I meant to get this out the other day but I’ve been wading through yet another round of hate mail from Alfred Lehmberg. (Yes that’s a lame excuse, I’m really in the middle of a couple of fascinating books. …)
Exopolitics has it’s own journal! Hurry hurry! Step Riiiight up!
“The Exopolitics Journal is an online resource established for individuals wanting to study the key actors, institutions and processes associated with the extraterrestrial hypothesis. It will become a valuable source of information for anyone wanting to understand the political implications of multiple sources of evidence concerning the extraterrestrial hypothesis that our Earth is currently being visited and monitored by extraterrestrial races.”
Or it might become a laughingstock in the academic journal business, kind of like the novel Touched by Venom is in the genre fiction world. (this book is known as the first “venom cock†novel in subgenre fantasy. )
Really! Don’t get me wrong. I think UFOlogy needs a good peer reviewed *scientific or academic* journal. Not another woo-woo web publication by a bunch of grown men who think they talk to space aliens.
What’s astounding is the credentials of Exopolitic head honcho Michael E. Salla PhD.
So who is this Michael E. Salla PhD?
Dr. Michael E. Salla has held academic appointments in the School of International Service, American University, Washington DC (1996-2001), and the Department of Political Science, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia (1994-96). He taught as an adjunct faculty member at George Washington University, Washington DC., in 2002. He is currently researching methods of Transformational Peace as a Researcher in Residence in the Center for Global Peace (2001-2003) and directing the Center’s Peace Ambassador Program which uses transformational peace techniques for individual self-empowerment. He has a PhD in Government from the University of Queensland, Australia, and an MA in Philosophy from the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of The Hero’s Journey Toward a Second American Century (Greenwood Press, 2002) and co-editor/author of three other books, and authored more than seventy articles, chapters, and book reviews on peace, ethnic conflict and conflict resolution. He has conducted research and fieldwork in the ethnic conflicts in East Timor, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Sri Lanka. He has organized a number of international workshops involving mid to high level participants from these conflicts. He has an academic website at http://www.american.edu/salla/
http://www.exopolitics.org/Study-Paper-4-PF.htm
He’s also got a big interest in mystical-homeopathic stuff and merkaba, sacred geometry. I guess that I can’t hold that against him. His academic record is certainly impressive, especially in the UFO field.
The first article in the Exopolotics journal? “The History of Exopolitics: Evolving Political Approaches to UFOs and the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis
It turns out this is more a survey into the history of UFOs in the United States. Pretty much gleaned from a number of popular books and web pages.
The second article is entitled; “Exopolitics and Religion” (nuff said methinks.)
The third? “The Long-Term Government Covert Educational Program on Alien Visitors”
“I think that galactic societies have a “prime directive” that limits interference with lesser-evolved species such as we. The main reason alien liaison is increasing now is because our planet is being transformed to support a new world order. This process involves the evolution of the soul. The new order is destined to support a learning process that is one step beyond the human experience of free-will choices. It is the experience of learning to develop unconditional love of others. I think this outcome is unlikely unless the selfish or negative souls stop re-incarnating here. I hope, for the sake of our stressed environment, that we will get this kind of divine assistance. If this happens, then the new world order can become what Jesus described as heaven on Earth.”
And so on. Anyway, it’s a UFO lovefest hup hup hup! Bring on the cotton candy and the dog-faced woman!
Even Stanton Freidman weighed on this issue. In a letter I sniched from Paul Kimball’s web log, Freidman writes;
Dr. Michael Salla [has] participated in several conferences and seems to believe every whistle blower and contactee story ever told. His excuse for accepting the tales without evidence to support them, and in face of evidence that they are baloney, is that since the government covers up things about UFOs, they would, of course, also make it impossible to verify claims of the whistleblowers and, therefore, the claims must be true. So he is a big fan of Robert Lazar, all of Dr. Steve Greer’s sources, Colonel Corso, Sergeant Clifford Stone, ‘Dr.’ Michael Wolf Kruvant etc…
I still maintain that, although Exopolitics is a laudable idea it’s ultimately a big fat dead end. Just like most of UFOlogy. Seems to me that the society of any alien species will be so unlike our own that communication itself will be difficult. Politics? We can’t even figure out politics between our own nearly identical cultures, say the one in the US vs the one in Iran (for example.) Exopolotics with a million year old star traveling culture? Don’t make me laugh! It’s human-centric nonsense of the worst sort. If such a species were out there I suspect that they would just drop an asteroid on Humanity and then poke around in the rubble for any valuables. Or else they would check us out to see if we were fact ‘mostly harmless’ and leave us alone with our planet busting toys. Why would they want meaningfully sexual contact or whatever rot the contactees report. I mean, how Star Trek!
