He wears big shoes. I know what you were thinking, get your mind out of the gutter you degenerate. Anyways on with the show.

If your looking for a cute and cuddly monster trust me you will not find it here. Standing anywhere between seven to ten feet tall, hairy and if if the reports are true stinky as hell I bring you the legendary creature and the rock star of the cryptozoological world let us put our hands together for, Bigfoot. For almost two hundred years reports of a strange hairy biped have come out of the dense forests of the American Pacific Northwest and the British Columbian region of Canada. Although whitey has been reporting sightings of this beast during this period of time, the Native Americans, specifically the Coast Salish Nation is well acquinted with this possible throwback to a possible prehistoric ancestor of mankind. The Salish are so well acquinted they are even on a first name basis with the creature they call him Sasquatch which basically means, giant wildman of the woods.

It could be easy to blame these sightings on misidentifications of bears or the effects of too much moonshine however reports of similar creatures have come out of some of the more isolated regions of the world. In the Himalayan regions of Tibet and Nepal eyewitness reports by locals as well as mountaineers of a large hairy creature haunting the snowy slopes of the world’s largest mountain range. In Scotland, those who climb the mountain called Ben Macdhui have reported a creature that stands over nine feet tall they call the Large Gray Man. And of course reports have been made from China of a creature called the Yeren or the Almas. So it’s not just the American hillbilly seeing such beasts.

If such a creature does exist, what the hell are they? Some scientists who actually keep an open mind concerning such beasts believe that certain species that were previously thought extinct just may fit the bill. When these men of science consider the eyewitness accounts of such creatures they take into account the appearance of the creature. All reports seem to agree on many characteristics: Tall, hairy, bipedal creature with large eyes, a prounounced brow ridge and a sloping forehead they believe that Bigfoot and his international kin may be a relict population of Gigantopithecus Blacki.

It has now come to believed that G. Blacki, a large bipedal primate, may have only become extinct in the last one hundred thousand years and it is quite possible that mankind had direct contact with this fearsome king of the forest. Although, G. Blacki was for the most part common in the forest’s of Russia it is a distinct possibly that when mankind found their way across the Bering Strait during the last ice age G. Blacki may have followed. Other candidates that are suspected include other large extinct primates that include Paranthropus Robustus, Homo Erectus and Meganthropus. However since no fossils of these species have been found on the North American continent these suspects are rejected. Mainstream scientists also claim that due to our climate and ever increasing population it would be difficult for such a population of creatures to escape detection no matter how small the population.

Just like any strange creature folks claim to witness skeptics and detractors will always be ready to shoot those accounts down as either misidentifications or just plain hoaxes and of course their most used argument, these eyewitnesses are not scientists nor are they trained in the field of zoology. That may be, however one can not completely throw out every eyewitness account when you consider the thousands that have been made over countless generations and not just by hunters who have drunk a little too much beer. Many eyewitness accounts come from such reliable sources as police, forest rangers and perhaps the account given by former president, Teddy Roosevelt who claimed to have seen the creature during a hunting expedition.

The story goes that while hunting for bear in the Pacific Northwest in 1893, Roosevelt came face to face with the creature. According to Roosevelt’s own hand written account, the former president saw the creature through some trees at close range and thinking the creature was a bear he raised his rifle and took aim but when the creature stood to it’s full height the great hunter could not bring himself to pull the trigger. Roosevelt reported that whatever the creature was was far too human in appearance and walked as a man. Roosevelt felt that if he shot and killed the whatever-it-is he would feel guilty believing that he had shot his fellow man. There was also a report that one of Roosevelt’s companions was roughed up by the creature when his buddy tried to steal it’s food. When you consider the report made by Teddy Roosevelt you have to take into account that the man had been all over the world and brought down some of the most fearsome creatures known to man. If this big game hunter of renown was reluctant to shoot down this creature because, “It seemed far to human” perhaps there is something to these reports after all.

