THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
October 27, 2013
Missing Government Documents and Conspiracy Theories Discussed on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
Why It's Important for You to Donate to The Paracast: Although ads help cover a small part of our expenses, the income they produce is never enough to pay your humble hosts decent wages. Also, we do not receive any revenue from the ads placed on the show by our network or local stations. So we hope you're able to help fill the gap, if you can, to help us cover increasing server costs and other expenses -- or perhaps provide a little extra cash for lunch and utility bills. No contribution is too small (or too large
. It’s easy to send a donation. We have a Donate link on our home page, below the logo and audio player. There's also a Donate link on our forums, at the bottom of the sidebar on the right. Or just send your PayPal donation direct to sales (at) theparacast (dot) com. And if you’ve had a problem getting to our Donate screen, please try again. We just fixed a serious PayPal access problem, and it should wor k properly now.
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 Chris present that prolific author of paranormal books, Nick Redfern, author of "For Nobody's Eyes Only: Missing Government Files and Hidden Archives That Document the Truth Behind the Most Enduring Conspiracy Theories." Nick will answer listener questions, and explain how he discovered what might be missing, and what it might disclose about these incredible mysteries of our time.
Chris O'Brien's Site: http://www.ourstrangeplanet.com
Nick’s Blog: http://nickredfernfortean.blogspot.com
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. We recently completed a major update that makes our community easier to navigate, and social network friendly.
Sponsored Message: Don’t get ripped off when you need to liquidate your precious jewelry and silverware. Call Steve at Numis Gems at (480) 878-7678 and get the straight scoop!
Demonizing Your Opponents
By Gene Steinberg
It’s all too common. People who disagree with other people don’t just argue in favor of their point of view; they attack the people who dare oppose them. To some of these people, nobody sane or honest could possibly hold a different point of view.
Indeed, if there is no cogent argument in their favor, they’ll stick to the personal attacks and be done with it. So, therefore, people who don’t believe in the reality of UFOs as possible spaceships are engaged in some sort of disinformation campaign to hide the truth. Or perhaps they want to sell a book or a reality TV show that debunks the existence of strange objects in the sky. No matter. They can’t possibly be honest, unless, of course, they are just too stupid to accept the truth.
Of course people who are considered skeptics may believe that those who accept the reality of UFOs are the ones who are deluded, damn fools, or engaged in a campaign of deception for reasons best known to themselves.
On either side of the argument, there’s not always room for just holding a different opinion. You are with me or against me, they say. Such people cannot possibly be honest. The truth is so obvious.
In the UFO field, there are many levels of belief and disbelief. Some, for example, believe that the U.S. government possesses guilty knowledge of the reality of the extraterrestrials, and thus is hiding the truth from us for reasons best known to themselves. Others hold a more balanced view, where it’s possible the authorities know something, but that may or may not be relevant to actually understanding what’s really going on.
Yet another group of UFO believers accepts the possibility that we have already met ET, and that they are trying to deliver a message — or warning — that we must become a peaceful species, for otherwise we will destroy ourselves. That view is close to what a fictional character, Klaatu, told Earthlings in the original 1951 sci-fi film, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” However, as portrayed by the late Michael Rennie, Klaatu warned us that if we didn’t get our acts together, the powers-that-be in the galactic federation, or whatever it is, would destroy us in the interests of peace. So much for being peaceful.
Others claim that many humans are being abducted by aliens for possibly unknown reasons, although some suggest it’s all being done in the interests of creating a hybrid race. Yet another faction in the field claims to be able to channel messages from ET, which is a variation of the belief that we are somehow being contacted by higher beings.
Another point of view has it that the UFO mystery is but one phenomenon that is somehow related to other strange occurrences, including the appearance of unusual creatures, such as Bigfoot, poltergeist phenomena, and a host of other weird events.
Where do they come from? If not outer space, how about inner space, in a secret location on this planet or perhaps in caves or beneath the sea? Or maybe from another dimension or time? What about our collective unconscious?
Any one of these beliefs or theories can be intermingled with others, making for a highly complex and varied set of views about UFOs and the wide variety of paranormal events.
It’s a sure thing that those wedded to one belief system may tend to suspect those who hold different points of view. In the normal course of events, one would hope that these viewpoints can be debated civilly and that one side will learn something from another. In the real world, such discussions can be far less than civil.
So debates will often descend into shouting matches or online flamewars, where one party will attack another as deliberately lying, being a hateful, horrible, or stupid person. Or some combination of these intended to disparage someone’s honesty. I once had a letter from someone, a follower of a controversial UFO abductee, who told me that I was risking what was left of my radio career by not adopting his point of view.
