The Captain's Blog - Drydock

Let It Be

2006-01-02T09:25:00.000-05:00

Since the Enterprise will seemingly have a longterm stay in drydock, the crew has deployed to a new, experimental 'wessel', the FSHOD!

All are welcome to join. Meet us at http://fshod.blogspot.com/

Farewell and Godspeed, Enterprise...

The Messiah's Birth

2005-12-31T21:41:00.000-05:00

Part III "The birth of the Messiah"
Saturday, December 31, 2005
HHMSS
Sword

Or otherwise known as “the hippie… …”Or at least I would like to think. Even Jesus had an alias

Being a man born in the time of the star of prophecy Jesus most certainly would have always in his mind the number in time that the earth would crumble under the weight of the very heavens. He was of course an anointed one.But how? What separated him from the pack, and made him a great lion? And how can royalty later say that they where descendants of his kin? Why where some early kings reigns so long considering the time?

Monarchy buffs know what I am talking about. Of course we are talking about bloodline.But of course as interesting as it sounds, it opens up the paradox of Jesus leaving behind some sort of blood behind. That is, a descendant, a son or daughter. This of course makes the reader able to understand that the scripture canonized by the church are not completely correct.Jesus was arguably a mommas boy.I have always considered his conception of birth of that being rape. What a sad concept considering his status but let us consider scripture:

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Before they came together, Mary was already pregnant with a child before he and Joseph ever had intercourse. Mary was lying, saying that she had never had sex, or even raped – which intercourse before marriage and of the time – was punishable by death. She could have stated the truth and saved her soul, but she sinned, lied – pleaded that it was the almighty god that came to her and gave her the child. When perhaps she prayed for an answer to the problem God said, tell them it was me. Instead she lied to save the soul of her unborn child. This must have weighed very heavily on Jesus.

Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

Oh Shit! Don’t let word of this get out! Stay in the house and don’t come out until I figure this out.

Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

So, somebody shows up, an angel, a creature depicted in art for thousands of years as a creature from above with wings, with a glimmering sheen – something that Joseph would easily recognize as divine (that ought to raise some UFO brows) shows up and says – he is of the Holy Ghost. Different in more ways than one, HE is one of US…Jesus of course, was a half-breed. This is how his tribe would have learned of it eventually. He was of roman and Jewish stock. He was not of his fathers seed. This would have been obvious latter in life.

The part about the Lion comes in when you understand that Jesus was also genetically different from his mother and his father. Yes, Jesus was the son of Mary, that part was visibly obvious. As Jesus the child grew the genetic part became obvious as Mary and the Father stayed in Egypt. Jesus had what today is classified as a genetic disorder of all things – a longevity gene. This would have been obvious by a ten year old boy with the mind of a two year old. Mary and Joseph certainly would have been overwhelmed and yet at the same time would have been helped through this ordeal until the boys mind caught up with his body and thus – able to be see in public as normal. It was for this genetic trait alone that the wise men could be certain that he was an anointed one.

I tell people this stuff at dinner parties.Doesn’t go over so well sometimes.

Sword

F-SHOD Prototype Disclosure

2005-12-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

The Flying ShitHook of Death.

An elusive instrument of terror and Weapon of Selective Destruction, many here have called for Disclosure. But until this time, the illusory nature of this weapon has not made details available to the average investigator. In fact, this weapon has been an imaginary mode of revenge and elimination of stupidity conceived by me over 20 years ago. More than one unsuspecting moron has, in the dark recesses of my mind, succumbed to a swift, certain and deserved fate through the surgical utilization of the Flying ShitHook of Death. The few people that I have revealed the existence of the F-SHOD to have typically almost died laughing at the concept ... whilst secretly desireing to own one.

What you see here today is the F-SHOD Mark-I, conceptualized by Chief of Engineering Design and Drydock Crewe Member, Zebowho. I thank and congratulate Zebowho for the insight and skill required to produce this work. It is truly beyond any expectations I ever had and is truly a feat of scientific endeavor. It is also a weapon that should inspire fear in any troll or insipid dingle-berry who demonstrates the unfortunate tendency towards dumbassity.

Pictured here are images taken during a test flight of the Potamac. Upon first sighting of this weapon, President Bush was immediately trundled away to a secret base in the west A pretense was made that he was overseeing a weather-control operation called Katrina, but the fact that He was the biggest moron in the area and, hence, an obvious F-SHOD target necessitated a hasty scramble to Air Force One.

Secretary of Defence Rumsfield, upon being interviewed after seeing this 'hooks-eye' view of a near miss at ending his remarkable stranglehold of administrative stupidity, remarked "Ummmm ... ahhhh ... well, there..... aaaah ..... ummmmmmmm ..........".

Fortunately for him, this was only a dry, test run.

Unfortunately, for the American public this was only a dry, test run!

Dick Cheney was not available for comment.

This close-up of the MARK-I's effective design feature, the infamous ShitHook, aids the viewer in understanding the insidious nature of the hook's design. Utilized correctly, the ShitHook can 'tear ya a new one, coming and going', thanks to the multi-pronged, razor-edge design. Visually terrifying, this design amazingly adds to the stealthy nature of this craft. Also, if more than one moronic target is clustered (e.g. an RNC Convention), multiple targets can be hooked simultaneously, while stupefied onlookers get slashed by the edges. Their buttplugs will be a-poppin' when they see this baby coming at them!

