Denver one step closer to UFO commission

[bryan]

It looks like 7000 people are for the city of Denver forming a commission to:
"collect and share with the public, credible evidence of extraterrestrial UFOs and intelligent life forms that have been visiting Earth. It would also refer people to the best public and private services if they want to report UFO sightings or close encounters with extraterrestrial intelligent beings."
Examiner Article (http://www.examiner.com/x-2024-Denver-UFO-Examiner~y2009m9d4-Denver-UFO-ballot-initiative-petitions-filed)

So... Hold on to your woo-hats it is time for the U.F.O. nuts to come out and party.

Don't worry, we will be doing our best to help expose the citizens of Denver to the other side of the story.
Denver E.T. Commission opposition site (http://www.rockymountainparanormal.com./ufo)

[Kel]

It looks like 7000 people are for the city of Denver forming a commission to:
"collect and share with the public, credible evidence of extraterrestrial UFOs and intelligent life forms that have been visiting Earth. It would also refer people to the best public and private services if they want to report UFO sightings or close encounters with extraterrestrial intelligent beings."
Examiner Article (http://www.examiner.com/x-2024-Denver-UFO-Examiner~y2009m9d4-Denver-UFO-ballot-initiative-petitions-filed)

So... Hold on to your woo-hats it is time for the U.F.O. nuts to come out and party.

Don't worry, we will be doing our best to help expose the citizens of Denver to the other side of the story.
Denver E.T. Commission opposition site (http://www.rockymountainparanormal.com./ufo)

(bolding mine)

:confused:

This should be interesting.

[dudalb]

How much is this BS gonna cost the Taxpayers of Colorado?

[bryan]

According to the people pushing it the commission will be funded through "Gifts and dontaions" and not cost the city anything. But they are not mentioning that they will cost the city money just by exsisting. The city is required to have a liason with the commission as well as audit them occasionally. I hope that we have what it takes to show the citizens what a dumb idea this is and have it killed before it is formed.

[oldhat]

Not much oxygen up there in the Mile High City, huh?

[Gord_in_Toronto]

(bolding mine)

:confused:

This should be interesting.

You beat me to it!

I can't wait to see if the amount of credible evidence will fit in a small envelope. :eye-poppi

[Greg_in_CO]

How embarrassing. This initiative was evidently fronted by Jeff Peckman, the loon who held the press conference last summer to air his silly "E.T. in the screen door" video. The one that was supposedly genuine to the point that alleged video production experts were baffled at how it could be hoaxed, only to have perfectly hoaxed versions showing up online almost immediately.

[blue sock monkey]

It's a secret plot by those people in Boulder. They've never gotten over Mork & Mindy.

[fallout]

Woot! About time. Frigging about time, I wish the counter commission do a good job as well.

In fact the ideal situation would be the commission being composed of 50% proponents and 50% doubters of the current UFO evidences. Or both organizartions merge into one. Can I dream about it?

A question: Who will determine who´s part of the commission? Not the donors pls!!

[Greg_in_CO]

I just listened to a podcast where the "UFO Disclosure" nonsense was discussed. They made the comment that it is a pointless request anyway because no amount would ever be enough; you could wheel out a big pallet of file boxes and say "It's all in there; have at it" and they'd say "Where's the real information?" Why do not the UFOers demand a higher level of quality in the information they accept? That's all the skeptic wants; good, quality, evidence.

[Fnord]

What are the qualifications to be on the commission? I mean, I even have a pyramid hat, AND it's made out of aluminum foil!

[Denver]

The qualifications for members of the commission are listed in the ballot initiative text (pdf) (http://extracampaign.org/uploads/ETA_Commission_3.20.09_website.pdf).

Basically 7 members, of which at least 4 seem to hold believer status.

If you read the entire text, it seems its main purpose is to publish its opinions on the city's web site. So it's not really providing any kind of service to Denver or its citizens: it is just a way to "say" things about extraterrestrials with apparent government backing.

[dudalb]

According to the people pushing it the commission will be funded through "Gifts and dontaions" and not cost the city anything. But they are not mentioning that they will cost the city money just by exsisting. The city is required to have a liason with the commission as well as audit them occasionally. I hope that we have what it takes to show the citizens what a dumb idea this is and have it killed before it is formed.


