-Caveat Lector- Just when I saw a UFO as of late - hey it had to be made in China, for it was flying over my house, not directly above it but it was chugging along at 1950 speed leaving a little short track of smoke...... Mrs Rosenberg Mail message From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Conspiracy Journal) Date: Sat, May 5, 2001, 4:07am (EDT+4) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (List Member) Subject: No More UFOs? Tracking Service Closes for Lack of Use Conspiracy Journal - http://www.conspiracyjournal.com --------------------------- ListBot Sponsor -------------------------- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb ---------------------------------------------- No More UFOs? Tracking Service Closes for Lack of Use The following article carried in the Times London, with rebuttals by UFO Magazine-UK, is a good example of disinformation carried by the media which falsely discredits the reality and magnitude of the UFO phenomena. See the comments below about the 40,000 formerly classified UFO documents that were released into the public domain since Freedom of Information Act was established in 1974. Also the 3,500 UFO sightings that were officially reported by military and civilian pilots. There is neither a small amount of activity in this area nor limited interest on the part of the American Government and it's many agencies. Russ Hamerly ============================================== THE TIMES LONDON 23 April 2001 http://www.ufomag.co.uk/index.htm No More UFOs? Tracking Service Closes for Lack of Use L O N D O N, April 23 - The British Flying Saucer Bureau is closing after chronicling UFO activities for nearly 50 years - because of a sharp decline in the number of reported sightings. The group, which once had 1,500 members worldwide, used to receive at least 30 reports a week of sightings of unidentified flying objects, but they had now virtually dried up, the Times newspaper reported on Monday. "I am just as enthusiastic about flying saucers as I always was, but the problem is that we are in the middle of a long, long trough," Denis Plunkett, 70, who founded the bureau in 1953 with his late father Edgar, told the Times. "There's only so many times you can pick over old bones. There just aren't enough new sightings," he said. Anthony James UFO MAGAZINE'S RESPONSE A mini-debate is taking place over the Internet following a story which ran in The Times, 23 April 2001, in which journalist Simon de Bruxelles (whose name from memory has appeared in debunking articles in the past), reports that Denis Plunkett has suspended the activities of the Bristol-based British Flying Saucer Bureau, which he founded in 1953. To put matters firmly into context, speak with most enthusiasts today and they will tell you that they have never heard of the British Flying Saucer Bureau or Denis Plunkett. While the Bureau was an established organization throughout the 1950s and 1960s, thereafter little has been heard from either. Indeed, one will be hard pressed to discover references to the British Flying Saucer Bureau or Denis Plunkett in recent times. I cannot recall when I last met or heard from either Denis or British Flying Saucer Bureau members, but we are talking 1980s, and possibly before that. Speaking with my brother, Mark Birdsall, who worked alongside me on the UFO front for the best part of 30 years (I began in 1967), he is equally as baffled as the rest of us. Of course, this is of no consequence to those in the media who have picked up on Simon de Bruxelles story and created an imaginary mountain from a grain of salt. Let us hope that other newspapers refrain from using the caption attached to one of the two photographs Simon de Bruxelle chose to illustrate his piece. The photograph of a Saturn-shaped flying saucer he credits as being taken over Texas, was in fact snapped over Trindade Island in early January, 1958 by Brazilian photographer and journalist, Alimoro Barauna, one of several civilian passengers on board the former Brazilian training ship, Almirante Saldanha. A minor factual error on the face of it, but newspapers like The Times pride themselves on being factual at all times. Hence, I drew on several additional facts in a considered written response to Simon de Bruxelle's piece, and comments contained in a third leader article by the newspaper's Editor. Whether the following letter is published remains to be seen, but this is what I chose to write: Letters to the Editor Sir, Denis Plunkett, founder of the British Flying Saucer Bureau, suggests that reports and belief in the existence of UFOs is declining (UFO bureau shuts as aliens shun Earth, third leading article, Times, April 23). I beg to differ. There are currently 80 recognized UFO groups and organizations evenly spread throughout the United Kingdom, most