Not only have there been hundreds of reports of seeing this creature at close range there have also been reports of the creature taking humans captive, consider the strange case of the abduction of Albert Ostman. In 1924, Albert Ostman a hunter from British Columbia, claims to have been abducted by not just one Bigfoot but an entire family of Bigfoot. Albert claims that while out hunting he lost his bearings and noticing that night was approaching, he decided that he would sleep under the stars in his sleeping bag and walk out of the forest in the morning. Albert goes on to say that some time in the middle of the night he was awakened by the sensation of being slumped over a large creatures back and carried into the forest. Albert, was so terrified he did not dare open his eyes.

After what seemed like a couple hours of being carried by this creature, Albert said that whatever carried him finally let him drop to the ground and feeling brave Ostman opened his eyes. What he saw truly shocked the experienced hunter, he found himself in the midst of an entire family of large, hairy, manlike creatures that he thought was only a legend, Albert Ostman knew immediately he was in the presence of the mighty Sasquatch.

Ostman claims that during his captivity, which lasted several days, the creatures took an intense interest in what he carried in his pack. Ostman watched as the male creature passed around to his family such items as his shaving kit and rifle which they carelessly handeled. However the one thing that captivated them the most was his tin of chewing tobacco. Ostman showed the creatures that they were to take the tobacco in there fingers and place in their mouths the one thing Ostman, did not explain to them was you were not to swallow it. After a few moments the creatures all became violently ill and Ostman made a break for it. Thirty years later, Ostman told an interviewer that he wondered through the forest for a few days finally being found by a party of American hunters who rescued him from certain doom. Ostman, went on to say that what he experienced was the gospel truth and no lie.

What are we to believe when it comes to the sworn testimony of Albert Ostman? Is it possible that this gentleman hunter was abducted and kept in captivity for several days by a family of Sasquatch? There really is nothing more than Ostman’s word and many will not buy that. An anecdotal story, however an amazing one, will never be believed in by the mainstream scientific community. These men of science want hardcore fist in your face objective evidence to prove the existence of such a creature. They will not believe unless they have nothing short of a body perhaps a film will convince them and such a film does exist and single handedly set off a firestorm of controversy that exists even today.

On October 20, 1967, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin made a decision to ride their horses up to the forest’s of Bluff Creek, California. Their mission, bag themselves the greatest prize known to man the elusive, Bigfoot. As the two men rode along a small creek Patterson’s horse was frightened by something it had seen across the creek and threw the man from it’s back. When Patterson regained his composure he saw immediately what had spooked his horse, across the creek standing to it’s full height was his quarry the mysterious giant of the north woods, Sasquatch .

Patterson called to Gimlin to toss him his 8MM film camera and the incredulous men filmed the creature as it walked away at a quick rate and disappeared from their sight into the dense forest. This film, which is known as the Patterson Gimlin Film, has been the most scrutinized piece of evidence over the last forty years. Many experts claim that only a large primate with long arms can walk in such a fashion and no human in a monkey suit can copy it’s long armed swinging gait. The fact that when the creature turns not only it’s head but it’s whole body is another indicator that you are not witnessing a man in a finely crafted monkey suit. Most common folks would not know that a large primate needs to turn it’s torso when it turns to look. The film even to this day still causes many experts to scratch their heads all the while wondering what it could be. Skeptics look at the film and ask, “Where’s the Zipper?”

The evidence concerning the existence of the creature does not stop there. Many, over the years, have produced such amazing pieces evidence such as hair samples, feces samples and of course, molds of the creatures footprints. The hair and feces samples have truly stumped those in the mainstream however foot molds, they say, are easy to fake and I have to agree with that but a few foot molds have something that the fakes do not have, dermal ridges. Dermal Ridges are the lines that run on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet and such things are impossible to fake. A few years ago the FBI got involved with the analyses of the molds and declared that whatever creature these footprints come from is a real living creature of an unknown species.