10 to 1 the Commission will end up asking for Public Grant money of some kind.

[Astrophotographer]

Peckman's website is full of scams to get people's money. If the people of Denver actually believe it is not going to cost them anything, they are wrong. I would hate to have Denver become one of the Bad Astronomer's doomed locations (like Texas). I can only hope the electorate is going to be a lot smarter than Peckman thinks they are.

[SezMe]

What are the qualifications to be on the commission? I mean, I even have a pyramid hat, AND it's made out of aluminum foil!
Fnord for Commish. Fnord for Commish. Fnord for Commish.

[blue sock monkey]

I'd move back to Denver just to vote for him. :)

[Orphia Nay]

I just came across this article dated October 13 2009:

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2009/10/wake-up_call_et_phone_home_--.php

"And Peckman, who turned in his petitions to the Denver Election Commission on September 4, recently discovered that he's 1,000 signatures short of the almost 4,000 legit names needed to make the next ballot.

So now he's devoting himself full-time to collecting the remainder. He'd thought about touting the cause at a post-show panel following Curious Theatre's Yankee Tavern, which features a conspiracy theorist, but the theater's non-profit status wouldn't allow petitioning. But Peckman, who also pushed the "Safety Through Peace" proposal, pushes on. "We have to do it," he says. "The future of the galaxy really depends on it.""

He only got 3000 legit signatures in a city the size of Denver? IIRC I read that he handed in 7000 signatures... that's an awful lot of Al Koholics and Ivanna Tinkles. :)

I'm off to see if there's any more recent updates on this story.

[Orphia Nay]

This is from October 29:

""When we get certified, 25 days after the extra signatures are turned in by next Monday," Peckman explains, "then we would automatically be placed on the next regularly scheduled election. And that would be the August primary. Had the sheriff's charter amendment gotten enough signatures, or if there is a court action that results in the sheriff's charter amendment getting certified for February, then we would still be grouped with them in February as the next election after November 3.""
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2009/10/wake-up_call_an_arrested_devel.php

Another huge step backwards. :)

[Denver]

The initiative turned in a boatload of new signatures on Nov 2, and the Denver Elections Division is currently verifying them. They should announce the results before the end of November, and if valid, it looks like the next election will be in August 2010.

[Greg_in_CO]

Oh no.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13900666

Words fail.

[Astrophotographer]

Yeah. Please Denver skeptics get out the anti-ET commission vote. This is a scam and is just a ploy by Peckman to put himself in the spotlight. All you have to do is look at Peckman's website to see what kind of fruticake he is.

http://www.extracampaign.org/


The Metatron cosmic peace program is a hoot! Read how it is supposed to make things more peaceful near your computer!

[bryan]

A closer look at the E.T. Affairs Commission wording
And our comments

Sec. 2-255.59
1. Extraterrestrial intelligent being means a form of life assumed to exist or originate from outside Earth or its atmosphere.
We are going to base a public commission based on an assumption?
2. Extraterrestrial vehicle means a non-living method of transportation originating from outside the Earth of its atmosphere.
Why if we are assuming that there are extraterrestrials would they not have a biological transport device? If they do are we not supposed to study it as well?3. Exopolitics means the study of the key individuals, political or other institutions, and processes associated with extraterrestrial life.

