UFOs in the clouds

Agent J, New York, New York — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 22:20:48 GMT

Hold still.

<FLASH!>

The thing over O'Hare airport was just the planet Venus reflecting off of swamp gas.

UFOs in the clouds

Bob C., Weymouth, Mass. — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 22:25:41 GMT

I see nothing unusual about a UFO at O'Hare Airport. I don't know where it came from, and I don't know where it's going to, nor do I really care all that much. It probably just had to go thru Chicago to get there. Who hasn't? Good thing it wasn't Denver!

UFOs in the clouds

Mike E — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 22:51:17 GMT

do some research on the galactic federation and the mayan calender. time to wake up people!

UFOs in the clouds

John Doe — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:04:31 GMT

I think it was a flock of seaguls in a strong headwind going nowhere fast - than oh my god, they got sucked up into the clouds. Get with it folks- big brother controls everything- even this website :)

UFOs in the clouds

John Doe, Seattle, WA — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:07:12 GMT

Lenticular clouds? Lenticular clouds are formed over mountain peaks. Where is there a mountain peak at O'Hare field?

UFOs in the clouds

john doe,colorado springs — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:32:08 GMT

to bob c we have the best weather in usa

UFOs in the clouds

Alan Boyle — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:32:36 GMT

Thanks, John Doe: I don't mean to use lenticular clouds as an explanation for the O'Hare incident ... I bring that up only to illustrate that clouds can do very weird things (and in fact, some of the examples on that page are of other types of clouds ... believe me, they don't have mountain peaks in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, either).

Personally, I favor the vortex explanation, with a positive-negative perceptual image reversal explaining why people saw a rounded disk rather than a dark depression in the cloud cover. But of course I'm basing that purely on secondhand descriptions of the phenomenon. The fact that the phenomenon is very much tied up with the cloud ceiling (at first, the disk was perceived as hovering just below the cloud cover, then ascending through it, leaving a hole behind) really makes me suspect that there's an atmospheric cause.

Of course, that's the establishment view ... which would be expected if I were part of the "conspiracy."

http://www.enterprisemission.com/tension.htm

By the way, here's a link to a page about polar vortices on Saturn and Venus:

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/
Venus_Express/SEMDGJC4VUE_0.html

UFOs in the clouds

Joe Doe — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:36:15 GMT

I did it. I did it just like those guys that did all the crop circle hoax's. I just used some boards strapped to my feet when I was flying my invisible stealth ultralight through O'Hare's airspace.

I'm sorry ... I promise not to do it again this week.

UFOs in the clouds

the english guy — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:46:38 GMT

Where's the pictures? Of all the people there, visitors, tourists etc., no-one had the foresight to photograph this phenomenon?

UFOs in the clouds

SCOTT A. - LEVITTOWN,PA. — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:49:40 GMT

MAYBE THEY CAME FOR BRITTNEY, ROSEY, TRUMP, T.O. AND EVERY OTHER IDIOT THAT MADE NEWS THIS YEAR FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING SPECIAL. HOPE THEY COME BACK... THEY FORGOT SOME PEOPLE

UFOs in the clouds

John Doe's brother,Blue Eye,MO. — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:51:14 GMT

who wouldn't want to get as far away from O'Hare as possible ? It's become a nightmare and the city wants to annex land and make it larger.

UFOs in the clouds

anne/Omaha, Ne — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:52:54 GMT

Is there a UFO hub. I heard they have some great prices coming up on 1-way tickets

UFOs in the clouds

L. Wilson Morgantown WV — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:56:17 GMT

What if it was just a UFO? And why is the Gov't still trying to cover it up?

UFOs in the clouds

Bill Venice Fla — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:57:30 GMT

I am a believer in UFO's etc, but what occurs to me is with the technology we have and all of the "real-time" videos we see from cell phones or cams, why is it that there are NO real-time photos or videos of these many so called Sightings? I would love more then anyone to see some sort of proof but you sure see live plane crashes, murders, police brutality but WHY NO UFO's?? come on.

UFOs in the clouds

D.J., San Diego, CA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:00:55 GMT

50 years ago, my family was driving home on a rather deserted highway in northern California and we saw what appeared to be 3 large, bright stars in a triangle formation. Knowing there was no such thing, we watched. They soon spread out and became 6 craft. We stopped and watched them. One of them came close enough to see "windows" with light coming inside. It was noiseless, so, even though it hovered over us, we knew it wasn't a helicopter. Then, they all made right-angle turns and shot away, quickly disappearing. For years I thought it was a UFO. Still do, though as defined, "UNIDENTIFIED" but not other-worldly. I think the government tests aircraft all the time that they don't want us to know about for whatever reason. Example, my dad saw the stealth bomber over the Nevada desert 20 years before the military unveiled it. No, maw, it ain't Martians, it's US.

UFOs in the clouds

carl duke,jacksonville,fl. — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:05:57 GMT

one never really knows..do you??

UFOs in the clouds

Some place ... AZ — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:07:14 GMT

Well, it must be that none of you are familiar with circular wing plasma drive airships.. Wake up people...

UFOs in the clouds

Joe Willy, La Parita, Texas — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:07:20 GMT

What if there really is something out there that we cannot explain? Are we prepared for the worst?

UFOs in the clouds

Lance F, Phoenix, Ariz — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:08:41 GMT

Well said, Agent J.
I consider myself a "skeptic" when it comes to individual UFO reports. Many are false, perpetrated by morons, and some are the result of honest witnesses fooled by an optical illusion. But there are a select few that defy every explanation other than the most simple one - that we are being visited.

UFOs in the clouds

JANE DOE — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:08:55 GMT

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS ARE ACTUALLY LAUGHING ABOUT THIS. I FOR ONE DO BELIEVE THERE IS SOMETHING GREATER IN OUR UNIVERSE. I DO HOPE THERE IS OTHER INTELLIGENT LIFE OUT THERE. WE HAVE ONLY TWO OPTIONS FOR ESCAPE FROM THIS PLANET. ONE IS RESTING WITH WORMS THROUGH ETERNITY OR POSSIBLE PEACE WITHIN THIS UNIVERSE OF OURS. SO WHICH IS IT, BOYS. WORMS OR STARS.

UFOs in the clouds

Ralph- Littleton, CO. — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:09:15 GMT

Clouds? maybe, maybe not. If they were visitors from elsewhere they probably left because their connecting flight from Denver was cancelled, or the airport food in O'Hare is way over-priced. I have some great stills of something over the Rockies that is very convincing as a U.F.O. and still don't know what it was. One frame it was there the next 2 it was not.

(Look just above hills near the center of the pic)

http://www.dripnot.net/redskies/whatisthat.jpg

As far as counter-rotating wake vortices from aircraft, they do not go straight up into the clouds, they spin off the tips of the wings and travel out and downwards, not up. Most pilots and aircraft personnel do not like to report anything they see related to you-know-what as they fear for their jobs. Can you blame them?

UFOs in the clouds

Jimmi the shimmy ,Seattle Wa — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:10:32 GMT

I hope they come back since my aluminum foil sales have skyrocketed. Remember to not only make a space commander hat but also wrap your wrists and ankles.

UFOs in the clouds

MJ Portland,Oregon — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:17:01 GMT

At least they probably had food on their flights !!

UFOs in the clouds

George, Orlando, Florida — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:17:02 GMT

It makes sense to me that an alien spacecraft would travel across the galaxy, slip into Earth's atmosphere unobserved, hover over an airport for 10 minutes or so and then accelerate violently. I mean, if you travelled that far, you'd want to show off a little, right? What else is there to do on this planet... watch the glaciers melt?

UFOs in the clouds

Dean Adams, Boston — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:21:04 GMT

Any journalist that can use The Google can find out in 30 minutes that some UFOs can only be alien spacecraft. That is, is you are a REAL journalist. Listening to the likes of James Oberg immediately disqualifies you from that category Alan :) but seriously, you need to read 'Stupid Skeptic Trics' http://tinyurl.com/y4bely and The ETH by Brian Zeiler: http://tinyurl.com/y7lsed . James Oberg is very familiar with Brian Zeiler, from running battles on USENET in the mid 1990's where all UFO Skeptic arguemts were finally put to rest. Sadly, asking a busy journalist to track down these seminal writings is like asking water to flow up Niagara; they are just too busy with other more important stuff. You can start with Brian's ETH, and then search in Google Groups yourself.

Finally, it is worth your while to look at The COMETA report, which was produced by the French government and widely published and read in France. If you can't take that rather disturbing and well produced report seriously, then really, go back to sleep.

The fact of the matter is the UFOs are real, some of them are alien spacecraft, and neither of those facts means anything to anyone, because there is nothing that we can do about them on any level. We never have been able to do anything about them and probably won't be able to for a very very long time.

UFOs in the clouds

John Reay, El Dorado, CA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:22:28 GMT

Cool !!!

UFOs in the clouds

Eco Author Chris Eldridge — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:25:25 GMT

“If a visitor arrived from another world, what excuse would we give for our poor stewardship of the world (Dr. Carl Sagan)…?” Although I believe that other intelligent life exist in our galaxy, I definitely draw the line at UFOs. You have to ask yourself “for what reason would such advanced beings be “hot-rodding” around our suburban skies?” Almost anything they would need to know can be learned from orbit. I also find all the talk about butchered cattle and human experiments hard to swallow. A mere skin cell would be all they need to read or clone from.

As always, the lack of physical evidence is not evidence and I don’t think the government could suppress the supposed “wealth” of evidence in ALL countries. Conspiracy is one thing but that’s just not realistic! If aliens really wanted to make themselves known, why they just don’t land on the Washington mall? Such possibilities also create inconsistencies in a conspiracy argument.

Personnally, I’d rather think of the "hows" and "whys" a real contact would occure rather than just assume its being surpressed. Since it is possible to detect earth-like planets from great distances, I would buy an argument that alien races have known about Earth for millions of years and that they may have even visited us. Learning is a pre-requisite of intelligent life and I don’t think they could just ignore a world as beautiful as our own.

Science fiction writers have long speculated about “non-interference” directives, which I do think holds merit, but why? If you think about it, interfering (even just a little with a technology transfer, we’ll say) would disrupt evolution. In essence, there is no guarantee that humans will survive. Not only do we pollute and fight wars, we have no asteroid defenses and are still vulnerable to disease. Who’s to say what new and better life forms would emerge if we were to die off. However, with a little effort, we might become just advanced enough that we are no longer vulnerable to extinction. If this were to really happen, we would (in essence) become “those who speak for Earth:” an advanced race that is in control of its own destiny. At this point, why not initiate contact? It no longer would do any harm from the natural course of events.

UFOs in the clouds

TK, Louisville, KY — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:31:06 GMT

Lenticular clouds, an airplane's wake, smoke rings--3 different things that do not combine into one. Quit throwing up whatever you think will stick. And why can't the FAA ever simply say, "We weren't there, so we don't know?" How can they always have an answer even though they're not present?

UFOs in the clouds

Carrie, Roanoke, Virginia — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:32:11 GMT

How can so many people believe in aliens but not God? We can believe in little green men in space ships but not the Bible...that's so sad.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim, Dallas, TX — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:36:43 GMT

I enjoy reading your blog. I agree the best natural explanation would be a dark vapor cloud lifted by an updraft or vortex (which might give it spin and shape). But I also believe the observers didn't think it was a cloud, since several watched it for an extended duration, before it moved up at a rapid rate.

UFOs in the clouds

Buttonboy — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:37:43 GMT

Maybe UFOS do exist, my wife and I were traveling in New Mexico 4 years ago and at 10:30 am on Hwy 25 there was a small hill top that started to haze up with some type of smoke and all of a sudden a beam of light shot straight to the Sky, my wife has always believed in UFOS and I always had my doubts but after that event and this I'm kinda convinced......

UFOs in the clouds

Dean Adams, Boston — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:39:25 GMT

Eldridge: this is exactly the sort of drivel that Skeptics roll out when they are confronted by facts that they dont like. You have to deal with the FACTS of this sighting, and all other irrefutable sightings (like the Wallonia Triangle sightings confirmed by the Belgian Air force to be inexplicable, and certainly not man made cract: http://tinyurl.com/ygvx4w ) instead of dancing a jig around the subject.

Opinions are interesting, but they are compelling when you address the FACTS and give us insights into what these things might be. Anything else is just adhering to the tired and discredited dogma of the Skeptics. [...]

UFOs in the clouds

Alan Boyle — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:44:04 GMT

Buttonboy, your description reminds me of how astronomers use laser guide stars to "focus" adaptive optics telescopes. Here's a link to some information about the guide-star system for the National Solar Observatory's Vacuum Tower Telescope on Sacramento Peak in New Mexico:

http://astro.uchicago.edu/chaos/sac_peak_laser.html

... And here's a watermarked pic of the Starfire Optical Range at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, N.M.:

http://content.barewalls.com/closeup/n110624897c.jpg

UFOs in the clouds

Marshall the soon-to-be Martian, Columbia, SC — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:45:28 GMT

If it was aliens in a UFO, I wish they would take me. I want off this violent, hate-filled, war-plagued planet. Beam me up Scotty!

UFOs in the clouds

thomas lewis,palmcoast,florida — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:48:37 GMT

the police dept can afford real time video,considering the amount of passengers who fly,lets see the near misses and other safety related issues brought to light,as a bonus, maybe we can finally have a answer to who or what is sharing are airspace with us.

UFOs in the clouds

Jonathon DeNike, Ann Arbor, Michigan — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:48:53 GMT

My personal take on the whole "UFO" phenomenon:

Our government is perfectly happy to have people believe that all of the UFOs out there are "alien spacecraft" - and NOT our own. That is, our own experimental devices. Gee, I'm just certain that no earthly aerospace engineer has EVER thought of a saucer-shaped aircraft, perhaps powered by a central turbofan engine, and CERTAINLY not powered by a nuclear reactor (or some other exotic technology developed by the Lockheed Skunk Works, etc.). Can you say DARPA? Your average citizen would pay far less attention to a bunch of fringe-types harping on about aliens than someone who says, "Hey, I just saw an experimental military aircraft!"

C'mon, people, the military was testing saucer-shaped aircraft way back in World War II (I've seen official footage on the History Channel's "Secret Aircraft of WWII"). And the reason that they have tested a LOT of them at "Area 51" (at the Nevada Test Site, where over 900 nuclear weapons were detonated) is so they don't crash in an area where civilians would get poisoned by radioactive debris from the nuclear reactor powering the craft.

Anyone out there care to argue with me?

UFOs in the clouds

Fellow Christian, Hudsonville MI — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:50:12 GMT

Carrie,

Perhaps many people believe only what they see. That is why so many people believe in UFOs - because they have seen them. It is sad that so many people do not believe in God, but that is a poor comparison. It's possible that little green men and God are BOTH real!!!

UFOs in the clouds

Mike Hogan — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:52:06 GMT

No one wants to believe in alien travelers as much as I do. However, it comes down to this: If somehow some intelligence were able to overcome the off-the-charts distance problem then, well, I think they would have nothing to fear from us and their presence would be obvious and there would be ZERO doubt. Right now UFO's are pure conjecture.

UFOs in the clouds

Captain David, Milwaukee, WI — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:54:28 GMT

I'm a pilot of a light twin and live just North of Chicago area. What I can't figure out is how an alien could figure out the FAA's arrival reservation system at ORD. Maybe they realized too late thay were in class B airspace and made a quick exit before needing a lawyer!

UFOs in the clouds

Jim Coppock — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:55:56 GMT

Practically everyone here seemingly subscribes to the Illuminati theory, only now they have simply added UFOs from another planet. Perhaps it's an Alien Illuminati, eh? This is the reason that the "gods" were thought to exist for untold millenia, for anything which our ancestors could not explain must be of God.

Now of course, in our advanced technological age, "Simplistico" simply replaces God with aliens to make sense of his or her world. "God can't possibly exist," says Simplistico, patting himself on the back for being so much more intellectual and enlightened than his forebearers, "therefore it must be aliens."

Give me a break. Where has rationality and reason fled? There are no aliens among us. Jung would find your shared experiences very enlightening...

UFOs in the clouds

Jonathon DeNike, Ann Arbor, Michigan — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:04:31 GMT

Chris Eldridge makes a very good point. If alien beings have the technological ability to travel interstellar distances - which I don't think most people are aware how HUGE they are (1 light-year = about 6,000,000,000,000 miles) - why would we be able to see them AT ALL? After all, we use blinds and scents to conceal us for observation of birds and hunting game animals. If they can travel TRILLIONS of miles to come visit us, wouldn't they have the technology to remain COMPLETELY INVISIBLE while they observe us??? Or do we assume that their only technological advance is cosmic speed, and otherwise they're just like us, their spacecraft break down and crash or run out of gas or their stealth shield is on the fritz and oooops, we can see them...?

UFOs in the clouds

two-cam holland,mi. — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:06:01 GMT

My My So Much Knowledge yet so little intelligence. To think man is so intelligent yet so little knowledge. My My.

UFOs in the clouds

Eric, Atlanta, Georgia — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:17:44 GMT

The Government keeps on denying UFOs are real. They know as long as they say "oh it was simply a weird weather phenomena" the media will lose interest and believe that's all it was. True, some UFOs are weather phenomena, but not when trained pilots see a UFO hovering over an airport then it shoots up into the clouds. Wake up people! And I'm glad MSNBC is covering this subject. That takes guts these days. Perhaps people are starting to wake up to the reality that the Government has been covering all of this up for the past 50+ years...

UFOs in the clouds

Gary Motts, Columbia, SC — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:21:39 GMT

To produce evidence of UFO existence we must use detection devices that measure spectrums of radiations that are beyond normal radio and radar frequency ranges. "Stealthing" technologies are common, by other extra-technologies... recommend scanning for quantum signatures, e.g. gravitational ripples...

UFOs in the clouds

Dean Adams, Boston — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:27:59 GMT

Johnathan: your ideas about distance are Euclidean and ratther backwards. In the days of the early exploration of the Americas, no one could understand how it would be possible to cross the Atlantic in 5 hours, let alone in a heavier than air machine, and yet, you and everyone else on earht accepts it as totally 'normal'. Your ideas about space are simply wrong, and UFOs prove that. As for their being able to travel invisibly, they can actually do that, as can be seen in the infrared footage in this lecture: http://tinyurl.com/yhbd37.

My advice to you is to use The Google, and to not waste your time asking childish rhetorical questions. It's just a suggestion.

Johnathon: UFOs the size of football fields can hover silently, and manouvre like jet aircraft using the same method of propulsion. There is nothing that man can make that can do this; to understand this is to get to grips with the thinking that forces honest people to come to the conclusion that some UFOs are of non human manufacture. The Hudson Valley chevron cases are of this nature; huge objects hovering silently in a way that no man made craft can.

Of course, there are the ignorant who say that the B1 Spirit is chevron shaped, so, these must be misidentified Stealth Bombers. Even journalists dare to print this. What they fail to understand is that the Stealth Bomber is a VERY LOUD JET AIRCRAFT, that CANNOT HOVER. Once again, all of this becomes very interesting when you take the facts into account, and try and come up with an explanation that fits the evidence. Everything else, is just tiresome nonsense.

You have to explain what trained professionals, like those at O'Hare and those in the Belgian Air Force saw, without embellishment, without deviation and without fear. That's a hard thing to do, and as you can see from all the jokey ostrich posturing comments here, it's a very disturbing prospect.

What if Aliens really ARE able to observe us anywhere and at any time? It means that the illusion of security you have is just that; an ILLUSION, and it also means that many of the other things you believe are simply not true.

Thats a bitter pill to swallow, and its why people laugh nervously and tell jokes about serious sightings like this, whose implications are obvious and terrifying.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim Coppock — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:28:49 GMT

Great point, Jonathon DeNike.

Additionally, if aliens (lol) even could travel at the blink of an eye across the galaxy and visited one planet per second, it would take millions of years just to visit all of the estimated planets in our galaxy alone. This assumes, of course, that they could also stop for a 1-second visit and fully analyze all of the planet's biodiversity, etc, before moving on to the next world.

What, then, are the odds of them having just discovered our species which has evolved over the last 200,000 years and to have known in that 1-second observation that we were worth coming back to visit?

Think about this, all the Simplisticos out here, what are the mathematical odds of another advanced alien species ever finding us just as we evolved. All of the technological and cultural advances in the Universe would not have prepared any alien species to visit every planet in our galaxy in just a few million years. Aren't the odds astronomical that they would have just happened upon our planet just in time to find us?

Believe me, the source of these sightings smack more of Pentagon than anything else.

UFOs in the clouds

John J. Corbin, Fort Worth, Texas — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:29:49 GMT

Having followed the sporadic and ephemeral news reporting of these UFO sightings over many years, I am reminded of the Star Trek Next Generation episode "First Contact" wherein the government leader Durken comments that the tales of alien visitation would be told over the years and be accompanied by "charges of a government cover-up...some of the witnesses will tell their tales and most people will laugh at them and go back and watch more interesting fiction on the daily broadcasts. It will pass."

UFOs in the clouds

frank , levittown ny — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:41:28 GMT

get this story on the news and cable talk shows and leave it there as if it were o.j. hovering over hangar c . the overall health and well being of the viewing public can only improve, after being bombarded with bushes and hangings and drive by shootings and iraq and the rest . give us a break , even if it is just a good laugh !!

UFOs in the clouds

Thomas Ashby, Calgary — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:42:45 GMT

Why can't these things happen over my house?

UFOs in the clouds

a dingo ate the baby, Livonia, MI — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:45:50 GMT

personally, I lean toward travellers from a different time rather than place - a raison d'etre for repeated visits, though some intervention might be nice to help us, y'know, not totally destroy the place for future generations...

UFOs in the clouds

planetmind, california — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:46:24 GMT

hey dont make too complicate people reality is only a base for the future living in the future eheh look if you think that in the next 20 years we gonna have amazing progress ... lets make the point lets say that man someday in the not far future could get invisible or be a time traveller well lets say all this could be possible in the year of 2300 no? ok in 2500? no? ok in 2600 ? well not matter when we ll be they are able to travel time and be invisible eheh whats the point ? up to your fantasy. are we real? is the government real is the government already in the future its the crime real its the war real no guess should i guess only one guess wake up people

UFOs in the clouds

A realist, United states — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:47:34 GMT

these crafts were written of long ago in the bible. get ready for more will come. i wonder how many are mentally prepared ? unfortunately those that will be flying them will not be soft fluffy winged back angels, but rather the evil angels disguised as ministers of God, coming in peacefully and prosporously.

UFOs in the clouds

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:54:45 GMT

Thanks Jonathon! To further your point, some writer once noted that nothing beats alien stealth like the potential for probes being smaller than grains of sand. Even we can manipulate atoms, which makes it possible to build something even as intricate as a mainframe computer smaller than what can be seen.

We can also very much assume that if they can travel all that great distance to get here, they don't need anything from us. An alien invasion? For what? They could easily tap an asteroid for any raw materials they'd need much as we may do someday soon.

UFOs in the clouds

Patrick Coyle, Seale, AL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:56:01 GMT

UFO - Unidentified Flying Object, not aliens, not weather, not sundogs. UNIDENTIFIED. We do not know what it is. Since Blue Book there have been a variable small number of sightings of aerial phenomena that could not be explained. What are they? I don't know, nor do a wide variety of experts.

Should they continue to be investigated? Absolutely. Should they be assigned to fringe science? NO. The studying and understanding of observed phenomenon is what science is all about.

Let's not yell and scream and shout at each other like a bunch of children.

UFOs in the clouds

Colleen, Nashville, TN — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:58:01 GMT

How naive to think that we are the only ones out there. Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it isn't there.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim Coppock — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:07:12 GMT

Colleen...

Allow me to ask you this: how mush hubris does it take to think that everything in the Universe revolves around the human species? First, humans believe all of the heavens and the gods revolved around us, then we Westerners believed that all of the world revolves around us, now we believe we are the center of alien entertainment and delight.

How self-centered and anthrocentric is that argument? Is there anything that doesn't revolve around US?

UFOs in the clouds

warren chamberlain — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:07:29 GMT

my name is warren chamberlain i live in a little town in nj i took a pic of a silver thing that left a trail but it was like swerlling up an down and i took a pic of the craft do not know what it was but wish some one will look at in i live in keyport nj the police were called and they can get in touch with me

UFOs in the clouds

Chuck Davis — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:14:49 GMT

I really don't see how a cloud can appear to look metallic. In my lifetime, I've never seen anything that even approximates to a metallic object formed by a cloud. That explanation does not ring true. We also need to consider the possibility of intelligent life in our universe, much more advanced than ours. Remember, compared to other solar systems, ours is barely in a teenager. There are other planets and systems older than ours. I wonder if all of these skeptics even believe in God. I haven't seen God either, but I do believe he exists.

UFOs in the clouds

Eric — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:17:12 GMT

Wait a second, here.

By what logic or scientific principal is it acceptable to state that "Russia had a UFO at an airport that they never figured out, so what happened at O'Hare cannot be real."?

By what logic or scientific principal is it acceptable to state that "Gargantuan cloud formations moving at spectactularly slow speeds across mammoth distances and having beautiful shapes are interesting and unusual, so what people see among nearby clouds giving an impression of rapid speed and leaving behind spacial artifacts cannot be anything but a natural phenomenon."?

But let's go out on a limb here and accept the prevailing skeptical theories being used to dismiss this event: if it was truly an apparition of natural phenomenon, it happened at precisely the best place in the country to document it and close the issue formally. To wit, the doppler radar system right there on the airport prem would have easily seen such an energetic vortex event significant enough to rend clouds. It's called a "microburst". That's why that doppler radar is there, and that's what it detects, and that's what would have triggered alarms all over the FAA data gathering systems. But it didn't. Why not? Either because it was NOT an atmospheric event resulting in large windshears and pressure differentials, or the doppler radar at O'Hare is not working. Either way, the FAA has some 'splainin' to do.

UFOs in the clouds

Codammanus, Brook[nam] NY — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:18:01 GMT

I don't know what they are, but I doubt if 50 years of "sightings" are all explainable as weather phenomena. Somewhere along the line, something has to have actually flown.

It's interesting though, that I live in an urban neighborhood. Lots of big guns (many used to celebrate the New Year. I thought I was in IRAQ!!!).

I never heard anyone say they saw one here.

UFOs in the clouds

Barry Sanders Detroit MI — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:22:54 GMT

Even though man doesn't have scientific proof that there are life forms in outer space, people should not be so alarmed when they see something that is is unexplainable by human understanding. After all, we put remote control robots on Mars, we put satellite dishes in orbit around the earth. We explore their world, they explore ours. Hmmm.

UFOs in the clouds

Alan Boyle — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:25:13 GMT

Here's a message that came into one of my other mailboxes:

----

Hello Mr. Boyle,

Regarding the latest UFO report at O'Hare:

For those of us that have been students of this phenomenon, this episode is nothing new. There are thousands of these reports worldwide going back six decades. The reasoning by Mr. Oberg is simply dismissive. One can dismiss almost anything an individual can say. One cannot dismiss pilot reports and/or credible witnesses, calling every single sighting a 'weather phenomenon' or some other type of natural anomaly.

When a person truly starts examining the wealth of data collected on the subject of UFOs, you come away with more, rather than less, ability to see it as an undeniable phenomenon, albeit still indefinable.

The problem is that the media and the mainstream science community has made a industry of debunking just about every sighting that occurs. One has then has to come to the conclusion that perhaps this is a cover-up of some type after one reads the 'skeptics' arguments every time.

There is no question there is no 'hard' data, or definitive proof. But secondary, or 'soft' data, exists in abundance.

I find it amusing that the skeptics continue to cite an occasional blooper but totally dismissive of the really credible accounts.

Discussing this topic with several academics and scientists over the years, after reading voluminously on the subject, I am convinced we have a unverifiable phenomenon in our midst, that may affect humanity and our worldview.

I suggest that MSNBC take the lead in investigating this phenomenon further. There is a huge story here waiting for further elucidation and given a serious look minus the giggle factor or the dismissive tones of intelligent human beings. There are thousands of Americans and others worldwide still waiting for a serious look for a serious phenomenon.

Thanks for listening.
Rosanne Losee
Charlotte NC

UFOs in the clouds

John Doyle, Santa Cruz, ca. — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:26:52 GMT

Sky Gazers,

0k..you asked for old stories... When I was a kid on a bicycle about 45 yrs ago, I saw what looked like an orange or strawberry ice cream cone hovering in the sky.
It was a late afternoon with a clear sky, in Palo Alto, Ca. The object stayed still and there was no sound that I could hear. It appeared to be a few miles northward at about "2 o'clock" (pilot lingo).

I watched it for about 30 seconds, trying to figure out what it was. It seemed too large to be anything I had seen in the sky before and the shape was not at all familiar, other than to say it looked like an ice cream cone. The "ice cream" looked like electric light and the "cone" looked to be just a neutral medium gray in color, without any noticeable shine or reflection.

As I watched and wondered, the object suddenly shot off in an easterly direction at what appeared to be a very high speed and just disappeared. It happened so quickly that it seemed like a magic trick. As a 10 yr. old boy, that sight made a lasting impression on me.

I think I had read about ufo's in comic books by that time, but "knew" that they were just kool stories that sometimes were made into space movies. It was probably '61 or '62 at the time. I know that I never really "wanted" to see a UFO, until I had seen 'Close Encounters'. But, alas...my only 'sighting' was on that late afternoon back in Palo Alto.

Anyone else seen any UFICC's (Unidentified Flying Ice Cream Cones)?

JD

UFOs in the clouds

Guedo Bartlioni — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:33:28 GMT

Come on you guys. This was clearly a pair of paper plates left over from some kid's birthday party that got stuck together and then caught up in a high-altitude dust devil. But I'll always believe the best evidence for life beyond Earth is the simple fact that we're here. If we're here then it is a simple logical deduction that someone else must be on one of those zillions of life-friendly planets out there. Only arrogance would presume otherwise.

UFOs in the clouds

Stephen Kuhl, Ft. Smith, AR — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:35:35 GMT

It is possible to believe in an almighty, and aliens. Why would any creator put all their eggs into 1 basket. Personally I have seen some things up in the sky that I can't firgure out. I just figure that when and if anything out there wants to meet us they will. In the mean time I have enough to deal with to worry about it. There is still enough wonder to keep me interested.

UFOs in the clouds

Alan Boyle — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:37:39 GMT

Another message from the other mailbox:

----

I am Native American and have been told many stories – while sheepherding with my mother and father in law - of encountering “flying saucers”. They were younger of course but say that the saucers made no noise; but would hover around them as if they were studying them and were small. They said these saucers were literally in their faces. They would try to catch them and playfully chased them (but were described as being too fast), then the saucers would fly away. They have had more than several encounters. My father in law (now 68 years old) said he was sitting under a tree, saw a shadow in the hot summer sun on top of the tree he was under, thought that was strange because it was a perfect shape (oval). He crawled out from under the tree and saw a saucer floating over the tree, he came out and it took off, out of sight.

Being that I am Native American I too have seen questionable objects or light in the sky. I guess I see it more because I live in a wide open clear area. I have never said I don’t believe in UFO’s, but was curious at the same time. Until, one partly cloudy night my husband told me that if you shine a light into the sky, you are likely to get a response back. I didn’t know what he meant at the time but stood by while he showed me. He got his spotlight and shined it into the sky, on and off, on and off again. Then we waited and started getting a light shined back at us, on and off. This was the final straw, it was official I was a believer!

I still see “things” - bright fast moving lights that are one minute to the left, I blink and the they are to the right (especially late at night) if I so happen to be coming home late from town. But I guess you could say we are used to it now. I see it less now though, back in 1995/1996 I used to see it a lot more.

I believe we are being studied. I also believe aliens are big headed and scrawny because they have a lot of knowledge, but cannot fight ( I mean fist to fist fighting), this is why they are curious and need to come from their planet to ours to check us out. They have already figured out how to fly with out noise or pollution (exhaust); and know how to go from one universe to the next. We are barely figuring it out from here how to travel from one planet to another. They have more knowledge in this dept. They probably plan to take over our planet soon or when we ourselves destroy it with our exhaust fumes, etc. (killing our own earth).

-- Andrea

UFOs in the clouds

Sherwood, St. Louis, MO — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:39:06 GMT

Sounds like a government conspiracy to me. In fact, all of the cheese whiz is missing from my pantry. I'm quite sure the two are linked. How can I enjoy my oreo's now without cheese whiz? I'll bet if a I can find a good attorney I can sue someone for this.

UFOs in the clouds

Messenger — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:42:43 GMT

Some people see what they don't want to see, others want to see what they have already seen. look straight into the eye to unveil the truth. Believe in the impossible, because the impossible shall unveil the truth!

Educate yourself, tap into your inner self and keep an open mind that the impossible can become possible!

UFOs in the clouds

Pittsburgh, PA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:45:10 GMT

Come on folks. Do you really think we are the only living beings in this universe?

I also think the "powers that be" are fully aware of their existence and they do not want to throw the world into a panic revealing this.

Greg Holizna

UFOs in the clouds

Gov. Employed — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:45:13 GMT

You know, I think people should start calling them "alien spaceships" if they think thats whats they are and others should call them Unidentified Flying Objects. It seems the first thought that comes to mind is aliens when you say UFO and people think your an idiot or you have to have some screws loose. People just can't have intelligent conversations about what they saw without some nut job OR close minded individual polluting the conversation with assumptions. I know what UFO means, do you? Its not a metaphoric question.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim Coppock — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:52:08 GMT

Well, if all of these sighting began in earnest about six decades ago, isn't it funny that it corresponds with the rise of jet aircraft and space craft? Why is it preferable to believe in alien visitations over DOD prototype aircraft experiments? Why is everything we cannot currently explain always relegated to either God or aliens?

Although I don't deny the existance of alien life or some God who is a part of the Universe, why does everything we can't explain attributed to one or the other? Can't these things be explained logically through common experience? Isn't it possible that the $140 toilet seats the DOD pays for each year is really money going into Top Secret/SCI projects which otherwise may not be approved by Congress for violation of treaties such as those banning the use of nuclear energy for advanced propulsion, etc?

It just seems odd to me that these tremendous number of sightings would be more attributable to alien visitors rather than human-designed and engineered crafts. Sixty years of rocket propulsion, sixty years of sightings...

...does anyone else see a parallel?

UFOs in the clouds

Eric Mattson, Copperas Cove, TX — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:53:51 GMT

This isn't the beginning. I have always felt that there is life out there other than ours. I just have always had this feeling. When you look at space and see all the stars...how can one even suggest we are alone? I believe most genuine sightings are covered up either by the government or other covert operations within our government. Sooner or later hiding it will be a moot point.

UFOs in the clouds

Cynic, Gallatin, Tn — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:55:10 GMT

Does no one see the humor in an "Unidentified flying object" over an airport? I think it's hilarious

UFOs in the clouds

Pan Michael, London, UK — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:57:36 GMT

There are far too many feedbacks for what is a surprisingly silly story. True or not true, UFO or terrestrial, there are more notable and significant things out there. Get with it, folks!

UFOs in the clouds

Della Rose, Brookfield, WI — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:59:11 GMT

I believe in God and also in UFOs. On my way to lead a prayer group, at approximately 5:30 a.m.,at dawn, I saw one at a rural intersection hovering in the south east corner of that intersection. It was about 300 feet in the air and circular. I don't remember lights, but I do remember the attraction of a huge shadow. Upon looking up I saw this, whatever, and even stopped through two stop lights, which is highly unusual for me, and watched it. After about a minute it proceeded to the southwest and within three second was out of sight at the horizon. Call it what you want. I've seen Stealth bombers and they did not move any where near as quickly as this object.

A Christian from WI

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Croaker, Monterey, CA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:06:59 GMT

First, to ascribe H. Sapien "logic" or intention to that which may not be human is typical human hubris. Second, to claim there is no concrete evidence of visitation because you have no personal knowledge of such requires the Rumsfeldian reminder that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

Third, if the official response looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, and smells like a duck, it's probably a duck and cover...

UFOs in the clouds

John Doe, Stratford, CT — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:11:49 GMT

I think it was a Sikorsky Cypher.

UFOs in the clouds

Hovering Above — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:19:04 GMT

Okay, I admit it. I invaded O'Hare's airspace in my Warp 120 O-Ringed Saucer doing a Mach 5 spiral upright and was CAUGHT by a human doing so! I have big green eyes, pointy ears, a globular head and no belly button but to the FAA boys I appear as a long legged blonde with flaxen hair,big boobs and an infectious smile. So send out an A.P.B. and try and catch me if you can! You don't need your passport but if you want to meet me you better bring your Extraterrestrial Express Card!

Sorry...I had to kid you all.

But an alien needs some entertianing besides vortexing around. U.W.O.
Unidentified Writing Object.

And yes...I'm starving.