When it comes to the testimony of the Native American legends concerning this creature I am a bit biased. Not only because I have a lot of native blood flowing in my veins but because the Native Americans who live in the area have been hunting the lands for countless generations and are well acquinted with the flora and fauna of the region and have many legends concerning the large wild man of the forest. Twenty years ago carved stone heads were discovered in a creek in Washington state which show a decidedly ape like face. When these carved heads were tested they proved to be thousands of years old. If the North American continent has never been home to large primates what are the carvings a representation of? Also masks were discovered by anthropologists in the possession of the Tsimshian and Nisga Tribes of British Columbia that showed a definate apelike visage. Mainstream researchers say that the masks are a representation of spirit beings however again we are left with the question why do they like apes? Surely the Native peoples did not just dream up such animals they must have had a real experience with a real animal that inspired these artifacts.

I know what many may think after reading this, what about those dudes in Georgia who faked that Bigfoot evidence. Trust me I am well aware of this situation and I will say this, people who fake paranormal or cryptozoological evidence for personal gain are douchebags. That may seem a little harsh but I’m a free thinking kind of guy and will declare what I believe and feel. I feel that there is enough circumstantial evidence that may prove that such an animal exists. Would that evidence stand up in a court of law? Maybe although it depends on whether the judge and jury’s minds are open to extreme possibilites.

Rick E. Hale
t_seeker@hotmail.com

Thank God, we live in a nation that is ruled by law and not some iron fisted despot. When it comes to the rule of law in the good old US of A, you have a god given right, no matter what you have done, to have a jury of your peers and be presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, things have not always been this way in our nation. There was a time many many moons ago if someone pointed a finger at you and yelled the hated word, “Witch” Well god help you because you were totally and utterly screwed.

The bizarre events that transpired in early colonial America between Feburary 1692 through May of 1693, was perhaps and could be considered the greatest miscarriage of justice in the history of this nation. During that sixteen months of pure hell fourteen women and five men were sent to meet their maker on the dubious charge of being in league with the prince of darkness, Satan. And no matter how much they screamed, fought and quoted the bible if the finger was pointed at you you would taste swift justice.

There is much debate, even after almost four centuries after the fact, about the cause of this frenzy that gripped the citizens of Essex, Suffolk and Middlesex counties in colonial Massachusetts. Some researchers try as they might to truly understand and explain the events say that it all boils down to plain old mass hysteria. Perhaps that is the most plausible explanation for the witch craze, one has to understand that these colonists belonged to a very austere religion where the woman was seen as the property of her husband and not a mate for life so it really is no wonder that the women were the first suspects to have the finger pointed at them. Their religion stated that women are much weaker when it comes to sin and can be easily led astray by the temptations of the evil one. Perhaps other factors of the witch craze can be attributed to the fact that these colonists were surrounding on all sides by their enemies most specically the French to the north, the Spanish to the south and west and of course all the native American tribes that were buddy buddy with these hated nations. So basically instead of mass hysteria perhaps would should blame good old fashioned paranoia.

Others felt that the cause of the hysteria was purely economical in origin. Although the Puritans were devoutly religious and eschewed all manner of sin one can not deny the baser human instinct of greed. Many who were tried and convicted were land owners and perhaps the accusers were induced to point the finger and name names because somebody or a group of somebodies wanted what they had. And of course one should also consider that perhaps the accused were in fact practitioners of witchcraft and in league with the evil one, which is something I find highly unlikely.

In cold winter month of Feburary 1692, two young girls, nine year old Betty Parris and her Eleven year old cousin Abigail Williams, began to act in a bizarre manner that basically scared the hell out of the god fearing citizens Salem Town. The two girls would often break into cries of hysteria that would keep their family members awake at night. Common household objects became weapons in the hand’s of the girls as they threw them around the house. The two would contort their bodies into positions that would otherwise be impossible for the human body to attain. And perhaps most frightening of all the girls claimed to see terrifying visions of demonic entities pinching their flesh and pulling their hair. Their parents, who were respected members of society, were horrified at the prospect that their young daughters had come under the influence of some evil power, however they did the responsible thing and considerd the possibility that this strange behavior was caused by some illness and sent for the local doctor.