Sec. 2-255.60 Legislative intent.
The People of the City and County of Denver hereby declare that:
1. The presence of extraterrestrial intelligent beings and extraterrestrial vehicles on Earth, and within Earth’s atmosphere, has been confirmed by credible evidence, official government documents, and whistleblowers formerly working for the U.S. Government and government contractors;
By agreeing with this you either have seen “official Government documents” that are not released, which makes you either a person who is breaking the agreement with the Government for a security clearance or admittance to being a Spy who has looked at unreleased Secret documents. You would also be agreeing that there is “credible evidence” that has been collected and researched to conclude that it is extraterrestrial in nature (which it has not). This is a classic example of “Argument from Authority” this means that regardless of the credibility of the source, it is assumed that they are right because they are in a position of authority.2. Evidence of extraterrestrial beings has been known by United States presidents since President Franklin Roosevelt, including President Ronald Regan as disclosed by his presentation to the United Nations regarding extraterrestrial matters;
This is another claim based on assumption that they have some sort of inside information of the Presidents knowledge. This information usually comes from conspiracy minded people who are from the E.T. believer camp and not from any official sources. The statement that President Ronald Regan made was “In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside of this world. And yet I ask - is not an alien force already among us? “ This was used as an example of a universal threat to all of the world and not a statement of his admittance of the existence of extraterrestrial life.
3. Since at least 1947, the United States government has denied knowledge of this evidence, thus placing the public and local governments at potential risk and disadvantage;
The reference to 1947 is due to the “Roswell incident” which has been explained/debunked by both the Government as well as private citizens. This is only considered to be a real event by people in the extraterrestrial believer communities. 4. The United States government has suppressed, and withheld from the public, evidence of advanced clean energy, transportation and other technologies of extraterrestrial origin. These technologies could potentially offer substantial economic relief for our most pressing social and economic concerns, including a reduction of pollution and at least partial replacement of fossil fuels with affordable non-polluting energy sources, and other advanced technologies.
This statement once again assumes that you have some kind of inside information. The section itself claims that the government has withheld this information from the public. How can you sign and declare this document true with assumed claims like this? This also claims that this information that you are assuming includes clean energy technologies. How can we assume this when the statement itself states that they have suppressed this information from the public? How can we assume that an extraterrestrial form of energy would be different from our own or not be deadly to human life forms? This is one of the common claims of the people behind the “Disclosure” movement; they claim clean-free energy, better medical technologies but have no proof of these other than the assumptions that they are making you agree with by signing this document. 5. Local government officials have rejected or ignored the need to prepare city personnel and citizens for potential contact of interactions with extraterrestrial intelligent beings of their vehicles even though:
a. Multiple federal government agencies have acknowledged the presence of extraterrestrial intelligent beings, through hundreds of official documents, but have not informed our citizens about how to intelligently and responsibly respond to UFO/extraterrestrial encounters;
b. Hundreds of top military leaders, government scientists, government contractors, commercial airline pilots, air traffic controllers and NASA officials, many with Top Secret clearances, have been disclosing their person experiences and involvement in interacting with UFOs not from Earth and, in some cases, their apparent extraterrestrial intelligent occupants;
c. A credible non-profit organization has received over ten thousand (10,000) written reports of UFO sightings, primarily in the U.S., during the period Nov. 2005 – April 2008. The total number of reports nationally in 2008 was more than twice the number from the previous year. There have been more than 1,000 written reports of Colorado UFO sightings submitted to the same organization during the period of Jan. 2000 – April 2008;
d. Government denial, ridicule, and a lack of public awareness about this credible evidence prevent the responsible evaluation of potential risks and benefits for the safety, health and cultural awareness of Denver residents and visitors in relation to potential interactions with extraterrestrial intelligent beings;
Why would the local government be concerned about the repercussions of an extraterrestrial contact? If extraterrestrials were to somehow appear the Federal government would be in control and the local government would have no jurisdiction.
a. This statement once again point out that the source of the information is either coming from people who assume that this is true or a person who is somehow breaking their government clearance. If these documents exist and you agree that they do by signing this, where are they?
b. This is another case of “Argument from authority” meaning that just because someone has an authoritative title does not make them any more credible. The average number of people with delusional psychological disorders is less within the people with Top Secret and government jobs who have “come forward” about the extraterrestrial issue in the employment in these types of jobs than the general populace of the country. This means that the government is screening employees well enough to have less people with these types of psychological conditions than the general public.
c. This “credible non-profit organization” that they are not naming is MUFON (The Mutual U.F.O. Network) this organization is based in Colorado and has been collecting reports of U.F.O. sighting for over 40 years. Recently the International Director of MUFON has come out publically stating that the Stan Romanek case which the Denver E.T. Commission has based most of its “evidence” on is not credible.
d. This statement is based on assumption again due to the government’s lack of releasing the information that you agree that they have when you sign this document. 6. At present our government does not have any protocols for:
a. Responsibly evaluating, documenting, and acting on citizen reports of encounters of interactions with extraterrestrial intelligent beings, regardless of the highly unusual and credible evidence that may attend such encounters and interactions; or
b. Referring such reports to properly trained city personnel, or private professional individuals or organizations that have responsibly dealt with such matters in a professional manner;
According to the previous statements in this document the government has already documented and interacted with extraterrestrial intelligent beings, so why would they not have protocols? The “credible evidence” that they claim has been documented has not been shown or researched by the general public so how do they know that it exists? If there are groups that have dealt with these matters in a professional manner in the past, why can we not continue to have them take care of what they would be referred to take care of in the first place without government interaction?7. There is enough credible evidence available, independent of the United States government about extraterrestrial affairs; and
8. The creation of an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission will help to ensure the health, safety, and cultural awareness of Denver residents and visitors and, ultimately, facilitate the most harmonious, peaceful, mutually respectful, and beneficial coexistence possible between extraterrestrial intelligent beings and human beings.
Once again they are making claims of “credible evidence” but have shown none for you to agree with when signing this document. We already have departments that ensure the health and safety of citizens of the City of Denver and we cannot assume any of the other parts of this statement are true solely based on assumptions with no proof.
The legislative intent of this division is to create a responsible, responsive, commons sense strategy for dealing with issues related to the presence of extraterrestrial intelligent beings on Earth. To that end, the People of the City and County of Denver hereby establish an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission, which shall have the following purposes;
1. To obtain and provide the most accurate, complete, credible, and relevant information available to city government personnel and residents about extraterrestrial intelligent beings on Earth;
2. To assist residents and visitors in reporting sighting or, or interactions with, extraterrestrial intelligent beings or their vehicles, and refer them to proper and most appropriate public of private service agencies;
3. To inform people of the implication of encounters with extraterrestrial beings or their vehicles;
4. To develop protocols for peaceful and diplomatic contact with extraterrestrial beings in the event of contact;
5. To fund the Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission entirely from grants, gifts and donations, without requiring any fiscal outlay form the city budget; and
6. To make expenditures for the Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission fund.
1. They claim in this document that there are already private credible organizations exist conducting this type of service. Why do we need a government agency repeating something that is already being done?
2. Once again they have already claimed that these referral services are already in place.
3. How can we know the implications without having ever had documented contact?
4. Why would we need to develop protocols if we agree with this document that states we have already interacted and dealt with them in the past?
5. The City and County of Denver has already spent money on this Commission. The multiple meetings held with the City Council, Counting of Ballots, Inclusion on any upcoming ballots all cost the city money. If the Commission is approved it will have to use City offices, have a representative (at least part time) as a liaison between the city and the Commission, and any revue or updates to the City from the Commission would require city employees to be present.
6. This fund would also have to be under the watch of the City so it would cost the City money.
Sec. 2-255-61 Commission Created.
There is hereby created an extraterrestrial affairs commission. The commission shall consist of seven(7) regular volunteer members approved by the Mayor who shall give preference to four (4) residents of Denver, Colorado who satisfy the selection criteria. Each approved member must be a knowledgeable expert in some area related to extraterrestrial intelligent beings or their vehicles. Members who are not Denver residents may participate from anywhere in the universe by any means available. The commission shall include:
• One expert in witness testimony from people who have previously had a top secret clearance and had direct personal close encounters with extraterrestrial beings or their vehicles. Such expert must have written at least one book or three scholarly articles focusing on whistleblower testimonies and/or five years work experience with an organization specializing in whistleblower testimonies.
• One expert with a Ph.D. in the “natural sciences” i.e. physics, astronomy, or biology, etc.
• One expert with a Ph.D. in the “social sciences” i.e. sociology, political science, etc.
• A medical doctor who is a published author with expertise on the UFO/Extraterrestrial topic
• One expert with at least five years experience in investigation of UFO/Extraterrestrial encounters as evidenced in their authoring of at least one book or three articles in scholarly journals.
• One expert with a certificate or diploma in Exopolitics or who works with a UFO/Exopolotical organization with non-profit 501( c ) (3) status in the U.S. or its equivalent in other nations.
• One expert who has consulted at least one hundred people regarding their alleged close encounters with extraterrestrial beings and has a Ph.D. in psychology or another suitable social science discipline.

