Every generation seems to generate a new round of UFO reports. The idea of intersolar or intergalactic beings buzzing around our planet seems to have an appeal to folks who choose to believe rather than know.
And it is not just current events. A cable channel that claims to be devoted to “History” has a running series promoting the existence of “ancient aliens” – space beings that visited our planet in long-ago times to provide human beings with advanced technical skills. Every time they explore some human achievement, they suggest it was beyond the skill of the people of the time. So, they fall back on their tiresome cliché question, “What else could it be?” If you take the question seriously, the answer is, “A lot of things other than creatures from outer space.”
If you consider the issue of UFOs, you will find that most of those claimed sightings – more than 99 percent – are not unknown. Most of the observed phenomenon are not flying – but rather zip around like the cursor on my screen when I move the “mouse” around. And they are not even objects – just optical illusions. And a lot of them are hoaxes.
Obviously, if a lot of folks claim to have seen something unusual or mysterious, it needs to be investigated – especially when some of the witnesses are seemingly credible pilots and military personal.
In the latest evaluation by our military, they make three observations about the less than one percent that are categorized as unknown. That means that the investigators have no idea what the IMAGES may be. Many of these unexplained sightings are said to have advanced technical abilities of speed and maneuverability.
The images also have another commonality. They all lack clarity. With the most sophisticated radar and photography in the world, we only see blurs. It would be like visually identifying a bug that had been crushed under foot.
Based on nothing but observations themselves, there seem to be four hypotheses. They are secret American experimental aircraft. They are advanced experimental aircraft from Russia or China. They are some sort of visual anomaly. Or they are being driven by lifeforms from another world.
The military said they are not American crafts. That excludes the first option, but only if you are sure the military would not lie about secret technology. Hmmm. Remember how the sightings seemed to switch from “flying saucers” – the subject of sci-fi books and movies – to mysterious triangular crafts about the time our military was secretly testing the stealth bombers and fighters.
Of all the possibilities, the least likely – as virtually impossible – is the space alien nonsense. This gets undeserved credibility because the military cannot PROVE they are not from outer space. Well folks … it is impossible to prove a negative. We also cannot absolutely PROVE that they are not the inventions of leprechauns.
Interestingly, virtually all the mysterious images that we see being presented by the news networks recently have been explained by scientists as natural phenomenon. I saw one such presentation only once on the news. So, why do the networks not give coverage to the explanations? I can only guess that is because debunking the sightings does not draw in the viewers.
The thing we need to keep in mind is that for all the years of sightings – and all the theories of ancient visitors from outer space – there is not one scintilla of physical evidence. Even in fictional sci-fi movies, thousands of people see the aircraft and aliens. But not in real life. Nothing.
I feel fairly confident that the only objects that “visited” our earth in the past billion years are meteorites. And they were not driven by alien beings. In the meantime, I do get a good laugh at watching those folks at the news networks trying to keep straight faces as they report on the latest round of (imagine a deep voice and ominous music) MEN FROM OUTER SPACE.
So, there ‘tis.