The golden arches I'm seeing every half mile sort of scare the hell outta' me.

UFOs in the clouds

Josh Marr the south side of MARS, South Haven, MI — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:19:46 GMT

I've seen two UFOs in my short time on this earth. they were both back in 96 and 97.we spotted it about a mile from our house and it was flying above the treetops at about 60mph and then it was out of sight, we pull in our drive way and its back in front of us. It was hovering about 40 feet off the ground and about 100 yards away from my front porch. We turned on the outside halogen light and it slowly and silently crept up to about 20 feet away and hovered 15 feet off the ground and didn't make a noise.We shut off the light and it stopped and just hovered, then as soon as we turn the light back on it crept up closer to about 10 feet we shut the light off it stopped. It hovered there for about 2 minutes. We had every light in our house shut off at this time. all of a sudden it was slowly backing up still hasnt made a noise and it started slowly assending up and than about 50 feet up in the air it was gone.

The second one came and flew about 40 feet above a party with a huge bon fire. went back and forth 3 times and everyone was running like hell, except me i've seen this before. i watched it fly back and forth and then it zoomed into the great unknown.

I know there are a thousand explanations , but how about my explanation? if you see something 10 feet in front of you that is 30 feet in diameter and it is hovering 15 feet off the ground not moving a tree or a one dust cloud from my driveway and get curious and more curious and then runs away. The government can hide stuff that they do but they have to make up excuses for stuff they dont know. i am a believer!!!

UFOs in the clouds

bill-lynn,Mass — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:20:06 GMT

maybe they were going to land-but got a good look at the place and changed their minds.

UFOs in the clouds

KN, Statesboro, GA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:21:35 GMT

A couple of years ago, I saw a UFO. It was indeed unidentified to me anyway. It was just a few minutes after the sun set and the light from its presence had succombed to darkness, however not pitch dark yet. An orange light was present over the top my neighbors house. This is due west. As I studied this light, attempting to find an expaination for it, the light moved straight up extremely fast. It appeared to make a tight circle, then lowered a little bit. Then it appeared to brighten, and the split into 2 seperate lights. Still orange. These lights, appearing to ne totally in sync, then made half circles away from the other, met again, then sped away, one northward, the other southward, totally disappearing. All of this happened within about 3 seconds. The reason I noticed this strange occurance is because I walk in this direction 3 to 4 times a week, as I have for the past 6 years. I always study the night sky when it is clear out. I have never seen anything like it before or since. This phenomonom was very much unidentified to me, therefore by my own standards, it was a UFO.

UFOs in the clouds

Dave (you couldn't pronounce my real name) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:22:52 GMT

Major airports are the best place for us ET's to catch a jump...I drive my rental car to the airport like anyone else, (that way the men in Black Suits don't get wise when I don't come out)..

one there I was beamed up...since the cloud cover was so dense and pressure low, the extension of my trans-dem portal left the visible artifact (hovering disc below the clouds)...I only have a few moments to get into position, and then "zap" I'm outta there. Currently in Portland Or ... less chance of being noticed around here ;<)

UFOs in the clouds

Beverly, Oklahoma — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:25:27 GMT

I work on an USAF base and used to work with pilots from Vietnam and pilots of E-3's. An old boyfriend, a Colonel, flew on an E-3 in the 1980's. He told me alien craft flew beside them all the time, and the Vietnam pilots told me alien craft flew beside them in combat. I also heard this from my father who flew on aircraft in WWII.

UFOs in the clouds

MKSTO, grand rapids, michigan — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:32:17 GMT

John Doyle,

Weather Balloon. Google images.

UFOs in the clouds

Me of I, Unimatrix 1 — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:36:54 GMT

To put it simply: "If we are alone in the Universe, it sure seems like an awful waste of Space"

UFOs in the clouds

Gary T. CA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:36:56 GMT

25 years ago my wife and I saw 3 glowing balls of gas drifting slowly in the sky over a freeway rest stop near Dunnigan, CA. They did not appear to be craft of any sort. They looked about 20 feet in diameter and about 100-200 feet above the ground.

The glowing balls of gas faded and disappeared as they traveled northward.

Although I've never seen a UFO other than the above, we shouldn't be too surprised if extraterrestrials do show up someday. After all, wasn't this planet colonized by extraterrestrials in the beginning...?

UFOs in the clouds

Michael Horn — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:44:34 GMT

As someone who's researched UFOs for 28 years, my own opinion is that most (but not all) are terrestrial. The case that I consider authentically extraterrestrial is the Billy Meier case from Switzerland. I do tons of interviews on the case, attract attacks from skeptics and...in the end Meier's UFO photos (and other evidence) remain irreproducible and his prophecies (over the past 55 years) impeccably accurate.

UFOs in the clouds

William Tetlow, Spencerport, NY — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:52:57 GMT

Once again, the continuing sage of the dilemma of metaphysics to epistemology: your theories will determine your facts. If you believe in aliens visiting, gods creating, or the DOD secretly testing, then a whiff of water vapor can be enough to substantiate the theory that clouds your mind.

UFOs in the clouds

Jerry, Pittsburgh, PA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:55:51 GMT

The term UFO literally means “Unidentified Flying Object”. Anything that is in the sky that can not be explained can be considered a UFO. It does not mean that they are from other planets, a test military base or some kid’s toy etc. It simply means at the time of viewing the images are unknown and appear to be flying in the sky. Truth be told that humans nor the collective intelligence of humans can explain everything even in this day and age. No matter what source that causes these occurrences in the sky it does make me happy that there are still events that show in our own little blue planet that shows how much mystery there is left in this universe. Various preset beliefs that humans have will cause people to see items that are not truly there or not to see items that re directly in front of them. Only with open minds and yes even open spirits and hearts will we eventually learn more about these unexplained events.

If some of the things in the sky are probes or spacecraft from another planet I hope they do the following. That is they don’t stop to interact with the humans on this planets until we mature. If they wish to study some of the many and amazing animals or other natures wonders on this planet then hey they should have fun. How arrogant and greedy are humans to think that everything must revolve around us. From the time when humans thought the world was flat or that their country was the center of the planet or that the sun revolved around us. It is utter arrogance to think that humans are ready to open a dialoged to people from another planet when we have yet to get along with our fellow humans, nature and our surroundings on this planet. Humans can not get along with other humans on this planet without arguments, wars etc over such meaningless things as land, religious believes, or ideas when in the end the land and nature can easily kick us humans off the planet as it did the dinosaurs and other extinct mammals, reptiles etc. Humans should work to fix our own issues and become more in balance with nature; our fellow humans before we even consider what it would be like to find intelligent life out on other planets.

Thanks for reading and hope it makes you think.

UFOs in the clouds

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:02:06 GMT

TRACKBACK: CHICAGO - Federal officials say it was probably just some weird weather phenomenon, but a group of United Airlines employees swear they saw a mysterious, saucer-shaped craft hovering over O’Hare Airport last fall. The workers, some of them pilots, sai

UFOs in the clouds

Jennifer Johnson,Tucson,Az — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:05:44 GMT

I have read a little about UFOs ... exactly what they are I do not know. But why is the US government aka Area 51 trying to back-engineer them if they are ours? Bob Lazar's story seems to be credible enough. How about during World War 2 over Los Angeles. Known as the battle of Los Angeles when american anti air craft batterys opened up on a UFO. Picture taken by the Los Angeles times. And some on the ground were killed due to the ferocity of those shooting at it. The UFO by all reports just slowly flew away. Not to mention the one in Aurora Texas. I think it was April 17th 1897 when a flying craft crashed into a windmill. According to the news paper and eyewittness reports there was tons of a silver metal found at the crash site,one dead alien and some unknown writtings. These are just a few not to mention world wide reports on UFOs. Some may be real, some fake, some strange as with all things. Ever bother to check out the Majestic 12 documents and what they say about UFOs and what our government has been up to for some time? I think people can put their head in the sand or try to grasp and understand something that may be well beyond them. As the TV show used to say,"THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE".

UFOs in the clouds

Johnson Doeson — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:23:10 GMT

There are over 100 billion galaxies that we have observed, each with over 100 billion stars in them. We can only detect the more massive planets due to resolution and parallax issues, but we are sure a vast majority of them have orbiting planets. I think the odds are pretty good that there is another planet that can support carbon-based life. If you believe in God, then who's to say we're his only "children". If you don't, then spontaneous combinations of amino acids would be possible on other planets, and they would evolve into beings who cause problems at O'Hare.

UFOs in the clouds

Earl Giese,Reed City,MICH — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:28:45 GMT

I think that if UFO's are real, that they are us. Scientists from our future come to study how we live, much like we study the pyramids.

UFOs in the clouds

Klyntun, Klamath Falls, Oregon — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:31:56 GMT

There is a theory that if these are visitations, they are "extra-dimensional," not "extra-terrestrial." In other words, creatures or crafts pop into our dimension, then out again. Maybe the Earth is like a galactic "Burmuda Triangle." The poor aliens probably make mini-series about their experiences with us.

UFOs in the clouds

Joe Rhode Island — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:34:21 GMT

I beleive that if the Universe is as big as the "SMART PEOPLE" say it is then I believe that we would be kind of narrow minded to believe that we are alone. Too many people,whether they be professionals or military or ordinary , have said or seen similar episodes. What are we worried about? If they have been around for as long as we have made to believe, whats the problem? I think that governments are so concerned that "aliens or alien tech can do whatever they want whenever they want and we have no control or say about it" that it worries their sovereignty and control is being violated and they can do nothing about it.

UFOs in the clouds

Deb, Tempe, Arizona — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:49:44 GMT

I’ve always been interested in the subject of UFOs and I’ve read numerous books and articles about them. I’ve never witnessed one myself, but due to the caliber of the people described in these 3 books it’s difficult to dismiss their eyewitness accounts. These can all be found at online booksellers.

“Firestorm” by Ann Druffel. It’s a detailed biography of the late Dr. James E McDonald, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Arizona, Tucson, UFO witness and scientific investigator of the highest order. He was a well-respected scientist by his peers; probably the best investigator there ever was on the subject, but he was totally ignored or ridiculed by the general population, the Government, the military, Congress and those who refuse to examine his investigations based on their fear and stubborn belief that UFOs simply don’t exist. His family allowed the author access to his journals and research papers and his story is illuminating and troubling.

“Unconventional Flying Objects: A Scientific Analysis” by Paul R. Hill, Richard M. Wood. Here’s a list of Hill’s credentials: (1936-1939) Professor of Aeronautics, Polytechnic College of Engineering, Oakland, California. (1939-1970) Employee of the Langley Research Center (LRC), Hampton, Virginia, under the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and then for NASA in the following research divisions: Physical Research Division (PRD), Pilotless Aircraft Research Division (PARD), Applied Materials and Physics Division (AMPD). He doesn’t debate whether UFOs are real or not, nor their place of origin; he seems satisfied that they are genuine. His focus is on the design, functionality and possible propulsion systems of these craft and whether or not our accepted laws of physics would allow for such objects and help explain their erratic aeronautic behavior as described by witnesses?

“The Hunt for Zero Point: Inside the Classified World of Antigravity Technology” by Nick Cook. He’s an aviation reporter and editor at Jane's Defence Weekly, a defense industry trade journal. He reports on his investigation of anti-gravity research that was cut short at the Third Reich’s underground research facility as WW II winded down. Former Nazi rocket scientists were recruited by the USA to work on our space programs and along with his interviews with former aeronautical engineers he makes a compelling case that UFOs could be the result of covert research and technology by our best Aeronautics Companies.

As to God and UFOs - Since the first sentence in the Christian Bible’s Old Testament is “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” I have always believed that it was possible He created “aliens” first, then us. Why not? Then there’s Ezekiel 1: 4-25. What was THAT, pray tell? I try to maintain an open mind with a smattering of healthy skepticism. Some people are more comfortable with ambiguity and enjoy the mystery of it all.

UFOs in the clouds

C. Madrid, Pueblo, Co — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:50:06 GMT

With all the Cell phone picture and Videos how is it we do not have an actuall photo of the event???????????

UFOs in the clouds

planetmind — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:51:24 GMT

hey really boring the fact its the you all dont understand or what? i ve posted already the truth see above and again and again who we are ? you know better than anyone else ehehe see if new generation gonna be time travellers so are we control our reality ?? dont you get it in your mind ?? we are in the future ehehe if anyone could say in the future the impossible is possible .... so now all impossible already happened . do you get it now ?? not too questions please and find the truth on what humanity is before questioning stupid things

UFOs in the clouds

Deacon Blues — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:55:53 GMT

There's a great little book called "Flatland", written back it the 1880's; it's a novel of sorts, but it's written to explain mathematics and geometry. It's written from the perspective of a two-dimensional being (thus, "Flat"land) who discovers a third dimension. I believe that it was the French UFO researcher Jacques Vallee who postulated that these aerial objects might be phenomena from another dimension; imagine if a pencil were poked through "Flatland", all that would be seen would be an oval wall of sorts. I've begun to think that UFOs may be just this kind of event, though what it is and why it happens is anybody's guess -- could be natural, could be directed; the point is that three-dimensional beings are no more better equipped to understand upper dimensions (which DO exist, ask any physicist) than "Flatlanders" could understand us. It would explain a lot about UFOs, for when the mind is exposed to something it can't, and isn't *capable* of understanding, it translates it into something it *can* understand, whether it's flying saucers or angels or whatever. Don't get out the tin foil -- it's just an idea, but considering the wealth of eyewitnesses to *something* over the years, it's one that for some reason the scientific and media communities refuse to take seriously. I don't expect the media to ever take *anything* seriously again, but it would be nice if the scientists did.

UFOs in the clouds

Art H — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:57:58 GMT

Weather phenomenon my butt. I can't say what it was or even speculate on what it may have been. But what I do know is it wasn't strange weather or clouds doing weird things. I imagine whatever it was, and trust me... someone somewhere out there knows what "it" was, will get a good covering-up just like everything else in our wonderfoul country. Based on this known fact, I feel we all need to just get over it and focus on the job at hand, getting Bush out of office.

UFOs in the clouds

Des Emery, St. Thomas, ON, Canada — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:58:30 GMT

When I saw the subject for this blog, and the tally for responses, I had to giggle. These things remain 'unidentified' because we don't know enough about them. I can't give any government credit for keeping a secret six months, let alone sixty years. And why would 'aliens' flash us glimpses of themselves, but not make their presence otherwise known to us? Of course, they could be inside those craft, laughing themselves silly over scaring 'those gullible earthlings' down there.

That said, and I hesitate to put myself in league with the true believers, but one summer day, 1967 or 1968, I was outside enjoying the sun and the huge cumulous clouds overhead. There was something round, bright and shining up there as well. I watched. It seemed to come from behind one of those well-defined clouds, moving in a straight line toward another wall of cloud. My first thought was that it was a jet, passenger or military, but as I looked it suddenly twisted in a corkscrew fashion, then disappeared behind another cloud, moving much faster than it had when I first saw it. I automatically looked for it again on the other side of the third cloud. Nothing. I don't know what I saw, or if I really saw anything real at all. But I did see something.
.

UFOs in the clouds

Elaine Salter ,Kingman ,Arizona — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:00:34 GMT

Very likely we are not alone.In 1981 I was outside looking at the early morning sky,in Torrance CA.Around 2am It was clear and beautiful.As I looked over toward Palos Verdes near the ocean side where the cliffs are in the sky above,there was A bright light that really stoodout greater then any star.As Iwatched,it became brighter and brighter.It looked to me that it was hovering in place.Then suddenly it came apart and then there were two brightlights moving in sync,I was in a trance watching this lightshow.Never had I seen anything close to this.As I watched the lights united got really bright again and,at super speed,went straight up in the nightsky and vanished.There were no clouds in the sky that night.I just kept stairring in that same spot for eones it seemed.Then called the F.B.I.in Gardena to report it.The agent that answered the phone said,there were many calls that night to tellthe same story.So what do you think---?Me,were being watched alright.Just pray there friendly!!!and well contact for positive,and enlightening hope for the world! CHOW-

UFOs in the clouds

Sophia, Toronto, ON. — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:06:30 GMT

I jus saw it minutes ago and u know how the no smoking signs are with a slash in the circle...there was a slash of clouds in the middle... was scary at first.. but it's just clouds... :^/

UFOs in the clouds

Daniel Tanner — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:10:04 GMT

Let's see...billions of stars in our Milky Way galaxy...billions of galaxies in the universe...universe billions of years old...could some other planet in this vast cosmos be visiting us that have the possibilty of eons of time ahead of us in technolgy? Naw..it just ain't possible so says our esteemed scientists and government.

UFOs in the clouds

ulrich krauskopf, edgeworth pa — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:12:34 GMT

there may be no connection, but today,jan 02, 2007 around 11 pm we observed a perfect cloud circle, huge, around the full moon. never seen anything like this before

uli

UFOs in the clouds

Murray Kraft — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:14:30 GMT

Sounds like it was one of those UFO's from a race of humanoid beings that are millions of years more scientifically advanced than we are here on Earth.

UFOs in the clouds

The Monk — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:20:28 GMT

January 2007, all will be revealed.

UFOs in the clouds

CTFalcon Taos, NM — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:36:12 GMT

Just a recollection from early november of last year (2006), I had just left my friends house at around 11:00pm and was driving due north down the main street of the town I live in, Taos NM, and just out of the corner of my right eye I glimpsed what I thought for a second to be a meteorite coming down to earth. The old "wish upon a falling star" idea crossed my thoughts for just an instant and naturally I expected to see this "meteorite" gone in a flash, but guess what? It just slowed down really quickly and once I was able to pull over to the side of the road and park, I could see that "leading" this object were about maybe 12-14 "little" circular glowing objects which were in a "V" shaped formation directly in front and around this thing. Having never seen anything remotely like this before, I guess you could say I was sort of shocked, 'cause this object seemed to be made up of about 7-9 sections and linked, sort of like a really huge train, which all were lighted up from the inside apparently and as I mentioned, it was traveling in a due north direction and once it cleared the space over the town, it sped up in a smooth mechanical way and made a really neat curve toward the mountain pass between the Taos mountain and the El Salto peaks area, kind of hard to describe but this thing was definitely navigating it's way toward wherever it was headed to. And oh yes, after seeing it make its turn away from my position, behind it where you might expect some kind of engines to be placed, there were three triangular flashing "lights" and on top of this object there appeared to be this row of sequentially flashing strobes blinking directly down it's back/top(?) My strongest impression after seeing this was that there has to be a human/government connection for this kind of thing to be possible.. The news reports the next day reported bright flashes of light in the central new mexico sky due to falling space debris(?)"meteorites" I believe is what they termed it.Call this whatever you want but I now have my own little UFO tale, which I never really thought that I would have at this point in my life.

UFOs in the clouds

M from New NJ — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:45:10 GMT

Ok..so I witnessed the same exact thing 6 years ago where I live in NJ. I remember it all clear as day, but it wasn't just one object, it was about ten. The sky was clear, but there were a couple of dark clouds in the middle of the blue sky. The objects were literally moving in and out of the cloud, making manuevers that are nearly impossible to comprehend by humans knowledge about technology, this was happening for over a minute, then with the blink of an eye, they all dissapeared. It seems there must be something about these clouds that allow them to travel...there is a reason for everything.

UFOs in the clouds

mynameisunimportantbuttyanyway — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:48:42 GMT

My take on not simply this Chicago incident but the entire alien visitation phenomena may be one of the strangest responses posted to this thread, but i've never voiced my thoughts publicly, but i do so now.....

religious references to angels and devils exist not only to a western christian denominational apocolyptic scenario, but indeed to almost all religions globally. in stating this, let it be known that a vast percentage of our human species believes and follows one religion or another. nearly all of these religions detail of one deity AND an ensuing apocalypse occurring in an unknown timeframe left open only to speculation. this reduces to state that a very large percentage of the human population believes in a higher power that cannot even be begun to be understood, let alone harnessed OR prevented....

most familiar for the readers of this thread i imagine that a western christian ideology or philosophy (pick one) is most easily understandable. ill use this as my primary reference for the remainder of my post (assuming anyone actually reads it...)

Revelation and a small handful of other chapters in our own bible states many times of an impending apocalypse, often referred to as a 'harvesting' of souls and dispersment of punishment to all mankind. as this is an intensely terrifying event, we're all somewhat concerned to varying degrees of such an event or events.

this being said, my wonder often returns to the same few questions and ideas:

1.) if mankind were to be 'harvested' and/or punished for the misdeeds of all-time, this could only be successfully implemented through an unimaginable and terrfying capacity and power. who and what could do such a thing?

2.) there are passages in the bible that refer to creatures who measure "one cubit by one cubit" who will fatally distribute an undeniable horror on all of us. many times this knowledge is accompanied with the phrase "there will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth". this last phrase has been interpreted in a few different ways, but what if it were literal?

3.) if mankind were to be punished or 'harvested', what better way than through an unimaginable higher scientific technological mechanic on a level that cannot even to be comprehended, let alone deny?

4.) in all of history of mankind, EVERY SINGLE interaction of one technologically superior civilization with one far less technologically advanced civilization has produced nearly identical disastrous impacts for the less advanced civilization. if aliens are indeed researching and studying humans for multiple or singular intentions, how would this be any different? i speculate it would not.

5.) with respect to religion, could 'demons' or 'fallen angels' in fact ALSO be known as 'aliens'??? perhaps science and religion are BOTH correct, but because of the single-mindedness of each, are unable to see what is plainly laid out before them?

6.) what if the human species were simply an alien scientific experiment left to congeal for several thousand millenia? what if this experiment was at an end?

i find it an insult to my intelligence each and every time i read an article or column (television commentary and reports as well) that seeks no other purpose than to instantly discredit the legitimate and highly statistically probability of the existence and activities of an alien civilization prospecting planet earth.

i consider it only a matter of time until our planet is under seige. for what purpose? religious? scientific? explorative? resource gathering? i have no idea. i can only state that i feel its simply a matter of time.

in the human misconception that our scientific and technoligical advances are oh so fantastic and intricate, what better way for God to chastise mankind than through an exponentially morepowerful and evolved science?

i must concede that my post is at best odd, but nonetheless, odd too was the vision of a vast array of humans who have permanently altered life as we know it through the centuries through all areas of human development. (and possibly an unknown amount of time?)

consider.

UFOs in the clouds

iseenem, Redding, CA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:50:08 GMT

This planet has been reflecting trillions of watts of em energy per day for several billion years creating a blue-green beacon that can be seen three billion light years away.

There are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on all of the beaches of the world.

Evolution by natural selection is the absolute biological law of the universe just like the basic laws of physics, and applies everywhere.

There are literally thousands of quality ufo type sightings, many better than this ohare case - every year. Only a fraction go reported. (france is about to release reports of over 1600 sightings)

Anyway, the backdoor way to government disclosure is to pass a law that makes it illegal for the super-patriots deep in the intelligence services to keep these things from the public. Right now there is no law so they get away with it. Pass the law, or threaten to pass and we can get at the unpleasant truth.

Get a clue people.

UFOs in the clouds

Sean, Ellwood City, PA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:56:56 GMT

I hope these aliens had filed IFR and had a clearance into the Class B...

More people need to come to terms that we(humans) have been being observed for many thousands of years. No harm in that, is there??

UFOs in the clouds

jmael — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:01:57 GMT

can't believe i spent 15 hours driving to roswell this weekend and i didn't even get to see a ufo. [...]

UFOs in the clouds

Open Minded Scientist — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:15:44 GMT

Hi Alan,

Great job covering this story, as I always expect (and get) from you.

We won't get witnesses to come forward if the AP and other media outlets treat all of these reports with the obvious ridicule as they did with the report of this O'Hare incident. Was the AP story a news report or an editorial? (hint--ending a story with a joke from someone who wasn't a witness puts the "news report" more in the editorial bucket)

Also, multiple witness testimony of the same phenomenon DOES have evidential value in spite of Mr. Oberg's statement. Especially if the witnesses have strong credentials such as, oh, I don't know, airline pilots?!? They are every bit as strong as Mr. Oberg's credentials as a debunker. As a scientist, I wish for better evidence than this, but I don't totally ignore it.

No, this isn't a Coke can left by an extraterrestrial, but UFO stands for UNIDENTIFIED Flying Object. It doesn't mean "flying saucer from Zeti Reticuli".

This incident deserves further investigation without the ad hominem approach used against the witnesses by much of the mainstream media. (Alan Boyle being an exception)

UFOs in the clouds

John Doe the 20th — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:19:14 GMT

Anyone else with me on this....I am NOT going to fly United Airlines any more....Pilots and Ground Crew are hallucinating things.... LOL !!!

UFOs in the clouds

People get real!, STL, MO — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:19:51 GMT

It is funny how it always seems like these so called "UFOs" are always saucer-shaped, just like in the movies. It is also funny how the number of UFO sightings have increased ever since the stupid "Roswell incident". What, did the aliens just decide to come more often after that happened? [...] UFOs are just a mind/hollywood-generaged load of crap. GET REAL PEOPLE!!! QUIT WASTING OUR TIME!!!

UFOs in the clouds

Scott Murphy — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:30:59 GMT

Alan, please make sure to label "skeptics" more correctly. Mr. Oberg is a debunker, not a skeptic. A skeptic does not form an opinion so easily. Attack the witness, ignore the testimony. Classic debunking strategy. It's gotten really old and has really hurt the serious study of unexplained aerial sightings.

And kudos to Rosanne Losee from Charlotte. I couldn't have expressed the frustration any better.

UFOs in the clouds

Anne Krieger, Hereford, TX — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:44:31 GMT

People may scoff at the story about UFO's at O'Hare airport, but they do exist. I have seen two, and in no way could they be anything but UFO's. One I saw in Arizona on a bright moonlight night; the other here in Texas, also on a bright moonlight night. The one in Arizona was a long cigar shaped one, on the ground in the desert, close to the highway. When I got out to see better, it took off. It flew straight up and flew between me and the full moon and it had no wings and did not make a sound. The one here in Texas was round, very low to the ground and kept pace with my pick-up for quite a ways. My truck began to sputter and the headlights to flicker, so I stopped and got out to see it more closely. I hoped it would land, but it also moved up and disappeared. My truck started with no problem and the headlights worked fine. Why does our government and all the other so-called experts deny the fact that there are UFO's out there? Myself and many others know that they do exist; my viewing of them was up pretty close and personal!

UFOs in the clouds

Don, Seattle, WA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:48:08 GMT

We may never know what the UFO is, but the most unlikely explaination is alien spacecraft. And at the same time so many people are willing to believe that the Apollo landings were faked. It's worrisome. Is this a sign that our educational system is failing in America?

UFOs in the clouds

paul-p/cola — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:14:02 GMT

theres no end to what space can hold. i know what i saw with about 30 people while fishing the beach one night.

UFOs in the clouds

Ron Saarna, Toronto, Ontario — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:15:41 GMT

Once again we have an undocumented "sighting". We have plenty of witnesses, but not one shred of photographic proof. We can get cell-phone videos of closed hangings, but no-one can come up with a decent video or picture at an airport full of tourists of an alien spacecraft? Do these aliens have some sort of stupifying ray that makes people forget to record an event, but can clearly recall what happened?

UFOs in the clouds

David Nakov, Long Beach, California — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:21:54 GMT

This blog proves our pitiful human condition, of how "intelligently" we can debate and handle contoversy. And pitiful our condition it is if Eric, Atlanta, Ga has to say: "That takes guts these days" regarding MSNBC or Dean Adams, Boston- "Even journalists DARE to print...and DO reflect on this next time you listen "the land of the brave and the free". Sceptics, get a life.

UFOs in the clouds

john doe, seattle, wah. — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:38:03 GMT

All those pictures of clouds they say people think are ufo's are total bull****, you would have to be pretty stupid to get something that looks like one of those pictures mixed up with a ufo.All of those pictures look exactly like clouds to me!

UFOs in the clouds

Chicago Astronomer Joe — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:57:46 GMT

This latest ufo incident over O'Hare airport is very interesting. Reports from many of observing this object punching a hole in the clouds as the ufo accelerated sounds pretty much like a solid object. There's supposedly a picture that an airline employee took, but it hasn't been released yet.

And again, it's unidentified, but I sure don't think it's a lenticular cloud, spotlight or swamp gas!

Let's see what shakes out on this...pro or con.

Military or Alien?

Chicago Astronomer Joe
Administrator
http://www.chicagoastronomer.com

UFOs in the clouds

Erin Rasmussan — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 08:14:18 GMT

So if you believe this was possibly a "craft" then the education system has failed you? The educational system is what got motivated employees to yell that United was lying, and what got an "educated" journalist to show that the FAA was lying (requiring an FOIA threat). If you work daily with aircraft, clouds, the atmosphere, and are in the airplane business, then your interpretation is not as good as Oberg's ludicrious hearsay on aviation employees? I'm sorry but if aviation people are the worst to talk to then why are they the ones running the investigations at the NTSB? Maybe we should let journalists, dog catchers, and French cooks be our "experts" in aviation investigations. I'm not sure whose logic has truly won out when both alien believers and debunkers can sit by a computer and explain every mystery with their limited mindset. Flat Earth believers used the same Occam's Razor logic to fool themselves for years.

UFOs in the clouds

goldfish — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 08:23:54 GMT

i pray for that great day when the aliens,who observe our primitive civilization,will decide to make it irrefutable.the sooner the better.i fear the "prime directive" must be relaxed,for nuclear proliferation is out of control.

UFOs in the clouds

Ron Saarna, Toronto, Ontario — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 08:31:45 GMT

How pitiful our human condition that the believers have no proof to point to as to the existence of "alien spacecraft" (careful to avoid the trap of what UFO really means: An airborne object/phenomena that is up for grabs), but they have an explanation that defies logic.

An earlier poster mentioned that the simplest solution as to what happened in Chicago was aliens. Not at all if you consider the wonders our own Earth can produce without man. Plasma balls, lenticular clouds, swamp gas, etc.., or even strange things they saw in the clouds, those United employees themselves.

Using Occam's Razor is appliccable in this situation, but not the way he intended:

Considering the brief "encounter", after eons of development to get to Earth, why would an alien spacecraft show itself for a few minutes above one of the busiest airports if they wanted to avoid detection (as evidenced by its supposed quick retreat)? Because they wanted us not to notice they were hovering over an airport? Where many people congregrate and get grumpy. Sounds like they aren't as smart as some "people" want them to be. What would even be the point of this manouevre?
Or it could just be one of the weird atmospheric things that happens every day.
This may be controversial, but perhaps some believers are not as clever as they think they are. But the fantasy sounds cool, so let's rock for it with awhile.

UFOs in the clouds

planetmind — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:50:23 GMT

ok dont you think that all accidents happening major or minor they are those are sign of ourselves from next generations (who knows where they are "we are") if 100 years ago we had horses then next 50 years we had cars then we got airplane we got fast computers so... lets say in 500 years or even in 2000 years wont matter, what we gonna have? time travel machine so dont u think we are not alone we are with ourselves from future travelling in our time piloting our history our little life anything is from them from us we gotta to rethink our life our qualities our styles and listen to them to us some help? john titor.com don't laugh too much because truth dont exist reality is the bottom the top is us from the future what is nature? us from the future in different shapes ehehe and so on

UFOs in the clouds

Bud Grant — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 10:47:43 GMT

Anybody hear about the UFO spotted over the Minneapolis airport?

UFOs in the clouds

Steve Navel Lint — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 11:17:23 GMT

LOLs all around!

I am a weather expert, have been for quite a while....my whole damn life.
So is my brother, together we have over a hundred years experience (yes a hundred).

I get such a kick out of the Lenticular explanation !!

I live in Denver, one of the few places that Lenticulars form on a regular basis. Almost any locale on the Lee side of a large mountain range will see these especially in winter. It is caused by a large volume of air traveling over the ranges. The Lenticular cloud will form at the "crest" of the air wave and will remain virtually stationary throughout the event.

NEVER do they move up at high speed, NEVER!

Also the explantion of low clouds & moisture etc; wont wash as this is usually observed in a stable environment with NO upward moving air.

By the way, Lenticulars are observed at extreme altitudes, usually higher than the Mountain Range that created them.........not hundreds of feet.

As in this picture of New Hampshire, no doubt above Mt Washington.
http://images.google.com/imgres?
imgurl=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/denali/
extremes/images/lenticular.jpg&imgrefurl=
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/denali/
extremes/speak.html&h=172&w=250&sz=17
&tbnid=WZypJpifxYmurM:&tbnh=76&tbnw=111
&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlenticular%2Bcloud&start=1&sa=X
&oi=images&ct=image&cd=1

Once again the official explanation just does not wash, kinda like a bad stain! Just Like 9-11.

Ask yourself this simple question....From an advanced alien's point of view, are WE to be allowed into interstellar space?? I really don't think so.

UFOs in the clouds

A farmgirl, Oregon — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 11:49:21 GMT

Someone wrote that there were other, more important things that peopkle should be talking about. What could possibly be MORE important??

I was rather indifferent and unthinking about the possibilities of our universe until the age of twelve, when I saw a large object going over our farmhouse in Oregon. It was moving slowly, there was NO noise, and if I had had my slingshot...I could have hit it easily....not that I would have! It was a life changing experience. I don't know "what" it was...but it WAS. Now I know that anything is possible.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 12:11:24 GMT

Lots of opinions and sincere beliefs -- but why no progress in understanding? I say again -- there is stuff in the sky, stuff that some people see and report, of serious interest. Until reports get more quantitative -- angles, times, directions, visual changes -- instead of subjective and emotional (such as dozens of stories posted here), we'll get nowhere, and that frustrates me. But saying so makes me the grinch who revealed there ain't no Santa Claus. I think that attitude illustrates maybe what is wrong, not right, about much public feelings about the subject. So what can we all do? Prepare outselves to be better witnesses to any and all sudden unusual visual stimuli, and report in full with usable, useful details, not emotional handwaving. Otherwise we'll be having this same exchange fifty years from NOW.

UFOs in the clouds

T, Omaha — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 12:33:33 GMT

Plenty of people believe in God, many don't... let people think however they want. There is a very good possibility of other life in the universe, and I think that is amazing.

This case, however, could be the government with their high tech gadgets. If we had mastery of such a technology, it would no doubt prove useful in destroying countries or populations without the burden of a war known to the public. Although this would be a last ditch effort since the whole planet would then believe in aliens.

Could also be a fully human or physical phenomenon. Maybe these witnesses experienced a group hallucination or even created what they saw.

UFOs in the clouds

Dan, Mauna Kea, Hawaii — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 12:40:32 GMT

Actually, lenticular clouds *can* form away from mountains - but it takes pretty extreme atmospheric conditions. I saw one or two once in relatively flat southern New Jersey, and within a couple hours there was a serious wind storm.

UFOs in the clouds

Amanda Castro — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 12:47:35 GMT

It has been determined that most of these aliens from out of space wear enormous shoes and perhaps they have heard about our security requirements at the airports and did not want to wait in line to be searched by our security people. With their big shoes they would have spent days waiting in line.

UFOs in the clouds

Carter, Wisconsin — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 12:50:51 GMT

Been reading about this stuff since 1954. Even talked to my 85 year old philospher friend back in those days about life on other "planets" and the answer came back "Of course". We can't be that egotistical to think otherwise. Saw one with my Son back in 1986 and was duly reported. Two conclusions, the first being humorous. "We will never be invaded by aliens from other planets as they are looking for intelligent life." The other more probably accurate is the sightings and such are a result of multi-dimensional activities not yet explainable in our knowledge base. Remember, we only use less than 5% of our brain. And the rest of the "vacuum" in space is just now being determined as rather full of other matter. We still have a long way to go if we don't destroy ourselves first.

UFOs in the clouds

Doug Martian, Cedonia, Mars — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 13:07:35 GMT

My bad, guys, I was the one flying the saucer! I thought it would be a good day to relax and fly my saucer to Earth and view it personally. It was blocking my view from Mars to view Venus plus my flux capacitor modular blew on my geo dimensional telescope for viewing Venus. Didn't mean to scare you lowly humans! Please forget you saw it or I'll zap you and control your mind and make you listen to Britney Spears for days on end!! You have been warned!!!

UFOs in the clouds

sp — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 13:13:02 GMT

I wonder if we really are visited from aliens beings. I also have to imagine it might be for laughs only. The curiosity otherworldly beings must have observing a planet where the most advanced lifeform on the planet can hardly get along with itself while it slowly destroys the island it lives on for the sake of continued excistence. Hopefully some alien race will show pity on us and help us; not ready to join the galactic universe but show us how to live on this world as a race of beings. "Those earthlings; now there's a confused bunch."....

