#Bipartisan UFO shootings

[talmagemoorehead]

"40% of us have seen UAPs" - Airline Pilot Chris Van Voorhis

Since UFOs are a safety hazard according to military pilots who have encountered hundreds of them in recent years, any airline company that fails to study and report UFO encounters deserves a bad reputation for criminal negligence.

The airlines are still discouraging their pilots from talking about the UFOs they’ve seen, but it’s more of a gray area than a rule. Now that over 40 % of the US public admits that some UFOs are real and of non-human origin, the airlines are telling pilots that it’s OK to talk about their UFO sightings, but don’t mention the name of the airlines. Unfortunately, pilots find it difficult to trust…

[female-malice]

It doesn’t matter the topic, there always seems to be a group of lawmakers who will stop at nothing to thwart government transparency – even when it’s a subject that could not be more bipartisan or in an obvious need for sunlight.

This time, a small cadre of powerful Republicans have reportedly killed a provision in this year’s defense authorization that would finally bring some transparency to the US government’s knowledge around UFOs (now also known by the updated parlance of “unidentified aerial phenomena”, or UAPs).

Over the summer, the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, introduced a UFO transparency bill on the heels of testimony given to Congress by the retired air force officer David Grusch, who made several shocking claims about the US being in possession of alien spacecraft for decades. As Schumer described his bill “the measure would create a board just like with the JFK assassination records to work through the declassification of the many government records on UAPs … This model has been a terrific success for decades and should be used with UAPs”.

Some took Grusch’s testimony very seriously, others viewed him as a crackpot, still others in between. Since it would take a lot more words than this column to litigate his myriad extraordinary claims, let’s forget about him for a moment and focus on what we do know for a fact about the general subject of unidentified flying objects.

For decades, both military and commercial pilots have logged countless sightings of UFOs while flying that defy conventional or scientific explanation. The US government has studied the UFO phenomenon on and off since the 1950s and has kept at least some of what it knows secret. Recently the US government itself has released several videos of these incidents, which has further fueled public interest and speculation about whether the incidents were extraterrestrial.

Then, it was only nine months ago, shortly after a Chinese spy balloon floated over American airspace, that UFOs became front page news across the country. After the balloon was taken down, and with the air force on high alert and its radar systems tweaked to extra sensitivity, a series of UFOs were tracked and some even shot with US military Sidewinder missiles over both the United States and Canada.

For a few days there was wall-to-wall coverage of these incidents, and the White House was holding press conferences to specifically address it. Members of the military were telling reporters that the objects were not balloons like the one China had lost control of, some reported at least one of the objects “interfered with [pilot’s] sensors” and had no visible propulsion 40,000ft in the air. The military spent millions of dollars to shoot them down, and closed a huge swath of airspace when they thought they spotted more. No one had a definitive explanation of what they were.

And then poof! Everyone seemed to forget about it. The government never released video or photos of the objects it tracked (even though they obviously must have had some footage). They initially claimed they couldn’t recover any wreckage. When reporters and other concerned citizens attempted to Foia the evidence they were stonewalled completely, with the Pentagon claiming it was all classified. By then, the press had moved on and the Biden administration or the Pentagon hasn’t faced an ounce of scrutiny on the issue from mainstream publications since.

It’s clearly in the public interest to get to the bottom of incidents like these, whether you believe these objects are of extraterrestrial origin or not. As Schumer himself said, “Unidentified aerial phenomena has generated intense curiosity from many Americans, and the risk for confusion and misinformation is high if the government is not willing to be transparent.” It also couldn’t be further from a partisan issue, as the bill had several Republicans in support of it. So why did this small group of Republicans – including the House speaker, head of the House intelligence committee and the Senate minority leader – kill this thing?

One explanation is that these specific congressmen are in on a decades-long cover-up, yet somehow the long-serving Senate majority leader isn’t. I have a different theory: these congressmen also don’t necessarily know what is going on, but they are so addicted to government secrecy that they will reflexively fight for it, even when they have no rational reason. They fear creating a framework for more transparency, knowing if it’s a success it could possibly spur more legislative action in a similar vein.

The JFK Records Act, which Schumer referenced as his inspiration, is an aberration in our modern history; it passed more than 30 years ago and there’s been nothing like it since. On most subjects, it’s impossible to get the government to quickly declassify documents – even when it’s of vital public interest. If this new provision would become law, we would then have an updated model for other areas of the government that Congress could target for declassification if they so choose.

Say, for example, a commission on price gouging in the Pentagon that could expose tens of billions in fraud, or commissions who could more quickly declassify the various spying powers that are constantly abused by the NSA and FBI. The House intelligence committee, which seemingly exists to protect our intelligence agencies from scrutiny, is going to do everything in its power to stop that.

The truth may be out there. But believers and skeptics alike should be able to unite on one thing: force the government to reveal what it knows and what it doesn’t know. We will all be better off.

[dogsuffrage]

To be fair to the certifiably deranged Tim Burchett being quoted, he's saying his fellow republicans are blocking it because they are implicated, he's not justifying it. Burchett has no filter for real. He openly said there's no way to stop school shootings it's just going to happen and it sucks but it is what it is. He said he doesn't feel like Congress can or should do anything to reduce gun violence. Which is very much saying the quiet part out loud for Repubs. He's a pretty interesting if very very flawed guy. One of a minority of Republicans to repeal US authorization of military action in Iraq and Syria. He's been a prominent figure in pushing for pursuing whistleblower claims of UFO information alongside a bipartisan group, actively saying that if the US military is acting in secret they need to be exposed, which pissed off a lot of conservatives. I say all of this to say if anyone is going to out their own colleagues it is him. He is a bad person but he also seemingly has no issue pissing off his own party.

