<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Jon:You brought this about by stating that government secrecy is an unsubstantiated claim, but when I call your hand on it suddenly I must start a new thread? Is that how you win your arguments, by declaring a post off topic and demanding a new thread be started?</DIV></p><p>Not at all. et_earth brought up the "Feds and their code of silience". If you want to point the finger at someone going of topic, point it at him/her/. I merely stated out that there is no evidence what so ever for such a unitary "code of silience." There is of course, government secrecy at many levels on many leveles for many reasons, and rightly so. But this does not equate to single policy of secrency regarding UFOs.</p><p>Why did I suggest another thread? Because discussion of secrecy, real or imagined is off topic. the topic for this thread is McClelland's unsubstantiated claims. Why don't you discuss them? if you don't, start a more appropirate thread regarding what you do want to discuss.</p><p>As for winning arguments, I am not interested in that.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I disagree, government secrecy is at the very heart of this discussion about McClelland. </DIV></p><p>The issue is that makes a specific claim and provides no evidence to back. He is the one making the claim, he is the one who needs to back it up.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Maybe this guy is a wacko, I don't know, but he claims the event in question happened on a classified shuttle mission. If that is the case you would not expect to get the specific details you demand in order to verify his story. </DIV></p><p>Why? he has already made the claim. if this event really happened and really wasclassified he has already spilled the beans. He has got nothing more to loose by providing supporting evidence.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>You may as well try to get the classified blueprints for a nuclear submarine via FOIA, ain't gonna happen. </DIV></p><p>Not at all. McClelland is in the same boat as a person saying that US nuclear submarines and dive to 5000 m and travel at 70 kts. They should provide some supporting evidence. if they are disclosing classified information they were privy to then what have they to loose by disclosing more?</p><p>So McClelland should be able to say which mission and provide at least some supporting evidence.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> Not to say that his story should be taken at face value either, it is just another dead end in a long list of UFO related stories...All we can do is leave it at that</DIV></p><p>That is the problem. they all end either in dead ends because of inconclusive evience or they are conclusively shown to be misidentifcations. Not one has come though with specific evidence that supports the speculation that we are being visited by aliens, not in 60 years. So until someone has that evidence, who should any time be wasted on them??</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>.But security classification and government secrecy is at the heart of this and many other UFO/ET related events. </DIV></p><p>Not at all. Most UFO reports are not classified beecause the military and security services are not involved.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>This is what I thought you were denying with your, "another unsubstantiated claim" statement. Sure UFO related documents can be classified for a myriad of reasons, not necessarily because of any reference to ET. But it is possible that security classification is one of the more effective tools used over the years to maintain a cloak of secrecy around the whole subject. </DIV></p><p>"Possible" is not the same as actual. It is just speculation on your part that anything to do with the UFO as a phenomena or event is being hidden.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> It seems to work well for the nuclear submarine industry and all of the black projects we never hear about.</DIV></p><p>Of course nuclear submarines actually exist. I have seen them and I know people who have served on them. They are very different to wild speculation that lights in the sky or moving blobs are alien visitation.</p><p>As for black projects, if they are real (Steath, SR71 etc.) they come to light, sooner or later If they don't then they remain unsubstantiated speculation by people with over active imaginations. There is little to differentiate between Aurora and alien space ship sightings except what people attribute the sighting to. And without evidence they shoul;d be treated with the same scepticism.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The smoking gun documents concerning ET may well be there but we’ll never know because we can’t gain access to give all of them a proper examination via FOIA because they are classified. </DIV></p><p>Big secrets can't be kept secret for every, secrecy or not. Blaming secrecy for lack of substantiated evidence after 60 years is sour grapes, as m ost UF sightings are not classified. It is far more likely that there is nothing there.</p><p>No matter how many documents are declassified (and many have) a true believer will always say that there must be more that are being hidden. It is an irrefutable argument but not useful. You might as well argue that there are secret files on pixies and the fact that no evidence has been forthcoming just shows how well hidden they are.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>In that respect there is most definitely a government cover-up, and to make the blanket statement that all documents are classified due to other reasons is just the easy, broad brush way to dismiss it all without really looking. </DIV></p><p>I don't see any evidence for a government cover up at all on such matters, or any need to posulate one. of course if you already believe the conclusion then you may see one, but that is a circular argument/</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>So there we are with another dead end, catch-22 situation. I can't give you the evidence you and other skeptics demand because it is most likely classified. I know, I know... how convenient that appears to be...But it seems to be the situation and has been for years. </DIV></p><p>In that case why not move on and discuss something more productive?</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>There is anticdotal evidence and cases where classified documents have "leaked out", but they are not taken seriously either having either been "debunked" or discredited by various sources. </DIV></p><p>Anecdotal evidence is not good enough. And if a document is discredited, why complain?</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Doesn't mean though that as least some of them aren't legitimate</DIV></p><p>If they are discredited by good analysis then they are not legitimate.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>but one fake document is enough to cast doubt over the whole pile. </DIV></p><p>Not at all. Ten fake statements do not out weigh one correct one. But so far none have been produced that can be substantiated.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>(Hmmm, funny how that works in favor of the debunkers, probably is never used as a disinformation tactic though.) </DIV></p><p>This is called shooting the messenger. Youy don't like the conclusions and so blame the "debunkers". This shows you already think that UFOs really are alien spacecraft.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>You say that your experiences have lead you to paths of "poor reasoning, hysteria, paranoia and out and out lying" Well, my experiences have been just the opposite. The more I hear about the phenomenon, the more I wonder about it. I have not personally investigated any UFO cases, I leave that to others. Maybe when you have seen as many as I have you would think differently.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>But I have followed the work of people like J. Allen Hynek, Stanton Friedman, Stephen Greer, John Mack, David Jacobs, George Knapp, and more, who seem like credible researchers. </DIV></p><p>Unfortunately in decades of research these people have not come up with anything worth squat. they are like the serious researchers who look for the Loch Ness Monster. They more careful they are the less specific their concusions become.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Or do you just lump all of these folks into the Richard Hoagland category and call them all wackos? </DIV></p><p>I did not say that the people you name were in the Hoagland category. i said that McCleeland looks very much to be in the Hoagland category. Uses his NASA association to build his credetials - check. has unsubstanitated story - check. Claims massive cover up - check. uses lots of cpatials and/or exclamation marks - check. Has a book to sell - check.</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Now we even have someone of the likes of Edgar Mitchell coming forward with an incredible story. Maybe you can dismiss Dr. Mitchell as a wacko, but when someone of his caliber says something, I think it is worth paying attention to and worthy of further investigation. </DIV></p><p>Except that Mitchell has not seen anything, has never claimed he has and has no evieence to support his assertions. It's all very interesting, but without evidence why should I believe him?</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The knee-jerk reaction should not be to start calling his credibility into question, even if he doesn't have a chunk of the Starship Vladrak in his hand when he says it. </DIV></p><p>Interesting! McClelland makes a claim about interaction between astronauts and aliens on a space shuttle mission but tenders no evidence. And you think that scepticism of this is a knee jerk reaction but acceptance of the statement is not? That is very revealling.</p><p>Jon</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em> Arthur Clarke</p> </div>