MUFON Minnesota Journal - No 125

Magazine Overview

This issue of the Minnesota MUFON Journal, dated May/June 2007 and identified as Issue #125, is primarily focused on the upcoming 2007 MUFON Symposium and related UFO topics. The cover headline announces "The 2007 MUFON Symposium" and the issue features a listing of articles and their page numbers.

The 2007 MUFON Symposium

This section, written by Dick Moss, MN MUFON State Director, details the speakers and their credentials for the 38th Annual MUFON International UFO Symposium to be held in Denver from August 10-12. The article emphasizes the importance of speaker qualifications for attendees.

• John Greenewald: Emcee, founder of The Black Vault website with over 400,000 pages of declassified government documents, and a TV producer for History, Discovery, and National Geographic Channels.
• Stanton Friedman: Physicist with degrees from the University of Chicago, experience with major aerospace companies (GE, GM, Westinghouse, TRW, Aerojet General Nucleonics, McDonnell Douglas), author of eighty UFO papers and two books, and a frequent radio/TV guest. He will lecture on "60 Years of Roswell."
• Kathleen Marden: Will speak on new evidence concerning the Betty and Barney Hill Case, a simultaneous abduction in 1961. She co-authored the book "Captured!" with Stanton Friedman and is the niece of Betty Hill.
• Michael Nelson: Will present new information on the April 17, 1966, Portage County, Ohio UFO chase, where police encountered a structured UFO that engaged in a cat-and-mouse game before hovering and emitting a humming sound. The Air Force identified it as a satellite.
• Colonel Robert Salas: Will discuss an incident at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, in 1967, where UFOs were observed flying over a Minuteman Launch Facility, followed by missile shutdowns. He will present this as a potentially deliberate episode.
• Richard Dolan: Will explain "Why the ET Presence on Earth is Revolutionary." He has written a book, "UFOs and the National Security State," and is writing a follow-up book.
• Timothy Good: A former violinist with the London Symphony, he has investigated UFOs and was the first western ufologist interviewed on Russian television. He has written seven books on UFOs and consulted for Congressional investigations.
• Robert and Ryan Wood: Will conduct a workshop on MJ12, promoting their website www.majesticdocuments.com and Ryan's book "Majic Eyes Only," which covers 74 alleged UFO crash/retrievals.
• Dr. Rudy Schild: An astronomer at Harvard, his presentation "The University Community Response to UFO Research" will discuss how new astrophysical findings and unexplained phenomena challenge current physical theory, with confirmed facts found in reports from those who claim to have encountered extraterrestrial entities.
• Brad Sparks: Cofounder of Citizens Against UFO Secrecy, his presentation is "Startling New Revelations on the Origins of MJ-12."
• Sam Maranto: Focuses on mass sighting cases, noting that 70,000 UFO sightings occur annually. His topic is "The O'Hare Airport and Tinley Park Sightings."
• The symposium concludes with a Speaker's Panel Q&A.

Censorship of Ethical Extraterrestrial Intelligences

Compiled by Jim Marrs, this article suggests that UFOs, with their advanced technology, were perceived as a threat to U.S. and allied defense systems and to monopolies in energy, medicine, basic resources, and telecommunications. The author argues that suppressing the perception of UFOs was necessary for the "highest rulers of Western society" to maintain the status quo and prevent the public from questioning conventional politics, foreign policy, organized religion, and multinational corporate business.

The CE4 Corner

Authored by Craig R. Lang, this section discusses "Notes from the Coast..." following his appearance on the Coast to Coast radio show. He notes that many callers describe their own close encounter events, highlighting dual themes of consistency and variety. Common themes include missing time, UFO sightings, a continuous thread of the unexplained, emergence of psychic abilities, personal challenges, and simultaneous feelings of fear and attraction. Lang also notes that while some experiencers describe positive encounters, others report a darker underside of fear and hidden evil. He emphasizes the importance of finding understanding and the knowledge that "you are not alone."

Differences in accounts include varied descriptions of beings (humanoid, hybrids, Nordics, Pleiadeans, insectoid, reptilian) and alien agendas, often described as reproductive, with new-age and environmental themes. Lang acknowledges the diversity of the universe and the difficulty in understanding alien origins.

