NASA Employee Tries To Ridicule Extraterrestrial Commission during Live Show

The Denver ballot initiative to create an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission is under attack. A hostile comment against the initiative was aired during a live question and answer session on the June 21 segment of “Your Show”, a Sunday morning program on Denver’s NBC TV affiliate, Channel 9 News. My name is Jeff Peckman, the author and chief proponent of the ballot initiative.

Link to Source

So this is the first planned Public Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission in the US, so you would think in this modern day and age that we would be ready for it. However, one viewer Larry sessions wrote online before the show

"No, no, no, no, no! It is an insult to human intelligence, an indictment of the Denver citizenry, and a blatant waster of taxpayer

One man voicing his concern over tax payers interest is comendible but as it turns out Larry, who has been voicing his concern quite a bit lately and is no other than one of the so-called “solar ambassadors” for NASA and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Funny how people affiliated with NASA seem to be popping up to derail these events.

Just this last year, NASA itself has been the target for allegations of fraud and waste of taxpayer money. Many of these attacks have come from Congress, the White House, and the mainstream media.

$720 million Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter,
$480 million Mars Phoenix Lander
$134 million NASA IBEX Probe

Please take a minute and read this article and tell me what you think.

Is Larry (NASA) correct in saying that its a waste of money or does this earth need a Public Extraterrestrial Affairs Commision?







[edit on 29-6-2009 by franspeakfree]

[edit on 29-6-2009 by franspeakfree]

reply to post by franspeakfree


Talk about pot and kettle.
Poor Mr sessions, is this the intellignece of NASA employees? putting there own name on dis-info. Did he not think people would look further than the news report??? Does he not look on the internet? probably not.

I hope he gets the signatures he's looking for. I really do.

G.

This is half the problem.... Jeff 'Peckerhead' Peckman. The credibility of the entire movement was compromised by his participation alone. The man is a hoaxer with no credibility whatsoever. I sometimes wonder if he's a 'plant' just to destroy UFOlogy.

We didn't need a NASA employee to bring the Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission into question. People should avoid Peckman like the plaque. While he's apparently playing on our side, we're simply going to keep scoring 'own goals'.

IRM

Yeah, sorry guys. If Peckman is involved, then the whole thing is a complete waste, an insult and will only serve to further derail any legitimate hope of a competent organization being taken seriously down the road in the future.

The only thing this type of ignorant tripe does is serve fools like Peckman and his despicable ilk.

It's always the same old schtick with Peckman. I've yet to be convinced he gives a rat's ass about UFOs, ET or the people with an interest in them. My suspicion is that he's overestimated his intelligence and underestimated everyone else's. He believes he's shrewdly identified an area that will see him comfortably into retirement with a healthy bank balance. 'A sucker born every minute' probably adorns his bath towels.

He's laughable and the Nasa guy is just pointing it out. Last year he was rattling on about the need for an 'ambassador for ET'....a salaried position. Who could fit that bill? Hmmmm? IIRC He petitioned the Obama Administration to create the position...

No matter how people regard Nasa...a blag artist/ hoaxer is worthy of contempt. His occasional articles in the Denver news website encourage the ridicule that's often heaped on UFO fans. As IRM wonders...it's possible Pecker is up to no good

Kinda sad when u think about the fact that NASA is actively researching UFO's during their missions........

I bet if we had the people and know how here at ATS we could probably have put together the phoenix lander for a cool 100 million. I mean 480 million! What is on the lander that is worth that? The robotics or communications? The solar panel? WTF!?

I'm going to just plead no comment on Mr. Pecker pants. He isn't worth the energy it takes to type.

P.S. We will need an ET affairs commission when they start communications with us (the General Public).

[edit on 29-6-2009 by DaMod]

Originally posted by franspeakfree
Is Larry (NASA) correct in saying that its a waste of money or does this earth need a Public Extraterrestrial Affairs Commision?

