 Terra Obscura is proud to welcome its first guest contributor. While this blog has traditionally been more focused on the philosophical aspects of UFO discourse, this article takes on a political and cultural tone which fits into the general mandate of Terra Obscura. The views of this post are not necessarily the views of the Terra Obscura blog nor its owner. -MJ Banias, Curator Human behavior sometimes takes us on unexpected journeys. While we like to consider ourselves rational beings, our actions often indicate otherwise. A perfect example of this has been the populist wave that has swept across America over the past decade, culminating (or at least burgeoning) with the election of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States. However, no matter which end of the political spectrum you are on, it is clear something is amiss. If you come from the Left, you are likely wondering why so many people would vote for someone whose policies are very much out of touch with what we know to be true about modern day governments, science and economics, and who also supports bigotry and prejudice as part and parcel of American rhetoric. Supporters of the administration from the Right, though, are equally flummoxed, for Trump seems virtually incapable of putting through his agenda despite a majority in the House and the Senate, and any attempt at forming policy is being blocked by investigations into collusion with Russia, or, as these individuals would put it, by unfair media treatment and “fake news.” It doesn’t really matter who’s correct in this situation, though. Both sides can agree something isn’t right. While many would like to simply chalk this phenomenon up to tense times brought on by decades of income inequality, labor commodification and pro-corporate/pro-wealthy policies further entrenching these unfavorable conditions, this might be denying a more profound truth. The government has been engaged in covert actions almost directly against the will of the people for decades (supporting coups throughout Latin America, fighting needless wars, negotiating free trade agreements that offer little benefit to the average American businessman, etc.), so it is not a total leap to think someone else is calling the shots. If we entertain for a moment the idea of a co-creation hypothesis, it is well within the realm of possibility that some extraterrestrial body is working behind the scenes to manipulate reality without us even knowing it. Let’s travel down the path this curious thought presents and see if we can’t detect evidence of alien manipulation of the U.S. government.  Many conspiracy theorists believe that Eisenhower had several meetings with extraterrestrials. Sneaky bastard... If extraterrestrials were in fact working within the United States government, this would mean they have made their way to Earth with the intention of colonization and conquest. Since the formation of the U.S. in 1776, expansion has been at the center of government policy. Manifest Destiny dominated much of the 19th century, and this exacerbated slavery-driven sectionalism, resulting in the Civil War, which consolidated power in the hands of the federal government. From here, the reinstatement of the Central Bank and the establishment of the federal income tax in 1913 gave the government, and the aliens, the means to manipulate large groups of people, accumulate resources and entrench themselves as the world super power. This is a position that after WWII would only intensify. What has happened since has been a systematic takeover by U.S.-based ideologies, largely free-market capitalism and liberal democracy, which are both incredibly effective ways to implement large-scale control. This is because they provide acceptable levels of micro-level freedoms while providing governing bodies with tools to carry out macro-level manipulation. This strategy would make sense. Any outright declaration of war from an alien entity would have instigated a more unified response from humanity. Instead, by assuming control of a young country, securing its hold of vast resources and using these resources to establish a world order relatively easy to manipulate through the control of capital flows and communication is a much more subtle and effective way of gaining control over the entire planet. Additionally, this type of “slow-play” conquest seems more likely since a species with the foresight to seek out new planets to inhabit would be willing to play this century-long waiting game for total control. We live in a world where wars no longer make much sense, yet they wage on, and this somewhat inexplicable continuation of fighting could be the result of a foreign entity using the world’s most powerful country as a tool for global domination. This historical-trajectory approach to uncovering alien control of the U.S. government helps set the framework, but looking at some of the more day-to-day activities of those in Washington could help provide further proof. For example, the Snowden leaks proved to both U.S. and global citizens that government surveillance is very real. While government agencies justify this as part of the fight against terrorism, no one really buys this argument. What could possibly be the purpose of spying on individuals and tracking their activity when the vast majority of people do absolutely nothing to threaten state power? There are only two genuine explanations (which complement each other): to learn about human behavior patterns, and to generate fear.  Edward Snowden  By keeping tabs on people, the government, and those really running it, can gain detailed insight into human desires, fears, interests and habits. This proves to be very valuable at the hour of manipulation, as the government can use this information to direct people’s actions or to advance certain ideologies which serve to help advance their agenda (think Capitalism). While tools exist to help protect against this type of spying, very few people actually use them and mainstream culture considers these individuals, much like those in the UFO/extraterrestrial community, crackpots or paranoid, only furthering the extent and effectiveness of surveillance.
