57 alien species: Are we alone in the universe?
To my knowledge alien sightings, contact or probing’ have always been met with universal scepticism. I don’t recall one credible witness taking the stand in favour of Martian existence leaving with their integrity unharmed; its career suicide to make such a claim. So why, without any substantiating evidence, would someone do it? Fame or foolishness come to mind, though perhaps the rational extends into belief; conviction they did actually see something and coupled with their naivety that professional stature will compensate for a sheer like of proof, leads to them to tell the world about it.
Sergeant Clifford E. Stone is one such alien encountee, stating that during his 20 years plus of military service he witnessed 12 events involving alien vehicle crashes; apparently he was a motorway rescue for E.T if your interstellar engine blew a gasket, Sergeant Cliff was on hand. Furthermore he claims that when he left the Army, in 1989, there were 57 alien species classified, one for every Heinz variety.
Being of Army decent and being a Sergeant, we are naturally inclined to take what he saw as cast iron proof that aliens existent.aren’t we?….well, no not really
Evidence! Show us evidence and we are right with you on this one, we want to believe! Though, as with most UFO encounters, there isn’t any. Over two decades of hands on experience with E.T and Srgt Stone didn’t so much as sneak out a Polaroid of a “grey” (the borderline racist term that they have allegedly been given) or photocopy the seating plan of a mothership. What he wants therefore, is for us to take his word, as all the conviction we need to loose sleep over a foreboding invasion. As if our unknown fear levels weren’t high enough already, we now have to worry about the intergalactic threat of terror.
It’s true he does acknowledge a lack of evidence for his claims, but makes justification with something akin to the grounds that religious events took place. None more evident than during a recorded question session (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2DNSEKx1aM) when he says, with a visible self satisfaction, that “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”, well – it is evidence of absence, by definition, surely? Without evidence we are not making conclusions based on anything but assumptions, and in this lies the biggest problem I have with the question Are We Alone.
We live in an age where it isn’t enough to read an article about a two headed dog with the wings of a parrot, we have to watch the video of it flying after a cat, or at the very least look at the picture of it fighting over a bone. Without any substantiating proof, regardless of how concrete a pillar in the community you are, you will not be believed.
As individuals we either class people as being cynical or insane. One man’s revolutionary is another man’s clown. Cynicism is a defence mechanism in fear of being gullible, so the only way that we will ever buy into the belief that we aren’t floating alone in the universe is if the message comes from the people who always shoot down (hopefully never literally) those who claim to have first hand accounts.
Though what does it actually matter if there are aliens living amongst us? If it were announced today that since oh I don’t knowlets say -July 7th
1947, aliens have been living out their lives in open view, eating in our restaurants, reading in our libraries, even being taught at our schools, would it make a difference? would you want a refund?
I don’t think I would, I’m scared to walk the streets now so a revolution such as that wouldn’t deter me further, and society is already heading round the u-bend, what’s the worst they can do? Blow us up? We’re close to doing that ourselves so we may as well give them a go at the controls. At least we could then tax them as citizens, who knows maybe that will be the saving stroke of the credit crisis? Anything is worth a shot.
Osca Jones
