THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
March 29, 2015
www.theparacast.com
Disinformation, Intelligence Operatives and Early UFO History Explored on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
Announcing The Paracast+: You asked for it! For a low monthly or annual subscription fee, you will receive access to a higher-quality ad-free version of The Paracast, chat rooms, and don’t miss our exclusive After The Paracast podcast, featuring politically incorrect color commentary, and other exclusive content. NEW! We’ve added an RSS feed for fast updates of the latest episodes, and The Paracast+ video channel is coming soon. For more information about our premium package, please visit: Introducing The Paracast+ | The Paracast — The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio.
Attention U.S. Listeners: Help Us Bring The Paracast to Your City! In the summer of 2010, The Paracast joined the GCN radio network. This represented a huge step in bringing our show to a larger, mainstream audience. But we need your help to add additional affiliates to our growing network. Please ask one of your local talk stations if they are interested in carrying The Paracast. Feel free to contact us directly with the names of programming people we might be able to contact on your behalf. We can't do this alone, and if you succeed in convincing your local station to carry the show, we'll reward you with one of our special T-shirts, and other goodies. With your help, The Paracast can grow into one of the most popular paranormal shows on the planet!
Please Visit Our Online Store: You asked, and we answered. We are now taking orders for The Official Paracast T-Shirt and an expanded collection of other specially customized merchandise. To get your T-Shirt now featuring our brand new logo, just pay a visit to our online store at The Official Paracast Store to select your size and place your order. We also offer a complete lineup of other premium merchandise for your family, your friends and your business contacts.
About The Paracast: The Paracast covers a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions across the planet.
Set Up: The Paracast is a paranormal radio show that takes you on a journey to a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions. The Paracast seeks to shed light on the mysteries and complexities of our Universe and the secrets that surround us in our everyday lives.
Join long-time paranormal researcher Gene Steinberg, co-host and acclaimed field investigator Christopher O'Brien, and a panel of special guest experts and experiencers, as they explore the realms of the known and unknown. Listen each week to the great stories of the history of the paranormal field in the 20th and 21st centuries.
This Week's Episode: Gene and guest co-host Curt Collins present James Carrion, a former International Director for MUFON, who responds to the skepticism that greeted his recent book, ‘The Rosetta Deception,” and his ongoing issues with the state of the field including his former associates at MUFON. Carrion is working on an expanded version of the Rosetta book, which he says will double its size and deliver the results of his ongoing research into intelligence involvement in the Ghost Lights of the 1940s. He’ll also be asked about his forthcoming book, “The Roswell Deception,” which explores the intelligence activities in connection with that classic or legendary UFO case.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
James Carrion’s Blog: Follow The Magic Thread
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
No Investigations Can Actually Proceed
By Gene Steinberg
Those of you who have followed the UFO saga for a few decades might recall, vaguely, that I am not the first to use that title for a column. That honor, such as it is, goes to Ray Palmer, publisher of Flying Saucers magazine, who wrote an article with that title in 1965. Palmer was responding to my phone call about an unexpectedly nasty encounter with the office manager at the Washington, DC headquarters of a major UFO organization.
So the title was abbreviated as NICAP, and Palmer was attacking the group, and the actions of the late Richard Hall when he would not allow me and my colleagues to enter their office. The reasons why are probably unimportant if you didn’t follow the many personality conflicts in the field at the time. Briefly, it seems as if Hall was upset that I had taken on a full-time job with someone he didn’t like, the one and only Jim Moseley. In those days, Moseley’s magazine, Saucer News, was a real business.
The episode drew focus on the major problem in the UFO field, the ongoing personality conflicts. It wasn’t just about believers and disbelievers having arguments with each other. It was about people that just didn’t like each other regardless of their opinions about other matters. However, Hall and I did bury the hatchet years later.
Unfortunately, the growth of the Internet and social networks has not made us more sociable. It has exacerbated the conflicts and made it easier for someone to attack someone else, often by using a fake name so their real identity, at least so they think, cannot be traced. Being anonymous means they don’t have to be accountable for what they write, although quite often they can be identified by the way in which they get online, the IP number, which can be traced to an ISP and often an individual customer.
