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!

• FATE MAGAZINE'S LIST OF "THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN UFOLOGY TODAY"
• MISCELLANEOUS RAVINGS
• Pflock Ptalk - SO WHAT DID WE SEE?
• MISIVES FROM THE MASSES:

The list obviously includes only ufologists who are recently or currently active - not voices from the past. This is understandable, but we are not sure what other criteria were used. Film producer Steven Spielberg is here - which might surprise him - and also actor Dan Akroyd, who recently wrote a wild, credulous article for "UFO Magazine". Among the skeptics there's only Phil Klass, though he he is no longer active. And yes, your "Smear" editor did make the list, though modesty forbids us from reprinting our write-up here. There's also our esteemed Contributing Editor Karl Pflock, Lisa Davis of NUFOC, and other friends too numerous to mention.

The most colorful write-up went to famed one-armed Swiss contactee Billy Meier. We quote it in part:

"Acting as a mediator and spokesperson for the Pleiadians from planet Erra, Meier imparts their esoteric teachings and wisdom to us. He has taken more than 1,000 of the clearest UFO photos ever seen. Naturally, many people have come forward to claim that the entire phenomenon is a hoax. Underground Video, Inc., for example states that one of Meler's alleged Pleiadian beamships, taken in 1981, is really a miniature model made out of an upside-down cake pan, disconnected copper hose fittings, a bracelet, carpet tacks, and various other identifiable objects. The Meier photograph of the beautiful Pleiadian alien, Semjase, turned out to be a photocopy of a model from a Sears catalogue."

"Smear's" expanded "Hall of Shame" list includes the following who are also on Fate's lists: Lucius Farish, Jerry Clark, John Keel, Vicki Cooper, Don Ecker, Richard Hall, Budd Hopkins, and Brad Sparks. (Clark was later removed from our list.) Our "Shame" list also includes the following whom Fate did not pick up: Richard Ogden, an obscure Adamski devotee of yesteryear; Julie Shuster of the Roswell Museum; Bigfooter Erik Beckjord; Todd Zechel of CAUS (Citizens Against UFO Secrecy)l and Wendy Conners. We were surprised that Wendy did not make the Fate list, because we hear that she has created a nice UFO audiovisual library and is definitely a farce to be reckoned with.

We recommend that you send off $9.95 to Fate (P.O. Box 460, Lakeville, Mn. 55044), and they will hopefully mail you this Special Issue as soon as it is again available. (It seems to be mysteriously out of print at the moment!)...

• Each month we receive from researcher Lucius Farish (for five dollars each!) a zine called "UFO News clipping Service" (#2 Caney Valley Drive, Plumerville, Ar. 72127). In recent years there has always been a section called Translations, in which Scott Corrales and others send in UFO & creature items from various Spanish-speaking countries - mostly Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. These include not only flying saucers but animal mutilations, sightings of the dreaded chupacabras, crop circles, and more! There is also a recent creature in Argentina called "The Rooftop Madman", who may (or may not) be an ordinary human being in a dark costume. We wonder why life in the U.S.A. is less exciting, but these stories are not made up, at least not by Corrales. Here's an unusually intriguing one, from the April 2005 issue:

  "On March 20, 2005, the time being 0400 hours, two witnesses driving along National Highway No. 35 some 30 kilometers south of Santa Rosa, near the vicinity of Parque Luro, saw a beam or 'tube of light' some 50 meters from the paved road surface. Unable to see the source of said light, they noticed that the 'tube' was projected from a height of some 8 meters in the air down to the ground, without touching the surface. It seemed suspended in mid-air. Faced with this circumstance, they slowed their vehicle, detecting that inside the tube 'it was possible to see two figures in apparent descent, one on top of the other, with their legs slightly raised.' The witnesses add that the 'tube' measured approximately 1.5 meters wide, was entirely white in color, and allowed them to see that 'the beings wore silvery clothing, like astronaut-type jumpsuits.' They further noticed that the beings 'held their arms outstretched, as though carrying some element in their hands, while the rest of the arm was slung downward and slightly away from the body.' Faced with this unexpected encounter and their subsequent feelings of fear, they chose to speed away from the sight, looking back to see that the 'tube of light' remained in place as they pulled away from the area."

  Unfortunately the witnesses are not named, and there is no follow-up material. But we admire Farish for grinding out this monthly stuff, apparently for over 35 years. He also sponsors an annual UFO convention in his native Arkansas - which we have never attended. -

  Old Lou is on "Smear's" "Hall of Shame" List, mainly because he ignores us completely, due to the fact that we refuse to believe or even seriously consider Billy Meier's too-good-to-be-true photographs & tall tales of alien philosophy. It seems that Lou is a hard-core True Believer, which is a characteristic we do not admire in anyone. Our infamous List should not be taken too seriously, nor should it be ignored. Good luck to Lou Farish, and may all his abductions (if any) be pleasant ones!...

