THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
July 3, 2016
www.theparacast.com
Take a Legend Trip and Explore the Unknown on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to After The Paracast, plus a higher-quality version of The Paracast free of network ads, and chat rooms when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the new Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features and Classic Episodes. Check out our new “Lifetime” membership! For more information about our premium package, please visit: Introducing The Paracast+ | The Paracast — The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio.
This Week's Episode: Gene and guest co-host Goggs Mackay present author Robert Robinson, who will take you on a fascinating "journey to adventure outside the box. Enter the exciting world of myths and monsters, the paranormal, extraterrestrials, lost treasures, and strange places. Enter the world of Legend Tripping and go on the ultimate family adventure." According to Robert: "In my new book Legend Tripping: The Ultimate Adventure, I talk about going on day legend trips which are nothing more than visiting places that you only need a day to visit and explore like a museum or historical place." This will be a fun-filled journey where you'll also learn how to prepare for your excursions to explore the unknown.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
Robert Robinson’s Blog: Legend Trippers of America
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on July 3: Chris joins Gene and guest co-host Goggs Mackay to talk about the planned follow up to “Stalking The Heard.” Chris continues to emphasize that the cattle mutilations scenario is the only paranormal mystery that consistently leaves tons of trace evidence behind. And why is he moving more towards a possible ET explanation? Goggs brings up those strange unmarked helicopters see in connection with mutilation episodes. Gene talks about the under-the-radar passage of the FOIA Improvement Act 2016, which is said to enhance the efficiency of providing information to the public. So if a document is requested at least three times, it will be posted online. The conversation moves on to UFOs and Presidents, and a new book from author Grant Cameron entitled “The Clinton UFO Storybook.” Towards the end of the session, Chris reveals that his co-author, David Perkins, was, for a couple of years, George W. Bush’s roommate at Yale. He only gets started with the war stories.
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
A Better FOIA?
By Gene Steinberg
Over the years, dedicated UFO researchers have fought to dig up evidence about the phenomenon from the U.S. government. Even though the authorities have always insisted that there’s no evidence that UFOs are anything but conventional objects or phenomena, it hasn’t always been easy to obtain sighting reports, even when you consider the logical restrictions due to national security.
There is a law, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which is supposed to allow you to request specific information from government records. That’s the theory, but requests often reach overworked bureaucrats who will often delay a response, or insist that the requested information isn’t even available. Even when the information is provided, portions, sometimes large portions, will be redacted due to various excuses. The most common excuse is that the deleted information must be kept confidential in the interests of national security.
That doesn’t mean that the excluded material amounts to evidence that UFOs are spaceships or some other unknown phenomenon. It might be all about top secret details of military hardware and personnel that enemies of the United States aren’t meant to know. It’s a perfectly acceptable excuse even if it may seem a suspicious move to disclosure advocates.
Over the years, hundreds of thousands of documents of this sort have been received, collected and published by private researchers. A large number of them are posted at The Black Vault, a site run by John Greenewald, Jr., a relatively young man who has made a yeoman effort to secure and catalog as much information as possible for easy access.
Still, there are no smoking guns. The cases may seem interesting and all, but there’s nothing that would present a breakthrough.
This, by the way, is the usual condition in other countries with similar laws and similar public releases of UFO-related information. All you’re left with are collections of material that do not reveal anything compelling, even if some of it fleshes out a few facts about specific cases.
Of course, if governments are involved in keeping significant UFO evidence a secret, you would not expect them to reveal guilty knowledge that UFOs aren’t ordinary. How could it be otherwise?
With the election of Barack Obama in 2008 came the promise of an open administration, where it would be far easier for the public to get information from government agencies via FOIA requests.
Now maybe that was the intention, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Indeed, it is often claimed, by supporters and opponents, that FOIA requests in recent years have been given short shrift. Requests that used to take weeks may take months, with an even lower chance for success.
Now part of that might be due to the unfortunate end result of austerity, the attempt to squeeze the U.S. government dry by cutting budgets. One way to accomplish that goal is simply to lay off personnel or hire fewer people to control expenses.
While I wouldn’t presume to make guesses without more information, giving people more work to do clearly doesn’t help them do it any faster. FOIA requests are no doubt regarded as a less important function, so you might expect fewer people will be around to manage the service.
Now there may be a little hope that FOIA requests may soon be handled in a more efficient fashion.
