The Alien Cosmic Expo, an International Panel of "Experts", and Why I'm Getting All Riled Up.

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...

---

According to Bob Mitchell’s blog,

“[An] independent Canadian Research and Development Team has been established. Its mandate is:
- To assemble a panel of world-renowned experts in the field of UFOs to provide evidence about     the existence of the phenomenon, and;
-To assemble a second panel, one composed of journalists and academics to challenge and         question the experts on UFO evidence.”

Mitchell goes on to invite open minded skeptics to attend and attempt to counter the evidence as its presented to the expert panel. 

Again, from Mitchell’s blog, 
​
“Based on this set of circumstances it is safe to conclude questions about the existence of the UFO phenomenon remain in the dark and that a public hearing on this matter is imperative. Now that verified evidence has been compiled, there is a legitimate opportunity for journalists to become an integral part of, and a voice in the public inquiry – a voice Canadians have never heard before.”

***
As an open-minded and romantic skeptic concerning the UFO phenomenon as well as an active FI with MUFON, I do have a few initial questions for the “expert” panel.

1. What constitutes an “expert” in the field of Ufology?
   
   What is Ufology and who establishes credibility in this field of study? By nature, most, if not all, Ufological data is circumstantial and speculative; how then can expertise be formed? Is it the person who has heard the most stories? Is it the person who has investigated the most reports? Is it the person who has published the most books? No field of study so loosely establishes credibility and expertise as Ufology does. Why do the men on this “expert” panel speak for the field of Ufology?
   
   
2. Why does the press release pre-suppose the “reality” of ET and abduction?
   
   In a press release by ZNN,
   
   “Experts will present their case in support of the UFO reality, the existence of extraterrestrials and what world governments, Pentagon, White House, NORAD and Vatican officials know about this issue.”
   
   So this expert panel is already slanted and biased? I’ve read the work of many of the panel members. There is a clear bias. Is this a rational unbiased exploration into the potential reality or mythology of the UFO phenomenon?
   
   
3. What is the purpose of the second panel of skeptics? 

            Is the second panel designed to provide counter evidence to the biased expert panel?                           Will this panel of “open minded skeptics” have access to the same files the experts do? Will it             be a fair debate, or, as Admiral Ackbar, a famous alien who lived a long time ago in a galaxy                 far far away once said, “It’s a trap?” 
            How many skeptics are willing to enter the lion’s den with the potential and probable reality                 that they will not be provided with all the details the experts are? One would also hope that                 this panel of experts are somewhat skeptical themselves, and hopefully rational. However,                   many of the experts on the panel have made very extraordinary claims with no evidence to                 support them. Even when they have evidence, it is pretty dubious (MJ-12, I’m talking about                   you).​

***
Ufology is a collection of stories, circumstantial evidence, and speculation, and there is nothing wrong with that. We must accept the reality of the situation. I am a young ufologist, I am open minded, but I am not deluded by government reports concerning pieces of strange metal from outer space (see Mitchell’s blog, link is posted below). Government reports are made by people. People think and believe many things. Just because there is a report does not make it true, it merely suggests that the person or persons who wrote it thought it was from outer space.
I would love to attend this discussion, but I would shy away from calling it a “debate” or “hearing” as these terms presuppose a fair and democratic argument upon equal footing. No skeptic or debunker can provide exact and perfect counter evidence to a UFO report, sighting or incident. Similarly, no proponent or believer can provide exact and perfect evidence to actually support a UFO report, sighting or incident. We have a collective mythos built upon ideologies and cultural storytelling. It is beautiful, like Shakespeare, and like his historical plays, probably just as historically accurate. 
Do people see strange things in the sky? Of course they do. Has the government logged some of these reports, explored and even studied them? Of course. To suggest, however, that these reports are solid and unquestionable evidence for extraterrestrials and abductions is, to quote Shakespeare’s Macbeth, “full of sound and fury signifying nothing…” 
The conference itself presupposes the existence of UFOs as alien spacecraft. Mud will be slung, but not at the “UFO experts”. Keep your head down and wear something you can get a little dirty…


Here is a link to Mitchell’s blog if you wish to read more about this event.

​-M.J. Banias