UFOs in the clouds

Jim, Atlanta, Georgia — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 13:44:49 GMT

Kudos to Deacon Blues for putting forth an explanation that is NOT technology-based, either our own or alien. Since we have a technological civilization, we are tempted to jump to the conclusion that something we see that does not fit in our experience is the product of technology. Fourth-dimensional natural phenomena? Could explain the symmetry...they always seem to be disks, cigars, or chevrons, and if we were seeing a three-dimensional slice of a fourth-dimensional object, it might very well appear to have a circular or axial symmetry with tapering ends or sides. Odd weather event? Certainly possible...ask your nearest meterologist. Despite years of study, we are only beginning to untangle some of the oddiments of weather. Something no one has thought of yet? Hey, now THERE'S a possibility. What makes everyone assume it's got to be something we already thought of? "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

UFOs in the clouds

Redoubt South, Phenix City, AL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 13:49:09 GMT

How is it so easy for us to believe that an omnipotent, benevolent spirit entity (God) created the universe and all that is in it in six days but then, dismiss UFOs as swamp gas or aberrations of weather?

Moreover, how can anyone, with the scant evidence available, form any kind of cogent theory as to what the O’Hare object was? Oberg would debunk red as the standard color of a stop sign if he could find a way. On the flipside, dedicated believers will believe anything.

A bit of serious scientific inquiry would be a welcome change… but I’m not holding my breath.

UFOs in the clouds

Chris Bracey — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:03:43 GMT

Anyone wondering why a space ship would travel millions of light years and stop in Chicago has obviously never had a Chicago style hot dog. Come on people, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I'm sure they'll be back in the spring for a pizza!

UFOs in the clouds

rachel, UK — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:32:50 GMT

I know that they exist and have done for some time. As a matter of fact there are two good photos on my website that shows to distinct ufos in our skies; when photographed they were invisible to the naked eye, but were picked up by camera. The ufo in July2002 was taken with a Samsung 35mm camera, and I also have the negative to go with the photo. The one taken in 2005 was taken by my husband, who being a sceptic tried to rationalise it and say it was a crack on the vehicle screen. Strange, seeing how he was standing outside the vehicle at the time he took the photo. The things that people come out with to rationalise their fear of the unknown are incredible and often more irrational than the truth.

UFOs in the clouds

Richard — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:38:57 GMT

I think the whole UFO/Alien thing is very interesting to speculate on, I personally am undecided but do lean to the likelyhood of there being another inteligent force in the universe besides us. Our technological learning curve is very young and we happen to prove that all of the time by new advances and advances on top of that. Our technology is linear based we believe you trvel from point A to B by taking the streightest or fastest route and we have very little true understanding of other methods of travel, we simply think that there is so much space between us and where there is to go and we dont have the knowledge to get there besides simply traveling in a linear manner, I speculate there is somekind of space bending or warping technology that is being used with these vehicles if in fact they are real, im not taliking like star trek or something like that, we know that light can be bent or warped around an object with a large amount of gravity, time can also be destorted by gravity intensity, which if time is being destorted so will space because the two are relative, I feel that if you were to travel vast distances you must have unlocked the working mysteries of the universe at least to some extent. We think as humans if there are aliens and their craft buzzing around that they must make contact with us but why should that be the case? who knows they couldve already made contact with us and as a society we are unaware.

UFOs in the clouds

Ghastlyjester BC Canada — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:42:34 GMT

How small minded are we to beleive that we are the only life in the universe???Open your minds a little.Billions upon billions of stars with planets and we are the only lifeforms...do the math.

UFOs in the clouds

George D. Fawcett, Lincolnton, NC 28092 — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:42:51 GMT

After reading of the UFO in Chicago,it rings a bell in my 67 years of UFO investigations & research.My 2006 book"Human Reactions to UFOs and UFOnauts & What We Have Learned From UFO Repetitions" Tells Even More About The Global UFO Phenomenon & Can Be Had for $l4 from me(George D. Fawcett)602 Battleground Road, Lincolnton, NC 28092.

UFOs in the clouds

Gubmint Werker — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 15:39:25 GMT

One can only imagine, and revel in God's great glory. How can we be so pompous and self focused to think that we are the only unique lifeform in the universe? We have been radiating signals into space for decades. As a matter of fact, some intelligent God-fearing lifeform on a planet in the Pleiades star cluster is watching the original Lucy Show in all of its black-and white majesty (perhaps an exaggeration, but factually accurate). They are here to check us out. They have been here before. There have been crashes, bodies recovered, technology copied, secrets created, facts withheld. Sometimes, we cannot see the forest for the trees. The truth is in your face!

God Bless!

UFOs in the clouds

Patrick Bishop, Caldwell, NJ — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 15:53:19 GMT

Once, at Ferry Farm in Stafford, Virginia, I just glanced up to the sky during a very average weather day and saw a cloud produce what I'd describe as a twisting tendril. This looped up and over the cloud and penetrated it at a higher altitude; like the handle on a mug. The tendril was rotating tornado-style and simply evaporated. The entire event took maybe 20 seconds.

We live at the bottom of a veritable ocean of air, stirred in ways we poorly understand, and producing phenomena ranging from subtle (a soft breeze) to cataclysmic (hurricanes). Any system capable of producing such a wide range of fairly common phenomena is also probably capable of producing an equally wide range of phenomena that are much less common.

In terms of probabilities, I think many UFO sightings could be attributable to these rare but perfectly plausible atmospheric events. However, that isn't the same as saying that ALL UFO sightings can be explained this way...

UFOs in the clouds

Bob L. — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:30:44 GMT

Does anyone find it funny that this occurred on election day? I read somewhere, sometime that UFO's appear before a major event, or an event that changes the course of the future. True or not? Who knows, just a weird coincidence.

UFOs in the clouds

Michael Horn — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:36:41 GMT

Thanks to you Chicagoans (and others!) who have emailed me regarding the UFO issue. I'll try to respond individually but there's a ton of free stuff on my site (www.theyfly.com), please read it first. And yes, we do mean "proof far beyond a reasonable doubt". Thanks.

UFOs in the clouds

Serena — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:47:00 GMT

Buttonboy, I believe you. I grew up in southern New Mexico. I was used to sonic booms, missile tests day and night, weird looking aircraft being tested, day and night, at HAFB. When I moved to San Diego I actually missed seeing and hearing those things. When I moved back, I drove in overnight. Around dawn on a mid-July morning I, too, saw what you describe. Weird smoke, almost purple, and not just rising...it was moving. Then what looked like the missile launches I remembered from my childhood, but these were much closer. I wondered why the road wasn't closed during this missile launch then remembered I was miles away from highway 70 (that is the one that is by the missile range). I was on highway 10, coming in from Tucson. Being that the sun was in front and to the left of my car, I was particularly surprised that whatever I was seeing was brighter than the early morning sun, which if you have ever been in the NM desert at dawn you know it is pretty bright. I turned off the radio, put down the windows and listened. Even though I was right next to whatever it was, I could hear absolutely nothing. I asked my parents what it could have been and they shrugged it off as a desert sky phenomenon. Maybe it was, but I choose to believe otherwise.

UFOs in the clouds

Julio, Milwaukee, WI — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:47:32 GMT

Why does it seem so many people keep referring to 'other intelligent life' out there? I kind of wonder if we have ANY intelligent life here. I love watching the History Channel UFO Series, which usually is informative and/or entertaining. Personally, I think there's something there.

UFOs in the clouds

John Carroll, Riverton, CT — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:56:07 GMT

UFOs exist. By their very definition if nothing else. To either rationalize them away as swamp gas or conversely, to insist they are ships from the planet Serpo piloted by our space brothers, is unscientific. True science demands one look at the evidence. Unfortunately the phenomenon, while it has plenty of anecdotal evidence going back to man's earliest history, is short on hard evidence.

Photography (as well as radar) falls somewhere between hard evidence and anecdote. It's good, but not conclusive. However the photographic evidence that exists DOES merit real and continuing scientific investigation of UFO phenomena.

Another poster earlier had decried the lack of "real time" video of alleged UFOs. I am assuming that he's referring to digital technology. There is a growing body of digital imagery, some which is highly ambiguous (stars, aircraft lights), some of which appears similar to the hovering spy platforms being tested by U.S. military contractors, and some is just... unidentifiable in the more germane it's-not-a-plane-not-a-bird-not-venus sense. The problem with digital technology is that it is so easy to hoax that it is now almost useless as evidence.

There is a small body of hard evidence in the form of landing impressions, surgically removed "implants" whose composition and or isotope are not something you'd find in a normal manufacturing process (i.e. non-crystalline iron), and some physical after effects on the human body such as radiation burns, or the more alarming ability of these objects to hover over and "turn off" nuclear tipped missiles in their silos.

Witnesses can be very unreliable, but I would suggest that the growing number of highly trained, highly qualified people, including astronomers, pilots, astronauts, scientists, police, military personnel, who have seen seemingly solid and intelligently controlled objects whose aerodynamic, geo orbital, and hydrogynamic characteristics far exceed modern technical capabilities, is more than sufficient to justify serious acceptance by the scientific community as a legitimate branch of study.

UFOs in the clouds

Alan Sheets, Loveland CO — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:04:06 GMT

I looked at that picture, and it looks like aircraft landing lights being "sundogged" by ice crystals. Fairly simple explanation to me.

This reminds me of a quote from Arthur C. Clarke: "If you've seen as many UFOs as I have, you wouldn't believe in them either."

UFOs in the clouds

J. Fritts, C'Ville, Texas — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:13:11 GMT

I wonder when the main stream media will really investigate something. What idiots!. Pilots and long time employees of the airlines saw this, along with people from around Chicago, and this is just one of the sightings. The media makes it out to be a joke. If something is breaching airspace over O' Hare, it is no laughing matter! After 911, it should be obvious how important this story is.

UFOs in the clouds

Gil Templeton, Nashville, TN — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:22:12 GMT

You know, there's the old quasi-joke that says the only reason we haven't been directly contacted from ET's is that they too are looking for INTELLIGENT life outside their own. How conceited we must be to think we are the only living beings in an infinity of galaxies, planets and other universals. I think the Southwest (NM, AZ...)seems to be the "Hub" and visited anywhere from 3 million years ago to yesterday afternoon. If their technology is a mere million years ahead of ours, and it certainly should and/or could be, a stealth visit would prove no problem whatsoever. Heck, I say welcome them as simply what they are: older, smarter brothers from another planet.

UFOs in the clouds

les — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:22:58 GMT

i believe when i see 1

UFOs in the clouds

Sharon, St George,Ut (No, I'm not a Mormon) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:26:29 GMT

Many years ago, I read a book written by a russian author titled "The Sky People". I don't recall the author's name and have not been able to find a copy anywhere. He stated, among other things, that we were a biological experiment conducted by a higher race of people and were placed on Mars (I think we will find evidence that life once existed there). I won't go into any more detail on this, but if anyone has any knowledge of this book or has any info on how I could obtain a copy, it would be greatly appreciated.

On another subject, has anyone seen the movie " The Day The Earth Stood Still"? There's a very good message in it as to why we are being monitored by aliens. We are taking our first baby step into outer space. We are too warlike and primitive and would spread our values (or lack of) to other life forms in the Universe. We are killing our planet all in the name of money (fossil fuels), warmongers and religous (all in the name of God?)zealots that cannot accept others of different beliefs. You have brown eyes and I have blue eyes. You believe in God and I don't. Does this make me different or someone that is wrong and evil and must either be destroyed or converted? My father told me "There is no right and there is no wrong. There is only the laws of the society in which you live. If you wish to be a part of that society, you must conform". Very sad, but true. We have not evolved enough to accept the diversities of all cultures or the intelligence of all creatures. No wonder we're being watched.

UFOs in the clouds

O, Peoria, IL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:27:05 GMT

We want so badly to be the most intelligent life in the universe. IMO we should not assume that illogical alien behavior is further proof of their nonexistence. Some of our behaviors seem illogical when compared against of “lesser” creatures here on earth. I’ll bet we would appear as illogical to a superior intelligence as well.

Maybe it would make perfect sense to a superior intelligence to make their presence known at certain instances and specific locations of their choosing. As a “monkey in a cage,” compared to a species that has mastered interstellar space travel, I can’t expect to form all the right conclusions about their thought process.

I’ll bet they’ve determined the quickest way from point a to b is not a straight line on the same plane as a & b. We can’t comprehend this just yet, so we dismiss it as a possibility altogether. That makes us monkeys (or less) compared to them. As monkeys, all we can do is hurl feces at them as they appear.

UFOs in the clouds

John Charles Webb, Jr. Maui, Hawaii — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:31:54 GMT

It does not appear that anything unusual was picked up on the radar scopes at O'Hare on Noverber 7th 2006. The absence of radar data is important but not, in my opinion, definitive. I do not believe that our rudimentary 'physics' are entirely applicable to potential UFO candidates.

I became completely convinced of the existence of extraterrestrial life during a research project regarding The Great Pyramid at Giza. The research project discovered strong mathematical associations between the geometry of The Great Pyramid, its northern latitude and the speed of light.

link to research results:
http://www.templeofsolomon.org/
Reticulum.htg/Reticulum.htm
Either the ancient Egyptians knew about quantum mechanics or there was some kind of extraterrestrial intervention in the design and construction of The Great Pyramid. The fundamental arithmetic involved is (seems) convincing and definite.
I also discovered (current research) that the face on Mars is located at a latitude that is a prime number.

The 'prime number' location of the face on Mars has not, as yet, been a topic of discussion in scientific circles.

I have no doubt that intelligent extraterrestrial life is a largely ignored 'reality'. The proof is 'in our face' and yet many choose to ignore it.

UFOs in the clouds

DevinWhiting Chillicothe ohio — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:34:31 GMT

ohio is the original Area 51, well technoligy is being held back because people can't face the facts ... we are not alone, so go back to the cave while the rest of us in society accept this!

UNCLE SAM HAS IT UNDER CONTROL ,WHY DO YOU THINK WE HAVE THE SPACE STATION,AND WE ARE GOING TO PUT A NICE TOWN HOUSE ON THE MOON! BEST VIEW IN THE WORLD.SINCERLY DEVIN WHITING SR.

UFOs in the clouds

milt, Chicago — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:45:19 GMT

Aliens,

If you are monitoring our Earthy signals.....
do us Earthlings a favor. Please hover over the White House, I am sure you have the co-ordinates to that famous address.

Thank you.

UFOs in the clouds

Ed Muller, Austin, TX — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:45:27 GMT

Alien craft from other planets are here.

Time to wake up.

Like it or not.

UFOs in the clouds

PLB, Park Ridge, IL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:47:56 GMT

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
It Came from Outer Space
Invasion of the Saucer Men
Invaders from Mars
The Day the Earth Stood Still
War of the Worlds
The Thing from Another World
The Man from Planet X
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Attack from Space
The Blob
They Came from Beyond Space
It! The Terror from Beyond Space
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
ET: The Extraterrestrial
Alien
Independence Day

A short, very incomplete, list of movies from the 1950's to the present dealing with visitors from other worlds. And the government is covering up because we are culturally unprepared for alien visitations??? Please, "true-believers," stop using this as a rationale for your conspiracy theories - it is laughable.

BTW - Yes, I would agree that there is most likely intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Unfortunately physics is the same everywhere and there is no practical way to cross the vast distances, even for the most technologically-advanced race.

UFOs in the clouds

will james — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:51:10 GMT

I've been phoning for years and now they've come for me. Unfortunately the coordinates were wrong. I was at Terminal B.

*All your base are belong to us*

UFOs in the clouds

J, Tampa FL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:51:52 GMT

Considering our own evolutionary spectrum, how would we recognize a less evolved life form trying to get our attention? We'd probably eliminate them as pests.

UFOs in the clouds

Dude Doe, I dunno — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:00:41 GMT

They came, they hovered, they zipped to NY to do some Xmas shopping...

UFOs in the clouds

milt, Chicago — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:02:33 GMT

and one more thing, while hovering over there, kindly beam ALL the occupants up ?

Thank you

UFOs in the clouds

J, Tampa FL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:05:47 GMT

PLB: While physics IS the same everywhere it is unwise to speculate on the limitations of technology. Simply considering the nearly exponential growth of our own techology should forestall any argument of its "limitations" in any part of the universe.

UFOs in the clouds

O, Peoria, IL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:11:57 GMT

PLB, You stated "Unfortunately physics is the same everywhere and there is no practical way to cross the vast distances, even for the most technologically-advanced race."

FYI...our understanding of these "universal" physics is neither exhaustive nor complete.

There are stars within 40 light years of our solar system that are more than 1 billion years older than our sun. That's quite the head start.

UFOs in the clouds

The Starman — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:23:30 GMT

Dang! No matter how many times I tell that navigator he NEVER gets it right!

UFOs in the clouds

Mayor Dave, The midwest prairie of Illinois — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:24:00 GMT

Whether they are real or maybe not
A military plan or government plot
They seem to get attention a lot

So I say go on with your day
They'll either stay or go away
There's nothing we can do or say

Don't focus on the hocus pocus
But watch for things that can croak us
Like hate and war and all that’s broke us

The point is until there is irrefutable proof that other world life forms are coming to our planet let’s use our enthusiasm and energies to build a peaceful world that can successfully sustain the population we already have.

UFOs in the clouds

JC, Riverton, CT — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:33:57 GMT

Physics may operate according to universal principles throughout this univers, but based on the frequency with which the latest fad theory is thrown out for the next, I would suggest that our knowledge of those principles has barely scratched the surface.

There is a plethora of inside-the-box thinking evidenced here.

Investigate to illuminate because when you ruminate, you contaminate.

UFOs in the clouds

Joseph Capp — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:35:33 GMT

Mr. Oberg, like other skeptics is usually wrong, not because he’s stupid it’s because he, like all skeptics, thinks we are. Here is a great analogy of what these skeptics do and why you should never listen to them. If any physician practiced medicine the way these skeptics collect data we all be dead. Think about it. This type of doctor would only accept symptoms and evidence that fit the doctor preconceived obsession of what disease you must have. When you protest the doctor uses generalities about your group, education, or lack of character to negate your of what you think is wrong with you.

Happy Heath

UFO Media Matters

UFOs in the clouds

Rich Walker — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:45:43 GMT

Let's be clear here. If ETs are visiting Earth in some sort of vehicles, this would be of paramount concern to the National Security Agency and others as a potential security threat. In such cases disinformation specialists, some of whom may be well-known journalists, are deployed to make sure that the security objectives are met. In the case of UFO's, their strategy is to discredit or cast doubt on even the most compelling cases of UFO observations. And technically they may be correct in stating that these were not UFO's -- their identities, ET, foreign or domestic, may well be known to the NSA, but not disclosed for reasons of "national security".

Thanks for bringing attention to this incident.

UFOs in the clouds

T, Omaha — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:51:10 GMT

Another simple notion is the occurence of an improbable atmospheric event. Just like it is possible for 200 foot high waves in the oceans. It is possible and does happen (more often than you'd expect).

UFOs in the clouds

Diane Makin — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:04:05 GMT

Why is it, anyone observing a UFO is not a reliable witness? No matter who it is. Police, Clergy, Pilots and their crews ect... Come on folks! There are things out there we simply can not explain. What's so bad in admitting that. Quit trying to make every eye witness look like a fool. That's why people believe there is a government cover up! Oh by-the-way, I saw unexplained lights in the sky once but.......what do I know, I'm just another unreliable witness.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:08:09 GMT

A lot of well-informed information is being discussed at:

http://www.virtuallystrange.net/cgi-bin/maillist-today.cgi?
file=/ufo/updates/2007/jan/m03-001.shtml

along with other less-reliable comments -- you have to sort through it, but it's worth the effort. For example, it seems that the lack of radar detection should have been predictable for any object in the reported position. Significant new testimony and analysis should be expected -- this story is going to have legs, let's hope it also has enough reliable information to test and reject hypotheses.

UFOs in the clouds

J, Tampa FL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:18:54 GMT

Just think, it could've been a first contact effort for "them" so why not pick an airport terminal? You get a broad cross-sectional representation of cultures in international airports. I wonder if there are any missing persons reports that might be for folks "picked up" from O'Hare?

Every time I go through O'Hare I wanna get outta there as fast as possible too... I wonder if they lost any baggage?

UFOs in the clouds

Ken, Evans, GA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:36:47 GMT

Beam me up Scottie - there's no intelligent life on this planet!

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:46:18 GMT

Joe Capp: "Mr. Oberg, like other skeptics is usually wrong, not because he’s stupid it’s because he, like all skeptics, thinks we are. "

Sorry, Joe, your telepathic powers are no better than your silly analogy. Doctors at their best practice reproduceable testing and use techniques with demonstrable efficacy. Both features seem absent from the UFO debate, if the past 180 messages are typical (and they seem to me, to be).

I don't think you're stupid at all, just carried away with your enthusiasms and your eagerness to postulate a universe in which 'skeptics' think they way you imagine they ought to, instead of the way they actually do, as illustrated by things they have actually written, which you apparently have no interest in reading.

I'm trying to push a 'get-better' strategy in approaching a genuine mystery that I'd like an answer to, not blind worship of. What things can we DO to be part of the solution, not part of the problem?

One step is for you to point out analyses and articles I've published that have been wrong (as you say I usually am), and why they are wrong -- that would be helpful in correcting them. Please, take a swing at it. Visit my website, and take your pick of targets.

UFOs in the clouds

O, Peoria, IL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:50:21 GMT

Regarding what is a practical distance to be traveled between stars, who has postulated that extraterrestrials are likely to have the same lifespan as we do? Maybe they live to be 200-300 years old? Maybe 1000 years of life is achievable to them. If they do have vehicles that can approach the speed of light, time matters less to the traveler anyway – at least theoretically. The aging process during the trip would be reduced dramatically -- depending on their craft’s near-light speed.

UFOs in the clouds

W, MA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:53:06 GMT

To further comment on PLB's remark "Unfortunately physics is the same everywhere and there is no practical way to cross the vast distances, even for the most technologically-advanced race."

If Physics is the same everywhere its a 20 chapter book and we're on Chapter 4. Until we stop hearing the phrase "For every question we answer we get 3 new ones to ask" we have a long way to go before we label the phenomenon as "Impossible".

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:59:37 GMT

for Joe Capp:

Your project, www.ufomediamatters.com, looks like a great idea, I hope you get the volunteer support you need and can open a forum where advocates of different interpretations can debate each other fairly. Your descriptions of your intentions, at:

http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopic-7630-0-days0-orderasc-.html

and at

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread209468/pg1

... do suggest you believe people who disagree with your views are liars, but a little exposure to mano-a-mano intellectual exchanges can soon establish the sincerity of even the most conflicting interpretations, and show where the preponderance of logic and evidence may fall. This could indeed be part of the solution, good luck!!

UFOs in the clouds

J, Tampa FL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:59:50 GMT

Well, they ARE intelligent... they didn't go to Atlanta...

UFOs in the clouds

PLB, Park Ridge, IL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:00:11 GMT

To O in Peoria and J in Tampa:

The limit we are discussing is the speed of light. Despite faster-than-light travel being a staple of science fiction for decades, years of research and experiment indicates that it is not possible. Albeit, some physicists have posited worm holes as a theoretical way in which we could zip about the universe - but I did say there were no "practical" methods of interstellar travel.

Another popular misconception about hypothetical advanced races is that they have evolved intelligence so far ahead of us that we would be as insects to them.

a) Evolution doesn't imply progress; this is a point that Steve Gould was trying to make for years, apparently with little success because for so many out there "evolved" means "better"; not so.

b) Some have argued, and I agree, that intelligent AND technological species have reached evolutionary stasis, because the major driving force in evolution is natural selection; once a species has mastery over the natural world how can selection act upon it?

Also: O states "There are stars within 40 light years of our solar system that are more than 1 billion years older than our sun. That's quite the head start."

On the earth, the average "life-span" of a species in the fossil record, from origination to extinction, is typically a few million years. There's no reason to expect species on other worlds to live for a billion years or even 500 million, or even 10 million. Those advanced aliens may have lived and died a half-billion years ago.

Just because there's been "enough time" for these super-technologies to develop doesn't mean that the universe is teeming with advanced alien civilizations. Most (if there were any) may have come and gone. The chances are remote to nil that we are being, have been, or ever will be visited by extraterrestrial beings. Sorry, folks, but this whole fascination with flying saucers and aliens coming to save/destroy us stems from the same urges and needs that have driven humans to invent all the other gods and demons throughout recorded history. Alien visitors are part of our modern mythology.

UFOs in the clouds

Jane Quatam,CA — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:09:32 GMT

When did the normal operating procedure of the government, the media, and people in positions of power, change from "Tell the truth as much as possible and only lie when you have to." to "Lie as much as possible and only tell the truth when you have to." ?

The constant tin foil hat and other derogatory terms used to criticize the messenger and any others you disagree with does nothing to further the discussion and only obfuscates the issues which apparently is the desired outcome by the agents of the state, and the 4th estate.

We can spend billions on a war in Iraq for no apparent purpose than enriching a few corporations and destroying American goodwill, but we can't come up with a few million dollars to scientifically study unknown aerial phenomenon. Doesn't this seem strange?

It's almost as if, those who really need to know what this is about, already know and the rest of us don't really need to know.

In an infinite universe anything is possible, including extraterrestrials with the technology to overcome distance as we understand it with the technology we have. Does a bear understand a cigarette lighter? Probably not. Does our being visited, if that is what is happening, mean we are egotistical and the center of the universe? Only if we assume we are the only ones being visited.

We have only possesed the knowledge to make heavier than air flight possible for about a century, yet we sometimes beleive we can extrapolate everything that is possible in an infinite universe based on our limited understanding of it. The ignorant can learn, but the stupid will always be stupid. Pick your boat and get busy.

UFOs in the clouds

Bette Rose, Denver, CO — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:16:47 GMT

One thing for sure, these UFO's are piloted by intelligent beings... they don't land. They take one look at humans and scat!!!!

UFOs in the clouds

LBT, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:25:09 GMT

I think the reason few people actually lay eyes on these "lights" is that most people don't spend a lot of time looking at the sky, either during the day or at night. I have had two "sightings", the first when I was 18 (1974)snowmobiling on Lake Simcoe in southern Ontario - there was a massive structure hovering over one of the smaller mostly uninhabited and forested smaller islands, obviously not a man made craft.

The next time was about 18 months ago on Michigan's I-75 - my husband and I both witnessed a huge white ball of light which separated into one large light and four smaller lights, then disappeared and appeared again in exactly the same manner in a least three other different locations. My husband, who is a total skeptic as well as someone firmly grounded in the sciences, to this day will not discuss it. It annoys him that it can't be explained with any degree of confidence, so he doesn't see the point in addressing it further.

Implications? My father used to think they were probably angels looking out for us. But there is something out there, interdimensional or otherwise. Maybe someone or something thinks we are ready for the next scientific leap or need to be rescued from ourselves. In any case, it's important to believe your eyes - it is pretty much expected that the so-called "authorities" will lie about it if they don't have the answers.

UFOs in the clouds

itispossible, california — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:27:06 GMT

We humans have such a desperate need to know "why" everything in the universe exists and works the way it does. Science and other officials try to answer our questions ASAP and sometimes science succeeds, but sometimes it fails to give us the answers to all the deep mysteries of life. At this point they turn to denial because for some egotistical reason human beings find it unacceptable to not have all the answers to everything. Humanity seems to think it can fill the shoes of our creator by knowing and controlling the universe and everything around us. We arrogantly refuse to admit there are some things in this universe and life that we will probably never know or be able to explain.

In the case of the O'Hare UFO mystery, why can't they just say "we don't know what it was", and leave it at that? Why is it so totally unacceptable in our society to not have all the answers to every unexplainable event? Are we afraid to appear weak by not having all the answers? Are we so superior that we must always have all the answers to every mystery of life in order to remain the dominant society on our planet?

Maybe we are simply fallible human beings who don't know the answer to everything, maybe we are not supposed to know all the mysteries of the universe. Maybe we should start trying to make our beautiful planet a better place to live rather than questioning why it is here. Maybe our purpose in life is to appreciate all of the questions and learn from them how to live better, rather than trying to always control our environment. Maybe we are an amazing experiment of alien beings from another world, maybe they come here occasionally to see how we're doing? Who knows? Maybe we should try to make them proud by learning how to live in peace and love one another! Maybe we should be spending all our energies on trying to protect our planet and our people instead of destroying everything! Maybe we should learn to accept the unknown and trust that our creator knows what "HE" is doing!

And when science can't answer our questions we turn to various forms of the occult, willing to listen and hoping to believe any quack who professes to "know" the answers. Humans have such a deep seated need to know the answers to life and how everything works that we refuse to keep our faith and trust in nature and the unknowable.

We have such a superiority complex that we believe we "should" be equal in knowledge and understanding to our perfect creator(s), whoever that might be! People have no faith in the unknown, and refuse to simply accept the fact that there are some things we will "never" know for sure! We can all guess, query, ponder, and read about other people's ideas, but the reality is "we will never really know for sure" so why don't we just accept the fact that "we will never know for sure". It's called surrender! Surrender to the fact that we are here on such a beautiful planet

Persistence is beneficial in advancing technology, but I believe there are realms that we are not supposed to understand or know and I believe we need to respect those forces, learn lessons from them, and use them as a guide to living on our beautiful planet.

UFOs in the clouds

J, Tampa FL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:29:04 GMT

Interesting points PLB - but please consider:

"There's no reason to expect species on other worlds to live for a billion years or even 500 million, or even 10 million." There's no reason to expect them NOT to live that long except preconceptions based on our own anthropological perspective.

"...once a species has mastery over the natural world how can selection act upon it?" Please look into Trans-humanism. Evolution CAN proceed without "natural" influence. The knee-jerk or habitual response is to focus on "natural" selection. Selection need not be "natural" to have an impact on evolution. Please consider what deliberate human selection processes have accomplished with dog breeds - and this does not even consider any application of technologies.

"Sorry, folks, but this whole fascination with flying saucers and aliens coming to save/destroy us stems from the same urges and needs that have driven humans to invent all the other gods and demons throughout recorded history." Usually the only demons we battle are those things we do not understand. I wonder why you see intellectual speculation and exchange as the invention of demons?

UFOs in the clouds

eye of warrior tecumseh, mi. — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:32:11 GMT

I would like to refer you all to a book by Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos. It's called "Skunk works" It tells ab't a lot of different projects that were worked on and tested at places like "area 51" a test base in Nevada. Check your local library and see if they may have it. I wish you all happy reading and a safe voyage(in your dreams)...

UFOs in the clouds

Chris in Chicago — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:35:34 GMT

In galactic terms, we're located in the styx - on the outermost part of a spiral of the galaxy. Is there a greater possibility of extraterrestrial life than we are led to believe? of course there is. From biblical times (elijah and the wheel of fire) to current day, we've had accounts of activities. We claim them as frauds or supernatural, when in reality, it's just something we can't explain. Why? Because we refuse to believe that we are not the center of the universe. We coddle our egos and don't want to admit to something greater, as that would undermine our status as the top of the food chain. I guess the best thing to do is just accept the posibility, and take comfort in the fact that any cases so far haven't been malicious or antagonistic. More akin to intergalactic tourists checking out the silly primates who keep killing eachother and their affliction/affection for combustion based propulsion. Who knows. It coulda been Mr. Jackson's family coming in from outta town- he was raised in Gary, you know. (and no, it's not a laughing matter. you just need to realize that if they WERE bent on destroying us, they would have surely done so by now. They probably figure we're doing a good enough job of it ourselves..

UFOs in the clouds

James Doonalde, Seattle, Wash — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:40:18 GMT

"Dick Haines has been investigating this case since its occurrence on November 7/06. The Newspaper report at least recognizes much of what happened there. I corresponded with Dick off and on about the event and sent him material about ATC, tower, runways and ground control as recently as yesterday.

There are two towers, incidentally, at O'Hare and ground control occupies the older O'Hare tower. Both towers can see the entire field at their elevations. However the new tower at 250 feet AGL will be able to see the a newer runway being constructed on the back side of the terminal building.

There is mention of the ground maintenance teams and a pilot in a airliner on the ground on the apron having sighted the object. This being the case they both would have been talking to O'Hare ground control rather than the tower, and ground control would have had a good eyeball on the object as well unless the object was directly overhead of them.

The explanation by the FAA mouthpiece is absurd. There was no reason to contact ATC because they aren't even in the loop at O'Hare. Traffic in the O'Hare zone is handled by O'Hare Tower and handed off to ATC once the traffic has cleared O'Hare's zone. For ATC to be smug about it, joke about a potential hazard shows a lack of concern for safety at O'Hare. Hovering over O'Hare at 1,700 feet is a pretty safe spot for all but helicopters that might be launching because there would be no traffic flying through that space _unless_ there was some need for an overshoot by some aircraft landing or an emergency of some sort.

ATC at O'Hare would not be able to paint radar that close in to the field. It would be a cluttered mess. Transponders on the field are on standby or off because there are so many aircraft on the field that the centers of their scopes would be a white mass of xponder returns. The actual return is about 1/4 inch square with the added information bar. Raw skin paints at the field would result in a cluster of overlapping dots and quite useless.

The best bet for witnesses from the FAA is the tower personnel and ground personnel who themselves are controllers and often shift back and forth and who are in constant contact with one another. At smaller airports ground and tower share the tower facility and often when things are slow perform both duties. Chicago O'Hare has an antiquated radar facility which frequently breaks down, the last time was on Dec.15/06.

I can understand the FAA making light of this and even the airlines because they don't want anything else deterring people from using airliners, but ATC is different. They are basically ridiculing ground personnel and pilot reports of a potential hazard at one of the biggest airports in the world. ATC ignores this hazard on a frequent basis. There are potentially hundreds of quality witnesses to this event, but many will keep their mouths shut because of just this childish attitude of ATC and the FAA.

I'm preparing a response-have been since yesterday, but waiting for more detail-to Jon Hilkevitch. I think he did a pretty good job of getting the story out there without the usual snideness portrayed by other reporters, and it looks like he is going to continue with his investigation via the FOIA.

Don Ledger"

UFOs in the clouds

eye of warrior tecumseh, mi. — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:43:15 GMT

a lot of folks who have never been in the northern tier states like alaska, wash. state, oregon, Montana and on across all the way to maine, they look up and see the aurora borealis for the 1st time. it's like someone who thought they saw a ufo. Except the Aurora borealis is a totally beautiful sight to see. It's one of natures wonders you'll never forget for a long time.

UFOs in the clouds

JC, Riverton, CT — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:43:56 GMT

PLB, the problem with being a skeptic is the same one as being a believer. Both camps ascribe motives to the other's beliefs which may not be valid. A believer may dismiss a skeptic as being close minded, or of engaging in deliberate disinformation despite the skeptic having a completely rational explanation. The skeptic on the other hand may dismiss truly compelling testimony from multiple and highly credible witnesses because it doesn't fit into a know paradigm. (i.e. implying that engaging in ufological inquiry is no different than inventing leprechauns to explain a missing sock)

The only rational course of action, given the mountains of anecdotal evidence, and the smaller, but compelling body of photographic evidence is to continue investigating. Whether UFOs are meteorological in nature, the product of mass hallucinations, an undiscovered terrestrial life form/colony/swarm, new secret aircraft, or yes, aliens or time/dimensional vacationers, or other...it is a worthwhile line of inquiry.

If shuttle astronauts are describing an "alien spacecraft...on VFR..." I want to know, at the very least as a taxpayer, what it is. Are we sending nutjobs into space? Are the Chinese more advanced than we thought?

Reportedly there is a picture of the alleged "disc" over O'Hare. If it exists then I hope the airport personnel who took it will release it. I want to see it. Don't you?

UFOs in the clouds

yep. — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 21:15:52 GMT

TO PBL in Park Ridge-

OR were Gods and Demons invented to explain phenomena that couldn't be explained?

On the same token, taking our planet's fossil record and history and applying it to every other planet? That's a bit backwards. Let's get a grasp on the physical geology of our other planets before making such broad sweeps and generalizations. True, it might have come and gone, but it could also be true tht we have relatively close neighbors as well who are simply intent on watching us the same way Goodall observes chimps.

Copernicus called- He wanted to let you know we're not the center of the universe...

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 21:20:02 GMT

[["NTSB investigators say that the worst observers of an aviation accident are aviation personnel," Oberg said. "It's because a pilot will usually want to understand what happened, and in his initial perceptions and later retellings will stress the facts that support his initial interpretation."]]

Oh, gee. Now there's an objective opinion for you: professional UFO skeptic James Oberg. Oberg would be out of a job if he ever publicly admitted that some UFO sightings just might be what they appear to be. So who are you going to believe, multiple witnesses of varying employment backgrounds (not just pilots, as Oberg implies) who were actually there, or James Oberg, who wasn't there?

It's also amusing the FAA official said "That night was a perfect atmospheric condition in terms of low ceiling and a lot of airport lights." Sure. How people can see funny things at night explains everything about an event that occurred at 4:30 in the afternoon. Aren't you glad that airport safety is in the hands of such astute public servants?