“members approved by the Mayor”, If this is the case the cost of facilities and the time of the Mayor plus any assistants would come from the City budget.
Expert one – This would be a person who would be willing to go against his/her top secret clearance to confirm that they believed they had an alien encounter, who is also an author with experience in whistleblower testimony? Sounds like the position was hand written for someone that Jeff Peckman knows.
Expert two – This is a good choice for any research team to give it credibility.
Expert three – This is another good choice to gain credibility.
Expert four – An MD who is a specialist in U.F.O.’s who is also an author? Sounds like another one of Jeff Peckman’s friends.
Expert five – Five years experience in UFO investigation with one book and three articles published in a Scholarly journal. Not only does this sound like another person that Jeff created the job for but there is no “Scholarly journal” that publishes UFO experiences.
Expert six – Has a certificate or degree in Exopolitics and works for a non-profit group. Another job created for a known person? And how credible is a degree/certificate in Exopolitics?
Expert seven – Has consulted with at least 100 people about close encounters and a suitable social science degree. This is another job created for a specific person.
Sec. 2-255.62 Powers and duties.
The powers and duties of the Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission shall be as follows:
1. To establish an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission fund and to solicit and accept gifts, grants and donations;
2. To obtain and make available on the official City of Denver website the objectives of the commission, and any progress or other reports;
3. To display in the most cost-effective manner on the City of Denver web site, and otherwise, the most credible evidence and witness testimony regarding the existence and activities of extraterrestrial intelligent beings on earth;
4. To evaluate potential risks and benefits for the safety, health, and cultural awareness of Denver residents and visitors in relation to potential encounters and interactions with extraterrestrial intelligent beings;
5. To establish simple and reliable procedures for residents to report to local government authorities any sightings of, or contact with, extraterrestrial intelligent beings of their vehicles;
6. To refer residents and visitors to properly trained city personnel or private professionals, as necessary, to address valid concerns resulting from sightings of, or contacts with, extraterrestrial intelligent beings of their vehicles;
7. To expend all monies related to the Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission fund to achieve the purpose of this commission;
8. To report quarterly by the 15th of February, May, August and November to the mayor and city council on progress in achieving the stated purposes of the commission; and
9. To seek public input regarding present and future Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission activities and citywide needs, including at least two open hearings per year.

