PSYCHIC VIBRATIONS ROBERT SHEAFFER

Alien Ghosts at Roswell

an a pseudoscientific documen- html). * * * tary be so insulting to the viewer’s To exploit his remarkable “scoop,” Most people are totally unaware of what C intelligence that even the cable Marrs produced a forty-five-minute would surely be the most shocking event chan nel planning to run it turns it down? documentary titled “The Alien Ghosts in U.S. military history if it had actually Ap parently at least one was: “The Alien at Roswell.” However, after the folks occurred: the Flying Saucer Air Wars of Ghosts at Roswell,” produced by Jim Marrs, at the Discovery Channel saw the 1952. At last, this long-neglected history is a well-known author and conspiracy theo- video, they didn’t want it. Fortunately, finally revealed to the world in Shoot them rist. Marrs first made his reputation on JFK UFOlo gist James Moseley was able to Down: The Flying Saucer Air Wars of 1952 assassination conspiracy claims, then moved get a copy, which he reviewed in his by Frank C. Feschino, Jr. on to “the extraterrestrial presence,” psychic publication Saucer Smear (October 20, The book, which boasts of a foreword spies, secret societies, and Septem ber 11 2007). According to Moseley, the video (and an epilogue) by the “flying saucer conspiracies. The documentary was made was filmed at the old Roswell air base physicist” Stanton T. Friedman, explains for the Discovery Channel, which has not and “stars a group of psychic researchers how the Air Wars were somehow con- shied away from many other programs led by UFOlogist Nick Redfern.” One nected to the famous Flatwoods Monster making absurd claims about hauntings, life scene shows an animated alien walking of September 12, 1952, in which a twelve- after death, numerology, etc. down the hallway to illustrate what has foot-tall, glowing, hood ed creature was For several years, Marrs has been supposedly been seen. reportedly seen floating through the promoting the story that not only did Moseley writes, “We are told that [the woods of rural Braxton County, West a saucer crash near Roswell in 1947, Discovery Channel] paid off Jim Marrs’s Virginia. (Fes chino explains that the crea- but some of the alien beings killed entire contract and went on to other ture’s “hood” was just a misperception; in the crash left behind ghosts. The things. Thus it will probably never be it was actually wearing a space helmet.) former Army Air Base hospital, now seen by the public, alas.” I’m not so sure Feschino claimed in a recent Internet the New Mexico Rehabili tation Center, about that. Can there be no TV channel podcast (see http://tinyurl.com/2x89bv) supposedly contains one wing where so desperate for sensational material that that there were 18.5 hours of UFO sight- “none of the personnel want to work.” it will accept this? Even if we don’t see ings that same day from many different Report edly this is “because of strange it on TV, I suspect that Marrs’s “Alien locations. Thirty objects were, he claimed, and unexplained incidents which have Ghosts at Roswell” will be shown at UFO seen coming in over the Eastern Seaboard occur red there.” Lights have supposedly conferences before long and probably be and appeared to be following a damaged turn ed themselves off and on, the ele- sold on DVD. craft. Feschino claims that 180 military vator doors have unaccountably opened But even if the alien-ghost aspect of the troops were sent to Braxton county to and closed, and areas of intense cold are Roswell story should fade away, new and deal with all of the UFO crashes, and that felt. Some say a strange figure appears in exciting yarns continue to flow from this a dead alien was found near Wheeling, the upstairs hallway. “It all seems to take seemingly inexhaustible fount. Conspiracy West Virginia, that same night. The Flat- place on the second floor near the room author Jerry E. Smith has announced that woods Monster, says Feschino, crawl ed where they supposedly did an autopsy he is working on a book titled Roswell: out of one of those crashes and was drip- on the aliens,” said systems analyst David The Nazi Connection (see http://www. ping something like oil. Many pieces of Owen. “I’ve heard people say they have jerryesmith.com/index.php/137). In this metal were recovered from the crashes seen aliens running around” (see http:// book, scheduled for publication in early a round Flatwoods; unfortunately, none of www.jimmarrs.com/news/012204. 2009, Smith will suggest that the saucer those pieces can now be located. Robert Sheaffer’s World Wide Web page that allegedly crashed near Roswell in 1947 UFO crashes occurred that night not for UFOs and other skeptical subjects is at was in fact a Nazi secret weapon piloted by only in West Virginia, but in eleven states. www.debunker.com. uniformed officers who were not yet ready However, Air Force F-94 Starfighter jets to give up in their fight for the Fatherland. also went down near the UFOs. Stanton