So I recently received a news release, from Republican Congressman Darrell Issa of California, that the President signed something referred to as the ‘FOIA Improvement Act of 2016.” Although it didn't receive much coverage, the bill was introduced by Congressmen Issa and Democrat Elijah Cummings. Indeed, when you can get two people from the opposite sides of the aisle to substantially agree on something in today’s polarized atmosphere, it’s close to a miracle.
So what does this FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 get you anyway?
Unfortunately, the press release from Rep. Issa’s office is filled with political gobbledegook and doesn’t exactly explain what, if anything, has been improved by the new law beyond the implication that the system will now work better.
A little research brings up lists of some of the changes, such as making documents available in PDF format or as an online download. If a document is requested at least three times, it will be posted online, so you don’t have to request it from scratch. The service will also be free.
Another requirement specifies that the information must be disclosed unless it may result in harm to a “protected interest,” which would include national security, confidential information, trade secrets or medical information. Nothing new there.
One significant improvement is a mediation service to manage disputes. So if you find yourself immersed in a bureaucratic quagmire, perhaps there will be a way to resolve the situation. Maybe.
Unfortunately it’s not at all certain the new law will work any better than the old. A key reason is that the budget will remain the same. The theory goes that, if frequently requested documents are reduced to electronic format and posted online — and I presume searchable in an efficient way — they can reduce costs. Why bother to process a request from scratch when the information is already publicly available? I would assume people who request documents will be referred to the online source when it’s available.
There’s little doubt that it will take years for the number of requests to reach a point where a substantial amount of information is posted. Until then, you’ll probably go through the same tired process of requesting information and facing endless delays and red tape to retrieve it. I also suppose that a future administration might actually respect the public’s need to know, and staff the agency with enough people to handle their work efficiently.
But that’s just a pipe dream.
Nonetheless, a faster and more efficient FOIA system isn’t going to help disclosure advocates get the secrets they believe the government possesses about UFOs. It’s just as possible — and this is often the case when the government promises to do better — that the new system won’t make much of a change after all. If bureaucrats are overworked already, it only means they won’t have the time to post those documents after receiving three or more requests. It’s just something more to do, and something more not to get done.
While I respect the fact that people deserve an efficient and responsive government, sometimes the effort to reduce costs has a negative effect. Try calling the IRS to get an answer to a tax question, see how often someone actually answers the phone, and you’ll experience first-hand the impact of the “less is less” policy.
Copyright 1999-2016 The Paracast LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
July 3, 2016
www.theparacast.com
Take a Legend Trip and Explore the Unknown on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to After The Paracast, plus a higher-quality version of The Paracast free of network ads, and chat rooms when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the new Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features and Classic Episodes. Check out our new “Lifetime” membership! For more information about our premium package, please visit: Introducing The Paracast+ | The Paracast — The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio.
This Week's Episode: Gene and guest co-host Goggs Mackay present author Robert Robinson, who will take you on a fascinating "journey to adventure outside the box. Enter the exciting world of myths and monsters, the paranormal, extraterrestrials, lost treasures, and strange places. Enter the world of Legend Tripping and go on the ultimate family adventure." According to Robert: "In my new book Legend Tripping: The Ultimate Adventure, I talk about going on day legend trips which are nothing more than visiting places that you only need a day to visit and explore like a museum or historical place." This will be a fun-filled journey where you'll also learn how to prepare for your excursions to explore the unknown.
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
Robert Robinson’s Blog: Legend Trippers of America
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on July 3: Chris joins Gene and guest co-host Goggs Mackay to talk about the planned follow up to “Stalking The Heard.” Chris continues to emphasize that the cattle mutilations scenario is the only paranormal mystery that consistently leaves tons of trace evidence behind. And why is he moving more towards a possible ET explanation? Goggs brings up those strange unmarked helicopters see in connection with mutilation episodes. Gene talks about the under-the-radar passage of the FOIA Improvement Act 2016, which is said to enhance the efficiency of providing information to the public. So if a document is requested at least three times, it will be posted online. The conversation moves on to UFOs and Presidents, and a new book from author Grant Cameron entitled “The Clinton UFO Storybook.” Towards the end of the session, Chris reveals that his co-author, David Perkins, was, for a couple of years, George W. Bush’s roommate at Yale. He only gets started with the war stories.
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
A Better FOIA?
By Gene Steinberg
Over the years, dedicated UFO researchers have fought to dig up evidence about the phenomenon from the U.S. government. Even though the authorities have always insisted that there’s no evidence that UFOs are anything but conventional objects or phenomena, it hasn’t always been easy to obtain sighting reports, even when you consider the logical restrictions due to national security.
