army post (an intelligence center) in Sierra Vista located southeast of Tucson near the Mexico border, and Luke Air Force Base in the western metropolitan Phoenix area.

The Barry M. Goldwater Range, coordinated from Luke AFB, is a large aviation and weapons testing area that spans an area from southwest of Phoenix to the Mexico border near the town of Gila Bend on the I-8 freeway.

Former U.S. senator from Arizona and Air Force Reserve Brigadier General Barry Goldwater was outspoken about his interest in UFOs and made inquiries to higher authorities, resulting a verbal reprimand that he also spoke openly about.

Although Arizona has recently been in the news about “aliens” of a different kind, the state is also firmly associated with the UFO and extraterrestrial visitation topic due to the March 13, 1997, “Phoenix lights” case.

In that incident, hundreds of residents reportedly saw one or more very large boomerang-shaped craft cruise slowly and silently over Arizona and the metro Phoenix area early that evening. It had supposedly been seen in the Henderson, Nevada, area earlier and ended up in the Tucson, Arizona, region after departing Phoenix.

Just last week, the evening of Sept. 23, citizens of Tucson called local TV stations and made online reports about strange lights and a triangle-shaped object that did not resemble military or commercial aircraft.

On-air newscasters at Tucson TV station KOLD noted that the number of calls and the specific descriptions provided by citizens seemed significant. Tucson TV station KGUN has also been covering this general topic well.

MORE ARIZONA IN “THE EVENT?”

Will Arizona continue to play a role in “The Event?”

The beautiful and diverse landscapes in the state provide plenty of opportunities for authentic backdrops in TV and movies.

There is a rich history of TV and film production in Arizona going back to John Ford’s western movies of the 1930s.

Sedona, Arizona, is not only famous for its red earth, majestic red rock outcroppings, hiking and beautiful resorts, but also the accounts of unusual energy “vortexes” in the area, possibly related to quartz and iron deposits in the geology of the region. Do these create some kind of electromagnetic anomaly?

There are also tales of unusual metaphysical happenings around Sedona as well as in the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness Area north of town.

The Universal Pictures, DreamWorks and Imagine Entertainment movie Cowboys and Aliens about extraterrestrials invading western Arizona in 1873 recently finished shooting in New Mexico. Release is planned for summer 2011.

In the film, Arizona settlers and local Apaches unite against hostile ET invaders. Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde are among the cast.

A memorable 1995 episode of “The X-Files” involved FBI agent Mulder uncovering a train car buried on the Navajo Nation. In the rail car are apparent extraterrestrial bodies.

Although the “Anasazi” episode was actually meant to be set on Navajo land in New Mexico, most of the Navajo Nation occupies the far northeastern corner of Arizona and extends across state lines in the Four Corners area. Hopi, Apache, Ute and other Native American Indian groups also live in the region.

The 1983 movie Starman about an alien adopting human form, starring Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen, was also partly filmed in the Meteor Crater area near Flagstaff, Arizona.

And, who knows, further developments about UFOs and other unconventional phenomena may occur in the Arizona region that take us a step closer to understanding the same kind of scenarios being presented in “The Event.”

Novel describes secret meeting, anti-gravity and UFO incidents

2010-09-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

Leading-edge research into human consciousness and other forward-leaning topics continues to produce interesting results.

Sometimes these efforts are conducted by university researchers, sometimes by secret government groups, sometimes by some combination of both.

The U.S. Government’s Project STAR GATE verified and utilized expanded perception that they fine-tuned into specific techniques they called “remote viewing.”

There are other sensitive and sometimes unconventional topics that are reportedly the focus of scientific, defense and intelligence community interest. Many of these subjects are also naturally of interest to the general public, journalists and the media as a whole.

And, there has been speculation that some people feel that the appropriate amount and type of disclosure and education are important, while others believe certain information should remain secret.

We can learn about many of these subjects in open-source platforms such as the Web, books, TV and movies. As we know, many kinds of useful information can be conveyed through fiction in movies, TV, novels and other media platforms.

Below is an excerpt from my novel Mission Into Light, first published in January 2001. This excerpt is the climax of the story about a ten-person secret joint-service U.S. team called the Joint Reconnaissance Study Group (JRSG).

In the excerpt, JRSG members and their associates travel to northeastern Arizona from their home base in San Diego for a discreet and unconventional educational meeting.

JOE BEAR'S SEMINAR

Army Special Forces Colonel Jack Allen, anthropology professor Brenda Carruthers, PhD, and World War II Marine Corps Navajo Code Talker veteran Joe Bear sat around a table in a small restaurant and bar near Northern Arizona University in downtown Flagstaff. Jack and Brenda sipped on beers and Joe on an iced tea.

Before sitting down to lunch, they had walked around the area near NAU and downtown. The City of Flagstaff had recently refurbished the area with brick sidewalks and old-fashioned lamp posts. It looked like the Western mountain town it was. The frontier era railroad station nearby had been remodeled into a visitors center.

After they ordered lunch from a young waitress, the three discussed the Joint Reconnaissance Study Group.

Jack had talked with the JRSG commanding officer, Air Force Col. Tom O'Brien that morning.

"The group from San Diego is due here soon," Jack told them. "Mike and Amy are coming in from Hawaii the same day and hooking up with Thompson and MacNeil in Phoenix. I guess they're driving up I-17. They've got rooms reserved at the inn we're staying at."

Joe had driven to Flagstaff the day before from his home on the Navajo Nation. He was looking forward to the upcoming deployment of the JRSG people to northern Arizona. The forests in the mountains around Flagstaff were beautiful and Joe knew that trees and forests set a good environment for spiritual events.

Flagstaff was a jumping off point for visitors and travelers who were headed for the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Meteor Crater, Canyon de Chelly, and many other such sights. At over six thousand feet, Flagstaff was home to Lowell Observatory.

The San Francisco Peaks formed a jagged circle of rock and alpine forest. The peaks were reportedly the remnants of a blown-out volcano of ancient times. Joe would make sure the group had a thorough tour of the whole area. It was good land. Spiritual land.

Brenda and Jack had been in Flagstaff for two weeks, taking a traveling vacation, hiking, and seeing sights. Brenda had a female friend who was an associate professor of anthropology at Northern Arizona University. She and Jack had spent some time with her since arriving in Flagstaff.

They had gone to the Grand Canyon already, and had also seen Meteor Crater to the east. The two had spent a lot of time together since the Sedona incident. Jack was working out of Fort Huachuca and could drive over to Las Cruces often, where Brenda was an anthropology professor at New Mexico State University. Brenda also drove to the Army post more than once to see Jack.

She liked Flagstaff and this Northern Arizona country. Much of the land around Flagstaff was part of the Prescott, Coconino, or Kaibab National Forests. The town was growing, like Prescott to the southwest. She wanted to get a good recon of the whole area.

"Joe, what else should we see while we're up here? When are we going to your country?" she asked.

Joe wanted to show them some of Navajo land himself. Jeep guides could be hired on the reservation for some of the good tours of isolated canyons and beautiful rock formations.

"I'll point you toward Navajo National Monument and Canyon de Chelly National Monument to start out," Joe answered. "Then you can get oriented and go on some jeep tours if you want. You two can be the point scouts for the rest of the group."

Jack was thinking about a lot of things as he watched Brenda and old Joe chatting. The JRSG folks were coming up into the Arizona mountains again. Like the day his nephew Mike, a Joint Recon Study Group member, was almost killed.

Through his connections in the Special Forces intelligence community, he had identified the shooters and the shadowy off-the-books national security group they represented. That group had been scared by Tom O'Brien's team's orders to investigate areas that were very sensitive and complicated.

Jack wondered what measures that black ops group had taken over the years to keep secrets and silence witnesses. Because of his background and duties, he’d had been able to establish indirect communication with them. He had handled it all very carefully. Snipers' bullets or other threats shouldn't be a problem, he hoped.

Just in case though, he took precautions.

The waitress brought their sandwiches and the three kept chatting between mouthfuls.

Jack had an idea what Joe's council was about. In Special Forces and certain psychological operations (PSYOP) research, Jack had seen the power of group thinking. Just getting certain people together in the right circumstances can set the stage for interesting phenomena, Jack knew. And old Joe seemed to have a keen interest in the JRSG and its potential.

In fact, Brenda did too. The JRSG reminded her of the work she had done for Jack and Tom O'Brien years ago as a newly-minted anthropology PhD. She had been full of optimism about what these kinds of research could uncover. The years had made her more patient about what the future held.

Jack knew more than either one of them about the path O'Brien's group was on. He, too, was a patient man.

His nephew Mike, and all the others, might just be the combination to unlock a new secret. From briefings and trainings on unconventional phenomena, Jack's mind had been opened years ago about what humans could accomplish in the area of metaphysics.

If your heart was on the right path, certain knowledge and perceptions sometimes became apparent, Jack had found.

"So, Joe, you're bringing some VIP guests in for this council of yours?" Jack asked as he munched his French fries.

"Yes. Code Talker friends, some Indian folks, and some others. Some former government officials, and some special intel types too. I want it to be a retreat and seminar to see what we can find out. See what happens." Joe smiled and his old eyes lit up with delight. "The Lord moves in mysterious ways, you know."

Joe, Brenda, and Jack finished their lunches and took a stroll through downtown Flagstaff. The sky was a deep and cloudless blue, the air cool and dry. They were warmed by the bright mountain sunshine as they walked.

As the three walked around town and the NAU campus, other visitors were arriving in town, here for Joe´s council. Two separate teams of U.S. Secret Service agents were setting up operations on two sites. One group had rented the third floor of a local inn. The other team was setting up security in several luxury cabins just outside of town.

A physics professor at NAU was welcoming two colleagues from other universities who were staying with his family during Joe's council. Two former NASA scientists were registering at another Flagstaff inn. More than thirty other visitors for Joe's meeting were arriving or due to arrive within the next forty-eight hours.

Joe was happy that these folks were coming to Navajo land. The Great Spirit was moving this thing, he felt. He hadn't come up with the idea himself. Friends and associates, and their connections and colleagues, had watched the idea of this get-together gather momentum.

Some had called it a "council." Some preferred "rendezvous," like the epic annual meetings in the Rocky Mountains of trappers, traders, mountain men, and Indians from different tribes back in the old days. It was really more of an educational seminar, in Joe's opinion.

They had picked a beautiful spot for the meeting: An isolated, small canyon area where sheep sometimes grazed.

As Joe walked around NAU with Jack and Brenda, he felt a sense of peace and contentment. He was happy to have his health, and his wife and family and friends. At an advanced age, he was still active and was involved in matters close to his heart.

More than sixty-five years after he joined the Marines and went to the Pacific as a Code Talker, Joe was feeling a sense of excitement that reminded him of his youth in World War Two. The feeling of an important mission and a hoped-for victory.

And something else. Jack Allen felt it too. Danger.

Over the next couple of days, quite a few more people came to Flagstaff. Some were there for the meeting. Others were just visiting to get out of the desert heat or for hiking in the pine forests. Maybe take the ski lift up the mountain at Snow Bowl ski area.

The week had wound down and it was Friday, so out-of-towners from Phoenix and elsewhere were starting their weekend getaways. Tourists to the Grand Canyon and Sedona passed through. Parents and friends of NAU students filtered into town.

Tomorrow afternoon and evening the meeting was to take place. Some of the participants and benefactors had contributed money for a large lunch at a motel conference room in Kayenta, a small village on U.S. 160 in the north-central part of the reservation. It was also just north of Hopi land. That would be the jumping-off point for the drive to the hidden canyon.