And, yes, you can spoof an IP number and hide yourself. But this gets too complicated to worry about in a newsletter about the paranormal.
In any case, you have to wonder where actual UFO research enters the picture. Are the organizations who claim to be devoted to solving the mystery really trying to figure out what’s going on, or are they searching for vindication of their particular beliefs in the subject?
Is it more about spreading the word, or finding out what that word is?
Unfortunately, it so often seems to be the former. Take the typical UFO conference. They are rarely used as gatherings to share research and discuss the results and their meaning. Instead, they are usually more focused on evangelizing interest in UFOs, sometimes spreading alleged messages from so-called higher beings. It’s about putting believers together in one room.
At the end of the day, the sponsors of the conference may be more interested in boosting attendance and revenue with less regard to whether the guest speakers actually have something valuable to contribute to the field.
Over the years, there have been UFO conventions devoted to so-called contactees, those who claimed to have met up with space people. Other convention sponsors claimed to offer a more scientific approach. Either way, it was usually more about entertaining people than providing information about a significant scientific mystery.
My old friend Moseley tried to take a more agnostic approach to the conferences he sponsored. He’d invite guests from both the scientific and sensational subsets of the field, usually separately, but sometimes they had to endure each other on the same venue. So whatever you believed, Moseley would have someone on hand to support that point of view.
But what about the UFO organizations who claim to be in it for the science? What about such groups as MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network, which has been at it since 1969? What sort of progress have they made towards finding a solution to the UFO enigma?
If you check their site, or attend one of their public presentations, you are told it’s all about scientific research into the phenomenon. But those conferences have increasingly taken on the air of entertainment. Some of the speakers appear to have been selected solely because they are known to fill seats. If seats aren’t filled, expenses can’t be paid, and MUFON’s financial coffers can’t be filled.
But to what purpose?
Sure, there are tens of thousands of UFO sightings in their files. They have a network of investigators, usually self-trained using MUFON’s educational materials, who go to the scene of a UFO sighting to gather data.
So is that data being used to try to assess the meaning of those events, who or what is responsible? Or is it more about attempting to validate the belief that UFOs are extraterrestrial?
The long and short of it is this: Are such groups as MUFON really making a difference in solving the mystery? Or are they just collecting sightings, selling subscriptions and filling up conference halls?
Now there’s nothing wrong with covering one’s expenses, and paying employees a fair wage for their labors. There is also nothing wrong in holding a public event for information, for entertainment, or a combination of the two.
I do wonder, however, about some of MUFON’s decisions in spreading the word. Take the History Channel’s “Hangar 1” TV show, which supposedly is based on MUFON’s case files. The online blurb about the show says it’s designed to “delve deep into these archives to look for connections, clues and evidence; because only by investigating the files of Hangar 1 can we find the truth about UFOs.”
So much for the promise. The reality is that some of the cases used on the show were not from MUFON’s archives, but ripped from supermarket tabloids, of questionable authenticity.
Now perhaps the show’s producers deviated from the original mission in search of ratings. I wonder, however, what sort of assurances they gave MUFON in signing a deal to use the group’s name and base the show’s authenticity on what is perceived to be the group’s reputation.
UFO debunkers had a field day attacking the show, and even those sympathetic to the cause wondered about the choices the producers made and why, for example, alleged UFO documents were faked, or modified, to be more sensational.
Sure, it’s a reality show, and the fact is that these programs are relatively cheap to produce, and few producers really care very much about strict adherence to facts. As with most TV shows, they are designed mostly to provide filler between the ads.
There are reports that the second season of “Hanger 1” will more closely adhere to the actual MUFON files; in other words fulfill the original promise of the show. No doubt there are loads of incredible cases in the archives that will certainly present a compelling case for UFO reality if told accurately.
But is MUFON really investigating anything? Until things change, if they change, isn’t it fair to repeat Ray Palmer’s sensational headline, that no investigations can actually proceed?
