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Your Paracast Newsletter -- February 19, 2011


Gene Steinberg

Forum Super Hero
Staff member
THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
February 19, 2011


James Carrion Discusses the MUFON Meltdown on The Paracast

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Sunday, February 20, 2011: 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 hosts interview long-time researchers in the field, to shed light on the mysteries and complexities of our Universe and the secrets that surround us in our everyday lives.

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This Week's Episode: Co-host Christopher O'€™Brien joins Gene to present James Carrion, a former International Director of the Mutual UFO Network, who explains the curious circumstances behind his departure from the organization, and his disenchantment with the state of UFO research.

Christopher O'Brien's Site: Home - Our Strange Planet

James Carrion's Blog: Follow The Magic Thread

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Abductions Revisited
By Gene Steinberg

The first UFO abduction I heard about was the legendary Barney and Betty Hill case, which occurred in 1961. Most of my information originally arrived courtesy of the best-selling book “The Interrupted Journey,” by the late John G. Fuller. Some years later, I actually met Betty at a couple of UFO conventions. She was a friendly, grandmotherly type who conveyed total sincerity about the experiences she shared with her late husband.

This encounter was also featured on several episodes of The Paracast, where we talked to Stanton T. Friedman and Kathleen Marden about the story. Being Betty Hill’s niece, Marden had very special insights into the entire affair that were, in large part, presented in a book she co-wrote with Friedman, “Captured.”

As a singular event, the Hill case was sensational enough, but it seemed tame compared to the UFO abduction claims that followed. There is certainly plenty of material here for investigations to comb through and perhaps get some insights into what’s really going on.

Before I continue, let me put my cards on the table. I certainly think something strange has happened to these people. I am not, however, persuaded that abductions represent efforts by ET to create some sort of hybrid race for reasons of their own. It’s not that such a thing isn’t possible, but it would require a level of scientific advancement way beyond ours. Then again, if ET possesses some form of star propulsion (Warp Drive?) that allows them to travel light years with speed and safety, I wouldn’t put it past them to be able to engage in other feats of what we may regard as “magic.”

In saying that, however, the remembrances of abductees speak of invasive physical testing employment methods that appear to be curiously primitive. But that assumes they recall the incidents accurately, and here’s where the debate begins.

Unfortunately, the UFO field, as with other so-called “fringe” sciences, can’t get past gossipy distractions. Instead of trying to figure out what really happened to the people who claimed they were abducted, we have, of late, had a couple of very public and lurid controversies. One involves an abductee (and we all know her by a pseudonym) who claims to have been mentally abused by a long-time investigator. The other case involves serious charges leveled against another investigator by his ex-wife.

The reason that I am not naming the names that were identified in previous issues is that I regard all this as a sideshow. None of it will help us get to the bottom of this troubling mystery. It won’t be solved by accusing investigators of misconduct, because, whether true or not, it doesn’t advance our understanding of the cause or causes behind all these terrifying events.

At the same time, there are perfectly valid theories that ought to be explored. Yes, there is the ET factor, one that may be true, but it’s beyond our ability to prove right now. It may also be true that such experiences may, in whole or in part, represent internal mental processes of one sort or another. Some suggest sleep paralysis to explain nocturnal meetings with alien creatures in one’s bedroom. Others suggest that the recollection of one or more abductions is really a mask that hides one or more frightening memories that represent something far more mundane. In a recent episode of The Paracast, UFO researcher David Halperin suggested sexual abuse in at least some of these cases.

Halperin has explored cases that smack of potential UFO abductions throughout recorded history, and he has paid attention to episodes that appear similar to today’s abduction scenario.

This doesn’t mean that ET isn’t kidnapping humans for reasons best known to themselves. To an advanced species, with motives we cannot possibly understand, this might be perfectly acceptable behavior. Indeed, it would present no more concern to them than our practice of kidnapping creatures on our own planet and subjecting them to various and sundry levels of physical examination, some exceedingly painful.

What this means is that ET, if they exist, might regard us as nothing more than packs of primitive warlike animals that they simply cannot regard seriously.

But if there is an alien factor to be found in UFO abduction cases, it needs to be separated from episodes that have perfectly ordinary causes. But figuring out what’s going on simply cannot be accomplished by people who are busy shouting at one another. It calls for real research, with the utmost respect paid to people who have been seriously scarred by what is happening to them.

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Agreed Gene. But with the greatest respect and all that, real understanding of this phenomenon is unlikely to be gained on an internet chat forum - no matter how intelligent or well-intentioned those contributing to the dialog might be.

For any understanding to be reached, extensive and persistent close engagement with the primary evidence is needed. The next step is to uncover the patterns from this primary evidence and start to separate the wheat from the chaff. Only after this process, can any meaningful interpretation be undertaken of the data so gathered.

A few have applied their minds to the primary data for decades now, and IMO got closer to solving at least some of it. The key is in the patterns, the similarities, the quirky details of the reports: especially in multiply-witnessed cases and those with what have come to be recognised as common markers. There's a lot of noise, but within the noise is a strong signal.

Most of the best cases, IMO, have never entered the public domain for the understandable reason that those involved insist on the maintenance of complete anonymity and will consent to no public exposure. The case file, however, is enormous. Even if at some time in the future there is some 'official' recognition of this phenomenon as real, many of these people will still wish for no public exposure. If military or civilian aircrew collectively witnessing a UAP keeping pace with their plane and choosing to log an official report is a potentially disastrous carreer move; how much more catastrophic to career progression would it be if the pilot has abduction experiences? People are generally not stupid, and it's no wonder 99% of abductees keep quiet, and stay under the radar.

Understanding this, you have little in the public domein to go on. Most people making pronouncements on this phenomenon have not even interviewed a single abductee, nor even bothered to investigate a single case. What can they know of it? Not much.
 
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