Saucer Smear - Vol 52 No 07 - 2005

Magazine Overview

Title: SAUCER SMEAR
Issue Date: August 15th, 2005
Publisher: SAUCER & UNEXPLAINED CELESTIAL EVENTS RESEARCH SOCIETY
Document Type: Non-Scheduled Newsletter

This issue of "Saucer Smear" provides updates on UFO conferences, research, and various incidents, alongside book reviews and opinion pieces. The publication is dedicated to the principles of ufological journalism.

Conference and Speaker Updates

The newsletter announces the 42nd National UFO Conference, scheduled for Labor Day weekend (September 2nd - 4th) at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, California. Details can be found at www.nufoc.org or by phone. The finalized speaker list includes Richard Dolan, Nick Redfern, Linda Moulton Howe, David Sereda, Farah Yurdozu, Dr. Lynne Ketei, Greg Bishop, Terry Hansen, Grant Cameron, and Richard Sauder. A dinner/cocktail party will feature speakers Steven Basset and "Smear" editor James W. Moseley. This is the last issue before the conference.

Miscellaneous Ravings

Mary Sutherland and the Carbondale Case: The issue features an update from cartoonist Matt Graeber regarding Mary Sutherland, a Wisconsin woman prominent in ufology who sells UFO-related wares and runs a physical store. Sutherland is involved in various paranormal aspects, including the Bray Road Beast and hooded aliens. She recently re-investigated the classic 1974 Carbondale Case in Pennsylvania, where something mysterious landed in a silt pond. While some ufologists, like Graeber, believe it was a hoax (a battery-powered lantern thrown by kids), Sutherland and her colleagues believe otherwise, producing a documentary film and planning UFO conferences in Olyphant. The area is known for sightings of orbs and other phenomena, and is compared to Pine Bush, New York. One of the three kids involved in the 1974 incident has confessed to a hoax, but the others have not.

Dennis Bossack and Stanton Friedman: The newsletter discusses Dennis Bossack, who claims to be the earthly director of the top-secret Omega Agency with ties to aliens. His story is disseminated through tapes sold by him and his wife Ann. Stanton Friedman has been accused of being overly supportive of Bossack's claims, possibly due to Bossack also selling his wares. Friedman admits to knowing Bossack but states he has no commercial ties and believes Bossack has exaggerated his involvement with ET civilizations and his background, particularly his claimed degree from Columbia University Law School, which could not be verified. The publication thanks Matt Graeber for this material and requests updated information on the Bossacks. Stanton Friedman is also mentioned as having a new book, "TOP SECRET/MAJIC", published by Marlowe & Co.

CNN's Larry King Live UFO Show: A recent "Larry King Live" episode on flying saucers featured pro-UFO guests John Schuessler, Rob Swiatec, Bruce Maccabee, and Budd Hopkins, alongside anti-UFO speakers. Stanton Friedman was notably absent. Cases discussed included Roswell, the Trent photos, the Hefflin photos, the 1997 Phoenix lights, and a Mexican Air Force radar incident. The show added no new knowledge, and the editors express their belief that UFOs are a permanent part of Earth's environment, possibly from another dimension.

Paul Kimball's UFO Lists: Researcher Paul Kimball, nephew of Stanton Friedman, has compiled lists of "Ufology's Top 10" and "Ufology's Bottom 10". The "Top 10" includes Dr. Jacques Vallee, Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Stanton T. Friedman, Major Donald Keyhoe, Dr. James McDonald, Dr. Peter Sturrock, Coral Lorenzen, James W. Moseley, Richard Hall, and Philip Klass. "Bottom 10" includes Dr. Edward U. Condon, Frank Scully, Silas Newton & Leo Gebauer, "Professor" George Adamski, Dr. Steven Greer, Bob Lazar, Billy Meier, Frank Kaufman & Gerald Anderson, Philip J. Corso, Philip Klass, and Wilbert Smith. "Dishonorable mentions" include Wendelle Stevens, William Moore, Linda Moulton Cowe, Donald Schmitt, William Steinman, Howard Menger, Bill Cooper, and others. Philip Klass is on both lists due to his significant impact and his numerous 'hair-brained' explanations for UFO phenomena. James W. Moseley is on the "Top 10" list, described by Kimball as "The Court Jester' of ufology."

News Briefies

Fortean Times: Congratulations are extended to Britain's "Fortean Times" Magazine on its 200th issue.

United Flying Octogenarians: An organization in Florida consists of retired pilots who continue flying after age eighty, with the oldest being 102. The article does not state their views on UFOs.

Time Traveler Convention: Denis Corey sent an item about a "first and only time traveler convention" held at MIT. The organizers stated that no confirmed time travelers showed up.