So there you have it, the mighty F-SHOD Mark-I. Clean, stealthy and highly deadly to them that so rightly deserve it ... and so many do!

Thanks again, Zebowho, for a job well done!

The Wise Men

2005-12-16T10:09:00.000-05:00

HHMSS
Sword
Part Two of Three

"The Wise Men"

Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

In the last article I focused on the star – its appearance made quiet a stir, everywhere. While I did focus on the star, I left a few things of importance out regarding the wise men – why? The star of course, is the most important element of the whole story – it takes understanding of its appearance and its meaning to truly understand and absorb the next portion of my article.

To recap the last article:
The star of course appeared in the east and led the wise men from the east to the west – where Jesus was born. Remember – it "…went before them…" – and in a manner of speaking – lead them along their path.

King Herod – Roman-appointed governor of Judah – wasn’t in Jerusalem – he was the king of Babylon – and was located in Babylon. Herod was one paranoid bastard. Even his Roman friend Augustus had to admit, "I'd rather be Herod's pig than his son" – alluding to the fact that he killed many for treason (to include his wives and sons) out of his paranoia that someone would usurp his power.

I have no references that I can site that state that Herod was in Babylon. I just know he was there. Now, Herod knew - through his own advisors, priests, and astronomers – that the star would be seen rising in the east and this star would foretell of the coming king. Why not set up shop in Babylon and get the jump on the star? – thus he could send out men to search for the child and have him slain. He wasn’t the only one to have this plan.

Let get down to it.

Again – all references come from the King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible – and specifically the book of Matthew, Chapter 2

The book of Matthew 2

2:1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

From the east they came, and they came upon the King, Herod, in Babylon. They asked him, Herod – where is the king? This is quiet amusing. Herod is supposed to be the King, and the wise men – from the east (Persia) are asking him – where’s the real deal? – 'cuz you ain’t it buddy!

Concentrating entirely on the KJV only, there is no reference to their ethnicity, or numbers. History points to the fact that they came from Persia – which is east of Babylon. Persia is Iran - Babylon is Iraq. The western tradition is that there where three wise men (probably because of their gifts – numbering three different types) – Eastern tradition sites twelve as the number of wise men. In this matter I would say in the beginning of their quest – twelve is correct – the tradition is in the east, and they came from the east.

Also on this matter – being wise men – they knew better than to send large numbers. Think about it. Large numbers of astrologer priests would either "scare off" any contact they might have with the very protected messiah – or result in them being killed and never heard of again. Best to lay low and send a few emissaries.

The King Herod isn’t going to smite the wise men for asking such a blatantly insulting question (and start a war with Persia to the east when he has enough trouble keeping the west under control) – instead he is shrewd enough to play along because they know something that he doesn’t. Thus we have Mat 2:3

2:3When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

You bet he's troubled!

Wise men from the east have been waiting for this event – and being wise – and knowing that the stars procession has been earlier and earlier, have set watch. When they see the faintness of it in the distance of the heavens – they send out a lead team – who then comes to Herod the King in Babylon.

Jerusalem is troubled as well – the star' arrival is early, really early. Word would have spread quickly through the land. So Herod – trying to save face and eager to get on with his plan of killing the "new" king before he has a chance to grow up:

2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

2:5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

King Herod gathers everyone together, making a big show of it. He demands from the wise men of the east, where is the child to be born? Basically asking in his court – what do you know? They, the wise men, say to him that the child is to be born "In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written "by the prophet". Well who in the hell is "the prophet"?

Well, if the wise men where coming from the east – thus, Persia – would they not be, Zoroastrian? Zarathustrianism (also known as Mazdayasna "Worship of Wisdom" ) held many of the same beliefs: of heaven and hell, free will, AND the belief of a coming savoir. The Prophet Zoroaster is perhaps the "prophet" that the wise men from the East are referring to?

In any event – men from the east – come to say that "we have the same information that you have" – the child is in Judea, specifically Bethlehem. So, hearing this, and knowing he’s getting no where fast, King Herod asks a more specific question:

2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

Okay, he wants to get to the meat of the matter. He asks the wise men who have arrived from the east, when did you first see it? This is to help him, through his own wise men (looking silly right about now) – to figure out when the child was born. This data is needed to figure out just how old he might be, for Herod – that dastardly villain – has a plan "B". He’s paranoid – not stupid. So, he starts the wheels turning; he’s held on to these men of title long enough and he’s not getting any new information out of them. Thusly...

2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

I can see the wise men rolling their eyes now!

Herod was knowingly evil, and the wise men would have known all about him as well.

2:9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

So the faint star that the wise men first spotted in the east is rising on the horizon – and their head start is paying off. There going ot be in the right spot at the right time for the big event. They of course follow the star as it goes before them to Bethlehem. Lets keep in mind that they followed the star from east to west – it had to pass over head at some point – right? :-) :-x

Now, almost out of place, as if the original writer of the Gospel had to add in something very important to the story of the wise men – the astronomers, so Matthew tell us …

2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

This verse above is by far the most confusing placement of a verse I have ever heard of. Maybe not…We KNOW that the wise men have SEEN the star.

So what makes this verse, off on its own in the bible (not attached to any other paragraph) so special? What is the writer trying to convey? Well let’s think about it… You’re an astronomer from a very elite caste of "wise" and very "learned" men. Your so damn smart and knowledgeable, that you are given a "Title" – such as a baron might. Now, you have been studying stars, and learning of all the wonders of the cosmos – and what’s this? The star of crossing from ancient lore... The star of prophecy, that is a timed event that happens once every two hundred and fifty generations.

