Credible Witnesses?

[poliphilo]

In the normal run of things the testimony of a retired military man is accorded some weight. A retired military man is assumed to be reliable,  tested in the fire, not given to flights of girlish fantasy. If he's also a little stuffy and strait-laced that only enhances his credibility as a witness.

But what if the retired military man tells you he's had an encounter with a UFO?

Seven retired military men went before the cameras the day before yesterday to talk about how- to their knowledge- the USA's nuclear facilities were buzzed- and in some cases briefly put out of action- by UFOs. The media handled the story nervously, tittered a little, then dropped it. This article is typical. It starts with a joke- as if to say, "Hell, we're all men of the world; we know this is crazy "-  before moving onto the meat of the matter- and the meat of the matter is fascinating. Actually fascinating is an understatement. If it's true (big if) it's the news story of this and every other millennium.

Scroll though the comments and you'll find it's the majority opinion that the witnesses must be gaga, loopy, or out to make a quick buck.

Really? 

Remember who the witnesses are. Retired military men, men of reputation, men of honour. Conservative (probably) alpha males. If they were talking about almost anything else we'd believe them. 

Comments

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

Sadly, the deliberate stigma of ridicule and dis-connection that has been propagated by our various governments virtually guarantees that anyone trying to take up this subject seriously will cease to be regarded as sane or sober.

And yes, the ridicule is deliberate and carefully directed. It was found to be the only universal way to cover up any genuine interaction with off-worlders.

When a locally published book about the Rendlesham Forest encounter from 1980 was released, the RAF Bentwaters base commander had every copy bought up and destroyed. I was too late to get a copy from the local bookstore in Woodbridge.

Many serious writers and researchers have run up against this wall of ridicule- some so hard that they themselves were considered mad when they tried to bust through it. Whitley Strieber is a prime example.

Being the seeking Skeptic I am, I want extraordinary proof that they DO NOT exist.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ridicule is a very subtle form of censorship- far more effective than sending people to the gulag. It's a way of hiding information in plain view.

I like your final line. That's my position too.