What Are We To Make Of The Current UFO Craze?

In case you've been living under a rock (rather than living on one; third from the sun), you've no doubt noticed that UFOs (aka UAP for unidentified aerial phenomena) has become all the rage lately. It likely stems from the recent footage, mostly released from the U.S. Navy, of some strange flying objects (nicknamed "tic tacs" by fighter pilots based on their shape) which seem to defy aerodynamics and reach speeds we can only dream of (these objects have been clocked at speeds exceeding 20,000+ miles per hour). There's even footage shot by a submarine of one diving into the ocean and coming out again.

Interest in UFOs and aliens go back thousands of years, at least based on some authors, and dozens of television shows like "Ancient Aliens" which appears on the History Channel (similar shows also appear on other channels including the Travel and Science channels), not to mention movies and pop culture. There are conventions and all sorts of associations and clubs which focus on the study of UFOs.

Some claim that Mankind is the product of these alien visitors thanks to genetic manipulation, while others claim they provided Humanity with all sorts of technology and know-how as pseudo-gods in the likeness of Prometheus or Sekhmet who, along with hundreds of other gods, gifted Humanity with fire, taught us medicine, agriculture, and smithing.  This is even true of the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam which credits a single entity rather than a pantheon of gods.  

In fact, every civilization and culture to have existed or currently exists on this rather insignificant blue and green orb floating in the backwater of a relatively small and nondescript solar system attributes their origins to those from "up there", not to mention their accomplishments or even their downfall. 

However, starting around 1933, interest, along with reported encounters with these mysterious beings, seems to have taken off. During the later stages of the war, Allied pilots used to report rapidly moving bright balls of light ("foo fighters") harassing or at least monitoring their flights over Germany which were attributed to being one of the Luftwaffe's "Wunderwaffe" or "wonder weapons". These "foo fighters" are thought of as forerunners of EMPs, or electromagnetic impulses designed to knock out a plane's electronics by way of an electrical discharge.

It was learned that after the war, German pilots were also experiencing similar contact with these mysterious balls of light, which reached speeds of over 200 mph, and had no explanation as to what they were.  Nevertheless, maybe these orbs had something to do with the Nazis after all, and the subsequent increase in UFO sightings after the war.  Here's how.

Starting with Hitler's election as Chancellor in 1933, the Nazis went all out with their rallies, thanks in large part to Nazi Architect Albert Speer, who was put in charge of the organizational and technical aspects of the party rallies. The most popular (and notable) feature was the "Cathedral of Lights", which employed 130 to 150 heavy anti-aircraft searchlights aimed straight up into the night sky to form large columns of light which were powerful enough to be seen from space on a clear night.

Each searchlight (either a type 34 or 37) used a 150 centimeter (which is just under five foot in width) highly polished parabolic glass reflector. Each emitted  990 million candelas and could see targets over three miles into the sky. They were powered by a 24 kilowatt generator, driven by a 51 horsepower 8 cylinder engine. That is a massively powerful searchlight, and to think that they were using 130 to 150 of them at any given time.

If you were an alien from other planet who just so happened to be looking our way anytime from the 1933 through 1938, it's just possible you would see a unusual---certainly not natural---focused column of lights emanating from one specific location which might peak your interest. But that wasn't all. If you were also listening, you may catch something else too.

In 1936, the Nazis hosted the Olympics in Berlin. This was "officially" billed as projecting world harmony through friendly competition as well as Germany's first major  "coming out" event and reentry into the community of nations since WWI .  For the Nazis, however, it was time to show off not just the superiority of German athletes, but how robust the economy was and all the innovations Germany had taken the lead in.

One of those innovations was the ability to broadcast the Olympic worldwide to 41 countries through an early version of television for the first time ever. Although it was broadcasted at a modest 40 MHz, it was still powerful to break through the earth's Ionosphere and into space. Hitler later used similar powerful transmitters when making several of his speeches.

So, if our voyaging alien voyeur had the technology, it's possible they could have been able to watch (or at least listen) to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. At the very minimal, they would have been able to hear Hitler's speeches as they reached into space.  Consider that for a moment.  Their first introduction to Humanity would have come from Nazi Germany and their first human image or voice belonged to Adolf Hitler. Gives new meaning to "take us to your leader"...or should it be "Der Fuehrer"?

Nevertheless, contact (or alleged contact) has been on the rise ever since. There has been countless sightings, supposed abductions (some of which can only be summed up as sexual attacks), passive attacks on military bases housing nuclear weapons, nuclear reactors, sites where there has been nuclear testing, and on nuclear powered ships. In addition, they appear to have been monitoring our space flights, be it to the moon, satellites and shuttle launches, the International Space Station, and so forth.