Thousands of years ago, your peers wrote about it – and you have languished over every word. It’s the super-bowl of astronomy – and you just so happen to live in the time that it will be seen. As an added bonus – the half-time show includes the birth of a great leader – a king – a messiah that’s got ALL the prophets talking.

So, as you, a royal astronomer, bears witness to the star of crossing traversing the very heavens in seven days time, what are you going to do? YAWN? Hell NO!!!

You're going to rejoice with exceedingly great joy! Your witnessing something that many thousands of years before you many scholars, scribes, priests and other astronomers have written about – and that many thousands of years from now WILL write about – and you're seeing it happen before your very eyes. Imagine if you will, living your whole life reading about an event that happens only every 2.5 thousand years (and counting down) and being alive to watch a PLANET of elliptical orbit – literally FLY across the night sky in incredible celestial speed – progressing the entire night sky in seven days!!! At the end, the after party ends with the star slowing fading from sight over the house which is the end of their journey – the house of the new king, the messiah.

Matthew 2:10 – while seemingly misplaced – spells out the fact that as astronomers – the wise men - they had one hell of a "whoop – whoop" dar roof, dar roof, dar roof is on fire – PARTY.

2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

So, their journey is over (sort of) – their destination found. Their reason for traveling now rests before them. The child, which many religions have ordained to be the king of them all lies before them. They have witnessed the star of crossing, and now they are in the presence of a living god. They fall to Jesus' feet and worship him, and present him with the gifts: gold, for his king-ship (college fund); frankincense, a incense used for temple worship (diapers are bad smelling); and of course myrrh, a balm used for embalming as a symbolic gift/gesture of his coming death (if you wipe it under you nose it smells better than the diapers)… …

2:12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

The above verse concludes the story of the wise men.

Knowing of King Herod's plans (I mean, he’s so obvious) and having no allegiance to Herod – they depart to there own country going the long way around.

In the end – they go with god – and stick it to the man...Truly,wise men.

As a side note – before I wrap this up and move on to trying to end it all with a bang (no pun intended) – I want to submit that the image starting the article out is a 6th-century mosaic in San Apollinare Nuovo, "Ravenna"… All three wise men seen in it are wearing Phrygian caps. Phrygian caps can also be found on The U.S. Senate seal – check it out:

http://www.senate.gov/ - and also The U.S. Army seal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:USArmySeal.png

(You can file that in the "Things that make you go – hmmmmmm)

Thanks for reading – stay tuned for part three – "The Savior – He cometh"

Your civil servant:
Sword

The Saviour's Coming

2005-12-12T15:27:00.000-05:00

HHMSS
Sword
The coming of a savior… Part One

"and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them"

Hello, this is Sword.

For our blogging community I would like to tell of a story that we all think we know through and through. It has been a story told for over two thousand years, and over the course of time, has changed, and perhaps, lost its meaning – and ultimately – its true meaning and understanding.
This story I wish to tell is the story of the coming of Jesus and the other two important elements of the story of his birth. I would also like to do this in three parts. Those two other elements of course are the star of crossing – or star of Bethlehem; and the three wise men. I will concentrate my references from the King James Version of the Holy Bible, specifically the book of Matthew.

The Star of Bethelhem

I will start with the element of the story that seems to be the most important, as it begins the story of Jesus arrival, that is the all telling star. Some have speculated that is was a conjunction of planets on the constellation of Pisces; that is of the FISH. Some have said that it was a comet, possibly Halley's comet, and others have even speculated that is was a super nova, first of course by our champion of elliptical orbits: Johannes Kepler. Much has been speculated about this star. However, let us reflect and concentrate as to what is reported in the KJV bible. To set the stage:

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star
in the east, and are come to worship him.

The above sets the stage. Jesus was born in the days of Herod (the dastardly villain), and then three wise men came looking to worship him.

Now, after the stage is set, things get interesting, listen:

2:3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him.

2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people
together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

So, everyone is in an uproar. Everyone is troubled. WHY? Something tells me that the star is early. Let us also remember that the star of Bethlehem has been depicted as a comet. That is, a bright "star" that has a tail. Thus, a fast moving celestial body.
King Herod gathered scribes, which is an important wording. Scribes would have access to all the kingdom records. Why would recorded events be of importance to the King during a time as this? Why would records be important to the "wise men" – also known of the time as astrologers or magi (those dealing in things magical)? Indeed, WHY?

The answer is stareing us in the face.

The bible is taking into account that we, the reader, have an understanding that thousands upon thousands of years of historical records were kept by mankind in the ancient Summerian culture (and others) of the ever-important - and ever reoccurring "Star of Crossing". As told to me, the Bible is, "one book of many" – meaning – do not discount the others!

Thus: The king, the wise men (astrologers), and the scribes with all their astronomical recorded events are preoccupied with the star of crossing’s arrival.

2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them
diligently what time the star appeared.

Diligently! Diligently, on their backs so to speak – the king wanted to know WHEN the star appeared AND – while not mentioned in the bible (yet implied: "gathered all the chief priests and scribes") – HOW does this reflect on the previous records. The difference in timing makes or breaks the world in this aspect. All of the kingdom was troubled. Everyone can see it, witness it – it’s a tangible truth that can not be escaped. This was a timed event remember – that is, this star of prophecy – it was recorded and foretold to happen over and over - for thousands of thousands of years – and whether or not is was early or late was of GREAT importance to everyone – including the kings. The "wise men" – the astrologers, and the scribes would have a very keen interest in regards to the star being early or not. After all, it was an astrological event that would have happened every twenty five hundred years or so. The star, showing up quite early, in a precession of continually showing up early (as recorded) would tell them all they needed to know.

