One of the first depictions of a "flying saucer", by illustrator Frank R. Paul on the October 1929 issue of Hugo Gernsback's pulp science fiction magazine Science Wonder Stories. Although the term wasn't used before 1947, fantasy artwork in pulp magazines prepared the American mind to be receptive to the idea of "flying saucers". Public Domain |
It was amazing to me to see White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explaining that the objects shot down weren't sent by outer space aliens. I am not suggesting she shouldn't have said anything about this although to me the 39 seconds she talked about it seemed too long. It seemed like a riff.
She could have said simply that the three yet to be identified objects originated from a so far undetermined country. No matter how much she denied that they "things" were alien vessels there would be those who believed it was a deep-state coverup.
I think that the use of the term UFO in reference to them was unfortunate because in common parlance it is synonymous with what used to be called flying saucers carrying aliens from other planets.
"Mystery objects" is another I think more fitting term which is being used. General Mark Milley said that he'd just call them objects. Good on him...
Click above to enlarge. |
Each time someone, whether a pilot or someone on the ground, sees something in the air they can't identify they call it a UFO and a segment of the public speculates whether it is extraterrestrial in origin.
Only the first object was identified as a Chinese spy balloon. The three others weren't and they have not yet been identified. Moreover, none of them were flying. They were floating. Obviously all of them were objects.
Some, though not all, of the hysteria over an alien visit, incursion, or invasion could probably have been avoided it these objects were called something like unidentified airborne objects and then shortened to UAO's. The change of merely one letter might have made a big difference.
Those who watched TV saw UFO on every chyron under reports about the objects.
If a UFO turns out to be an alien vessel what will be call it? It will be an identified flying object, and IFO, but then if and when it lands and isn't flying what will it be called? Alien spaceship or vessel would work.
If or when aliens actually arrive we can only speculate as to why they came here. Perhaps they are Zorons from planet Xenos on a Star Trek kind of mission:
To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no Zoron has gone before
Maybe the want to save humanity from itself, put us out of our misery because an advanced civilization deems us irredeemable I am pretty sure they won't announce themselves by floating objects in the atmosphere.
I could be wrong about this. Perhaps the last three of these things are a big test to see how humans respond to mysterious objects in the sky and it is just a coincidence that this happened right after the Chinese balloon was discovered.
On the other hand, maybe the aliens have already met with the Chinese and are in cohorts with them.
Click above to enlarge |
You can see her assure the viewers that these objects weren't sent outer space aliens in this 39 second video clip. She did this more or less seriously although there were a few snickers from the reporters in the room and she did end smiling and saying that she loved the movie ET.
I won't bother linking to articles about this. You can look them up by clicking here.
Click above to enlarge |
Today's other blog is about Trump wanting to televise executions, here.