-Allow me to pre-empt this essay by making
two brief points. 1) I am not entirely
convinced that there are now, or where ever,
any
extraterrestrial craft at Area 51. 2) This
essay is presented only as a possibility, not
a definitive answer.-
There was a time when hoards of eager UFO
watchers would gather around a mysterious
black mailbox in the middle of the desert and
scan the skies above a non-exisitant military
base in hopes of seeing something amazing,
something astonishing, something that maybe,
just maybe, could be from another world.
Many times these watchers would see
something, a light in the sky, and they would
leave satisfied. Little did they know that
what they had just seen was nothing more than
a flare, or the running lights of a plane, or
something else with a conventional military
explanation. But every so often there would
be a sighting of something that couldn't be
so easily explained, a light that darts
across sky, makes right angle turns, changes
shape, and ultimately baffles and bewilders
those who have seen it. But alas, as the
years go by, these sightings have dwindled,
and it would seem that this mythical era is
all but gone.
What happened? Where have these mysterious
lights gone? It seems to be almost a monthly
occurance, someone comes into the
alt.conspiracy.area51 newsgroup with the
answer. Typically, it reads something like
this-
You idiots! You are all so stupid! If
the military did have UFO's do you really
think they'd be dumb enough to keep them
where everyone already suspects they
are?
A little crude, but it seems logical. Or
does it? I propose a more dasterdly
posibility, those sneaky guys in charge of
the saucer program did something even more
clever, they never moved them at all!
What?! How could I arrive at such a
conclusion? Permit me to explain....
Obviously relocating any military program
isn't easy. A top-secret one.....difficult.
Perhaps the most secretive program in the
history of mankind.....very difficult. Then
imagine trying to relocate the most secretive
program in the history of mankind under the
noses of UFO
watchers, aviation buffs, and the rest of the
military. Probably not impossible, but
perhaps more trouble then its worth.
First off, your new location would have to
be remote enough to stay hidden from the
prying eyes of those pesky civilians.
Second, you would already have to have
restricted airspace in place. To suddenly
restrict airspace 24 hours a day 365 days a
year, even to military aircraft, without
reason, might draw unnecessary attention.
Third, you would have to already have a
military presence in the area, because if one
day the local ranchers of some backwoods town
20 miles away start seeing black helicopters
and white Jeep Cherokees with government
license plates cruising around, that too
could draw attention. All it takes is one
call from a good ol' boy to get the World
Weekly News down there, then your cover is
blown.
Next you have to worry about those
civilian workers who were flying in from Las
Vegas every morning to change the oil in your
flying saucer. You could get new workers, but
thats an awful lot of background checks,
training, and possible security leaks. You
could try to get the old workers to come with
you, but they might not be so keen on the
idea. You could fly them in from Vegas like
you did before, but what happens if one of
those UFO nuts notices a "Janet" flight
taking off in the wrong direction?
Now lets look at it from another angle.
Suppose your back at your comfortable home at
the Nevada Test Site. Your just about to send
up your saucer on a test flight when all of a
sudden one of those UFO nuts pulls up to the
black mailbox with his trusty Sony 8mm video
recorder. Oh no! Now we have to cancel
the flight! Or do we? Lets say we launch this
thing and he does start filming.... So what?
Thats just one more shakey videotape of an
orange blob in the night sky. Of course, if
this were a a professional film crew with
high powered lenses and night vision we might
have to think twice, but thats a small price
to pay isn't it?
So, why don't we hear reports of these
mysterious lights in the sky anymore? Well,
one contributing factor could be that there
just aren't as many people watching the skies
above Area 51 as there once were. With the
days of Bob Lazar and the hype of
Independance Day behind us, there seems to be
little motivation for the casual viewer to
drive out into the middle of the desert, set
up a lawn chair, and stare blankly into the
stars above.
It is rare these days, but the occasional
report does still find its way onto my screen
or into my ear, one way or another. Someone
who saw an orange light in the sky seperate
into a triangular formation, do a little
dance, then disappear.... or something
similar. In all of 1998 I've heard maybe
three or four that could be something more
that a flare or aircraft running lights. It's
not much, but its something. Still, I wish I
could have been around in those days before
ever mystery was solved, when every flare
could have been something more, and
those mysterious lights in the sky were just
a little more mysterious.
Majestic