Of course, this sort of unseemly behavior isn’t unique to the UFO field. People argue in this fashion about any viewpoint you can dream of, and the practice of demonizing one’s opponent is common.
It is, of course, true that some people may actually be dishonest in their beliefs, that they have adopted those beliefs for reasons of ego or personal gain. Certainly if someone hopes to earn money by lying or cheating, they are open to legitimize criticism. In some cases, perhaps they should be prosecuted, though there’s nothing illegal about saying you are a UFO contactee or channeler. You aren’t forced to produce evidence, or get a government-approved license. You may need a business license if you hang out a shingle as a psychic, but you would merely be classified as an entertainer unless or until you decided to collect money for fraudulent purposes.
These days, it seems as if people are more polarized than ever. Regardless of where you stand in the political world, it has to be discouraging to see politicians so wedded to one point of view or another that they can’t sit in the same room and work out their differences. Of course, negotiating doesn’t mean surrender or forcing the loyal opposition to surrender. You hope that there will be some sort of middle ground that will accommodate the best from both sides.
Perhaps this is all part of the way society has changed over the years. In the U.S., for example, many of the most popular forms of entertainment are so-called reality shows. I say “so-called,” because much of what you see is staged for entertainment value. This is true even when a show is presented as, for example, a honest investigation of a paranormal mystery. Whether it’s forcing the hosts to wear night vision goggles, or manufacturing conflict for the sake of building an audience, it’s a far cry from reality by any definition of the term.
But even shows that claim to present the news of the day in a fair and balanced fashion may deliberately overlook or distort facts that do not comport with their editorial stances. The worst offenders are 24/7 cable news networks. If there is no conflict, no trumped up story about some horrible condition of society, or what some evildoer on the other side of the political spectrum is doing, audiences will just get bored.
Or at least that’s what the executives in charge of such programming appear to believe.
Now the Internet is supposed to be the great equalizer, where millions of citizen journalists are free to present their viewpoints, with the same ability to attract a large audience as a multinational media outlet. You don’t even have to pay for the privilege. There are free blogging services that offer all the basics, including comment sections where your followers can express their support, or the opposition can tell you where you can go and how to get there.
Someone once said, “Can’t we all get along?” I hate to sound pessimistic about such a glorious possibility, but it does seem as if things are going to get worse before they get better. I’d love to be proven wrong.
Copyright 1999-2013 Making The Impossible, Inc. 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!
October 27, 2013
Missing Government Documents and Conspiracy Theories Discussed on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 2:00 AM until 5:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
Why It's Important for You to Donate to The Paracast: Although ads help cover a small part of our expenses, the income they produce is never enough to pay your humble hosts decent wages. Also, we do not receive any revenue from the ads placed on the show by our network or local stations. So we hope you're able to help fill the gap, if you can, to help us cover increasing server costs and other expenses -- or perhaps provide a little extra cash for lunch and utility bills. No contribution is too small (or too large
. It’s easy to send a donation. We have a Donate link on our home page, below the logo and audio player. There's also a Donate link on our forums, at the bottom of the sidebar on the right. Or just send your PayPal donation direct to sales (at) theparacast (dot) com. And if you’ve had a problem getting to our Donate screen, please try again. We just fixed a serious PayPal access problem, and it should wor k properly now.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 Chris present that prolific author of paranormal books, Nick Redfern, author of "For Nobody's Eyes Only: Missing Government Files and Hidden Archives That Document the Truth Behind the Most Enduring Conspiracy Theories." Nick will answer listener questions, and explain how he discovered what might be missing, and what it might disclose about these incredible mysteries of our time.
Chris O'Brien's Site: http://www.ourstrangeplanet.com
Nick’s Blog: http://nickredfernfortean.blogspot.com
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. We recently completed a major update that makes our community easier to navigate, and social network friendly.
Sponsored Message: Don’t get ripped off when you need to liquidate your precious jewelry and silverware. Call Steve at Numis Gems at (480) 878-7678 and get the straight scoop!
Demonizing Your Opponents
By Gene Steinberg
It’s all too common. People who disagree with other people don’t just argue in favor of their point of view; they attack the people who dare oppose them. To some of these people, nobody sane or honest could possibly hold a different point of view.
Indeed, if there is no cogent argument in their favor, they’ll stick to the personal attacks and be done with it. So, therefore, people who don’t believe in the reality of UFOs as possible spaceships are engaged in some sort of disinformation campaign to hide the truth. Or perhaps they want to sell a book or a reality TV show that debunks the existence of strange objects in the sky. No matter. They can’t possibly be honest, unless, of course, they are just too stupid to accept the truth.
Of course people who are considered skeptics may believe that those who accept the reality of UFOs are the ones who are deluded, damn fools, or engaged in a campaign of deception for reasons best known to themselves.
