Look up in the Sky: It's a ???

An object in the sky just happens to be called unidentified, therefore if anyone sees such an object it does not necessarily follow that it is from outer space. There are those, however, who do believe in extraterrestrials, and famously among them was President Ronald Reagan who mused at the United Nations that a visitation by space aliens would unite all the nations of the earth. In addition, one of President Reagan's press secretaries told me (I have this on film) that the president genuinely believed in the existence of other worldly civilizations!

Many so-called UFOs have been seen throughout history: pilots, astronauts, astronomers and many other reasonable people have seen UFOs, therefore, there is more evidence for UFOs than WMDs, Hussein's involvement in 9/11, Al-Qaeda's relationship with Saddam and other patently non-existent realities that require a suspension of disbelief far greater than that required to believe in something that has actually been seen by countless people for centuries.

In addition it makes more sense to question someone who claims to hear instructions from some bronze-age sky god as opposed to actually seeing an unidentified flying object.

Comments

[infinity]

If there were alien "life" forms, the probability that such forms would be recognizable to us is infinitesimally small. The possibility that such life forms would use something resembling a "spacecraft" to move through the universe is even smaller. The more "ufo's" sighted, the less likely these ufo's are extra-terrestrial.

[kellygrrrl]

why is it OK to believe in Heaven YET it is crazy to believe in life beyond earth?

[scooperss]

Big deal. I saw a UFO too. It was an object, I couldn't identify it, and it was flying.
It was around 1966 and there was an object going through the night sky that stopped dead. Just stopped.
After a few minutes it started moving again and the literally zipped across the sky and out of sight before I could go from the front of the house to the back. And that's my UFO story. Unidentified flying object.

[DaveMacaray]

The existence of UFOs reminds me of Orwell's observation about Socialism: the strongest argument against it are the very people who vehemently believe in it.

Nothing personal against Mr. Belzer (whom I enjoy as an actor), but in my opinion he has too much respect for conspiracy theories (e.g., immunizations are harmful, 9-11 was an "inside job," Lee Harvey Oswald worked for the CIA, etc.).

If, indeed, there are UFOs out there, and they are getting ready to make contact with earth, I'm all for it. In the words of our illustrious president, "Bring it on." But until then, let's stop the prattle.

[VivaZapata]

Of all the important issues kucinich embraces, this crappy question was the best Russert could come up with? Perhaps he came with an agenda to knock off the one person (since they literally knocked off Gravel) who was unequivocal in his positions. The only thing I agree with Clinton on is that Russert was there to play "gotcha" and did a great service to the Republicans, but it was Kucinich who was damaged the most.

[eddiestardust]

Most if not all UFO reports are natural phenomena such as Aurora Borealis or extremely bright Meteors or exploding Meteors called Fireballs or Bolides that are sometimes seen but may not be known to the individual.

Atmosphereric instability can cause all kinds of mirages especially when linked with a sighting of a plane or military aircraft.

Anything else, as strange as they may seem, can probably be linked to military testing or some type of balloon.

For years and years magazines such as Popular Science would discuss about new dirigibles and a couple of years ago, a new company, based in Virginia began making these.

Hallucinations can play a part too but I very much doubt that more than one person can have these.

Now, given the fact that our Galaxy is so large
containing several hundred billion stars in a Universe that may contain several hundred billion Galaxies, one would think that it would be, as Carl Sagan put it in "Contact" a tremendous "...Waste of Space..." if there are no other sentient beings except us but the fact is that even with our SETI programs and SETI@HOME, no one has ever heard from anyone else in the Universe.

Maybe they don't exist or maybe they are just too far away?

At any rate, the distances are so vast that even if we did have Contact we could never visit them and they could never visit us.

[ScienceLady]

Claiming to see an Unidentified Flying Object is not the same as claiming to see an alien or extraterestial life. Do not extend fiction from facts. The probability for life to exist on another planet is very high, but no proof of actual existence has been found. Please do not encourage any government-alien conspiracy theory - use logic and reason. When, or if, aliens visit, science will expose the truth.