of which continue to generate an abundance of UFO reports by means of active research and investigation. While it is true to say that the Bristol area has been relatively devoid of such reports in recent years, the same cannot be said of the rest of the country. For example, Fleetwood in Lancashire has experienced a prolonged three-month wave of UFO activity since late January which has seen local residents band together to hold mini-sky watches. In Birmingham, dozens of unidentified objects were seen and video taped in broad daylight. On 14 January this year, an unidentified flying object was seen to collide with a communications mast on the summit of Snaefell Mountain on the Isle of Man. The total number of alleged UFO sightings recorded in the first quarter of this year here in Britain shows a 50 per cent increase when compared to the same corresponding period last year. Since July 4, 1974, when President Carter introduced the American Freedom of Information Act, some 40,000 hitherto classified UFO documents have been released into the public domain. Together with similar documentation released by the Public Records Office, it is patently clear to anyone who chooses to examine them, that every major military and intelligence organization in the West continues to maintain an active interest in this field. If UFOs and the people who see and continue to report them are all deemed to have been mistaken or influenced by external factors, such as the X-Files, how does that explain the 3,500 military and civilian pilots who have chosen to report their UFO sighting officially? When professional and credible observers, such as pilots, risk both reputation and career by citing UFO in their official report, it speaks volumes. That the Parliamentary Ombudsman felt sufficiently compelled to recently instruct the Ministry of Defense to release 11 such reports, submitted by British aircrews covering the period 1995-2000 in the interests of air safety, it amply demonstrates the seriousness which I and others attach to this subject. The prospects for the discovery of extraterrestrial life in our lifetime has manifestly improved this past decade. There is genuine optimism expressed among scientists at NASA, that life may well have existed on Mars in its distant past. Couple that with speculation that extraterrestrial life could well exist beneath the frozen surface of Jupiter's moon, Europa, and suddenly our local neighborhood of space looks a lot more interesting than one could possibly have imagined - least of all speculated upon - less than a decade ago. And for those Times readers still unconvinced, one is compelled to pose a pertinent question: if UFOs are foolish nonsense, why does the Ministry of Defence continue to operate a UFO desk? Why indeed. Yours faithfully, GRAHAM W. BIRDSALL [Editor] UFO Magazine, Lloyds Bank Chambers, West Street, Ilkley, LS29 9DW. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Now of course, there will be some cynics who will declare that as Editor and co-publisher of UFO Magazine, I would say that, wouldn't I? Tosh! I have stated the facts. Nothing more, nothing less. Take a quick glance through our May issue of UFO Magazine (on sale in the UK from Thursday, 26 April) and you will see a lengthy piece on the UFO flap over the Dales and Peaks of Derbyshire (detailing almost two-dozen sightings); images from a UFO sighting at Rotherham, South Yorkshire; a UFO report from West London; a UFO report from Malaga, Spain; a UFO report and photographs from Norfolk; a UFO report from Northern Ireland; a USO report from Eire; multiple UFO reports from Merseyside; UFO reports from Oklahoma, Washington State and Alabama in the U.S.; a UFO report from Scotland; a UFO report from Italy; a UFO report from Spain; a UFO report from Mexico; a UFO report from Sutton, Surrey; a UFO report from Hemel Hempstead; a UFO report of a Fleet and video still images from Birmingham; a major UFO report with images from Yakima and a UFO report from Aberdeen. Now take a look at the accompanying major articles that appear elsewhere in that same issue (LATEST ISSUE) and one can begin to understand why sceptics and debunkers are keen to elevate Simon de Bruxelles story to ridiculous heights. How I wish Simon could have joined with me last Thursday evening when I visited Fleetwood, Lancashire. I spent hours in the company of eight credible people (all from the same street) who have seen, photographed and independently video taped some absolutely incredible anomalous UFO activity above their home and off-shore since the back end of January. By the same token, I am certain that had Denis Plunkett also been present, the now retired 70-year-old veteran would have been given a new lease of life. Best regards, Graham W. 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