• In our last issue we had a "PRESs-TIME FLASH" about an April 26th incident in which a possible UFO was seen briefly on radar, in the highly restricted airspace over Washington, D C We overlooked another incident, printed in England's "Fortean Times" in which on the night of February 10th, a webcam that routinely records images of the skyline of Washington was found the next day to have picked up a blurred airborne shape for which there was no obvious explanation. There is even a photo, unfortunately not clear wnough to reproduce here...

• We were amazed to see James Randi on the local Miami TV news channel on the evening of May 23rd. It seems that some civilian investigators have come forth with a wild theory that the commercial aircraft that hit the Pentagon on 9/11/01 was not really what it was supposed to be, but actually a smaller plane or missile. (They don't explain what really happened to the missing commercial aircraft!)

  For some unknown reason it was Randi, of all people, who was called upon to refute this claim. Maybe it's just because he lives in Fort Lauderdale, near Miami. But Randi has never been known to have any expertise regarding aviation, and his appearance on this news segment truly is amazing!

  For more info about the Amusing Randi, see the lettres section of this issue...

• Rob MacGregOr (May the Space People Bless Him!) has called our attention to an upComing conference in Hawaii that is unusual even by ufological standards. This one is called "Dolphin and ET Civilizations", and tries hard (and unsuccessfully!) to link dolphins with Space Visitors - if any. The flier reads in parts:

  "As humanity prepares to initiate contact with people living in civilizations beyond Earth, the dolphins impart knowledge and provide examples of living cooperatively and successfully in shared space. The wisdom of the dolphins, including the significance of their tones and frequencies in relation to our changing DNA, and our spiritual connections to non-local reality, will be disclosed at this Conference for the first time. This new information is coming through now..."

  If some kindly person would buy us a free air ticket to Hawaii, we would surely go!...

• Nuclear Physicist - Lecturer, Etc. Stanton Friedman Uses his "Perceptions" column in the MaY 2005 MUFON Journal to bash a fellow Canadian named Paul Kimball. Kimball is a lawyer and documentary film producer who was responsible for an opus called "Stanton T. Friedman Is Real" in 2002, and another called "Do You Believe in Majic?" (as in Majestic-12, MJ-12, etc.), which was primarily a debate between Stan and our own Karl Pflock.

  At that time, Kimball was sympathetic to Stan' s views about MJ-12, as well as the supposed UFO crash at Aztec, N.M. in 1948, and other ufological matters. Now, however, Kimball has (shudder!) apparently changed his mind! What makes this really interesting is that Kimball is Friedman's nephew, although Stan carefully has never mentioned this - in his present column or anywhere else. Can this be some sort of generation gap, in which the younger man has broken loose from Friedman's rigid views?? Your "Smear" editor, as one of Friedman's notorious "Noisy Negativists", has an inquiring mind that would like to know - without really having a "need to know". Egads! All we know for sure is that Stan devotes almost two full pages to attacking his former supporter!

  Friednmn's column in the monthly MUFON Journal seems to alternate with a similar effort by England's Jenny Randles, whose ufological views are far more moderate and sensible.

• ...Next we have another zinger from Rob MacGregor, about a las Vegas resident who calls himself Prophet Yahweh. He, "has been blessed to discover", according to his net posting, the lost, ancient art of summoning UFOs and spaceships on demand". He explains that UFOs are small flying machines, of this world, whereas spaceships are "large futuristic vehicles that are clearly designed to carry passergers in, like you see in the movies".

  Yahweh claims that since 1979, more than 1,500 UFOs and/or spaceships have appeared on his signal, in front of witnesses; but he was only performing this (to us) miracle for small groups. However, starting on June let, he is "going public" by opening up to the news media, and calling down the objects for them to film and photograph. Some time soon after June 1st, a spaceship will descend from the heavens on his signal and hover in the sky over Las Vegas for almost two days.

  Yahweh is already off to a good start, even though, as of this writing, it isn't even June yet. On about May 25th station KTNV-TV (Channel 13) in Las Vegas sent an investigative reporter to check out his claims. Their video appears to show the Prophet successfully calling down a UFO, much to the surprise of the reporter and several onlookers. Above we see Yahweh apparently gesturing wildly (left), and the mystery object (right). MacGregor tells us that the object was in the sky for about a minute, moving around erratically, and then disappeared!