The planners had reasoned that people coming from Flagstaff could leave early Saturday morning and start driving up U.S. 89 and over U.S. 160 east to Kayenta. From that point, the location of the canyon was a closely held secret. People would be guided and receive instructions at the brunch.

A few more visitors had yet to arrive.

HIDDEN CANYON

When the big day arrived, a Saturday, lunch was served in the small banquet room of a Kayenta motel. Many of the meeting participants had left Flagstaff early in the morning. Some had stayed in Kayenta the night before.

The agenda for the day listed a schedule of lunch from eleven to one. That would give everybody a chance to make the drive from Flagstaff and enjoy the scenery. At noon, people were still arriving.

Mike, Air Force Captain Amy Mella and the rest of the JRSG and friends had arrived at eleven. O'Brien and Teams One and Three had flown in to the small Flagstaff airport by Navy chopper the evening before.

Over forty-five guests to the meeting arrived, ate, rested, socialized, and discussed the quakes and other issues. By twelve thirty all of the visitors had showed up.

The drive from Kayenta to the meeting site was going to take about forty-five minutes, Joe told them. Maps were given out to drivers. The site of the meeting was to be in a small, little-known canyon. It was in the general direction of Monument Valley to the north.

Mike and Amy were introduced to several of the guests. One man was an engineer at NASA. Another gentleman was a highly-respected physicist. Uncle Jack introduced them to a guy from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Jack also pointed out two men who were retired Army generals.

Some of the guests had brought their spouses and children. For them, this council was part educational seminar and part family vacation in Arizona.

Joe and Maggie Bear's two grown sons also mingled with the guests. They were there to help their father, the master of ceremonies for this meeting.

A few of the visitors were coming in by helicopter directly from Flagstaff to the canyon meeting place. They´d miss the Kayenta lunch. Two choppers with those guests were heading toward the hidden canyon while other participants were on the ground in Kayenta. Secret Service agents were on board both choppers and had checked out the canyon ahead of time.

At one o'clock, Joe made the announcement that it was time to saddle up and head north on U.S. 163 into Monument Valley country. Soon, the road was lined with a caravan of over thirty vehicles slowly driving north toward the Utah border.

After twenty minutes or so, the lead car pulled off the highway onto a gravel road and those behind slowed and followed. Then, off the gravel and onto a jeep trail that was no more than two faint tire lines in the ground. Luckily, it was flat or some cars would have had trouble off-road.

Another twenty-five minutes after leaving the gravel road, the lead car stopped. Joe and his sons got out and waved to those following to spread out and park.

They were at the mouth of a descending slope that seemed to cut into the surface of the Earth. On either side the ledges and walls grew on the sides of the decline. Rock and desert vegetation on the top. But down in the canyon that lay in front of them, there were trees and green grass.

Mike and Amy stayed with the JRSG people as they got out of their rented cars and joined the others forming at the top of this descending doorway into the small canyon.

With Joe and his sons leading, the group started their hike down the slope. As they went lower, shade from the shadows of the rocky surface above cooled them. They passed through what seemed like a giant doorway of rock shooting up vertically.

Within fifteen minutes, the group neared the bottom. Then, they saw the small canyon floor, with the green grass and trees they had gotten glimpses of from their entrance point above. An underground spring fed the brook that ran through the middle of this tiny oasis. The canyon floor was no bigger than three football fields and the rock walls were steep, sheer cliffs in some places.

Trees provided shade and wild grasses grew to three feet tall. A riparian habitat existed around this small stream in the tiny canyon. Wild animals and birds came from great distances to drink the sweet water coming from the spring.

Once on the canyon floor, Joe and his sons led the group to a large, circular, stone-lined hole in the ground. An ancient kiva had been dug into the Earth. Three concentric rings, also lined with stone, formed ever-widening circles around the round depression in the middle.

It looked like a small outdoor amphitheater with a sunken stage. As the group of fifty or so men, women, teens, and children came up upon this sight, Joe and his sons gestured to them.

THE KIVA

"Be seated folks," Joe announced. "This is the place."

There were already some people there – nearly a dozen people. As the group from Kayenta approached more closely, they recognized three of the men immediately.

Two of them were former presidents of the United States. The third man who stood with them was the former vice president of the United States. The other men around them were obviously security. The former vice president had brought his wife and two daughters. The two former presidents were also accompanied by their wives, and some daughters and sons.

Everyone took seats. The JRSG teams sat together. Amy and Mike sat next to Jack and Brenda. Joe made his way to the bottom of the kiva and stood there watching the guests find a seat and get settled. Some of the smaller children, with their little legs, had trouble negotiating the large stone steps.

"Everyone made it in one piece?" Joe asked. "I want to welcome all of you to our meeting. Our agenda is scheduled to last til about seven o'clock tonight. We´ll have several speakers and later on we'll build a campfire here in the kiva."

"My sons are passing out the agenda for this evening. We have several speakers who will enlighten and inspire us and we hope to have a good time. This kiva that we're sitting in is from the ancient times of the Anasazi. They and others lived here long ago and built great towns and cities in the southwest. Specifically, the general area of what's now called the Four Corners. Now, I’d like to start out with a prayer."

“Great Spirit, we gather here today to understand You and to find ways to understand Your Plan. Help us see Your Path and help our fellow human beings and the creatures of our beautiful Earth."

Many in the group murmured softly, "amen."

Mike looked at the sheet of paper in Amy´s hand with the agenda printed on it. The first speaker of the afternoon was a retired Army general who had supervised unconventional research projects.

An hour later, after a question and answer period, a NASA scientist was up. His topic was the current state of NASA knowledge that the general public was not yet ready to hear, according to the agenda hand-out.

After a break, a medical researcher would talk about the biological evolution of the human species.

The JRSG's own Tom O'Brien was the last speaker of the evening part of the program. He had kept it from the folks on his team as a surprise. A playful test of security and need-to-know.

Joe introduced the retired general who began his talk by pulling out a common spoon, and holding it gently with both hands. He turned around three hundred and sixty degrees to show his audience. Then he rubbed it gently with his fingers, and slowly, sure enough, the handle of the spoon suddenly started bending until it was at a ninety-degree angle.

The children on the steps clapped and squealed at the magic trick. "We have learned that the human mind has power," the general said. "In fact, the human mind and the human being is developing and evolving all the time. Hopefully, for the better."

The third speaker was an eminent medical doctor and scientist who researched patterns of human development and evolution. "There is a human phenomenon called the 'kundalini' in Yoga that is a biological and neurological event," he said. "The pineal gland, located in the middle of the brain, may be the so-called 'Third Eye' referred to in some ancient literature. We suspect that the kundalini is a real neurological phenomenon affecting the central nervous system, the brain and the spinal cord."

He spoke about a connection between these phenomena and the physics and human potential fields that the NASA scientist and the Army general had explained.

Then something very unusual happened to the people sitting in that kiva, watching the doctor and the campfire.

Each and every one of them, including the children lying with heads in their mothers' laps, lifted slowly and gently approximately two inches from the stone benches of the ancient kiva. Some of them barely noticed it. But soon, they were looking around at each other with eyes open wide.

It was now almost dark and the sun had set. At the same time, a faint light filled the kiva. Everything seemed to have a brighter glow and it seemed warmer.

The speakers, Joe, O'Brien and the rest of them were looking at fifty people hovering. Clearly, they were being levitated by some force. Or maybe gravity was just changing.

People were laughing and talking about it. They put their hands under their behinds to measure the space they were floating above. Some who became anxious touched the rock seat and pulled themselves easily back to Earth.

Some of the JRSG folks were floating on their butts with the rest of the group. Several people were taking pictures to document this thing. The VIPs were floating too. One former president couldn't seem to stop laughing.

When all the fuss settled down, people noticed they were slowly drifting back down to the stones of the kiva. The strange effect, whatever it was, seemed to be going away.

Joe walked out to the center of the kiva and joined the doctor. "Well, that was really something. Everybody okay?"

Joe smiled and shook his head in disbelief. "We have one final speaker tonight and then we'll all hit the road for Kayenta and back to Flagstaff for most of you," Joe said. "Colonel Tom O'Brien is the son of a good friend of mine from my days as a Marine in World War Two. Tom is heading a group of researchers over in San Diego called the Joint Reconnaissance Study Group."

Tom O'Brien walked out into the center of the kiva. "Thank you, Joe. And thanks for having us all here today. This Navajo land is beautiful. We seem to be learning some interesting things here tonight."

"My group of military officers and researchers has been looking to find connections between some of the things we´ve talked about here."

INTRUDERS INFILTRATE

Uncle Jack touched Mike's shoulder. "We're going to have to miss this part, Mike. I want you to come with me."

With that, Mike got up and followed Jack away from the kiva and the presentation. Amy and Brenda looked at them, then at each other.

Jack was all business. "Mike, I wanted some company while I check on our security. Thompson and MacNeil arranged for some SF reserves to join us. They're on the perimeter for security."

As they walked back toward the slope that led in to the hidden canyon, Jack pointed to three spots along the top cliffs where the reserves were positioned in three groups of two. They could see all areas of the canyon and the surrounding hills and mountainous rock outcroppings.

All were equipped with weapons, night vision goggles and sophisticated radio gear that had secure, scrambled frequencies.

Jack pulled out an earpiece attached to a small microphone from a small knapsack he carried and put them on. He and Mike stopped halfway up the sloped canyon entrance. From their vantage point, the two men at the "Alpha" post were at nine o'clock position. "Bravo" team was at twelve o'clock. And "Charlie" was at the three o'clock spot.

Up on the ridge, as the sky was growing darker, a Green Beret reserve sergeant at the three o'clock Charlie position saw something behind one of the rock formations several miles away across a wide valley.

It looked like a black chopper flying low to the deck. He nudged his buddy. Both pulled out binoculars and searched the rocky cliffs. "Mama Bear, this is Charlie, come in," the sergeant said into his mike.

Down in the kiva, Jack Allen turned up the volume on his earpiece and cupped his hand over his mouth. "This is Mama Bear, go ahead Charlie."

"I think I spotted a bogie, sir. A black chopper north-northeast from this position, low to the deck. I've advised Alpha and Bravo, sir."

"Maintain surveillance, Charlie. Look around for probable infiltration routes to our position. Alpha and Bravo, you do the same. I´ll be right back with you. Mama Bear out."

"Roger, Mama Bear. Charlie out."

"Alpha, out."

"Roger that. Bravo out."

As a break in the program came, everyone got up, walked around and chatted. For those who wanted to go to the bathroom, there were trees and bushes. There were still sandwiches and soft drinks left. Many people stretched their legs and walked around the canyon.

Several of the visitors walked over to the two former presidents and the vice-president to shake their hands. Some people asked for autographs, which all three gave with a smile. One former president used his ballpoint pen to autograph a ten-year-old boy's belly.

Jack rounded up the JRSG team members and told them about the scouts' report. Jack and O'Brien were going to advise the Secret Service and Joe.

"Let's just stand by right now," O'Brien told them as they stood in a circle near the stream. "Are any of you armed?"

Hands subtly went up. Jack, Army Special Forces Colonel Ed Thompson, Special Forces captain Bill MacNeil, Navy Commander Dan Wells, Navy Lieutenant Commander Jim Etienne, Marine Colonel Gene Voss, and CIA analyst Jennifer Thorsen all carried side arms under their shirts or in fanny packs. "Well, keep your eyes open," O'Brien told them. "Jack, let's go see the Secret Service."