There is a law, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which is supposed to allow you to request specific information from government records. That’s the theory, but requests often reach overworked bureaucrats who will often delay a response, or insist that the requested information isn’t even available. Even when the information is provided, portions, sometimes large portions, will be redacted due to various excuses. The most common excuse is that the deleted information must be kept confidential in the interests of national security.
That doesn’t mean that the excluded material amounts to evidence that UFOs are spaceships or some other unknown phenomenon. It might be all about top secret details of military hardware and personnel that enemies of the United States aren’t meant to know. It’s a perfectly acceptable excuse even if it may seem a suspicious move to disclosure advocates.
Over the years, hundreds of thousands of documents of this sort have been received, collected and published by private researchers. A large number of them are posted at The Black Vault, a site run by John Greenewald, Jr., a relatively young man who has made a yeoman effort to secure and catalog as much information as possible for easy access.
Still, there are no smoking guns. The cases may seem interesting and all, but there’s nothing that would present a breakthrough.
This, by the way, is the usual condition in other countries with similar laws and similar public releases of UFO-related information. All you’re left with are collections of material that do not reveal anything compelling, even if some of it fleshes out a few facts about specific cases.
Of course, if governments are involved in keeping significant UFO evidence a secret, you would not expect them to reveal guilty knowledge that UFOs aren’t ordinary. How could it be otherwise?
With the election of Barack Obama in 2008 came the promise of an open administration, where it would be far easier for the public to get information from government agencies via FOIA requests.
Now maybe that was the intention, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Indeed, it is often claimed, by supporters and opponents, that FOIA requests in recent years have been given short shrift. Requests that used to take weeks may take months, with an even lower chance for success.
Now part of that might be due to the unfortunate end result of austerity, the attempt to squeeze the U.S. government dry by cutting budgets. One way to accomplish that goal is simply to lay off personnel or hire fewer people to control expenses.
While I wouldn’t presume to make guesses without more information, giving people more work to do clearly doesn’t help them do it any faster. FOIA requests are no doubt regarded as a less important function, so you might expect fewer people will be around to manage the service.
Now there may be a little hope that FOIA requests may soon be handled in a more efficient fashion.
So I recently received a news release, from Republican Congressman Darrell Issa of California, that the President signed something referred to as the ‘FOIA Improvement Act of 2016.” Although it didn't receive much coverage, the bill was introduced by Congressmen Issa and Democrat Elijah Cummings. Indeed, when you can get two people from the opposite sides of the aisle to substantially agree on something in today’s polarized atmosphere, it’s close to a miracle.
So what does this FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 get you anyway?
Unfortunately, the press release from Rep. Issa’s office is filled with political gobbledegook and doesn’t exactly explain what, if anything, has been improved by the new law beyond the implication that the system will now work better.
A little research brings up lists of some of the changes, such as making documents available in PDF format or as an online download. If a document is requested at least three times, it will be posted online, so you don’t have to request it from scratch. The service will also be free.
Another requirement specifies that the information must be disclosed unless it may result in harm to a “protected interest,” which would include national security, confidential information, trade secrets or medical information. Nothing new there.
One significant improvement is a mediation service to manage disputes. So if you find yourself immersed in a bureaucratic quagmire, perhaps there will be a way to resolve the situation. Maybe.
Unfortunately it’s not at all certain the new law will work any better than the old. A key reason is that the budget will remain the same. The theory goes that, if frequently requested documents are reduced to electronic format and posted online — and I presume searchable in an efficient way — they can reduce costs. Why bother to process a request from scratch when the information is already publicly available? I would assume people who request documents will be referred to the online source when it’s available.
There’s little doubt that it will take years for the number of requests to reach a point where a substantial amount of information is posted. Until then, you’ll probably go through the same tired process of requesting information and facing endless delays and red tape to retrieve it. I also suppose that a future administration might actually respect the public’s need to know, and staff the agency with enough people to handle their work efficiently.
But that’s just a pipe dream.
Nonetheless, a faster and more efficient FOIA system isn’t going to help disclosure advocates get the secrets they believe the government possesses about UFOs. It’s just as possible — and this is often the case when the government promises to do better — that the new system won’t make much of a change after all. If bureaucrats are overworked already, it only means they won’t have the time to post those documents after receiving three or more requests. It’s just something more to do, and something more not to get done.
While I respect the fact that people deserve an efficient and responsive government, sometimes the effort to reduce costs has a negative effect. Try calling the IRS to get an answer to a tax question, see how often someone actually answers the phone, and you’ll experience first-hand the impact of the “less is less” policy.
Copyright 1999-2016 The Paracast LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!