But, before even going down this road, don’t the Exopolitical people think it would be a good idea to have a few aliens? You know. If you’re going to go to all the trouble to write impressive sounding papers, don’t you think it’s a good idea to have a subject to write about? A real subject? Otherwise, aren’t we just spinning our wheels a bit?
But perhaps (as weird Al says and you know who you are Lehmberg) I’m too clueless to conceive of aliens. Weird Al and posse doesn’t know me very well. I’m fond of musing on the subject, very fond as a matter of fact. But, I also like to stay rooted in the real, the stuff that I can feel around me. That and my imagination which *is mostly not-real!* It’s speculation people! Stop treating your imagination like it’s a freaking fact!
You will all get along so much better!
“Weird Al and posse doesn’t know me very well.”
…Better and better it would seem; I received the following E-mail with 25 or 30 addressees attached…
Just how well _do_ you want to be known…?
>> Dear researchers, thinkers, and free spirits,
>>
>> For many years now, I’ve been watching as an anonymous
>> individual calling himself the “Odd Emperor” has used
>> his “Empire of the Odd” web site to ridicule, attack,
>> and harass each and every one of you. He makes fun of
>> your web sites, your work, your research, your
>> beliefs, and tells outright lies that amount to
>> slander and libel, all the while hiding behind a veil
>> of anonymity that he thinks protects him from
>> criticism in any way (not to mention potential
>> lawsuits, at which he openly scoffs).
>>
>> Some of you he has drawn into conversations that were
>> at first private, then he posted your conversations
>> online as he attempted to make you look foolish.
>>
>> He has waged his campaign of harassment at two sites:
>>
>> http://oddempire.org
>>
>> and
>>
>> http://www.oddempire.org/weblog/
>>
>> Well, at last some light has been shed on just who
>> this guy is, who prides himself on harassing and
>> attempting to humiliate others.
>>
>> At his oddempire site his copyright info contains this
>> text:
>>
>> Copyright © 2003-2006, Empire of the Odd. G.
>> Pettingill, editor in chief.
>>
>> Now, in the interest of full disclosure:
>> The “odd emperor” is an individual named “XXXX
>> Pettingill.” XXXXXXX
>> (XXXXXXXX). His e-mail
>> address there is XXXXX , and his phone
>> number there is
>>
>> Toll-free: XXXXXX
>> Local:XXXXX
>>
>> His home address is XXXXX
>> XX His home phone number is XXXXXXX or
>> XXXXX (to this latter number, he publicly
>> requests “no calls after 11 pm” so be sure not to
>> bother him after 11 pm!). His personal business web
>> site is XXXXX, at which he hosts
>> all of his “anonymous” Empire of the Odd / Odd Emperor
>> material.
>>
>> Looks like the Emperor has no Cloak (of Anonymity)
>> anymore. Now everyone can know just who it is who is
>> harassing them on discussion lists, harassing and
>> slandering them (libeling them, actually) in printed
>> form on the web (some of you may want to talk to your
>> lawyers), and generally making an ass of himself at
>> the expense of others.
>>
>> Please feel free to spread this information (as it is
>> all PUBLIC INFORMATION obtained freely over the web),
>> to discussion groups or to others who have been
>> harassed by this guy over the years.
>>
>> Everyone who has been slandered, libeled, harassed,
>> and ridiculed by this jerk has a right to know who has
>> actually been assaulting them for his own amusement.
>>
…Welcome to the real world Mr. Pettingill? For my part, I much prefer “Pettingill” to “lack-wit,” “dim-bulb,” “Nym-rod,” “Empers,” and “Mooky-poots” — I can treat you with more respect. Not much more mind you, as the moldy little rock you were under had to be kicked over? But, more none-the-less. [g].
Greetings, Sir.
alienview@adelphia.net
http://www.AlienView.net
AVG Blog — http://alienviewgroup.blogspot.com/
(this comment was edited. OE.)
You are welcome to call me whatever you like.
Mr. Pettingill however says “salutem plurimam dicit. ” You are not welcome to call him whatever you like, he asked me to tell you that.
You know Mr. Lehmberg, That name’s been on the Odd Empire page (down in the disclaimer) for about three years now. Perhaps you didn’t notice?
Do you think I really don’t know what is a matter of public information and what is not? Do you really think it’s a good idea to publish private phone numbers with the intent to harass? I think that’s a terrible idea, as horrible as you may think I am Mr. Lehmberg, I would never do something like that to you.
As for the rest , I think It’s a *good* thing that you’ve now taken it *upon yourself* to prevent any harassment of the individual described above. You have truly become the Odd Emperor’s huckleberry! Or Mr. Pettingill’s, perhaps both?
