Saucer Smear

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SAUCER & UNEXPLAINED CELESTIAL EVENTS RESEARCH SOCIETY
EDITOR AND STILL
SUPREME COMMANDER:
James W. Moseley

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR:
Karl T. Pflock

NON-SCHEDULED
NEWSLETTER
Volume 50, No. 3
March 10th, 2003
OUR FIFTIETH YEAR!

MAILING ADDRESS:
P. 0. Box 1709
Key West, FL 33041

We welcome your correspondence, pro or con, well-reasoned or otherwise, but please keep in mind that while Saucer Smear is on the Dreaded Internet, your humble editor is NOT! So, if you wish to receive a personal reply to your letter, or wish to have any chance of seeing it printed on Our Glorious Pages, please print it out, put it in an envelope, affix a stamp thereto, and SNAIL mail it to:
James W. Moseley
P.O. Box 1709
Key West, FL 33041

It's simple and loads of fun! Ask your grandma if you don't remember how to do it!

We thank you!


DEATH TAKES NOTED SKEPTIC MARCELLO TRUZZI

On February 2nd we were saddened to learn of the passing of Mareello Truzzi, who died of cancer at the age of 67. He is survived by his wife Patricia and two sons.

Truzzi was, in real life, a professor of sociology at Eastern Michigan University. As a hobby, he was one of the founders of CSICOP (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal), back in the mid-1970s.

It soon became apparent to Truzzi that he was not in tune with the philosophical "hard-liners" such as Paul Kurtz who ran that organization, and he split off. Whereas CSICOP's "Skeptical Inquirer" presented only one side of paranormal arguments, Truzzi for several years published a rival but lesser known zine called "The Zetetic Scholar" (a rather poor choice of titles). Therein he tried to present articles showing all sides of scholarly arguments on various off-beat topics, whereas CSICOP's magazine made no such attempt at all. Truzzi considered himself to be a true skeptic, rather than a debunker, and thus in CSICOP's view he was much too moderate.

Although Truzzi in his personal philosophy had no belief at all in either flying saucers or the paranormal, he was a very unusual person in that some of his best friends were Believers of one stripe or another, and he would stick up for these friends vigorously without ever endorsing their views.

One such friend was CUFOS's Jerome Clark, an extreme advocate of interplanetary saucers. Another was spoon-bender Uri Geller, who, like Truzzi, had a background in stage magic, (though Geller doesn't like to admit it, being an alleged psychic).

We always felt that Truzzi was unduly impressed by Geller's fame, which was much greater a couple of decades ago than it is today. When Geller became locked in legal combat with James ( "The Amusing" ) Randi back around 1990, Truzzi slipped court documents and other information supporting Geller to "Saucer Smear", which we used in a series of articles about this infamous feud. "Smear" took a strongly pro-Geller stand, but on sober reflection over the intervening years, we now believe that Geller and Randi pretty much deserved each other. Randi is fanatically anti-psychic and Geller is, at best, a man with occasional flashes of psychic ability. Of late Geller hangs onto the coattails of Michael Jackson, among others!

Your editor only met Marcello Truzzi once, many years ago at a very early CSICOP convention. We kept in touch over the years mainly by telephone. The last time we talked was just a few days before his death, and he spoke of his failing health, which we had not been fully aware of until that time. Most people don't like to talk about such things.

An eloquent voice for reasonableness, common sense and moderation has been silenced, and we are very sorry about this. (Photo of M. Truzzi by Mary Martinek.)


TIDBITS OF TRASH


SHORT SHIT

We have had a nice phone call from Rev. Frank Stranges, who is recovering from heart surgery & complications therefrom .... On the other hand, arch-skeptic Phil Klass is becoming increasingly immobile due to serious complications from back surgery a few years back, but his "Skeptics UFO Newsletter" still lurches out four times per year (rather than six, as before) .... Cleveland-area researcher Rick Hilberg, and others, have come up with possible explanations for the unusually weird UFO videotaped last October 20th by an Albany, New York newsman -as reported in our last issue. Since the UFO is beaded in the opposite direction from the plane being photographed, it is likely some sort of internal camera reflection. (Or maybe not!)...

