[ PSYCHIC VIBRATIONS ROBERT SHEAFFER Sheaffer’s “Psychic Vibrations” column has appeared in the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER for nearly forty years; its highlights have now been published as a book (Create Space, 2011). Sheaffer blogs at www.BadUFOs.com, and his website is www.debunker.com. UFO Conspiracies at the UFO Congress gain this year, I attended the larg- est UFO conference in the world, Athe International UFO Congress Conference and Film Festival near Phoenix, Arizona. Unlike previous years, I was not able to attend all five days. I won’t try to summarize each talk, and space only permits a few highlights, but there was obviously a lot going on—most of UFOlogy’s “heavy hitters” were present. The first thing to catch my eye was People crowd in to check out the “wishing machine” of Joshua P. Warren. the display in several places of what appeared to be almost the same plastic aliens photographed by Boyd Bush- man, supposedly at Area 51 (see this column, March/April 2015). These cheerful fellows were fifty-four inches tall and the work of Australian artist Alan Groves, who claims to have had alien experiences. He said that he did these sculptures over the past two years. I asked him, “So these are not the same plastic aliens that Boyd Bushman pho- tographed?” “Not the same ones,” he Photos by Robert Sheaffer replied. “Mine are much better.” They A small army of plastic aliens seems to be guarding the premises. are being sold at www.Zetan.net for $488.00 each. seat of a car, abducting the driver. He sick soon afterward then died. (The dog Speaker Derrell Sims calls himself showed some bad alien photos as well as ate my alien DNA?) “the Alien Hunter.” He claims to have photos of some bruises caused by alien Sims told scary, home-style stories worked for the CIA, but he doesn’t hands on people’s bodies. When UFOs in which the alien agenda is always have any proof. Sims had been lying in photos have blurry edges, he said it hostile. Aliens sometimes masquerade somewhat low in UFOlogy after some means they are “in transit” (whatever as angels but never vice versa. In fact, earlier controversies but is now boldly that means) and those with sharp edges aliens flee when angels appear, accord- moving into the territory recently oc- are “probes.” “MIB Sperm Detection” ing to Sims. cupied by his former colleague, the late (whatever that is) provides documenta- Joshua P. Warren spoke on the Dr. Roger Leir. He talked about alien tion of alien sexual assault. One woman Brown Mountain lights. He has made implants galore, adding that doctors was forced to copulate with a creature extraordinary claims on just about every often steal the alien implants after the looking like a pig. One of his abductees paranormal-themed cable TV show surgery to remove them. assaulted his captor with a sword. In there is. He mentioned the United Sims said that recently a red-light the morning, he found a lump of alien States Geological Survey (USGS) in- camera in Los Angeles supposedly cap- DNA on the floor. Unfortunately, it vestigations of the alleged lights, and tured the image of an alien in the back was eaten by the dog, which became just about everything he said about 18 Volume 39 Issue 4 | Skeptical Inquirer that was counter-factual. The USGS was among the few speakers to actually for his business, but he implied that he could, and did, explain the lights and allow time for a real Q&A), Freidman was disappointed in what he actually this has been known for decades (see, laid down the gauntlet: this was “effec- received. for example, http://skeptoid.com/epi- tive propaganda,” he said, and asked In Lazar’s previous home in New sodes/4226). Pilkington “Who are you working for?” Mexico, he had a thirty-foot particle Warren thinks that the lights are You, Friedman said, might be part of accelerator. It was not explained what naturally produced plasmas and that the government’s disinformation cam- he did with such a thing, but appar- reports of strange military activity in paign (whether on behalf of the U.K. or ently he claimed to be using it to derive the area means that the military wants U.S. government, he did not specify). hydrogen fuel to power automobiles. to study the lights. (He apparently be- Friedman said he is fully recovered from Referring obliquely to questions about lieves the military would bring in hun- the heart attack he suffered last year, his credentials, he said people told him dreds of soldiers to study the lights in- which is very good news. UFO sympo- “you don’t act like a physicist.” (One stead of a few physicists.) He showed sia are much