Bravo!
“OE:
Frankly, I don’t care what your real name is, any more than I
care about the real names of the hundreds of people at UFO
Planet who use pseudonyms. I judge people by what they say,
which, on the Internet, is about the best one can hope for. Would
it be nice to know who everyone is? Absolutely. But that’s not how
things have developed on the Net, so you have to go with the flow.
It does mean that I won’t vouch for someone’s character, because I
don’t know them. But I can decide whether their views on a particular
subject are well-reasoned, and can judge them to that extent. Again,
all one can ask for these days.
The irony here is Mr. Lehmberg’s newfound zeal for exposing people’s
identities. I wonder how keen he would be to do that with phoney
whistleblowers, anonymous sources telling amazing tales, and so
on.
Not very keen at all, I suspect, but then even-handedness, rationality
and fair play are not his strong suits, are they? It’s not THE truth that
he’s interested in, it’s HIS truth – which is NO truth at all.
Best regards,
Paul Kimball
aka Chriso-Fascist
rampant narcissist
rapacious net weasel
book burner
liar
gullible fat head
stealth debunker…
etc, etc.
All terms that Mr. Lehmberg has used in reference to me, either directly or, when he wants to avoid a lawsuit, by implication. Which is what one would expect from a person like Mr. Lehmberg, who has shown neither an interest in, nor an ability to, counter the arguments that people like me put forward.
Thanks Mr. Kimball.
It always fascinates me when people hoist the double standard in the name of fairness or whatever. Mr. Lehmberg had a real beef with someone not so long ago, someone who in my estimation, crossed a line of decency.
Now, ironically Mr. Lehmberg has said in effect, “It’s OK to harass people! I approve of ad homonym because I realize I don’t have a logical toothpick to stand on.”
Fascinating, but very sad and disappointing.
OE:
A person’s credibility is important in terms of whether you should take their opinions, or research, seriously. Accordingly, it’s fair game, so long as it can be linked to their views. That’s why Paul Hellyer’s past record of bouncing all over the political map is relevant to his current assertions re: UFOs – it goes, as a judge would say, to credibility.
There are, of course, limits to these things. The smear against Mr. Lehmberg that you mention was one egregious example, and it’s fair game for Mr. Lehmberg to mention his record as a combat veteran and Bronze Star recipient in an attempt to bolster his credibility, as he does, because these things work both ways.
What he fails to understand, or maybe he understands it but won’t accept it, is that it’s just as bad when he goes about smearing other people, and it’s just as relevant for those other people to use their credentials to buttress their credibility.
At the end of the day, however, credibility is only one piece of the pie (and a fairly small one at that). It is how one puts forward their opinions, and the evidence that they use to back it up, that really matters. This is where Mr. Lehmberg, who , if nothing else, seems genuinely sincere in his beliefs, has the greatest difficulty. He filters everything – evidence, a person’s views, you name it – through that belief system filter, and tries to force it into his own small ideological box. This is why, for example, he goes on, elsewhere, about Canada’s Conservatives being the same as Bush’s Republicans – it doesn’t matter that they’re not, as any informed person will tell you (or as you could see for yourself if you actually read through their policies). All that matters is that he can’t possibly imagine or comprehend that there is another type of conservative different than the ones he knows and loathes, and he has no interest in looking deeper to see what the truth really is. He certainly doesn’t do “nuance”, or accept that people can hold different opinions on different issues – i.e. conservative on foreign policy, liberal on domestic, or, more apropos of the UFO phenomenon, pro-UFO, but not convinced of the ETH, as is the case with me, pro-ETH but anti-alien abductions, as is the case with Kevin Randle. When he runs into people like us, he just can’t process the complex views.
In the end, it’s all about him.
Paul Kimball
Credibility and reputation are everything . Mr. Lehmberg desperately wants people to validate his world-view and be accepted as a true visionary, a thinker who sees deeper, more profound truths than other people.
And he does, he’s got some very good ideas but his vision is simple. It all seems to revolve around whose kissig up to him and who refuses to. If someone is not brown-nosing Mr. Lehmberg he automatically labels that person an enemy and attacks them. He seems to sees everything in very stark terms.
This is strange because his “Alien View†philosophy is mostly sound. If he actually followed it (perhaps if he actually read it) he’d understand that going around smearing people is very counter productive. It’s completely against his own philosophy. Which of course proves that it’s not *his* philosophyat all. Do as I say but not as I do. Problem is? Most people are followers and will be less hesitant to do as *he* does.
I don’t think Lehmberg really wants to live in a world like that, but it is the one he’s creating around himself.
Oh and he lets other people play him, that’s pretty obvious.