Copyright 1999-2015 The Paracast LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
March 29, 2015
www.theparacast.com
Disinformation, Intelligence Operatives and Early UFO History Explored on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
Announcing The Paracast+: You asked for it! For a low monthly or annual subscription fee, you will receive access to a higher-quality ad-free version of The Paracast, chat rooms, and don’t miss our exclusive After The Paracast podcast, featuring politically incorrect color commentary, and other exclusive content. NEW! We’ve added an RSS feed for fast updates of the latest episodes, and The Paracast+ video channel is coming soon. For more information about our premium package, please visit: Introducing The Paracast+ | The Paracast — The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio.
Attention U.S. Listeners: Help Us Bring The Paracast to Your City! In the summer of 2010, The Paracast joined the GCN radio network. This represented a huge step in bringing our show to a larger, mainstream audience. But we need your help to add additional affiliates to our growing network. Please ask one of your local talk stations if they are interested in carrying The Paracast. Feel free to contact us directly with the names of programming people we might be able to contact on your behalf. We can't do this alone, and if you succeed in convincing your local station to carry the show, we'll reward you with one of our special T-shirts, and other goodies. With your help, The Paracast can grow into one of the most popular paranormal shows on the planet!
Please Visit Our Online Store: You asked, and we answered. We are now taking orders for The Official Paracast T-Shirt and an expanded collection of other specially customized merchandise. To get your T-Shirt now featuring our brand new logo, just pay a visit to our online store at The Official Paracast Store to select your size and place your order. We also offer a complete lineup of other premium merchandise for your family, your friends and your business contacts.
About The Paracast: The Paracast covers a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions across the planet.
Set Up: The Paracast is a paranormal radio show that takes you on a journey to a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions. The Paracast seeks to shed light on the mysteries and complexities of our Universe and the secrets that surround us in our everyday lives.
Join long-time paranormal researcher Gene Steinberg, co-host and acclaimed field investigator Christopher O'Brien, and a panel of special guest experts and experiencers, as they explore the realms of the known and unknown. Listen each week to the great stories of the history of the paranormal field in the 20th and 21st centuries.
This Week's Episode: Gene and guest co-host Curt Collins present James Carrion, a former International Director for MUFON, who responds to the skepticism that greeted his recent book, ‘The Rosetta Deception,” and his ongoing issues with the state of the field including his former associates at MUFON. Carrion is working on an expanded version of the Rosetta book, which he says will double its size and deliver the results of his ongoing research into intelligence involvement in the Ghost Lights of the 1940s. He’ll also be asked about his forthcoming book, “The Roswell Deception,” which explores the intelligence activities in connection with that classic or legendary UFO case.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
James Carrion’s Blog: Follow The Magic Thread
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
No Investigations Can Actually Proceed
By Gene Steinberg
Those of you who have followed the UFO saga for a few decades might recall, vaguely, that I am not the first to use that title for a column. That honor, such as it is, goes to Ray Palmer, publisher of Flying Saucers magazine, who wrote an article with that title in 1965. Palmer was responding to my phone call about an unexpectedly nasty encounter with the office manager at the Washington, DC headquarters of a major UFO organization.
So the title was abbreviated as NICAP, and Palmer was attacking the group, and the actions of the late Richard Hall when he would not allow me and my colleagues to enter their office. The reasons why are probably unimportant if you didn’t follow the many personality conflicts in the field at the time. Briefly, it seems as if Hall was upset that I had taken on a full-time job with someone he didn’t like, the one and only Jim Moseley. In those days, Moseley’s magazine, Saucer News, was a real business.
The episode drew focus on the major problem in the UFO field, the ongoing personality conflicts. It wasn’t just about believers and disbelievers having arguments with each other. It was about people that just didn’t like each other regardless of their opinions about other matters. However, Hall and I did bury the hatchet years later.
Unfortunately, the growth of the Internet and social networks has not made us more sociable. It has exacerbated the conflicts and made it easier for someone to attack someone else, often by using a fake name so their real identity, at least so they think, cannot be traced. Being anonymous means they don’t have to be accountable for what they write, although quite often they can be identified by the way in which they get online, the IP number, which can be traced to an ISP and often an individual customer.
