Page 14 - 201006 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - June 2010

June 2010_june_july_2009.qxd 30/06/2010 11:46 PM Page 14 14 Hawking’s warning opens debate Hawking’s warning opens debate UFOs deserve further study. BY BILL WICKERSHAM In the recent TV series “Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking,” the world-renowned physicist stirred the pot of speculation concerning unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and potential earthly visitations by extraterrestrial (ET) entities, warning it would be best for humankind to avoid contact with them if possible. Hawking noted such aliens would probably be nomads living in massive spaceships after having exhausted the resources of their own planets and shifting from one interstellar refueling station to the next. “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans.” Hawking has issued this warning for several years. In a 1996 essay, he said until humans become more sophisticated, they should be “wary of answering” aliens. In response to Hawking’s warning, The Journal of Cosmology, a scholarly journal of come from someone with such an established statements, including one at a 1968 meeting of astronomy and astrophysics associated with the stature. I think it’s really sad that a scientist of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Department of Astronomy, Center for his repute would contribute to what I would Astronautics at which he said: “I do not think Astrophysics, at Harvard-Smithsonian in consider more misinformation about a vast and the evidence is at all persuasive, that UFOs are Cambridge, Mass., published the views of 12 very important subject.” of intelligent extraterrestrial origin.” scientists commenting on Hawking’s ET A May 5 report by Zland For the past 63 years, many statements. According to the Los Angeles Communications Network also added to the “mainstream scientists” and other academic Times, “some criticized Hawking’s use of UFO/ET discussion. That report said in 1984 leaders have paid little attention to the UFO/ET human behavior to predict what aliens would beloved astronomer/astrophysicist Carl Sagan phenomenon. Perhaps the alleged Sagan do, but others said human behavior was a revealed to J. Allen Hynek that he, like Hynek, revelation and the Hawking/Hellyer debate will reasonable yardstick. Few, however, questioned believed UFOs are real. Hynek, a former help a bit to stimulate badly needed scholarly the premise of Hawking’s statements — that professor of astronomy at Ohio State University activity regarding that problem. alien life forms probably exist and we are likely and at Northwestern University, served as someday to encounter them.” civilian scientific consultant to the U.S. Air Bill Wickersham is an adjunct professor of For those who study of the politics of Force’s seminal UFO study know as Project peace studies at the University of Missouri. extraterrestrial contact — the exopolitics Blue Book (1952-69). community — and many in the UFO research At the outset, Hynek was a UFO From the Files of community, Hawking’s statement was a double- debunker and, as he said, was an “arch-enemy edged sword. On the one hand, he brought the of those flying saucer groups and enthusiasts Bizarre News ET topic front and center. On the other, his who very dearly wanted UFOs to be statement runs counter to the opinion and claims interplanetary.” Flight delayed by falling of numerous exopolitical analysts and hundreds But after leaving Project Blue Book, of UFO researchers and highly credentialed Hynek wrote: “Now, however, documentation maggots witnesses who firmly believe ET/Earth contact which puts the UFO-U.S. government has been well-documented and has been a long- controversy in quite a new light has become ATLANTA - US Airways said a flight term phenomenon. available” and shows “that the CIA and NSA preparing for takeoff in Atlanta returned to the Among those offended by Hawking’s protestation of innocence and lack of interest in gate due to maggots falling from an overhead pronouncement was former Canadian Defense UFOs are nothing short of prevarication. ... For luggage bin. The airline said Monday's US Minister Paul Hellyer, who is the longest- the government to continue to maintain that Airways flight 1537, which was bound for New serving current member of the Queen’s Privy UFOs are non-existent in the face of the York with a stop in Charlotte, was taxiing down Council for Canada. documents already released and of other cogent the runway when the maggots were noticed and On May 2, Hellyer publicly defended evidence ... is puerile and, in a sense, an insult returned to the gate so the plane could be extraterrestrial civilizations, which he strongly to the American people.” cleaned, WAGA-TV, Atlanta, reported believes have not only visited Earth but also Sagan’s alleged UFO revelation was Thursday. US Airways spokesman Todd have contributed positively to human cited by Hynek’s former colleague, Lemacher said the maggots were the fault of a technological advancement. “The reality is that photojournalist and investigative reporter Paola passenger who brought spoiled meat onto the they’ve been visiting Earth for decades and Leopizzi-Harris. flight. He said the passenger with the meat was probably millennia and have contributed to our “My recollection is that Hynek said it "re- accommodated on another airline" while knowledge,” Hellyer said. “Microchips, for was backstage of one of the many Johnny the rest of the passengers returned to the plane example, fiber-optics, they are just two of the Carson Tonight Shows Sagan did,” Leopizzi- and continued on to Charlotte. Lemacher said things that allegedly … came from crashed Harris said. “He basically said” to Hynek “in the passengers were moved to a different plane vehicles.” 1984, ‘I know UFOs are real, but I would not in Charlotte and the aircraft was taken out of In an interview, Hellyer said: “I think risk my research funding, as you do, to talk service "and will be fumigated as precautionary Professor Hawking is indulging in some pretty openly about them in public.’ ” This comment measure." scary talk that I would have hoped would not was in stark contrast to many of Sagan’s earlier More Bizarre News in Pages that Follow