What's more, it isn't just us. Numerous other nations have reported similar events, ranging from Russia, China, Mexico, England, France, and just about every other technically advanced country on the planet. This is truly global. Some astrophysics have cited possible radio signals as proof of possible alien contact. 

We can't forget crop circles, which may be important messages from space. Then again, they may be nothing more than alien graffiti or more earthbound hucksters. But what about cattle mutilations which appear to be done in the dead of the night with precision skill? How do you explain those?

So, what's really going on? Is there anything to all this alien "visitors" business or is it just massive hallucination coupled with some wishful thinking and maybe some down home trickery thrown in for good measure? Could it be one big cover up by a cabal of secret groups, the military, and intelligence agencies to create a "New World Order"? If it is, it has to be the most elaborate hoax ever carried out. 

We, as a species, have been scanning the sky since our beginning. We understood early on that the stars, moon and sun could help us determine the best time to plant and harvest crops. They could help us anticipate the seasons, and even predict the weather. We saw fire, first realized as a lightning strike. It was a powerful force, which we interrupted as some great entity above us giving us both a tool and a warning of their power. We later assigned other events we experienced to new gods, and eventually, at least for those in living in Canaan, to a single god (possible carried over from the "Aton" of Egypt).  

However, with the rise of science, logic and reasoning, the power of the gods consolidated ever smaller, and eventually began to fade. It turned out that the world wasn't flat. The sun didn't revolved around us. We weren't the center of the universe; the lights in the sky weren't pinholes, angels didn't pour water down, and no one was infallible. Yet we kept looking skyward for answers. 

But what are we looking for? Is our search part of some deep innate longing to reconnect with our ancient space faring "ancestors" who planted...or abandoned...us on this rock eons ago? Some claim that earth was/is a giant laboratory  and we're the lab rats. Others claim earth is penal colony.

Given our unruliness and warlike behavior as a species, it may be a bit of both. But are we being breed for violence or servitude? Maybe, like in the Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man", we're simply being cultivated to be the "other red meat". Now, that's a scary thought isn't it?  

Interestingly, NASA recently acknowledged spending one million dollars advising the world's religions on what to expect when---not if---aliens decide to pay us a visit. It will certainly shake a lot of people's faith, not to mention weaken the hold organized religion and even government has on many of us.

Maybe we search the heavens for another reason---fear of being along in the universe. After all, we are a highly social species. We don't like being totally alone. Perhaps it's a quest to seek out someone to save us from ourselves; an intergalactic "savior" who can solve all our problems for us, both globally and individually. Instant Nirvana without really trying.

We know that we're in serious trouble, and not just locally or regionally, but globally. We are facing multiple disasters, mostly of our own making, plus a few thrown in from Mother Nature for good measure. We know that our so-called "leaders" are a bunch of super rich buffoons faking it without ever really making it. All they're doing in running a giant ponzi scheme at our expense.

In truth, they haven't a clue. They create more problems than they solve. Are we hoping that some intergalactic race will come to this planet and save our collective butts. Isn't that what some religions teach---saving the deserving few while leaving the rest to a fate of their own making?

Mankind has been looking for someone to get us out of the mess we create over and over since time immortal. We never learn from our mistakes.  In the beginning, it was "the gods"; a whole plethora of beings with the their own assigned powers, who enjoy tormenting and occasionally blessing us mere mortals.  Then it became a single deity playing good cop/bad cop. Now, we realize it was us all along.

Seeking out intelligent life in space ultimately serves to remind us of our isolation. All we have is each other, yet we squabble like spoiled children with sharp objects. We want to know there's someone out there like "ET" or a pointy ear-like "Mr. Spock" to bail us out if we go too far (I suspect they're actually badass biker types that think of humans as a bucket full of KFC thighs. They just need to find a biscuit).

Dr. Werner von Braun, the father of not just Nazi rocketry (the V1 and V2 were the world's first cruise missile and ICBM respectively), but also of NASA and our missions to the moon, was allegedly asked once where he and the other Nazis scientists who came to be part of "Operation Paperclip" came up with the technology that put Nazi technology over a generation ahead of everyone else? Supposedly Dr. Braun simply smiled, pointed up, and said "them".

Perhaps he was joking. Perhaps the event never really happened and it's just urban folklore. But, regardless, Nazi technology was decades ahead of everyone else. There was a rumored UFO crash in the Black Forest region of Germany, near Coburg, in 1936 (how they fly billions of miles through space, dodging asteroids and space debris, get here and have a wreck is beyond me). They had occult groups which actively sought out contact with aliens, and there were all sorts of weird aircraft such as a prototype of B-1 type stealth bomber, "flying disks", and, of course, "Der Glock" ("the Bell") which, if we're to believe the stories, was something of a time machine which used electromagnetic energy.

