Your Paracast Newsletter — January 22, 2011

[Gene Steinberg]

MUFON International Director Clifford Clift Featured on The Paracast

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Sunday, January 23, 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.

Join us as we explore the realms of the known and unknown, and hear great stories of the history of the paranormal field in the 20th and 21st centuries.

This Week's Episode: Co-host Christopher O'€™Brien joins Gene to present MUFON'€™s International Director, Clifford Clift, who explores the history of the UFO research body, their approach to investigations, and some of the most significant cases they'€™ve explored.

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

Mutual UFO Network: MUFON

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Tabloid Journalism and UFOs
By Gene Steinberg

Although many of you may have first learned about flying saucers (or UFOs) from one of the many books written on the subject, I realize the so-called supermarket tabloids have also served to introduce the topic to you. While many of the sensationalistic stories in those trashy newspapers are invented out of thin air, some actually turn out to be true, such as the revelation that former Senator John Edwards not only had an affair, but also a child out of wedlock.

Of course, gossip is an intrinsic part of the human psyche. If the rich and famous, with their drug abuse, philandering, and general unruly behavior, are no better than regular people, maybe you can feel comforted that your lot in life is a lot better than you might have otherwise expected.

In the paranormal universe, debates can become extremely personal quite easily, and reputations are often trashed for one reason or another. If you learn that someone did wrong during a misspent youth or in their adult lives, that revelation can come back to bite them when you consider their claims of an unworldly encounter, or their abilities as a researcher.

In recent months, the strange world of UFO abduction research – involving people who claim to have been kidnapped by ET for physical exams and other reasons – has been rocked by the claim that a well-known investigator has mentally abused one or more of his subjects.

The complainant, who calls herself “Emma Woods,” has made serious charges that Dr. David Jacobs, during the course of several years of long-distance sessions, engaged in extremely unprofessional behavior. The long and short of it is that Jacobs denies many of these claims, going on to state that he regarded “Woods” (whom he refers to as “Alice”) as an extremely troubled person who has been endlessly harassing him without cause.

More recently, the ex-wife of yet another abduction researcher, Budd Hopkins, has come forth with an article complaining of his adulterous activities with research subjects, and other forms of objectionable behavior. While Hopkins admitted to sexual alliances and other moral transgressions from time to time over the years in a recent autobiography, the allegations come at a time when he is not really able to defend himself. According to informed sources, Hopkins is quite ill, and thus more concerned with his health than with the people who might be attacking him in print. His ex knows this, but chose to have that article published anyway.

Without taking sides one way or the other, I would hope Hopkins is on the road to recovery, and that he will soon be able to tell us his side of the story. You see, when it comes to one’s former spouse, possible hurt feelings and other issues may combine to cause one to question the accuracy of their attacks. The article may be all or partly correct, of course, but, other than friends who might have some inside information to offer, there’s probably no way for outsiders to even guess at the truth.

As far as Jacobs is concerned, the onslaught of criticism of his methods and results continues without letup. Most recently, “UFO Magazine” published a long article on the subject, which takes the side of “Emma Woods.”

The Paracast Community Forums have featured discussions on these controversies from time to time. When the talk moves into attack mode, and becomes extremely repetitive, we’ll close the discussions. But they will soon flare up again.

Just this week, one of our regular forum members came up with compelling evidence that “Woods” has posted messages supporting her claims against Jacobs under an assumed name. A posting on the subject, in a thread entitled “The Ballads of Emma and James,” compares writing styles and actual content to reach that conclusion. By the way, a similar set of posts from an alleged third party, dating back to the spring of 2010, also presents similar evidence of possible fakery.

While posting forum messages under multiple names isn’t unusual – we Internet oldtimers call them “sockpuppets – this sort of behavior reflects badly on one’s credibility.

I have tried to be as fair and balanced as I can about these matters, although I realize a few people seem to think that, if you don’t take one side, you must be supporting the other.

The real problem is that lurid headlines, tawdry tales of misbehavior, and similar gossipy claims, are all distractions. The abduction phenomenon still cries out for investigation, free of personal attacks and innuendo. That can, unfortunately, also be said for many areas of paranormal investigation.

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[ALPHA ROMEO UNIFORM]

Gene,
Your newsletter hit it on the nail and hopefully we have a big flap of UFOs this year because last year was boring with so called predictions from BS experts.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Gene,
Your newsletter hit on the nail and hopefully we have a big flap of UFOs this year because last year was boring with so called predictions from BS experts.