  Yahweh has done a very successful one-hour interview on George Norey's radio show, and we read that he came across as "a simple person with a simple theology, who has been placed in a situation he did not really wish to be placed in" - whatever that means. Since his triumph on Channel 13, people are taking him more seriously than before. Hopefully, Rob or some other hard-core Fan of ours will send in followups on all this. (We still are not on the net!)...

• We have a fascinating update on Argentina's "Rooftop Madman" ("El Loco Tejado" in Soanish), mentioned briefly on Page 2 of this issue. The July 2005 issue of England's wonderful "Fortean Times" gives details of how this entity has terrorized the town of Santa Fe, which is a large city about 250 miles northwest of Buenos Aires.

  Eyewitnesses claim the creature has glowing red eyes, though he never shows his face. He stands about 6 1/2 feet tall, has claws, has long wavy hair, dresses entirely in black, and wears a cape. He has been seen scaling sheer walls or leaping from one darkened roof top to another. He howls like a beast or cries like a child as he dances on rooftops. One man claims to have fired at him 17 times without the bullets having any effect. (Maybe he just missed!?)

  So - is the Madman real or just the product of "mass hysteria"? Our guess would be both. This flap involves hundreds of reports from frightened citizens, many of whom have armed themselves. In one situation the creature was reported at three different locations at the same time - which obviously feeds into the "mass hysteria" theory. Yet, something weird must really be going on, to cause such a terrible fuss.

  The most intriguing thing is that in all these sightings, the Madman has never really harmed anyone. Thus, if he exists and is caught, the most serious charges he faces would be trespassing or disorderly conduct!...

• Finally, Ms. Lisa Davis, pictured here, is the new Executive Director of the National UFO Conference (NUFOC). The 43rd running of this annual event will take place on Labor Day weekend (Sept. 2nd-4th) at the beautiful Renaissance Hotel at 1755 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, California, - the same locale as last year. For details contact www.nufoc.org, or phone 858-523-1068, or write to NUFOC 2005; 3830 Valley Center Drive, #705-441; San Diego, Ca. 92130. Speakers will include a special guest appearance by Jim Moseley - plus Nick Redfern, Richard Dolan, Jaime Maussan, Terry Hansen, Greg Bishop, Lynne Kitei, M.D., David Sereda, Creg Cameron & others.

  FLASH! We have just learned at press-time that YAHWEH is going to be at our glorious Convention - although it is not yet clear whether or not he will be a speaker. BUT he is going to invoke UFOs at the outdoor pool area on the 7th floor of the hotel, in full sight of all the convention-goers who want to watch! More details in next issue.

Last time, I described my childhood multi-witness UFO sighting during the summer of 1951 or 1952. Before reading what follows, it would be helpful to review that column. (If you no longer have your copy - shame! See www.martiansgohome.com/smear). Ready?

The sky was clear as a bell that evening and, in the west, still faintly suffused with the light of the setting sun. If there had been any structure behind and larger than the light, we would have seen it, at least as a silhouette. Similarly, if there had been more than one object, one at the object's original location and one at each of the "jump" points, they would have been visible too. So whatever we were looking at was a single object - just the light itself, a mysteriously self-luminating Something.

The instantaneous displacement of the light certainly was beyond any earthly capacity. The pattern described by the object's movements was precise, seemingly planned, the product of thought, under intelligent control. At the time, we could think of no natural phenomenon or human activity that would explain what we were seeing. In the years since, I've been unable to come up with anything mundane that comes even close. (Any ideas out there in non-subscriber land?)

But what was the purpose of the performance? The obvious answer is that it was a Signal. But who was signaling whom?

There are those in ufology who, upon witnessing something like this, would immediately assume the signal was meant for them. (Calling Dr. Greer!) Well, I have a healthy ego, but the notion that some superior intelligence from Out There (or Wherever) put on that show just for three boys and their fathers is absurd, Was it perhaps meant as a "sign" for the potentially thousands of oeople who might have seen it that night? Well, maybe - but not likely, at least to my mind.

No, if it was a signal, it seems more probable that it was meant for one or a team of their own. Perhaps it was time for an agent on earth (Orthon? Just kidding) to be oicked up or resupplied. But that doesn't seem right either. Surely completely covert, secure communication would be routine for Them, making such an exercise in skywriting both unnecessary and foolish.

So our object's dance probably wasn't a Signal. Perhaps the whole performance was just the work of a saucer pilot showing off. If so, I'll bet he/she/it caught hell when he/she/it returned to the mothership!

The bottom line is we saw something very real, something truly anomalous. That is, we saw a UFO, or at least what would have become a UFO had our experience been objectively and competently investigated and recorded. (See Hynek on this critical distinction).

