UFO's...Unidentified Flying Objects.  Most people fall into one of two categories where it comes to them.  There are the "True Believers", the folk who listen to "Coast to Coast America" and believe the Manimals are here among us or the equally devout skeptics who would deny the existence of aliens, even if a spacecraft lands in their front yard and vaporizes the dog.  There is another group, the SETI Community (Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence), formerly lead by Carl Sagan and now boasting such notables as Steven Hawking and Paul Davies.  However, the SETI folk do not figure into the UFO debate.  They are still trying to use radio telescopes to detect alien life and endlessly fiddle with the Drake equation, which guesses as the possible number of advanced civilizations in our galaxy.

Nonetheless to say (and unfortunately, much like Theosophy) there is something of a giggle factor to aliens, UFO's and otherworldly things in general in the public perception.  It has been nearly impossible to get a reasonable discussion on the subject without having the lunatic fringe of both points of view drowning the life out of a reasonable inquiry.  It's like going to a public meeting somewhere and the crazy cat lady in the back of the room speaks often and begins every sentence with "in accordance with prophecy..."

This is about to change...hopefully.

Interestingly, a middle ground is finally starting to emerge. Recently a new book has been published, "UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record", by Leslie Kean.  It's a pretty impressive piece of writing, with a forward by John Podesta (former Pres. Clinton's Chief of Staff).  In the book a number of credible witnesses and experts render eyewitness testimony and some pretty solid thought on the subject.  It's a really good read and it will make you think a bit more deeply on the subject, regardless of your point of view.

Finally, a bit of sanity in an insane universe...ahhh.