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 21:30:23 GMT

Alan Boyle writes: "Of course, that's the establishment view ... which would be expected if I were part of the "conspiracy."

No, that's the establishment view because you're part of the establishment. I just KNEW the word "conspiracy" (as in crazy conspiracy theory)would get tossed out soon in this discussion. It's always handy for supporters of the conventional "wisdom" to use the word to explain why they're always right and everyone that disagrees is just a nutty "conspiracy theorist". But it's not a conspiracy, it's just group think.

UFOs in the clouds

Phil Pennington, Houston, TX — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 21:52:47 GMT

Consider the quote, “Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.” – Sir Arthur Eddington, English astronomer (1882 - 1944) . Lights have been seen in the sky since ancient times. Then they were called gods and angels. Now we call them aliens. Both explanations are easy. Neither explanation has a shred of proof.

Important conclusions are rarely so easy. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. After years of looking at these extraordinary claims, I've seen no extraordinary evidence of aliens. There may be enough evidence to claim that there exists aerial phenomena that we cannot currently explain, but to leap to the claim that the UFO's are aliens is unjustified and presumptuous. More likely, this phenomena is just too complex for us to understand at this time. Something like a Neanderthal looking at an eclipse of the sun. That doesn’t mean it’s aliens. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It just means we have to live with not knowing the explanation for a little longer.

In the end, these things are the “Unidentified” part of UFO. Unless or until someone comes up with extraordinary evidence of what these things are, they are neither aliens, nor are they not aliens. They are simply an unexplained phenomena rather like the odd orbit of Mercury before Einstein’s physics. It's important to remain reasonable. All the supposition of the ages doesn’t equal one bit of extraordinary evidence and can only serve to close our minds to the real mysteries of our universe.

UFOs in the clouds

Lisa M, Columbus, Ohio — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:11:41 GMT

It' just so ridiculous, always saying "they" must have neen really seeing swamp gas, Venus, etc. Maybe in some cases, but people such as Jimmy Carter and Barry Goldwater have seen UFO's - and you would think, with thier backgrounds and intelligence, that they would know what is Venus and what is not.

Something is out there and it may be something we can't even imagine yet - think of someone in oh, the year 1150 seeing a working TV or a plane flying overhead.

UFOs in the clouds

Mike Green, Phoenix, Arizona — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:14:35 GMT

This story of about a dozen witnesses, including pilots, is somewhat unique. For each witness that came forward, there were probably five more who didn't want to say anything.

Obviously, an experimental US military aircraft would not hover over O'Hare.

The overt nature of this incident reminds us of "The Phoenix Lights" incident when a huge boomerang-shaped craft slowly cruised over Phoenix early one evening a few years ago, and was witnessed by thousands.

It also brings to mind recent rumors and alleged disclosure of "Project SERPO," a supposed top-secret exchange program between the US and an extraterrestrial civilization.

UFOs in the clouds

Glictar, Rognetorized Pologneo Breeding Sector, Alpha Omega Gamma — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:28:19 GMT

Glictar will not stand for this insolence!!! The jiknectorites will be set upon thee PLB!!!!!

UFOs in the clouds

O, Peoria, IL — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:47:53 GMT

PLB, a futurist living in the 1800’s may have thought most of our now ubiquitous technologies impossible to achieve (if they could envision them at all). History shows us that current science is not always an accurate tool for reliably predicting future realties.

Heavier than air vehicles (airplanes) were thought impossible just 100 years ago, so when you decree, "The chances are remote to nil that we are being, have been, or ever will be visited by extraterrestrial beings." You make strong statements, but they are not augmented by facts.

I for one do not profess to know the life expectancy of an intelligent species in an alien star system under unknown celestial influences. We have exactly ONE data point for the evolution of life in a main sequence star system. To me, that seems a very small sample size from which to draw hard conclusions.

We see only what we know.
-- Goethe

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James Coppock — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 00:21:04 GMT

O, it still comes down to simple mathematics. Even if an alien race could explore every planet in the galaxy in a few seconds each, with over 100 billion stars and countless more planets, it would take more time than humans have been civilized. Beyond that, we were little more than sentient animals without a technological signature from which to adequately differentiate ourselves from other annimals. Are you asserting, therefore, that this alien species just happened to come upon human civilization in the last 10,000 years? What are the mathematical odds of that?

For me, it isn't whether or not other alien cultures exist, it the feasibility of us finding one another between the time we evolve a noticable civilization (ie- settlements, etc) until the time one or the other becomes extinct.

"Anything is possible" does not imply that "everything is probable." Do the math.

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O, Peoria, IL — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 00:59:14 GMT

James, your points are noted, but there are at least two additional possibilities that you don’t seem to consider...

1. They "planted" us here because they discovered that earth was "fertile" 100's of millions of years ago...maybe they are monitoring our progress.

2. they weren't looking for life, but instead were searching for regions/systems/planets with the right conditions for life. These conditions have existed on earth for 100s of millions of years -- not thousands. I didn't mean to imply that they came here specifically for man.

Most astrophysicists will tell yell that not all galaxies are habitable (for life as we know it) and that not all regions of habitable galaxies are habitable. We know about habitable regions, maybe a higher intelligence would too. The search for "life" can be narrowed dramatically. Sounds like you need to consider your math as well?

We don't have to consider every star of every region of every galaxy.

UFOs in the clouds

James Coppock — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 01:36:38 GMT

O, well met. However, if I may just convey my opinion on a couple of items...

On your point one, we necessarily move our mythological "god(s)" to aliens, further necessitating our anthropocentric need to have a readily identifiable "creator" or set of creators. This is a very broad and understandable need, but I feel it is about as provable as a geocentric universe. In essence, I see this as merely replacing God with Alien for our existence in life.

2. They may have visited our world for a long time, but this point would require basically a continually manned (excuse the pun) observatory of sort just performing research. Since it's likely life originates on many, many planets in our Galaxy, this would be quite an operation

"Hi Al."
"Hi Ed."
"Anything good during your shift?"
"Naw, Ed, nothing but fish and slime. How long is the boss gonna make us watch this world?"
"Gee, I don't know, Al. Corporate figures it'll be at least a few billion shift round the clock."
Following an awkward silence, "OK, Ed. I guess that makes OUR lives pretty worthless."

It just seems to me that the likelihood of someone sticking around for countless hundreds of millions of years waiting for something to "cook" is an inefficient use of resources, and if indeed they only stop by from time to time, it's awfully convenient how they just happened along about the time we discover flight (for it really wasn't until we invented flight that suddenly thousands of sighting began in earnest).

You make some valid arguments and use rhetoric rather well, but I just don't see it as realistic, that's all. But I respect the dissenters, too!

UFOs in the clouds

Sevansons, Upstate, NY — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 01:53:27 GMT

Alone in the universe?...Other-extra terrestrial life forms? To me it's a preposterous question. I can't even fathom the odds of being the only ones here in the primordial soup of many universes....with billions of stars and planets...It's really such an arrogant premise-to even think that we could possibly be "the only ones" here in existence-It has about as much of a chance of being so, as the existence of absolute-pure-nothingness...Which to me-is pretty much impossible (as long as there "is"). Why haven't we been able to substantiate it? It's a big universe...I suppose to the amoeba-we don't exactly exist either. No, I can't say that I've ever personally seen a "real-bonafide" UFO...Although I have certainly seen some type of unidentifiable flying objects from time to time-"unidentifiable to me"-which I've usually simply dismissed as being some unknown high-tech aircraft-way out there in the heavens, that could do some really awesome maneuvers. However, I did once have an encounter which I consider a "UFO experience"-that I've never been able to forget or explain...that perhaps some of you techno-geeks, or Earth Science buffs, could better help to explain.

It took place during my childhood in the summer of 1975-in upstate NY. I was grounded that particular year, and was required to spend most of my summer days outside doing yardwork, gardening, etc. My parents had a large backyard which bordered on a fairly large stretch of woods behind a shopping mall. One particularly non-breezy, warm, sunny day...I had left the attached garage main door, and "man" door, open-which faced east & west-(to better access a garden hose and wheel-barrow). I was taking a break, lying in the grass, when suddenly the "man door" slammed shut, very hard & loud, causing me to sit up & look around-when suddenly overhead there was a loud swooshing sound above me, and the tops of all the trees bent low in a straight east to west pattern, with a width of about fifteen-twenty feet across... and moving at an incalculable rate of speed through the woods for as far as I could see...

Now, no doubt the small door, facing west, likely slammed shut due to a sudden change in air pressure...but what could have caused it...and what could have possibly have caused all of the trees in a ten-twenty foot width to suddenly bow over in a perfect east/west pattern-when all the surrounding trees, etc...were completely still (It was a calm, bright, sunny day-with few clouds-if any)???...No, there were no planes at the time. Yes, their house is on an occasional flight path-but the planes that do fly over are fairly low-flying, much slower,very, very noisy, and quite visible when they go past.

With this encounter, there was no engine sound-only the loud swooshing sound of air moving very, very fast above....like the sound of a model rocket launching x10...(no, it wasn't that either-no one else was around-and it was way too big of an area of trees bending over for that). Any reasonable suggestions??? No, not swamp gas-either-thank you.

UFOs in the clouds

BigBubba,Dallas,Texas — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 02:02:23 GMT

No one's discussed the fact that the FAA originally denied that this event occurred and relented only after finding out a newspaper was filing a Freedom of Information Act - none of this news would have been reported at all had the witnesses not kept making noise and refused to quiet down. Has anyone else noticed that this happened in November and is only now being reported? That seems odd. Because it involved a "UFO" the story was untouchable and even when the mainstream media passes it on they make sure to add a smirking joke before they'll print it.This is a bonafide UFO - something was seen but one doesn't know what. That is a fact. It may have been a "craft" of some sort or it may not, but it is news and it should be reported, not hidden or ignored. And how on earth do any of us qualify to explain the motives of an alien race (assuming one exists)? It is absurd to explain away UFOs by saying that they could land at the SuperBowl if they wanted. If aliens exist,wouldn't their motives seem obscure to us?

UFOs in the clouds

Alan Boyle — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 02:07:17 GMT

Here's another message from a different mailbox:

---

Davenport may have "shot you down," but he sure missed a key fact: atmospheric phenomena tend not to stay in the same place. A vortex formed over a runway could certainly drift over terminal gates after being formed. That idea doesn't fit into his pre-conceived notion of what went on, so he ignored it.

When someone like this starts writing things like

"DECEMBER 15, 2006 UPDATE: NUFORC has an unconfirmed report from a journalist investigating the O'Hare Airport incident of Nov. 7 (see full details lower on page) that the FAA and the airline involved have declared that the incident did not occur. We strongly suspect a cover-up may be starting to form."

I start to think that the guy is drawing his curve and then plotting his points, as we used to say in Physics 101. Since he presupposes that UFOs (technically, "a flying thing that I can't identify") are necessarily alien spacecraft, he leaps to the conclusion that a cover-up must be occurring when things don't pan out. Since he already "knows" what's going on, the lack of evidence is just a cover-up. It's sad, really.

Another interesting point:

"One of the airport witnesses did take a photo of the phenomenon, but is reluctant to make it public out of concern for his job, Davenport said. 'So far, over almost two months, we've been unable to get that,' he said."

Alternative explanation: Witness reviews photo and realizes that it doesn't look like a flying device at all, and demurs instead of facing public embarrassment. Honestly, which is the more likely explanation? Occam's Razor (and General Relativity) suggest that there was no vehicle hovering over the gates, and that a group of people saw what they were told to see, or wanted to see. ("Hey Chet, look! It's a UFO!")

Despite the fact that his site declaims that he's after "objective" data, the man's an obvious partisan. There's never been a single shred of data to support the concept that extraterrestrial spacecraft are visiting the Earth, and lots of empirical data to suggest that they can't and aren't. In an age where camera-enabled mobile phones are practically ubiquitous, his site features almost nothing but crude hand-drawings and "depictions" (doctored photos) of events. What undoctored photographs there are turn out invariably to be out of focus...or strangely out of focus only where the purported "spaceships" are, even when taken by "professional photographers." I find that very suspicious.

I'm a huge fan of science fiction. I majored in computer science and minored in physics. I believe that life exists on other planets elsewhere in our own galaxy, and that some of it may even be intelligent as we define that term. I also believe that the speed of light represents an insuperable barrier which renders the scenario of constant visits from intelligent space travelers highly unlikely. Not impossible, mind you, but so unlikely as make the probability virtually zero during our lifetimes.

When I was five years old, I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I walked down the hallway, and turned into the bathroom, where I saw a snake on the floor. I started to panic. I couldn't go into the bathroom because of the snake, and I couldn't NOT go into the bathroom, because my bladder was very full. I finally ran to my mother's room and told her about the snake in the bathroom. She walked me back down the hallway and turned on the bathroom light. There was no snake. What I had seen was a curving shadow cast on the floor by something very close to the night light. Yet I knew there was a snake there. I acted upon that knowledge, even though I didn't bother to check for evidence beyond that first observation. I could have turned on the light, naturally, but I was convinced I didn't have to because I already knew there was a snake on the floor. I required nothing more than the conviction of a snake present to go into a panic.

In a similar fashion (but without the panic), Mr. Davenport is seeing snakes where there aren't any. Someone needs to turn the light on for him.

-- J. Brook Monroe

UFOs in the clouds

TDoe — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 02:59:49 GMT

A: Genesis 6

UFOs in the clouds

gawt meelk, darlington, SC — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 03:47:43 GMT

Having seen what I believe to be alien craft at one time, I *can* say that what skeptics don't realize is that there is absolutely NO DOUBT in your mind what you are seeing when you see one. UFOs do things that planes, blimps, helicopters, etc simply can't, at incredible speeds. My father was US Air Force for 20 years, I lived on a large number of military bases, and saw fighter jets and other planes in the sky routinely. I KNEW when I saw something that was not a plane.

The people who like to offer up the "it was x or y" explanation, I feel sorry for you, for the simple reason that I myself have seen something which leaves me with absolutely no doubt that we are 'visited'. I really doubt aliens come and go every day, I find it far more likely they stay here, hidden behind a planet in our solar system, or even here on Earth, underwater somewhere.

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 04:04:42 GMT

The important question is not whether the witnesses to this incident saw an alien spaceship. The question is whether their experience deserves something more than glib dismissals from alleged "skeptics" and condescending treatment from the news media. Clearly they do deserve more. This incident deserves serious investigation by the FAA, not writing it off as funny things seen at night when it happened in the afternoon.

UFOs in the clouds

Arnold Jameson, NY, NY — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 04:35:42 GMT

"In the sky! A bird? A plane? A... UFO? by Jon Hilkevitch

United Airlines denies its workers filed reports about

<snip>

"There have been documented cases where safety appears to have been implicated, and more and more we are coming to the
point of view that we are dealing with an intelligent phenomenon," said Richard Haines, science director at the National
Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena, a private agency.

"We must be proactive before an aircraft goes down," said Haines, a former chief of the Space Human Factors Office at
NASA's Ames Research Center.

Haines is investigating the O'Hare incident. He said he has determined that no weather balloons were launched in the
vicinity of O'Hare on Nov. 7.

<snip>

I take it as a very good omen for the coming year when a major paper such as the Chicago Tribune quotes Dick Haines and files an FOIA request.Maybe somebody did read Herbert Strentz's PhD thesis about press coverage of UFOs. It was done at Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University just outside Chicago and had some strong words for the inadequacy of press coverage of the subject.

Stan Friedman"

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James Doonalde, Seattle, Wash — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 04:52:31 GMT

"Abstract

"In making decisions about the reality of alleged anomalous events, scientists are likely to weigh both the a priori plausibility of what is alleged and the credibility of the reports which reach them. The present paper is an attempt to examine the anomaly reporting processes which led to the scientific recognition of the reality of meteorites in the eighteenth century. It is shown that scientists fail to make realistic assumptions about anomaly reporting, and that this failure affects the accuracy of the decisions made about anomalies. The treatment of reports about alleged anomalous events is further shown to be related to the scientific community's concerns about protecting its internal processes from external interference. The recognition of meteorites took place only when the savants of the eighteenth century 1) found a way of evaluating the reports, 2) devised a theory to explain them, and 3) received unimpeachable eyewitness testimony of their occurrence."

In the eighteenth century, the overwhelming majority of scientists didn't accept that meteors came from space. Those scientists are directly analogous to the scientists of today who refuse to accept that some UFOs are alien space craft. This scholarly work describes the flawed nature of scientists and their methods.

This is why we should discount the words of any scientist, or anyone claiming to be of a scientific mind if they refuse to accept that some UFOs are alien space craft.

You can get this paper here: http://tinyurl.com/ykerd9

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Dean — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 05:00:13 GMT

Mr. Oberg, I would like your opinion on what the the flying triangles are. These are large 200-300 foot craft that can hover silently. The most recognized cases are from Belgium and the Illinois sightings by 5 different police officers in multple counties. I have seen one, as well as thousands of others across the U.S....world?

UFOs in the clouds

Des Emery, St. Thomas, ON, Canada — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 05:37:40 GMT

Just a few comments -- Our sun, Sol, is a second (or third) generation star. First generation stars are far too volatile to support life-planets. Our planet, Earth, is self-evidently life-supporting. None of the other planets orbiting Sol can support life (the 'face' on Mars has been photographed up close and is just an elevated rock formation). Planets orbiting other stars have been identified as gas giants (similar to Jupiter). The overwhelming number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy do not exhibit characteristics of Sol, which makes them unlikely to possess Earth-like planets. Life arises in conditions which do not support life progress, which requires conditions amenable to development at the opposite extreme. If it took a billion years to progress from a few of us to many of us, it took very few years to grow from a billion of us to 8 billion now. Extra-light speed is impossible. Time-travel is the same -- we are nowhere near the same spot in space relative to Sol as we were when I started this sentence, and the Solar system itself has spiralled around the core of the galaxy and the galaxy has approached the Magellanic clouds and everybody has expanded -- if I went back or forward in time, I have no idea where I'd end up, but most likely in empty space, gasping for air. We are alone.

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MEN IN BLACK !!! — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 06:05:22 GMT

now people, i think we all know that it was weather testing equipment......

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Jim O — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 06:34:58 GMT

Connecticut person: "If shuttle astronauts are describing an "alien spacecraft...on VFR..." I want to know, at the very least as a taxpayer, what it is. Are we sending nutjobs into space? Are the Chinese more advanced than we thought?"

If they are indeed making that description, it deserves to be a space page news story. What checkable evidence do you have that it actually happened? Is there a tape, or is it just another Internet tall tale, or what?

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Jim O — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 06:43:00 GMT

Houston (4:20 pm): "Now there's an objective opinion for you: professional UFO skeptic James Oberg. Oberg would be out of a job if he ever publicly admitted that some UFO sightings just might be what they appear to be."

If you are alleging that I am being paid to express certain opinions, you are treading dangerously close to libel -- unless, that is, you share with me the address to send my invoices to, for which I promise you a 10% commission on my payoffs, when (if ever) they begin. Deal?

And by the way, I've 'publicly admitted' exactly what you suggest decades ago, as you can read here (http://www.ufoevidence.org/documents/doc1019.htm)
where I wrote:

"The most regrettable aspect of this current [1978] unscientific state for "ufology'' is that it is not a judgment on the actual validity of many of the published speculations about what might be behind the "true UFO" sightings (if any exist). Alien spacecraft could well be visiting Earth, and there are at least a dozen valid reasons why "they'' might decide not to make overt contact, while allowing Earthmen to catch glimpses of them."

But I guess you feel you deserve an opinion on my work without actually having to read any of it? Sigh...

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 06:50:07 GMT

Lisa (5:11 PM): "It's just so ridiculous, always saying "they" must have neen really seeing swamp gas, Venus, etc. Maybe in some cases, but people such as Jimmy Carter and Barry Goldwater have seen UFO's - and you would think, with thier backgrounds and intelligence, that they would know what is Venus and what is not."

Indeed you would think that, if you hadn't actually read the 30-year-old investigation report on the Jimmy Carter UFO story, which can be found at ...

http://www.debunker.com/texts/carter_ufo.html

... which I recommend. Why would Carter be immune to the most common type of UFO misperception in history, as described in reports from the pro-UFO "Center for UFO Studies"? Sure, he was a naval officer, but he had very bad sky viewing conditions on all his deployments -- he was in a submarine.

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Alan Boyle — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 06:50:48 GMT

Jim, the "alien spacecraft" clip purportedly comes from STS-29 in 1989. Here's a bit more information about it...

http://www.hecklerspray.com/
awesome-or-off-putting-actual-
recording-of-astronaut-ufo-encounter/20064497.php

... and here's some debate about it:

http://www.fantasticforum.com/1res/showthread.php?threadid=24274

From an "establishment" point of view, my impression is that an amateur-radio operator wouldn't be able to intercept NASA communications ... unless for some reason they were using the ham-radio band.

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Jim O — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 06:55:53 GMT

Dean (midnight): "Mr. Oberg, I would like your opinion on what the the flying triangles are."

Good for you, I mean it. The best way to satisfy this openmindedness is to yahoo search "flying triangles" and "James Oberg" to look for anything useful. Try it for other combinations of interest, and stay in touch.

UFOs in the clouds

Peyton Zornes, Nay tah waush, Minnesota — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 07:08:32 GMT

Out of the entire universe and about a trillion other cluster's of universe's dont you think there would be another life form there must be or the world is smaller than I think

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Alan Boyle — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 07:16:30 GMT

Unfortunately, the full text of "Science and Social Intelligence About Anomalies" is not available online for free. There's another paper by the same researcher, focusing on the issue in the context of the Sasquatch phenomenon but also referring to UFO reports:

http://home.clara.net/rfthomas/papers/westrum.html

One interesting point (made in reference to the origin of meteorites) is that research and experimentation are unlikely to be conducted in depth until there is a plausible theory for the phenomenon, even if the theory turns out to be totally wrong! Another point: An anomalous phenomenon isn't likely to be taken seriously until it can no longer be ignored.

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Jim O — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 07:23:31 GMT

Well, this is a good example of how subsequent developments never seem to overtake original wild claims. Here is the originator of that STS-29 story, Donald Ratsch, withdrawing it after subsequent research -- ten years ago. But somehow, Ratsch's own repudiation of it is not reported on the UFO websites that have misinformed so many of their visitors:

http://yarchive.net/space/politics/ufo_ratcsh.html

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marc, berwyn, il, USA — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 09:39:34 GMT

UFO's I believe, but I have problems with Dark Energy and Dark Matter.

If there are parallel universes spawned by alternate timelines, I think we have discovered that the ones where they actually interact with us are not stable (whatever that means).

UFOs in the clouds

Eric — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 09:55:17 GMT

Jim O, here is what bothers me about this article. We have an unknown object. Witnesses who saw the object are usually considered more reliable than the average person. Yet this article jumps to another course of logic instead: 1)saying aviation workers are not all that reliable 2) an unknown was made "known" in Europe. Statement 1 has not been proven, and statement 2 has little to do with this UFO in Chicago. So to cut to the chase...what are the alternative explanations that explain "this case”? I agree, most UFOs are explainable, but we also know some UFOs are not explainable and in some cases have shown a high likelihood of being intelligently controlled either by humans (U2, SR-71, rockets, Stealth, UAVs, kites, flares, etc.) or possibly (I use the term "possibilty" not probability) an alien intelligence. This object is most likely human not alien, though by the description we have a possibility that it is alien. If human, then we have a security breach, if alien then there is absolutely nothing we can do. I assume you are saying this is not an alien. If this turns out to be conclusively proven to not be a natural phenomenon will you, Mr. Oberg, push for a security investigation? Are you willing to come out publicly and say that? With your clout, I would think a statement from you would actually help make our skies safer...

If a family member of yours was flying to Chicago at that time, would you not be angered by the fact that since "UFO" or flying saucer showed up in eye witness testimony that the investigation became half hearted and people were told to not discuss it? I don't know if this is a UAV or a group of pranksters, but as you have stated some UFOs are human controlled objects that are misidentified. Therefore, we have a possible human controlled aircraft that is threatening the lives of innocent people. Yet somehow this is being ignored or being explained away with some highly unlikely "weather phenomenon".

I find it interesting that Alan Boyle links to a video showing a jet creating a "vortex", which actually helps substantiate that the object was a "craft" of some type and not a weather related event. Unless a mini-tornado was creating a “vortex”, which would be another safety event that should be investigated, then I’m not sure what else creates a natural vortex.

This UFO event is a possible danger to people we care about traveling by plane, no different than a near miss or a terrorist plot. I would like to hear your opinion on the object and what should be done to change attitudes and take UFO reports a little more seriously. The prime issue here is safety, not if this was an alien. The FAA and United apparently wanted to hide something due to a possible embarrassment, instead doing the right thing and allowing a discussion which could save lives or prosecute a criminal that is flying an aircraft illegally. Our immaturity with embarrassing words, like someone going to the doctor’s office, could kill someone.

UFOs in the clouds

JOHN DOE — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 10:09:14 GMT

The problem is not God , It's the fan club.

UFOs in the clouds

Laurie Todd — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 13:17:27 GMT

My children and I saw something. I wish we had not. Educational level, career, religion all seem to have nothing to do with these sightings. We have told none of our family and friends. This is the first I have written of it. I find myself not reluctant to share for fear of ridicule as much as fear of it having been real. We do not want to remember. Nothing touched us or even tried. Yet somehow the event has changed us. Denial would be so much easier if it had not been so well lit or as close. None of us wanted to even talk amongst ourselves about the sighting. Nightmares followed, forcing us to deal with the effect in our household. I asked each of them if they wanted to talk about it. Hours later it was obvious I could not pretend everything was normal; I had seen exactly what they described and could not think of an explanation. Anyone know of a soundless huge flying object that flew above us so close we could see SEAMS in the belly yet went so slow it should have fallen from the sky? The lack of speed was terrifying. There were two that approached. We thought they were stars, then helicopters, because each had a very bright white light. Then the lead one dropped very low, slowed way down, and we knew there was no sound. It decreased altitude to the point we saw details of the belly surface. The kids claim they saw the shape, I just thought what jet makes no sound, nearly hovers...and why would it be over Springfield, Oregon? My mind just kept repeating this was not possible..I told it to shut up for the entire 30 minute ride home. I wish it had not happened. People who say they want a sighting are nuts. I just want to forget. I wish I could grasp at the military covert plane idea but it seems unlikely. We are not near Area 51.

UFOs in the clouds

Bob, Ohio — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 13:20:15 GMT

Interesting that government spokespeople talk like it happened in the dead of night when it happened around 4:30 pm CST. Sunset for the place and time is 4:38 PM. So what was the weather actually like at that time? We'll probably find out next that it was just partly cloudy.

Believer: Someone who jumps to conclusions about what a witness saw.

Skeptic: Someone who jumps to conclusions about the witness.

UFOs in the clouds

James Doonalde, Seattle, Wash — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 13:29:51 GMT

There's another paper by the same researcher, focusing on the issue in the context of the Sasquatch phenomenon but also referring to UFO reports:

And you have just made the sort of mistake that only non-serious journalists make; conflating completely unrelated subjects. Sasquatch, ghosts, and everything connected with 'the paranormal' has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of UFOs, as it is being discussed here. We are discussing a very high quality sighting of a UFO, which should be treated purely from a scientific standpoint. To even mention Bigfoot or any other unrelated subject shows that you do not really understand the matter at all, and that in your mind, all 'paranormal' subjects are the same and are to be treated with the same brush.

This is the problem that we are facing, and that throws up so many questions of its own. Are you a highly intelligent person? If so, how can you mix up apples and oranges in this way? If you are NOT a highly intelligent, serious minded person then this is excusable. If the opposite is true however, and you understand just how serious this subject really is, then we have to question your motivation when you make a 'mistake' like this.

My advice to you is to be very careful, and to try and think like a real scientist, of the kind that is first to understand that meteors come from space....which brings us to...

There is a completely plausible theory for the origin of UFOs. That you can make a statement like this is simply astonishing. The Extra Terrestrial Hypothesis is the best fit for the sort of UFO reports that we are talking about, i.e. the ones with unimpeachable witnesses like this one, and the many Radar / Visual cases that are well documented. The whole point of the disgust that is felt towards the scientific community, and the reason for posting that scholarly thesis on the acceptance of the true origin of meteors is that just such a plausible theory has been put forward, just as was done in the case of meteors, and no scientist and 'science minded' person, as before, will accept it. Your problem is that you are a science minded person trapped in the dogma of 20th century science. This is why you can say that there is no plausible theory to explain UFOs, even when one is pointed out to you. You are also unable to see yourself in context in terms of both the history of science and our place in the universe. It's quite astonishing actually.

As for anomalous phenomenon (UFOs) not likely to be taken seriously until it can no longer be ignored, there are two problems with this statement.

Today journalists and the editors above them control the public's perceptions of what is important and what is not important. I am a personal witness to the Hudson Valley Chevron; an event as spectacular and mind boggling as you could want, but which was almost totally ignored by the press, and was not given the priority that it deserved. Had the press given the event coverage, people would have gone out looking for this object on subsequent nights and then millions of people would have seen it, and the 'too big to ignore' scenario would have taken place. Since the press routinely ignores or ridicules even credible UFO reports, the only conclusion that we can come to is that it is being done deliberately for some reason. I will leave it to you to Google about government agencies 'owning' the editors of major media in the USA.

And as for James Oberg, it is widely believed that he is a 'shill', a paid debunker and disinformation agent, as Philip Klass was. These two people are too intelligent to hold the views that they do, and they spend an anomalous amount of energy on trying to dismiss all UFO reports, no matter what the quality of the report is. If it is at all possible, you need to jettison your handler and try and make up your own mind about this subject. Oberg and the deceased Klass are and were experts in deception and logical trickery. Thankfully the Internet has made their salaried jobs nigh on impossible, and everyone except scientists accepts that this is a very serious business that deserves the highest standards of attention not ridicule, conflation and the pathetic drivel of skeptics and idiotic debunkers.

UFOs in the clouds

George Carter — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 13:50:17 GMT

I am not an expert or trained observer, but I have been watching aircraft fly over my home at all times of day in all kinds of weather (I live in an area that the aircraft use in their holding patterns and for preparation of final approach). I also have seen airports completely lit up with lights and everything.

With all the clouds, atmospheric conditions and the intensity that most (if not all lights at the airport) shine at. I find it hard to believe that so many trained observers who saw the phenomenon (from different angles mind you--the witnesses weren't all standing in the same spot) ALL managed to see the same thing. If anyone who knows anything about tricks of light as was suggested by Ms. Cory, these have a tendency to appear differently from different angles.

UFOs in the clouds

David Sereda — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 14:20:58 GMT

People are so misinformed about the subject it is ridiculous. The best way to keep the secret under wraps is to continually discredit the subject through media outlets. People are ignorant and often don't think for themselves. I am a well known figure in the UFO disclosure community and have filmed documentaries on the subject. Most will recognize from the film I did with Dan Ackroyd. A good friend of mine Dr. Stephen Greer has organized the Disclosure Project where hundreds of government officials from every branch and rank blow the whistle on UFOs. The bible and other ancient texts tell of visitors from the sky. Read Ezekiel's texts from the bible and tell me that has nothing to do with an extraterrestrial spacecraft. It is time for humanity to open up its eyes because clearly most of it is still sleeping.

UFOs in the clouds

Mark W, St. Louis, MO — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 14:52:05 GMT

What really worries me is that the government of this country doesn't seem to be taking this very seriously at all. "Oh, just another UFO sighting, carry on." Where is the NTSB? Homeland Security? National Weather Service?

If it is important enough for these people to believe they saw a tangible UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT (what UFO stands for) shouldn't it warrant an investigation? Where is the scientific evidence to prove what it was? "A natural weather phenomenon"? Like what? Explain how before you say this is what it MUST be.

These poor people are being written off as kooks, delusional or just plain ignorant. Would you really come forward with testimony if you could expect that you would be treated this way? The days of fair-minded media are gone. The only reason this story has become so widespread is because people want to laugh at the nut-balls.

I believe in the testimony of these witnesses, I have NO reason not to. Until this effect can be recreated in a tangible way or proven and displayed for the public, its not scientifically sound to say it must be something other than an object.

Remember, the sun doesnt rotate around the Earth, although it did until it was proven not to.

I want proof it wasn't an object. Until then, the testimony is proof enough it was.

UFOs in the clouds

Trey, Greenville, South Carolina — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 15:19:55 GMT

The video evidence is out there. You just have to look. Sure most of it is either fake or natural phenomena, but all it takes is 1 authentic case and we have a new world paradigm. Some of the most compelling evidence comes from Nasa itself - others from people who do capture film of objects hovering for minutes or even hours at a time in one specific spot. I've been researching UFOs for years and have found there are very unusual alien life-forms on and around our planet - but they may be from our planet - just another dimension or they can warp space time and travel long distances in an instant. The very cover-up that goes on gives even more legitimacy to the events. For every 100 sightings - there are 110 explanations for it. Remember - there was NO Area 51 until Russian satellites made it evident - and there was no crash at Roswell - just a weather balloon, until the government admitted to project mogul and said that the bodies the rancher and military personnel saw was not extraterrestrial as they perceived - rather mannequins dropped from a high altitude. The real story here is - why the cover-up?

UFOs in the clouds

Uncle Martin, The Mountains, Colorado — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 15:56:52 GMT

"The Truth is Out There..." The government knows of 18 different alien races. Most are indifferent to our planet some are friendly and some ARE hostile...When will this conspiracy STOP by the government...Think about it, for thousands of years mankind's technology meanders slowly then "suddenly" in the late 40" (Roswell) our technology erupts...Hmmmmm, imagine that...Just what kind of deal or arrangement did the "greys" make with Washington, D.C.??? Answer: abductions and experimentation on humans for technology...Very simple...Research, research, reseach, EVERYONE..."The Truth is Out There..."

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:01:01 GMT

Oberg writes [[If you are alleging that I am being paid to express certain opinions, you are treading dangerously close to libel]]

So you provide all the many UFO skeptic commentaries you've written for news web sites for free? My mistake. But somehow, I doubt that your "pro bono" work would be so popular with the news media if you didn't almost invariably explain that eye witness testimony is of "zero evidential value" regardless of the number of witnesses and their professional background. This novel theory doesn't seem to have caught on in the legal profession.

Mr. Oberg gives several links to articles giving the "debunker" perspective like the one in which he trashes "ufology".

Here's a couple of articles on the general subject of science and UFOs that were actually written by scientists:

http://www.cufon.org/cufon/mcdon2.htm
http://www.nidsci.org/pdf/stillindefault.pdf

UFOs in the clouds

Chimpuat — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:07:13 GMT

I don't think it's fair to attack Mr. Oberg. It has been my experience that skeptics and debunkers want, more than anything else, to be unequivocably and irrefutably proven wrong. It's just that the believers, the UFO community, and the world at large, has failed to provide the evidence to achieve that. If there weren't people like Mr. Oberg out there, I don't think we would be seeing the gradual acceptance of the UFO phenomena that we are seeing today. Yes, progress is slow, but here we are on MSNBC's site, discussing a Chicago Tribune article about a subject that would have drawn sneers and ridicule only a few short years ago. By holding the UFO community to a higher standard, skeptics and debunkers encourage greater scrutiny of reports, and a lot of the truly "out there" stuff is seen for what it is.

As far as the official explanation of the O'Hare sighting, I would think that the eyewitnesses would be familiar with a lot of the tricks that light, clouds, stars, and planets can play on the human mind. I think that if any one of them had suspected a mundane explanation existed for what they saw, they would not have reported it at all. They saw an object, low to the ground, in a heavy air-traffic area, and they saw it as a safety hazard, and they reported it as such. At least, that's my opinion. Perhaps further investigation will prove me wrong.

I do believe in the existence of UFO's. I have seen things in the sky that could not be explained away, though it was a long time ago. The foremost question on my mind right now is: IF it was a true "UFO", then what was it doing there? There's nothing of any particular interest to anyone in that area. Who, or maybe what, was in that specific area at that time that might have drawn the attention of some other intelligence? If you assume that UFO's are intelligently controlled, then you have to accept that the appearance of one is not random chance, but directed intent.

If you can't come up with a plausible explanation for it being there, then I think it's just as likely that it was an atmospheric anomaly.

UFOs in the clouds

Ed — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:08:31 GMT

When you are outside do you look up? Travelers through airports aren't likely to look up. Just straight ahead. Lots goes on over your head everyday and you probably miss it. Workers at the airport are more likely to look up and see things. An article yesterday said the workers reporting the object were interviewed by the airline and FAA officials and told not to talk about it with anyone. That says to me they were threaten with their jobs if they talk to the press.