Or perhaps you, Dear Reader, see an obvious, down-to-earth answer I've missed. If so, I'd love to hear it. On second thought, maybe not. There's little enough Mystery in life these days, even in UFOdom.

• Our old friend PAUL FULLER of England writes:

  "Thank you for sending me the latest issue of 'Saucer Smear'. I was very Sorry to read about your bad news, and I know a lot of people here in Britain share my sadness and will want to send you their best wishes. This includes Jenny Randles and Dr. David Clarke, whom I think you met at the 2002 Fortean Times Unconventton in London.

  "Andy Roberts adds 'I have enjoyed Jim's contributions to the UFO field immensely, found his book a complete hoot from start to finish, am pleased he's annoyed the hell out of as many people as he has done, and that he's been a major player in ufology in the U.S. The subject would have been even more po-faced were it not for Jim, and he was an inspiration to my particular way of practicing ufology. I know from his writings that he's had loads of fun in this life, and what, after all, can you want besides that? I also understand he's smoked a reasonable amount of herbal substances, and a dope smoker's view on ufology is never to be sniffed at! Tell him to make sure he leaves his archives somewhere they can be accessed. 3 to 6 years left? How do any of us know we haven't got that or less? He's got plenty of time to have even more fun and to create more havoc in the subject.'

  "Well, Andy always says what he means, and I can't really surpass that...

  Fuller has obviously misread the last issue of "Smear", as it is our Contributing Editor Karl Pflock, not your Editor, who has been diagnosed with the deadly disease called ALS. Pflock's statement (bottom of P. 6 in the March 25th issue) was very clear! However, we sincerely appreciate the very kind remarks of Andy Roberts, whom we admire. As for Roberts' reference to allegedly illegal substances, in this dire era of Bush we dare make no comment whatever.

  - Paul Fuller has recently sent us another letter, apologizing for his mistake about Pflock. He also promises to send us some hot updates about crop circles and other matters. - Editor

• Ace cartoonist MATT GRAEBER of Pennsylvania writes:

  "I haven't a great deal of info to offer on BUFO (Burlington UFO and Paranormal Radio) of Wisconsin, except to say that a woman named Mary Sutherland owns and operates it. Apparently Mary has had a twenty year interest or involvement with things ufological and paranormal, and her husband Brad reportedly shares her interests.

  "It appears from what little I have gathered that Mary started her seemingly meteoric climb in ufology by using a very aggressive and professionally executed combination of internet and radio programing skills. Her many BUFO postings found at various web sites are quite attractively presented, along with her sales pitch for her online store, where quite an array of items is offered - everything from UFO T-shirts, baseball caps, Disney memorabilia, UFO books, spiritual books, Native American dolls, model mini-saucers one can actually fly in the house, and of course, Mary's assortment of BUFO documentary films which you can gaze upon in the privacy of her in-shop viewing room.

  "Mary Sutherland's Pioneer Radio programs appear on the net too. The programs feature interviews with UFO witnesses, abductees and researchers - plus her field investigators. Mary has two UFO field investigators working with her at Carbondale, Pa. and the general northeast Pennsylvania area.

  "Her lead man is Ron Hannivig, a self-proclaimed 'investigative journalist at large', and a fellow named Frank Scassellati, who seems to be a paranormaltst, amateur poet and saucer sleuth. They, along with their friends Rick Fisher of something called Paranormal, Pa., and John Peruka of nearby Olyphant seem to round out the Carbondale UFO crash myth's enthusiastic throng of investigators.

  "In fact, Mary is coming to Carbondale and Olyphant in person in June, to shoot documentaries on both the 1974 Carbondale saucer crash 'cover-up' and Mr. Peruka's claim that Olyphant is located near the center of the Universe! There are all sorts of portals or gateways to other time and space continuums, and there is other paranormal stuff associated with both stories.

  "Mary also appears on the syndicated Jerry Pippin Radio Show, and she seems to be far better at promoting herself and her fledgling organization than the major groups! She is definitely a rising star in the UFO field, and quite possibly a farce to be reckoned with by the research purists at CUFOS and MUFON!

  "Apparently, Stan Gordon and Stanton Friedman are friends of Rick Fisher, and Rick has informed Mr. Scassellati that the two Stans think that BUFO should 'go for it' , and thoroughly re-investigate the Carbondale UFO crash 'cover-up' no matter what the outcome may be. Stay tuned!...

  Matt, who investigated the famed Carbondale, Pa. incident when it occurred back in 1974, found that a flashlight and later a railroad lantern, shining underwater, accounted for the observations, but obviously not everyone agrees! We will look forward to an update on this! - Editor.