Most historians agree that the local physician, Doctor Griggs quickly came to the aid of the two families and attempted to examine the two girls to look for a logical explanation of their bizarre and troubling behavior. After medically examining the two girls he stated that the girls were, “Beyond epilepsy and the power of disease.” In other words the good doctor could find nothing physically wrong with Betty and Abigail so the only explanation for their peculiar behavior must be a condition of the spirit and it was believed that the two fresh faced young lasses were bewitched and under the influence of a power of wickedness.

The entire community was up in arms concerning this development and the only thing to do was look for the person or persons who were responsible for placing the girls under this evil spell especially after twelve year old, Ann Putnam started to display the same behavior. While in one of her demon inspired fits Ann screamed out that there were witches in the midst of Salem and they were responsible for putting a hex on the three girls. When questioned who the witches were the three girls stated that Sarah Good, Sarah Osbourne and Tituba a Carib indian slave owned by the Williams’ were responsible for this henious crime against the puritan colony.

Shortly after the accusation the three woman were dragged before their accusers and the town magistrate to answer for their alleged crime and those involved felt the three women fit the bill as suspects. Sarah Good, was a poor woman who lived on the streets begging for food and shelter from any caring soul who would come to her aid. Sarah Osbourne, although a wealthy women, was held in much scrutiny in the community because she married a slave and was rarely seen in church. And as for Tituba that can only be blamed on racism due to the fact that Tituba was not a white person therefore she was beyond the grace of God and was accused by the girls of telling them tales of witchcraft from her native country as well as teaching the girls how to place spells on the men they wanted to marry. The stage was now set for the greatest miscarriage of justice that would only be rivaled by the McCarthy trials of the 1950s where instead of witches folks were accused of being in league with communists.

For several days these three women were held captive in a barn and were forced to undergo interrogation by law enforcement officials. INterrogation in the world of the 17th century was not a good cop, bad cop affair where you were treated with dignity. Nope, these women were chained and wipped as these cops yelled at them and demanded that they confess and repent before God. It did not matter if they emphatically denied the charges they were accused and that was all the proof that was needed.

As the weeks and months rolled by new accusations of witchcraft were filed against citizens who were considered to be god fearing members of the austere christian community. The original three accusers were joined by other young girls who showed signs of being afflicted by bewitchment and screamed out names that shocked the small community. One of the woman, Martha Corey dared to speak out against the girls claiming that these girls were seeking attention and should be punished for their lies which was considered an egregious sin. This proved to be a fatal mistake on Martha’s part who was arrested and charged with witchcraft it was considered by many to speak out against witchcraft was to be guilty of witchcraft and Martha Corey was thrown in the county jail. Perhaps the strangest accusation to be leved against a citizen was the accusation brought against four year old, Dorothy Good. Little Dorothy was brought before the court and her answers to their questions not only brought a guilty verdict against her but her mother as well. It would appear that no one was safe against the iron clad accusation of witchcraft.

As accusations came rolling in warraents for arrest went flying out. Many citizens who were accused and wanted by the law were caught trying to slip out under cover of darkness and their attempts to flee were seen as as proof positive of their guilt. One of those that attempted to flee in the night was an elderly gentleman named Giles Corey. Giles, never saw his day in court instead Giles was subjected to a method of execution that was considered to be illegal back in the motherland, death by pressing. Giles’ captors tied the elderly man to the ground and placed heavy stones on him all the while yelling at the man to confess his guilt. Giles Corey, went to his death all the while maintaining his innocence and quoting scripture something a witch was unable to do.

