Kevin Randle has a piece on MUFON's Inner Circle: A Different Perspective: MUFON, Racism and Dodging the Questions.
Another huge WTF moment in the continuing sleazy saga that is MUFON these days.
For some time, MUFON, as an institution, been very suspect. MUFON began (one assumes) with good intentions on bringing a respectable and acceptable, light regarding UFOs to the masses. Excluding the more embarrassing witness narratives of course.
Then the strange relationship with cagey and coy millionaire Bigelow, John Ventre's racism, and now, the Inner Circle, where, for five thousand dollars, you can join. Members include JZ Knight. Yes, that JZ Knight, keeper of the entity known as Ramtha.
Oy.
Kevin Randle has written a good piece and thanks to him for putting this out there.
Showing posts with label anti-Semitism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anti-Semitism. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Friday, March 13, 2009
Bill Birnes: Berlin
Bill Birnes, of UFO Hunters, has a beautiful and moving piece (it made me cry)about the show in Germany for the upcoming "Nazi" UFO episode, on the UFO Magazine's blog
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The Scientology Meme: Mob Mentality
I’m no fan of Scientology, (had a personal negative experience with them involving a family member when I was young) but I’m no fan of organized religions or organized anythings. Like Groucho Marx once said:
On many esoteric blogs, as well as the anti-esoteric blogs and forums (otherwise known as “skeptics”) there’s been a lot of self righteous anti-Scientology posts. Well, yeah, okay. Let’s go after the Vatican, various Christian sects, Islamic extremists, the Raelians, Buddhists (just because they’re not American and are suspect you know), Yoga, and Jews. Oh, and Wicca. Let’s go after all religions, spiritual and philosophical systems. Get rid of them!
The reasons why so many all over the world are now going after Scientology have to do with its existence on the fringe. Everyone’s gone after all the above mentioned systems; and many of those systems (Catholics, Jews, Muslims) are accepted by mainstream culture. As soon as you step over that line of what’s accepted, you’re fair game. Scientologists, like Mormons and Wiccans for example. are suspect. Their rights to freedoms, in this country anyway, are swept off the table, because, well, they’re weird. And if we think it’s weird, really weird, then we get to vilify. We’ll leave the Methodists alone but don’t be going around saying you’re a Scientologist or practice Wicca. Then we’ll get you. Get you good.
Another reason for the smug sense of being Very Reasonable, is the fear of criticizing religious Muslim extremists for what they are: fanatics. We don't dare go near there for fear of staring up something, or being “anti Muslim” and vilifying an entire group of people.
The same with Judaism, though less so. Everyone from the Left to the Right and in between gets to insist they’re “not anti-Semitic, just anti-Israel,” before they launch into a long winded, often erroneous, mini history of why Israel is so evil. But that aside, most people leave that alone as well. (Wait, no they don’t, look at Rense.com.)
The point is, no, I don’t like Scientology. (Although, as with all of these systems, don’t be so quick to throw the baby out with the bath water.) But there are issues far bigger than Scientology to focus your wrath on. The occupation (er, “war”) in Iraq. Global warming/climate changes/whatever the hell you want to call it, we’re all gonna die save the earth damnit, alternative energies, child abuse, elder abuse, domestic abuse, animal abuse (Christ, we’re an abusive species!) poverty, education . . .
I’ve noticed that for those who proudly state they’re “skeptics” -- those very same who remain stubbornly ignorant of the facts when it comes to UFOs, who assume all kinds of wild things regarding the paranormal -- are quick to believe the most paranoid, outlandish things about things they want to annihilate.
I suppose one thing that bothers me in particular about this is the idea that those working so hard towards eliminating or “exposing” Scientology feel so damn proud of themselves, as if they’ve brought us a rare gift from another realm. This rare gift is presented as enlightenment from ignorance and superstition. It's an intellectual coup.