• Arch-skeptic ROBERT SHEAFFER writes:

  "I think you were rather unfair to Mr. Amazing Randi when you said, 'The only trouble is that to get the money you have to follow Randi's strict rules, and if you follow Randi's rules, you'll never be able to prove anything.' That isn't true at all, although the hard-core Believers in psychic crap like to keep telling each other that.

  "What Randi requires is simple. You can win the money doing whatever 'paranormal' feat you claim to do, but you have to do exactly what you claimed you would. (You can't say, 'OK my prediction failed, but look, I bent a spoon', and Randi will make darn sure that you won't be able to get the desired result by cheating. If, for example, somebody claims the power to be able to read ESP cards as they are dealt, Randi will carefully arrange the details of the experiment with you. Someone will deal the cards, but you will not be allowed to touch them, get near them, etc.

  "Yet, if your powers were genuine you would pass the test. A person could win the $1 million prize by doing almost anything 'paranormal' - precognition, levitation, telepathy, etc. - but the criteria for success must be spelled out in advance and agreed to by both parties, and conditions will be such that 'cheating' or 'guessing' won't do you any good. So no wonder the so-called 'psychics' ignore or bad-mouth Randi and his test.

  "By the way - you mentioned that 'angel hair' is a term infrequently heard these days. Actually, it's making a comeback, but it's now associated with 'chemtrails' not with UFOs.

  'Chemtrails' are, of course, believed by certain whacked-out paranoids to be a covert government scheme of aerial spraying, for unknown but probably nefarious purposes. In the movie 'Aerosol Crimes' by Clifford E. Camicom, we are shown light, stringy stuff that ufologists would call 'angel hair'. But Camicom doesn't say anything about UFOs. Instead he says that this stuff is found as a residue after covert government aerial spraying, and that it doesn't have anything to do with spiders."

  In our opinion, no psychic could ever meet Randt's standards. If he repeatedly scored 100% on ESP tests, there's always the faint possibility that more tests would eventually ~return him to the "Law of Averages". The psychic would die of old age before proving anything to Randi's satisfaction. And if anyone ever did qualify for the $1 million prize, (which is not his money anyhow), Randi might have a nervous breakdown - and we would hate to see that happen! - Editor.

• Researcher HAL PATTEE writes:

  "While it is true that UFOs lie outside the general purlieu of James Randi, he has not been wholly silent on the issue.

  "I saw a pamphlet one time that had a number of articles on different topics. Included was a piece on Betty Hill's 'star map', written by Randi. I've always enjoyed Randi's writings, but in this case it was clear that he was out of his league. It makes me think that he wrote the piece as a mental exercise and it was never intended for publication."

• Anthropologist CHRIS ROTH writes as follows:

  "I am surprised that conspiracy theorists with a Vatican orientatiøn - who are legion, what with the popularity of 'The Da Vinci Code' - have not seized on the explicitly flying saucer-shaped urns used as ballot boxes during the last papal conclave. This is a slam dunk for those who feel that the Catholic Church is in on whatever clandestine alien contact is going on. And yet I can find no trace that this is a source of comment. It just shows how low off the collective radar the UFO topic has dipped!..."

• Retired pilot BILL NASH, who had a classic UFO sighting back in 1952, writes:

  "Jim, I still think your book best covers the UFO story, especially since I too lived through those times with you.

  "I enjoy your journal. Keep up the good work. You've done a lot for UFO history.

  "And stay well! Keen living! It's fun!"

• And, BILL OSBORNE writes:

  "I just wanted to write and tell you how much I enjoyed reading your book, "Shockingly Close to the Truth". What a trip down memory lane that was! I grew up in the 1950s and remember well many of the incidents that you relate in the book. As a youngster, I purchased every UFO book I could find, and constantly - but futilely - scanned the night Skies in hopes that one one day I would be fortunate enough to see one of those elusive 'flying saucers'. To this day I have yet to see anything fluttering, floating, or flying in the heavens that I couldn't identify, but I keep looking. Perhaps UFOs are like the proverbial watched pot that never boils; the more you want to see one, the more disappointed you will eventually be.

  "But what a cast of characters pøpulate your book! What a delightful history of a subculture that -as you point out over and over in the book -takes itself much too seriously! Congratulations on a job well done...

  "I particularly enjoyed your account of what you refer to as the 'Golden Age of Flying Saucers' - the Giant Rock conventions, the contactee craze, and the national excitement over a new phenomenon that was gripping the nation - all combine to make the 1950s and the early 1960s a very exciting time..."

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