On either side of the argument, there’s not always room for just holding a different opinion. You are with me or against me, they say. Such people cannot possibly be honest. The truth is so obvious.
In the UFO field, there are many levels of belief and disbelief. Some, for example, believe that the U.S. government possesses guilty knowledge of the reality of the extraterrestrials, and thus is hiding the truth from us for reasons best known to themselves. Others hold a more balanced view, where it’s possible the authorities know something, but that may or may not be relevant to actually understanding what’s really going on.
Yet another group of UFO believers accepts the possibility that we have already met ET, and that they are trying to deliver a message — or warning — that we must become a peaceful species, for otherwise we will destroy ourselves. That view is close to what a fictional character, Klaatu, told Earthlings in the original 1951 sci-fi film, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” However, as portrayed by the late Michael Rennie, Klaatu warned us that if we didn’t get our acts together, the powers-that-be in the galactic federation, or whatever it is, would destroy us in the interests of peace. So much for being peaceful.
Others claim that many humans are being abducted by aliens for possibly unknown reasons, although some suggest it’s all being done in the interests of creating a hybrid race. Yet another faction in the field claims to be able to channel messages from ET, which is a variation of the belief that we are somehow being contacted by higher beings.
Another point of view has it that the UFO mystery is but one phenomenon that is somehow related to other strange occurrences, including the appearance of unusual creatures, such as Bigfoot, poltergeist phenomena, and a host of other weird events.
Where do they come from? If not outer space, how about inner space, in a secret location on this planet or perhaps in caves or beneath the sea? Or maybe from another dimension or time? What about our collective unconscious?
Any one of these beliefs or theories can be intermingled with others, making for a highly complex and varied set of views about UFOs and the wide variety of paranormal events.
It’s a sure thing that those wedded to one belief system may tend to suspect those who hold different points of view. In the normal course of events, one would hope that these viewpoints can be debated civilly and that one side will learn something from another. In the real world, such discussions can be far less than civil.
So debates will often descend into shouting matches or online flamewars, where one party will attack another as deliberately lying, being a hateful, horrible, or stupid person. Or some combination of these intended to disparage someone’s honesty. I once had a letter from someone, a follower of a controversial UFO abductee, who told me that I was risking what was left of my radio career by not adopting his point of view.
Of course, this sort of unseemly behavior isn’t unique to the UFO field. People argue in this fashion about any viewpoint you can dream of, and the practice of demonizing one’s opponent is common.
It is, of course, true that some people may actually be dishonest in their beliefs, that they have adopted those beliefs for reasons of ego or personal gain. Certainly if someone hopes to earn money by lying or cheating, they are open to legitimize criticism. In some cases, perhaps they should be prosecuted, though there’s nothing illegal about saying you are a UFO contactee or channeler. You aren’t forced to produce evidence, or get a government-approved license. You may need a business license if you hang out a shingle as a psychic, but you would merely be classified as an entertainer unless or until you decided to collect money for fraudulent purposes.
These days, it seems as if people are more polarized than ever. Regardless of where you stand in the political world, it has to be discouraging to see politicians so wedded to one point of view or another that they can’t sit in the same room and work out their differences. Of course, negotiating doesn’t mean surrender or forcing the loyal opposition to surrender. You hope that there will be some sort of middle ground that will accommodate the best from both sides.
Perhaps this is all part of the way society has changed over the years. In the U.S., for example, many of the most popular forms of entertainment are so-called reality shows. I say “so-called,” because much of what you see is staged for entertainment value. This is true even when a show is presented as, for example, a honest investigation of a paranormal mystery. Whether it’s forcing the hosts to wear night vision goggles, or manufacturing conflict for the sake of building an audience, it’s a far cry from reality by any definition of the term.
But even shows that claim to present the news of the day in a fair and balanced fashion may deliberately overlook or distort facts that do not comport with their editorial stances. The worst offenders are 24/7 cable news networks. If there is no conflict, no trumped up story about some horrible condition of society, or what some evildoer on the other side of the political spectrum is doing, audiences will just get bored.
Or at least that’s what the executives in charge of such programming appear to believe.
Now the Internet is supposed to be the great equalizer, where millions of citizen journalists are free to present their viewpoints, with the same ability to attract a large audience as a multinational media outlet. You don’t even have to pay for the privilege. There are free blogging services that offer all the basics, including comment sections where your followers can express their support, or the opposition can tell you where you can go and how to get there.
Someone once said, “Can’t we all get along?” I hate to sound pessimistic about such a glorious possibility, but it does seem as if things are going to get worse before they get better. I’d love to be proven wrong.
Copyright 1999-2013 Making The Impossible, Inc. 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!