Not only is Larry (NASA) right but Peckman is an embarrassment for the UFO community and people like me who would like to see funding for legitimate UFO research, instead of the nonsense Peckman is promoting.

reply to post by franspeakfree

Whoever wrote the headline to this blog did not check any facts. It is false, completely misinformed and betrays the obvious contempt for fact of many (not all) UFO "enthusiasts." Mr. Peckman has utterly distorted my completely voluntary association with NASA/JPL and has unfairly defamed my character by misrepresenting both my associations and my motivations. If the issue were just the stupidity of an extraterrestrial commission for Denver, I would voice my opinion and let it go. But Peckman has taken it upon himself to make this personal. And now this website has decided to not only pass on this false information, but to make it even more false and misleading.

I am not now nor have I ever been a NASA employee, and anything I do on behalf of NASA or JPL is completely voluntary. Nor does it have anything to do with UFOs or faked, big headed alien visitors lurking behind darkened windows. Character defamation, such as Mr. Peckman has attempted on me, along with attempts to misdirect attention away from extremely poor arguments is a typical approach for people with no good evidence to bolster their own outlandish claims and goals. They think that attacking their opponent's character will draw attention away from their own lack of credibility.

I happen to have confidence that there are other intelligent people in Denver who will stand up for logic and rationality. I personally don't think that the people of Denver as a whole, nor the City Council, are ignorant and I do not think that they will vote for the proposed "ET commission." On the other hand, if it does pass, I suggest that Denver and ever other city also needs commissions to deal with BigFoot, fairies in the garden, and devilish vampires who devour bad little boys and girls. We have just as much evidence (none) for those things, so why would they not deserve commissions?

No wonder the whole UFO phenomenon is a laughing stock in the public eye, because the only ones who read and believe such garbage as this are the same people who fell for snake oil sales pitches 100 years ago or bought land in Arizona as tropical paradises. Don't you check anything? Don't you have any sense of responsibility for disseminating lies? I applaud anyone who champions free speech and the intelligence quest for knowledge. Unfortunately you champion free speech if it supports your ideas, and apparently fabrications and outright lies are OK as far as you are concerned. Your motto claims to be "deny ignorance," but in fact you embrace with open arms. It just confirms for me that some people will believe anything as long as it titillates them and fulfills their puerile fantasies. Shame on you.

reply to post by larrysessions

While this site discourages personal attacks, I think the first attack was made on you Larry so in regard to your response, I say "Touche" and you have a right to defend yourself and I am pleased to see you doing so and thankful that you set the record straight.

Regarding the leanings of the people posting here, you said what a lot of debunkers would like to say in many posts here but are discouraged from doing so by the intro at the top of the forum:

"Discussion topics and follow-up responses in this forum will likely tend to lean in favor of the existence of extraterrestrials and the related conspiracies, scandals, and cover-ups. Members who would seek to refute such theories should be mindful of AboveTopSecret.com\'s tradition of supporting the examination of the \"extraterrestrial phenomenon\" on the related conspiracy theories, cover-ups, and scandals."

So, what does that tell us? there are some real truth-seekers on the site but seem to be more people who are ready to believe anything with no evidence.

If this guy is telling the truth www.abovetopsecret.com... it's all real, but as I said there, where's the evidence? I still haven't seen a shred of evidence.

So you're right, many people are willing to believe too much with no evidence whatsoever.

reply to post by larrysessions


Exactly. Not all.

These subjects tend to draw in many kind of different people, many (most?) of them not very rational. The other part can be very sceptical and smart, and are only in it for the knowledge. Some of them have seen something they cannot explain, or can sense the existance of something hidden.

It's the same with the sc. New Age-movement; most of it today is just a sham, and that is not at all what it is (was) actually based on.

Wasn't it calculated that it's more probable that there IS life in space than the opposite?

EDIT: I do agree that these "comissions" are quite laughable, sry

[edit on 1-7-2009 by Tryptych]

I think the ET commission is another bunch of liars taking over
the government funds with fast talking Illuminati.

I don't believe in ETs so if any ETs happen and I tell you there is
an ET in the next room you better believe me.