more interesting when the of the principal charges is that Lazar’s a couple videos of insect “UFOs,” then eighty-year-old Friedman is there. claimed education as a physicist is en- talked about the “Wishing Machine” In the opinion of many people, the tirely fabricated; Lazar replied that he is selling, which operates using the most significant event of the UFO government agents erased all records “Law of Attraction.” He also teaches an Congress was the first public appear- of his graduate work at MIT and Cal expensive seminar on how to use that ance in many years of Bob Lazar, fa- Tech.) He decried the kind of pomp- machine. mous for his wild claims about alien ous physicists you meet at Los Alamos Mark Pilkington from the United saucers and Area 51. George Knapp, and other places, implying “I’m not like Kingdom, whose book (now also a a well-known television journalist in them, even though I am educated.” movie) Mirage Men purports to show how military and intelligence opera- tors have shaped and exploited belief in Darrell Sims told scary, home-style stories in UFOs, called his talk “The Abuses of which the alien agenda is always hostile. Enchantment.” While I can agree that such involvement has been shown to Aliens sometimes masquerade as angels but happen a few times, most of them out- never vice versa. In fact, aliens flee when angels side the United States, I don’t see how this has any real significance for our appear, according to Sims. understanding of the UFO circus. For example, Pilkington cited a Rand Cor- poration paper on the potential value Las Vegas, gave an introductory speech Lazar threw some barbs at John Lear of exploiting local superstitions but did in which he told a lot of alien jokes who also tells stories about saucers at not show that this ever had been done. that were mostly pretty funny. Knapp Area 51. Lear, Lazar suggested, is not I had a brief opportunity to speak to is certainly a good entertainer. Back telling the truth. (Apparently the two him afterward. I said I didn’t think such in 1989, he was the first to interview of them have made up mutually incon- instances were of much significance to Bob Lazar—whom he now compares sistent fables about Area 51 and thus the UFO scenario as a whole, and he to Edward Snowden, the NSA whis- cannot be reconciled.) agreed. I think what he was saying was tle-blower. Knapp says that the com- Lazar drew an illustration of a sup- that military and intelligence involve- parison is valid. He defended Lazar’s posed saucer hangar at Area 51, along ment was responsible for shaping the reputation against supposedly “unfair” with several other illustrations, on an public perception of a UFO cover-up, charges. Knapp says he knows of doz- easel. These were all ARVs, Alien Re- which is at least partly true. Pilkington ens of Area 51 veterans who confirm production Vehicles. He talked about is not a man who gets directly to the Lazar’s descriptions at least in part. “gravity amplifiers.” They run on ele- point, but if you can figure out what Knapp’s talk was followed by a spe- ment 115 (Lazarium?), of which there he means he seems to be pretty skep- cial Q&A session with Bob Lazar and were reportedly 500 pounds at Area 51. tical. Somebody asked him about crop George Knapp. Questions for Lazar The craft distorts space-time and thus circles—are there any that are not of had to be submitted in advance at the pushes itself along. Since Lazar first human origin? Pilkington’s answer: No, registration desk, for Knapp to select told his fable about element 115, scien- except for a few simple ones that may which ones to ask him. Asked what tists have actually synthesized that ele- be of meteorological origin. (Thus none he is currently doing, Lazar explained ment, albeit for an infinitesimally brief are made by aliens.) that he is basically in the business of period of time. It did not turn out to However, good old Stanton Fried- selling radioactive and otherwise dan- be a stable element, as Lazar claimed it man, who calls himself the Flying Sau- gerous stuff. He said, “I unfortunately would be, but decayed in a tiny fraction cer physicist, wasn’t having any of this. live in Michigan.” He says he moved of a microsecond. During the Q&A period (Pilkington there because the state promised aid Perhaps the most significant thing Skeptical Inquirer | July/August 2015 19 [ PSYCHIC VIBRATIONS ROBERT SHEAFFER Lazar said, which apparently slipped by passing a police polygraph test. Surely pare) but then failed one on the 2008 without much notice, is that he has noth- they would not all conspire together in TV show Moment of Truth.