Agree - anything/everything is suspect and should be scrutinized. However, I try and keep an open mind and take in the information presented to see if it resonates with me before making a judgement about it - instead of just refusing to consider it from the jump.
I started out taking an open interest in UFOs when I was about 18, back in the late 70s, read all the literature I could find over the years, learned all the names of the major researchers and their work, the stories of the 'contactees', etc. and finally came to the realization of what it was really all about. I can tell you what the very first UFO sightings were (staged Maury Island sighting in 1947, followed days later by the Kenneth Arnold sighting, followed soon after by the alleged Roswell crash), the history of how the movement was developed and why (experiments related to MKULTRA and cover ops for military research), how UFO sightings were staged and psyoped into the first 'conspiracy theory' model that has continued to evolve and be used in various ways, how people are drawn into it and used for various purposes, the technologies used in the stagings, etc. etc.
There aren't many UFO/contactee incidents or claims that I can't debunk at this point. I'm not saying that there aren't strange things that go on that suggest a possible alien presence, but when it comes to people who make claims like the one you posted about, red lights go off immediately. The guy might actually believe his own story, but that doesn't mean it's true. Certain MKULTRA programs involved the use of certain techniques and technologies to implant false memories, and they're still used today. Simon Parkes is a definite ringer for being used in these programs, and he's not the only one out there.
A more plausible disclosure was conducted by Steven M. Greer, who collected 100s of sworn testimonies from astronauts, pilots, etc. who saw things that can't be explained by known technologies, but they still don't prove that any of it was extraterrestrial. Robert Lazar is another person with a very believable story, but again, he can't be sure that what he saw and worked on back-engineering were alien craft.
As far as anyone who claims they're in contact with ET goes, there's not even any point in believing them. They might tell a fantastic story, but so what? Unless they can produce physical evidence that definitively proves other-worldly encounters, it's just talk and can be explained more plausibly in other ways. In fact, if their story were true, they probably wouldn't be talking publicly about it, for national security reasons.
Wow, thank you for taking the time to add your thorough insights on all this. I have had a keen interest in ETs/UFOs for a while as well, but don't have anywhere near the amassed research hours that obviously you do. Really appreciate your sharing your expertise in this subject matter with us here and providing needed scrutiny to the mix.
I could say a lot more and don't mind doing so, but it's difficult to get into the details, especially since most of what I researched and learned was a long time ago and I only have the notes I took to go by and whatever I can dig up from memory or re-research. It's a fascinating subject and I don't knock people who take a serious interest in it, nor do I doubt that there could be other intelligent life out there, even visiting us, but the idea that these people who come forward and make these claims are legitimate has to be weighed against the fact that the CIA, military, and other organizations have used the subject and popularized it for their own purposes.
I appreciate the fact that you appreciate what I have to say. I just wish there was an appropriate forum where I could share more of what I've learned about this and other related subjects, and that my note-taking had been more thorough when I was researching all of it.
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