Remember: "…he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." We can understand why Herod would be troubled – for a new king was to arrive – but all of Jerusalem as well? Would this not be a time of celebration immediately? But no, it isn’t – everyone is troubled at first with the appearance of the star.

In Matthew 2:8 the king sends his astrologers out to follow the star to the location of the child’s birth, while he states he wishes to worship him – we all know – biased as readers by his previous actions – that he only wishes to slay him. But back to the matter at hand – the star. Let us see if we can really understand the key phrase here:

2:9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which
they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where
the young child was.

The key phrase of course is: "…went before them…". It literally led them along. Let us consider the location of the wise men – they where to the east of Bethlehem, east of Jerusalem, in Babylon. The rough estimate of travel distance between Babylon and Jerusalem is six hundred miles – to the West. Let us consider this fun fact: "Riding camels" can travel up to 100 miles in one day. For the wise men to follow a "star", over a distance of six hundred miles to Bethlehem west from Babylon, would mean that they would have had to travel day and night – until finally the star faded from sight and there journey was complete. If the wise men where to follow this star over a distance of roughly six hundred miles, they would have followed this "star" for six days, and on the seventh day…

2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with
Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had
opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and
frankincense and myrrh

As a side note, I love the above verse. It has nothing to do with the star of Bethlehem. It instills peace in my heart, for the following verse(s) show what witnessing the child could do to men of good hearts. Well discuss that in part two.

So, to recap:
A "star" appears, the star of prophecy – and all of the sudden the most powerful king of the land calls for his astrologer’s, priests and scribes. The fact that Herod called for astrologers is one thing, yet – to call for scribes indicates he was looking at historical records!

He sends forth the astrologers– and they follow the star from Babylon west to Bethlehem – roughly six hundred miles away. This journey, by camel would take six days, finally reaching their destination to worship the child on the seventh day.

What could be in the sky that would be illuminated enough for three astrologers to follow for six days worth of travel? Additionally, the star "went before them" – east to west!

What could possibly travel in the sky for six days traveling east to west?

A planet of elliptical orbit perhaps? Could it be the "Star of crossing" from ancient Sumerian lore?

Stay tuned for part 2… …The three wise guys.

In Memoriam Of

2005-12-09T18:28:00.000-05:00

In lieu of posting another Blog that is being prepared, I thought it only fitting that we dedicate this Blog to the people who worked at Goldstone Deep Space Communication Complex at Fort Irwin who were killed so tragically yesterday... and to those who died exactly one year prior. Our condolences go to their families and colleagues in this, their hour of grief.

We busy ourselves here with seeking after knowledge and Truth in relation to scientific endeavor and exploration. We study and expound on the works of the great names associated in these fields, we ponder about their lives and their motivations and, for some, we elevate them in our thinking to a status far above that of every-day humans, oft-times to the level of worship. How often, though, do the people who worked behind the scenes go unmentioned, their work gone unremarked upon...yet who knows that their labors chisled the bedrock which became the foundation of great theories and learning.

As I read the names of those souls lost, I see none I recognize. I know not what function they served or if their contributions will ever gain honorable mention in the annals of science. But I do imagine that they spent anxious hours at some task and that they took pride in what they did, knowing that it served to add to a grand body of knowledge with an even grander and noble purpose.

May they be remembered with honor and with love and with our thanks.

Sunking's GulfBreeze UFO

2005-12-01T16:24:00.000-05:00

From 1981 thru 2002 I lived in Gulf Breeze, Fla, the famous hotbed of UFO activity, especially in the late 1980's and 90's. In 1990, when this story takes place, I lived in Seabreeze Villas on Southwind Drive. At around 11pm, it was a fairly cold March night when I stepped from my den to the backyard patio to have a smoke (Marlboro!). It was a clear night, not yet a full moon and the stars were glittering. As I looked to the west-south-west I noticed something odd...a red glowing object shaped like a Marine Lance Corporal's chevron rocker at about a 35 degree angle of elevation from the ground. This crudely drawn picture gives you an idea what it looked like, although it looked smaller due to the distance. From my vantage point (approximately 4.5 miles east of Gulf Breeze proper) I estimated that this object was 3.5+ miles from me, over the Intracostal Waterway and near the Gulf Islands National Seashore Park east of Gulf Breeze.

The object remained stationary, but suddenly a shape like a quarter note in musical notation 'grew' from the bottom side and seemed to be lowered 'on a string', as I attempt to portray above. This 'nodule' continued to lower until all that was visible was the object and the 'string'. I was astounded! I had been in the aviation side of the US Navy, a lifelong student of aircraft and had lived in this area surrounded by 2 Naval Air Stations, Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field...I knew my aircraft, and this was not one of them.

I said to myself "I gotta have a witness to this!". So I opened tha sliding glass door and called for my wife, fast asleep in the bedroom, several times...to no avail. Not wanting to miss anything, but desperately wanting her to see this, too, I ran to the bedroom and dragged her from the bed and out into the cold night. Unfortunately, the nodule and string were no longer visible and the object was moving to the east and due south of my position. This drawing again protrays what we saw.