Night was settling over the Monument Valley area. Wood was added to the campfire and it blazed and lit up the stones of the kiva. Many of the young ones were lying down and drifting asleep.

Up on the ridge at three o'clock, Charlie team was getting tense. Their night vision goggles penetrated the night. "Mama Bear, Mama Bear, this is Charlie. Two intruders on foot heading for your position. Look to be carrying weapons. Repeat, intruders appear to be armed. Over."

TEAMWORK PREVAILS

JRSG men and women had spread out around the crowd in the kiva. Some had backed into the shadows away from the light of the campfire. Better to see in the dark. They could hear O'Brien´s wise words to the guests. Some of the JRSG team nervously fingered their side arms.

Secret Service men had switched the frequency of their communication gear to monitor the Special Forces scouts and Jack Allen.

Jack and several others were now on the ridge above the canyon heading for Charlie team’s position. Mike, Ed Thompson, Gene Voss, MacNeil, Jennifer Thorsen, and two Secret Service agents followed in single file along the canyon cliff. They could see the campfire and the kiva down below.

Jack whispered into his radio. "Charlie, this is Mama Bear. We’re approaching you from your six o'clock."

The response was barely audible. "Roger, Mama. We have visitors here now. Repeat. Our intruders are inside the perimeter, Mama Bear."

Jack could hear tension in the young sergeant's voice. He whispered again into the radio has he gestured to the others to move faster.

"Bravo, move toward Charlie. Alpha, proceed to the kiva area and assist the Secret Service but keep an eye on your side of the perimeter. We're going to arrest the intruders."

Jack directed Thompson and Voss, the two with the most combat experience, forward with him toward a rock outcropping on the cliff, Charlie team´s position.

The three of them came up behind the two young reserves and told them to stay put. The reserves handed over their night vision goggles and pointed to an area maybe fifty yards in front of them. Two dark figures were making their way up the hill straight for them.

The intruders were in a position to see light from the kiva campfire and hear voices from the canyon. It was almost possible for them to see the fifty or so people gathered there.

Jack, Ed, and Gene traded their side arms for the loaded assault weapons from the reserves and set up an ambush. Through the night vision goggles, the two intruders looked like they were heading for the canyon edge in a straight line.

Jack, Thompson, and Voss watched the two men get closer. Were those rifles slung over their shoulders? Looked like it. They were too far away to tell for sure.

Mike and the others waited about twenty yards back. The Secret Service men were listening to their ear pieces intently.

Below, in the kiva, O'Brien was wrapping up his talk with a joke and a prayer. He talked about all the family and friends who had passed on. Hopefully, to a better place. Looking down on them all tonight.

Just then, the ten-year-old boy who had been autographed by the former president yelled "Look!" as he pointed skyward.

Floating silently over the opening in the top of the canyon walls was a large black object that blotted out the stars.

All eyes in the kiva were on it. It didn't seem to make a sound. After their eyes adjusted, all could see that it was either triangle or boomerang-shaped. It just drifted slowly and silently.

The people on the ridge above saw it. A Secret Service man crouching next to Mike whispered excitedly into his radio. "Big, dang UFO coming your way, Colonel Allen. Look to your left."

In fact, the thing seemed to be gliding slowly toward the ambush zone that the JRSG men had set up.

With this huge thing above them, and two unknown men about to reach their trap, Jack and the others were getting ready for anything, looking from the UFO to the two intruders approaching them.

Suddenly a blinding beam of white light shot out of the bottom of the craft and illuminated the two intruders.

Jack and the others had already been aiming their assault weapons at the two men, who were obviously stunned by the blinding bright beam of light surrounding them. So was everybody else on the ridge of the hidden canyon's high walls.

Jack shouted commands to the men. "Don't move! Get your hands up or you're dead! Do it now!" Jack yelled.

He, Thompson, and Voss showed themselves just enough to reveal their assault weapons and the direction in which they which they were pointed: Straight at the two strangers.

The large craft was still hovering silently from a height of about fifty feet, witnesses guessed.

With his finger on the trigger, Jack saw that the men were dressed in black fatigues, and did have rifles slung over their shoulders. Jack saw a handgun strapped to the thigh of one of them.

Mike, MacNeil, Jennifer Thorsen, and the two Secret Service men, twenty yards back, saw the light and heard Jack´s shouts to the two men.

By now, the people down in the kiva were watching the cliffs and the light from the UFO´s underside. From their vantage point they couldn't see the top of the canyon, the two men, or the JRSG and Secret Service people above. "Put your hands on your head and get on your knees! Do it now!" Jack yelled.

The intruders looked at each other for a second, then at the strange craft and light above them. They fell to their knees as Jack had directed them.

Carefully, weapons ready, Jack, Thompson, and Voss emerged from the rocks and walked carefully toward the two kneeling in the dust. Standing over the two, Gene and Ed patted them down and removed two side arms and two high-powered sniper rifles with telescopic sights that were slung over their shoulders.

As they disarmed the two men, Jack radioed for the Secret Service, Mike, MacNeil, and Thorsen to come up and assist.

As Mike and the rest sprinted toward the light, the strange aircraft above them started to gently rise and then the beam of white light abruptly went out.

The Secret Service men produced handcuffs and put them on the two suspects. As the two were cuffed, Jack, Mike and the others were watching the object. It was still ascending slowly, straight up.

The people down in the canyon kiva also watched the craft slowly ascend in the dark. No landing lights or other aircraft lights could be seen.

Standing on a stone ledge of the kiva, Amy said to herself, if this was a new stealth aircraft, it was a high-tech one. She thought she was familiar with Air Force ideas for advanced stealth aircraft. But she´d never seen anything like this.

Then, the craft gave off a slight hum that could be heard on the cliff but not in the kiva. And three seconds after the hum started, rows of lights on the underside of the craft started glowing.

If the watchers blinked, they missed the craft's split-second departure, accelerating with tremendous speed up into the night sky.

It had taken off from a hover to an extreme speed. So fast that it almost seemed to disappear in a northeast direction and at an angle of increasing altitudes.

The two prisoners were marched down to a Secret Service car parked out with the rest of the vehicles. No need to alarm the people at the kiva. They were already excited enough. The Secret Service men with the vice president and ex-presidents were informed of the situation.

The meeting was ending. People in the kiva were stunned from the sight of the V-shaped craft. Jack and the others from the ridge were noticing their adrenalin subsiding and a fatigue setting in.

Amy was over her fear now too. She and Brenda had been following the events on the ridge by standing next to a Secret Service agent and getting reports over his communication gear. They didn't want any of their friends shot again. A few minutes later Mike and Jack, along with some of the others filtered in to the light of the kiva campfire.

It was almost seven o'clock and the organizers figured it was time to wrap up the meeting and get the guests headed back to Kayenta and Flagstaff. Joe stood in the middle of the kiva and tried to get their attention. Many of them were still looking at the sky and talking among themselves.

"Folks, can I have your attention? I know we all are a little excited about that unusual aircraft we just saw and our anti-gravity experience. But it's getting late and we really must end the council fire and start our drive back to Kayenta and Flagstaff."

"I want to thank all our speakers, and all of you for your questions. Tomorrow afternoon we have a conference room reserved at the hotel in Flagstaff. The location and times are listed on your handout. It will give us time for a discussion about the topics we've talked about here this afternoon and evening."

"Those of you with flashlights, go ahead and turn them on. It'll be dark walking back to the parking area after we leave the light of the campfire here."

Organizers had brought plenty of bright flashlights and the group had no problem hiking up the slope to the parking area where they had entered the canyon several hours before. The small children who were asleep were carried.

The campfire in the kiva had been thoroughly doused with water and was soon just warm coals and ash. It was darker in the shadows of the canyon's cliffs than in the moonlight at the top.

Water from the spring trickled through the canyon. Crickets chirped and animals and birds of the night looked for food and drink, now that the commotion from all the humans had subsided.

A long line of vehicles snaked through the night toward the highway. The vice president and the former presidents each left in a Secret Service Chevy Suburban with their families, followed by the other agents and the two prisoners.

Mike drove a rental car, Amy next to him, and Jack and Brenda in the back seat.

The line of vehicles stopped in Kayenta for gas and restrooms. Some of the weary participants were now feeling post-adrenalin fatigue and chose to get a room for the night at a motel there in Kayenta.

Some had planned it. They could stay in the Navajo Nation for the night, closer to their adventure of this evening. Many wanted to do some more sightseeing in the morning here anyway.

The rest of them, in a smaller caravan now, drove southwest toward Flagstaff and a good night´s sleep. The Secret Service had to get their VIPs back to Flagstaff and get the prisoners more fully interrogated and in a jail for the night.

Mike sipped on a paper cup of coffee as he drove. Amy nodded off to sleep next to him. He looked in the rear view mirror and saw Brenda leaning against Jack, both asleep.

The cars of the Secret Service and the other people from the meeting were stretched out in front and behind him as they made their way safely through the Arizona night.

Mike pulled the car into the parking lot of the inn where they were staying.

"Wake up, you guys. We're back in Flagstaff."

Jack and Brenda were groggy, but made it out of the car. Jack clasped Mike's shoulder and shook it.

"Good night, nephew. See you tomorrow."

Brenda put her arms around Mike's neck and gave him a kiss. She also hugged Amy and kissed her cheek. Jack and Brenda then headed through the lobby entrance toward their room.

Amy was locking up the car, half asleep.

"Let's get up to the room, honey," she whispered to Mike. "It's been a long day."

Amy suddenly felt like the night she first crawled into Mike's sleeping bag, before Hawaii, before Sedona, in the back yard of the safehouse in Phoenix. It was a pull. Like gravity, she thought.

Mike felt it too.

Like gravity. Like being pulled to Nature and Earth.

After Amy and Mike had gone to bed, they slept a deep, sound sleep. And they dreamed.

They both dreamed of a farm. Crops growing. Blue, sunny skies. And children. Dogs, goats, and chickens. Bison, too. And great happiness in the United States and the world. Troubles past. Beautiful futures ahead.

Every tear washed away by the hand of the Great Spirit.

More to NBC's 'The Event' than ETs, UFOs – more than meets the eye

2010-09-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

A few of the puzzle pieces from several advance video clips and trailers came together in the premiere episode of NBC’s “The Event” on Monday, Sept. 20.

Yet, not surprisingly, new questions and mysteries emerged.

Foremost in many viewers’ minds: Who are the 90-plus detainees being held at a secret U.S. facility in Alaska?

Some speculation has focused on extraterrestrials, beings from another dimension or time travelers. Are they human, related to Earth humans or do they just appear human? Or, are they humans with special knowledge and abilities?

What is “the event” that their leader (Laura Innes as Sophie Maguire) cannot let the human race know about?

TRANSCENDING DUMBED-DOWN TV

But the detainees are not the only ones with secret information. A high-ranking intelligence advisor (Blake Sterling played by Zeljko Ivanek) to U.S. President Elias Martinez (Blair Underwood) seems to know a lot more. So does a CIA operative assigned to work with the detainees (Ian Anthony Dale as Simon Lee).

A hijacked airliner is used as a weapon, a flying bomb, and terrified passengers are about to be sacrificed. Yet, the airliner disappears.

The month of September will always remind Americans and people around the world of Sept. 11 and the subsequent developments in Iraq and Afghanistan. This element of “The Event” seems to do so as well.

The airliner is being used to apparently assassinate a president – a black Cuban-American president – who wants to make secret information about the detainees public. Does this scenario also have parallels or connections to our real-life history and current events?