Pat Marcattilio, who calls himself "Dr. UFO", is having two conventions this year, as usual, near Trenton, New Jersey. They will take place on the weekend of April 5th7th, and again on October 4th & 5th. We won't be attending the first one (where none other than Stanton Friedman will be speaking!), but we may be able to get to the second one .... Meanwhile, we will be present at an offbeat UFO con. in Aztec, New Mexico, on the weekend of March 21st-23rd. this being the approximate anniversary of an alleged saucer crash in that region back in 1948. We're banned in Roswell, but Aztec is a fun second choice, and we're looking forward to it, except for the weather!...

According to "New Scientist" Magazine, about one in four of the 85 planetary systems identified to date outside our own solar system are capable of harboring Earth-like planets. This was a much higher proportion than anyone expected to find. Unfortunately, MUFON's headline for this item is garbled. It erroneously reads "Report claims one in four planets outside solar system can harbor other Earths"...The MUFON UFO Journal announces in its Feb. 2003 issue that it will again start taking "appropriate" advertising, after a gap of several years. Obviously the reason for this is financial!... In the same issue, we learn that MUFON's new Director of Membership is a lady named Lin Simpson. In an act of desperation, she asks for Hollywood area members to help her organize a Hollywood-style fundraiser of some sort. If Gray Barker were alive, he'd know what to do: Float a huge balloon over a populated area with MUFON's address on it in big red letters!...

Former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley-Braun is thinking of running for president. This lady was the first female black senator in U.S. history. We believe she is a very distant cousin to your Editor, as her family and ours both have roots in the town of Evanston, Illinois...The Raelians have disappeared from the headlines as quickly as their short-lived fame began. They claim 55,000 members in 84 countries, but their main headquarters is in Quebec, Canada. It seems evident that they have not produced any human clones as yet....

Our sincere thanks to England's wonderful newsstand magazine "Fortean Times" for not complaining about the fact that we have borrowed many of their cartocns and short news items as "fillers" in "Saucer Smear".


BRIEF BIASED BOOK BASHINGS

Our olde friend Timothy Green Beckley has kindly sent us several of the latest books published by his Inner Light Publications (Box 753, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903). The one that we deign to consider here is a 125-page tome called "Flying Saucers in the Holy Bible", though Beckley gets his own title wrong in his introduction, calling it "Flying Saucers And The Holy Scriptures".

No wonder Beckley gets confused, because we have here a dreadful follow-up to many previous books of similar theme & title, including "UFOs and the Bible" by "Dr." Morris K. Jessup; "The Bible and Flying Saucers" by "Rev." Barry Downing; and "Professor" G. C. Schellhorn's forgettable "ETs In Biblical Prophecy". Shamefully omitted from Beckley's list of previous works is Laura Mundo's similar tome, which was privately published with the title "Flying Saucers and the Father's Plan". Gray Barker then took this uncopyrighted manuscript and published it as "The Father's Plan and Flying Saucers", without permission of the author. This was, indeed, a rather unchristian thing to do! But Barker meant no harm.

Beckley's focus in the present book (if any) is a complete reprint of Virginia Brasington's "Flying Saucers in the Bible", which was originally published in 1963 by Barker's Saucerian Press. We even recognize Barker's type-style, i.e., the pages are reprinted here just as he originally typed them'. We met Ms. Brasington once, when she made a trip to New York City, and we were surprised by the fact that she did not seem to be at all fanatical.

Beckley's book includes, in addition to the long Brasington material, shorter contributions by Sean Casteel, Tim Swartz and "Professor" Schellhorn. We have met the latter several times at UFO conventions, and what we will always remember about him is that he seemed to get some sort of special delight in showing slides of animal mutilations. His contributior here is called "The Return of the Son of Man in the Clouds". This begins on Page 88. However, the Table of Contents lists this as "The Return of the Son of Man Out of the Clouds" , beginning on Page 98! Beckley needs a good proofreader even more than we do!

By not actually reading this book we have undoubtedly missed a vast number of other errors, large and small, but we couldn't miss the price, hand-written in red ink at the top of the first page (though it was free to us). This book goes for a mere $18.95. Amen!


