On May 9, 2001, the impossible happened, and it still hasn't set in. Two dozen men and women from the The Disclosure Project, men and women from the military, intelligence, and the corporate world announced at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., that extraterrestrial life exists, that we have been visited by extraterrestrial life since at latest 1947, and that the most advanced propaganda campaign in history has occured to suppress knowledge of this contact.

The credulous believed it right away, of course. And so did thousands more scientifically minded people who would only believe such things if stated by US officials. In fact, those inclined to investigation soon found out that there were over 400 witnesses for the Project, including astronauts, people from the DIA, the NRO, the CIA, the FBI, the DoD, the DoE, and a tumult of other three lettered representatives.

Pravda picked up the story immediately, and they have since been running articles on UFOs every week, including a recent story about a UFO preventing a nuclear holocaust at Chernobyl. The Beijing Youth Daily seized upon the story. So did the BBC, and La Prensa, and...

Yet American papers balked. The impossible happened and they didn't notice. Joel Achenbach of The Washington Post debunked the conference by calling the witnesses 'gray-haired old men', and negated the significance of the day. He claimed that many such conferences had occurred in the past, and that this was but one more example in a long line of unproven claims. The New York Times simply missed the story. Same for the Chicago papers, and the Seattle papers, and every other American paper except the Boston Globe, which reported on the conference matter-of-factly.

So we come to a point when we might ask ourselves: did the press conference at the National Press Club, the most prestigious press club in America, even happen? The witnesses have since been featured in London newspapers, the Eugene alternative press, and a snippet on page D4 of USA Today...but no New York Times. And at least ten to twenty million people have found out about the project.

It might be remembered that all 400 plus witnesses for The Disclosure Project are asking to be subpoenaed for Congressional hearings. In other words, if they are lying, they will be arrested for perjury. These aren't the men of Enron, after all. Do they have anything to gain from representing the project? Their reputations, such as they were, have nowhere to go but down. Way down. After all, if UFOs do indeed exist, it would take some amount of courage to talk openly about it. Would it not? One witness, Prof. Robert Jacobs, formerly of the Air Force, claims that his mail box was blown up after he told the media about his knowledge of extraterrestrial life. Can anyone suggest what incentive he might have to lie about a blown up mailbox.

To quote Prof. Jacobs: "I've got nothing but pain and suffering out of it, out of talking about it. I've been harrassed at my home. This was used against me, partially in losing a job once in teaching. I've had a hell of a time telling this story but I continue to tell the story because I think it is important for people to understand that this sort of shit goes on in the Government. That the Government covers up information that we are entitled to know about as citizens of this country. That's why I tell my story. That's why I'm telling it to you." He doesn't sound like the mindless drone that so many leftists consider soldiers to be, does he? Or could it be that it is we as leftists who have something to learn from our patriotic counterparts?

If the witnesses are telling the truth, even one out of 400 plus, is it not strange that only a few million Ameicans know about the Project? Does it not seem like something that deserves further examination? Or are we too afraid of finding out about something that would shatter our vision of the world? Is there something, deep down, within all of us, that hopes that the elite cabals of the world are somewhat truthful with us? Do we really refuse to believe stories of corporate ownership of media that filters out vital information? Are we, most importantly, afraid of being laughed at? Are we afraid of thinking something absurd, even if it may be true?

These are questions to consider deeply. What role do we have in finding the truth within the world? Who do we listen to when we try to piece together the past? Perhaps most important of all, is there a standard reality? If so, does failure to adhere to the standard reality mean that the thinker is out of touch with him or herself? Does it imply insanity?

I suggest that these questions are worth asking. I suggest that these issues deserve investigation.

www.disclosureproject.org