And, can viewers connect the dots in this conspiracy theory from creator Nick Wauters, executive producer Steve Stark, director Jeff Reiner, showrunner Evan Katz, writers, consultants, cast and crew?

The show’s creative team says they are determined to make the story move along at a pace that audiences will find rewarding, rather than tease or confuse viewers.

Many media watchers have been waiting for, begging for, television that does not “dumb down” the viewing public. We have wanted TV that gives the American and international public credit for having adequate knowledge and intelligence. Will “The Event” meet these expectations?

SCIENCE, HUMANITY AND EARTH

For people who are somewhat educated, follow the news media (mainstream and otherwise) and have reasonable common sense, the basic elements of “The Event” presented in the first episode might seem to ring interesting bells.

If the detainees are extraterrestrials or some unique kind of beings, is this really that much of an imagination stretch?

Believe it or not, there are indications that this is not necessarily a far-out fantasy, but rather, a real possibility or reality.

And if so, how would the “powers-that-be” or average people react to such a situation? We may have an opportunity to find out, not only by following the story of “The Event,” but by also doing our own research and educating ourselves about what might be going on in real life.

A helpful resource that takes a look at this situation is the new book UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record by journalist Leslie Kean.

The upcoming book A.D., After Disclosure: The People's Guide to Life After Contact by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel, due out in October, is probably another.

In “The Event,” the mysterious Alaska group’s leader seems to warn the CIA operative that there is hidden information so sensitive that the human public cannot handle it. Is this also the case in our current state of human activities on Earth?

She may be right that it is difficult for us to face the sometimes sad state of affairs of Earth – poverty, overpopulation, starvation, disease, suffering, injustice, unnecessary wars, threats of nuclear destruction, dangerous climate change and similar human-made problems.

Or, is she referring to some type of major change related to scientific knowledge? Developments and discoveries in quantum physics and forward-leaning science appear to be leading to speculation that our whole understanding of time, space, human consciousness, Nature, spirituality, a higher being and other fundamental beliefs may need a major update.

Maybe there is some kind of mix or interface of changes in our scientific knowledge, our spiritual consciousness and the current state of human development on this planet.

Maybe we will get to a tipping point of understanding that will lead to the next steps for humanity.

That tipping point could lead to an interesting emerging event.

Public, media views evolving on UFOs, unusual phenomena

2010-09-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The publication of the new 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 researchers and writers Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel (slated for publication in October) have provided increased focus on this interesting topic.

There are many perspectives about possible visitation to Earth of intelligent beings from elsewhere. These viewpoints span a range of opinions, from people who think there is little reasonable evidence to those who conclude that there are very significant indications that this has occurred and is ongoing.

Kean has said, "We need a systematic, scientific investigation of the skies that actively looks for these mysterious and elusive objects."

Some researchers claim that such investigations have already occurred, are now underway and have been in motion since at least the post-World War II era, and possibly before.

The apparent discrepancy may be that such alleged investigations, conducted by the military and intelligence communities, including discreet special groups, have not been public research projects. Rather, they reportedly have been highly covert and classified due to an apparent serious level of sensitivity about the nature of the situation.

UNDER THE RADAR

Public perceptions of UFOs, extraterrestrials and other unusual phenomena are strongly influenced by movies, TV, books, journalism and other media platforms. Our own curiosity, imagination, hopes and fears also play important roles in how we think and feel about unconventional subjects.

But, apart from Hollywood portrayals and the incidents and reports we may hear or read about, what might be a reasonable way to deal with the possibilities about some of these unusual topics?

Some researchers consider the topics of UFOs, extraterrestrials, multiple dimensions, expanded human consciousness, space-time anomalies and similar subjects to be legitimate forward-leaning and leading-edge areas that should be examined thoroughly.

Why? Because credible research – based on what is being discovered and in pursuit of further knowledge – seems to indicate that these kinds of areas hold valuable information, understanding and insight for us.

Have some of these research efforts been “under the radar” of public view? This appears possible or probable.

Yet, due to a diverse range of researchers and investigative efforts, and possibly the intentional or inescapable diffusion of information from secret activities, the general public has become more aware of a variety of unusual developments.

In fact, decades-long public acclimation and preparedness initiatives, including an association with Hollywood and other elements of the mass media, could be part of such an interesting scenario.

ONGOING EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

Consider the case of the U.S. government’s research into extrasensory perception (ESP) in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s that was later called Project STAR GATE.

Many average people, including those who were actually conducting some of the research, were highly skeptical about any human abilities that we generally call ESP.

But, after years of thorough research and operational activities in the intelligence field, it became clear that humans do have the potential for expanded perception and awareness, often referred to as a sixth sense.

Some scientists called it anomalous cognition. We might also name it advanced perception, alternative awareness, complementary cognition, enhanced instinct, integrated situational awareness or any number of expressive and descriptive terms. The conclusion: it is real and very significant.

However, during the initial decades of Project STAR GATE, this research was highly classified and top secret.

Now, it is widely read about and portrayed in various media. Former STAR GATE personnel have published books and offer training classes on “remote viewing” based on some of the methods and protocols that the military and intelligence people in the program developed.

Although many people haven’t had the opportunity to hear or read about it, the subjects of ESP and Project STAR GATE are public knowledge now, although certain activities and operations the project conducted remain classified.

Could it be that in coming days, other unusual and previously secret information will similarly become common knowledge?

Our readiness and preparedness to appropriately handle a new understanding of ourselves, the world around us and the vast Universe or multi-verse we live in will be important factors of this apparent ongoing educational process.

Telluride Film Festival held near Durango, 1948 Aztec UFO crash

2010-09-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on the Transcendent TV & Media 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 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.

Texas ‘UFO’ was part of camera function?

2010-08-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle and on the "After Disclosure" website.)

The unusual image taken by an outdoor motion-triggered, infrared “game camera” in Texas may not have been a hovering Frisbee-shaped UFO as the camera’s owner first thought.

Further analysis now indicates the image was due to an aspect of the camera’s function.

TV station KXAS-NBC 5 in Fort Worth reported about the odd photo on Aug. 25, 2010, and other media outlets carried the story along with the photo, in which a horizontal line of lights seemed to be in the background.

Even Field & Stream, the classic outdoor, hunting and fishing magazine, noted the photo case on its website in an Aug. 30 article titled “Trail Cams Capture Everything, Including UFOs.”

A passing deer had set of the camera, and Archer City resident Lisa Brock-Piekarski told KXAS reporter Omar Villafranca that "What I see looks almost like a Frisbee. You see several lights going around, and they're all symmetrical and lit up, and it just looks like an object in the sky."

After analysis of the photo by the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), an investigative organization, Villafranca reported Aug. 30 that “The odd lights hovering over the North Texas sky snapped by a motion-activated game camera weren't from outer space. UFO investigators with the Mutual UFO Network say it was just a camera problem.”

MUFON’s Fletcher L. Gray told Villafranca that the camera itself resulted in the odd photo. "For some unknown reason, the camera shutter was remaining open, and the infrared strobe fired it would catch a bank of lights. The strobe has 14 LED-type bulbs across and with five bulbs vertical, with a total of 70 LED bulbs. If you look at the photo of what was called a UFO, you will count 14 lights that matches the 14 bulbs in the camera."

INTERPRETING WHAT WE SEE

The misidentification of something strange-looking in a photo or in the skies by eyewitnesses is not uncommon. In fact, experienced UFO researchers say that the majority of sightings can be explained in some logical way as stars, human-made aircraft or other unique conditions involving light, clouds or other factors.

In this recent case, hunter and camera-owner Brock-Piekarski seemed truly puzzled by what looked like a hovering object. "There's nothing back there but trees and sky. There's no hills, no buildings, nothing back there. It's all flat."

On the surface, it appeared as though the camera caught the image of an object low in the sky behind an unsuspecting deer.

Sometimes people may see something and think it could be an unusual spacecraft of some kind. In other instances, witnesses observe something and readily admit they do not know what it was.

It is a known psychological phenomenon that the human mind may often try to interpret or understand what it perceives. We may automatically start “filling in the blanks,” consciously or unconsciously, when we see something that does not fit our preconceived beliefs, have not previously experienced or have inadequate information to make a definite determination.

In this case, the horizontal line of lights apparently led the camera’s owner to see a Frisbee-shaped object.

While many such cases are honest mistakes by witnesses, other such stories can be intentional hoaxes.

RETURN OF THE PHOENIX UFO

Back on April 22, 2008, an Associated Press news article told the story of strange mysterious lights seen by residents in Phoenix, Arizona.

The AP reported that, "Red colored lights that formed a square and then a triangle were seen floating over north Phoenix. The lights were visible for about 13 minutes around 8 p.m. Monday."

Residents in the Phoenix metro region were psychologically sensitive to mysterious lights in the sky. The March 13, 1997, “Phoenix lights” UFO incident had been witnessed by thousands, including the state’s then-governor. Many people said they saw not only odd lights, but huge, solid, V-shaped craft slowly and silently cruising over Phoenix.

In the subsequent 2008 case, witnesses in north Phoenix said the lights hovered in a somewhat stationary location, then moved to the east.

Local TV and radio stations as well as the daily newspaper posted video and photos on their websites the next day. Even a local newspaper reporter saw the lights. One citizen said he saw three jets flying toward the odd lights. Officials at the small Deer Valley Airport nearby also reported the lights.

Police and media outlets received dozens of calls. The FAA, Luke Air Force Base and officials at the main Sky Harbor International Airport were queried about the lights and could not explain them.

However, a couple of days later, a local TV station reported that they had solved the mystery. A north Phoenix resident had seen his neighbor launch four helium balloons with flares attached from his backyard.

After further investigation, it was determined that the man tied the flares and balloons together with fishing line. This allowed them to move in somewhat different configurations.

The perpetrator eventually admitted the prank, and it was noted that the flares could have come down started a fire. However, he was not charged with a crime by police.

ILLUSION AND REALITY

After this incident, some media commentators seemed to say that this proved that sightings of apparent unusual spacecraft or other UFOs are all mistaken.

However, had residents reported spaceships and alien visitors from another planet? No.

News reports said dozens of people observed and reported four bright red lights in the sky that were visible at around 8 p.m. for approximately 15 minutes. Witnesses also said the lights' configurations slowly changed in various ways, then faded out.

Witnesses were accurate about all of those factual elements. The witnesses’ observations, as reported to the media, were truthful and consistent with the facts – which turned out to be flares tied to balloons and linked with fishing line.

When “debunkers” paint all sightings with same brush, they are either making a point that is uninformed, or they, too, are trying to perpetrate a hoax of sorts.

Although most sightings have natural, logical explanations, it also seems clear that many sightings and encounters are something much more unusual and valid.

Solid and luminous objects that sometimes appear to be a craft have been reported by reliable peace officers, military personnel, pilots and other credible witnesses.

The 1997 Phoenix lights case is one example. The many Stephenville, Texas, sightings during 2008 are another. The Chicago O'Hare airport incident in 2006 is also an interesting case. There are many others.

The misidentifications, pranks and intentionally phony photos point out that we should be neutral observers, not jump to conclusions and beware of overactive imaginations in ourselves and others.

All lights in the sky or seemingly unusual objects are not extraterrestrial spacecraft. However, all UFOs do not seem to be camera malfunctions, flares or balloons.

NBC News space writer: New UFO book wrong on pilot reports

2010-08-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle).