UFOs in the clouds

Sevansons, Upstate, NY — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:40:01 GMT

Mr Boyle, and Jim O'....With your expertise in Natural Science, Space Science, Physics, and atmospheric phenomena...Please conjecture your opinion of what I experienced as a young teen (see post Jan.03,8:53pm). I honestly don't know...I even ran it past a couple of my Earth science professors in my College years-who neither could offer any satisfactory possible explanation...Care to speculate?

UFOs in the clouds

Joseph Capp — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:40:11 GMT

UFO Media Matters will be a blog I write, the title says it all. My first Blog will be around the character of a UFO whistleblower. June Crain worked at Wright Patterson 1942-1953. What kind of person was she. Did she know about aliens, and why you should believe her of at least take her seriously.

It will be up on google and wordpress.

Mr Oberg, thanks for the memories. Your response as always is the same. Why don't you just copy and paste it everytime someone differs with you.

UFO Media Matters

UFOs in the clouds

Phlewps, Chicagoland area — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:47:46 GMT

Okay,

Just ask yourself 1 simple question..

What is there to gain by hiding this truth from the masses?

Answer: POWER

Fear can keep a society in check very easily. Just ask any person who lived in Iraq under Saddam's regime..

It's idiotic to think that out of all the galaxies in our universe alone that we are the only inhabitants.

Simply put, Because of our various religious conditionings and our many "distractions" such as TV and our pursuit of material wealth, We have effectively lost our own ability to sepreate reality from fiction outside of our own little worlds we live in.

Now you take "ufo's" and add to the equation. What do you get?...A reminder that we are nowhere nearly as significant and mighty as we would like to think and everything we've ever been told is a lie..

Why is this a problem?...

It's a problem because it makes us think..From my perspective there are more people who would rather just be happy living in the world day to day without asking questions and moving along like sheep..

Last time I checked, sheep are easily herded...

UFOs in the clouds

Alan Boyle — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:11:27 GMT

Dear Sevansons:

First of all, I should warn y'all that I don't have any special expertise on atmospheric phenomena - so it'll be pretty easy for the real experts to find fault with my feeble speculation. But from what you describe (door slamming, sudden whooshing sound, trees in immediate area bending while more distant trees are undisturbed, no craft seen in area), it sounds like localized turbulence. There's a good amount of research going on in this field (in part because localized weather creates such a threat for aircraft). Here are a couple of links on microscale meteorology:

http://www.auf.asn.au/groundschool/umodule21.html

http://www.mmm.ucar.edu/

This page refers to "atmospheric gravity waves" that can occur in clear skies:

http://www.aos.wisc.edu/~aos152/lesson5/content.html

And here's a tale about low-level wind shear:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/
mi_m0IBT/is_10_61/ai_n16125861/pg_1

Again, I'm no expert, but these links may provide some additional perspectives.

UFOs in the clouds

Uncle Martin, Colorado — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:16:28 GMT

Phlewps, you are so correct...Most of mankind are "sheep" and accept ALL they are told and never question...It is the minority of us who the government worry about but then again they try to make us look like idiots to the public to keep the conspiracy going...Here is a little web-site everyone might enjoy reading...John Lear is a relative to the founder of the "Lear" jet and holds many aviation records...Anyway, here is the site, I hope ALL of you will enjoy the disclosure given...http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2003/11/02.html And again as corny as it may sound, but it is true, "The Truth is Out There..."

UFOs in the clouds

Johnathan Doe — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:47:48 GMT

"Jim, the 'alien spacecraft' clip purportedly comes from STS-29 in 1989. Here's a bit more information about it...
http://www.hecklerspray.com/
awesome-or-off-putting-actual-
recording-of-astronaut-ufo-encounter/20064497.php
... and here's some debate about it:
http://www.fantasticforum.com/1res/showthread.php?threadid=24274
From an "establishment" point of view, my impression is that an amateur-radio operator wouldn't be able to intercept NASA communications ... unless for some reason they were using the ham-radio band."

Amateur radios are usually limited only to what frequencies can be transmitted on within a certain band (for example, the "HF" or high frequency band). They can usually tune in and listen on all the frequencies in the band from the top to the bottom including segments allocated for use to military, business, etc--not just those parts of the band allocated to amateur radio. Probably the biggest question in this case would be whether or not the NASA communications were encoded.

UFOs in the clouds

David Watson Florida — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:00:49 GMT

Was it an alien craft? I would think so look around you can not tell be the planet earth has the most intelligent people look at all these countries political leaders.When we seek for intelligent life how come all the rockets are faced away from our planet. Telling you something. Maybe they were here to ofer an alternative fuel, Because the petroleum industry is killing the planet with their poison. Maybe they were here to inform the developers not to build over the best farm land in America. We have enough malls. Chicago is a great place, they should have stayed.

UFOs in the clouds

dolphin, somewhere, WI — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:04:47 GMT

Come on, please, Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, and this is a proven fact. Since distances are so vast, it would take aliens more than two hundred years to get here, and why would they bother? Since light travels so slowly, they would be watching the French revolution and Americans in wigs. Come on, why would they come to see that?

UFOs in the clouds

Tabatha, Greeneville, TN — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:06:16 GMT

UFO's were seen and drawn in Egyptian and bible times. Take a look and you will see drawings of UFO's going back for centuries. Some text from the bible even describes some of their visitations. I can't believe someone would believe in God but not believe that he can create "others" also. I for one am an athiest. But has no one considered that the power of "aliens" may be what we have conjured up as God?

UFOs in the clouds

JC, Riverton, CT — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:11:44 GMT

I mentioned the numerous commentary about this article to a random friend, who immediately shared her own story about having seen lights many years ago arranged in a semi circle as though projecting from a large circular hovering object. It is interesting that the time, description, and location of her sighting coincides with the Hudson Valley/Western CT flap.

My own sighting of a UFO was far less spectacular. On a cold January night I watched it approach, then chased it in my car and managed to get ahead of it to see it from a better vantage point. It was a slow moving diamond shaped craft moving West at about 40 to 50 mph. The object did not display the normal nav lights, just the four nonblinking white lights: port, stern, nose, and tail. It was as large as my entire thumb at arms length and yet, despite having turned off my engine, could not discern ANY sound.

I don't know what it was. It was a UFO. A type of stealth helicopter is entirely conceivable as an explanation.

As for the Hudson Valley object...not even a nocturnal formation of civilian pilot hoaxers was ever able to recreate anything more than a sad approximation of a wobbly looking triangle, but their stunt did result in some people filing reports of a UFO. Those reports were easy to explain as hoaxes compared to such sightings such as the large boomerang object that was witnessed hovering of Indian Point nuclear plant. The Hudson Valley case remains a useful as an excercise in showing the gullibility of some witnesses as well as the lengths to which skeptics will go to confabulate explanations.

UFOs in the clouds

O, Peoria, IL — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:12:44 GMT

Des Emery,

Please don't take this as vitriol, but many of your comments are seem fragmentary and improperly abridged..

“None of the other planets orbiting Sol can support life.”

Let’s throw in this clarifier, “but scientists thank that at least three the moons in our solar system, Ganymede and Europa , MAY be capable of supporting deep sea hydrothermal life as we know it (not necessarily intelligent though).” Conditions seem right...let's see what we find through closer observation and more data.

“Planets orbiting other stars have been identified as gas giants (similar to Jupiter).“

Another true statement that comes up short…These are in fact the only types we can "see" with currently deployed technology – even their existence is mostly inferred. Only two extrasolar have been “photographed” and here by very extrapolated means. COROT will see (hopefully) the smaller planet types (via star transits); a later NASA satellite should see be able to detect even smaller planets.

“The overwhelming number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy do not exhibit characteristics of Sol, which makes them unlikely to possess Earth-like planets.”

Since we have only confirmed life on the earth-like planet beneath our feet, its is easy for some to conclude that these are the ONLY types that can produce or support life -- simple pseudoscience here. Regarding star types, we cannot see most of the stars outside our local group of galaxies. They appear simply as “fuzz” -- unless they are blue giants, red supergiants or stars gone supernova. Keep in mind that Milky Way-type galaxies aren’t even the most popular or largest systems found in the visible universe.

Astrophysics and astrobiologuy are both very nascent sciences. We haven't closed the book on the makup of our own solar system, especially beyond Neptune, so how can we state definitively the makeup of the universe?

We are ignorant, but getting less so.

UFOs in the clouds

Boopy, New Mexico — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:16:05 GMT

Come on, guys. If there is a intelligent race out there why would they want to stop here? Look at what we are doing to ourselves and the planet and tell me any intelligence is going to want to stay.

UFOs in the clouds

Sevansons, Upstate, NY — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:31:01 GMT

Dear Mr. Boyle,

Re: blogs: Jan 04,12:11pm & Jan 03,8:53pm:

Thank you very much for the information....We(with my old college professor's input)had pretty much ruled out low-level wind shear...mostly due to the relatively small width of the disturbance (twenty-thirty feet at best), the fact that no jets were in the area at that time, and the extreme rate of speed (small rocket speed)...but I am anxious to investigate the other possibilities you mentioned; ie...gravity waves-which were never yet even considered. Thank you for your suggestion...This has been a very perplexing question/phenomena...that I've awaited answers to for far too long.

While my experience was certainly paranormal - I do not necessarily believe that it was in any way extra-terrestrial...Nor do I suggest such - but look for a scientific explanation - whatever the outcome. Although I choose to have an open mind.
I do believe, and hope, that one day "soon" science will prove, after all, that we are "not alone" in the universe. In the mean time, I appreciate these discussions to perhaps better inform, and prepare people for that likelihood.

I only wish our governments, and agencies would be more forthcoming in their information. There is no harm in stating; "yes, we have received reports of some unusual, unexplained sightings...and we will investigate these fully, and make public our complete findings...." No cover-ups...no weather balloon/swamp gas excuses - and no public jumping to conclusions of a conspiracy theory - which is the government's own fault for their evasiveness & secrecy regarding any truely scientific analysis of these reports, and not making all such data public.

Anyway, I am grateful for the openness of your own reporting, and these blogs...

Sevansons - Upstate NY

UFOs in the clouds

Rae, Pittsburgh, PA — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:50:05 GMT

Someone mentioned earlier their own experience where the crafts all made a right angle turn and disappeared. Read "The ancient secrets of the flower of life". It centers around sacred geometry and it mentions ufos and how they travel by making a series of right angle (90 degree) turns.

UFOs in the clouds

K, Toledo, OH — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:51:23 GMT

I accessed this site because of a conversation with my friend this morning who lives in Southeastern MI, just north of Toledo, OH. She witnessed jets pursuing a silver object which was taking strange maneuvers through the clouds and was morphing shape on the 2nd of January about 4 PM...anyone else out there take note of the same?

UFOs in the clouds

Dave Doe, Seattle, Wash. — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:53:10 GMT

All the pictures of lenticular clouds look like, well, clouds. As someone else mentioned, there are no mountains at O'Hare airport. If this was a "vortex", it sounds like it must have been a perfectly round, smooth-edged vortex, and it seems unlikely that it would quickly shoot straight up through the clouds. I hope someone finally gets to those pictures one of the employees took.

UFOs in the clouds

Toby Barnett — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:53:57 GMT

The universe is a vast place, to think we know everything that is going is ludicrous, but if you take logic and factor how many sightings have ever happened and multiplied it by .5% then the numbers would have to say that some of these sightings would have to be real. Wouldn't they?

UFOs in the clouds

Wesley, Toronto, Ont (Canada) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:12:24 GMT

Perhaps it was so secret, that they had to place the US prototype aircraft overtop of a civillian airport terminal, the word's second busiest in fact... To make Americans believe that it 'wasn't' a secret aircraft..When really it is.... COME ON PEOPLE! It was described as a "solid" object rotating.. Not cloud vapour.. This article spends so much time tying it to atmospheric conditions on Venus.. Than it does with a SERIOUS Safety Issue!!! Which ever this was overtop of O'Hare. I won't fly in American Airspace if I know it is SAFE! -Concerned International Traveller.

UFOs in the clouds

Rev. Jack. — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:16:00 GMT

It was an Angel.

UFOs in the clouds

Phil Pennington, Houston TX — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:27:02 GMT

In the past, I’ve compared the modern sighting of UFOs to ancient sightings of angels. In both cases people of unquestionable reputation were absolutely convinced of what they saw, but there is not much hard evidence that the anomaly represents anything beyond our current understanding of science. It goes without saying that jumping to the conclusion that these sightings represent alien spacecraft is considered completely asinine by most scientists.

That said, after carefully reviewing the few sightings by competent personnel that are backed up by radar images, I think there is a strong possibility that a small percentage of UFO sightings represent some sort of physical anomaly that has yet to be explained. The problem for scientists is how can one measure, test, or recreate this anomaly when it occurs so infrequently and at random positions.

Perhaps, just as they didn’t have photography and radar in ancient times to back-up an eye witness account, at some time in the future we will have the technology to better analyze these sightings and propose a testable hypothesis as to their physical nature. Until this problem of reproducibility is resolved and the scientific method can be applied, this anomaly will have to remain in the “Unidentified” category.

UFOs in the clouds

JD, Detroit — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:41:17 GMT

You know, after traveling 4 billion light years, you would think the control tower would have had a gate open for the spacecraft to land at. Of course they didn't so the aliens had to return home. Probably laughing about our poor aviation system.

Second, it was reported by pilots! You're telling me pilots who have extensive weather training can't tell the difference between the clouds they just flew through and a metal object. If thats the case I'm never flying again.

UFOs in the clouds

Wade Meyer — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:51:41 GMT

Who knows? Anything is possible with this sighting. We need more data. We all should just stay aware of the possibilities of what could be out there? We really should take nothing for granted either way so we should always be watching.

UFOs in the clouds

P.J. GODRO,CABO SAN LUCAS,BAJA,MEXICO — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:55:50 GMT

UFO FILES ARE THE BEST KEPT SECRETS TO THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

UFOs in the clouds

SS433, Aquila — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:06:01 GMT

Small point of order here...

> Come on, please, Nothing can travel faster
> than the speed of light...

Actually, that's not what the theory says. It would be more correct to say that nothing that normally travels slower than the speed of light can travel faster than the speed of light.

So if something can/does travel faster than c, we are forever barred from knowing about it

UFOs in the clouds

daylon, vicksburg, ms — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:20:50 GMT

why not lie detector tests for the witnesses then we will know for sure... my opinion they are telling the truth... the guys who the movie fire in the sky is based on took two one after the incident and one about 15 years later passed them all and still no one believes... all i can say is please save me from this world...

UFOs in the clouds

anna karyl, lv nv — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:23:30 GMT

Mr Oberg said that because in the past, a few pilots misinterpreted aerial phenomena that the ohare pilot sightings of the ufo were also misinterpreted.

Sorry sir, but that is a flawed argument and thus makes it invalid and illogical.

You can not logically throw out all ufo sightings by the misinterpretation of a few, though skeptics keep trying.

The O'Hare incident was a true ufo -- an unidentified flying object -- and it is a challenge to science to get to work and commence a legitimate investigation of this unknown.

UFOs in the clouds

D. Walker, Boise, Idaho — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:37:37 GMT

I have no doubts that there definitely are other beings of some type out there, somewhere... Here's a very true story.

In 62-63, a girlfriend and I were sitting in my car out in the desert S. of Boise watching the stars. It was in the early AM hours.

Very high in the sky, we saw a group of what appeared to be three small stars moving around in different directions from one another at AMAZING speeds. Sometimes they'd only move a short distance and then stop. Other times they'd not stop and we'd lose track of them because of the speed that they moved. Then we'd see all three them again in a completely different part of the sky, somewhat together again, stopping and then taking off again in random directions as before. It reminded us of three small kittens, playing.

Even as high as they were, the speeds at which they moved were unbelievable. There was no start up and slow down, it was one immediate, full speed from start to stop on every movement with each one of them.

This went on for probably 20-30 minutes until we lost track of them completely. --Yes, we were sober--

About 15 yrs. later, I ran into that same girl on a plane to Seattle. I asked her if she remembered those things in the sky that night and she remembered it as vividly as I did and still do.

DW -Boise, Id.

UFOs in the clouds

Phill, Austin, TX — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:47:01 GMT

Imagine how the Native Americans felt when they were first visited by white Europeans. To them, the Europeans were "aliens", bringing with them amazing technology. Even though the colonists thought of themselves as far superior and advanced compared to the natives, they learned a great deal from them, and vice versa. If there are indeed other advanced civiliaztions with the abilities to travel among the stars, then they would also want to learn from us, even if they are far superior.

Over the last 200 years we have advanced at an incredible rate comparted with the last 2,000. Our young civilization(galactic terms) has robots roaming around on a planet millions of miles from earth. To even suggest that the laws of physics cannot be mastered or broken by other advanced species, who have been around far longer than us, is simply ignorant.

I don't know if there was an alien spacecraft hovering over O'Hare that day. I do know that I'm sick of people discounting what they cannot understand. It is a primitive form of thought, and it's about time we all wake up and start asking questions.

The only limitations of our understanding are the limits we impose on ourselves. Once humans understand the prison we've created, we'll eventually be able to free ourselves from it.

UFOs in the clouds

JMG, Cleveland, Ohio — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:47:59 GMT

To the atheist, who cannot prove God does not exist wants us to believe his belief that the "extraterrestrials" are "god or gods" or gave us the concept of God. Fortunately for us we have his son Jesus, who was a man who lived on the earth and was God incarnate. Jesus makes "extraterrestrials" irrelevant as all things came into existence through Him and by Him. The spiritual world can make things visible in this world that confuse and challenge what humans are used to and conditioned to seeing and many UFO sightings and abductions are a product of a spiritual intrusion into the three dimensional realm. There are good spiritual forces and there are bad spiritual forces and both are represented in these intrusions over the many years and we humans are involved in the same spiritual battle and thank Jesus that the victory is already won, even for the atheist.

UFOs in the clouds

O, Peoria, IL — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:01:39 GMT

Many skeptics say there is no life (intelligent or otherwise) elsewhere in the universe. We still don't have a definitive answer on whether or not Mars -- the very next planet in our solar system -- has water flowing on its surface...this after stationing at least 4 rovers, 3 probes and 3 orbiters there over the past 30 years. Oh and we can visualize Mars with most of our earth-based telescopes. We should become experts at our own solar system, before we decree what exists beyond its boundaries.

UFOs in the clouds

Aaron Clark, Cleveland, Ohio — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:07:43 GMT

Yes, flying saucers do exist.

We have a great case here where a bunch of airport personnel saw one. One actually got a picture. I hope they release it.

FAA officials and the skeptics weren't there but make it sound like they know exactly what these people saw even if it makes no sense.

If you're in Ohio please report sightings to the Cleveland Ufology Project ... http://www.clevelandufo.com

UFOs in the clouds

Stacy, Ohio — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:25:54 GMT

i think you are all stupid for not believing. Humans are so one sided. This planet is going to die because of all of the human race of their lack of appreciation for Mother Earth. I believe there has to be something out there, has to be something more. How can we be the only life in galaxies??? But i think they look just like us and are smarter so they have more advanced technology and can space travel thus saucer. People grow up and start using the mind god gave you instead of bashing everything you don't like.

UFOs in the clouds

Victoria, Santa Rosa, CA — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:37:27 GMT

The bottom line for me is that we as humans do not know that much in the scope of the Universe. It is ignorace at best to believe that something is not possible or can't exist simply because our human brains tell us otherwise. Such hubris our material paradigm has created. There is never, never a "final word" on anything, (including maximun velocity=speed of light). Our collective understandings and experiences are constantly in flux, evolving and dying. UFOs? Choose your beliefs: skeptical/ scientific or fantastical/conspiracy-theorist. Both are extereme and limiting, in my judgement. I choose to say maybe. I am surrounded by stuff which is beyond my human perception and understanding...but every now and then I catch a glimpse of the unknown and just leave it at that without trying to explain (or doubt) it away.

UFOs in the clouds

Watanka, Riverside CA — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:40:27 GMT

Instead of debating what the phenomena was, think for a moment about what it could have caused. Weather, military experimental aircraft or your friendly visiting aliens - if it was "real" enough to command the attention of airline pilots, mechanics and managers then it could cause an earthly aircraft avoidance collision - all the more so if it does not appear on radar as claimed. If the FAA were interested in doing their jobs, they should be all over this to prevent future occurances from causing other pilots and etc from reacting to a visible phenomena that leads to a crash. They should perform a risk assessment analysis on this type of phenomena and react accordingly: with an advisory to pilots and airlines, "Beware odd looking clouds..." or with an advisory to the military, "Stay out of our airspace..." or, if it was aliens, with silence. which has happened? There's your answer.

UFOs in the clouds

Alan Boyle — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:47:10 GMT

I don't need to defend Jim Oberg (if you've ever met him, he's a big guy) ;-) But I thought I should point out that when he's talking about the reliability of pilot eyewitness accounts, he's basing that on the findings of UFO investigator J. Allen Hynek (of "Blue Book" and CUFOS fame):

"Experienced UFO investigators realize that pilots, who instinctively and quite properly interpret visual phenomena in the most hazardous terms, are not dispassionate observers. Allen Hynek wrote: 'Surprisingly, commercial and military pilots appear to make relatively poor witnesses...' The quote is from 'The Hynek UFO Report,' page 261 (Barnes and Noble reprint). (271 in original Dell, Dec 1977) He found that the best class of witnesses had a 50% misperception rate, but that pilots had a much higher rate: 88% for military pilots, 89% for commercial pilots. the worst of all categories listed. Pilots could be counted on to perceive familiar objects -- aircraft and ground structures -- very well, Hynek continued, but added a caveat: 'Thus it might surprise us that a pilot had trouble identifying other aircraft, but it should come as no surprise that the majority of pilot misidentifications were of astronomical objects.' Dell page 271

Here's more about Hynek (with additional references to Jim as well!):

http://www.cohenufo.org/ocr.3a.html#hynekbio

UFOs in the clouds

Hagbard Celine, Vancouver, BC — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:54:09 GMT

i ask, how many times have we looked in the skies and found odd objects, but they turn out to be planes, clouds, and yes high flying birds.. im sure these guys were not that retarded to mistake a cloud for a metalic low flying object that can disappear into the clouds at breakneck speeds.. i mean as rational people, we need to accept other possibilities, and we can conjecture about them all, but the closest possibility to a metalic disk that can fly at break neck speeds... is a metalic disk that can fly at break neck speeds.. "nothing is true and everything is possible"

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 22:15:00 GMT

Anna (3:23 pm): "Mr Oberg said that because in the past, a few pilots misinterpreted aerial phenomena that the ohare pilot sightings of the ufo were also misinterpreted. Sorry sir, but that is a flawed argument and thus makes it invalid and illogical."

Please stop trying so hard to misunderstand and distort what I've been writing -- the subject is difficult enough without artificially-introduced garble factors and false quotations.

If you had actually gone to the links suggested before attacking such ideas, you wouldn't have been able to say such nonsense. Open your eyes and your mind.

It's not 'some' pilots, it's pilots as an entire category, that tend to have a higher error rate -- and this is based on a study by one of the greatest pro-UFO scientists ever, Dr. Hynek -- which does not eliminate their testimony, it just points out that greater caution is warrented in evaluating it. It's important (and constructive) to make this point because so many UFO buffs automatically assume that being a pilot (or an astronomer) makes one a BETTER observer of such phenomena -- when real scientific research (you know, the kind the buffs are always calling for MORE of -- until it gores one of their favorite oxen, I guess) shows exactly the opposite is the case.

Some very usable eyewitness reports are coming out of the O'Hare case, and they are characterized by precise, raw descriptions of observable features of the mystery object -- angles, size, motion and rates across the sky, visual context -- and NOT subjective interpretations (distance, size, intention, coordination with other features, etc) whose presence in any report are evidence that the perceptions have already been pre-edited and presented with a desired interpretation already in mind.

We've gotten nowhere in sixty years of UFOs not because somebody is cheating or hiding the real evidence, in my view, but because we haven't improved the quality of witnessing and reporting the important visual features of such experiences, or of constructively interpreting them.

If you want things to get better, things have to change -- and one is attitudes towards witnessing.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 22:31:28 GMT

I think a lot of the arguments here are unconsciously backwards -- UFOs must exist because other star-faring civilizations must exist. Well, if they do (and why shouldn't they exist, as most scientists have speculated for centuries?) and if they can cross interstellar gulfs (and I have no problem allowing for physics and engineering breakthroughs to allow that), why once they get here can't they perfectly evade our eyes and our radars whenever they want?

In other words, it's a non-testable hypothesis to say that agents of alien intelligences are currently observing Earth, from right here. It certainly could be true, and it's fun to imagine it being true (it's a major theme of science fiction, and of a few religious cults too). And while here, they are entirely capable of fully eluding all human detection (I've always wondered just why UFOs have running lights at night -- not as if there was a collision hazard).

Probably the most delicious irony is the thought that there are indeed such ETI watchers, and they have taken every precaution to avoid our detection -- and they're now desperately wondering, based on our own media, who the poachers are, who ELSE must be showing up on Earth to cause these reports -- 'cause they know it's not THEM?

Seriously, this leads to a productive 'thought experiment'. Considering how much UFO testimony is honestly mistaken -- upwards of 80% or 90% or 95% or higher (see Hendry and Hynek from the Center for UFO Studies), ask yourself this: suppose all TRUE UFO activity stopped for a period of time (say, 20 years)? How different would it look -- could we detect any change in the volume and type of UFO stories that will continue to pour in from the unaffected mistaken perceptions?

If we couldn't tell the difference -- and I would argue we wouldn't be able to -- then what is the difference between a situation where there are SOME genuine UFO stimuli and one where there are none? No difference? Now, THAT has mind-boggling implications... (grin).

UFOs in the clouds

Dane Johannssen — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 22:31:48 GMT

Here is precisely the sort of event that the media should have been screaming about, but which has never been given any attention. It is the Nellis Range event: "In February 1995 the American TV show 'Hard Copy' broadcast a videotape showing an unidentified object flying over a North American military test range. Further footage was shown the following December on the 'Sightings' TV show.1 The videotape had apparently been filmed by a high-tech Air Force surveillance camera at an undisclosed location within the Nellis Air Force Base Bombing and Gunnery Range Complex, Nevada (often referred to simply as the Nellis Test Range).

The videotape is said to have been smuggled out by contractor personnel who had operated tracking stations on the Nellis range. Copies of the videotape were sold to Paramount Studios (producers of 'Hard Copy' and 'Sightings') by a former Air Force employee who worked on the range, although apparently he had not witnessed the object himself.2

The Nellis UFO, seen in two different views from the video footage

Figure 1. The Nellis UFO, shown in two different views from the S-30 footage.

Two sections of videotape showing the UFO have come to light. The first section was filmed from a location known as S-30, according to the camera's data display. This shows the object initially as an indistinct 'blob' flying in front of a distant mountain range, before it turns and heads towards the camera location. The camera operator struggles to keep the object within shot as it approaches, and it soon becomes clear that it cannot be identified. It looks similar to a blimp, but with four light-coloured 'lobes' and a dark region at the front (Figure 1). As it nears, it turns to face the tracking station for several seconds, as if performing some kind of surveillance, before it turns away and departs. The footage is of special importance because the voices of the camera operators at the tracking station can be heard on the noisy soundtrack. Their bewilderment at the unexpected appearance of the UFO is clearly audible. "What the hell is it?" one of them exclaims; "Where's it come from?" asks another." [...]

Here is a link to where that quote is taken from: http://tinyurl.com/yfenhe and here is a link to the footage: http://tinyurl.com/yczt5j

This is a perfect example of the high quality, high strangeness reports that are out there, that journalists and 'scientists' never look at, despite the advent of The Internets.

It is clear that UFOs are real, governments all over the world are aware of this, and that they have been keeping it secret. Oh yes, and they CAN keep things secret, and involve thousands of people; they did it with The Manhattan Project.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 22:44:05 GMT

Phill in Austin (3:47) discussed native American perceptions of alien visitors and it reminded me that I had used that concept to open an essay on defining the types of non-physical evidence that would be persuasive proof of ETI contact. Here's the link:

http://www.jamesoberg.com/1998quest_ufo.html

UFOs in the clouds

bob corker, fort washakie wyoming — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 22:55:23 GMT

HMMMMM, should we really care, evidently these "ufo" things, beings or such don't care if we even care what is happening such as sighings and such. Besides these .... whatever it is! have an attitude of not interacting with us, much like we have the attitude of not interacting with an ant farm, trying to explain, to this organised community "the principals of accounting" or a better way to live. No wonder not a single UFO has landed at the White House.... they think, we think they're unusual weather occurances..

UFOs in the clouds

anna karyl, lv nv — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 23:13:55 GMT

Jim O said:
"Please stop trying so hard to misunderstand and distort what I've been writing -- the subject is difficult enough without artificially-introduced garble factors and false quotations."

No need to get emotional or insulting, sir. The first sentence of your reply is itself a false assumption. Introducing logic to this debate is hardly a distortion.

"If you had actually gone to the links suggested before attacking such ideas, you wouldn't have been able to say such nonsense. Open your eyes and your mind."

Logic is the opposite of nonsense. Your subjective opinion that my eyes and mind are not open is just that -- your opinion, not based on fact.

"It's not 'some' pilots, it's pilots as an entire category, that tend to have a higher error rate -- and this is based on a study by *one of the greatest pro-UFO scientists ever, Dr. Hynek*"

I disagree with this premise. Dr. Hynek admitted before he died that he did not honestly investigate UFOs while he was engaged in Blue Book. He was ordered not to, he said in a taped interview. Only at the end of his life did he admit that the phenomenon is real.

" -- which does not eliminate their testimony, it just points out that greater caution is warrented in evaluating it. It's important (and constructive) to make this point because so many UFO buffs automatically assume that being a pilot (or an astronomer) makes one a BETTER observer of such phenomena -- "

Or was the Hynek opinion on pilots brought in to this discussion to further blur the issue? Not all eye witnesses at the O'Hare incident were pilots. Anyone at any time can possibly misinterpret a UFO event. But enough eye witnesses (pilots or not) saw something outside of their understanding at O'Hare. This UFO event should be investigated honestly by anyone left in the scientific community capable (or willing) to do so.

"When real scientific research (you know, the kind the buffs are always calling for MORE of -- until it gores one of their favorite oxen, I guess) shows exactly the opposite is the case."

See above statement.

"We've gotten nowhere in sixty years of UFOs not because somebody is cheating or hiding the real evidence, in my view, but because we haven't improved the quality of witnessing and reporting the important visual features of such experiences, or of constructively interpreting them."

In my view, we have not gotten anywhere in 60 years of UFOs because there is a long history of eye witnesses being crushed for coming out and telling what they saw. The methods that have been used to destroy the witnesses, and thus their reports, are these: ridicule, ostracism, harassment, character assassination and other tricks of the trade.

"If you want things to get better, things have to change -- and one is attitudes towards witnessing."
Jim O (Sent Thursday, January 04, 2007 5:15 PM)

Another is attitudes toward witnesses. - AK

UFOs in the clouds

Miguel Gomez Gardenia, Joplin Mo — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 00:01:49 GMT

With the huge amount of radio, television and now satelite phone noise we generate it should be no problem for an advanced species to locate us. It would be much more simple than exploring every possible inhabitable planet.

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 00:22:06 GMT

James Oberg writes: [[We've gotten nowhere in sixty years of UFOs not because somebody is cheating or hiding the real evidence, in my view, but because we haven't improved the quality of witnessing and reporting the important visual features of such experiences, or of constructively interpreting them.]]

The quality of official explanations might be a big part of the problem, too, along with the news media's uncritical treatment of them. The FAA spokeswoman commented that some "funny things" that might have been seen at night could explain what happened at 4:30 in the afternoon. That was kind of cheesy. And it might cause some paranoid types to suspect that somebody has been cheating.

UFOs in the clouds

Phill, Austin, TX — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 00:57:49 GMT

To Jim,
RE: "why once they get here can't they perfectly evade our eyes and our radars whenever they want"

Again, this is another example of inside the box thinking. Let's suppose that they can master the laws of physics and travel great distances in short amounts of time. They would certainly be able to hide themselves from our primitive radar technology.

An interesting technology which has been gaining some attention recently is the development of a material that forces light to bend around it and thus making it invisible. If our civilization is just touching on that, then imagine what the advanced have. Just as a fun surmise, material that would cloak itself to any kind of wave in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Now, I'm not saying this is what's happening, or anything like that. I'm just keeping an open mind about the various reasons for our speculative purposes.

I will check out your article with regards to the native americans.

UFOs in the clouds

James Coppock — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 01:07:53 GMT

But Miguel,
radio waves from such sources have been traveling only for about a century outward into space. Anyone out there who would "pick it up" would have to be within 100 light years. It's slim pickings (solar system wise) between there and here.

And why would a technologically advanced species, observing us daily, want to allow us into space? Anyone recall slavery? Genocide? Hitler? Would you really allow such a species to travel into space? What is a homicidal, genocidal, selfish and fearful species going to do once it has the technological capability to traverse the Galaxy once it comes upon another sentient species? These questions are obvious: We will do everything to exploit and demonize the creatures, and any alien species who has monitored our planet's communications for only a day will figure that out.

Anything is possible, but it's not probable, I say.

UFOs in the clouds

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 01:15:35 GMT

The one thing that struck me when I first read the post was when Davenport said (in order to discount Alan's suggestion it could have been an aircraft-generated vortex): "First of all, airplanes don't fly over [terminal] gates, they fly over runways." Is this true? I'm personally not so sure his outright rejection should be taken at face value. From what I know, O’Hare has many runways and some even criss-cross one another. Why wouldn't planes fly over gates occasionally? It seems more likely than not.

I also find it a bit silly to assume that if there really was a credible photo of the saucer that the person is somehow afraid to come forward "in fear of their job." I think *$*INSTANT FAME*$* would far outweigh any potential backlash from an employer who they could in turn sue if they ever did get fired.

I loved the comment about how an airport full of travelers (those of us loaded with every imaginable recording device) failed to yield a single photo, too. I also liked the comment about how the conspiracy argument of suppressing knowledge of ETs to "protect the public" doesn't hold up when you consider our absolute love for sci-fi. The fact that President Clinton was so forward about possible life on Mars also seems to dilute this argument as well.

Although I agree that the last century was loaded with tremendous advances, I disagree with the assumption of the one person who proposed that such a burst of technology in the 1940s was due to Roswell and what they found. First of all, technology such as jet engines, flight, cars, and even rockets were very much created or in the works before 1940. These technologies began from the most meager/believable beginnings. They did not just all of a sudden materialize from nothing. I'd also like to point out that a dramatic increase in technology would have also been spurred by a little something called WWII and the subsequent cold war. Computers, for example, began (from what I know) as exceptionally meager code-breaking devices in England. In other words, a Pentium II did not just appear on the market out of nowhere.

P.S. Just got the book! :) Thanks so much!

UFOs in the clouds

Sam — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 01:48:29 GMT

I have no reason to believe or not believe. I have never witnessed anything other than what I'm fed as the "norm". Not sure my brain is programmed to recognize something out of the ordinary, which may be the plan. Every idea, theory, thought, should be regarded with open-mindedness, as none of us really "know". The arrogance displayed when an account is made to dismiss every incident as swamp gas, light reflections, etc. is insulting to me. If there is a cover up, why? Fear of revolution? Having to reprint schoolbooks? C'mon...

Think about the Big Bang Theory... If this is true-there is a center and we don't know how close to the outer edge we are. With that being said, all space and matter closer to the center than us, has been there longer than we have. Modern science wants us to buy into evolution, So why would this not apply here?. Time passes and EVERYTHING changes at different rates.

It is utterly ridiculous to write off all phenomena and make the witnesses think they really did see what we tell them they saw, not what they really saw. I get goose bumps everytime I am pulled into something of this nature. I want to believe, I want to see. There are times when I feel alone and there are times when I don't. Am I hardwired to feel this way or have I been programmed? We are all being prepared for something, slowly and deliberately--until the time is right, we will never truly KNOW.

Keep an open mind, when the time is right all will be revealed. Just don't be surprised that when it happens, it is not what you convinced yourself would happen.

UFOs in the clouds

Bob Bob Roberts Dallas Texas — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 01:49:59 GMT

If a ufo were to crash into the dome of the White House for all to see, the government would still deny it. The reason is simple. The average American is too stupid to deal with this information. We cannot afford to have the average joe running around screaming that the aliens are taking over. If you see something in the sky just turn away and just keep walking, really it is for the best. You are just too stupid to deal with it. Just remember it never happened, you did not see anything. If you tell it to anyone, tell your dog, he will listen and not think you are totally insane. Your Government will thank you.

UFOs in the clouds

DA, Miami, FL — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 02:05:14 GMT

I saw a beach ball sized metallic-looking (like the DeLorean Car) ball floating/spinning 40 feet over the Turnpike traffic, the ball was heading south. So smart guys I challenge anyone to find an object (balloon, etc.) that looks and behaves like that, on your marks, get set, go! Oh yeah and no one else was paying any attention to it, in either direction.