Pflock Ptalk - A BLAST FROM THE PAST

by Karl Pflock, Our Contributing Editor & Fifth Columnist

Last year, C. (Carol) A. Honey, for some years one of "Professor" George Adamski's most trusted associates, semi-self-published a curious large-format softcover book entitled "Flying Saucers 50 Years Later" (318 pages; available for $24.95 from Arcturus Books, 1443 Port St. Lucie Blvd., Port St. Lucie, FL 34962).

Therein, Honey (choneyufo@aol.com or 2456 S. Woodlark Drive, Ontario, Ca. 91761) "confesses" to ghostwriting Adamski's last book ("Flying Saucers Farewell", 1961; reissued as "Behind the Flying Saucer Mystery", 1967), the Prof's infamous report on his alleged 1962 trip to Saturn, and sundry other of the famed contactee's writings - plus much, much, much more. Here's exactly what the undoubtedly Honey-penned jacket blurb says:

"This book covers the history of incidents surrounding the UFO work started by George Adamski in the early 1950s and carried onward by him and his colleague C.A. Honey for several years, starting in 1957.

"On August 24, 1961, George Adamski turned the work over to C.A. Honey while he entered a new phase teaching Philosophy and Abstract Science. He continued to write articles for C.A. Honey's S.P. NEWSLETTER for many months, until October 1963.

"At that time, C.A. Honey dissolved the partnership due to the circumstances explained in this new hook. Since 1963 C.A. Honey has continued with the original program of education through lectures, articles and books. His articles comprdse over 200,000 words total, and are sent free over the Internet to any country in the world.

"Subjects covered include detailed explanation as to why official secrecy about the origin and purpose of those coming our way in interplanetary spacecraft, is kept highly classified and secret. Since approximately 95 to 97% of all sightings, abductions, and contact claims are ither fraudulent or honest mistakes by those claiming the experiences, the truth will be revealed in this book as to the actual happenings.

"Subjects include: UFOs PHYSICAL OR NON-PHYSICAL; WHO PILOTS THE FLYING SAUCERS; TRUE IDENTITY OF THE ALIENS; HOAXES; DANGERS; ANSWERING KNOW-NOTHING CRITICS; FALSE LEADERS: PSYCHIC AND ASTRAL FRAUD IN THE UFO FIELD; WHY THE TRUTH CAN NEVER BE REVEALED OFFICIALLY; MARS-EARTH CONNECTION; PHILOSOPHY; CAN THE DEAD BE CONTACTED; METHODS USED BY JOHN EDWARDS OR VAN PRAAGH TO DECEIVE THE PEOPLE; FALSE CLAIMS COMING FROM THE GAF (GEORGE ADAMSKI FOUNDATION); plus many others."

What more can I say? How about: Yes...no...maybe. Or: Huh?! Or: The Compleat Guide to C. A. HoneyVs Head! Or: No one with a serious interest in George Adamski and his circle and its latter-day remnants should be without this book. Yeah, that's about right.


MISSIVES FROM THE MASSES


Stan Balderson was filmed by police in a field in Nornini Grove, Virqinia, having sex with a herd of cows. The 81-year-old was seen running from cow to cow wearinq only a T-shirt, tennis shoes and sunglasses. A neighbour had seen him frolickinq with the cows many times before. He was qiven a two-year suspended sentence. Sun, 28 Aug 2002.
NUDE JOGGER: A 33-year-old man was arrested in New Jersey after running naked across a bridge. He told police he did it to end the state's drought; and it did indeed rain later that day. Edinburgh Eve. News, 23 Aug 2002.


We guarantee that every dollar you donate to "Smear" will forever remain out of the hands of terrorists, anarchists, Free Thinkers, and other Undesirables! Every cent of your Donation will go to our own personal use, for necessities such as Scotch, Gin, Rum, and Coca-Cola. Make your check or money order out to the editor personally. Two E's in Moseley, please, though one will do!
Saucer Smear Index
Saucer Smear Mailbox
Please note that letters for Smear editor James Moseley should be snail-mailed to PO Box 1709, Key West, FL 33041, insofar as Cdr. Moseley is proudly computer-illiterate and determined to stay that way.

Own a genuine artifact of ufological history!
Line your birdcage for pennies a sheet!
Back issues available for the last 46 years!


HTML version by S L M