Major Discovery: New Planet Could Harbor Water and Life

This article by Ker Than reports on the discovery of an Earth-like planet, Gliese 581 C, located outside our solar system. It is the first planet found that could support liquid water and potentially harbor life. The planet is about 50 percent bigger than Earth and five times more massive, orbiting a red dwarf star 20.5 light-years away. Scientists used the HARP instrument on the European Southern Observatory's telescope in Chile to detect the planet via the radial velocity or "wobble" technique. The planet's estimated mean temperature is between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius, allowing for liquid water. Astronomers like David Charbonneau, David Latham, Alan Boss, and Seth Shostak from Harvard-Smithsonian CfA and the SETI Institute comment on the discovery's significance and future research possibilities, including using the Allen Telescope Array.

The Other Side of Truth

By Paul Kimball, this article reviews the documentary "Best Evidence," which examines 10 significant UFO cases. Kimball notes that the film focuses on real evidence and avoids sensationalism, featuring interviews with researchers like Dick Hall, Nick Pope, Stan Friedman, Bruce Maccabee, Mac Tonnies, Don Ledger, and Brad Sparks, as well as witnesses like Colonel Charles Halt and Captain Robert Salas.

Possible alien stone found near Seattle

This report details research engineer Bill Beaty's plan to test a piece of stone believed to have fallen from an alien spacecraft 60 years ago. The stone is described as a black chunk of rock with bubbles, potentially indicating it was once liquid. The story originated from a 1947 incident involving flying saucers and a government employee's sighting.

France opens secret UFO files covering 50 years

This article reports that France has become the first country to open its UFO files, unveiling a website with over 1,600 sightings cataloged over five decades. Jacques Patenet, head of the study of "non-identified aerospatial phenomena" (OVNIs), stated that nearly 25 percent of the cases are unexplained. An example cited is a 1981 incident in Trans-en-Provence involving a saucer-like object that landed, leaving burn marks. The article also mentions that while the government has no proof of extraterrestrials, it also has no proof against it.

TED PHILLIPS

By William I. McNeff, this piece profiles Ted Phillips, a researcher of UFO physical trace cases. Phillips returned to UFO research after a hiatus, having worked with J. Allen Hynek. He has studied 3189 physical trace cases, including landing sites characterized by burning, depression, or dehydration. A significant case he is investigating involves a cave in Slovakia and Poland, the "Cave of the Half-Moon," where remains of a 6,000-year-old cave bear, a metal grill, and a possible turbine artifact were found, suggesting extraterrestrial technology. Phillips also discusses the Socorro, NM case, which influenced J. Allen Hynek's views on UFOs.

What Do You Do with a Strange Encounter?

Authored by Lisa A. Shiel, this article discusses how researchers should approach strange encounters, using the example of an Ohio woman's encounter with a white Bigfoot that involved missing time. Shiel outlines three options for assessing a witness: crazy, lying, or truthful, emphasizing the need for objective investigation and willingness to state conclusions despite potential error.

Public Believes Governments Suppressing Evidence of Extraterrestrial Visitation

This report summarizes an online survey conducted by the Hawaii-based Exopolitics Institute. Key findings include that 85% of respondents believe extraterrestrials are visiting Earth, 86% believe governments are covering up information, and 73% would be excited by an official announcement. Almost 62% opposed developing space weapons against extraterrestrials, and over 85% wished for extraterrestrials to prove their existence.

Annual UFO Survey Records 736 Reported Sightings Across Canada Last Year

This article from The Brooks Bulletin reports on Chris Rutkowski's annual Canadian UFO Survey, which recorded 736 sightings in the past year, the third-largest number in 17 years. While acknowledging that most sightings are of strange lights and close encounters are rare, Rutkowski states that the phenomenon persists beyond media influence. The article notes that British Columbia and Ontario had the highest number of cases, while Saskatchewan posted a record 98 sightings, with the Maidstone area being a hotspot. It also mentions a mysterious V-shaped object sighting over Newfoundland and a cluster of lights reported near North Bay, Ontario.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around UFO phenomena, extraterrestrial contact, and the scientific and governmental responses to these subjects. The magazine appears to adopt a stance that encourages open investigation and discussion of UFOs, presenting various perspectives from researchers, witnesses, and scientists. There is a clear interest in the 2007 MUFON Symposium as a platform for sharing information and credentials. The articles also touch upon the potential for life beyond Earth with the discovery of Gliese 581 C, and the public's desire for transparency regarding government knowledge of extraterrestrial visitation. The editorial stance seems to be one of promoting serious inquiry into these complex topics, while acknowledging the challenges and controversies within the field of ufology.

