May 10, 2015 — Red Pill Junkie with Richard Dolan

[Gene Steinberg]

Just days after the May 5th Roswell Slides event in Mexico City, we presented Red Pill Junkie, a noted blogger on all things paranormal, to give you his eyewitness reactions as someone who attended the event — with a paid ticket. We also presented a special appearance from UFO historian Richard Dolan.

It didn't take long for the reaction to the event to almost spiral out of control, especially with the report that a group of researchers, both skeptical and otherwise, managed to decode the placard shown on the slides and reveal it was just the mummy of a young child. And that's just the beginning.

This is a discussion that continued on this week's episode of After The Paracast podcast, which is available to subscribers of Paracast+.

 

[wwkirk]

I agree with Richard that the expert testimony is key. But I just can't but see a mummy.

 

[Constance]

Given Anthony Bragalia's statement last night/early this morning (reproduced at the link below), I think it's established that the figure in the slides is indeed a mummy and an identifiable one with a tragic history made worse by reasonable speculations that it might turn out to be the physical remains of a Roswell alien. If it is a fact that Dew knew what the placard states and accordingly withheld the fully clarified scans of the slides for his own reasons or purposes, that is the truly despicable element of this whole exercise over the last three years. Given Dew's control over the slides themselves and his engaging a major role in researching their origin, I cannot see how bad faith in his own procedures implies bad faith on the part of Carey, Schmitt, Bragalia, or Mausson. They accepted the analyses of the forensic anthropologists brought in to judge the nature of the being shown in the slides, but I don't think it's possible to credit those analyses at this point. The slender visible data available in the slides was ambiguous and evidently insufficient to support the viewpoint or conclusion that the being presented in the slides was not evolved on earth. This has all been unfortunate on many levels but it does not signify the end of ufo research as a whole or the careers of the principal slides researchers and of Richard Dolan. Lots of overreactions going around, and we need to put them in perspective.

Your Paracast Newsletter — May 10, 2015 | Page 2 | The Paracast Community Forums

 

[Wade]

But Schmitt is on record as stating that they used several sources. (including the pentagon) to try to decipher the placard and came up empty yet a publicly available piece of software apparently cleared up this matter. I'd say something still stinks to high heaven here, unless I'm missing something.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

And even Adobe, which is utterly absurd. If a handful of people could decipher those scans and apparently guess at most of the lettering on the placard in such a short time, the publisher of Photoshop would surely have no problem duplicating those results. I don't believe Schmitt. I don't think he knows anything about the process, and perhaps he was just repeating what Dew told him. He has some 'splainin to do.

 

[Constance]

But Schmitt is on record as stating that they used several sources. (including the pentagon) to try to decipher the placard and came up empty yet a publicly available piece of software apparently cleared up this matter. I'd say something still stinks to high heaven here, unless I'm missing something.

From what Bragalia wrote last night, it seems that he and the other core researchers were told that these other sources/expert systems had been employed and they took his word for it. The compartmentalization of the research in this case was an unfortunate consequence of the fact that Dew maintained possession of the slides themselves and control over which digitally clarified versions of the slides went out to public researchers.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

So you see a reason for not trusting strangers? Some guy new to the field makes elaborate claims, and that crew went for it with blinders on.

 

[Constance]

So you see a reason for not trusting strangers? Some guy new to the field makes elaborate claims, and that crew went for it with blinders on.

It's a very good policy not to trust strangers. I don't think it's fair, however, to say that "that crew went for it with blinders on." I do think Carey, Schmitt, and Bragalia should have maintained oversight over what Dew was doing and what he was releasing (and not releasing) publicly. But in the circumstances, it was Dew who had half-ownership of and apparently total control of the slides and of their digital enhancement. I doubt that any ufo researchers will enter into arrangements such as this one again.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

You just support my impression they went into it with blinder's on? Was it desperation to find something new and significant about Roswell?

 

[Constance]

Why do you assume 'desperation'? I think they were intrigued by the slides and the possibility that they provided some trace evidence of an alien crash at Roswell. You might think that nothing 'otherworldly' occurred at Roswell. I and a great many other people who have read the complement of the research concerning Roswell do not share your outlook.

 

[DaveM]

Were they intrigued that the slides provided evidence of an alien crash at Roswell, or the possibility of a big pay day? My bet is on the latter.

 

[SRL+]

I can’t fathom where even ignorance would come into play in relation to the entire “Be Witness” theater troupe and this most dreadful saga. There are many, many reasons for this thinking in which have already been fleshed out to the point of ad nauseam here, and elsewhere. To give anyone the benefit of the doubt would be to turn a blind eye away from the facts... that is, unless one’s desire is purely entertainment.

Who in this world would associate themselves with such a sloppy, mismanaged, uninformed group, other than the misinformed, and those who are of the faith?

 

[Burnt State]

Either an investigator believes in investigating the primary evidence personally or they believe in lies. The after the fact excuses tell us much about the credibility and motivations of those involved.

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

If I ever meet the dude, I'd suggest Adam Dew Rick Dyer. They could Dew a threesome w/ the bigfoot and have a hell of a time Dewing it! heh-heh, just leave mummy out of it!

 

[Wade]

If I ever meet the dude, I'd suggest Adam Dew Rick Dyer. They could Dew a threesome w/ the bigfoot and have a hell of a time Dewing it! heh-heh, just leave mummy out of it!

Sorry Chris my eye rolling key was stuck

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

...sorry, I couldn't resist the temptation!

 

[Wade]

I found Gene's question about " why Mexico City" interesting because I thought the same thing. Not that Mexico City isn't a fine venue, but I thought ...and I hope I'm not being too presumptuous here...that this story would get better traction in Latin America and find a more receptive audience at least initially.

 

[joeyk22]

This was hilarious to listen to after the news came out about how it's a mummy in the slides. Red Pill did a great job breaking it down. People ask why younger folks aren't involved in UFO research? This is why. Inconceivable how you could spend 5 hours presenting the slides as aliens when it was disproved within a few days by using commonly available tools. Seriously it was a great show and it's even better when you realize how much time was wasted on nothing. If research isn't done in the wide open and subject to peer review, how is anyone going to take UFO and Cryptozoological research seriously?

 

[ALPHA ROMEO UNIFORM]

Another one bites the dust it seems and the whole affair boring and Dr Randle was on the money as ever.

 

[kanakaris]

Why so soft on Dolan ?