Thus pay me the whole commission salary and you get a non liar
truth speaker.

reply to post by larrysessions


Hi Larry?

With all due respect...

Is there any way you can prove that your not just some joker posing as Larry Sessions? We get this kind of prank a lot here so everyone should be skeptical of what you say. Also identity fraud's a T&C violation at ATS.

Also I'm curious as to how you even knew this thread existed? Was it an extremely lucky guess or did someone here tell you? Just interested.

IRM

reply to post by larrysessions


Taxpayer money should not be spent on any of this. As if any pitifull group is going to discover anything bible thumpers will believe. If it wasnt for the ignorant religious people in the world would we even need to discuss if aliens exist?

Larry, you'll find an energetic and intelligent circle of people here who have radically different conclusions because of different starting points, personal experiences, going-in assumptions, and subsets of all-the-world's-knowledge (just 'different' subsets, not 'better' or 'worse' subsets). If you want unanimity, become a moonie. If you want hard argumentation and frustration alleviated by newly-marshalled evidence and reasoning, hang around.

Jim O

reply to post by InfaRedMan


Dear InfraRedMan (I mean, if that is really who you are and not an imposter):

I wrote up a much longer response but I have decided that I will make a blog out of it. Here I will just say to you that I find it a bit odd that anyone would think that someone would pose as me. Why, for heavens sake? Do you somehow think that I (Larry Sessions in Denver, CO) am a high NASA official or PR person, or a "hired gun" to go around shooting down UFO reports? That is utterly false and frankly absurd.

I am a former planetarium director and now an astronomy instructor in Denver. I am associated with NASA/JPL only as a volunteer lecturer in the Solar System Ambassadors program. Indeed, over the years, I have met several astronauts and others associated with NASA. I met Buzz Aldrin (as well as Jim Oberg) at an early Case for Mars Conference in Boulder in the 80s, and have served as a field investigator for Dr. J. Allen Hynek and the Center for UFO Studies in the 70s. But aside from the tenuous association with Dr. Hynek, none of this has anything to do with UFOs. Any comments I have made regarding UFOs are my own, based on my personal interest and experience. The implication that NASA or JPL has ever instructed me on anything remotely related to UFOs almost made me giggle it is so removed from the truth. But I have to admit that then it made me annoyed to think that people who do not know me and who made no effort to ascertain the truth would so freely and willfully not just believe, but embellish and spread lies and misrepresentations. *That* is more the work of small minds than of real truth seekers.

Someone whom I do not know emailed me to tell me that Mr. Peckman had posted a blog with erroneous information and accusations against me in it. Subsequently I did an online search and came across this forum with its ridiculous title "NASA Employee Tries To Ridicule Extraterrestrial Commission during Live Show." [I am not a NASA employee and did not call in live to the show. In fact I didn't even watch the show when it first aired. My comment came through a web form on the TV Show's website, requesting comments.] After reading some of the comments on this forum, I saw the further misinformation and insinuations. All I wanted to do is to clear up the falsehood that I am employed by NASA or in any way controlled or directed by them. As I said before, I am not.

It is obvious to me that there are some genuine and intelligent truth-seekers on this forum. But unfortunately it appears that there are many who are actually more interested in titillation than truth -- more accepting of the word of any self-professed expert who confirms what they *want* to believe and immediately condemning of anyone who says anything they don't want to hear.

That's really too bad, because the UFO phenomenon deserves to be studied. But there needs to be good, unambiguous evidence, and despite the many reported sightings, personal stories, photos, videos, claimed cover-ups and supposed UFO fragments and artifacts, there is not one whit of any of this that stands up to scientific scrutiny. I'm not saying there aren't some questions, or that the jury may still be out on a few things, but as of now there is no good evidence at all. To make it worse, the majority of people who claim to study it are not applying any scientific procedures or principles, or in many cases, not even plain common sense. [Now don't misunderstand this, I said the "majority," not "all." I know there are some exceptions].

Furthermore, I believe that the proposed ET commission for Denver is a farce, a sham and a publicity stunt. It is not based on any good evidence or need, and despite the claim that it would be privately funded, it would still be a drain on city resources.