Unfortunately, that never changes either. The UFO field is littered with the dirt of failed predictions over the years.

 

[Tyler Kokjohn]

For years, abduction research practitioners have scrupulously evaded criticism and kept their investigatory practices comparatively cryptic. Carefully insulated from any risk of external criticism and scrutiny, some abduction researchers must now face the aftermath of an unleashed threat far deadlier than any debunker – themselves.

It took a terrible debacle – the Emma Woods case – to compel Carol Rainey to confront her own circumstances and detail what she witnessed. Requested to review her article and provide my opinion as a scientist, I discovered a deeply disturbing indictment of the conduct and practices employed by some abduction investigators. Despite a familiarity with some aspects of the Emma Woods allegations, what I read was stunning.

There is no getting around the fact that the relationship between Ms. Rainey and Mr. Hopkins is complex. Assessing how much it colors the story is tricky and potentially important.

I read and commented on an article published by Paratopia last week. But what I read does not comport precisely with your synopsis. However, I make no claims to have read all that Carol Rainey has published on this matter and perhaps I missed something. Would you be so kind as to provide a citation or link to enable me to assess your source?

Thank you.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Your message is cryptic. The methods employed by abduction researchers have been widely reported and debated for years.

As to sources: Sources for what?

My biggest concern in the current controversies is that people hear one side of a story, and don't consider there may be another side.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I got a message, which will not be posted here, claiming that Rainey isn't expressing concerns over her ex-husband's private moral behavior in her article. If that's the case, I stand corrected, although the article does allude to sordid sexuality (although largely on the part of aliens), and we know Hopkins is one who was known to "stray," as it were. So it's easy to make the assumption when we hear of the unsavory relationships with subjects.

The article itself claims that Hopkins and Jacobs manipulated their subjects to report experiences that confirmed their expectations, and often worked alone, not relying on the advice and peer review of outside professionals to validate their research. Worse, they seemed most interested in encounters that involved some degree of sexual interaction with the abductors, implying that's what sells books.

Of course, both Jacobs and Hopkins state that they do seek advice on an ongoing basis from professionals, but it would be better for all concerned if they had taken training and become certified as therapists. Even if they are getting outside assistance, the lack of professional training can seriously color their research and the results.

The message also repeats the lie that I once told someone I do The Paracast strictly for its entertainment value, which is certainly not true. If I chose to go that route, I'd be making loads of money these days pandering to our audience in the same fashion as Coast To Coast AM. Alas, even when you correct certain people about their clear misstatements, they will continue to make their false claims as if nothing happened.

Which is why that person's messages (and his name isn't going to be mentioned) are no longer welcome in our forums.

 

[Sean Elifritz]

I got a message, which will not be posted here, claiming that Rainey isn't expressing concerns over her ex-husband's private moral behavior in her article. If that's the case, I stand corrected, although the article does allude to sordid sexuality (although largely on the part of aliens), and we know Hopkins is one who was known to "stray," as it were. So it's easy to make the assumption when we hear of the unsavory relationships with subjects.

The article itself claims that Hopkins and Jacobs manipulated their subjects to report experiences that confirmed their expectations, and often worked alone, not relying on the advice and peer review of outside professionals to validate their research. Worse, they seemed most interested in encounters that involved some degree of sexual interaction with the abductors, implying that's what sells books.

Of course, both Jacobs and Hopkins state that they do seek advice on an ongoing basis from professionals, but it would be better for all concerned if they had taken training and become certified as therapists. Even if they are getting outside assistance, the lack of professional training can seriously color their research and the results.

The message also repeats the lie that I once told someone I do The Paracast strictly for its entertainment value, which is certainly not true. If I chose to go that route, I'd be making loads of money these days pandering to our audience in the same fashion as Coast To Coast AM. Alas, even when you correct certain people about their clear misstatements, they will continue to make their false claims as if nothing happened.

Which is why that person's messages (and his name isn't going to be mentioned) are no longer welcome in our forums.

Yeah, I was about to point that out. I don't recall anything in that article being about infidelity. It seemed to me that her article was almost entirely about Budd supposedly being gullible.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Yeah, I was about to point that out. I don't recall anything in that article being about infidelity. It seemed to me that her article was almost entirely about Budd supposedly being gullible.

Not gullible, but allegedly manipulating the sessions to ferret out the most lurid details.

I have had further communications with that would-be poster, who glosses over the article's bias and flaws, and can't understand why someone would be skeptical.

Besides, if it sells magazine subscriptions, I guess the publishers won't be concerned about it either.