An Aug. 27, 2010, commentary by NBC News space analyst James Oberg about the new book by journalist Leslie Kean, UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record, seems thought-provoking.

The article, posted on MSNBC.com, is titled “UFO book based on questionable foundation.”

Oberg is a 22-year veteran of Houston’s NASA Mission Control in Houston and has written books himself on the subjects of space exploration and space policy.

A main element of his article is that military and civilian pilots are not necessarily the reliable observers we might think them to be.

Oberg asks, “If we trust pilots to carry us through the air safely, and to guard our nation’s skies, then why can't we trust what they tell us about their encounters with unidentified flying objects?”

When UFOs are sighted and sometimes officially reported, he also asks, “And because the primary witnesses are pilots, the accounts are considered more credible than run-of-the-mill UFO reports. But are they really?”

PILOTS NOT ALWAYS GOOD WITNESSES?

Oberg wrote, “Kean asserts that pilots are the best describers of aerial phenomena. ‘They represent the world’s best-trained observers of everything that flies,’ she writes. ‘What better source for data on UFOs is there? ... [They] are among the least likely of any group of witnesses to fabricate or exaggerate reports of strange sightings.’”

Oberg also noted, “Experienced UFO investigators realize that pilots, who instinctively and quite properly interpret visual phenomena in the most hazardous terms, are not dispassionate observers. For pilots, a split-second diagnosis can be a matter of life or death – and so they're inclined to overestimate the potential threats posed by what they see.”

This might raise a question: Even though a pilot would be obviously concerned about a safety threat to their aircraft, passengers and themselves, does that mean they are typically misunderstanding what they see?

He adds, “One of the world’s first genuine UFO investigators, Allen Hynek of Northwestern University, came to believe that some encounters really could have otherworldly causes. But he was much more skeptical about the reliability of pilot testimony.”

Hynek is certainly a widely-respected individual. At the same time, some people might say that because he was employed by the U.S. government during the “Project Blue Book” years, he may have had various sensitive responsibilities that could have included explaining away or “debunking” UFO sightings.

Oberg reports that a Russian UFO research effort also determined that pilots can make errors in their sightings of object in the air, including of military or weather balloons.

He also notes that Ronald Fisher at the International Forensic Research Institute at Florida International University in Miami believes that witnesses, including pilots, can sometimes interpret “raw sensory impressions” in ways that could be inaccurate.

Oberg quotes Fisher as saying, “Once they start focusing on their interpretation, that will color the memory of their perceptions. Pilots are susceptible to overinterpretation, especially of vague, rapid and unclear experiences.”

We could reasonably conclude that there are some or even many cases where military and civilian pilots misinterpreted what they saw.

However, there seem to be many UFO incidents involving pilots where this does not appear to be the case.

WHAT ARE PILOTS SEEING?

Oberg also points out that, “UFOs are often reported as maneuvering intelligently, and Kean argues that a particularity of the different types of maneuvers reported by pilots serves as proof that UFOs are real and are acting with intelligence.”

“But that logic actually ends up supporting the idea that a pilot's circumstances affect what he or she reports seeing,” he says.

Oberg quotes Kean’s book from her passage that states, "One crucial point I have noted, which is shown in Weinstein’s study, is that a UFO's behavior tends to depend on whether the encounter involves a military aircraft or a civilian passenger plane," according to Kean.

Oberg explains that the “Weinstein List” is a 2001 study of 1,300 pilot UFO reports from French researcher named Dominique Weinstein.

He also says that Kean wrote in her book, "Neutrality usually seems the general rule with commercial airlines or private planes, whereas an active interaction often occurs between UFOs and military aircraft. Military pilots usually described the movements of UFOs as they would air maneuvers of conventional aircraft, using terms such as follows, flees, acute turns, in formation, close collision, and aerial combat."

Oberg also quotes from Kean’s book, "These incidents clearly demonstrate that in no way are these examples of natural events, but rather that UFOs are phenomena with a deliberate behavior. The physical nature of UFOs has been proved."

However, Oberg has another point of view. “But a much simpler explanation makes more sense: The difference is due to ‘observer bias.’ People see what they expect to see, and combat pilots expect to encounter combative bogies. Civilian pilots mostly fear accidental collisions.”

Oberg says, “The different behavior that is perceived by the two categories of pilots doesn't necessarily mean the unidentified flying objects themselves behave differently. It's more likely that different kinds of pilots draw upon differently developed instincts as they react to perceived threats – and thus they bring different interpretations to stimuli that are actually similar.”

Of course, this does not address the issue that many civilian pilots are also former military pilots.

Additionally, Oberg continues to make his overall point that pilots are just not consistently reliable observers – at least when it comes to strange objects in the sky, such as UFOs.

Oberg wrote that, “UFO reports that are linked to rocket launches or booster re-entries are relatively easy to explain, because the location and timing of the events can be correlated with the accounts from startled and mistaken witnesses. For other stimuli, such as fireball meteors, secret (or illegal) aircraft operations or natural atmospheric displays, documentation of their transitory existence usually doesn't exist.”

In other words, he appears to make the point that just because a pilot sighting cannot be explained, it does not make it an extraterrestrial spacecraft or some other highly unusual phenomena.

“If investigators are unable to find the explanation for a particular UFO case, that doesn't constitute proof that the case is unexplainable,” Oberg wrote. “Not finding Jimmy Hoffa isn't proof he must be on Mars,” he said.

Oberg concludes his article on the same track by saying, “So the ‘not proven’ assessment makes it even more important to keep our eyes and minds open – to vigorously observe, accurately perceive, and precisely relate unusual aerial perceptions.”

He points out, “Something really new could still be discovered. Or something critically important could be masquerading, by accident or design, in a manner that leads too many people to pay too little attention.”

“Accepting every UFO claim uncritically or rejecting every claim automatically would be equally unjustified. And quite possibly, equally harmful,” he wrote.

Military, civilian pilots are key part of UFO mysteries

2010-08-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle).

Thousands of sightings of unusual unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have been reported by civilian and military pilots from around the world over past decades.

It is probably safe to assume that many more pilot sightings have gone unreported, due to the risks to pilots’ reputations and jobs. Some may have been counseled that it would be best to forget what they saw.

In the U.S., many military and civilian pilots have been involved in groups seeking to research the subject of UFOs for reasons of aviation safety, national security, scientific curiosity or simply because they found the topic to be a very interesting mystery.

In her new book, UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record, journalist Leslie Kean prominently notes the roles of U.S. and international military and civilian pilots involved in the UFO phenomenon.

Pilot statements about this subject are considered credible because, like peace officers and other professionals, they are considered trained observers. They must have excellent situation awareness and are aware of how aircraft, weather phenomena, stars and other things visually appear in our skies.

And, of course, many civilian pilots are former military aviators.

MILITARY PILOTS

We know that the late U.S. senator from Arizona, Barry Goldwater, was an Air Force Reserve brigadier general and pilot who was quite interested in the UFO subject. But, he stated that when he inquired about the subject with higher military brass, and particularly about gaining access to certain buildings at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, he was strongly told to back off.

Another Arizonan, former governor Fife Symington, was also an Air Force officer and pilot. He came forward in 2007 and said that he had witnessed the March 13, 1997, so-called "Phoenix lights" incident.

In fact, it was Leslie Kean who broke the story about Symington’s admission in her exclusive March 18, 2007, article on the former governor’s statements.

Kean wrote that Symington said he saw a large triangular "craft of unknown origin" with lights. "It was dramatic. And it couldn't have been flares because it was too symmetrical. It had a geometric outline, a constant shape," Symington told Kean.

Another interesting case was the so-called "Coyne incident" over Mansfield, Ohio, on Oct. 18, 1973. In that case, four members of the Army Reserve were in their military helicopter flying from Columbus to Cleveland. The case is named after the pilot and aircraft commander Capt. Lawrence J. Coyne.

A UFO was first seen on the horizon by a crew member. Then, it approached and flew in very close proximity to their chopper. At one critical point, the pilot feared a collision and promptly positioned the chopper's controls for a quick descent.

However, interestingly, the chopper's altimeter showed that it was actually gaining altitude.

Coyne has been quoted as saying, "We looked up and saw it stopped right over us. It had a big, gray metallic-looking hull about 60 feet long. It was shaped like an airfoil or a streamlined fat cigar. There was a red light on the front. The leading edge glowed red a short distance back from the nose. There was a center dome. A green light at the rear reflected on the hull." Coyne also said the green light swiveled like a spotlight and beamed through the canopy of his craft, bathing the cabin in green light.

This very well-documented case included a formal report made by the chopper crew for the Army Reserve.

The crew included pilot and aircraft commander Coyne, a 19-year veteran of the Army Reserve. The co-pilot was Lt. Arrigo Jezzi. The others onboard were crew chief Specialist 5 Robert Yanacek and flight medic Sgt. John Healey.

OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE

Basic research of open source intelligence (OSINT) on the Web will easily bring up many details of the many sightings by military and civilian pilots, as well as other highly credible witnesses.

But, rather than go into details of the history of pilot sightings, which are very significant and provide valuable insight, a story that is fictional might bring the issue to us in a more intimate and interesting way. And, as we know, many a truth can be told through fiction.

In fact, according to some theories, Hollywood has been involved in a gradual public preparedness or acclimation effort for decades, creating movies and TV shows that are helping us get ready to accept a surprising situation related to UFOs.

Other media platforms can also help in preparing the public for possibilities or probabilities of this kind.

In my novel Mission Into Light, a civilian named Mike Green is recruited into a small, secret, joint-service research team called the Joint Reconnaissance Study Group (JRSG). Shortly after he arrives in San Diego and gets oriented, he and two other JRSG members are sent by Navy helicopter from North Island Naval Air Station to Army Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona.

Their group commanding officer, Air Force Colonel Tom O’Brien gives tells Mike about his first assignment with the JRSG. The following is from Mission Into Light:

“By dinner I want you, Thompson, and MacNeil to be on a chopper for Fort Huachuca.”

“What’s the plan for the Huachuca trip, colonel?”

“You, Thompson, and MacNeil will set up a base station at Huachuca. MacNeil arranged for living and office quarters on the post. From there we have several areas of interest to explore. Roswell, New Mexico, and you know why. Sedona, Arizona, and the Four Corners area.”

By four-thirty the late afternoon sun was heading toward its evening rendezvous with the Pacific Ocean.

At the bachelor officers quarters, Mike was adding his luggage to Army Special Forces Colonel Ed Thompson's and Army Special Forces Captain Bill MacNeil’s personal gear in the trunk of a Navy-issue car.

“That’s everything, right?” Thompson asked.

“Yes, sir,” Mike reported.

With MacNeil driving, the three headed along the harbor to the downtown area and across the long, high span of the Coronado Bay bridge to Coronado Island. A Marine at the gate of North Island Naval Air Station examined the security sticker on the car’s windshield, saluted and waved them through.

MacNeil drove to a nearby helicopter squadron building and parked. Two men in Navy flight suits walked out and shook hands. This Navy chopper crew was taking them to Arizona.

When their bags and gear were loaded on the Navy chopper, and all five men on board, the pilots started the engine and the rotor blades came to life. The little craft lifted off and gently rose over San Diego Bay and the City of San Diego. They then headed east, away from the late afternoon sun that was slowly descending toward the Pacific’s horizon.

Ahead, in the east, it was growing darker. The ocean and metropolitan San Diego began to turn to countryside, then pine-covered mountains.

As day turned to evening, the chopper flew over the agricultural Imperial Valley east of San Diego County, and then toward the Colorado River. Entering Arizona air space, the pilots changed course from due east to south-southeast.