Kind of like what they do with UFO and paranormal topics. There are those within and on the fringe (the chronic skeptics looking in) of UFO studies who insist UFOlogy needs some sort of guild, organization, committee -- some kind of official body --- that will once and for all get rid of all that embarrasses and angers, and keep only what is approved. (Who gets to do the approving, and why, well, you see why it's a problem. . .)
Exercising our right to voice our opinions about these things is one thing, and exposing illegal or unethical methods is a good thing. Other than that, ranting on an almost daily basis, hacking into web sites and calling for blood seems over the top.
What disturbs me is the momentum. Worldwide, people have been unquestioningly and happily joining in protests against Scientology. And it’s this crowd gathering/one-mind vibe that has me worried. At some point, the lines blur: who are the ones acting as a mob, as a single unit, as a controlling mass? That’s scary.
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.
On many esoteric blogs, as well as the anti-esoteric blogs and forums (otherwise known as “skeptics”) there’s been a lot of self righteous anti-Scientology posts. Well, yeah, okay. Let’s go after the Vatican, various Christian sects, Islamic extremists, the Raelians, Buddhists (just because they’re not American and are suspect you know), Yoga, and Jews. Oh, and Wicca. Let’s go after all religions, spiritual and philosophical systems. Get rid of them!
The reasons why so many all over the world are now going after Scientology have to do with its existence on the fringe. Everyone’s gone after all the above mentioned systems; and many of those systems (Catholics, Jews, Muslims) are accepted by mainstream culture. As soon as you step over that line of what’s accepted, you’re fair game. Scientologists, like Mormons and Wiccans for example. are suspect. Their rights to freedoms, in this country anyway, are swept off the table, because, well, they’re weird. And if we think it’s weird, really weird, then we get to vilify. We’ll leave the Methodists alone but don’t be going around saying you’re a Scientologist or practice Wicca. Then we’ll get you. Get you good.
Another reason for the smug sense of being Very Reasonable, is the fear of criticizing religious Muslim extremists for what they are: fanatics. We don't dare go near there for fear of staring up something, or being “anti Muslim” and vilifying an entire group of people.
The same with Judaism, though less so. Everyone from the Left to the Right and in between gets to insist they’re “not anti-Semitic, just anti-Israel,” before they launch into a long winded, often erroneous, mini history of why Israel is so evil. But that aside, most people leave that alone as well. (Wait, no they don’t, look at Rense.com.)
The point is, no, I don’t like Scientology. (Although, as with all of these systems, don’t be so quick to throw the baby out with the bath water.) But there are issues far bigger than Scientology to focus your wrath on. The occupation (er, “war”) in Iraq. Global warming/climate changes/whatever the hell you want to call it, we’re all gonna die save the earth damnit, alternative energies, child abuse, elder abuse, domestic abuse, animal abuse (Christ, we’re an abusive species!) poverty, education . . .
I’ve noticed that for those who proudly state they’re “skeptics” -- those very same who remain stubbornly ignorant of the facts when it comes to UFOs, who assume all kinds of wild things regarding the paranormal -- are quick to believe the most paranoid, outlandish things about things they want to annihilate.
I suppose one thing that bothers me in particular about this is the idea that those working so hard towards eliminating or “exposing” Scientology feel so damn proud of themselves, as if they’ve brought us a rare gift from another realm. This rare gift is presented as enlightenment from ignorance and superstition. It's an intellectual coup.
Kind of like what they do with UFO and paranormal topics. There are those within and on the fringe (the chronic skeptics looking in) of UFO studies who insist UFOlogy needs some sort of guild, organization, committee -- some kind of official body --- that will once and for all get rid of all that embarrasses and angers, and keep only what is approved. (Who gets to do the approving, and why, well, you see why it's a problem. . .)
Exercising our right to voice our opinions about these things is one thing, and exposing illegal or unethical methods is a good thing. Other than that, ranting on an almost daily basis, hacking into web sites and calling for blood seems over the top.