In June of 1692, with the Salem Witch trials in full effect a special grand jury known as the Court of Oyer and Terminer was convened to get to the bottom of the events in Salem and those accused. William Stoughton was named the Chief Magistrate, Thomas Newton was designated the Crown’s Attorney General and Stephen Sewell was the Royal Clerk. If any man could get to the bottom of the accusations of witchcraft it was these three men who were determined to be above reproach and righteous enough in the eyes of god to stand in judgement over their fellow man. Bridget Bishop, was the first defendant to be dragged sobbing and crying before the rightouesness of this special grand jury. As the poor woman stood before the court pleading for mercy and swearing her innocence in the eyes of almighty God her accusers burst out in finely orchestrated hysterics accusing the woman of bewitching them. This was enough to bring a conviction against the Bishop woman, she was sentenced to death by hanging.

Shortly after the hanging of Bridget Bishop the Court of Oyer and Terminer began to question whether or not those accused and executed were really in league with the devil. They noticed that those accused and sent to the gallows did something that no witch, no matter how powerful was incapable of doing, praying the Lord’s Prayer. One man who went to the gallows, George Burroughs, was heard by many not only reciting the Lord’s prayer but yelling that his only Lord was Jesus Christ.
According to folklore a witch found the name of Jesus hateful and was unable to utter the name of the son of God, however it did not matter George and others like him were still accused and needed to face justice.

Finally in May of 1693, the terror of the trials came to an end, not because the land was cleansed of witches but because an accusation was made that was completely impossible. Several accusers made the error of accusing the wife of the governor of Massachusetts of the vile crime of witchcraft. Angered by the accusation the governor swiftly sent a special team of investigators to Salem and the surrounding communities to look into these trials and make an attempt to determine whether or not those who were still imprisoned were guilty of collusion with the evil one.

Shortly after the task force began making their enquiries those who still rotted in prison were released on the grounds of insuffecient evidence. When the smoke cleared and common sense began to make a slow comeback nineteen citizens were dead either at the hands of the hangman or crushed to death.

When the other colonies, which were mostly comprised of Quakers, heard of the atrocities at Salem, Thomas Maule a respected leader wrote a book entitled, “Truth Held Forth and Maintained.” In his book Thomas accused the communities in the three counties of “Ignorance and Idle superstition.” Thomas further wrote, “It would be better that one hundred witches lived than one person who is not a witch be put to death.” For such a controversial and inflammatory remark, Thomas Maule was arrested and tossed in prison on the serious charge of sedition. One year later Thomas Maule, the last victim of the trials was released and exonerated after the charge was considered to be unfounded.

In 1712, almost two decades after the trials the surviving family members of those executed and those who were imprisoned were finally offered an apology if you can call it that. The General Court passed a bill proclaiming that all those who were accused of witchcraft and either imprisoned or met their fate at the gallows were innocent of all charges. In my opinion this can hardly be considered an apology, editorial bias be damned.

Today things in Salem Town are radically different. The village that was once the site of an espiode that can only be described as absolute madness is now a hotspot and a popular tourist destination for those who desire a taste for the strange and unusual. A memorial with the names of the accused stands in the town square and nineteen benches each with a name of the executed sits surrounding that memorial. This memorial stands as a silent reminder that never again should these atrocities be visited upon another citizen of Salem.

During my time as a paranormal researcher I have had the great pleasure of being acquinted with many Witches. Wiccans, as they prefer to be called, are a peaceful people whose religion demands that they respect the earth and their fellow man. Hardly can any one of these folks be accused of being in league with the devil, in fact they don’t even believe in the devil who they consider to be a made up boogieman by the Christian religion. These good people consider those days of old as being “The Burning Times” although no person was burnt at the stake it is more a metaphor that we must all be aware of the great crime of hate and must never allow our passions to burn out of control.