1. The solicitation of gifts, etc. for funding is acceptable, but will it be able to collect enough money to fund the commission?
2. To have access to the city web site there are many requirements. Training from the City IT department, Access to a City computer to access the intra-net, and a background screening for the persons placing content on the site. All of these requirements cost the City of Denver money. This site also limits the type of content by design so the specifics of the expectations of the commission need to be more detailed.
3. This is another example of cost to the City. Computer use, Storage space and bandwidth are something that costs the City of Denver money. In this statement we also assume that we have proof of “the existence and activities of extraterrestrial intelligent beings on earth”.
4. This statement contradicts the previous statement saying that the commission will evaluate potential extraterrestrial contact. In the prior statement it claims that we already have “the existence and activities of extraterrestrial intelligent beings on earth”.
5. This statement seems to just place a conduit between the city and an organization such as MUFON. Which would make such organizations “government approved” and maybe even open for government funding.
6. This statement is nothing more than a different wording of #5
7. Does this mean that they have to make sure to spend all of the money that would be allocated to the commission? What if they had an overage or not enough funding?
8. By having quarterly reporting to the Mayor and the City Council they would once again incur cost to the City of Denver by requiring city employees to attend these meetings in City owned buildings.
9. Two open public hearing per year would cost the City of Denver money for facilities, staffing, publication of notes, etc. Sec. 2-255.63 Procedures
The commission is authorized to adopt bylaws and internal guidelines governing its operations and to promulgate rules and regulations as necessary to achieve the purpose of this division.
They can create their own rules?Sec. 2-255.64 Staffing and administrative support.
Staffing and other administrative support for the Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission shall be determined by the commission, as necessary to achieve the purposes of this division.
They still have not spelled out what goals the commission has, other than to have access to the city website. So how do they know what is “necessary to achieve the purposes of this division”.Sec. 2-255.65 Relation to city departments and agencies.
Departments, offices, and agencies of the City and County of Denver that are responsible for administering the systems and related services shall cooperate with the Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission to support the purpose of this division.
This means that because they deal with “health, safety, education, web site, Mayors office & the City Council they will have access to all of the divisions involved in those fields. This could be dangerous due to the employee level access that would have to be allowed. Do they require the members of the Commission to pass a city background check?Sec. 2-255.66 Implementation and Enforcement.
By the effective date, as set forth below, the City and County of Denver shall adopt all measures necessary for the proper and effective implementation and enforcement of this article.
Who decides what is “necessary for the proper and effective implementation and enforcement”?