Team Two talked with the two pilots as the darkness of the Sonoran Desert enveloped them. Millions of stars were above. Below, the giant saguaro cactus stood watch over the desert. Coyotes prowled the night.

Inside the chopper, dim instrument lights gave the pilots faces an eerie glow.

“So you guys are getting stationed at Huachuca?” the young co-pilot asked.

“Temporary duty,” Thompson answered.

“I like the ocean and the beach myself,” the young Navy lieutenant said. “San Diego’s a great station for me. This desert’s a little too dry for my taste.”

The pilot, a lieutenant commander, had been preoccupied with the instruments. Calmly, he tapped the co-pilot on the shoulder and pointed at the dark night ahead.

“What’s that, Brown?”

“Sir?”

“There, those lights.”

The pilot pointed again.

By now Thompson, MacNeil, and Mike were looking over the shoulders of the pilots. Two lights in the distance were swaying in a gentle to-and-fro, and changing colors slightly from blue to red.

“What the hell is that?” Thompson asked.

The pilot now looked concerned.

“I don’t know, colonel.”

As all five men were watching intently, the two lights gently came to a stop. The pilot slowed the chopper.

“Holy shit!” yelled the co-pilot as the two lights shot straight up at an incredible speed. In no more than three seconds they were gone.

The five looked at each other and also searched the sky for signs of the lights. Only stars were visible.

“UFO,” the pilot said calmly.

“What are you saying commander?” Ed Thompson asked.

“Unidentified flying object, sir.”

“What kind?”

“Unknown, colonel. It’s not the first one I’ve seen. As a matter of fact, that one was too far away to make further identification. If you fly a lot, you sometimes see them. Pilots swap stories about them. Carefully. It’s a sensitive area, sir.”

“Well, son of a gun. That’s something all right,” MacNeil added, his mouth hanging open slightly.

Mike Green and the young co-pilot were almost too stunned and excited to talk.

“How much longer to Fort Huachuca?” Mike asked.

“We’re passing near Tucson now,” the pilot answered. “Another half-hour and we’ll be on the ground. Fellas, it doesn’t help a pilot’s career to make a big thing out of a UFO or two. As far as I’m concerned, for the record, I saw a couple of lights.”

“We understand,” Thompson said. “Off the record, what do you think they were?”

“Could be our own experimental craft. Could be extraterrestrial. Who knows? There’s a lot of talk in the aviation community about what’s going on. The pilots in World War Two called them ‘foo fighters.’ You two guys are Special Forces, right? I thought you had the inside intel on spook programs.”

“What makes you think those lights might be part of a covert operation?” Mike asked the pilot.

“It’s just that there are a lot of stories circulating about UFOs, Area 51 in Nevada, flying saucer crashes in the desert, that kind of thing. I’m not a UFO nut, but I’m not stupid either. Okay, men, we’re about fifteen minutes from Huachuca.”

As the pilot and co-pilot made radio contact with the Army post, Mike, Thompson, and MacNeil settled back for the landing. No more moving lights could be seen the night sky.

The chopper landed on a section of the base airstrip reserved for helicopters. An Army Humvee pulled up as the chopper blades came to a rest and Team Two stepped out onto the tarmac.

“Colonel Thompson?” the driver asked.

“That’s me. You’re Captain Baker?”

“Yes sir. If you’ll load your gear in the Humvee, I’ll take you to your quarters.”

After saying good-bye to their chopper pilots, the three men got into the Humvee and were driven to an officers quarters building. They had their own rooms, which were similar to the Navy BOQ at Point Loma, Mike thought. Government-issue Motel 6. After unpacking, they met in Thompson’s room.

“They have an office ready for us. We’ll check that out tomorrow. MacNeil, first thing in the morning I want you to get two vehicles for our use. You and Green will be driving to Roswell, New Mexico. We may want you to leave day after tomorrow. I’ll be calling the old man in the morning. Any questions? Well, let’s hit the hay.”

Back in his room, Mike noticed it was almost ten o’clock. The adrenalin from the flight had now dissipated. After a hot shower, he fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the men discussed their mission over breakfast.

“Baker says the New Mexico state line is a stone’s throw away. We’ll check out the office they’ve given us and get the cars. I’ll call the old man in San Diego and we’ll just settle-in a little bit.”

“You going to tell him about the lights we saw, Ed?” MacNeil asked through a mouthful of hash browns.

“Hell, yes. This is a key part of our research. It may even mean more than we realize now. That may not be the last UFO sighting of this project. We don’t have to worry as much as that Navy chopper pilot about getting our wings clipped for reporting strange happenings."

Prominent journalist not up to speed on UFO situation?

2010-08-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-10T11:16:00.001-07:00

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

2010-07-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

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.”

Extraterrestrials and UFOs: Disclosure, acclimation, security work together

2010-06-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle).

Researchers and people interested in the field of UFOs and possible visitation to Earth by other intelligent beings sometimes seem to feel that information disclosure and information security are mutually exclusive.

This might not be the case. In fact, security, public acclimation and readiness could be part of the disclosure process.

One case may serve as an example. A former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence agent was alleged to have been involved in information security about the UFO phenomena.

The same agent was also reportedly involved in some elements of a public acclimation process, according to published reports.

This type of scenario may also apply to several kinds of sensitive and complex issues, including scientific, human development, geopolitical or other matters.

RANGE OF PREPAREDNESS

This is not to suggest that people shouldn’t continue to try to learn more about a wide range of conventional and unconventional subjects. Delving into important areas of knowledge and understanding is valuable and appropriate.

And, secrecy can sometimes be applied for inappropriate reasons. The application of secrecy and security is itself a complex issue worthy of examination.

Yet, wouldn’t it seem wise to link disclosure to public readiness?

Public reaction to UFOs and a wide range of other unconventional phenomena or awareness could be unsettling or frightening for many people. This appears to be a reasonable and longstanding concern.

Some people are at the forefront of exploration and discovery, while others may be reluctant to consider alternative or expanded concepts about the universe around us, and within us.

It seems appropriate that we are aware of a wide range of reactions by many people in the general population.

But for those pioneers and forward-thinking Americans and people internationally, many opportunities may exist to test various theories and hypotheses about extraterrestrial visitors, human consciousness, ESP and telepathy, multiple dimensions and many other leading-edge ideas.

GROUP CONSCIOUSNESS

For example, the Spectrum Video and Film company of Phoenix, Arizona, is launching an innovative and interesting project June 5, 2010.

Their live webcast, “Experience: Contact” seeks to test and utilize group consciousness and intention in attempts to contact extraterrestrial visitors.

Sounds far-fetched?

Actually, many theories in psychology, theology, philosophy and human consciousness research suggest that at deep levels, there are fundamental and fascinating connections among the minds of humans.

Deep down, interesting things happen.

Spectrum Video and Film are the creators of a TV series concept called “Paranormal Matrix.” To visit their website and learn more about the June 5 “Experience: Contact” webcast, go to the Paranormal Matrix site and explore their plans.

You may even want to participate.

The type of innovative experiments such as the “Experience: Contact” webcast might make us all more open to unconventional efforts, projects and activities of many kinds.

Maybe some officials in the national security, intelligence and related fields are also using unique ways to look at unconventional situations.

We are learning that the Universe or multi-verse is a very mysterious place.

Even more mysterious ... the human mind, human soul and the connections and consciousness deep, deep within all of us.

UFO, extraterrestrial disclosure linked to public readiness and acclimation

2010-05-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

After more than 210,000 page views of the April 26, 2010, article ”Human-looking ETs secretly in U.S?” it seems clear that there is significant public interest in the topic of possible extraterrestrial visitation to Earth, UFOs and equally possible activities of the U.S. defense and intelligence communities regarding these subjects.

The article was about an account of a reported effort by U.S. authorities – Operation TANGO-SIERRA – to investigate a human-looking extraterrestrial who had made contact with a federal employee.

Are people who consider tales like this too gullible? Or, are they open-minded and increasingly aware of highly unusual possibilities?

The same information sources for Operation TANGO-SIERRA are reportedly also those who released information about the alleged Project SERPO. That account involved a mission that allegedly sent 12 specially-selected and highly-trained U.S. military personnel to another planet as guests of friendly extraterrestrial visitors as part of an exchange program.

When we see news about calls for more openness and disclosure about possible government activities in these areas, it also seems clear that human psychology and our preparedness to deal with such possibilities are major elements to consider.

In fact, it might be fair to say that disclosure about possible extraterrestrial visitation to Earth is directly tied to the emotional, spiritual, psychological and social readiness of the public to handle this kind of news.

MEDIA AND EDUCATION

How would we measure public preparedness? Should we conduct more surveys and public opinion polls about people’s feelings and perceptions of UFOs and ETs? How can we be sure that there would not be panic, distress, disorientation and turmoil from such disclosure?

We must also be concerned with children and youngsters who could be affected by fearful reactions. Has our educational system prepared them to handle such a situation? Even our colleges and universities do not routinely delve into these kinds of topics in classes related to science or the social sciences.

However, some higher education institutions are looking into frontier-science areas of various kinds. Conventional colleges and universities are exploring the nature of human consciousness and mysteries of space and the universe.

New innovative institutions such as the International Metaphysical University are also emerging as leaders in forward-leaning education of this kind.

Social stability and continuity in the face of disclosure must be considered. Not that things wouldn’t change – they would. But managing this change is important, especially if the situation is challenging or troubling in some ways.

Certain media platforms seem to be helping with this. TV is leading the way. Flip your channel any given night and you are likely to see a show on UFOs. Movies, too, are addressing these topics and helping audiences think about different scenarios that could be involved.

Continuing the discussion in the media about subjects like this is probably helpful.

This is being done through the hundreds or thousands of websites exploring anomalous and weird-science subjects. The longstanding number one late-night radio show in the U.S., Coast to Coast AM, has been dealing with these and other edge-science subjects for years.

Newer emerging media platforms like Open Minds Production of Tempe, Arizona, are also developing audiences.

Are these media activities contributing to public mental health problems with their coverage of UFOs and unusual topics? Or, are they helping us mentally and emotionally deal with challenging realities?

HANDLING THE TRUTH

According to some researchers, certain elements of the U.S. government have been trying to acclimate, educate and prepare us for these and other emerging situations. Using indirect and discreet methods, we may all have been slowly educated over several decades to be prepared for surprising truths.

And, maybe extraterrestrials or other unusual intelligences have also been preparing us.

Maybe we are getting closer, or even very close, to greater disclosure and understanding about what might be going on.

If so, there is also responsibility on our shoulders to make sure that the general public can handle increased information about these topics.

But limiting discussions only to UFOs and ETs might miss the larger targets.

Discoveries about quantum physics, human consciousness, multiple dimensions and other areas create a kind of synergy of fascinating forces that might change the entire way we look at life, Nature, the universe, reality and ourselves.

We don’t need to look far to open our minds about the possible realities. NASA astronauts have not only strongly hinted, but clearly stated that there are extraterrestrial and/or unusual intelligences at work. Other military personnel have also bravely stepped forward to inform their fellow Americans.

Behavioral health professionals like the late Harvard psychiatrist John Mack, M.D., showed great courage in addressing these kinds of issues.

Now, maybe it is our turn.

Maybe more disclosure will occur when a large enough segment of the public is ready to accept some unusual truths and we are socially, emotionally and psychologically prepared. When we reach that tipping point, a new phase of understanding might emerge.

