July 2010

“I remember the Betty & Barney Hill incident vividly, all the press, the interviews, and the subsequent television MOW, the book rights which were bought by James Earl Jones (who played Barney in the movie).

This book authored by Stanton Friedman and Kathleen Marden, Betty Hill’s niece, was in 2007.

I found the book to be intriguing, almost overly methodical in presenting local, Air Force reports, hypnosis logs, contradictions of various professionals as to what they believed or not and why, efforts to suppress the abduction claim, efforts to support it. All-in-all, this was an excellent read.

I’ve read many books on the subject, and usually try to read those publications which are thorough, and as objective as possible. I heard an interview with Stan Friedman and Kathy Marden which aroused my curiosity.

The more our society’s technological advances expand, our satellites gather more information which is publicly accessible or is exposed as a result of various leaks from private groups, and our ventures into space open more, the more, I believe, that we are going to learn about the enormity of our universe. Part and parcel to that are the undeniable and unavoidable questions, “Are there other civilizations out there? Are we alone?” Recently, the Hubble Telescope has recorded images of the “Hubble Ultra Deep Field” in the constellation of Formax where there are over 100,000 galaxies (like our own Milky Way) in a very small slice of the night sky. Each one of these galaxies has millions of star systems, of which many probably contain planets and solar systems like our own. This is science, not science fiction.

To anyone who is interested in the possibility of life elsewhere due to scientific advancement and discovery, the UFO phenomena, whether you believe in it, or you are “sitting on the proverbial fence,” I strongly encourage you to read this book.

What a Great Nation America is! Envision and founded upon great ideals. If part of our nation suffers an injustice or just bad luck, we all feel it, especially in the digital age that has brought us closer together in many ways, on many levels. Worldwide, we share everything, information, drama, voyeurism, pain, happiness.

The Gulf is our problem. In our press, our dialogue with one another, in the stresses heaped open us by the loss of jobs, families struggling, personal and professional dreams put on hold, we tend to snap at one another. “Put blame where it belongs.” That is the saying, isn’t it? Regarding what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico, we MUST go beyond blame. We must think healing. We must feel it. We must see it.

Why do you go to the beach? Sure it’s for a vacation, or to play in the sand, or body surf in the waves or have fun at the various amusement parks at night. Every country in the world cherishes its beaches. Look at the condos there, the nightlife, the ads for the perfect getaway. BUT WHY? Behind all of that, it is THE OCEAN. Ocean is Origin. Ocean is life. Ocean is mystery of life. It is in us. We stare out at limitless expanse of water and we wonder, like we do when we look up at the stars.

The Gulf of Mexico is a stunningly beautiful, clear turquoise. Oil is spewing out by thousands of gallons as you read this, staining that turquoise brown from inside out, killing fish, whales, birds, their eggs, their progeny. Who knows what the long-term effects will be?

No profit is worth what is happening to our planet. No cutting corners. No hedging our corporate bets is worth any delay. This is OUR PLANET. Expediency to protect our Mother Earth, not hedging an investment, should be our ONLY focus.

Please take a minute over our Nation’s 234th birthday the next few days to think about this. It is not THEIR PROBLEM. IT IS OURS. IT IS YOURS. Because it is YOUR PLANET.

Please look out wherever you are at Mother Earth. It can be at the ocean, at a sunset, at a great tree, or simply at the color and symmetry of a flower.

–John Weiskopf