[dudalb]

It the people of Denver vote this in, they deserve what they will get.

[sg1985]

Peckman submitted more than 10,000 signatures; 4,211 were valid.
Source (http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13900666)

What makes a signature invalid and how did he end up with so many of them?

[leafman91]

Personally, I think it's a good idea. Say if the comission finds nothing. What do they report? Say the Comission finds something. What do they report? By creating the Comission, you immediately get a group of people dedicated to combing thousands of reports for the best credible evidence. If they find nothing, they can say so, and instead of having UFO nuts shouting their messages over the internet, they finally have an authority to take the matter up with. If they find something, they can make the findings public, meaning the public automatically gets the most credible evidence out there, saving everyone a lot of time. This also allows the public to argue back etc. The other part of this is that UFO sightings often lead people into the whole paranormal thing. Hopefully, the Commision can stand as a useful authority for UFO witnesses to check up with, instead of turning to the more hardcore unrealistic beliefs some people offer on the internet. Also, UFO abductions, real or not, can be emotionally scarring if the victim believed it happened. It would be great that these people are pointed in the direction of a psychologist, instead of bumping into some paranoid NWO 9/11 truther over the web, or in the phonebook. And if this Commission really is that wacky, then

a) It isn't costing the taxpayer a cent
b) At least we get to see what evidence they have
c) If the evidence is that bad, the Comission's arguments can be crushed in public, dispersing any false beliefs the public might hold.

If I'm getting this all wrong, then tell me so, but otherwise I don't see a problem with these guys presenting evidence to the public as a political entity. If anything, the fact that they are a political entity means that they have stricter rules to follow, and terms won't be blurred as they could be otherwise

[jhunter1163]

I think, to demonstrate the inadequacy of the threshold, the voters of Denver should propose an initiative to require this guy to legally change his last name to Peck*r.

[Astrophotographer]

I disagree. The commission is headed by UFO proponents. There are no skeptics. Therefore, like so many times before, they are going to find something they can not explain and then proclaim they have evidence of UFOs. There is absolutely nothing that this commission is going to accomplish other than getting some high profile publicity for Jeff Peckman (who wants so badly to push his metatron peace nonsense on idiots so he can make a quick buck) and the other UFO proponents involved with this commission.

From what I gather, because it is a commission set up by the city, the city will have to monitor what it is doing (otherwise it's members could potentially do all sorts of illegal activities under the guise of being part of the commission). Somebody has to pay attention to what they do or it could end up a publicity nightmare for the city. As a result, it will take some oversight by somebody and, therefore, will cost the tax payers money.

[dudalb]

The real problem is that Denver is like California: It is too damn easy to get propostions on the ballot.In both cases the number of signatures should be much higher then it is. In both cases, the population has grown so much since the requirements were set up that it's far too easy to get dumb stuff on the ballot.

[SezMe]

A closer look at the E.T. Affairs Commission wording
And our comments .... <snip>
You owe me a new set of eyeballs.

[shayes666]

The real problem is that Denver is like California: It is too damn easy to get propostions on the ballot.

Bingo!

[Belgian thought]

Finally some sense - even if the news came from the Sun.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2757435/MoDs-X-Files-bureau-axed.html (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2757435/MoDs-X-Files-bureau-axed.html)

Denver take note....