UFOs in the clouds

Phill, Austin, TX — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 02:05:17 GMT

To Jim, Sorry, I read your statement the wrong way and thought you meant "why can they evade..." Anyways, this is a speculation on speculation. We need to nail down the first one before we move on.

UFOs in the clouds

Alan Boyle — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 02:28:52 GMT

Here's a message from a different mailbox:

-------

Citizens from all parts of the planet as well as all walks of life have been reporting unidentified aerial phenomena for a very long time.

Inexplicably, the countless and endless (and oftentimes extremely credible) reports are rarely mentioned in the media. When mentioned at all, practically without exception, these items are presented in a downplayed, cynical, tongue and cheek manner and always at the very last minute(s) of a program. Total skepticism is a given.

I ask you how and why an ongoing, worldwide occurrence, of such possible magnitude to all of humanity is treated with such total apathy. What is up with that??

Thank you, Julianne Simons Shumway

UFOs in the clouds

O, Peoria, IL — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 02:31:43 GMT

“…radio waves from such sources have been traveling only for about a century outward into space. Anyone out there who would "pick it up" would have to be within 100 light years. It's slim pickings (solar system wise) between there and here.”

Why must we always assume that aliens would use the same system of detection as we do. Maybe they are advanced enough to pick up OTHER planetary emissions (who knows -- life forces, etc) whose spectral signatures could convince them that life is probable on this planet. Those signatures have been present on earth for 100s of MILLIONS of years and not 10s or 100s. Maybe non-intelligent life was just as interesting to them. Sure, this is pure speculation, but then again so is thinking that they were searching for active signals such as radio waves and laser signals from an intelligent source. If they came during the eras of the dinosaurs to see what was pumping out all that methane, any later radio signals that popped up would have been moot to them -- they would have expected these from us at some point.

If we can conclude that life is not possible on extrasolar planet that we can’t even see, but instead have to infer their existence, why could they not draw similar, but opposite conclusions 300 million years ago when training their “optics” on our fertile planet which they may have been able to actually see?

UFOs in the clouds

Thomas Ashby, Calgary — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 02:40:51 GMT

It's too bad that all these agencies are too quick to spin, supress, deny, or sweep such reports under the carpet. If what these people saw was accurate and presumably they all reported the same experience within reason and a disc shaped "thing" of unknown size was hovering or manouvering maybe a few hundred feet up then did shoot away leaving what appeared to be a hole in the cloud base of the same approximate shape and size so fast that none could say with certainty what direction it went, then WHAT WAS IT?

Baloney? Did these UA workers and unknown others conspire to make it up? Are they all crazy?...probably not.

UFOs in the clouds

Camille James Harman, Tucson, AZ — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:16:50 GMT

Go to www.ufocongress.com for the next bit UFO conference information. Join MUFON. Read some books. Find out all you can. The UFO story is the biggest news of all time. Wake up! Get educated! Get ready! It's real. It's serious. It's exciting as heck! Take it from an abductee with two college degrees and a life.

Camille James Harman, Former Contributing Editor of UFO MAGAZINE

UFOs in the clouds

SJR Left of center — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:18:51 GMT

If they do arrive, what are you nonbelievers going to do? Laugh and tell them they're not real? Hardly. You'll realize how insignificant we really are. Dark matter, wormholes, light speed. Where did these terms originate? Evolutionary technology at a rate that we conceive to be our own doing. Slowly planted progression to create the illusion that we have control. Makes sense.

There may be generations of people who have no control of their subjectivity to probing, tests, etc. Maybe the ones who witness are only the ones strong enought to handle it? To handle the immediate onslaught of criticism, cynicism, and condescension. Maybe we are kept in the dark because we can't handle it, because some believe society will break down and order as we know it will cease to exist. Paranoia, I say. I'm tired of being told that I can't handle the truth. I want to know.

We are pawns in this controlled experiment and the only control we have over anything is what we're allowed to have. By whatever ties that bind. Conformity, assimilation, hypocrisy, the elite. People making decisions for us. Enough is enough.

I believe unidentified flying objects have been around for centuries and observing from a distance, allowing us our own devices until the experiment closes. The end result? Think about it.

UFOs in the clouds

Charles , WhiteHouse Sta., N.J. — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:21:45 GMT

SETI looks for signals from other advanced worlds. NASA sends
spacecraft out into space with disks attached as a greeting to any and all who may be watching and listening. The planet earth is alive with radio signals transmitting TV , 2-way radio , music , etc. etc.

But please tell me this why when those we search for with such effort
show up and quite literally are saying "here we are" we deny it? Why is that? What the hell are we looking for?

UFOs in the clouds

iseenem — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:30:15 GMT

"Our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from beyond this world."

Who said that?? A ufo nut?? Nope.

Ronald Wilson Reagan

UFOs in the clouds

Don, Duluth, Mn — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:34:55 GMT

I don't know what UFOs are but from all the reports I've seen there must be something there. Aliens is a simple answer for UFOs, as believable as that there's life beyond Earth. What's unbelievable are some of the crazy things proposed by skeptics for what UFOs may be. Why do professional skeptics spend so much energy and come up with such goofball ideas just to debunk some poor slob who saw something he/she doesn't understand? The media treats the subject like a joke, and skeptics trip over each other trying to propose theories just as unproven as aliens and often more outlandish. What I'd like to see, just once, is some mainstream media honestly report some of these sightings and seriously interview the witnesses. Then, if it's bogus, at least I had the opportunity to learn about it instead of taking the word of some crazed debunker on some kind of anti-alien cruesade claiming the 1000 foot wide object was a weather balloon or swamp gas.

UFOs in the clouds

Dave, Greenville, SC — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:41:12 GMT

What's truly amazing isn't the obviously valid sightings, but the hoops the "de-bunkers" go through to deny what are credible, on-the-ground, eyewitness accounts by qualified persons...really, now, these people have been working at this busiest of all airports for years, but never had an experience like this, yet some "expert" with a piece of paper on his wall, which says he is an "expert", declares it all to be some "anomaly", i.e., they're all idiots because merely SEEING IT WITH YOUR OWN TWO EYES isn't nearly as good as that piece of paper which says you are an "expert"...sure thing, mister Oberg...let us all bow before you, because you've got a piece of paper on your wall!

UFOs in the clouds

Joseph Capp — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:43:21 GMT

Dear JIM O,

Yes I think many of the skeptics are outright liars. They read the same data as we do. I have never found one yet that doesn’t cherry pick their data. Do it once shame on you do it twice..now how did Bush say it. This has moved far beyond intellectual dishonesty. When skeptics use the same old tired explanations and call on the character of everyone of the witness who disagrees them? When they do this with nothing more than generalities It is not hard to consider a clear pattern of a dishonest agenda.

UFO Media Matters will address any skeptics who use those tactics. You wish to explain a UFO sighting do it the old fashion, explain it by listening first.

Joseph Capp
UFO Media Matters.

UFOs in the clouds

Brian Schoenrock — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:50:40 GMT

Of course, if you start with the belief that ET aircraft are "impossible", then all witnesses must be mistaking what they see for some natural phenomenon.

What I find so interesting is that this craft (and I do believe that 12 airline employees including pilots can tell the difference between clouds and a solid metallic ship with blurry edges) showed itself at one of the busiest airports in the world. It was violating restricted airspace and sure to be noticed.

Can it be that the time has come for the source of these crafts to make themselves known? I, for one, will be watching the Superbowl halftime show this year with special interest. I can't think of a more spectacular event than one of these ships materializing at Dolphin's Stadium to a worldwide viewing audience of over a billion. Now that would be a sight!

Of course, the Bears winning another Superbowl would be a close second.....and probably only slightly more likely.

UFOs in the clouds

Chris McCommons, Southern Pines, NC — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 04:13:52 GMT

The steps usually taken when the media deals with the subject of ufo's:

1. Ignore it and not print the truth.

2. If the editors are contacted by the witnesses still ignore.

3. If the the callers to the editors increase in volume lie and then minimize the event(Say it's the weather), and then frame it(categorizing the event as a ufo 'tale'-like it's a myth or lie.)

Some examples that ufo's exist:

In 1942 when the US Army fired on that ufo outside of Los Angeles.

In 1952 when Washington DC was invaded with ufo's and the Air Force blamed it on the weather.

In 1964 when Edwards AFB was invaded with UFO'S.

In 1975 when some ufo's hovered above the missile silo bases in the midwest and disabled the launch codes.

In 1980 during christmas when ufo's hovered above the US missile silo base in England. The entire case was documented by the base commander. The objects landed and left evidence of radiation.

The French cometa report.

The disclosure project.com. This contains eyewitness testimony from US Air Force personnel and government and civilian personnel.

All of the video evidence from the nasa transmissions(especially the tether incident).
ufoevidence.com or org

Also, all of the testimony from commercial and military pilots.

UFO's exist. The elite in the world don't want us to know this. The elite control the media. The elite pay off the media whores to lie. The liars don't care about the truth as long as they're paid.

UFOs in the clouds

Philly, Pa — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 04:24:03 GMT

Do me one thing..In the clear mid afternoon sun, aim your camcorder into the sky, use the side of a building to eclipse the sun so you only see the aura and zoom in. Press record and hold it there for ten minutes then preview it on your large tv. If you can, do a slow motion of the video and you will see a super skyway of flying craft. If you think I am full of it...try it tommorow or the next available clear day!

UFOs in the clouds

James Coppock — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 04:25:43 GMT

O -
Your point merits interest, but as you said, it is indeed speculation. That's pretty much all any of us can do at this point.

Yet in a world where EVERYTHING is possible, one could just as easily purport that there is a secret species of sentient pig that flies at night and moonlights as spies for the government. It's silly, I know, and I am by no means denigrating anyone's argument, but if we are to openly believe in alien visitors, we can believe in everything, including Santa and the Tooth Fairy. I, for one , don't.

I think that the stretch in logic and imagination some here have supported requires a little too much creativity. Sometimes, the simplist answer is the better one, and for me, that answer is more terresterial than extraterrestrial.

I enjoy the ongoing debate, though, and decided to add input in my own blog http://thelastbastionofreason.blogspot.com

Cheers!

UFOs in the clouds

Pete , Alajuela, Costa Rica — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 04:41:00 GMT

I hope whoever took a picture of it will post it online. This happened in broad daylight. That would settle the mystery.

UFOs in the clouds

Jack, Washington D.C. — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 04:44:47 GMT

Regardless if this is alien or not, there was a craft that was in illegal airspace and causing a safety hazard. If it's not alien then where is the investigation and why was it hushed up? You can't have it both ways. If it's "weather phenomenon" then where is the factual evidence to prove it instead of conjecture? Not getting a radar target does not mean a craft doesn't exist, especially when an estimated 15 people are saying they saw one.

No alien means human, and a human being can mean terrorist. Debunking the UFO means you better be damn right about this being weather. The lack of a proper investigation is telling me someone can't prove anything so they are running from it and letting Oberg and others entice people into playing the "aliens don't exist" debate, meanwhile ignoring the facts of this craft being where it shouldn't have been.

UFOs in the clouds

chrissy frische, kansas City, Missouri — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 04:47:50 GMT

I am kind of scared. the way top officials are explaning this "phenominon" is very shady. Why are we just now finding out about this event? even if it wasn't a ufo, what if it is a breach of security? why isn't the public demanding a full investigation? now space junk is falling out of the sky. jesus.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 05:07:09 GMT

Anna: "I disagree with this premise. Dr. Hynek admitted before he died that he did not honestly investigate UFOs while he was engaged in Blue Book. He was ordered not to, he said in a taped interview. Only at the end of his life did he admit that the phenomenon is real."

[Hynek] spent years, after Blue Book was cancelled, as head of the private Center for UFO Studies, which was directly centered on the idea that the phenomenon was real. Where did you get the notion he only changed his mind shortly before his death? [...]

As for his being ordered not to investigate honestly, I'll have to admit to personal ignorance about such a taped interview. Please share with me a URL for that testimony, and I'll swap for a good summary of the last twenty years of his very honest UFO investigations.

UFOs in the clouds

Susan Quader — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 05:19:19 GMT

I saw the huge craft over Phoenix, it was north of our airport,the planes take off and come in for landing right over my building. I work in aerospace.It sat in the same position for approximately 8 mins. Have heard it was flares and all kinds of things by people who didnt see it. Once you see a strange object like these you will know there is something out there that isnt our technology. O'Hare employees I believe you. Sue Q

UFOs in the clouds

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 06:32:09 GMT

Susan Q. I saw a documentary on the Phoenix sighting which was at night. Except for a teenage boy (who saw the flares being dropped by air force jets with his telescope) everyone insisted that the lights where coming from "in front" of the mountain. When the tape of the lights was overlaid with a daylight tape shot from the same location, the lights disappeared exactly where the crest of the mountain was - thus the lights were coming from "behind" the mountain. This is an important point in that there is an air force base directly behind the mountain where they conduct routine aerial training. It is EXTREMELY common for military aircraft to drop decoy flares five or ten at a time. Such flares are used to confuse heat-seeking missiles often fired from the ground. There are other types of air force decoys used such as chaff, which--when released--forms a cloud of shiny foil strips that is geared to distract radar guided missiles - the other primary threat to military aircraft after heat seeking missiles. This particular case is a prime example of why so many of us are so skeptical and how easy it was for supposed UFO experts to prey on people who called them in to investigate it.

UFOs in the clouds

Scott C, Chicago, Ill. — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 06:37:41 GMT

I've been lurking here for a while but have yet to post. I would just like to say that I did not believe that there was anything special about UFO sightings until I read about the O'Hare incident. I guess I just figured that science could answer everything, and that these things had natural explanations.

I have come to believe that this incident defies explanation and I have induced that something truly extraordinary must have taken place in Chicago that day. Here is why:

1. The statistical improbability of bizare/rare whether phenomena taking place in that physical location.
--Chicago is not really prone to too many strange weather events (let alone wind vortices and things that can vaporize clouds in an instant)
--And if there is one, the likelihood of it taking place in daylight, on a clear day, above a specific terminal at O'Hare with people watching has to be null.

2. The near-impossibility of military conducting tests at said physical location in an urban environment, in broad daylight, with people watching.
--This isn't farmland or the desert, it's a densely populated urban environment, and its light out.

3. The government reaction.
--The FAA and airline initially deny that anything took place. They later admit that there was a comment about it, but that it was just a weather phenomenon or lights from the airport, and is actually quite hilarious. It wasn't dark, and if it was just the weather, why did they insist nothing unusual happened?
--Secondly why did the threat to file FOIA request push them to say something. If they new nothing, then the FOIA request would have shown that. It appears they were not and are still not revealing all they know.
--Lastly, why was the cover story just so damn inadequate? First they say nothing happened. Then they claim that it was dark out, which defies reality, and finally comment that they would not investigate further. This seems on par with the worst sort of Soviet propaganda--the kind that both the government and the people knew no one really believed.

4. The fact that this story was even published.
--Using Aristotle's principle of causality, given the UFO cultural climate in the US, something truly extraordinary must have taken place for this story to end up in a major world newspaper, let alone on the front page. If it was a weather phenomenon, if nothing happened, or if it were just an illusion/delusion why were 12 people so adamant about this for nearly two months? If these people were not truly disturbed or awestruck or otherwise emotionally/intellectually affected by this I'm sure they would have just forgotten, or at least repressed the incident.

Finally, my anecdotal observation from this event is that people are now coming out of the woodwork with UFO tales and expressing their belief in their existence. A few days ago, pretty much every post on this message board would have been ridiculed into oblivion (and I would have gladly joined in the ridiculing). It seems at least to me that the climate has now changed.

If it wasn't the weather, if it wasn't the military, if it wasn't an optical trick, and if the government has either been dumbstruck or is simply hiding something, then what the hell did happen? I really don't know, but for this story to get this far I am imagine it was something awesome.

UFOs in the clouds

Des Emery, St. Thomas, ON, Canada — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 06:43:53 GMT

O from Peoria -- I appreciate your comments and do not take them as any kind of 'vitriol' - some of which does seem to be seeping through this blog from certain participants however. Just proves you cannot fiddle with some beliefs.

My conclusions are fragmentary, indeed, but based on what science has already shown us. We are evidence of intelligent (yes) life. No other planet in the Solar system shows evidence, not even Mars where there is some evidence of water at one time but not recently. And a puddle would not be evidence of more than the mere existence of water, which we already know from the water-ice located in the polar regions there. Water vapour also exists in large quantities on Venus, but only in vapour because of the high temperatures. Water is essential to life (all life) but has to be able to exist simultaneously in its three forms, vapour, liquid, solid. Life itself can only begin from various chemicals, in the dark, without oxygen, Earth's original blueprint, and then develops into its millions of variations in the presence of light, with lots of oxygen and carbon dioxode, supported by a relatively inert gas like nitrogen.

I could expand all my 'premises' in the same way, but I find I tend to read short blogs, but only skim long ones unless something in them catches my eye.

A few more comments here on this blog. The limiting factor in faster-than-lightspeed travel does not depend on the speed of light but on the fact that the mass of an object increases exponentially as its approaches lightspeed making an increase in its velocity become more and more difficult the faster it moves. We only hear about UFOs as 'flying objects.' We do not ever hear about 'walking objects.' Why? The Manhattan Project happened because it was wartime and secrecy was necessary. Is it necessary now? If governments are keeping aliens a secret, that means that a good portion of the whole population knows that 'secret.' And a secret shared is still a secret revealed. If there are aliens, why are they keeping their existence a secret from us, except when they choose to scare the living bejabbers out of us? Are they figuratively thumbing their noses at us?

UFOs in the clouds

Dr. Kenneth J. Hildebrandt, Nathalie, Virginia — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 07:18:37 GMT

VIDEO EVIDENCE - Please see for yourself in the video entitled, Your Movie, posted freely at: http://MajorMediaBypass.com. Thank you.

UFOs in the clouds

RAY, EASTERN WASHINGTON — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 07:28:13 GMT

It seems to me that whenever there is a ufo sighting, no matter how credible the witnesses, there always seems to be a group of people out there who are standing by ready to begin the process of debunking the story. They make statements that are intended to put doubt into peoples mind but as in this case they offer absolutely (NO PROOF) that his sighting is weather related. They offer only assumptions. Why not just shut up and let the witnesses have their say on the subject instead of trying to shut them up before they can tell their stories. Dr steven greer claims to have over 400 witnesses who want to have open hearings before congress and the american people in order to tell their stories, yet congress refuses to allow these people the time to discuss their sightings. Lets hear what they have to say. How about it congress, isn't it time to shut up and listen?

UFOs in the clouds

Bill, the left coast, usa — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 07:32:37 GMT

I know what I know and I know what I only think I know. There IS a difference. I expect very few readers to believe me. That said; I have had 2 alien encounters that I'm aware of (that's aware) during my 57 years of life and a few others I only think I've had. I won't go into deep details except to say my first encounter, which was shared by 3 other boys roughly my age, occurred at the age of 10-12 and took place in San Francisco while we were sneeking out one night to smoke cigarettes. This event (the ufo sighting) had life altering effects -that's life altering- on everyone involved. Some effects were immediate, we were sent to our rooms, moms and dads were pi**ed to the extreme, (they asked where we had been!) 2 boys and their entire family (10 people spanning 3 generations!) moved away .. the next day! I discovered other "memories" had lay dormant for almost 30 years when I, innocently enough, brought it up to my cousin one night over cards and saw the grave reaction! Spooky to say the least!

While I've never felt comfortable with the church - I'm a full Catholic born and bred - I have never thought of it as a fraud. I merely felt something was missing and, as far back as I can clearly recall, I tended to lean more toward spirituality than religon. I was viewed as a boat-rocker, a black-sheep. I also recall being able to write in a kind of code as a youngster. As I recall back to this writing, I'm certain it came to me by no special training or up-bringing, it was akin to early Hebrew or Cannanite-Phoenician. Only a very few friends could understand it and we used it routinely. We were told to stop using it by our parents, teachers, and church folk as it was evil and wrong. I've since completely forgotten how to read or write it.

My current family and I have been visited many times. Our eldest, who is a bit of a "miracle" of her own, as a baby developed diplocaucus (sp) which mutated into a leukemia like disease which she caught from the simple kiss of a flu infected boy. I was told by her doctor, after he spent the night in his office at the hospital, about 2 Nuns who had been praying over my daughter every hour on the hour. She had spent 11 days in the ICU and he said that I should prepare my wife to lose her child. He said he wished he could've done more. I watched as he made many calls to Stanford U and the CDC in Atlanta. What more could he do? I was silent -shocked really- but in my mind I flat refused! No way was I doing that!! Today our daughter speaks, reads, and writes 7 languages! Yeah, they've seen them as well.

I feel I ought to mention I've served in the military during everything from Grenada to Desert Shield/Storm to Hatti and Somalia and worked as an Army (Airborne) Air Traffic Controller. That said; I also know -that's know- of a single hybrid alien. I met "him" after I retired and knew him for over 5 years, he seemed like a "regular Joe". I do not see him today. I don't want to see him. I'm sure he likes me but he also freightens me. After one particularly nasty event -and I mean nasty!- involving a mutual woman friend (she flies 757's) he played a very significant role. What he did was absolutely unbelieveable!! A few days later, while on-board my boat, I saw a flashing white light refelcting into my cabin. Once top-side I witnessed a ufo make 3 stops in the night sky over the island near her house, blink a double row of square lights from white to red to green to yellow and then slowly, noislessly slip away. As it left it picked up speed such that I've never seen before or since. The next day 3 big funnel storms (large water spouts -very large!) were seen ... in the precise locations of the lights I saw the night before. Noteworthy also is that more than 300 people know this same "person" directly but not one can tell you where he was educated (in Archeology and Anthropolgy), what degree he has, how he arrived (recall I lived on an island) or when. Nor can they tell you where or when he was born. According to him as to where his education was obtained is unimportant, he arrived on a "small ship" which was involved in the crossing of the Atlantic and whose name escapes him (right!) and merely got off some time ago. He claims to have been born "in the states" and it doesn't really matter when, as "it was certainly more than just a few years ago" (he says while smiling). Really? Possibly... I guess.

You make the call. If you want more info I posted my email address - feel free.

UFOs in the clouds

Max_Nova — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 08:34:02 GMT

I think an audit is in order at O Hare Airport. The files need to be checked to ensure all employees are being properly drug tested prior to employment at the airport.

UFOs in the clouds

W. Sexton — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 09:08:58 GMT

How much of the US budget is spent on military spending? This is just including what is disclosed. More than likely we only have a very limited idea of what technology that we among other advanced nations have.

I will say it is rather limited to think we are the only
life in a universe that we barely understand. The answer
with this occurrence is more than likely earthbound.

UFOs in the clouds

JOE RAMPER PARK RIDGE ILLINOIS — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:50:43 GMT

I MYSELF PERSONALLY WORK AT THIS AIRPORT,AND CAN CONTEST THAT WHEN THE UFO(ALIENS) VIEWED THE AIRFIELD LOOKING FOR INTELLEGENT LIFE,THEY PROBABLY SPOTTED A MANGEMENT WORKER FIRST AND GAVE UP ALL HOPE...OR...UNDER THE NEW SECURITY PROCEDURE UNDER THE T.S.A., DECIDED IT WAS TOO MUCH OF A HASSLE TO EVEN LAND AND DEAL WITH SUCH A HEADACHE...HEY,SNIFF ENOUGH JET BLAST AND FOSSIL FUEL FUMES AT ORD,AND YOU'LL BE SEEING ALL KINDS OF THINGS AT OHARE,LIKE... PENSIONS AND VACATIONS AND PAY RAISES(O.K. THATS GETTING CARRIED AWAY NOW).............

UFOs in the clouds

NickTrop — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 11:51:26 GMT

I don't think the concept of extra-terrestrial probes, probably unmanned but possibly manned, is particularly far-fetched. Drake's equation postulates 10,000 planets with communicative species in our galaxy alone. Others, using the same set of parameters, peg this number more conservatively at 1,000 - still a big number, and again that's just in the Milky Way. Historians generally regard Man as having entered the "scientific age" at about 500 years ago, others argue 200 years - either way it's a blink of an eye in the history of our species. Even though science is truly in its infancy, we've already sent manned space craft to the moon (which we reached 40 years ago), sent probes to Mars, have a space shuttle, and have sent probes beyond out solar system in search of life. Let's not even get into the rapid advances in computer technology.

Interstellar travel is not universally regarded as an impossibility among scientists even at this early stage though the solutions offered are highly speculative. Even so, no one can predict what scientific paradigm shifts will yeild in the next, 100, 1000, 10,000, 100,000, or even 1,000,000 years into the future assuming our species survives. If Drake's equation is close to accurate, then the Universe is teeming with communicative species. Statistically, it would be a near certaintly that many - perhaps thousands in our own galaxy, of these civilizations are much older than our own, again 1000, 10,000 or 100,000 plus years. It's in no way a leap to suggest that some of these species have solved the physics challenges of interstellar travel. Even if near light-speed is impossible, unmanned craft may be sent out to probe planets with life, perhaps these space crafts are thousands of years old.

Based on the preponderance of evidence, I'm inclinded to believe that we are being visited by probes. The witnesses to the event know what they saw, and they weren't clouds. I commend them for their courage, risking ridicule, for coming forward. The "what no camera" argument is weak. Nobody's cell phone in our house has a camera and while I own several cameras both digital and film, I don't generally have one on my person. If it was a crime that these individuals witnessed, there would be enough credible testimony to convict.

"The nations of the world will have to unite, for the next war will be an interplanetary war. The nations of the earth must someday make a common front against attack by people from other planets."

- General Douglas MacArthur - Oct. 8, 1955

UFOs in the clouds

MTH in Kirbyville, MO — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 12:12:40 GMT

Hmm.. Considering that we have already made objects disappear within the microwave range of light, what could our own technology accomplish in 100 years, 1000 years or even a million years?

It's entirely plausible that advanced beings/technology from "somewhere" is always monitoring cities/commerce and highways/airports under a cloak of invisibility. In this case perhaps the technology failed and they darted away quickly before too many people noticed them hovering there. ::shrug::

In any case, the official "weather phenomenon" explanation is intellectually bankrupt without a deeper explanation, and it is saddening how many people can be so easily led around by the nose. All throughout history, people have tended to believe what they are told to believe.

Photos would be nice, but especially in this digital age, no photograph alone will (nor should) ever be considered "proof" of anything.

UFOs in the clouds

a.d.m. — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 12:48:23 GMT

We all know they're here and we also know that they've been here for a long time. (It's that little tickle at the base of your skull.)

-in 30 years crop 'circles' have gone from just circles, to fractals, to full on equations, directions, calendars, and recipes for new soups.

-Mexico, America, Canada, France, Russia: Which of these countries have not acknowledged They as Them?

-How many dimensions do we have? Is it still three?

-Once again; The Disclosure Project

-U.F.O.s in art history, just blatant.

The elephant's in the room, it's always been in the room and in fact, I'd bet that elephant's the Missing Link.

Don't kid yourselves, it's on. The only reason you're saying 50 years is because that has been the 'mechanical' situation of the media in its growing role, in our lives. Once again, look at art history- beautiful cave drawings guys and that's just the start- what we have to work with. Think about that.

I'm 35 and I've bet the tip of my left little pinkie, so many times, I can't remember, on the odds of this cracking wide open in my lifetime. (And if I'm wrong, it won't matter anyway;)

Love the collective you, and stay calm. a.d.m.

UFOs in the clouds

Baltimore — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 13:19:13 GMT

I do think were not alone but is it possible it may have been exhaust from a plane which got sucked into an airhandler at the airport or a heating system not working properly..dirty emissions and fans starting causing the vortex...something of that sort? I have had some strange things happen in my 45 years of life and I'm still looking for answers .. possibly abducted, and would really like to know what that thing was which myself, father, brother, mother saw drift accross the sky about 300 ft in front of us..time seemed to stand still..really strange...other strange things as well...anyway I think it happened at O'Hare but eliminate the obivious..Thanks

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 14:32:48 GMT

Alan Boyle writes: [[I don't need to defend Jim Oberg (if you've ever met him, he's a big guy) ;-) But I thought I should point out that when he's talking about the reliability of pilot eyewitness accounts, he's basing that on the findings of UFO investigator J. Allen Hynek (of "Blue Book" and CUFOS fame): ]]

Whether or not Hynek's views on the reliability of pilots' perceptions are accurate, they are irrelevant in this case because not all of the witnesses were pilots. In fact, only a few were. That's another reason why people are skeptical of UFO skeptics: they seem to trot out the same tired explanations regardless of whther they have anything at all to do with a particular case. Hence, the jokes about swamp gas.

UFOs in the clouds

Michael, Kernersville, North Carolina — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 14:33:43 GMT

15 years ago I saw a lone, circular, glowing cloud slowly moving across the sky. As the sun set the cloud turned the colors of the sunset so I surmised it was reflecting not actually glowing. A few moments later I turned away from it during my walk. When I turned back it was gone. Within seconds of noting it gone a flight of about 15 to 20 geese flew low over my head heading for a pond on my route. I remembered reading that in certain cool dry weather conditions that the constant flapping of wings by a flight of geese could possibly cause a static electricity aurora or type of plasma. I surmised that this is what I had witnessed which was in itself quite an experience. I am sure at least some folks who saw this slowly moving, glowing cloud thought of UFOs. Just an interesting story.

UFOs in the clouds

Steve, Phoenix, Arizona — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 15:11:22 GMT

The article referenced below on the recent UFO incident at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport may be of interest to you. This story seems important for two reasons that I address in the article:

1) It is a daylight sighting by several very credible witnesses of a metallic disc-shaped object at relatively low altitude.

2) The incident has been reported by multiple major mainstream news outlets in the US and internationally.

- - -

Disc-shaped UFO over Chicago’s O’Hare Airport triggers national, international news coverage

Steve Hammons
American Chronicle
January 4, 2007

http://www.americanchronicle.com/
articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=18655

UFOs in the clouds

David — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 15:44:59 GMT

It's foolish to think we're the only intelligent species in a universe of a hundred billion galaxies, each with several hundred billion stars. Like most, apparently, legitimate UFO reports the O'hare report illustrates reactionless propulsion, that would be necessary for interstellar flight, since it would be prohibitive to carry and expel fuel.

UFOs in the clouds

Stale Cracker, Ring, Uranus — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:01:16 GMT

There are no UFOs, Oswald shot JFK, and there WERE WMDs in Iraq. Now back to sleep sheeple!

UFOs in the clouds

Brian, Susquehanna Valley, Pennsylvania — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:13:33 GMT

James Coppock wrote:
"O -
Your point merits interest, but as you said, it is indeed speculation. That's pretty much all any of us can do at this point.

So what's your take on Dark Matter? Physicists are "certain" the particle exists, but it has NEVER been measured/observed in nature. At least there are THOUSANDS of VERY GOOD UFO photos, trace samples, etc. recorded by expert witnesses... Expert testimony in a court of law is enough to send someone to death row. Why isn't it enough to substantiate UFO reality?

(well at least the MSN poll makes me feel better!)

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:31:34 GMT

Actually, I think Oswald DID shoot Kennedy and Tippets -- and that the KAL-007 airliner was innocently (if incompetently) off course when the Soviets shot it down in 1983 -- does that categorize me as hopelessly sheepish? <grin>

UFOs in the clouds

Joe, Baltimore, MD — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 17:41:15 GMT

Yea and I guess most of you believe in God too, right? If you can believe in something that you have never seen, then you can believe in UFOs. Now that's not so difficult is it?

UFOs in the clouds

Kelly Meek Tulsa, Ok — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 18:23:09 GMT

Once again, I have allowed arrogant skeptics to drive me crazy! For people like myself, who have witnessed craft that are indisputably other worldly,other dimensional or from another time, our contempt for them is boundless.Not for being skeptical, but for telling us what we saw or didn't see.To tell beliveable witnesses with the best of credentials they saw a cloud or kite etc.is beyond arrogance.These jerks hinder research by forcing people to remain quiet about what is probably the the most important event since the birth of Christ! ..There, I feel better

UFOs in the clouds

dean vanhoorne — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 18:27:43 GMT

I would like to see another Disclosure Project press conference with more new witness testimony.
If you're a pilot or other high level government official contact Steven Greer.

UFOs in the clouds

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 18:28:04 GMT

I'm kind of surprised that no one wished to speculate a bit more on what threshold we'd have to cross before an alien race really would decide to contact us.

Obviously, having a world full of AAMDs (arsenals of absolute mass destruction) all pointed at one another doesn’t bode well on our cosmic application. What could they honestly do or hope to convey to a race that complains of smell while sitting in their own filth? Hear we are hoping they’ll give us mysterious new technologies and we don’t even adequately fund the technologies we have. Despite what we thought we learned in WWII genocide is still common and nations gauge their success on who has the largest bombs or the most deadly stealth aircraft, not who has finally confronted their food, water, housing, education, healthcare, and environmental concerns.

Ultimately, only races in charge of their own destiny (99.9% beyond any chance of extinction) will be contacted. We can be that race with a little something called effort and if it takes a perspective of what aliens must think of us, than so be it.

UFOs in the clouds

JC, Riverton, CT — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 18:52:49 GMT

Jim O. Badeye?

Oswald? Yep. KAL 007 not spying? Yep. 9-11 not an inside job? Yep. Elvis dead? Yep.

UFOs that are NEITHER swamp gas, hallucinations, weather, ball lightning, aircraft, secret weapons, hoaxes, blimps, plasmas caused by goose wings, lighthouses? Yep.

The quality and quantity of witness testimony, along with the soft but compelling photographic evidence justifies serious scientific inquiry into the phenomenon rather than the pure conjecture offered by believers and skeptics alike.

The truth will out. (such as the Ratsch retraction)

And for the benefit of the reading audience, Donald Ratsch is an amateur radio hobbyist who thought he was monitoring shuttle flight STS-29 when he heard
someone say "...alien spacecraft...on VFR..."

He later heard a similar comment during a different
shuttle mission and crew, made with the same voice, leading him to conclude that he had recorded a hoaxed broadcast. History Channel viewer will have heard this recording played on an episode of "UFO Files".

UFOs in the clouds

SJR, left of center — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 19:09:33 GMT

I've been pondering this since my last post, and I've visited websites and looked at UFO pictures and video and I've come to the conclusion that I have no conclusion. Most of the pictures I've seen are of "disc" shaped objects flying sideways as if it were a hubcap or something of that shape being thrown and photographed. Wouldn't a life-form capable of interstellar travel be able to fly in straight paths?

Granted, there were some that I was sure were not faked, or received a genuine feeling of authenticity-but I still do not know beyond a shadow if they were. I am no expert except of my own inner being and thoughts and feelings. I can in no way debunk someone else's claims. If I were witness to some strange event, I would come forth and make the claim without fear of backlash. Who are we to immediately say that it did not happen? I just don't understand how millions of dollars can be spent on a war, but not on research about our own place in the universe?

I do believe that information is kept from us. I do believe that we are not alone. I do believe that we may just be inside a gigantic incubator of sorts and I do believe without someone stepping in and directing our courses we will ultimately self-destruct.

They could be in our midsts as we speak, in total contact with our goverment that they may have had a part in creating. Why is is not possible that dinosaurs were an experiment gone wrong? Mayans, Roanoke, complete cultures vanishing-so many questions, no answers. Smoke, mirrors, swamp gas, weather balloons? I say; as a democracy, we should demand answers! We should demand that the tax dollars we pay go toward something other than putting dollars into Big Oil pockets. No more wars, no more stupidity, but research into where we are at the moment, where we are going as a society-make life better and answers some damn questions and stop the blanketing of our collective psyche.

UFOs in the clouds

Slick Ramper Elmwood park, Illinois — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 19:17:35 GMT

I work at the airport ord and did not see the ufo in question.I happened to be off that day, but after my pension cuts, pay cuts and increase in my union dues and the cost of living increases with my pay staying the same for the last 10 years, I personally would welcome any aliens to this company to be our new management.

UFOs in the clouds

itibira, vancouver, bc — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 21:27:53 GMT

Fact: People actually DO see unknown, advanced performance craft with capabilities well beyond what ANY earth government or military is currently capable of producing. So many tens of thousands of reports from very credible and many technically adept witnesses going back at least to 1947 show that these objects seen are real and that they are not man made.

The same lame categorizing of witnesses who have seen these objects as "believers" is as incredibly stupid as categorizing people who have seen airplanes flying and on the runways as "believers". Are they to be considered as airplane believers or as witnesses? i think it is those who label witnesses as believers that are the "true believers" of their own horse manure.

Ridicule and debunking of such sightings are the signs of little, fearful minds being confronted with strange things they cannot neatly place into their own extremely limited and prejudiced worldview.