Additionally, the fact the government continues to monitor its citizens after the Snowden leaks made it widely known what is going on shows how it values this tool for creating and inciting fear. By both supporting the terrorist storyline and also by giving people the feeling they are being watched (which has been shown to change how people behave), the government is able to subdue the population and prevent unmanageable dissent. Again, these tools for domination are subtle and play out over time, which is the strategy most likely to be employed by extraterrestrials (as mentioned earlier). The obvious counterargument to all this is that this slow conquest driven by inexplicable wars, information manipulation and surveillance is simply the result of human vice and folly. Greed, power and xenophobia drive us to do terrible things to each other, but this explanation seems too simple. Plus, the countless sightings of UFOs and other evidence of extraterrestrial life provides too much proof there is some other entity among us, interacting with us or watching us. However, the co-creation hypothesis, as well as other theories as to why humans choose to reject the reality in which they live, means that even if this was the case, we may never really know for sure. The only thing we can do is speculate and do our best to improve communication and cooperation amongst people so that in the event these foreign entities do indeed reveal themselves, we can be prepared to protect the only home we’ve ever known. Do you think extraterrestrials are behind the actions of the U.S. government? Why or why not? Join the discussion by leaving a comment below. -Sandra O'Hare About the Author: Sandra O'Hare is a blogger who focuses largely on government surveillance. She used to consider the idea of extraterrestrial interference in human affairs nothing more than a thing of science fiction, but her investigations into the inner workings of the government have led her to believe something else is at play. She now spends most of her time raising awareness and trying to stimulate discussion about this oft-neglected topic.
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 Over the last month or so, I’ve seen several articles and social media posts concerning the Disclosure movement and the Roman Catholic Church. Due to a few comments made by Pope Francis and the former Director of the Vatican Observatory, Father Jose Funes, several years ago, there seems to have been a recent resurgence of the idea that the Vatican’s inner circle is aware of an extraterrestrial presence on Earth.
As with most things uttered in the name of Disclosure, this claim is ridiculous and has no evidence to support it. To be clear, I support the disclosure of information to the public, not just about the UFO phenomenon, but about all things. The democratisation of knowledge, which in turn becomes power (to borrow from Foucault), is essential to fair governance. However, many “Disclosurists” are not interested in furthering equality of power. They use the guise of open governance to line their own pockets. Here's a nice a gem for your reading enjoyment that supports my claim. Being born and raised a Catholic, I feel that I have to clear the air here. Is the Vatican, or any authoritative body for that matter, participating in a conspiratorial Disclosure campaign? I highly doubt it. Does the Vatican believe in extraterrestrial life? Well...for an institution that has been around for nearly two millennia and has a perceived image of being conservative, the Roman Catholic Church is very forward thinking on the matter.  The above thirteen minute interview with Richard Dolan has been circling the Ufological world. Published by Earth Mystery News on July 6th, Dolan presents his interpretation of the day after Disclosure, its effects, as well as some interesting political rhetoric concerning American foreign policy. One very interesting point in the interview occurs when Mr. Dolan posits that any disclosure would have to be forced out by, or at least, fully controlled by the public. His concern is that the current political powers will package the disclosed information, and feed it to the public however they saw fit.
Dolan refers to a shadowy elite group who desire and work to keep the public in check. The people are controlled by, to quote Adam Smith, the “masters of mankind,” the elite who maintain all for themselves and none for the rest. If there does exist a cabal of controllers, how then can we have “honest disclosure?”  The Alien Cosmic Expo, Canada’s largest UFO convention, is fast approaching. At the end of June, we have an “expert” panel prepared to discuss the reality of ET visitation to Earth citing Canadian government documents and cases which allegedly “prove” UFO activity. It is being touted as Canada’s first public hearing on UFOs.