This issue of the Minnesota MUFON Journal, dated May 2, 2007, focuses on government policies related to information and potential extraterrestrial threats, alongside a local UFO sighting. The journal is published by MUFON and is available for free as a PDF.

Army Clamps Down with New OPSEC Policy

The lead article, "ARMY CLAMPS DOWN WITH NEW OPSEC POLICY," by SECRECY NEWS, reports on a new U.S. Army regulation that significantly restricts soldiers' ability to participate in public life without superior officer authorization. The regulation defines attempts by unauthorized persons to solicit critical or sensitive information as "Subversion and Espionage Directed Against the U.S. Army (SAEDA)." "Sensitive" information is broadly defined to include not only military operations and technologies but also documents marked "For Official Use Only" (FOUO), which are often exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The article suggests that inquisitive members of the press or public pursuing FOUO records might be viewed as enemies of the United States. It criticizes the regulation for conflating OPSEC (defense against adversaries) with FOIA restrictions (public access to information). The regulation appears to use OPSEC procedures to control access to pre-decisional documents, copyrighted material, and other FOIA-exempt records. A copy of the regulation, dated April 19, was obtained by Wired News.

Taken at face value, the regulation could end military blogging and severely curtail public participation by soldiers, imposing a non-discretionary pre-publication review requirement. The article cites Noah Shachtman's report in "Danger Room" about the potential impact on "G.I. Blogs." The terms of the regulation are described as expansive, creating numerous opportunities for violations. An example is given of the Army's own 1st Information Operations Command posting a briefing on "OPSEC in the Blogosphere" marked "For Official Use Only."

How to Prepare for Alien Invasion

Another article, "How to prepare for alien invasion" by Scott Hillis (Reuters, April 25, 2007), discusses the work of Travis Taylor and Bob Boan, authors of "An Introduction to Planetary Defense." They propose that humanity should prepare for a potential alien invasion.

Taylor, who holds advanced degrees in astronomy and physics and has consulted for the Defense Department and NASA, and Boan, have written a primer on planetary defense. Their book is published by BrownWalker Press, known for fringe topics. Taylor acknowledges that alien invasion is not a mainstream concern but argues it is naive to assume advanced beings would not engage in war.

The article delves into two key issues in the debate about extraterrestrial life: Drake's Equation and Fermi's Paradox. Taylor and Boan's analysis, using conservative estimates such as aliens not traveling faster than 10 percent of the speed of light, suggests that the Milky Way galaxy could harbor thousands of intelligent alien species, with a high probability that one or two visit Earth every century.

They propose a solution to Fermi's Paradox (why haven't we heard from aliens if they are numerous?) by suggesting that even with advanced technology, exploring all star systems would take millions of years, and aliens may simply not have reached our region of the galaxy yet.

The concept of "Mujahideen-Style Resistance" emerged from a 2001 discussion about defending against terrorist attacks. Taylor suggests that if attacked by aliens, Americans might need to create an insurgency, using improvised weapons and hit-and-run tactics, similar to how Islamic extremists have battled U.S. forces.

Local UFO Report

A local UFO report from Bemidji, MN, details an event on April 15, 2007. The witness and friends observed a red light flashing on an object in the sky that was orange or looked like a car light with a red light blinking underneath. They determined it was triangular and watched it slowly fade away. The witness expressed amazement and stated it was "interesting" and "amazing."

Minnesota MUFON Information

The issue also provides contact information for Minnesota MUFON, including State Director Richard Moss, Assistant State Director Bill McNeff, and Journal Editor Joel Henry. It lists contact details for the MUFON Web Page, MUFONET, and the National MUFON Hotline. Information is provided on how to subscribe to the free Minnesota MUFON Journal (MMJ) PDF publication.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around government control of information (OPSEC policy), preparedness for existential threats (alien invasion), and the ongoing investigation of unexplained phenomena (UFO sightings). The editorial stance appears to be one of vigilance regarding government overreach in information control and a serious consideration of potential extraterrestrial contact and defense, supported by reports from scientific and ufological communities.