UFOs in the clouds

The Duke, Helena, Montana — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 21:50:35 GMT

Chris Eldridge, thank you for putting it so eloquently! That is exactly how I feel as well, although I HAVE seen two craft that were obviously not from this time, world or dimension. It's hard to believe unless you have experienced them. I had to see them for myself to believe. On the other hand, have I ever seen God? No. Jesus? No. People using fear and religion to control other people? Yes. Seeing is believing. Try checking out what happened at Malmstrom AFB outside Great Falls, Montana in the 70's sometime and then tell me there are no UFO's, skeptics. No, I am not providing a link for you. You have a mind and hands ( hopefully ) so use them.

UFOs in the clouds

Patrick Sullivan — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:00:19 GMT

"Marking Event"
Look on the airplane that was departing that location, and most likely you will discover that on board were one if not more nuclear war machine operators.

Our nuclear war fighting elite long ago decided to turn us all into nuclear waste, and this is why they can not bring themselves to tell us all about "ET" and the reasons for the intervention.

If not for "ET," we all would already be nuclear waste.

UFOs in the clouds

Manalog — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:04:00 GMT

Check out the Disclosure Project, pretty impressive stuff. As well, Paul Hellyer Ex-Canadian Defence Minister has got some insightful arguments...and finally read up on Philip Corso JR's "The Day After Roswell|....a fascinating read. Hard to take this topic at face value in this day and age, if you ask me, I mean...the foolish idea of extra-terrestrial intellignece should be easy to refute. However it isn't.

UFOs in the clouds

jaime sanchez ,west covina,california — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:21:04 GMT

Multiply the reaction of this incident by a hundred millon and you will get a general perspective, minus skeptics and deceptors (who will be in shock ) in 2012 when Planet X (ZETATALK.COM) sling-shots passed EARTH on return trip,you will get an ideal what 1) E.T.'s and 2) world governments have to work with.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:52:37 GMT

What space-related angles to this theme would you like to see covered in more depth here, in the months to come? There are any number of ways that the UFO subject intersects 'traditional' space news coverage -- what,who, and which themes could be most intriguing?

UFOs in the clouds

James Coppock — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 23:10:19 GMT

Brian's Quote:

"So what's your take on Dark Matter? Physicists are "certain" the particle exists, but it has NEVER been measured/observed in nature. At least there are THOUSANDS of VERY GOOD UFO photos, trace samples, etc. recorded by expert witnesses... Expert testimony in a court of law is enough to send someone to death row. Why isn't it enough to substantiate UFO reality?"

Well, Brian, I see your point, but recall that hundreds of death row inmates have been released as innocent when new DNA evidence exonerated them. And many have been released in Texas alone when it was discovered the FBI crime lab falsified DNA results to prove the innocent person committed the murder. Yet juries - many of them as respectable citizens as any who have witnessed UFOs - continue to convict on flimsy evidence and illogic.

Thus, just the same, many UFO reports are lies and sightings can be witnessed and believed yet still be utterly false. Human perception is an odd affair, and emotions tend to play as large a role in decision making as intellect. I don't deny what people have seen, just their interpretation(s) of it.

In the end, math is the answer, and M-Theory and String Theory (as relating to Dark Matter and the lesse Dark Energy) has a large body of methematical evidence to support such conclusions (though still theory). UFO evidence - though filled with a plethora of eye witness evidence - has practically no mathematical evidence to support it, no "vapor trails" to be analysed by physicists or the like. There's simply little mathematical support.

In the end, opinions are opinions, but to convince me (and yes, I have witnessed "odd" UFO-like events, too, but don't give into visceral logic), I need facts, and if there no hard, mathematical evidence, then it's not what we make make it out to be.

UFOs in the clouds

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 23:26:13 GMT

Jim O, I guess I'm hoping the big news is whatever the VLTI, Keck, LBT, CoRot will find as far as exoplanets. I'm hoping that if we can detect Jovian-sized worlds, we might also be able to see if they have earth-sized moons by watching for the eclipsing effect. That, in turn, may mean we can look for the atmospheric content of such moons. I'd love to see scientists go through the Drake's Equation again with all that we know now (life on the sea floor, moons with oceans, the concept of transpermia, which I guess the shuttle disaster help prove when they recovered still living experiments from the debris).

Where is NASA on the space interferometer? Being able so see the cloud tops and land masses of other earth like worlds would sure help determine how common life is! Heck, getting a petition going like they did for Pluto maybe something UFO believers would also jump at.

UFOs in the clouds

Bagheera B. — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 23:39:49 GMT

There are no space aliens. It's one of ours, and I'm glad of it. O'Hare was most likely a typical surveillance site, as would be all major airports at high alert periods.

The airline's first response was to deny reports. The FAA's first response was to deny any reports. After a Freedom of Information Act request was filed, the FAA immediately affirmed the reports. Anything classified must be denied. However, the rule of law still prevails, and information not specifically detailed as classified may be released if it is specifically requested.

There was nothing unusual about this craft being where it was. The only atypical aspect of this sighting was that there was a sighting. If you're undetectable, you may sit around over an airport terminal without giving much thought to anything but doing your job. That is, until a report comes in that "people can see you." I'm sure that protocol in that event is to leave the area, straight up, at full speed. Somebody's on KP this month. Every now and again things malfunction or someone just forgets to flip a switch.

Now, if you are more comfortable with the Space Alien theory, by all means, let me not dissuade you. To me, it's just a lot more humorous to picture somebody saying, "Do you think those people down there are looking at us?" And just about that time, the hotline rings.

UFOs in the clouds

Gord Heath, Surrey, BC — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 00:45:31 GMT

I will try to cut Boyle a bit of slack as it is true that many UFO reports are just ordinary phenomena that people mistake for something strange. This is particularly true with ordinary stars, planets and airplane lights that are often reported as UFOs.

On the other hand, I agree with the posters who are annoyed by those who seem so intent on inventing weird unbelievable explanations to explain away the most compelling accounts.

I have seen UFOs which defy explanation as conventional aircraft, and I am quite certain that they are evidence of technology that has not originated with or been developed by earthly human civilizations.

I have no explanation for the strange behavior exhibited by these visitors. If I ever get the chance to meet one, I'll be sure to ask.

Maybe Planet Earth IS just some other civilization's reality soap opera. Coming soon - Earth Series, final chapter, global warming and nuclear holocaust

And MSNBC is just a programming guide for the latest episodes.

UFOs in the clouds

James Coppock — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 01:31:47 GMT

Bagheera B...

...I think you hit the nail on the head! Bravo.

UFOs in the clouds

ione berchatti — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 01:43:59 GMT

never saw an UFO but just using logic they could be here. maybe they are not from the outer space but from another dimension that coexist with ours. maybe the fact that we are devastating the Earth, opens a kind of veil between the dimensions and they appear to us.maybe they are monitoring the earth cause the devastation could harm their civilization too.

UFOs in the clouds

Phill, Austin, TX — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 01:53:25 GMT

Bagheera,
I just hope you understand that your theory is just as far-fetched as the alien spacecraft theory.

UFOs in the clouds

robert stanley, Los Angeles, California — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 02:54:30 GMT

Bet you guys didn't know that Washington, D.C., has the most UFO sightings per square mile in the world. In fact, on July 16, 2002, UFOs were accidentaly captured on film landing on Capitol Hill. To view some the images and to read a free chapter of my new book - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS ON CAPITOL HILL - please link to www.unicusmagazine.com

UFOs in the clouds

Texrat, North Texas — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 03:39:21 GMT

Oberg is automatically predisposed to disbelief. He could be kidnapped by classic aliens and still argue it wasn't happening even as it did.

UFOs in the clouds

O, Peoria, IL — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 03:50:05 GMT

Bagheera B,

I doubt the government would risk exposing their "winning hand on terror" to potentially hundreds of witnesses. This seems to defy logic.

Besides that, this exposure could have caused major safety issues by distracting pilots, controllers and flight crews. Who was apprehended via this new tech? It appears no one.

To me, this idea no better than any arbitrary ET ufo theory.

UFOs in the clouds

Greg Gillum — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 04:04:07 GMT

One would think at an airport the radar would have shown any object of signifcant mass and we'd have a record of it. (no mass = no aliens)

UFOs in the clouds

Dr. Infiniti, Denver, CO. — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 04:28:50 GMT

96% of the world's population continue to live under the dilusion that God exists, in one form or another. These dilusions lack any form of proof evidence, nor logical expanation whatsoever. Yet they are reluctant to accept the existance of any intelligent life form outside our solar system. Any reputable scientist will tell you that there are approximately 10 billion stars in our own galaxy, and at least 10 billion galaxies in the known universe (and this is a conservative figure). Even if each star had only 1 planet in its orbit, thats at least 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets in the universe. Since life on this planet could only have originated from the elements of the universe, its impossible to deny that intelligent life, even more advanced than ours, exists in at least one of those planets.I have no doubt that there are aliens, whose technology is far superior than our own. And I have no doubt that they are watching with keen eyes as we blindly and maliciosly destroy all lifeform on this planet, that took over 2 billion years to evolve.

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 04:32:49 GMT

Chris Eldridge writes [[I also find it a bit silly to assume that if there really was a credible photo of the saucer that the person is somehow afraid to come forward "in fear of their job." I think *$*INSTANT FAME*$* would far outweigh any potential backlash from an employer who they could in turn sue if they ever did get fired. ]]

There have been hundreds, and perhaps thousands of photographs of alleged UFOs taken over the past 50 years. Can you name a single person who gained $*INSTANT FAME*$ (in other words, lots of money) from a UFO photo? No? Didn't think so. It's amazing how people who think they're skeptics have such high standards of evidence for other people but are satisfied with the standards of what Steven Colbert calls "truthiness": stuff that sounds like it ought to be true.

On the other hand, there are quite a few UFO witnesses who've gotten what's referred to as "the treatment" from Mr. Oberg's organization, CSICOP (Committee to Intestigate the Claims of the Paranormal). Mr. Oberg's late colleague, Phillip Klass, even attempted to link UFO researchers with the Red Menace during the Cold War:

"The Debunkers vs. the UFO Menace; or, Is Ufology Tantamount to Communism? "

http://www.nicap.org/debunk1.htm

The goal of CSICOP seems to be not so much the investigaton of "claims" and determining the truth behind them, but of discrediting the people who make the "claims." People who report witnessing UFOs do have reason to fear for their reputations from this organization.

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 04:44:08 GMT

For the record, Keith Olbermann did a segment on the O'Hare sighting yesterday. He played it for laughs like he does almost every story that doesn't involve issues of grave consequences like the Bush Administrations disregard for constitutionally protected civil liberties. But he also made fun of the FAA's initial denial that they had a report on the sighting, followed by their admission that they had received reports after the FOIA request was made. At least Olbermann seems to have recognized the absurdity of the government's disingenuous denials (lies?) that seems to have escaped the rest of the punditocracy who were too busy cracking the usual trite UFO jokes.

UFOs in the clouds

puttinhead,Hickory ,nc — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 05:00:53 GMT

Heres one to read..About 30 years ago as I sat in my car at an outside movie,I noticed a rather large light in the eastern skies moving west. At first I thought it was a jet but the light was too big and it was too high in the sky.The second week end I was it again in the same place about the same time of night heading the same direction. The third week end I was it again but it stopped about mid way across the sky and the light became very bright,I thought it was going to explode but it didnt, it darted at an angle upward some and stopped turned yellowish red zig zaged some and shot up and vanished in a second. I never saw it again.The speed it was going reminded me of the old star track movie..You figure it out. It is true.

UFOs in the clouds

Dave, Middletown, NJ — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 05:22:34 GMT

For what it's worth, my wife, 2 sons and I witnessed the objects that are pictured in the clouds in your lenticular cloud link. We watched two objects spin in and out of the clouds, almost teasingly, for about 15 minutes until they were too far to see. Approximately 5 years later, my wife, one of my sons and I witnessed approximate 20 lights in the sky performing acrobatic-like manuevers for approximately 3 minutes. I managed to run in my house to video tape the event, but unfortunately it was taken at night so all you have are bright spots flying around the screen. With no point of reference, it looks like I can't hold a camera very still. However, what WAS compelling were the voices of my family and I as we were aternately shocked and entertained by the event. We were alerted to the lights by my brother in law who said they were moving in our direction in NJ from his neighborhood in Brooklyn. One other observation. My house has several flight paths all around it, to/from Newark and to/from JFK, plus a Naval station and several private small airports. While this occurred, there were no visible planes in the air for approximately 20 minutes. While this may not seem so unique to some, in my neighborhood, there is practically NO time when there arent 6 planes in the air.

That's my story(s).

You can disbelieve all you like. What I saw was something I haven't seen since and I do watch the skies, am 50 years old and know when something that is unnatural is occuring before my eyes.

I'm just real glad I had people with me who witnessed the same.

UFOs in the clouds

Gomer Pyle, Grants Pass, OR — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 05:30:47 GMT

Alien visitation? I doubt it. We're just a little speck in a sea of galactic civilizations either vastly superior to or primitive than our own (Sagan's 'postage stamp theory'). What civilization capable of crossing the vastness of space/time would be the slightest bit interested in us?

Atmospheric phenomenon? Maybe. We're far from fully understanding the kind of stuff our chaotic weather patterns can do.

Government-controlled experiments? Also maybe. Remember, when it was unveiled, stealth technology was already 30 years old. It was recently publicly revealed that a 'cloak of invisibility' was being developed, so don't you doubt for a minute that it hasn't been perfected by now...

UFOs in the clouds

ALLEN, COLUMBUS OHIO — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 05:40:57 GMT

I FIND THE GOV'T RESPONSE OF THIS CASE IN TRUE LINE WITH THEIR INTENTION OF KEEPING THE PUBLIC AT LARGE IGNORANT OF THE REALITY OF VISITORS, WITH SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY. THIS TECHNOLOGY COULD BE THE CURE FOR OUR OIL ECONOMY, OIL WARS, BUT IT WOULD ALSO BE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL-MILITARILY AND POLICTICALY. NOT TO MENTION I CANNOT IMAGINE A ALIEN CIVILZATION WANTING US HOSTILE,GREEDY HUMANS INVADING THEIR PLANET--THEY WOULD DESTROY US BEFORE THAT WOULD HAPPEN..WHICH AGAIN IS A WORLD AND NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE--ANOTHER REASON TO KEEP SECRET. SEEING IS BELEIVING..SOME PEOPLE WITH AVIATION BACK GROUNDS KNOW...BUT IT ALWAYS REMAINS A POSIBILTY OF BEING A BLACK WORLD PROJECT. SO THAT THE CIA CAN USE THESE VEHICLES TO SPY WITH PLUASIBLE DENIABILITY. HOWEVER THE CHICAGO CASE IS ONE WHERE I BELIEVE THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE PUBLIC AT LARGE OR THEY ARE SURVALING US--BECAUSE OF OUR SPACE AND NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES WHICH CAN BE A THREAT TO THEM...

UFOs in the clouds

Donna, Connecticut — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 05:41:23 GMT

Back in 1964, as a teenager, myself and 4 other friends were traveling out in the countryside around the University of Connecticut. We noticed a bright light above us, turning whenever we did. We kept watching and what we saw was a sphere type aircraft that hovered above our vehicle; it seemed as tho it was following either the lights of the car or the power lines. As we reached our destination, and turned into a driveway, it quickly veered off and came down out of our sight. We called the police and the next day they checked the area and did find a large flattened round area in the hayfields. I BELIEVE in UFO's....

UFOs in the clouds

Amused in Nevada — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 06:01:10 GMT

*Whistles the theme to "X-Files"*

"On the next episode of X-Files, agents Mulder and Scully investigate strange phenomenon at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, and come to discover that space aliens and the U.S. Government have been co-conspirators in a plot to raise the price of airline tickets for the past 50 years..."

UFOs in the clouds

ALLEN, COLUMBUS OHIO — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 06:08:27 GMT

HOW LONG AGO WERE WE THE GEOGRAPHICAL CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE ACCORDING TO COPRENICUS? HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE MANKIND TO REALIZE HE IS NOT THE CENTER OF THE BIOLOGICAL UNIVERSE? IN PART THE GOVERMENT HAS RESPONSIBILTY...BUT THE POWER ELITE DONT WANT TO LOOSE THEIR GRIP ON POWER.

UFOs in the clouds

Fred Mars, Corvallis Oregon — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 06:36:07 GMT

Perhaps they observed and once they saw what life here was like, they left in hurry. UFO's may not all be real, but a percentage are intelligence from beyond our solar system. Reality is that if we are here, they are there, and depending on how long they were able to build their culture, and on what awareness, they developed the technology to master travellig the stars. We can't master getting along with one another or get past the idea that to have means others will have not. There is no justificaion for acting poorly, and no divine spirit would support such deed. Peace to all in this new gregorian calendar year.

UFOs in the clouds

Me in LA — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 07:16:34 GMT

I live in Southern California and see aliens all the time. Even fell in love with one.

UFOs in the clouds

An insider, Austin, TX — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 07:34:31 GMT

Regardless of whether you all believe or not believe in UFOs, the fact is that the more people talk about it, the more our culture gets ready for real contact. Even if you're a skeptic, the day will come when you'll be faced with the knowledge that we are not alone, and that we are far behind some very brilliant aliens out there, which is what you fear in the first place. Then, what are you gonna do, take your guns out and shoot the sky? The day is coming, sooner than you think...

UFOs in the clouds

Matthew, Seattle, WA — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 07:59:55 GMT

Whether or not it was a U.F.O. (which I, though skepticle, to believe) The government's explenation for it DOES SOUND VERY fishy... Which makes me believe more then anything. I get why they're keeping (or would be keeping ;) ) info from us- to stop a mass panic, like what happened when there was that radio show thingie; but that DOES violate our constitution.

UFOs in the clouds

Randall Masor Houston Tx — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 08:06:57 GMT

As soon as earth masters travel out of our solar system the alians will induct us into their way of life. obviously they are all peaceful or we wouldnt be here , they could have destroied us already.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim J, Brunswick, Ga. — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 08:56:03 GMT

OK... let's cut the pro/con cheerleading speculation crap and somebody get started really investigating this thing. Have more than one reporter interview the same people and see if they all come up with the same story. Get all these witnesses together somewhere neutral.... behind a mask, and let them talk. Offer them all a juicy slot on of some TV show. This is too important to have all this sloppy investigation going on. Let's get serious about this. So far ... what I've seen/heard is pretty soft reporting... bordering on speculation. Please....somebody.. do a better job of investigating this.

UFOs in the clouds

Lonnie Morris III, wahaiwa, HI — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 09:01:58 GMT

OKay,

I am here to share a brief description, very brief might I add; I dont need anyone knocking down my email door trying to get interviews or something weird like that, nor do I want to attract any attention. Okay, I am 26 years old, and I used to live in Columbus, OH. I used to ride in the dark at my community recreational facility when I was in Junior high (which is over a decade ago). One night I as riding a bike in the back of the recreation center; which actually I was alongside of it heading towards the back. I then proceeded to do a one wheel stand on the back wheel; when I did this I looked up as my vision shifted upward, and I lost balance and landed on my feet; less than 200 feet in the air. There was a very large black Aircraft of some sort.

Mind you I am a prior Aviation Electronics Technician, and I am very proficient in Electronics building computers, and am currently in logistics. I have a habit of seeing something and remembering what I saw. Therefore I know what I saw basically. And it was quiet, no sound, and it was larger than the building I was standing behind. My guess is that it was some sort of Government secret plane or something. However, I dont make it a personal vendetta to go snooping for such things if the Govt. Doesn't want me to know then I won't try finding out. And that was that for me, but ask me and I'll tell you colors shape, and size and location of this large Aircraft looking Object from where I was standing.

UFOs in the clouds

Ken in Ellensburg — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 09:51:28 GMT

Let me see if I have this right, you ... are proposing to me that clouds will form a sperical object below themselves??? This object was BELOW the clouds not part of them. [...]

UFOs in the clouds

Reason to Grumble, Mililani, HI — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 10:00:01 GMT

I can't believe how many people have comments to make about UFO's,compared to how few comments there are on Blogs about the current political situation in the US and Iraq. Now I think I understand why the President of the US has been able to lead us to hell.

UFOs in the clouds

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 16:14:06 GMT

Huston, I was sort of leaning towards INSTANT FAME for the first person to take a crystal clear/up close/daylight photo of a UFO (as the supposed O'Hare photo might have been), but--in general--you are probably right. At this point, with so many claims out there, there might not be INSTANT FAME for a person even if they did have an authentic photo.

BTW... I WANT TO BELIEVE! I'm dying to see the first true evidence that other inteligence exists and I even thought the Phoenix case might have finally been that. Instead it proved to be yet again an example of how so many people could be so CERTAIN and yet DEAD WRONG. As a skeptic, I couldn't simply ignor such a sighting as what only a average person might have seen. HALF OF PHOENIX SAW IT. Seeing the video, I too was getting pretty convinced. In the end, the young man and his telescope were correct... All the adults - were not!

UFOs in the clouds

Sam, Washington, DC — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 18:25:45 GMT

To all you wielders of John of Occam's razor. Please notice that you are also wielders of assumption, like the rest of us. Do not assume that "they" are here to reveal themselves. Also do not assume that "they" care one bit about what we think or how we might react to their presence. If history is to be believed, "They" have been around for quite sometime, to almost zero human response or effect. So if mankind sees something in the sky, and that something gently pulls itself back into the clouds, logic would seemingly dictate that mankind would 'gently' forget about that thing within days if not minutes. I mean, if "they" are going by the effects of their actions that result in them being seen, those effects are just about nil. So why would they care about hiding from us, as long as it's not a mass population event. The tide has done well enough to wash away the clandestine sightings of 10 or more people.

Society will only believe in "them" if "they" happen to engage society, not through the actions or beliefs of an extremely small fraction of society. So again, because these whoever 'they' are don't choose to land in Central Park to sell hotdogs, what makes you believe wielding your razors will cut away the fat and get us to the meat? Particularly when you're not too sure where the meat is. Cling to lenticular clouds, or grasp at straws of swamp gas or ball lighting or vortexes. All i see is people making up their solutions from the grab bag of rare but natural weather conditions. But forsaking any and all causes outside of their narrow scope, because they weren't there themselves to see them. Not just bad science, but irresponsible, and willful self-ignorance.

UFOs in the clouds

O, Peoria, IL — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 18:37:53 GMT

Des Emery Wrote:
"...No other planet in the Solar system shows evidence, not even Mars where there is some evidence of water at one time but not recently. "

Photographic evidence suggest that water recently bubbled (??) to the surface of Mars...over the last several years. This directly contradicts your latter statement.

Regarding the former statement, we have no conclusive evidence for or against life on at least 3 moons in the solar system with the minimum ingredients for life. Europa is a good example. Let's wait till we gather more data on places like these before we reach our final conclusions. (maybe you are being strategic by limiting your statement to planets and not moons) Moons ARE a part of the solar system. Jupiter and Saturn have 10s of Moons between them. If we detect life under the surface ice where our scientists think LIQUID water exists, this may change many theories regarding extrasolar systems.

Please consider this, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. (not my quote BTW)

I need facts to say life does not exist anywhere else in our system; you seem to think we have all of these. When did you peer into the subsurface oceans Ganymede, Callisto or Europa. Conditions here are projected to be very similar to deep sea geothermal ecosystems we have on earth. I’m speculating that they exist, but you are speculating that they do not exist. Neither of us have facts to conclude that either statement is true.

UFOs in the clouds

T, Omaha — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 19:03:23 GMT

Jim O, I would like to see more radical theories on the beginning of time such as alternate theories to the big bang. Time related themes including the perception of time and extra dimensional aspects are intriguing. Life sciences, mental and physical human conditions, and innovative plant-life experiments in space would also be interesting.

UFOs in the clouds

ATN, san diego, ca — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 19:16:21 GMT

we've been being watched since the dawn of time and there's nothing our government can do about it, except deny its happening, make a joke out of it and slam witness testimony. This policy has and will continue to be ongoing. It's the biggest security threat facing our world since ww2, not too mention the technology advancments we can and have obtained. There are reasons this subject gets deflected quicky by gov't insiders and why they want to retain its secret. I think it's time the media crack this open, it's way overdue and a slap in our face to "democracy"

To help end this please support www.thedisclosureproject.com

UFOs in the clouds

lizzi nees, Long Beach, CA — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:25:36 GMT

Regarding lights in the sky: explanations for mysterious phenomena reveal more about what is going on in the mind of the observer. are you seeing angels? are you seeing alien spacecraft? are you seeing secret government experiments? Ask a three year old, and he will claim he saw Santa Claus and his reindeer. What you "see" is not what is really there. Your brain interprets your visual experience. And if the experience doesn't fit with your personal file of "normalcy", your brain will seek to identify the anomaly by projecting your own fears and desires into the perception.
Just because something appears unusual doesn't make it supernatural. People used to wig out over solar eclipses until science explained what was happening.

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:40:34 GMT

Chris Eldridge [[Huston, I was sort of leaning towards INSTANT FAME for the first person to take a crystal clear/up close/daylight photo of a UFO (as the supposed O'Hare photo might have been), but--in general--you are probably right. At this point, with so many claims out there, there might not be INSTANT FAME for a person even if they did have an authentic photo.]]

I've seen some pretty intriguing clear photos of UFOs that indicate they're unconventional aircraft of some sort. In every case the photographers were accused of hoaxing the photos by those who claim to be skeptics despite the lack of evidence of hoaxing. The rule seems to be: the better the photograph is, the more abuse the camera operator is going to get from professional skeptics.

[[As a skeptic, I couldn't simply ignor such a sighting as what only a average person might have seen. HALF OF PHOENIX SAW IT. Seeing the video, I too was getting pretty convinced. In the end, the young man and his telescope were correct... All the adults - were not!]]

Yeah, I remember the guy who saw some lights in his telescope and claimed they were airplanes. But how do you know that the guy with the telescope was right and everyone else was wrong? Things can be sometimes be misidentified through a telescope as easily as with the naked eye, depending on the circumstances. Here's a comment that seems to cast some doubt on those claims:

http://www.virtuallystrange.net/ufo/
updates/1997/nov/m14-024.shtml

Sorry, I don't think people who make an issue of how skeptical they are really "want to believe" as they say. If they did, I'd think that they'd be encouraging or even offering their assistance to serious investigations rather than just trashing the investigators and the witnesses as the CSICOP faithful do.

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:50:16 GMT

Speaking of unfairly trashing people, Oberg wrote:

[[Here is the originator of that STS-29 story, Donald Ratsch, withdrawing it after subsequent research -- ten years ago. But somehow, Ratsch's own repudiation of it is not reported on the UFO websites that have misinformed so many of their visitors:]]

Oberg is wrong. At least one UFO web site did print Ratsch's retraction. This one:

http://www.ufoseek.org/nasaufo.htm

His letter is at the bottom of the page.

Ratsch is or was a member of MUFON, one of the UFO organizations that Oberg demonizes. Ratsch had the integrity to acknowledge that his initial conclusions were wrong based on additional information. Let's see if Oberg does, too. A real skeptic, who values facts, should have no difficulty doing so.

UFOs in the clouds

Per Unti, Silverthorne, Co — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 21:22:03 GMT

Ohare Intl Airport can now boast the new title Ohare Intergalactic Airport" Per Unti Silverthorne, Co

UFOs in the clouds

Eruditess, Savannah, GA — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 01:14:05 GMT

Let's get it right people, please.

There ARE UFO's.

UNIDENTIFIED-FLYING-OBJECTS. Get it? Unidentified; meaning that the person or persons witnessing said object cannot identify it. Simple concept.
The great and more complicated debate is actually whether or not there are alien beings visiting earth IN aforementioned objects.

UFOs in the clouds

Forward Observer, Pittsburgh PA — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 02:09:06 GMT

I feel sorry for the people who need to make fun of this subject. Big changes are happening on this planet-lovely weather lately-isn't it? I hope that we have some ET friends who care enough to make sure that humans don't become extinct. We may need them very soon.

UFOs in the clouds

bill davidson — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 03:08:53 GMT

Half of the comments on this page makes light of the ufo thing. Why dont we wake up these things are real. We should not laught about ufo we should except them they are real, then we could be serious and study and put on the front page and encourage everyone to come out and tell their story. This is real and needs to be respected. just a believer that has seen 2 of them, they are real Bill

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 04:31:59 GMT

Houston: "Ratsch is or was a member of MUFON, one of the UFO organizations that Oberg demonizes."

I was a member of MUFON, too, which included a lot of serious people who tried to make sense of the phenomenon -- and whose journal has published some of my articles. Where am I supposed to have 'demonized' it, Houston? I think you made that up.

Glad to see the correction listed, one time at least, under the original nonsense story (sorry to see the original story is still there), even if it is titled with a question mark. I'm curious as to what search elements were necessary for yahoo or google or ask.com to locate the correction, because I failed to find it when I ran the search engines prior to making my criticism. How should I have improved my search parameters?

And when do we get the dozens of other uncorrected sites to include the correction, too?

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 04:40:30 GMT

The internet clearly needs a better way to back-link to entries of all kinds (UFO and otherwise) when there are refutations or counter-arguments made elsewhere about claims. Here's another example -- if you search about the 'bogie' reported by astronaut Frank Borman on Gemini-7 you will find hundreds of sites that list it as credible UFO encounter. I haven't found any such internet claim that also includes the following quote from Borman (which can also be found on the internet, but only if you know it is there and search on unique keywords such as 'Gusmobile'):

"Right after we got into orbit we were supposed to 'station keep' or
fly formation with the booster,' Borman says. 'We were flying
formation and taking photographs and infrared measurements and I
started calling it a 'bogey,' which is an old fighter pilot term.
Well, a lot of the UFO freaks on the ground picked this up and said we
had seen a UFO because we had referred to our booster as a bogey. Just
this past year I got a call from a producer at 'Unsolved Mysteries'
and they said, 'We read your account about your seeing a UFO on Gemini
7 and would you come on the program?' I told them: 'I'd love to come
on your program because I'd love to straighten that out.' I explained
what it was I saw and I said, 'I don't think there were UFOs,' and the
producer said, 'Well, I'm not sure we want you on the program."

Air & Space Magazine: Flying the Gusmobile
http://www.airspacemag.com:80/
ASM/Mag/Index/1998/AS/ftgm.html

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 04:55:26 GMT

Here's another space UFO that we treated right here on this site about a year and a half ago -- the famous disk-shaped UFO photographed near the moon.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7822879/

This was one that I couldn't solve myself, and in fact had tentatively offered a prosaic explanation that was disproved -- by the actual prosaic explanation. It's always a pleasure to get corrected in that fashion!!

Now, when you google the Apollo-16 UFO photo, you get about eight hundred hits. I have yet to find a single one of them that linked to the subsequent irrefutable prosaic explanation, but there might be one or two -- and several others, a distinct minority, discussed alternate prosaic explanations fairly.

How can we improve, in examples such as these, the state of such UFO misinformation on the Internet?

UFOs in the clouds

Niki, Sarasota, Florida — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 07:20:51 GMT

I highly doubt advanced creatures came all the way to Planet Earth just to take a peek at O'Hare, of ALL places. I think a lot of this hoopla is centered solely on people's desire to be something more than just what we are---which is a little pathetic in itself. Did we really have to invent this idea of intergalactic creatures visiting us to feel good aboout ourselves? Come on, there's better things to do with our time than spout off about crud in the sky and whether or not it's of earthly origins.

While we're on the subject anyway, here's one to consider---If alien lifeforms ARE visiting Earth, maybe we're just a giant zoo stop-off on the intergalactic alien family vacation. Maybe we really are nothing more than animals to superior lifeforms.

UFOs in the clouds

Tracy — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 17:52:47 GMT

James Oberg says "it's sad we keep getting these report which are of zero evidentiary value".

That's nothing but hogwash....how can a UFO sighted by a dozen professional aviation witnesses be of no value?

The FAA states that it was a "weather phenom". Anyone who researches this subject wasn't even surprised by the FAA's response. Their explanations consistently border on the ridiculous (they have no choice as they lack for plausible explanations for the events that happen everyday!) for those who actually read the details of the reports. 12 people clearly saw a solid metallic spinning disc. Post all the cloud pictures you want, none of them look like a metallic spinning disc. How about if you post 1 of the thousand of legitimate pictures that are readily available on the internet instead of pictures of clouds? As pretty as they are, those are not what people are calling UFO's. Clouds do not shoot up through other clouds so quickly that they leave holes in other clouds. Why even post such an explanation of what it might of been?

FAA says airport lights shining up into the clouds? It was still daylight out!

I have an idea...how about if you start a blog allowing Mr Davenport and James Oberg to debate the Chicago UFO. It won't take but a day to see that Mr. Oberg is unable to debate any actual facts of this case...just throw out a bunch of hogwash to try to confuse the subject.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:43:43 GMT

The ChiTrib's Sunday update article is here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/
opinion/chi-0701070086jan07,1,4459707.story?
vote27156872=1&coll=chi-opinionfront-hed
&ctrack=1&cset=true

UFOs in the clouds

Ron — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 02:00:50 GMT

Oh, come on people! Haven't you realized yet, that we are the most intelligent beings of the universes?

UFOs in the clouds

Thomas Ashby, Calgary — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 03:26:48 GMT

http://www.ufoevidence.org/
photographs/section/post2000/Photo62.htm

This story underlines and decribes exactly the crazy reluctance of "officials" to release and comment on these occurrences.

UFOs in the clouds

Jim O — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 04:30:28 GMT

Don't worry about hurting my feelings here -- I'm getting even WORSE reviews on UFO discussion boards! <grin>

http://www.virtuallystrange.net/
ufo/updates/2007/jan/m07-021.shtml

UFOs in the clouds

Christopher C. In Sunnyvale CA. — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 06:21:58 GMT

This UFO that was seen in Chicago on 7-Jan-06 sounds exactly like what I saw in Fremont CA approx. 3-years ago. what astonishes me is that the picture shown with the article was even exactly what I saw. I was walking out to my car one night and this bright light over head to the right of my house startled me, because it seemed so close. It looked like just a big bright blinking ball of colored lights. I ran back inside to get my binoculars. By the time I came back out, it had ascended back up a ways in the sky. When I looked through my binoculars it looked to be three colored lights that seemed to be alternating, making it seem as though it were orbiting the craft. My neighbor came out and I asked him what he thought it was. He looked through the binoculars and pulled them away fast saying that he couldn't tell. As soon as he pulled them away, the craft banked and swished out of view. My neighbor ran into the house and would not come back out. The next night I saw the same object in the same distant area. My wife and daughter saw it this time. It again banked and again swished away. My family were scared back in the house this time. I continued to see the craft hovering in this same area for a few nights. No one believed what I told them I saw. But, when I read this article and showed my wife the pictures of the three lights. She said it was exactly what we saw. So, I believe they are there myself. I know what I saw wasn't any airplanes or clouds. Nothing I have seen could just hover, bank and move away that fast.

UFOs in the clouds

Gordon Leblanc — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 15:02:41 GMT

" How is it that someone smuggled a camera cell phone into a Baghdad execution chamber to chronicle the hanging of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein last month, but no one among the thousands of airport workers and travelers at O'Hare snapped a picture for the cosmic family photo album?" Says Hilkevitch as he milks his fame over this report for every drop he can suck.

This comment is like the 'why don't they land on the White House lawn' like that is thrown out by all unintelligent people. This journalist is not very smart. He stumbled upon a story and it became an internet hit. Now he his trying to erase his tracks so that he does not become a 'Kolchack' figure.

He is also an intellectual coward. The implications of this sighting, and all the other high quality sightings are as profound as they are disturbing. He does not face this in his follow up article, which really should have been a philosophical treatise on the place of man in the universe and the odd historical and modern reluctance of men to allow themselves to be displaced within it. Instead we get a backpedalling screed of twaddle, worthy of a tabloid newspaper.

This sort of man and his thought are representative of the failure of the 21st century to come to terms with anything serious, and they are also symbolic of the decline in good writing, quality, depth and honesty in journalism.

I suppose I may be expecting more than what can be had from 'the Tribune's transportation reporter' or any transportation reporter for that matter, but if that is the case, then The Tribune should have had one of their more qualified writers tackle the update article. This subject it just too important to be left to simpletons.

UFOs in the clouds

Gary Innes, Havasu, AZ — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:48:21 GMT

I love the crack once made by some British guy: "What a pity for these space-people, that they always choose a mental defective to deliver their Great Message." Gary In Arizona

UFOs in the clouds

Dr. John Islander, MD — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 17:50:25 GMT

As a former skeptic, I too once laughed at the tall tales I would read that others professed to see. I thought that people wanted it so badly that if their minds could bend what they saw, just a little, to make it appear to be something else, then they made it be the way they wanted it to be.