Insane way to admit that u and ur colleagues are pedophiles

[cksmart-world]

The completely unnecessary news analysis

by Christopher Smart

June 1, 2021

NATALIE PORTMAN'S BIKINI

If you're reading this right now you've succumb to click-bate journalism and what reporters and columnists are up against in this age of too much information. Fortunately for journalists everywhere, the staff here at Smart Bomb has come up a breakthrough solution. But before we get there, here's a true-life example of the problem: A well-known journalist in Salt Lake City was recently admonished by an editor because he wasn't getting enough clicks on the internet — he's not the first, he won't be the last. So, here's the key from our brain trust: Somehow work into the headline the words “Natalie Portman's Bikini.” Here's an example: “Door-Knocking Purveyors of Faith Could be Returning Natalie Portman's Bikini Soon.” Or: “The Oil and Gas Industry Pushes Back Against Natalie Portman's Bikini.” And even this: “What Mike Lee Said about Natalie Portman's Bikini.” You gotta admit, this is must-read material that would get zillions of clicks. And there are variations on this theme: “Hugh Grant's Call Girl Overturned a Watermelon Trailer and Closed I-15.” Or this: “A Utah Middle School Throws a Mask-Burning to Celebrate Hugh Grant's Call Girl.” It's seems like a stupid way to do things, but that's the world in which we live.

10 REASONS TO VOTE AGAINST A JAN. 6 COMMISSION

1 – It could make Donald Trump's face turn orangier

2 – Republicans would be seen hiding under desks during replays of Rudy Giuliani

3 – It could make Sen. Josh Hawley look like an even bigger asshole

4 – That traitor Sen. Mitt Romney would look heroic — can't have that

5 – Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy would come off as a slimy Trump lapdog

6 – Replays of Sen. Mitch McConnell blaming Trump for the riot would sound too much like the truth and Republicans would lose seats in 2022

7 – Brother Rep. Greg Pence, would have to listen again to chants of “Hang Mike Pence” over and over again.

8 –  Americans would see the Jan. 6 mob chant, 'kill him with his own gun' while holding down Officer Mike Fanone — bad optics, no good

9 – Sen. Mike Lee would be called as a witness because Trump butt-dialed him during the riot. It's a “Kangaroo Commission,” Lee said.

10 – And selling your soul to the devil isn’t that big of a deal.

THE WEEK THAT WAS IN HEADLINES

(We could not possibly make this up.)

1 – No need for new GOP voter suppression in Mississippi: We're already there

2 – It's wrong to blame 'overpopulation' for climate change

3 – QAnon crowd convinced UFOs are a diversion from voter fraud

4 – GOP Rep: My party didn't just leave me, they were beamed up by aliens

5 – A thick blanket of “Sea Snot” wreaks havoc on Turkey's coast

6 – Police handcuffed a man so tightly he had to have his hand amputated

7 – A Southwest flight attendant loses two teeth in altercation with passenger

8 – 'Witch Hunt' Meet Grand Jury Feel Free to Fantasize About Trump Behind Bars

9 – 23 % of GOP agree “satan-worshipping pedophiles” run government

10 – He robbed a taco joint with a toy gun and got life in prison

Post script — That’s a wrap for another week here at Smart Bomb, where we keep track of alternate realities so you don’t have to. After  wonderful and relaxing holiday weekend, it’s time for a wonderful and relaxing summer where you can go to the breach and not feel guilty. You don’t have to think about QAnon. You don’t have to think about a Jan. 6 Bipartisan Commission or lack thereof. And you don’t have to worry about Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz traveling across the country inciting people to shoot Democrats and techies. It’s time to worry about other stuff, like who you’ll meet at the club. Yep, now you can go to a bar and actually see the person you’re trying to pick up — certain kinds of surprises aren’t much fun. A year of pent up angst has left tens of miliions of Americans with a look-out-here-we-come expression on their soon to be sunburned faces. It’s gonna make the craziest place on Earth more crazy. Some advice: Stay away from Florida unless you’re prepared for full-tilt insanity. That aside, guns sales have skyrocketed across the country along with alcohol — a dangerous combo that can even make Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” look rather... well, less frightening. So hey, be careful out there. For reals.

Well, Wilson, you and the band have become a little less prone to white-knuckled crazy here in the glowing days of your autumn. Now, even after Covid, it’s more like put the top down, load the cool up and no f-ing politics. So, hit it, man:

Groovin' on a Sunday afternoon

Really couldn't get away too soon I can't imagine anything that's better The world is ours whenever we're together There ain't a place I'd like to be instead of Movin' down a crowded avenue Doin' anything we like to do There's always lots of things that we can see You can be anyone we like to be All those happy people we could meet

Just groovin' on a Sunday afternoon We'll keep on spending sunny days this way We're gonna talk and laugh our time away I feel it coming closer day by day Life would be ecstasy, you and me endlessly Groovin' on a Sunday afternoon Really couldn't get away too soon...

(Groovin' — The Young Rascals)