Dennis has been public about his (supernatural) beliefs, so he may be gullible in confusing a UFO for real alien life. He has also positioned himself as a spiritual and religious person. My personal view is that government and religion must be separate. I don't trust a leader who claims to have a conduit to god. Every country believes their god loves and protects their country the most...how arrogant.

[KRANKY]

Look up "elimitivism"

This is the chronic disconnect inherit in the masses.
They simply accept things as real that are flatly false.
This is what is categorized as MYTH.
These are "beleivers". Totally brain fried idiots. They function, but only on a limited basis.
We are truly an "Idiocracy". Stupid people being led by morons.

[GhostofBillHicks]

I think denying the possibility of life else where is denying the obvious.As vast as the universe is,its hard to believe WE are IT.
I've seen 2 or 3 things in my forty years i could not explain in the sky.
Myself,i don't see any difference in believing in an"..all powerful space daddy that wants to party with your ghost for eternity..." to borrow a quote from Bill Maher.
Speaking of Maher Mr.Belzer,how do YOU feel about what happend on 9/11?I'd like to hear what you think.

[ChristianEcon.com]

The Reverend Billy Graham said he believed there was probably life on other planets.

He also recently revealed he's been a life-long Democrat.

He has also spoken in support of socialism.

(Just some fyi there.)

By the way, you people who think you're being objective or rational in your rejection of the idea of God are way behind the scientific curve.

[Northwoodsbirder]

Richard
If.... The last time I read, astrophysicists had mathematically identified five dimensions beyond our four. That was several years ago. Someone recently told me it is now up to 15 dimensions. Then would there not be the possibility of beings existing within those added dimensions? And if the dimensions within which they live include our four and any additional, then they would certainly not be limited to our four. They could enter our four with no hindrance??? So, perhaps we should call them “extra-dimensional beings” rather than extraterrestrials. I have no problem with that whatsoever.
However, this leaves one problem. If I read the Bible correctly, that is exactly what Jesus claimed. He said, in essence, that he was from another “world” which had none of the limitations of our space-time existence. But he chose to set aside the privilege and position of that world to take on the time-space limitations of our existence. So accepting the existence of UFO’s , extraterrestrials or extra-dimensional beings opens possibilities which may not be comfortably or easily addressed. It seems to me that if we are willing to address the existence of unidentified flying objects that are truly beyond any physical explanation, i.e., Stealth Bombers or nuclear tests, we then have to take the next step and consider the existence of Beings which cannot be accounted for within the definition of a linear time continuum. And, if Jesus is who he claimed to be, his claim to have entered into our dimensions as God Man is within reason.

[godlessclif]

Belzer is right. I would rather have a guy like Kucinich that knows it is an unidentified object rather than a guy like Huckleberry that thinks he saw an angel.

[KRANKY]

I LOVE all of the clear thinking contributors here. It makes me sanguine that there are such thoughtful individuals in America today.
We were the sliver that the indulgent, apathetic crowd disdained.
Yet, like Dennis, Russ, and Paul (Wellstone)
WE WERE RIGHT!
We have the imprimatur that Gore Vidal speaks of:
"I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!"

Thank you, Richard, for this post.
I have watched your career with interest.
I met you briefly, at Chicago's Water Tower Place, many years ago. You were having a time with some of your infant children.

I congratulate you. You are one of the Good Guys.

[zull2]

Heck, during the days when the government was working on the stealth bomber, lots of people wouldn't have known what the heck it was and the military wouldn't have said a word about it. It's a plane that looks radically different from anything that came before it. And I'm sure that's not the only shape of plane they've tested that have tricked people into thinking that it was something from another world. Unmanned flight drones, weather balloons, and all manner of spy aircraft have flown over the skies over the years. Any of that can be considered unidentified, because the military and government sure as heck aren't going to identify those things for you!

[NoOneSpecial]

I seen three UFOs in my time, and one exceptionally bizarre night sky phenomenon that couldn't have been caused by natural physics. The three UFOs were completely different from one another, but only one was the traditional "ship" of some kind. I'd never claim any were connected to aliens.