Rick E. Hale
t_seeker@hotmail.com

When it comes to my job I guess you could say I’m an anomoly, I actually like it. I work in a resendential treatment facility for children that suffer from various forms of mental Illness and I have seen it all. Everything from boys who display conduct disorders to extreme cases of schizophrenia. I like my job because I feel that in some small way I am making a difference in their young lives and working along with a great staff who truly care and want to giveour boys the treatment they need and teach them how to live a normal life and grow into contributing members of society. Although mental illness seems to be on the rise in the US there are a plethora of agencies that can help but three hundred years ago these poor souls who suffer from mental illness would have had much worse they would have been denounced and rejected by their respected communities or subjected to archaic rituals to banish them of what they believed to be demons inhabiting their bodies. And sadly still if these folks did not get any better they were hanged or burned at the stake. The demon must be dealt with and if that means needlessly killing the host body, then so be it.

Since the release of the blockbuster hit movie, “The Exorcist” in the 1970s. Movie theaters were packed with millions who despite the terror involved with the movie, desired to see a little twelve year old girl possessed by a slew of demons go hand to hand with two catholic priests killing one and driving another mad. Thanks to this movie, interest has arisen in our country and across the globe of the idea that an evil morally bankrupt being could take control of a human body and bend the will of that human to do it’s bidding. Those who study such cases of possession are called demonologist and they feel that they are on the cutting edge of paranormal research and firmly believe that every report of a haunting or poltergeist case can be attributed to the presence of a demon and basically scare the hell out of all involved. When you study the case reports of these demon hunting researchers you can’t help but get the feeling that they really don’t know what they talking about and even they do not know the history of demonic possession and exorcism.

Unlike what pop culture tells us demonic possession is not a concept dreamed up by the christian church. The oldest known references to evil spirits attacking the human body and taking control of a human will comes from the five thousand year old cunieform tablets of the Sumerians. The ancient Sumerians believed that a person who was inflicted with everything from the common cold to blindness was under attack by an evil spirit called a Gidim, or sickness spirit. Just like our contemporary concept of exorcism the ancient Sumerians employeed a priest or sorceror called an Ashipu, to do battle with the spirit. The Ashipu, would use whatever magically abilities were at his disposal to deal with the offending spirit. If the spirit was driven out of the afflicted person, great that person was allowed back into the community as a whole and well person but if the spirit was driven out and that persons illness persisted they were banished into the deserts to live with the other demons that threatened humanity.

Our modern concept of demonic possession and exocism, of course, comes from the many passages of the New Testemant and detail how Jesus of Nazareth, would meet a sick or crazy person that allegedly was possessed by an evil spirit. All the Son of God had to do was raise a finger and command the spirit to be gone and according to the scriptures the once afflicted person was made well and allowed to rejoin whatever community they once were part of. Sounds nice right? Just raise a finger and the demon is chased away never to return again unfortunately though as time progressed and christianity became the dominant religion on the planet the concept of demon banishment would take on a whole new meaning if the demon could not be banished then the afflicted host must die.

In 1486, the first codefied rules for exorcism was written down by two German priests who believed that we lived in a demon haunted world and would do everything they could to save the world from the prince of darkness and his wicked hordes. The Malleus Maleficarum or “Hammer of the witches” was set to paper by two german inquisitors, Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger. In the book the two priests laid out the rules not just about witches and how to deal with them but how to identify folks who were possessed by demons and how to deal. Unlike their lord and Master Jesus, Kramer and Sprenger believed that if a person could not be made well by an exorcism than they would force the demon out through torture that oftentimes led to death for the afflicted.

During the days of the inquisition if a person was suspected of having fits where they foamed at the mouth or yelled out blasphemies or swear words they were immediately dealt with in the most harshest of ways. These were dark days, many centuries before anyone knew that a person who suffered from seizures may have suffered from epilepsy and a person who yelled out curse words suffered from Tourette’s syndrome. If an inquisitor was summoned more than likely that person would be put to death. After all, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, their chief weapon is fear and surprise. Thank you Monty Python.