What disturbs me is the momentum. Worldwide, people have been unquestioningly and happily joining in protests against Scientology. And it’s this crowd gathering/one-mind vibe that has me worried. At some point, the lines blur: who are the ones acting as a mob, as a single unit, as a controlling mass? That’s scary.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Sunday Round-Up at the Orb
Here's my shameless self-promotion for Sunday:
Paranormal Meet. Found this recently; and it's going strong. Lots of new people joining everyday. I like it, it's a good idea, and fun. Much better than having a MySpace page.Take a look, be sure to visit my blog and vote! And join if you can. There are a few little glitches, nothing major, but it's easy to find your way around and user friendly. I like the like minded, community vibe over there.
UFO Digest. My latest piece over there is on the blurring, or mimicking, or. . . something, of aliens/ghosts/Bigfoot, etc. When Entities Collide: Ghosts, Aliens, MIBs, and Entities and The Trickster Faeries
The current Trickster's Realm on Binnall of America is on my friend "Lola" here in Oregon and the high strangeness that follows the family: High Strangeness Follows Family? As always, be sure to read all the other great stuff on there.
My short article "What Is A UFO?" should be up on American Chronicle any time now. There's a holding period for pieces; I put it in today, so it can be any time from now until sometime tomorrow. Check this link for the article, as well as the rest of my American Chronicle pieces.
Mating Hedgehogs, my other blog about: politics, culture, media, weirdness, etc. Please check it out, there's everything from YouTube clips of Mothman and Mothra to rants about anti-feminist, anti-Semitic clown shoes like Henry Makow. Mating Hedgehogs.
And finally, Frame 352, my "stranger side of Sasquatch" blog. Follow the link over there to Lisa Shiel's Bigfoot Quest blog, where she has a poll going on about UFOs and Bigfoot.
Good night, have a good week! Let's hope we're all safe and good and remain relatively sane.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Scoffing Gone Too Far
From the recent entry on the UFO Iconoclast blog:
Speaks for itself. UFOlogy doesn’t need the kind of self-indulgent, faux Dadist exercise crap the writers of UFO Iconoclast (and a few others) revel in.
(Why no one has wrestled a flying saucer pilot to the ground or no abductee has punched one out while being kidnapped is grist for the passivity of human beings in dire straits, as was the case with Jews as they were being taken away during World WAR II, and in earlier pogroms.)
Speaks for itself. UFOlogy doesn’t need the kind of self-indulgent, faux Dadist exercise crap the writers of UFO Iconoclast (and a few others) revel in.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Update on ‘The Most Dangerous Idea in the World” - (Laura Knight-Jadczyk)
Wow. I just came across Dustin’s entry on his blog Odd Things on Laura Knight-Jadczyk. The synchronicity aside, I was right about what I commented on in the previous Laura entry; her anti-Semitism Jews run the evil world of the evil doers, don’t you know beliefs. What absolutely intrigues me is that Knight-Jadczyk writes extremely well, and is obviously no dummy. She’s quite smart; certainly smarter than I am. And yet we have, in the end, someone clinging to bigoted belief systems. When it comes to UFOs, aliens, and Forteana, none of us can afford to have such deeply entrenched beliefs about anything, except for the painfully obvious reality that “reality” is far from what it seems. Once you start creating a belief system around yourself, you’re doomed. Throw in ethnic/cultural/racial/religious bigotry, and you’re damned.
So little did I know. This little episode also reminds us that being intelligent isn’t always an accurate measurement of being intelligent. A lot of brilliant people have led cults and held paranoid, bigoted, insular beliefs -- and managed to get others to follow them.
Dustin’s Odd Things blog:
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/blogs/oddthings/
Cassiopaea site:
http://www.cassiopaeacult.com/
OrangeOrb blog: Laura Knight-Jadczyk: The Most Dangerous Idea in the World
http://orangeorb.blogspot.com/2007/05/laura-knight-jadczyk-most-dangerous.html
Friday, February 9, 2007
Raelian Swastika Update
Update on the Raelians and their swastika fetish: Greg Bishop on UFOMystic has a good piece on this: Raelians Revive Swastika Symbol.
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