MUFON Journal Cover Story: The July 2005 MUFON Journal features a 1992 Australian incident where a contactee allegedly had sex with a blond alien entity, resulting in hairs that DNA tests suggested could indicate hybrid aliens. The article notes that while conventional belief is that different species cannot produce offspring, ufology accepts all possibilities.

Ball Lightning in Russia: An incident occurred in Russia where ball lightning entered a cottage during a thunderstorm, exploded, and injured three men. The article mentions scientist Robert Golka's past attempts to produce artificial ball lightning.

Book Reviews

"A Flying Saucer Scrapbook" by Rick Hilberg: This soft-cover booklet contains sightings and items from the ufological past, with contributions from various authors. One illustrated case is the "Cisco Grove Encounter" from 1964 in California, involving a saucer-like object and alien humanoids. The book costs $8.00 and can be ordered from Rick Hilberg.

"Body Snatchers in the Desert: The Horrible Truth at the Heart of the Roswell Story" by Nick Redfern: Redfern claims the Roswell crash was not extraterrestrial but involved a U.S. experimental balloon with a Japanese crew. The reviewer, Karl Pflock, finds this fantasy and recommends his own book, "Roswell - Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe". Redfern is also recalled for allegedly confiscating the reviewer's film at a UFO conference party.

"Our Alien Planet: This Eerie Earth" by Timothy Green Beckley: This book, co-authored by Sean Casteel, is available for $20. It includes chapters on various paranormal topics and mentions Beckley's past UFO and ghost hunting with the "Smear" editor in the late 1960s.

Missives From The Masses

Wendy Connors: Connors thanks "Saucer Smear" for a gratis copy and objects to being included in a "Hall of Shame" list, stating her work is for the benefit of all researchers. She criticizes "Saucer Smear" as "trailer trash intellectual reading materials" and suggests it would be more relevant if delivered by pony express, calling its journalism "old news".

Curt Sutherly: Sutherly writes about a mysterious plane crash near Mobile, Alabama, in October 2002. Initially, the NTSB suggested impact with an "unknown object", but this was retracted. Sutherly believes the crash was not due to weather or pilot error and found a "serious clue" in NTSB lab analysis of debris, but the agency was unresponsive to his inquiries.

Chris Roth: Roth expresses mixed feelings about Robert Girard of Arcturus Books potentially exiting the UFO bookselling business due to online sales. He criticizes Girard's extremist racist propaganda in his own books and contrasts him with Amazon, which, despite potential ethical issues, is not seen as promoting white supremacy.

Semi-Skeptic Commentary

Christopher Allan: Allan comments on Nick Redfern's Roswell book, which he has not read but bases his remarks on an interview. Allan finds Redfern's thesis of a U.S. experimental balloon with Japanese pilots to be as "phoney" as the ET-crash theory. He notes that Redfern's informants are secondhand and lack documentation. Allan predicts the book will have an initial impact but fade, and will not lead to further official investigation.

Smiles Lewis: Lewis writes from Austin, Texas, expressing excitement about "Saucer Smear". He discusses Nick Redfern's Roswell Fugo hypothesis and its links to Unit 731 research, finding the idea credible and a potential explanation for the New Mexico events. He suspects complicity between the Military Industrial Complex and Intelligence Agencies in mind control research and "non-lethal" weapons platforms.

Martin Kottmeyer: Kottmeyer discusses a website archiving Dan Fry's "Understanding" newsletter, calling the transcription effort "mind-numbing" and a focus for "Believers". He contrasts this with the "pitiful" websites of some influential figures and notes that Phil Klass is alive but ill and no longer active in ufology.

Robert Sheaffer: Sheaffer criticizes those who misrepresent James Randi's psychic challenge, stating that Randi offers double-blind challenges and that "psychics" refuse to accept them. He argues that if a psychic could perform miracles, they could win Randi's prize, and the lack of winners suggests "psychic powers" are "Bullshit".

Editor's Notes and Cartoons

The editors note a letter from Bob Pratt about the flying saucer situation in Brazil and mention that other material has been postponed. They thank contributors. A cartoon by BALDO depicts a conversation about benevolent space aliens descending to save the world.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue reflects a generally skeptical but open-minded approach to UFO phenomena, with a particular focus on debunking or providing alternative explanations for claims, while still acknowledging the existence of unexplained events. The editors express a preference for the idea that UFOs might be a part of Earth's environment from another dimension, rather than extraterrestrial visitors. There is a consistent critique of researchers perceived as self-promoters or those making unsubstantiated claims. The publication also engages with the broader ufological community through book reviews, letters, and coverage of conferences and ongoing research.