And this understanding might not just come from the powers-that-be. It could arrive in the form of new awareness and perception within us.

Beyond UFOs and extraterrestrials: Human consciousness may be key

2010-05-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

The apparent growing awareness of the possibility or probability that we are being visited by extraterrestrial and other unconventional intelligences seems to pose some important questions.

These questions take us beyond the discussion about if we are being visited or if UFOs are exotic spacecraft of some kind.

Anyone of average intelligence who has done a moderate amount of research on the subject can safely conclude that something along these lines is going on.

If we were to request a “SitRep,” a situation report, about where we find ourselves, what would it say? What really is going on? How does it affect us? What might happen in the future? How will we adjust to a changing reality?

To deal with these and other interesting questions, we will probably need to improve and enhance our “situation awareness.”

ECLECTIC AWARENESS

Limiting the discussion to UFOs and extraterrestrials might be too narrow a focus. Those topics certainly seem to be part of the overall scenario at hand. But what other related factors are in play?

Certainly, modern scientific theories of multiple dimensions or a “multi-verse” appear to be significant. Other elements of modern quantum physics bring to mind the ideas of wormholes and star gates.

Then there are anomalies regarding time, some kind of “unified field” of energy or “zero point energy,” a possible higher intelligence or several higher intelligences, and of direct interest – human consciousness.

What is going on in the biological sciences that might be relevant? Studies of the human body and those of the animals, plants and other life forms that share our Earth are revealing fascinating secrets and discoveries.

In fact, it might be wise to pay attention to the many kinds of scientific study about our planet and the life on it before serious climate change, pollution, overpopulation or some other cascading or sudden catastrophe create very serious problems for the human race.

Do we really want to reach the tipping point of dangerous developments for the human species, as well as other animal and plant life on Earth?

Maybe a more positive tipping point of some kind is a more useful goal. This brings the circle back to the important discussion of human consciousness.

INTEGRATIVE CONSCIOUSNESS

If extraterrestrials – the good, the bad and the ugly – angels and/or other unusual intelligences are conducting activities in and around Earth, what impacts will there be on us average humans going about our daily lives?

This also completes a circle of our discussion of the SitRep about where we are, what is going on, how these developments might affect us, what will the future bring and how we can adjust to a changed reality.

We might consider that it could be, and probably is, a complex situation. The more knowledge and understanding we can acquire, the more prepared we will be.

Safety, preparedness and even “operational security (OPSEC)” could be helpful. Strength, compassion, honor and the other positive attributes of the human race could also be useful.

It seems that we may need to use the mind, body, heart and soul to face these emerging developments.

We might consider taking advantage of the insights reflected in the concept of “transcendent warfare,” a term used to describe the optimum use of certain leading-edge discoveries, such as those in the U.S. defense and intelligence activity called Project STAR GATE.

Yet, at the end of the day, we might focus on that which is pure in the human heart.

UFOs, extraterrestrials invade 1800s Arizona in new movie ‘Cowboys and Aliens’

2010-05-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

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.

Extraterrestrials may not need UFOs to visit us on Earth

2010-05-13T11:37:00.001-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on American Chronicle.)

People who wonder about or even actively research the topics of UFOs and visitors from elsewhere sometimes begin with certain assumptions that may only be partially correct.

We might assume that if we are being visited, these intelligent beings are all biological life forms, though they might be quite different from humans.

We could also conclude that they are from another planet and they travel here aboard advanced spacecraft, possibly warping or surfing space-time in some way.

However, there are also theories and indications that, although those basic concepts might generally be accurate in some cases, there could be other developments going on as well.

For example, it might be possible that there are several kinds of intelligent visitors on Earth. Some researchers also suggest that certain unconventional beings might not be visitors at all, but somehow native to our planet, though they reside in hidden dimensions or operate in mysterious ways.

And even those who do travel here from a home world of some kind might also be able to visit us by slipping in and out of these mysterious dimensions without the need for sophisticated spacecraft.

In addition, although many might be biological entities or have a biological component, some anomalous beings might be some kind of energy operating outside of what we think of as normal biological life.

MYSTERIES WITHIN MYSTERIES

The other important questions regarding either extraterrestrial visitors from another planet or other mysterious beings of various kinds involve their possible motives and objectives. Are they friendly, hostile or somewhere in between? If there is some hidden agenda, what is it?

Are they straightforward and honest or deceptive? And if there deception – why? Is it simply “operational security (OPSEC)” of the kind we use ourselves in certain activities to help ensure success? If so, this could work to our benefit if their mission is to help us.

Some people believe in angels and the activities of good entities who watch over us and help humankind in many ways. These types of beings, if they truly exist, are said to operate in discreet, unseen and secret ways, much like some sort of intelligence agents.

Could other kinds of intelligent beings, including extraterrestrial and/or extra-dimensional ones, also work in similar secretive and covert ways?

A related consideration is that other intelligent beings, possibly of many kinds, could be trying to educate us and affect our thinking. They might be waiting for, or even actively assisting humanity in the development of a more advanced consciousness within us.

People try to persuade and influence each other all the time through many kinds of “perception management.” These can be applied constructively to help a target population or damaging if used toward harmful outcomes.

Some researchers indicate that the field of study involving UFOs, extraterrestrials and other mysterious kinds of phenomena is full of deception and perception management cover stories, both by the unusual phenomena themselves and by some of the humans involved in trying to deal with them.

PREPAREDNESS AND DISCLOSURE

When we discuss the idea of “disclosure” of government files about UFOs and visitors from the stars or other dimensions, we might also want to recognize the limitations of what this alleged government-held information might tell us.

There certainly seem to be strong indications that the U.S. and other governments and organizations have been looking into these kinds of anomalous phenomena for quite a while, at least since the mid-1940s. There has probably been useful information obtained as well as attempts to interpret what it all means.

Puzzle pieces involving possible different technologies and various types of beings could be part of these scenarios. And, it is also possible that we have not yet put all the puzzle pieces together. There still may be several unknowns in play.

A major consideration in greater understanding about these possibilities seems to be the mental, emotional and even spiritual preparedness of humans about these mysteries.

And, it may not be so simple as friendly visitors from another planet who want to help us and show us their advanced technologies, though those could be aspects of the situation.

This is why some people advocate a safe and discreet orientation and acclimation process to educate Americans and people worldwide about the nature of the possible elements involved.

It might not be simply that “we are not alone.” The very nature of Nature and the dynamics of the Universe or multi-verse around us and within us might be different than what we learned in school.

Intelligence officials may have unique approaches for UFOs, ETs

2010-05-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

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.

Human-looking ETs secretly in U.S.?

2010-04-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on AmericanChronicle.com.)

According to accounts released Saturday, April 24, 2010, by the coordinator of an e-mail news and information service, officials of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and other U.S. government agencies have been involved in security activities regarding human-appearing extraterrestrial beings in the U.S.

Victor Martinez, the e-mail information coordinator, is a former federal employee with an interest in space, defense and current affairs. Recipients of his e-mail news items include a wide variety of people interested in emerging and leading-edge scientific and other developments.

In his April 24 information release, Martinez quoted one of his alleged established contacts, one of a handful of current or former officials of the DIA, regarding any new or updated information on extraterrestrial encounters that would be of interest to the public.

The DIA contact reportedly provided information about the monitoring and intervention by U.S. officials regarding a particular extraterrestrial being posing as a human within the U.S., Martinez wrote in his e-mail report.

The contact also noted the more general issue of extraterrestrials visiting Earth who may blend in with the human population, for various reasons.

According to Martinez, his contact stated, “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.”

FEDERAL EMPLOYEE ABDUCTED

The contact also allegedly told Martinez, “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.”

Martinez went on to report that an apparently new source, established via his long-time contacts, provided additional details on this alleged operation.

The new source reportedly wrote, “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.”

“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,” the source allegedly 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.”

The information source also claimed, “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.”

“On one occasion, the male non-human introduced the Earth woman to another male, whom the Earth woman described in debriefing details as not being human, i.e., not being an Earth male abductee. The Earth woman called this other being a 'creature.’”

“This creature performed a medical examination on the Earth woman. The woman did not fully consent to the alien's examination as she was temporarily paralyzed. After the examination, the woman was taken back to her residence.”

COUNTERMEASURE OPERATION BEGINS

According to Martinez’ source or sources, this federal employee’s experience triggered an investigation. The source reportedly stated, “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.”

The source(s) also claimed, “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.”

“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 source also stated, "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.”

NON-HUMAN INTERROGATED

Martinez’ source(s) also allegedly reported, “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.”

“We called the captured alien Septeloids. That was the identifying alien species name given to them by the astrobiologists on our team. I have no idea how they picked that name as well as some of the other odd-sounding alien species names ending with the suffix of ‘loid.’”

“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,” Martinez’ source reportedly stated.

“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.”

“With respect to the male non-human’s employment, he worked as a records keeper for the U.S. Dept. of Commerce in Washington D.C. He was able to manufacture his own identification documents by assuming the name/ID of a deceased Earth human.”

“He was in a career that did not require a high-level security clearance thereby enabling him to escape the much greater scrutiny given to ‘Secret’ clearance level background checks and above.”

ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIVE OUTCOMES

Martinez quotes his source as stating, “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,” the source reportedly told Martinez.

“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.”

In apparent response to a question Martinez posed, the source reportedly responded, “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.”

“I only know that the very inner circle of our government knows. That is about all I can tell you. I never spoke with the male non-human in ‘Operation TANGO-SIERRA,’ but I was actively involved in this operation. Most of the older fellows who knew all of this are dead now. Former CIA Director Richard M. Helms was our boss for this operation. He died some years ago.

Martinez noted in his report that Navy Adm. Stansfield Turner was CIA director at the time.

“The CIA/DIA/NSA were all involved as well as one or two FBI special agents, but they were never fully briefed.”

“The lead agency was the 7602nd that operated out of Ft. Belvoir. Those guys were the best of the best. I was the lead case officer for the surveillance part of the operation. I was very good at that. I was trained by the best and worked inside the old Soviet Union for many, many years.”

“I could follow the devil around and he would never know it. Most of the UFO operations – clandestine, that is – were performed by the 7602nd.”

“In fact, the CIA came to them for their specialized training. The 7602nd Air Intelligence Wing remained secret for many years. Although it was a U.S. Air Force unit, the unit contained all branches of the armed forces except the Marines ... we never could train those guys!”

Martinez’ alleged new contact also reportedly advised him, “Your Anonymous source is probably someone I know since we have a very close-knit intel group who meets about once a month where we discuss items of mutual interest. We all live in the [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]. We have many intel contacts in Texas, especially Austin.”

“We used to have a much larger group, but over the years, time has taken its share of our beloved, cherished friends ... ”

“I hope all of this works out for you. Good luck, Mr. Martinez.”

FURTHER RELATED BACKGROUND

One of Martinez sources also commented on other longstanding reports within the leading-edge community researching allegations of extraterrestrial visitation to Earth.

"The ‘Yellow Book’ is quite an extraordinary piece of alien technology. It was given to us by the Ebens. It tells the entire history of their race, planet and most of the history of the universe as well as our own. As far as I know, no one has ever viewed the ‘Yellow Book’ to its very end. As you stated in one of your releases, it would take an entire lifetime to read it and yet another to understand it.”

Martinez indicates he posed a question to the source about the alleged operation that has been referred to as "Project SERPO,” a mission reportedly begun in the early 1960s that sent a 12-person team of specially-trained U.S. military personnel on a planned ten-year exchange program to the Ebens’ home planet.