As the object drew closer to the moon, it again became stationary. I said, "Look, honey...it's a UFO!". Wifey said, "Honey, come on in the house.". I love her, but I could tell she was not in the least wise interested...and she would deny the existense of the Devil if He appeared in front of her, simply to avoid having to deal with the bad news and possible worse consequences. Regardless, as we continued to watch, the object began to pulsate and the color gradually darkened until it became a dark, blood red.

Color and pulsation intensified, until suddenly the object tuned white...and not Clorox bleach white! I mean bright, starlight white ... stunning and brilliant and lighting up the sky around it, as again I poorly attempt to portray, at right. It was a remarkable sight...my heart was beating and I had stopped breathing! And then...the darn thing just disappeared from sight! WHOA! I KNEW that I had just seen a UFO! And what a show it was.

"Wasn't that fantastic, honey?", I asked my wife. "Come to bed soon dear", she said..."I don't want the little green men to scoop you up"! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

A couple of days later, at the urging of some UFO enthusiasts at Chip's Gym, where I worked out, I called MUFON and was paid a visit by their rep. I think his name was Bland Pugh. Nice fellow and he asked all the right questions and I gave all the details. At the end I asked "Well, am I nuts?". He said "No", and told me that it was a confirmed UFO. He and the usual group of UFO watchers at Shoreline Park in Gulf Breeze proper had seen the same object, but they saw it from the side and the parallax was such that it hardly moved to their view. I had obviously had the best seat in the house.

And what a show it was!

I have searched countless UFO pictures and descriptions, trying to see if anyone else has seen a similar object. Or seen a UFO do what this one did. I would certainly like to know what was being lowered (or raised!) in or on the nodule. Maybe taking on water? Or emptying the intergalactic trashcan? It remains a mystery.

Now...have you seen a UFO? Tell us about it!

What Conspiracy Theory?

2005-11-28T10:07:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm older, I find myself spending more time thinking when I'm in the shower. I've been thinking of what to blog about next, waiting for inspiration to hit me...and it did! At about 3 minutes, 33 seconds into the rinse cycle!

Conspiracy Theory! YESssssssssssssssssssssss!

Crewmember Ericswan mentioned something about us delving into conspiracy theories the other day. And last night I was watching "Banned from the Bible" on The History Channel (THC...hehe). And something I saw on that program stuck in my head: The subtopic being discussed in this segment of the show was the Book of Jubilees, a book that gives somewhat more detail to the Old Testament Book of Genesis, and pulls in some details from another enigma, the Book of Enoch with it's rich account of the Watchers and Giants in the land. Interesting stuff...to me and many of us here, though not seemingly related to space or science.

If you're a regular viewer of THC, you know that they drag out many of the same 'experts' for a given genre' of program. Many on this program have been in the programs on Decoding DaVinci or the Holy Grail. The usual suspects/debunkers were present here as well. But one expert's performance came to mind whilst in the shower... not so much what he said ("...Well, *chuckle* *chuckle*, it's clear why this was not included into the Biblical Canon *yuk* *yuk*...") but the body language and smirking involved, none of which made it clear why this book had not passed the biblical censor. And that was it? What's "clear" about this? Nothing, dammit!!!

This was what stuck in my mind...that this performance was typical of how conspiracy theories are 'explained' away by mass media... without anything ever being explained. And certainly not to my satisfaction especially given the gravity of the subject. C'mon! We're talking about the Bible here!!! People have died, been tortured and defamed because of the interpretations and exhortations listed in this work. which was compiled by men who needed to ensure the right doctrine was being published so as to ensure stability for those in power ! We're not just talking Area 51 or Free Energy or ETs or Who Killed JFK! It's the freaking BIBLE and effects human lives on a daily basis! Yet all it takes is a smirking no-name Doctor of Religion with the 'right' credentials to supposedly 'debunk' the issue for the viewing public? Nothing enrages me more.

Being an avid student of several conspiracy theories, there is another thing I hate. There are countless numbskulls who think it the height of wit to admonish anyone with a conspiracy theory that cannot be 'easily' debunked to "'go put on your aluminum foil hat". Well, on cool thing about an aluminum foil hat, is that it can be re-worked into a P-SHOD (Personal ShitHook of Death), used with impunity, then (after some cleansing) worked back into the hat shape, effectively and conspiratorily hiding the evidence of the brutal reaming of said numbskull!

Human beings have conspired together since time immemorial...Whether it's to get the best haunch of gazelle or to affect a coup d' etat for control of a superpower nation, it has happened and will continue to happen until "the next Big Bang", to quote Crypt0. Robert Heinlein (or maybe his fictional character Lazarus Long) said "Never underestimate the value of human stupidity". I would add to that ignorance, for as long as humans remain stupid or ignorant and fail to ask the right questions and demand the answers (be it in a public forum, or at the point of the sword), other humans will be able to realize success and profit and gain from all manner of conspiracy. Only the blind fail to see it happening around us daily, and on such a grand scale! Alas, there are so many blind among us.

The members of this 'crewe' do, and should, pride ourselves as being individuals who work to break the bonds of ignorance, to cast aside conventional wisdom when it is no longer wisdom, to "'stand on the shoulders of giants" who have gone before us and who stand beside us today ... to be able to see clearer and farther, the better to ask the 'right' questions and demand answers and accountability... all in the age-old quest for Truth!

Brrrrr...this water's getting cold and...HEY! WHERE'D IT GO?!?