26 Volume 32, Issue 2 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Friedman, in the same podcast, asserted course, any object in Earth’s orbit would one we know about run largely from secret that there has been a “hidden war” going appear to be a moving star, not a stationary underground military bases. The proof? on, resulting in plane crashes. As Friedman one, and any unexpected or unknown sat- Decades-old newspaper clippings de scrib- explained on the popular Coast to Coast ellite would likewise be quickly detected by ing ambitious space projects that never AM radio show the night of De cember NORAD and also by dedicated amateur got off the ground. Aah, but they did, 7, in the 1950s, the U.S. military had satellite observers. Walson’s “evidence” suggests Moulton Howe—and promptly standing orders to shoot down un iden- consists of blurry photos of what might went underground! This conspiracy appar- tified craft if the craft didn’t land when be spacecraft—or practically anything else. ently also involves the Masons, because instructed—“and it appears that UFOs Even more amazing, Walson is picking one high-ranking NASA Apollo manager shot back.” He added that there is no up sounds from these unusual spacecraft was a Mason of the 33rd degree, as well as question that our planes were the aggres- esoteric ancient Egyptian wisdom, because sors. Friedman suggests that because of an Egyptian geologist worked on lunar these losses, the U.S. military eventually science for the Apollo program. (How can gave up their UFO-shoot-down policy and anyone dismiss solid evidence like that?) instead began simply observing them with their instruments. So it would appear that * * * the saucers’ pilots, not ours, are in fact the Having little expertise in astrology, I found Top Guns on this planet. myself unable to judge the significance claimed of 2007’s winter solstice align- * * * ment of Jupiter and Pluto with the galactic More amazing space discoveries: a man center (which happens to lie near the named John Lenard Walson claims to solstice point anyway). So I consulted the have extended the capabilities of small Web site of an expert: Shamanic astrologer telescopes in ways that somehow have not AJ McGettigen, who is quoted by the occurred to optical engineers who have above-mentioned Coast to Coast AM show spent years working to do exactly that. (see http://tinyurl.com/3cpaoj). “Winter What he claims to have found using them Solstice has arrived with an awesome once- is truly unbelievable: “big machines” of in-a-lifetime alignment. This year the Sun unknown origin parked in Earth’s orbit. has arrived at its southern solstice at the According to the conspiracy-oriented radio same time as Pluto is aligned with the talk show host Jeff Rense: Galactic Center and Jupiter. This event What you are about to see is quite is rare because Jupiter only visits this part remarkable. It seems that some of the of the sky once in every twelve years. stars above us are not stars at all . . . as However, Pluto only appears in this area you shall see. A young man by the name of John Lenard Walson has discovered as well: “In addition to discovering and for a brief period every 250 years. The a new way to extend the capabilities of refining his optical telescope videotaping importance of this event is great—perhaps small telescopes and has been able to technique, John has also discovered how the most significant celestial alignment of achieve optical resolutions—at almost to actually hear and record the sounds in our new century.” Unfor tunately, there the diffraction limit—not commonly achievable. With this new-found ability, real time coming from the particular craft don’t seem to be any specific predictions he has proceeded to videotape, night he is videotaping. By carefully aligning a resulting from this momentous event other and day, many strange and heretofore satellite dish receiver with his telescope, he than “As we behold Pluto aligning with unseen objects in earth[’s] orbit. The has been able to record some very unusual the heart of our galaxy, our relationship to resulting astro photographic video foot- and intriguing sound from the different this great cosmic presence is renewed and age has reveal ed a raft of machines, hardware, satellites, spacecraft and spacecraft.” As final proof that what he says regenerated.” One overlooked problem, possibly space ships which otherwise is true, Walson claims harassment by mil- however, is Pluto’s recent demotion from a appear as ‘stars’ . . . if they appear itary helicopters, and to substantiate that small planet to a large asteroid. One would at all. (see http://www.rense.com/ claim he submits photos of helicopters! expect its astrological significance to be general79/wdx1.htm) But if UFOlogist Linda Moulton diminished as well. What Rense doesn’t seem to realize is Howe is correct, these huge, honking, What would be even more impressive that all of the visible stars have been quite orbiting machines may be just the tip of than the above would be the discovery of a fully mapped out, and when a “new star” the iceberg. Howe has written exten- previously unknown planet based solely on or nova appears, it is very quickly spotted sively about a “Secret American Military observations of its astrological influences. and studied. (UFOlogists frequently make Space Program” (see http://tinyurl.com/ The unseen Nep tune was de duced by its the claim that UFOs sometimes “hide” yp47np). She interviews those who claim gravitational effects before it was discov- among the stars undetected, revealing how to have knowledge of a secret military ered; why can’t astrologers do the same? little they understand astronomy.) Of program far advanced beyond the public !

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