Regardless though, we won't stop until we know for sure. Perhaps our exploration of space will eventually create our own version of an alien through modified humans like Star Trek's "Borg"; individuals augmented with artificial prosthetics to enhance our strength or endurance, or compensate for a lack of gravity, couple with artificial intelligence (perhaps a merger with AI), leaving the rest of us to deal with the increase radiation resulting from a depleted ozone layer, polluted air, and synthetic foods made from who knows what (I saw the movie "Soylent Green", which takes place in 2022). Time will tell. But, as Buddha once said, "the trouble is that you think you have time". 

 

The Cathedral of Light of Nazi Rallies, 1937

Will Hitler Be the First Person Aliens See?

Why is Congress being briefed on UFOs---and what they learn?

If they're aliens in those UFOs, they must not like us

Haunebu

The master's voice

 

 

A Star Lit Night

If you ever stare up into clear night's sky, especially during the Fall, for any length of time you tend to get a sense of the magnificence of the cosmos. When you contemplate that every flickering light in the sky is a distant planet, off somewhere in the vastness of the universe; it's light already tens of millions of years old by the time it reaches our eyes, may in fact, no longer even exist. What we now see as light may be nothing more than a memory; its originator perhaps long burned out around the time of the dinosaurs, if not before. But beyond that, one gets a sense that there is a unique beauty to the cosmos; a profound order, and out of that order, an logic; an intelligence which has created a balance whereby that order can reign.

When we watch the news, we see the power and fury; the utter destruction nature can bring, yet we often fail to realize that geologically speaking, we are living in one of the earth's more quite epochs. The earth has, for most of its existence, been a far more brutal and violent place. Even our earliest ancestors who survived numerous volcanic eruptions, bitter cold and immense ice expansions, or long droughts, still lived in a rather stable climatic period.

It's really amazing that life ever evolved at all, but evolved it did. Out of the primordial muck, life developed in fits and starts, often followed by mass extinctions and new forms of life. It is almost as if Creation was experimenting with a cosmic chemistry set. In time, after countless ages, Man, or what we would consider "Man", emerged; more brute than anything. But we evolved; we changed rapidly. Man soon learned the value of mutual cooperation, be it for hunting or protection or for simple survival. We learned to think critically. We learned to analyze our environment and how to manipulate it. That's how we were able to transform the night by harnessing fire, and with fire we were able to see in the darkness. We had stolen light itself from the heavens and we no longer afraid. We made tools and used fire to refine them. We were able to cook meat, and thereby improve our quality of nutrition. That make us healthier and stronger. And we were even able to use its charcoal and smoke to create; to express ourselves outside of ourselves. No other creature had even been able to that before.

We also learned to communicate. Other animals communicated, but what made us unique is that we were able to think abstractly; to conceive ideas, and then express those ideas, and as our communication skills improved, we were soon able to retain those ideas and to pass them on, where they were kept as a community memory. Communal memory allowed us to learn from pass mistakes and to make improvements almost exponentially. It provided us with a sense of continuity. Soon, through our collective abilities to grasp concepts of cause and effect, and from that, agriculture, animal husbandry, medicine and the other sciences. By studying the stars and understanding seasonal cycles, we began to comprehend changes in weather patterns, tides, planting cycles and improve crop development.

Modern Man is some 10,000 years old. Civilization is but 5000 years old. In that time we've come up from the savannas, out of the caves, into small settlements of huts by lakes and streams, later to build ziggurats, pyramids, cannels, and dams. Our villages are now vast multi-complex hives with vast global communication networks connecting to more people in a year than existed on the entire planet a mere 5 millennia ago. We're able to prevent most diseases; to feed ourselves year round. We've examined the most finite molecules which makes up the fabric of our very existence and we've harnessed the power of the atom. We've reached back into the heavens seeking to know more, but especially needing to know if we're alone. Were we a fluke; a happenstance, or was there an intent? And if there was an intent, what is it and is there a meaning to our collective being? And if there is a meaning to our collective being, is there a unique meaning for us individually?

We've created myths and religions to try and answer those questions, for they are the ultimate questions we need to be answered as a species and individually; they are as old as Man. Many adhere to some form of belief system. They seem to derive a sense of reassurance and order. However, many do not. A few believe it's all randomness. Some think there is an intelligence, but it is barely aware of us, its creation, if at all, and in that, they gain perhaps a cold comfort. And there are those who see us a part of the whole; part of the cosmos itself and inseparable from it. For them, they see a connectedness to the very stars that flicker in the night as much as to all life around us. For them, they walk in Creation itself. This seems to be something that has engaged us since we first gazed up into the heavens all those generations ago, perhaps on a clear Fall night like this one, and wondered out loud who we really are.