I better get outta here!

A Future Lost

2005-11-22T17:10:00.000-05:00

"Countless individuals have noted that the President's death affected them even more deeply than the death of their own parents. The reason, I believe, is that the latter situation most often represented a loss of the past - while the assassination of President Kennedy represented an incalculable loss of the future." - Ted Sorenson

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States was assassinated 42 years ago today, on November 22, 1963. That day was a turning point on several levels: in my life, in the soul of the United States, and in the impact on world events, extending to even today.

I was 9 years old, attending Westmoreland Elementary School in Westmoreland, WV, near Huntington. I remember it was a cloudy, cold day. We had come in from lunch and recess, into the little portable classroom. The announcement that the President had been shot and killed in Dallas came over the loudspeaker and we were told classes were over for the day. We were all shocked beyond words and deeply saddened. I sat in the back of the class on the far left; on a blackboard on the far wall, directly facing me, was the picture you see above you. It was spooky, because it felt like the eyes of our President were looking into my soul. On the way home my friends and I, even at our tender age, were discussing the possibility of a nuclear attack from either Russia or Cuba...we vividly recalled the Cuba missile Crisis and instinctively knew that our leaderless country was vulnerable.

The rest of the weekend was dreamlike. It stayed cold and rainy, like the skies were weeping, too. Driving to Huntington, there was a florist shop on the right side of the street. In their window they had a large painting, of the picture above no less, in the window...illuminated and surrounded by black bunting. It is burned in my memory. On the night of the 23rd, I saw a blurry ghostlike image of the President's face in the corner by the ceiling...Although I was sure it was just a reflection from vehicles moving down the street, I wasn't so sure. I remember the extended family gathered at my Grandma's house for Sunday dinner...we were getting ready to eat and the TV had some horribly out of tune small-church choir rendering some baleful dirge. Grandma said "Let me get this junk off the TV" and she turned the channel...just in time for us all to witness the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, right before our eyes! To this day, I recall the cadence played by the drums during the funeral procession.

America just wasn't the same after that. There were good things, but the spirit of America changed. War in Vietnam, riots, the Manson Murders, the Speck Killings in Chicago...the 60's...what I think Heinlein often meant when he wrote about 'the Crazy Years'. The Golden Age of Camelot was never realized, the dream would not become a reality, because a man who dared to stand up to a growing power was sacrificed on the altar of greed and power, an example for those of like mind to heed.

That power has matured and become sophisticated in it's techniques, with resources human and fiscal to an extent beyond imagination, with confidence arrogant and bold. That same system is alive and well today. You will not see the real power on TV or hear them on radio...only their minions, but those minions have strolled the halls of power and steered the ships of greed for all the generations of this, my life. I have known of them and felt them, for many years...through my personal investigation about the assassination of the man pictured above. It was only in early 2003, that my eyes were fully opened and I finally understood that America was now firmly in the grip of the forces that seized power that fateful day in 1963, the day a much brighter future was lost.

Can we ever regain that future?

CALL TO ACTION

2005-11-18T15:46:00.000-05:00

by DarkWood

We devote a great deal of time and effort here to discussion of the lack of disclosure by our government in many matters that negatively impact our minds, our health and our lives. We talk about 'black ops' and 'psy ops' and 'chemtrail ops', and I get a little mad sometimes.

Okay, now I'm PISSED!

I was listening to Coast To Coast A.M. on Thursday night / Friday morning and one of the guests early on the show was Alex Jones. Now, Mr. Jones has made it his job to investigate and report on various conspiracies and conspiracy theories that get thrown around about the government. Now, love him or not (and, quite frankly, I have to assess every story he discusses on a case-by-case basis), one thing to be said about Mr. Jones is that he thoroughly investigates his stories and does seem to try to be as honest about what he's reporting as possible. Yes, some of his stuff is fairly sensational and tends to stretch believability pretty thin, but I do not doubt that Mr. Jones believes what he says wholeheartedly.

Anyway, during his spot on Coast to Coast, Mr. Jones began discussing allegations that the EPA intended to pass rulings that would actually allow for pesticide testing on mentally deficient children! Now, obviously I was rather skeptical on hearing this since, being a reasonable human being, I can barely conceive that this level of sheer madness would actually be condoned by federal agency. So I decided to do a little poking around of my own.

Sure enough, I was able to find a formal proposal on the EPA's website titled Protections for Subjects in Human Research. Innocuous enough, right? An initial overview also doesn't show anything out of the way:

With respect to human research conducted by EPA (``first-party
research''), or by others with EPA's support (``second-party
research''), this proposed rule would: (1) Categorically prohibit any
intentional dosing studies involving pregnant women or children as
subjects; and (2) adopt the Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) regulations that provide additional protections to pregnant women
and children as subjects of other than intentional dosing studies.

This extremely lengthy document continues along pretty much the same lines. Lots of discussion about absolute prohibition of any testing involving pregnant women or children as subjects. Line after line of proposals, talking points and extremely tiresome legalese. I was beginning to think that Mr. Jones had finally gone completely off the deep end. Until I neared the end of the document:

In determining whether children are capable of assenting, the
IRB shall take into account the ages, maturity, and psychological state
of the children involved...If the IRB determines that the capability
of some or all of the children is so limited that they cannot
reasonably be consulted...the assent of the children is not
a necessary condition for proceeding with the research. (emphasis added)

WHAT, WHAT, WHAT?!?!?! Let me get this straight, if a child is determined to be so limited in capability that they cannot clearly consent or refuse, they can then be tested on ANYWAY?

