[vlovich123]

I really don’t understand this take by people that plausibly believe any of this is aliens. Occam’s razor isn’t on the side of aliens. The universe is huge. Even assuming an FTL mode of transportation were possible, why would a species capable of FTL bother visiting Earth? And why would these visits suddenly start in the 50s? And despite many many pieces of recording technology from radio telescopes, space telescopes, radar, amateur telescopes with recording capabilities, and high def digital photography in every hand, there’s not really any compelling evidence that couldn’t have simpler explanations.

Aliens always seemed like a clandestine psyops and it’s interesting to me it’s been resurrected. Or it’s like flat earth bullshit. US citizens do seem particularly prone to wood conspiracy theories.

[King-Aaron]

Well what the people involved in this discussion with Congress are saying is that it's more likely this phenomenon was already present on Earth, if you read the statements that people have made so far they are just saying "non human intelligence/technology" and steering clear from saying it's from another planet.

I feel it's going to be prudent to sit back and wait until this runs it's course over the next few weeks before declaring what's happening here, because I haven't seen anyone that's picked any holes in this whistleblowers credentials yet, the bill submitted to Congress makes mention of "credible evidence", and they seem to have gone to great lengths to get the legal side of things in order so that no one gets sued. It may just be that Occam's razor won't stand up in this situation, because be it aliens or a giant psyop, none of it feels like a simple explanation for anything.

[bcherry]

I'm also quite skeptical, BUT there are some plausible-ish answers to your questions:

> why would a species capable of FTL bother visiting Earth?

One possibility is that intelligent life on earth is artificial, so the "creators" continue to observe us. This is _kinda_ related to the simulation hypothesis as well, but needn't require we be an actual computer-generated simulation. If intelligent life can eventually develop the technology to create more intelligent life from more primitive life forms (or to create new life itself) - wouldn't it be possible that _most_ intelligent life in the universe is artificial in origin?

> And why would these visits suddenly start in the 50s?

One answer is we just started paying more attention in a more structured way in the 50s due to the cold war.

But another way to look at it: Imagine that the galaxy/universe is actually _full_ of advanced spacefaring civilizations, Star Trek-style. What would make them take notice of "primitive" intelligent life? Perhaps nuclear weapons. It isn't that crazy to think (if NHI exists) that the Trinity test, the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings and then early thermonuclear testing arms race put us on the galactic map, so to speak (for whatever purpose).

> And despite many many pieces of recording technology from radio telescopes, space telescopes, radar, amateur telescopes with recording capabilities, and high def digital photography in every hand, there’s not really any compelling evidence that couldn’t have simpler explanations.

Consider that the three _most_ credible UAP recordings come from the Navy - taken by fighter pilots over the open ocean, operating from aircraft carriers. Perhaps the vast majority of these UAP phenomena actually do occur at high altitudes over the ocean (for an unknown reason). That would put the US Navy in the best spot of anyone to capture footage, and make it very hard for anyone else to do so. Even commercial aircraft lack gimbals or FLIR cameras that would be needed to capture these extremely fast-moving objects with strange energy signatures. (Note: I in no way think those videos _alone_ are anywhere close to proof of NHI. Just that they are indeed unexplained so far, but that doesn't mean the explanation must be aliens.)

Again - I'm a skeptic like you but at least _some_ of the oddities aren't necessarily so odd. I think a larger problem is "crash retrieval programs": Are we really meant to believe that these interstellar lifeforms with FTL travel and gravity-warping spacecraft routinely crash on the surface of the earth and don't even bother to come back and collect their wrecks? That one doesn't add up. The only possible explanation (besides that they want to be found - but what a weird way to go about it) is that they actually have tens of thousands of crafts making millions of visits, resulting in a few accidents as any technology would. But that makes the dearth of physical evidence even more starkly problematic.