Senior US military officer: ‘Zero doubt’ of alien life on earth | Reality Check

[putnam6]

Such a relief to hear from you outside the debate arena.

Frankly I find lists compelling so...

1. National Security

In a nation oriented towards being financially obsessed with profit, this "buzz word" is often used disingenuously by public officials... Any theoretical threat they might pose hasn't manifested itself in the many decades (nay, centuries) of their proposed presence.  I find it difficult to attribute much weight to the fear. Besides, every time I hear the words "national security" spoken by anyone... it leads to "we need me more money from you."

2. TPTB has no plan

While it may be true that they "have no plan" it might also be true that there is no such reality as a "The Powers that Be."  Such a concept might be an illusion perpetrated by those who dread more than anything that we might surmise that they have no idea what they are doing.  It's all a game to them.  But even if it is true that there is a person, group, or institution which is truly in charge.. deciding for "everyone" on how to engage with this possibility (probability?)... it seems unwise to assume they are motivated and driven by a sense of "protection for the people.' 

3. The chance for societal disruption

I suspect this notion is a trope left over from the past.  The idea that people will simply destroy themselves over the news is a pervasive myth.  I don't deny that some will prey upon the moment to engage in acts of stupidity, I don't think it can ever be deduced that we will simply stick our heads between our knees and kiss our butts goodbye.  That kind of paranoia is too specific to another time, when a lot less people weren't starting to realize that we hardly know anything about our universe.

4. ...or a non-public agreement

Of all the noteworthy and important aspects of the discussion, I find this most relevant.  You see, caving to their paranoia, government officials 'allowed' themselves to covertly "move" all these matters to private enterprise... which led to them becoming ignorant - at the government level - of what was going on.  They thought reliance on political appointees and "major" industrialists was "an alright idea" - motivated by fear of course - 'plausible deniability' being the major selling point (along with political favors and support.)  Chances are, if there have been 'deals' cut... it wasn't "the government" that made them... it was "other" organizations, cabals, and groups of the now 'NGO' variety.

5. departmental misdeeds and a desire to cover up the misdeeds

Ah, crimes.  Well, crimes can be laundered just like money.  The official ones often are (that's where politics comes in.)

6. other organizational priorities

My fear is that such "other" priorities are, in fact, not those of our government exclusively... they can be religious, economic, and partisan, just to name a few.  "Sustainability" and "eugenics" comes to mind...

My question always returns to the idea of "Why?"  We are not even a species that is cohesive with each other; we are our own worst enemies, violently so.  Under what circumstance would it be 'useful' to engage such a species?  In the end, the only thing that ever broke the boundary in my imaginings is the purpose of exploitation (since we seem so willing to do it to each other anyway.)  Not my idea of a good scenario.

Ha, I thought I was posting too much...I prefer a discussion over a debate, especially on this topic, any day.

Here's another news network and another retired military officer, we have heard from before 

A new paper referencing video captured by Customs and Border Patrol of UAP, or Unexplained Aerial Phenomena, over the ocean near Puerto Rico in 2013 claims that the U.S. government is not sharing all it knows about "all-domain anomalous phenomena." NBC's Gadi Schwartz talks with the paper's author, oceanographer Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, about why he's speaking out.

I am just thinking this is too many ex-military to be coming forward, after decades of denial. No more no less, could be complete disinformation, slow disclosure, or damage control. What other reason supports the now willingness of ex-military to come forward?





as to your reasonings 

I find it difficult to attribute much weight to the fear. Besides, every time I hear the words "national security" spoken by anyone... it leads to "we need me more money from you."

Just because TPTB hide behind National Security excuses all the time doesn't mean it wasn't a valid reason initially and even now with respect to NHI. 

But even if it is true that there is a person, group, or institution which is truly in charge.. deciding for "everyone" on how to engage with this possibility (probability?)... it seems unwise to assume they are motivated and driven by a sense of "protection for the people.' 
 
How about self-preservation then, unless there is some secret off-planet colony any PTB Im referring to is under the same risks as everybody else. I find it much more likely they can't keep the lid on this forever, and this is indeed step one towards more transparency on the history of UAPs, this doesn't mean they will be entirely truthful or will be willing to discuss the future prospects

The idea that people will simply destroy themselves over the news is a pervasive myth. 

Really? We have a small percentage right now going bugchit, supporting an entity that wants to destroy our culture, over the Israel/Palestine question. We have no way of knowing one way or the other unless the NHI has time-traveling or remote-viewing abilities. It's human nature to weigh all the possibilities and have a measure of caution too. Sure the early bird gets the worm, but the 2nd mouse gets the cheese. I suspect how society responds depends on what is disclosed, if we find any evidence to our origin, I could easily see an upheaval in the more religious countries.

or a non-public agreement

Of all the noteworthy and important aspects of the discussion, I find this most relevant.  You see, caving to their paranoia, government officials 'allowed' themselves to covertly "move" all these matters to private enterprise... which led to them becoming ignorant - at the government level - of what was going on.

This is the one that resonates with me, we have seen this happen with the CIA and their various ventures over the years. 
Whether it's ignorance, willfully looking the other way, or as some rumors say they were lied to, and taken advantage of. No different than a technology advanced nation can take advantage of a Stone Age tribe if so motivated.

5. departmental misdeeds and a desire to cover up the misdeeds

Ah, crimes.  Well, crimes can be laundered just like money.  The official ones often are (that's where politics comes in.)

Fairly certain there is a significant aspect of this occurring, after all, we are thinking of 70-80 years of interactions. Simply mistakes have been made. Probably a lot of them. 

6. other organizational priorities

My fear is that such "other" priorities are, in fact, not those of our government exclusively... they can be religious, economic, and partisan, just to name a few.  "Sustainability" and "eugenics" comes to mind...

My question always returns to the idea of "Why?"  We are not even a species that is cohesive with each other; we are our own worst enemies, violently so.  Under what circumstance would it be 'useful' to engage such a species?  In the end, the only thing that ever broke the boundary in my imaginings is the purpose of exploitation (since we seem so willing to do it to each other anyway.)  Not my idea of a good scenario.

Not to follow other common sci-fi tropes, but it could be as simple as they are interested in our resources and have no concerns for humanity except possibly a negotiated percentage of human experiments. Or perhaps they need our animal-like savage instincts to fight on threat to them. Simply, as humanity explores the cosmos, I would imagine sooner or later we will try and have our dogs and cats a long for the ride. 

Maybe we are the pets, the experiment or maybe there were advanced civilizations before ours human or otherwise. Perhaps some of us come from off planet while others are from terra firma.