Where parental permission is to be
obtained, the IRB may find that the permission of one parent is
sufficient for research to be conducted...

Oh, so it only takes one unethical parent out of a pair to get proper go-ahead for this crap to boot? Nice. Now the proposal goes on to include pretty language stating that ANY actual testing on children will not be allowed or tolerated. I must ask, however, if the feds are not going to allow for any testing on any children, why the HELL do they need sneaky exceptions and provisions such as the ones listed above? And why place these kind of provisions towards the very end of a document if this is all really as above board as is presented? Something is absolutely NOT RIGHT here at all.

Folks, I encourage you all to double check this for yourselves 'cause I understand just how insanely ridiculous this all sounds. Links to both Mr. Jones' article and the EPA proposal are contained in text above. If you would rather pull up the document in question for yourself rather than trust my link, then go to the EPA's Federal Register of Environmental Documents at the following URL: http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr, and do a search for the official document ID which is fr12se05-11. Then please contact your representatives and request, nay demand, that these sneaky provisions be removed and voice your concerns that ANY pesticide testing on ANY children WILL NOT be tolerated in any way, shape or form. I would even go so far as to suggest that any representative not willing to follow this up and take these concerns seriously needs to be voted the hell out of a job at the earliest available election cycle. Period.

This article originally posted on November 18, 2005 over at my blog -DarkWood

Things Fall Apart

2005-11-16T16:01:00.000-05:00

On March 30, 2005, the NBC series "West Wing" aired an episode titled Things Fall Apart , which introduced a sub-plot where-in the International Space Station (ISS) has experienced a leak and is losing oxygen. The astronauts cannot repair the leak.

Later a NASA administrator briefs C.J.,

"A rescue operation is obviously called for but the space shuttles are grounded right now pending an uncompleted safety review and retrofit."

Kate adds, "And the Russians can't get a launch together in time."

"How long have they got?" asks C.J.

"Assuming the present rate of oxygen loss, in three weeks they'll be dead."

"Can't a shuttle be pressed into service not withstanding the review?"

"One's missing half its wing assembly and the other one's undergoing a complete tile replacement. Now, we can speed up repairs---"

Kate voices the unspoken thought, "The concern would then be losing the shuttle crew and the space station crew."

"---No, that's the civilian shuttle.", blurts the administrator.

This indication is obviously a surprise to C.J.

Eventually we are given hints of a surprisingly sophisticated craft much like the DoD artwork seen above, the FALCON. The Secretary of Defense doesn't want this covert program used, because the Russian on the ISS would see it and the President has to think it over.

There followed a line that made me roar....

POTUS says, "Wernher von Braun's autobiography was titled, 'I Aim for the Stars';

Mort Sahl joked he should have added, 'only sometimes I hit London'."

Does the US DoD have their own secret, black ops Space Shuttle? I wouldn't be surprised!
But here's some info from FootNoteTV:

U.S. Space Programs (last updated March 30, 2005)
It is no secret that the United States has been seeking to develop space capabilities in recent years, though there were no reports as of early 2005 that it has developed its own space shuttle for secret military use. Developing a military-operated space shuttle probably would not violate international treaties, but some of the other actions contemplated by the Defense Department in this episode - developing bombs and other weapons that could be dropped from orbit, as well as letting astronauts die - arguably could violate a treaty that the United States entered into in the 1960s.

Developing something like a space shuttle for military use was proposed in a 2001 report by a commission examining how U.S. space activities were organized and managed in support of national security. The Commission expressed concern about a "Space Pearl Harbor," an attack on U.S. satellites or civilian assets, and pointed out "warning signs of U.S. vulnerability" such as a 2000 report by the Xinhua news agency that China's military was "developing methods and strategies for defeating the U.S. military in a high-tech and space-based future war."
The commission recommended that one objective of U.S. space security policy should be "assured access to space and on-orbit operations," which a space shuttle would help achieve. The commission stated that U.S. interests "depend critically on assured and timely access to space" and that the United States "should continue to pursue revolutionary reusable launch vehicle technologies and systems."

Still, it does not appear that the Defense Department has actually put money into developing its own space shuttle.

Military budgets (available on-line

here) show that the Defense Department has devoted millions of dollars in recent years to programs for launching satellites and payloads, but none to developing its own reusable launch vehicle, or something like a space shuttle. The following table shows the space programs identified in the FY 2006 budget (on-line as a PDF here) :

Service Program
Description FY 2006 Budget Amount (in millions)

Army Ground Systems
Super-high frequency beyond-line-of-sight communications to deployed forces $66.5

Navy Mobile User Objective Satellite System
Narrow-band communications $470

Air Force Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite
Worldwide communications $1,194.3

Air Force Defense Support Program
Early warning of missile launches and detonations $42.7

Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle
Launch of medium-to-heavy-weight satellites $864.4

Air Force Medium Launch Vehicles
Launch of medium-weight satellites $111.2

Air Force NAVSTAR Global Position System
Global system of satellites for navigation purposes $719.6

Air Force Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) - High
New technologies for detecting strategic and tactical ballistic missile launches $756.6

Air Force Transformational Satellite Communications
Worldwide communications $835.8

Air Force Space Based Radar
Worldwide surveillance through satellites, first of which planned for FY 2015 launch $225.8

(Forgive the sloppiness of the table....My fault! sunking)

It is worth noting that the space shuttles operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have brought military payloads into orbit in the past.