Today, thanks to a firmer understanding of how the body and mind work, the Catholic Church is a little more sceptical about cases of demonic possession and are not as willing to jump the gun so to speak, before they declare a case to be legitimate demonic possession. If a case of suspected possession comes across the desk of the church they suggest that the family members of the allegedly possessed seek medical care or psychological counseling. The church has laid down certain criteria that must be met before they will officially sanction an exorcism. The criteria for a real demonic possession are 1)The person must have the ability to curse and blaspheme God in a language that was previously unknown to the person. 2) The afflicted must possess the ability to read minds and predict future events. 3) The afflicted must display super human strength or the ability to move objects with their mind. 4) The ability to spit up strange objects that the person could not possibly have swallowed. 5) A deep fear or hatred of holy relics. and 6) possess an inability to say Christ. If these criteria are not met then the person is definately suffering from some form of mental illness and not a spiritual condition.

Although there have been many cases of alleged demonic possession over the last sixty years two cases stand out one shows good judgement on the part of the church and the other displays just how badly the ball was dropped. In 1947, in a working class suburb of Washington D.C. the case of Robert Mannheim would display the right thinking of the catholic Church. Robert, a precocious thirteen year old boy began to have strange phemoneon that surrounded him and caused great heartbreak for the family. The church documented poltergeist type phenomenon in the house such as heavy furniture moving of its own accord. The bed that Robert slept in would jump up many inches of the floor oftentimes levitating for a few minutes. Robert displayed great feats of strength and Robert spoke in an ancient dialect of latin, a language he was not familiar with. At first the family believed their child was suffering from some form of mental illness and the church suggested that he be examined by a physician. When none of that panned out the family took their boy to St. Louis Missouri and the exorcism was performed at an Alexian Brothers hospital. According to the record the Demons were expelled from Robert’s body and he went on to live a very happy and normal demon free life. I love a nice ending don’t you? However our next case study does not end so nicely.

In Germany in 1976, Annelise Michel a gangly and akward teenage girl would be the example of just how bad the catholic church would fail. In the summer young Annelise learned that she had been excepted into a good college and was excited to tell her parents that it was time for their little girl to move on. While at school, Anneliese reported to a school official that she had been hearing voices calling her a dirty slut and had witnessed terrifying visions of demons attacking her body. Many witnesses, including a young man who had taken a liking to Anneliese witnessed the girl go into fits of rage and catonic states where her body would contort into positions that should be impossible for a human being to attain. Fearing for her life, Anneliese’s parents were contacted and she was taken home.

After arriving home Anneliese displayed the Bizarre behavior that she displyed at school and added a few more such as an intense hatred for the crucifix which hung in every room of the devoutly catholic household. Although Anneliese had suffered from some form of mental illness her whole life her parents felt that this hatred brought a whole dimension to the situation and they firmly believed their fresh faced little girl was under attack by the evil one. Her parents did the only thing thing they knew they turned to the church for help.

Two priests responded and investigated the alleged demonic possession. Although Anneliese did not display the more supernatural aspects of demonic possession the priests believed that the young girl was under spiritual attack and needed an exorcism to relieve her of her condition. The Bishop of Wurzburg gave the official thumbs up and the priests began the ritual to drive the demons from Annelieses’ body. After many days of performing the ritual in her parent’s barn the emaciated body of Anneliese Michel lay dead the victim of a botched exorcism.

The two priests and Anneliese’s parents were charged with her death and put on trial for the murder of their little girl. At the trial the coroner said the cause of death was dehydration and malnutrition, Anneliese had stopped eating and drinking a few days before the exorcism began. For whatever reason when the judge was told that the death occurred as a result of Anneliese being afflicted with demons. The judge dropped the charges of first degree murder and went with a lesser charge of manslaughter, the two priests and Anneliese’s parents were given a six month suspended sentence and three years probation. It came out that when Anneliese went off to college she ran out of her psyche meds and her mental illness progressed as a result. The Strange case of Anneliese Michel would be a lesson to the church that not all seemingly supernatural occurrences are not supernatural in nature.

