UFO Files: Round 2
Key Takeaways in the Latest Release
Just when you thought you were getting caught up with the first release of UFO files by the U.S. Government two weeks ago they hit you with another wave that buries you yet again. This time we received over 5 GB of video files – that’s quite a download! Without much time to sift through all the material yet – I am still working on a stargates film, after all – what was my initial take within the first 24 hours since the new files dropped?
First of all, this new release brought us up to 222 total files. That’s quite a fascinating numerological number. I’m going to keep an eye on whether or not that number changes. After all, following the first release of 161, by the time we got to this second release that number was down to 158 … and that was after adding a couple files. As I noted in my recent episode of Connecting the Universe, on my computer I had left open a browser window on the Department of War’s UFO Files page, but on Wednesday I had some network and computer issues, so I rebooted everything. That’s when things changed.
When the UFO Files page came back up it was different. Things were out of order from what had been on my screen for a week and a half, there were now only 16 pages instead of 17, and the total number of files had decreased. Originally, the first page on the site had a list of eight files from the FBI, but what was interesting was the first file in the list was numbered #10 and file #8 was missing. Upon this refresh, all 10 files were now present but they were deeper within the list rather than on Page 1. So, if two files were added but our total was now three fewer, that means five files were removed. Curious. I hadn’t been able to complete all my downloads prior to this refresh, but fortunately, I know others did. So, the information is out there. Fortunately, the DoW also added a “Download All” option, so there’s no longer the chore of downloading each file individually.
What we continue to see in these files are only government reports. In part, I think AARO is trying to save face after being heavily scrutinized since its inception, although you now have Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna giving the organization uncharacteristic recent praise. However, I’ve always had an issue with AARO. They only accept submissions of UFO and UAP sightings from government or military employees which is only a small fraction of the population. Yes, some of the material is compelling, but if you’re really trying to figure out what’s going on in our skies, then why are you refusing to look at your most comprehensive dataset?
I suspect their stance is one of arrogance – if it’s a report submitted by someone in the government or military then it must be a much more “trustworthy” piece of data. I hate to be the one to burst people’s bubble, and I know I might blindside some with this news but … um, there are corrupt people in government. Shocker, right? And as much as it pains me to say having spent six years in the U.S. Air Force, there are corrupt people in the military as well. I understand there will be civilians who will forge data and Photoshop images, and that’s probably why they are avoiding the entire sector, but that’s where EXIF and other image data tools come into play. You can’t tell me AARO doesn’t have the tools at its disposal to root out fakes.