Larry Sessions (the "real" one)
Denver

reply to post by JimOberg

Jim, I understand that there are some good thinkers here -- I mean after all, *you're* here. But the overall level is pretty low as far as I can see, and any "hard argumentation" is pointless unless there is real, examinable and testable evidence. The thing that really gets to me is the uncritical acceptance so many have of accusations, innuendo and sometimes downright lies. A few folks here make sense, and there of others I know of in MUFON and individuals here in Denver. But the very fact that people are allowed and apparently even encouraged to fabricate and misrepresent without any fact checking is enough to tell me that it is a waste of my time. You can't shine light into closed minds, so why try? I don't intend to start any ongoing conversations here (not that I don't find it interesting -- it is, but I just have too many other things to do). However, you have my email address. Feel free to contact me there.

Larry

P.S. Wasn't Buzz Aldrin at the first Case for Mars conference? I thought that was the one I remember talking to him at, but online it seems to indicate that he didn't attend until the third conference. Do you remember? I have a kind of funny story to tell about him, but I'll hold that for an EarthSky blog in a couple of weeks.

reply to post by larrysessions
ok despite being a "lecturer for the solar systems ambassadors"

i liked his ideas on" bigfoot and garden fairies" definetly see some potential
but it's obvious he believes in vampires. i mean come'on. kidding. i was really just wondering, concerning some of nasa's videos that reside outside the realm of" ufos".lets say a video of an astronaut,who lets a
100,000 dollar wrench float off into space. (hypothetically speaking of course) would nasa consider that evidence, that said astodude let a
100,000 thousand dollar wrench float off into space, man?
jim feel free to tackle this one since mr. sessions dosn't really have time for us.

[edit on 4-7-2009 by randyvs]

Originally posted by larrysessions
reply to post by InfaRedMan

 

Dear InfraRedMan (I mean, if that is really who you are and not an imposter):

Nope it's the one and only!

I wrote up a much longer response but I have decided that I will make a blog out of it. Here I will just say to you that I find it a bit odd that anyone would think that someone would pose as me. Why, for heavens sake?

People just do Larry and it wouldn't be the first time people have been misrepresented by such shenanigans at ATS or many other forums. The question was a valid one; not a personal attack of any nature.

Someone whom I do not know emailed me to tell me that Mr. Peckman had posted a blog with erroneous information and accusations against me in it.

That's not like Peckman at all

If you read the earlier posts within this thread you will be aware I'm not a fan of Peckman and have little regard for anything the man does. There are many among us here that are wise to him.

It is obvious to me that there are some genuine and intelligent truth-seekers on this forum. But unfortunately it appears that there are many who are actually more interested in titillation than truth -- more accepting of the word of any self-professed expert who confirms what they *want* to believe and immediately condemning of anyone who says anything they don't want to hear.

I hear you! UFOlogy (as a movement) has been a sad state of affairs for quite some time. The 'need to believe' outweighs any form of logic that I'm aware of... and there's plenty of charlatans to cater to the appetites of those in need of titillation.

the UFO phenomenon deserves to be studied. But there needs to be good, unambiguous evidence

Indeed!

Speaking for myself, I have a deep interest in the UFO phenomena - but I'm skeptical of people. Too many agenda's from both sides of the fence. For that, I reserve my judgment in most situations.

Furthermore, I believe that the proposed ET commission for Denver is a farce, a sham and a publicity stunt.

I could not agree more.

Larry Sessions (the "real" one)
Denver

Pleased to meet you Larry!

IRM

[edit on 5/7/09 by InfaRedMan]

Originally posted by larrysessions
P.S. Wasn't Buzz Aldrin at the first Case for Mars conference? I thought that was the one I remember talking to him at, but online it seems to indicate that he didn't attend until the third conference. Do you remember? I have a kind of funny story to tell about him, but I'll hold that for an EarthSky blog in a couple of weeks.

He was there, indeed -- I have a photo of Leonard David serenading him on some trekkie zithar thingie.