“I was briefed into this very special project many years ago, but only as a trainer. I was not sure of the exact nature of this project until I read all about it on the Serpo.org Web site.”

“Like all other operations and special projects, SERPO was highly compartmentalized. I have now read the entire SERPO story, which I never knew was even posted on the Internet until I was placed in contact with you. I learned much from it and it looks like you pretty much have the entire story.”

“I congratulate and commend you for getting this very important piece of America's ‘hidden’ history out. I really enjoyed reading this information. I just shared it with many of my old intel friends – and they knew about it! It's truly an amazing story … ”

“I guess there still is a controversy on whether two women went or not. At least one went for sure. I knew six of them while in training as their instructor. Two were nurses, one was a linguist and I'm not sure about the others with the passage of time.”

Martinez claims his source also explained, “There was a ‘Group-6’ that was involved in the Roswell Incident cover up. ‘Group-6’ controlled the administrative side of all UFO investigations at the time. It was centered in New Mexico.”

“It primarily involved the 1121 Special Activities Squadron of the USAF. It also thoroughly investigated the famous Lonnie Zamora contact incident of Friday, April 24, 1964, in Socorro, NM; I remember it well because I was stationed in NM then.”

“There was in fact an MJ-12 group which stood for ‘Majority Group-12.’ It was comprised of 12 USG officials who controlled, managed and directed every aspect of the UFO phenomenon. Most of the officials were governmental types, but some were not. That ‘MJ-12’ name was changed some years ago which I understand you know.”

The source also reportedly stated to Martinez that the home world of the alleged hostile alien species, the Trantaloids, “is the third planet out from the star Epsilon Eridani in the constellation Eridanus at 10.5 light-years away. Although somewhat cooler and fainter than our sun, it is very similar.”

Martinez’ source also advised him that “ … since this information originated outside of our agency, this is all I can provide you with at the moment.”

Can troops find hidden bombs with sixth sense?

2010-03-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

By Steve Hammons

(This article also appears on the American Chronicle and Transcendent TV & Media 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.

(Editions of EdgeScience magazine are available free in PDF on the website of the Society for Scientific Exploration.)

Phoenix lights UFO: Experiment, acclimation?

2010-03-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

What was flying over Arizona and Phoenix the evening of March 13, 1997?

Was it a formation of several aircraft with odd bright lights? If so, there seem to be several unusual aspects to the flight.

Was it one huge triangle, boomerang or V-shaped craft? If so, was it a U.S. advanced aircraft or spacecraft of some kind? Was it an extraterrestrial craft? Was it some combination of both?

The so-called “Phoenix lights” case is widely recognized as one of the more interesting incidents involving unidentified flying objects.

The upcoming 13th anniversary of the incident on Saturday, March 13, 2010, offers an opportunity to review and consider a range of information that has surfaced.

PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS

For example, a recent article on the Phoenix lights UFO incident by long-time researcher, writer and editor Randall Fitzgerald brings forward more information on this interesting case.

Fitzgerald is a former editor for Reader’s Digest and is the author of several nonfiction books related to government, health and science. His articles have appeared in major mainstream media publications.

Part One of his recent article on Examiner.com “Were the 1997 Arizona Lights a psychological warfare experiment?” was posted on Feb. 24, 2010. Part Two was posted on Feb. 28.

In the article, Fitzgerald presents more details from his 1997 two-month fulltime investigation on the case that was funded by Reader’s Digest where he served at the time as “roving editor.” He reports that he interviewed more than 50 witnesses.

Some key points emerge in Fitzgerald’s investigation. He says that although many credible witnesses saw what they were sure was one massive flying object or craft, witnesses who used binoculars saw individual lights and apparent individual aircraft of some kind.

In addition, some witnesses reported that they could see the stars and the moon through the craft, though these seemed visually altered. In other words, what they were seeing, at times, appeared to be translucent or somewhat transparent.

According to Fitzgerald, civilian radar operators at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport did not pick up the craft on radar, although commercial pilots were asking them what the lights were.

He cites an anonymous source who said that F-16C Air Force jets from nearby Luke Air Force base scrambled that night to respond to the incident picked up “radar clutter” jamming. Details of the incident were reportedly kept secret, including a “deception operation” involving the dropping of flares later that night, the source said.

Fitzgerald also notes that the flight seems to have originated near the Area 51 region in southern Nevada and ended near U.S. Army Fort Huachuca southeast of Tucson. Fort Huachuca is a major intelligence training facility.

In his detailed article, Fitzgerald proposes an interesting possibility to explain various aspects of this complex incident: It might have been a psychological operation of some kind using several special aircraft equipped to broadcast a visual hologram to test reactions of the public, media and local officials (including public safety and military).

UNCONVENTIONAL SCENARIOS

Large, black flying triangle-shaped objects have been reported in the U.S. and other countries. These have also been the subject of rigorous research and investigation by reputable scientists and others.

These objects are often said to be huge, silent and have various configurations of unusual lights. They reportedly sometimes cruise slowly at low altitudes.

Theories have been proposed exploring whether these could be some kind of advanced U.S. aircraft or space craft, possibly using innovative propulsion systems or even unique anti-gravity technologies.

Since it is generally accepted that the U.S. probably has highly-advanced and secret aircraft, these flying triangles could be related. Some researchers even claim that the U.S. might also have a secret space fleet, using far-advanced spacecraft technologies and conducting surprising and exotic space activities.

These more advanced craft might patrol Planet Earth at low-Earth orbit (LEO) or even conduct other missions further out into space, some researchers theorize. Could the Phoenix lights object or objects be related in some way?

As noted, although several witnesses with binoculars reported separate objects over Phoenix that night, in other cases around the U.S. and internationally, witnesses have reported large black triangles that were solid. Were they mistaken as were some of the Arizona witnesses?

When we consider the theories that highly-advanced craft might be either U.S. or coming from extraterrestrial and/or extra-dimensional locations, some “outside-the-box” thinking seems appropriate.

For example, Phoenix lights witnesses believed they saw individual lights, a translucent form and a solid object at various times. Randall Fitzgerald concluded that this sounds like a hologram.

However, might some kind of camouflage, stealth or cloaking technology have been involved? This might even explain changes in appearance of an advanced U.S. craft as well as something more exotic.

In addition, some theories in modern quantum physics include the possibility that objects, beings or craft might emerge into and exit our physical reality, our dimension, in unconventional ways.

That is, they could fade in and fade out of our dimension through wormholes, stargates and portals, similar to some kind of teleportation. They may change from forms of energy to more solid forms.

Again, it might even be possible that the U.S. has this technology. Or, maybe someday we will.

Could this also explain Phoenix witnesses varied accounts and perceptions?

The natural question in the Phoenix lights incident that seems central is why would such a craft, or the holographic illusion of a craft, fly low and slow over a huge U.S. city like Phoenix? And, why do similar craft apparently visit other parts of the U.S and the world?

Are extraterrestrial and/or extra-dimensional visitors here, want to look around and want us to know that they are here? If so, are they conducting some kind of missions or activities, and what are they?

Are advanced U.S. craft flying low and slow over populated areas for surveillance purposes or some other reason such as the psychological operations tests that Fitzgerald wonders about?

Could it be that both scenarios are happening? Visitors from elsewhere are here, the U.S. has advanced craft (possibly related to these visitors in some way) and unusual UFOs seen around the world could be from both sources?

Some speculation includes reports that several types of extraterrestrial and/or extra-dimensional visitors may be here. Some may be friendly, some may be hostile, some may be neutral observers or researchers themselves.

The U.S. could even have joint activities underway with friendly visitors.

When we ponder all these possibilities, it seems like the Phoenix lights case could very well have been a psychological operation of some kind. Maybe it was a U.S. test to see how people might respond, as Fitzgerald points out.

But, rather than a conventional test of a psychological warfare weapon against other countries, maybe it was something else.

Maybe it was an exercise to prepare, educate, orient and acclimate people to emerging, more unconventional situations.

‘Phoenix lights’ 13th anniversary is March 13

2010-03-05T09:24:00.000-08:00

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.”

Science journalism faces media changes, emerging discoveries

2010-02-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hammons

(A version of this article appears in the April-June edition of EdgeScience magazine on the website of the Society for Scientific Exploration.)

“Weird science” and “weird science journalism” may reconfigure how science is explored, communicated and understood.

The field of journalism is going through significant changes as print and broadcast media are transformed by electronic media of various kinds.

Science journalism is no exception. Online and e-journalism, including citizen journalism, are changing not only media platforms but also content and focus.

Sometimes, this is perceived as, and generally acknowledged to be, a trend that has some negative aspects. However, parts of these changes are related to more vigorous coverage of topics that science journalists may have been covering inadequately.

Often sticking with safe and conventional science topics, some science journalists might have missed very interesting emerging developments in a range of scientific areas.

EMERGING VIEWS

Certain topics deemed unconventional, anomalous, metaphysical, fringe or even paranormal may, in fact, be very legitimate subjects that science journalists can cover. In the area of emerging discoveries, the public may be ahead of some science journalists in recognizing coming trends.

Where to begin? Interesting discoveries have been made in the fields of human psychology and consciousness, quantum physics and anomalous flying objects, to name a few.

Granted, some of the normal scientific inquiry and scientific journalism coverage over past decades may have been stifled by national security restrictions on these topics. However, the times are a changing and topics that previously were kept under tight security may now be more appropriate for public education and acclimation.

For example, the U.S. defense and intelligence communities’ research and operational activities often referred to as Project STAR GATE were top secret for over two decades.

However, since the mid-1990s, information on the rigorous scientific protocols involved has been declassified and released. These activities made highly significant discoveries about the nature and capabilities of human consciousness.

What has been called “anomalous cognition” might actually be just alternative cognition, complementary cognition or integrative cognition.

This research also led to the innovative concept of “transcendent warfare,” a term coined by a Navy SEAL officer.

Related to these consciousness studies, quantum physics research has uncovered further anomalous indications that seem to point toward revised views of the nature of the Universe. Some researchers now refer to the Universe as a multiverse where various dimensions interact and intersect.

And then there is the topic of what are generally referred to as unidentified flying objects (UFOs). This terminology could now be somewhat obsolete – at least in the cases of some UFOs. According to many respectable and reliable researchers, some UFOs that appear to be solid craft are, in fact, identified.

Some may be U.S. advanced aircraft or spacecraft. Some may be spacecraft of a more exotic origin. Some may be various kinds of phenomena we do not fully understand, but should try to.

OPEN MINDS

When considering these and other unconventional scientific topics, it might be useful for science journalists to abandon the term paranormal and think about aspects of them that may be normal and natural, and therefore worthy of normal journalistic inquiry.

Again, science journalism can possibly be excused over past decades of inattention to certain unconventional topics because of security measures that discouraged legitimate coverage of them.

This excuse may no longer be valid.

If science journalists want to attract readers, viewers and audiences who are interested in relevant and meaningful topics, the integration of conventional and more unconventional journalistic coverage is probably appropriate.

In this sense, integrative journalism may be similar to the concept of integrative medicine or integrative cognition – taking the best of both conventional and emerging science to create more useful perspectives and understanding.

To avoid responsible and thorough coverage of important scientific subjects, including the unconventional, may diminish the perceived relevance of science journalism to millions of Americans and people worldwide.

More important than the fate of establishment science journalists, the human race may be affected by the lack of open-minded inquiry about vitally important emerging phenomena and developments.

‘Avatar’ also story of deep DNA within many Americans

2010-02-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

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.