Not to generalize, but Canadians are a little more reasonable in their perceptions regarding the UFO phenomenon. To paraphrase and adapt what Dr. David Clarke said about British Ufology in his recent book, How UFOs Conquered the World, Canadians are very similar to their English cousins- we are generally a little more level headed about this sort of thing. I am excited to see that Canada is finally getting some modern and much deserved attention in the UFO field. We don’t shy away from this sort of thing, but we don’t necessarily draw attention to it either. The Expo’s Public Hearing on ET Disclosure will be interesting. As I discussed in my last post, I did have a few concerns and questions for the panel and the organizers. Unfortunetly, no one from that group responded to my call for clarity. That being said, I am still hoping that this expert panel provides some compelling evidence, and that the panel of skeptics are able to “hold their own” in a harsh slanted climate. I hope the discourse is intelligent and the debate is fair. Chris Rutkowski, Canada’s foremost expert on the UFO phenomena, recently released an excellent article on his blog, Ufology Research. Interestingly, to the more advanced reader, it includes some of the government documents and cases cited on one of the hearing’s organizers website as evidence to be heard during the hearing. It also presents a lot of additional information that potentially explains what these events may have been, as well as a few “Unknowns” which, after solid research, still baffle him, other Ufologists, and yours truly. The article’s focus is on the best documented cases of UFO crashes in Canada, and can be found by clicking here. It is a solid well researched read, and I would implore you to check it out, especially if you plan on heading to this Hearing on ET Disclosure. It may provide a solid base of data and background knowledge before you enter the inner sanctum of the Disclosure movement. 2016, The Year of Disclosure!
5/25/2016
 An article in the Mirror today announced that American president Barack Obama will disclose to the public the truth behind UFOs. Stephen Bassett, who was quoted in the article, stated that he believes 2016 will be the year of Disclosure, adding that he also thinks that President Obama will be the “disclosure president.”
I agree with Mr. Bassett that if the American government did release actual evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, the collective mind of planet Earth would be blown. It would single- handedly be the most important discovery and finding made by our species on this piece of rock we call Earth. I appreciate the UFO community’s zeal for official Disclosure. I truly do. That being said, I would also ask Mr. Bassett to take pause, and inform his community of “Disclosurists” to gird their loins for the very real possibility that there is no evidence, bodies, space ships, or artifacts to disclose. The Alien Cosmic Expo, an International Panel of "Experts", and Why I'm Getting All Riled Up.
5/10/2016
 On June 25th, The Alien Cosmic Expo in Brantford Ontario will play host to the first ever international panel on the existence of UFOs and Extraterrestrials using primarily Canadian government documents; suggesting that Canada, along with many other nations, have and are studying the UFO phenomenon. This massive collection of government files, according to the Research and Development team behind this panel, allegedly claims Canada is well aware of the UFO issue and that some of the evidence suggests that these UFOs rely upon intelligent operation. Ok, I may have a few concerns here... The Disclosure Movement is large, and like a yard sale, it is a big mess of various leaders, organizations and groups, all believing in different things but touting one end goal: that the governments, or “shadow governments”, of the world disclose to the public all of their information and knowledge concerning extraterrestrials. The general consensus for the followers of Disclosure, is that all information and knowledge is tantamount to solid evidence of ETI, whether it be downed flying saucers, alien bodies, technology, and/or open and direct communication with alien beings. Disclosure is not about seeking the truth or the facts, rather, it is about belief, fervent dogmatic belief, that authorities are hiding something big and anything less is disinformation, a cover up, or a conspiracy to hide the truth from the public.  They're heeere...well, maybe. We can't back that up... "Soft Disclosure" and My Baby Girl
2/21/2016
 As many fathers do around this planet, I read bed time books to my baby daughter. Being that she is a new addition to our family, she enjoys tactile reads over solid plot development and rich characters...infants, what can you do?
One of her favorites is the book pictured above. It's a new addition to her library and little did I know that the secret government project to slowly and quietly disclose the truth about aliens has violated her peaceful and blissfully ignorant existence. |
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Amanclos, Ryan Hallock, Chico Boomba, 13winds, PhotoAtelier, Bill Brussard // www.theeyeandthestreet.com, MEDIODESCOCIDO, DragonRal, interdimensionalguardians, steevithak, Jessica_Branstetter, Biblioteca Rector Machado y Nuñez, interdimensionalguardians, IBiAFoddoAbbarad, Sunfox, ezhikoff, smilejustbcuz, claudiaheidelberger, Sierragoddess, DragonRal, FolsomNatural, kryshen, Metropolico.org, Kevin M. Gill, Aseptic Void, Wiertz Sébastien, izarbeltza, Jason Riedy, Macro-roni