And, yes, you can spoof an IP number and hide yourself. But this gets too complicated to worry about in a newsletter about the paranormal.
In any case, you have to wonder where actual UFO research enters the picture. Are the organizations who claim to be devoted to solving the mystery really trying to figure out what’s going on, or are they searching for vindication of their particular beliefs in the subject?
Is it more about spreading the word, or finding out what that word is?
Unfortunately, it so often seems to be the former. Take the typical UFO conference. They are rarely used as gatherings to share research and discuss the results and their meaning. Instead, they are usually more focused on evangelizing interest in UFOs, sometimes spreading alleged messages from so-called higher beings. It’s about putting believers together in one room.
At the end of the day, the sponsors of the conference may be more interested in boosting attendance and revenue with less regard to whether the guest speakers actually have something valuable to contribute to the field.
Over the years, there have been UFO conventions devoted to so-called contactees, those who claimed to have met up with space people. Other convention sponsors claimed to offer a more scientific approach. Either way, it was usually more about entertaining people than providing information about a significant scientific mystery.
My old friend Moseley tried to take a more agnostic approach to the conferences he sponsored. He’d invite guests from both the scientific and sensational subsets of the field, usually separately, but sometimes they had to endure each other on the same venue. So whatever you believed, Moseley would have someone on hand to support that point of view.
But what about the UFO organizations who claim to be in it for the science? What about such groups as MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network, which has been at it since 1969? What sort of progress have they made towards finding a solution to the UFO enigma?
If you check their site, or attend one of their public presentations, you are told it’s all about scientific research into the phenomenon. But those conferences have increasingly taken on the air of entertainment. Some of the speakers appear to have been selected solely because they are known to fill seats. If seats aren’t filled, expenses can’t be paid, and MUFON’s financial coffers can’t be filled.
But to what purpose?
Sure, there are tens of thousands of UFO sightings in their files. They have a network of investigators, usually self-trained using MUFON’s educational materials, who go to the scene of a UFO sighting to gather data.
So is that data being used to try to assess the meaning of those events, who or what is responsible? Or is it more about attempting to validate the belief that UFOs are extraterrestrial?
The long and short of it is this: Are such groups as MUFON really making a difference in solving the mystery? Or are they just collecting sightings, selling subscriptions and filling up conference halls?
Now there’s nothing wrong with covering one’s expenses, and paying employees a fair wage for their labors. There is also nothing wrong in holding a public event for information, for entertainment, or a combination of the two.
I do wonder, however, about some of MUFON’s decisions in spreading the word. Take the History Channel’s “Hangar 1” TV show, which supposedly is based on MUFON’s case files. The online blurb about the show says it’s designed to “delve deep into these archives to look for connections, clues and evidence; because only by investigating the files of Hangar 1 can we find the truth about UFOs.”
So much for the promise. The reality is that some of the cases used on the show were not from MUFON’s archives, but ripped from supermarket tabloids, of questionable authenticity.
Now perhaps the show’s producers deviated from the original mission in search of ratings. I wonder, however, what sort of assurances they gave MUFON in signing a deal to use the group’s name and base the show’s authenticity on what is perceived to be the group’s reputation.
UFO debunkers had a field day attacking the show, and even those sympathetic to the cause wondered about the choices the producers made and why, for example, alleged UFO documents were faked, or modified, to be more sensational.
Sure, it’s a reality show, and the fact is that these programs are relatively cheap to produce, and few producers really care very much about strict adherence to facts. As with most TV shows, they are designed mostly to provide filler between the ads.
There are reports that the second season of “Hanger 1” will more closely adhere to the actual MUFON files; in other words fulfill the original promise of the show. No doubt there are loads of incredible cases in the archives that will certainly present a compelling case for UFO reality if told accurately.
But is MUFON really investigating anything? Until things change, if they change, isn’t it fair to repeat Ray Palmer’s sensational headline, that no investigations can actually proceed?
Copyright 1999-2015 The Paracast LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!