Hi Bear, I think I'm pretty much in agreement with the basic premices you have expressed. Nevertheless, I'd like to offer up a couple of slightly skewed personal observations. ;-)
... > Our being not alone, and able to visit other places when > we earn the ability will probably destroy faiths depending > on the New Testament, but what of the other Abrahamist faiths > that rely on the Old book, like Judaism, Zoroastrianism, > Mohammedism, and others? Are they resilient enough to bend, > or will they break under the weight of truth as well. Time > will only tell. It's not just those of a strong fundamentalist/religious persuasion who might have issues with this subject. For example, on another YAHOO discussion group called "MadSF" where dedicated Madison, Wisconsin, based Science Fiction enthusiasts hang about I posted the exact same diatribe (word-for-word) that I had posted here in regards to the alleged UFO video link. I got what I thought were, for the most part, healthy skeptical responses from two "MadSF" posters, who incidentally are good friends of mine. One of the skeptic's responses was delightfully satirical when he state: > For my part, I'll start paying attention when > one of the putative interstellar vehicles lands > on the White House lawn in full view of the CNN > cameras and somebody gets out and asks to use > the toilet in the Lincoln Bedroom. Until then, > I'll leave it to the pranksters with their shaky > hand-held cameras, fuzzy focus, black-velvet > backgrounds, and hubcaps. Maintaining the proper satirical spirit I replied with: > Heh! :-) It's down the hall and to your > left. Be sure to use plenty of air > freshener when you're finished. > > Actually, I suspect you'll have to wait a > very long time for such a momentous event. > Any creature with half their trinary frontal > lobe ganglia still in operational condition > is likely to "get it" that parking in front > of the White House lawn will only get them > ticketed. No permit. Only in the movies! But what happened next was a real surprise. Another frequent "MadSF" poster who I believe is of the anti-religious/atheist persuasion decided to contribute his two cents: > Steve, > > After a certain point of posting a type > of post, and getting no interest in it, > and repeated hostility, it might be a good > idea to take your interest somewhere it is > appreciated. Granted, the other two skeptical posters indirectly came to my defense by tactfully suggesting to this poster that if he didn't like my MadSF contributions perhaps he should stop reading them. What this seems to suggest is that there are individuals who truly believe themselves to be intellectually sophisticated, because they read a lot of science fiction, hate religion, consider themselves both intellectually and psychologically sophisticated, and therefore (should) know what's really going on, who also appear to having a rough time with the subject. > For one day our neighbors will come to visit and do more than > take pictures and tag people for exozoological studies. That > day is approaching. Fast. Our government knows this as well, > as that is the reason for backing out of the ITER. What are > Bush's folks afraid of? Will turning it on finally attract > forceful attention akin to Junior finding his mother's gun. > Rest assured we are also being watched for antisocial behavior, > of which we have no shortage, and its possibility for leaving > the bounds of this planet and reaching out into our system. > Maybe there are mining concessions in our system that are at > risk from our interference. Certainly in some nearby system. > If scientists are to be believed, rocky planets near sunlike > stars are common. FWIW: IMO, the basic intent of the above comments strike me personally as not being all that different than a proclamation of "the second coming." > Standing Bear -- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