But one evening, a few years ago, I was sailing in the Atlantic Ocean on a 41' sailboat with my wife and 2 daughters. It was a calm day with the stars just starting to become visible in the twighlight of the evening when we saw a huge blue light moving under our boat. It was easily 3 times the size of our boat. It moved off ahead of us and out of sight. The wind was almost calm as we moved along at about 2 knots. We sat in the cockpit for awhile discussing what we had just seen when my youngest daughter pointed to a disturbance in the water to our starboard side. Again, since my brain defaulted to skeptic, I assumed I was about to see the backs of a whale when instead, we saw a round saucer shaped craft slowly rise from the ocean and just sit motionless and absolutely silent about 50 feet above the surface. Even though it was getting dark, I could see the same blue glow from it's base and we could see portholes around the side with movement within the portholes. A little like seeing an ocean vessel or ship with people inside moving about in a lighted cabin. The craft sat there for a few minutes before it rose stright up and out of sight. It never made a single sound whatsoever. It was absolutely silent.

I no longer care what the government says about alien spacecraft. Everytime they challenge these reports further convinces me that they know things they are holding back for I know the truth as I've seen it with my own eyes. Seeing this craft changed my view of the Universe and my place in it. I now believe that we are part of a galactic community, somewhat like you see on Hollywood movies. I suspect that if we weren't such an aggressive race of beings, they would make contact with us and perhaps share their technology. Maybe we'll get there one day but in the mean time, we will go on killing one another for silly reasons.

UFOs in the clouds

Starfire — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 18:00:46 GMT

PLEASE EVERYONE, ( READ JOHN MACK'S BOOK, "ABDUCTION: HUMAN ENCOUNTERS WITH ALIENS" AND BEFORE ANY CLOSE MINDED SCKEPTICS WRITE THIS OFF, JOHN MACK WAS A PULITZER PRIZE WINNER AND A HARVARD PROFESSOR.

UFOs in the clouds

SJR, left of center — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 18:04:28 GMT

Thomas Ashby from Calgary, Any way to get my hands on this video?

UFOs in the clouds

Michele, Barnegat, NJ — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 19:44:37 GMT

I would have never believed this a few years ago. However with more people having new technology at their fingertips we are capturing more "PROOF.” The internet makes it possible for viewing more data then we could have ever dreamed of. I do not believe in the swamp gas theory nor do I believe in space reflections. One thing I can say is Coast to Coast AM delivers what the Government hides. Have you heard of the Dan Rather of Mexico's 60 mins? His name is Jaime Maussan, and he went above and beyond to help prove that we are being visited. Another great set of facts to check out is the newest Disclosure Project "Fastwalkers." You can view these on Google video! I am pleased that the Mexican Air Force handed over their videos of UFO’s to Jamie. So to sum up my opinion I believe the Government has been hiding this for over sixty years!

Yes, I also believe in the Mayan Calendar and it predicts we are on the verge of a new beginning. It is time for all of us to also listen to Ian Xel Lungold’s “Secrets of the Mayan Calendar Unveiled” as he is an expert on the Mayans and their calendar. His videos will help you to prepare for what is coming.

The information is out there for you to see. Even if you do not believe it sure is interesting information.

UFOs in the clouds

TheFallibleFiend, LORTON, VA — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 21:53:01 GMT

The more ignorant a person is about a particular subject area, the more likely he is to believe any sort of magical, mystical, or religious "explanation" proffered.

I use "explanation" in quotes, because typically these magical "explanations" don't actually explain anything.

UFOs in the clouds

Aden, Eastpoint, Mi — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 22:00:01 GMT

I don't believe they saw a UFO. It's not possible.

UFOs in the clouds

Gilbert Richards — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 01:47:34 GMT

Dr Islander, your story is interesting and sad at the same time, and it is a perfect illustration of the mentality of most formally educated people of a scientific background in this time.

It is sad because you only believe the evidence of your own eyes; this is not sad, its actually tragic. It means that fundamentally, you have no ability to empathize with other human beings and their perspectives. It is this ability to 'cut off' from reality and other people that facilitates men being able to torture, and in the past enslave other men. What other people have seen and reported meant nothing to you until it happened to you. Many people live in this sort of illusion, where only they are the true interpreters of reality, and everyone else is simply a part of your dream.
It is interesting because you saw an underwater UFO of the kind seen many times in the past (even the ships that 'discovered' America encountered lights like the ones you saw) and it is also interesting that you expect everyone to believe you and take your story at face value. Why should we? Why should we not dismiss you as a crackpot just as you dismissed every person who reported seeing a UFO as delusional?

The fact that this lesson and this story, "I never thought that they were real till I saw one myself", has to be repeated over and over again signifies that human beings are culturally in-cohesive - we cannot learn from each other in an orderly and productive fashion because our systems of thought are fundamentally broken. We live in a self destructive culture that engineers and favors disbelief over the experience of other people. I believe that this is holding our culture and science back, and the chief criminals in this psychotic behavior are the skeptics, exemplified by people like Oberg, Randi, Klass, Shostak, Blackwell and the other insane asylum escapees at CSICOP/SETI and whatever organization you would care to name.
Thankfully, the pressure bearing down on this negative culture thanks to pervasive video cameras will become irresistible, and it will only take a few more incidents like this for the tipping point to be reached and the dam to break, finally destroying skeptic culture once and for all, and allowing real science to start to tackle UFOs on behalf of all humanity, in an open and pressure free manner.

UFOs in the clouds

Ohio Center — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 03:20:12 GMT

I work at another airport and heard from atc controllers here that the military dispatched fighter jets to search the area where the ufo was seen. Since it was low-ceiling, the jets were not seen. Not all atc controllers keep their mouths shut~ Fighter jets are never dispatched to investigate cloud phenomenon. I'm glad this happened, it's a wake up call to a lot of people. Too bad the government has to f it up again and deny deny deny and offer dis-information, it's getting really freakin old! They should order the person who took the picture and have him hand it over as proof, if they are so insistent it was just a cloud, then the picture will prove that, right?

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 04:18:21 GMT

Jim O [[Here's another space UFO that we treated right here on this site about a year and a half ago -- the famous disk-shaped UFO photographed near the moon. ]]

So people thought something that looked like a flying saucer was a flying saucer but it turned out to be a light boom on an Apollo command module. So what? That has nothing to do with the O'Hare incident as there were no astronauts in capsules at the scene.

UFOs in the clouds

Houston — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 04:28:41 GMT

Gordon Leblanc writes [[This journalist is not very smart. He stumbled upon a story and it became an internet hit. Now he his trying to erase his tracks so that he does not become a 'Kolchack' figure. ]]

I don't think Hilkevitch is dumb. His first article was pretty courageous, actually. But I'll bet he's smart enough to know that in the journalism biz, if a reporter does UFO stories without making fun of UFOs and the people who see them, other reporters will make fun of the him.

I noticed in his second article he says how Jay Leno made a joke about drunken O'Hare employees. That's _really_ going to encourage witnesses come forward, now isn't it? No wonder the O'Hare employee who was on CNN would only let them show him in silhouette to protect his identity. Smart move on his part.

UFOs in the clouds

Des Emery — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 06:30:35 GMT

O from Peoria -- Very perceptive of you to notice I said 'planets' as if to limit my comments about life- forming conditions. Satellites, even ones with some activity, were eliminated because they would depend more upon their primaries rather than Sol for their existence. And they are too far away for Sol to melt ice into liquid water. If the 'oceans' are under crusts, they will be barren. One of those 'moons' was recently proved to have 'lakes' of condensed chemicals similar to methane on its surface, under clouds of light-impenetrable gaseous methane. Much too cold for life.

The general media reported on the evidence on Mars of changes in topography between the times of the first orbiters and the present explorers, jumping to the conclusion that the changes were caused by 'bubbling' waters bursting up from inside the planet. The science media reported the same events, the changes, but said they might be evidence of erosiion by water running down the walls of canyons BUT MORE LIKELY were rivulets of sandy dust collapsing in the tops of the canyons and sliding down from there.

In general, life is precarious but tenacious -- witness the lowly cockroach -- but it is also somewhat like a cake; you mix all the right ingredients in the proper way, in the proper order, and stick it in the oven. If you omit or forget or skimp on the baking powder, you will end up with a hard, dry, lump of sweet dough. And if you don't turn on the oven your cake will rise, remain sloppy, and slowly become inedible. Only our Earth orbits the sun in the lifezone where water can exist simultaneously as a gas,a liquid, and a solid, and only water has a solid form, ice, which is of a lesser density than the liquid form, water, in that lifezone.

But I like it when someone who cares, like you do, O, takes the time to read carefully and finds points to question, which is maybe why so many people contribute to this blog.

UFOs in the clouds

Tex Long, Austin, Texas — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 07:11:02 GMT

"It's just sad that we keep getting these reports which are of zero evidential value," he told me. "It's sad because there's a lot of strange stuff in the air that we do need to know."

Yawnnn... typical blather from Oberg. Hey, Jim, if you already know there's a lot of strange stuff in the air... duhhh, why would you need to know? And how do you know the sightings are zero value?

UFOs in the clouds

David Kinsella, Vittoriosa, Malta (Europe) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 11:59:54 GMT

This is a very interesting article. I wish there were more articles like this in the media, instead of articles about whether Britney Spears is pregnant again or not. :) Subjects like this one are obviously more related to us as human beings; where we originate from, who we are, etc.

As for UFOs (as in alien spaceships), I am certainly open-minded enough to accept the fact that we could be visited by other intelligent beings from elsewhere, why not. And I also think it's possible for Governments to try and keep it secret to avoid panic.

In 1938, when the novel "War of the Worlds" was being read over the radio, thousands took to the streets in panic because they thought it was an actual news broadcast of an alien invasion. So I can understand why the Government would want to avoid the same thing from happening.

Once again, great article!

UFOs in the clouds

rhayzerbak — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:15:37 GMT

Well its obvious it was their stop / pickup at that location, thats all. No big deal , next stop Alpha Centauri ( and a discounted flight at that!)

UFOs in the clouds

JC, Riverton, CT — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 17:29:14 GMT

Dr. Islander, Your USO/UFO story is fascinating. But yes, skepticism will undoubtedly come into play since it seems unfathomable that neither you, nor your wife, nor daughters would, in this day and age of video abundance, thought to take a picture.

It's fortunate for you because you say you have corroborating witnesses, and that is the saving grace of the O'Hare incident, but what a shame to have missed an opportunity to capture more compelling and lasting evidence. And that, in a nutshell is the
predicament of UFO witnesses. Lot's of stories and very few inscrutible kodak moments.

UFOs in the clouds

lela — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 18:32:17 GMT

Want Answers? Google "The Handbook for the New Paradigm"

UFOs in the clouds

Alto — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 03:00:22 GMT

Yes indeed there is one greater thing in the universe. This greater thing is called God. I believe there are Extra terrestrials for i have seen at least on 3 occasions UFO's. Why have i seen on three different occasions UFO's, it's very easy, ever since i was a young boy i loved to look at the stars and the sky and when you walk with your head up sooner or later you are bound to see a UFO. These UFO's are real and are not from God but from Satan who wants to confuse humanity with his tricks in the sky. People, please wake up and read your scriptures. Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Not little green men whom only will confuse humanity more than we are already!

God bless you all!

UFOs in the clouds

Joshua , Nashville TN (yes we wear shoes and complete sentences) — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 03:11:23 GMT

I'd like to thank Alan Boyle and even Jim Oberg, for helping keep the lines open for discussion in a polite manner even when the point of view is in opposition.
That said....where on God's green earth do these people come from? that bash and "nay-say" on Jim as if he were the "Hitler" of the paranormal world, "My view is true.....yours is false.....now DIE." Please, come on now. He never said that "THEY" don't exist, he conveys the fact that proof is not easy to obtain, and harder still to convince those that are prejudiced toward the data.

He didn't say everyone who claims to have seen some phenomenon, is a mental hospital escapee. I believe that he wants to believe, and disproving someones perception is really bittersweet. Someone has to try to disprove, categorically, before it can be considered irrefutable evidence.

Besides you can't have an honest "discussion" with everyone holding the same opinion, it'd be like some teen fan-club web site...."ooh, yeah, me too!" "that's cool, well I agree, tee hee". The "Believers" seemed to bash who they believed to be "Skeptics" when they, in my opinion, just misunderstood the position of the comment, and vice versa.

All arguments are debates, however all debates are not arguments. I really respect the comments that acknowledge the valid points of anothers view, instead of ".....Jim Oberg wouldn't know his....", well you get the picture.

Enough of that, I really enjoyed many of the personal experiences. It all comes down to relativity, how does it relate to you physically, visually or emotionally. How does it relate to your own past experience, belief system, value system or your depth of understanding that "WE" are ONE. One big chain of causuality, every action bears a consequence. Whether it is benevolent or malicious. We aren't individuals in a world of individuals, We are the world, We are this Galaxy, We are this Universe. And everything has a place, even the most miniscule of organisms has a place in the "Grand Design". I do beleive in many things that science and religion can't explain, I've had several experiences of different sorts. We just need to understand that all of our parts don't constitute us, we constitute the parts of something bigger. Our differences make us beautiful, how boring would our world be if we were all the same, why don't you ask a honey bee? Hey maybe they're aliens, there aren't too many other species with a hive mind. Huh?

Impossible is Nothing! There are only things that people have yet to see.

UFOs in the clouds

TheFallibleFiend, LORTON, VA — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 03:27:09 GMT

There is no doubt that UFOs exist; that is, there are plenty of things that fly that are unidentified. All the conjecture, however, is utterly unfounded. Asking for some actual evidence that one's explanations are correct, though, is hardly the sort of behavior that leads people to torture each other. That's an utterly insane thing to say.

There are people who, faced with an unfamiliar situation, will immediately eliminate dozens of possible, albeit unlikely explanations in favor of completely absurd explanations. Simply put, there are people who look at television snow and see messages from God or Aliens.

Recognizing this doesn't require a person to sacrifice his humanity any more than recognizing any other human foible requires it.

UFOs in the clouds

O, Peoria, IL — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 04:02:52 GMT

Des Emery wrote:
"One of those 'moons' was recently proved to have 'lakes' of condensed chemicals similar to methane on its surface, under clouds of light-impenetrable gaseous methane. "

You are referring to Titan, which I never included in my earlier list. Most astrophysicists suspect the three moons I mentioned (Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa) to have subsurface oceans of liquid water, (high magnetic fields; internal heating casued by tidal forces of their tugging planets). Internal heating could give rise to deep-sea hydrothermal vents like our own oceans. You say they are barren, but really can offer no proof of this. I say, let’s confirm with facts.

You realize…we didn’t suspect or predict that life could exist at great depths in our own oceans until we uncovered these solar-independent systems. If we could be wrong about conditions for life on earth, how can you be sure with possibly similar conditions on these moons?

Another assumption you make (a common one) is that water is the only suitable liquid constituent for life; hydrogen peroxide might be better for some forms as it would remain liquid under more extreme conditions (lower temp, lower air pressure) than water.

Life may be very different than we expect

Great discussion!

UFOs in the clouds

gunner...el paso tx — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:58:11 GMT

well the national enquirer said something in the tabloids that david copperfield, or david blaine (can't remember which) was performing in the O'Hare airport area, playing with lights or something ... since you ALWAYS believe the tabloids...and who came up with inteligent life forms... are they? if there is no such thing as UFO'S and no life forms out there, then how do they know they are intelligent??...

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NEW VISTAS, COLUMBUS OHIO — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:09:18 GMT

THE PUBLIC THINKS PILOTS IN THE CHICAGO CASE WILL SHOW THEIR PICTURES THEY ARE ALLEGED TO HAVE TAKEN - THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE WHEN YOU GET YOUR PILOT LICENSE YOU SIGN A FORM INDICATING THAT IF YOU TALK OF ANY SIGHTING IT IS JAIL AND A 10000 DOLLAR FINE (1981). NOT TO MENTION THE FAA CAN REVOKE YOUR LICENSE. NOW WHO IS GOD FOR PILOT/ASTRONAUTS????

UFOs in the clouds

John Carroll, Riverton, CT — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:25:46 GMT

Fallable, If all the conjecture is utterly unfounded, then conjecturing dozens of possible, albeit unlikely explanations on the part of skeptics is utterly unfounded as well.

Not all conjecture is unfounded however. If, as one witness here has posted, one clearly sees a large underwater light which breaches the surface, then hovers and displaying a saucer shape with portals which then rises silently into the sky, one can conjecture that it isn't a blue whale, nor a flying carnival cruise ship, nor a cloud. To conjecture that either the witness is lying or that it is a craft whose performance far exceeds anything publicly known in man's technological catalogue is founded.

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Forrest,San Jose,Ca — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:21:34 GMT

I know aliens are real and I don't care what the skeptics think. When I was a boy of 12, three of them came into my room. They were small sized and had lights in their hands, and were wearing some type of space suit. I can't prove this to anyone,"ask me if I care" I know it happened to me... It scared me then and I still have nightmares on occasion, but it will for ever remain a a very strange memory that I can do nothing about.

UFOs in the clouds

Big John, Upstate New York — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:40:34 GMT

I'm a fifty five year old retired, powerline utility foreman with over 35 years of service; four children and two grandchildren. I don't smoke (anything).Never done drugs. I attend church and I love my family. I've worked through all types of weather day and night. You would think that if anyone would "see something" it would be someone like me for the simple fact that I'm out there at all hours mostly looking up. Finally I did and I wasn't looking for it.

A co-worker and I were heading south on an interstate highway. We were coming back from a training course about 35 miles from our work headquarters in the middle of a summer afternoon in 1980. My co-worker was driving and I was riding when off to the left side of the highway on the other side of the northbound highway, we both noticed a brilliant white,chrome-like object (shape was undecernable). The object rose from the ground rapidly; stopped; then shot off at a right angle in a blurr. It went from dead stop to instant acceleration in less that a second. You could actually see the blurr. I looked at my friend and he said " I didn't see that." and he wouldn't admit it to anyone when we got back home. Neither one of us has spoken of it since except to close family members.

I don't know what it was but if anything was inside that thing,I don't know how it could survive the instant acceleration. It wasn't ball lightning. The thing stopped dead in one spot then accelerated at an angle. You folks can argue all you wan't and make fun and point fingers and laugh because I know where you come from. I used to laugh and point fingers too. Not any more.

UFOs in the clouds

TheFallibleFiend, LORTON, VA — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 01:08:32 GMT

new vistas,

I'm very curious to see a copy of this form. Do you think you could provide a link to it?

thanks,
fiend

UFOs in the clouds

Chris Eldridge, Harriburg PA — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 01:44:19 GMT

O, I like when you said, "Another assumption you make (a common one) is that water is the only suitable liquid constituent for life; hydrogen peroxide might be better for some forms as it would remain liquid under more extreme conditions (lower temp, lower air pressure) than water."

I think you would like a three part series that the Planetary Society did. There was one called Why Water, another called Why Carbon and I think one about the sun. These articles tried to remain objective about why life might need. I remember the one on carbon-based life and how it talked about how a DNA molecule benefits from carbon because of the number of stable bonds that it forms. It was the perfect number for a connection in a chain while allowing for a code between them. A few other molecules (like silicon) had similar numbers of connections but in some cases could have too many and (if I'm remembering right) were week at room temperature or something. Similar detailed explanations where given as to why water was a good medium but it is also a mild solvent which means our cells have to fight to remain stable.

I only caught a little bit on the Hydrogen peroxide water that might exist on mars and was amazed at its temperature range. I sure hope such a water mix works well for life!

UFOs in the clouds

Duke Brownstone — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 01:12:27 GMT

Mr. Holizna, you are wrong. It is simply pestilence that you are referring to!

UFOs in the clouds

Diane — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 18:41:16 GMT

I saw a couple of strange sightings and reported them each time.

1.I was watching the night sky and watched a sparkling light slowly move in odd ways ( Zig Zagging) crossed the night sky and then stop at one particular place and then just stopped to looked like a star for the rest of the night...another words it stayed in that spot never to move again.Very ODD!

2.I watched a star come from way far up in space and then it swooped over a jet with red lights going to- wards Minneapolis.The strange thing is that it looked like it came from space.

3.I was standing my porch one night, I just got home from work, the time was about 2:30 A.M..I was watching a brilliant white star for at least 1/2 hour.. and then it got real big,almost like it was coming to wards me..and then started drifting to the left and just turned off...Again very odd!

4. Coming home from work one night right before it snowed 2006..I watched what looked like a meteorite or a missle of sort...with a brilliant tail drop down behind some woods and the tail did not dissipated for at least 4-6 minuets.It slowly faded away.The tail looked like a white zigzag line all the way to space.

There were no jets or planes at the time either ..just this bright zigzag light form space...

No-one else reported seeing this light.I believe I may have found a small burnt rock with a metal my detector,but not sure what it is.This light made a sizzling noise and it was not fire works.

Also as a note..The area I live in has been noted as an area for strange occurrences and I have witnessed reports of UFO sightings and strange odd lights by many people in the area.If anyone else has seen this type of strange light ..Please report it to UFO Wisconsin web site..

UFOs in the clouds

David Wilson — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 18:47:25 GMT

Take a look at Hilkevitch speaking off the record about the sighting:

http://tinyurl.com/y6srz4

They seem to be taking it VERY seriously off camera. It certainly does not reflect Hilkevitch's attitude in his follow up column does it?

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Nancy Arner Monroe, NC — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 02:18:22 GMT

As long as all these other people are admitting to seeing a UFO, guess I will tell my UFO stories as well.

1. A woman in Somers, NY told me that she often saw UFOs taking off and landing from the corn fields next to her house. I believed her. She did not fear them.

2. Saw a UFO myself, nearby where the woman told me she had seen them. There was an extremely bright light shining in the windows at the top of my front door one evening after dusk in Mahopac NY in 1991. I opened the door to check it out. To my amazement there was a huge, bright glowing ball of light hovering about 40 yards over the top of the condos in the neighborhood. Quickly closed the door (duh!), it's a UFO and not to be "trusted". After a few minutes I noticed the light still there in the door window and opened the door again. Watched the glowing ball of light for about two minutes. It was silent and motionless. Then my 3 yr. old daughter ran to the door saying "Mommy what are you looking at?". Just then, the light "activated" (got brighter) and started to move very slowly over the condo complex, parallel to the ground by about 60 yards, silent. Watched it until it disappeared over the woods.

3. What about all those reports I see on TV, hear of in the media, about alien abductions. These people are so upset, claiming the aliens abducted them, that they go to Psychiatrists to get hypnotized and "get over it". That is our main concern with the aliens, they supposedly abduct Humans, to experiment on them, but at least return the Humans afterward "unharmed".

My original educational background includes a B.A. in Psychology, lot's of college science courses, such as Meteorology, Biology. What I saw was not "ball lightening" and it was not a weather phenomenon such as a cloud vortex.

My opinion is that Humans are nothing but another Earth animal species to the aliens. They experiment on Humans just like Earth scientists experiment on the animals. I believe they have no intention of hurting the Human animals, and hopefully think of us as "pets" like we think of the animals on Earth who are beneath our intellectual level.

The government does not admit to the existence of aliens because there is nothing that can be done to stop them at the present time, and for fear of panic.

Well, apparently the aliens have been here with us on Earth for a really long time and seem to be "friendly" and willing to co-exist, like we do with the other animals on Earth. They let us be to do our thing, even though Humans are destroying the Earth. I'll bet the aliens are saying to themselves "too bad the Humans may become just another extinct animal species since they are polluting the air, oceans and land and thus killing off all life, including themselves".

I like that comment from the woman who told the story of the aliens who flew next to the USA pilots during WWII and the Vietnam war. I think the aliens know that the USA tries to do the right thing on Earth, for the sake of peace, and hopefully they are helping the USA win the battle against the terrorists and the other enemies of the USA. If I were an alien, I would want to live in the USA, or maybe Great Britian, or Europe, or Australia!

UFOs in the clouds

Joe Blo — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 21:05:50 GMT

Why do UFO's come to Earth? the same reason you go to the zoo!

UFOs in the clouds

Ellen, Tylertown, MS — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 05:06:29 GMT

I hope the aliens have a form of the SPCA. Seriously, I have seen two UFOs, both in daylight hours and in the company of other witnesses. The first in 1976 when some of my friends and I were outside and noticed a very white bright shining elongated object in the sky not very far above us. There were small red and green lights on each of the four corners of the object. The white object was stationary, but the small colored lights would shoot out from time to time, hover, and then return to the larger object. They took turns doing this, and we kept trying to find an explanation for what we saw. We decided it must be some kind of weather satellite or something. What happened next changed our minds. All the small lights repositioned themselves on the corners of the bright white metallic object and they all together, the whole thing, just took off at about a forty-five degree angle up into the sky faster than anything we had ever seen and I've not seen anything go that fast since either. This happened in the daylight hours. I can see it now as I write this, it is so burned in my mind. The next UFO I saw was with my daughter when we were driving home from work and school in the late nineties. It was about a twenty-mile drive, and before we had gone a mile, I noticed an orange flame like object in the sky to the left and parallel to the highway. It was closer than the UFO my friends and I had seen in the seventies, and it was not stationary. It stayed parallel to us for at least half the trip home, about ten miles. It was shaped like a crescent and I kept trying to make sense of it, just like I had tried to make sense of the UFO in the seventies. It almost seemed to be dripping liquid fire, but when it went down below the tree level on several occasions, nothing burned. It would stay down for a fraction of a second and then it would reappear in thy sky. I thought it might be a hanglider, but there was nothing underneath. I thought about stopping the car, but I was concerned for my daughter because she was scared and I have to admit I thought I would wreck, but I didn't. Thank goodness there wasn't traffic, which I thought was kind of weird. Anyway, this object kept up with us, now and then dipping down, but always coming back up again, until we came to a curve at the top of a hill. It crossed the road and appeared in front of us over the road. I was scared then. I slowed down and we watched it change shape. It seemed to be like liquid fire that turned in on itself and disappeared, but then reappeard with the arc of the crescent on the opposite side it had been on just seconds before. Then it moved back parallel to us on the left side of the highway again and kept up with us a few more yards before it went back down below the trees. We didn't see it come back up again. It was the strangest thing and I can see it in my mind, and so can my daughter, just like it was yesterday. Neither time was I trying to see a UFO, but it happened. I can't explain it.

UFOs in the clouds

Barbara, Pompano Beach, Florida — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:49:23 GMT

Has Agent Mulder been notified?

UFOs in the clouds

JC, Riverton — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:01:39 GMT

"Has Agent Mulder been notified?"

Ha! Yeah, even after a thousand repetitions, it still seems witty. "Mulder"...yeah that will put 'em in their place.

UFOs in the clouds

Nancy Arner — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 02:50:58 GMT

Right, I don't think the aliens have an SPCA for us Human animals. That was a very funny comment. But, so far, no one has reported being permanently hurt, or taken, by a UFO/alien. The Native Americans commented on this website that the UFO's "played with them, chasing them in a game of "tag". Another person commented her family of pilots claimed the UFO's flew along side the pilots during some major wars, hopefully to help keep them safe. So... that is very good news. I have heard on TV, and in the media, that aliens abduct Humans to extract our DNA, maybe for them to replicate our "beautiful" characteristics in their own species. What else could they want from us? They have apparently been on Earth with us a very long time, and seem possibly "helpful", and relatively harmless. Some accounts I have heard in the media from abductees by the aliens is that the aliens are telling us that the Humans are "killing themselves" with pollution and we must change, or else. Do we get that point? I guess President Bush is correct in pursing attack against the Muslim terrorists, above the supposed "aliens" and "UFO's", as it is the terrorists who have attacked the good countries in the world, and not the "aliens", if they so exist and are not really weather balloons, or optical illusions as the story ends up being reported. So this is life in the 21st century. I think the aliens are not going to hurt the Humans, they would have already if they wanted. Probably nothing to fear, too much. Hope they like us like some Humans love their pets. LOL. There will be a tommorrow on Earth if the Humans start working on their "polluting" behavior. How about clean water, clean air, land without nuclear waste in it? No war? Ahhh, what pleasure that would be for the future Humans on Earth.

UFOs in the clouds

DeanVanHoorne — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 11:13:19 GMT

Jim O., what would be your logical explanation for the 1996 Yukon case in which 30+ people came forward describing an enormous sized craft (1/2mile wide)? People described the same craft at close range for over 100 miles. I'm sure you know the case. Any other takers?

UFOs in the clouds

JC, Riverton, CT — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:17:14 GMT

DeanVanHoorne, I had never heard of the case, but a netsearch on -1996 Yukon UFO- took me to a rather comprehensive site: www.ufoevidence.org with details of the sighting along with a lot of other cases, some of which appear to be hokey pie-plate-tossed-in-the-air cases, and some of which are remarkable both in the quality/number of witnesses, and accompanying photographic evidence. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.

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Uncle Bozo — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:09:26 GMT

I've seen UFO's on two occasions. After both events I still had to pay the rent and buy groceries. The aliens are the bad guys...all of them.

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TheFallibleFiend, LORTON, VA — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:32:53 GMT

The articles I saw said that it was 22+ witnesses, not 30+. One article said that all but two of the witness accounts were firsthand, meaning that 2 were not. Therefore there were 20 accounts.

I would be interested to know how long these people lived in the Yukon. I lived in AK for 3.5 years - in fact, I've driven through Whitehorse - and I have seen the northern lights a lot - and I know that you can get some extremely weird things if you don't know what you're looking at.

In fact, I once saw a UFO myself up there and was ADAMANT that I had seen it, though no one else I was with had seen it. Eventually I saw it again - this time I was ready for it, and figure out it was actually the reflection of the aurora on my new glasses, which I had only just begun to wear. It was so convincing the first time around.

There doesn't seem like much that needs explaining to this "event."

UFOs in the clouds

JC, Riverton — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:26:32 GMT

Fallable, if you didn't see the object in question, then no, you shouldn't attempt to explain it. Not even to imply AB reflections. For, even if there were "only" twenty eyewitnesses, they have far more credibility than a solitary non-witness who admits being easily befuddled.

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Aliensanctuary — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 02:23:56 GMT

Now I understand why "they" are here, monitoring us. "They" are looking for slaves from Earth to replace those who left in the Great Slave Rebellion in another time and place.

You're "safe" if you're rich or selfish or evil. "They" are only looking for the poor, the unselfish, those who sacrifice themselves for the good of others, and those who resist harming themselves or others. "They" are looking for only those who would make good slaves, not those accustomed to bossing others, those who surround themselves with stuff to entertain themselves and neglect to help others, or criminals.

Too bad for those not chosen to be slaves, though. They will be incinerated, along with their life records and all of their stuff. So will the rebel leader and all of the rebel slaves.

"They" are patiently waiting for enough qualified applicants to join their workforce.

If we look carefully, we can see alien technology in the Bible, including time travel (future events accurately predicted), rapid-growth technology (instant healing), space travel (flying "mountains" and "thrones" shrouded by thick clouds and smoke), human memory storage (our life records and DNA codes stored via our "spirit" within), DNA synthesis ("the creation"), planet-wide modification ("the creation"), force fields (parting of the Red Sea and the Jordan River), and so on.

There are no miracles in the Bible, just technology we don't understand.

We shoudn't be too surprised if we someday look up and see flying "mountains" or "pyramids", maybe similar to Aztec, Mayan, or Egyptian pyramids, but actually huge starship cities, really, far larger than we can comprehend. The smaller shuttlecraft resemble thrones because of the canopy above the pilot's seat.

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Vladmir Putin Jr. — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 05:54:02 GMT

Congressman Russ Weldon (R-PA) knows EXACTLY what this thing was... It's not a UFO from outer space... Its a new man made aerial surveillance device being tested in a very careless negligent way by our highly secretive military industrial complex...

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Nancy Arner Monroe, NC — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 03:23:37 GMT

Yeah, maybe it was a manmade thing at the Chicago O'Hare airport that ventured into the wrong airspace. It is a definite possibility. Just saw on TV tonight that a Physicist working in area 51 testified on TV in Las Vegas that he was working on reverse engineering of UFOs. Also, it said on the TV show there was a highway near area 51 called "Extraterrestrial Highway" and some coffee shop owners there named their store around aliens, sold alien figurines, claimed aliens had come in there. Well, if the USA government has something like a UFO for warfare, GREAT,it may be because the aliens are secretly helping the USA government to copy their technology, or maybe we have to do it without the aliens help, reverse engineering the salvaged alien spaceships they crashed on the Earth. (Ha!, if they were THAT smart they would not be crashing their spaceships). What about those new aircraft the USA has, those triangular shaped, UFO like things they now have? Cool. Where did they get such technology ideas from anyway? If the aliens are really here, and I do think they are, they do not seem to be any real threat to our Human existence. I think we need to go after those Muslim terrorists who have attacked us, blowing up our buildings and killing Americans. No aliens have been charged with such evil behavior thus far, just those terrorists. Luckily the aliens seem to be friendly. It is a very interesting subject to ponder. Perhaps the USA government does not want to admit to their knowledge of the aliens existence because the aliens are assisting the USA government and military to copy their advanced aerodynamic technology in order to ensure the defeat of the USA in aerial warfare with our enemies. Yeah, maybe the aliens are USA citizen too. It's a possibility. Well those terrorists better watch out if the aliens are helping the USA design some really cool aircraft, like they have.

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NEW VISTA — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 04:31:59 GMT

watch the movie TOTAL RECALL by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the end alien technology saves our atmosphere but not before the robber barons try to profit from us by withholding the tech. For profit. This movie is more farsighted than Star Wars. Maybe the cause of ... and it is exactly the battle we here on earth face... oil barons = CO2, methane, global warming = only the chosen survive and who are they??? Ask the barons.

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Pizza guy , Spokane WA — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 06:52:59 GMT

I've never seen a flying saucer, but when I was out at night mowing the lawn ( I was a adolescent being punished for not mowing the lawn that day) I saw something I would call a Unidentified flying object. It came over the hill behind our house in four lakes WA, it was approximately 80-100 feet wide, it had four big (I mean maybe 10 feet wide big) spotlights on it, which were shining around the yard of our house. It was noisy like a freight train, and wind was wooshing around blowing all the weeds flat in our back field. I couldn't really see what was behind the spotlights, because they obfuscated what was behind them. At the time I was thinking "WTF is that tractor doing flying over the hilltop?" But my Mom came outside and told me to come in.

I asked her about it just a few months ago, and she remembered it, but said she didn't know what it was. For a long time I didn't know what to think of it, because it didn't look like a pretty flying glowing ball of light, or silver disc shaped thing, it was just big and had 4 bright lights on it. It was definitely not a weather phenomenom, and it wasn't a tractor, since they don't have giant adjustable spotlights or fly. It was an unidentified flying object. I really think it was to big to be a helicopter.

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David - Edwardsville, IL — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 21:26:31 GMT

I am reading these statements and am amazed at both "skeptics" and "believers." I could care less what your personal take is on this case or the UFO subject at-large. I fly in and out of O'hare Airport on a frequent basis with my job. Regardless of your opinion on UFOs, I am viewing this from an air safety standpoint. If there is even the slightest chance that what these people claim to have seen actually took place, then it needs to be investigated. If it happened once, it could happen again. What potential harm could come of this? It doesn't matter what your opinions are on the subject. What matters is a rational approach to trying to understand what (if anything) actually occurred over O'Hare. From what I know of the case, the UFO investigators are at least trying to look into the matter and are only saying at this point that it is "unidentified." What's wrong with that? The skeptics on the other hand are casually dismissing the whole affair without any attempt to examine it. In the post-9/11 days we live in with security being emphasized everywhere, I think this case should at least be examined more thoroughly.

UFOs in the clouds

TheFallibleFiend, Lorton, VA — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 14:49:44 GMT

JC,

Never said I was easily befuddled. I was confused at one point. Probably will happen again. Confusion happens to a lot of people. Some of us honestly try to look for answers, and others instantly start throwing away perfectly good explanations in favor of outlandish ones.

The point about the # over witnesses is that we're hearing this thing 2nd and 3rd hand all over the web. Exaggeration heaped upon exaggeration can create the illusion of fact in easily manipulated.

So far, there's no reason to think there's anything miraculous about these sightings - just something we don't understand. And, as usual, the poor thinkers are making a rush to judgment. Those of us who have seen aurora borealis know exactly how spectacular they be, especially for those who are new to it.

New Vista,

Your comparison to Total Recall reminds me of something I heard several times as a teenager. Supposedly there was actually a cure for all known types of cancer and other fatal diseases, but only the truly rich and famous knew about it. This speculation was based on the idea that the claimants had personally never heard of a rich person getting cancer. Well, that's an interesting way of reasoning.

"They accepted the products of science. They rejected its methods." -- Epitaph for Planet Earth suggested by Carl Sagan.