As noted above, the United States is a party to the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, better known as the Outer Space Treaty (on-line here). Article IV of this treaty does not prohibit the development of a military-operated space shuttle, but it does prevent the United States from installing any weapon of mass destruction in orbit around the Earth or on the moon and it limits the use of any lunar bases to peaceful purposes. Article V holds that states "shall render to [astronauts] all possible assistance in the event of accident, distress, or emergency landing on the territory of another State Party on the high seas."

Sources: The Report of the Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization was released on Jan. 11, 2001 and is on-line here; Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's May 8, 2001 response is on-line here. The Defense Department's FY 2006 budget is on-line here; information on space programs was taken from the Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon Systems document on-line as a PDF here. The Outer Space Treaty is on-line via the State Department here.

The Senatorial Response

2005-11-14T14:10:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back a Crewe-member posted on the comment board about the removal of funding for the Voyager program. Voyager has performed it's humble mission well and continues to do so, far beyond expectations. Inasmuch as Voyager is the farthest-traveled artifact of Humankind to date and is now approaching areas beyond the edge of our Solar System, I feel rather strongly that the $4 million dollars in question is a small price to pay for any data we might gain in return. Accordingly I sent an email to Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), being a fellow Floridian, to express my opinion. Here is the response:

"Dear Mr. Sunking:

Thank you for contacting me regarding funding for NASA. As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and a member of its Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, this issue is very important to me. Since its inception in 1958, NASA has accomplished many great scientific and technological feats in air and space. NASA technology has been adapted for many non-aerospace uses by the private sector. The agency remains a leading force in scientific research and in stimulating public interest in aerospace exploration, as well as science and technology in general. More importantly, our exploration of space has taught us to view the Earth, ourselves, and the universe in a new way. While the tremendous technical and scientific accomplishments of NASA demonstrate vividly that humans can achieve previously inconceivable feats, we also are humbled by the realization that Earth is just a tiny "blue marble" in the cosmos.

I strongly support increased funding for NASA. Our country must continue its strong commitment and leadership in space exploration. Recently I spoke before the full Senate conveying my support for our civil space program: "I want to express my concern that if we starve NASA of the funds it needs, particularly with regard to the space shuttle upgrades, that could endanger the safety of the space shuttle program. ... [NASA] shares the character of the American people, which is, by nature, we are explorers; we are adventurers. ... We want to continue to explore into the unknown, but we have to do that with the utmost of safety."

The tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia as it returned to Earth on February 1, 2003 cannot deter the United States from pursing its destiny in space. Space flight is a dangerous undertaking, and the loss of seven brave astronauts on the Columbia serves as a sad reminder of the enduring challenges and difficulties involved in space exploration. To honor the Columbia seven and the other astronauts who have given their lives in the U.S. space program, it is imperative that Americans recommit to adequate funding for NASA and space exploration. I will continue to fight for more funding for all NASA programs, including human space flight.Thank you for your interest in NASA. Be assured that I will continue to be a strong advocate to provide adequate funding to continue our country's commitment to space exploration."

Well, not a word about the Voyager Program, but he's either still committed to a failing technology and the funding to pay for it...or his staff hasn't upgraded this e-form letter to coincide with the year 2005. But at least I got a response that had the words 'space" and "NASA" in it and not the word 'donation'. I expect many of those in 2006, now that I'm on the mailing list. I think I'll follow-up and press him for a response to the specific question about Voyager.

By the way, a Googling of all the terms "Voyager", "NASA" and "JPL" and clicking "news" returns only the following news item....from the New Zealand Herald (?).

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&ObjectID=10350226

Write those elected representatives folks. Election year coming up. Let them know how you feel. I care about what you think (well......), but can't do anything about it! Stand up for what you believe in!!!

For The Record

2005-11-11T15:14:00.000-05:00

The following is the text of a letter I faxed to Richard yesterday:

Dear Richard,
Not knowing your status and in consideration of the fact that the size of the Comments Section of your last blog at the Captain’s Blog has made discourse amongst members of your loyal crew bandwithally burdensome, I have taken the bold move of brazenly filching your blog layout, complete with logos and links, and creating a new blog under my blogspot account called "Captain’s Blog – Drydock". At the top of the blog page, I have placed a disclaimer noting that this blog is not approved by you or officially recognized by The Enterprise Mission. I have placed messages in the Comments Section and in other areas frequented by the Crewe to notify them that I was doing so and many have come over to this new blog.

Note that this was only done to make things easier for posting and to allow many who have only dial-up access to be able to participate, hoping to increase said participation and keep interest in your blog and Enterprise Mission alive. I fully expect that upon your return, ‘shore leave’ will be cancelled and all hands will report to their official duty stations and ‘The Enterprise" will put out from Drydock.

I pray this meets with your approval or, at the least, does not meet with your disapproval.
I have done this only with honorable intentions and with the best interests of The Enterprise Mission and the Crewe in mind.

We eagerly await your return.

Respectfully,
Sunking

ATTENTION ALL HANDS

2005-11-09T17:03:00.000-05:00

This is temporary quarters. This is not mutiny or sedition, just a reaction to cramped quarters. Hopefully this will do.

If someone wants to post a blog, let me know and I will figure out how to grant you rights to post one.

Until then, carry on with my compliments.

Your humble servant and crewemate,
Sunking