We live in an enlightened time where evil spirits have been cast out by the cold hard facts of science. We are told that the only demons that exist are the demons of the mind and they can be dealt with by years of psycho-therapy and a regimine of psychiatric drugs. However like all cases of the paranormal every once and awhile a case will pop up that defies all logical and rational explanations. However in investigating such cases we should keep a level of open minded skepticism that is of course until the subject is levitating three feet off the bed, speaking in ancient Aramaic or spitting out copious amounts of Pea soup.

Rick E. Hale
t_seeker@hotmail.com

When it comes to dinosaurs I’m basically a big kid. If there is a documentary playing on the ancient giant lizards I will pretty much drop what I’m doing and park my ass on the couch and watch until my heart’s content. Since we were small children and became fascinated with the super lizards we have all been fed the party line, sixty-five million years ago a great global catasrophe completely wiped out the dinosaurs and made way for the rise of mammals and eventually us, human beings. The only problem is, although everyone agrees that dinosaurs are extinct, no one can really agree upon what caused the mass extinction. The most popular theory was that a comet or a giant meteor struck earth causing a nuclear winter that blotted out the sun and killed everything. Some now think that a disease of some kind may have played a role and brought to an end the reign of the Dinosaur. And of course my favorite, ancient alien visitors in a quest to colonize our world hunted the dinosaurs to extinction.

Although there is no concrete proof that any of those theories one thing is certain tens of millions of years ago the dinosaurs became worm food and now grace the museums of the world with their remains. Yep, they are long gone, or are they? I know that some of you may be thinking, what kind of question is that I haven’t seen any giant lizards walking around eating people like popcorn. It is a strange question, and I have not lost my mind however I am curious to know what people in the Congo region in Africa have been seeing for countless generations. According to witnesses, who number in the thousands, have been seeing great beasts that seem to sound much like the creatures who should be long dead.

When whitey from Europe first penetrated the dense jungles of the Congo in 1776, and met the natives they heard tales of great and deadly creatures that inhabited Lake Tele and the surrounding swamps. I’m sure the first explorers heart’s jumped when the natives told them that the creature was the size of elephant, had a long snake like neck with a small head and a long tail that could kill dozens of men with one simple stroke. The natives of the region dubbed the great beast, Mokele Mbembe, a Lingala word that means, “He who stops the flow of rivers.” The creature, which was appropriately named, could do just that it could lay across a river and stop the water from flowing into the lake. At that time most Europeans were not familiar with such an animal, however they would do all they could to capture this creature and display it for all the world to see.

Ever since stories of a living dinosaur came out of the Congo region dozens of expeditions have been mounted to find the creature. Of course no live specimen has been discovered which has caused hundreds of sceptics to come screaming out of the woodwork there have been other discoveries made that some consider to be proof of the creature’s existence. Giant footprints measuring three feet in diameter with three toes have been discovered in the allegedly dinosaur haunted region. In the early 1800s a group of French Jesuit missionaries reported back to the King that they had witnessed the great beast and it was in their opinion that dinosaurs still inhabited the dark continent.

Another intrepid explorer who felt that he was man enough to brave the dense forests of the Congo was Englishman, Alfred Aloysius Smith. In 1870, the ambitious young man was determined to go to Africa and bag himself a great prize, the last living dinosaur on planet Earth. So as most stories of this sort go, Smith packed up his gear and made his way to an alien land thousands of miles away from his Native England with dreams of being the great white hunter. And like most stories of this sort the only thing that Smith obtained was a few anecdotal stories and a burning life threatning case of Malaria which eventually killed the young man. Dinosaur one, mankind zero.

The twentieth century roles around and stories of this fantastic creature is still making the rounds of the adventurous set. In 1909, Carl Hagenbeck, an American animal collector and big game hunter decides to leave the good old US of A behind and vows not to return unless he it’s riding on the back of a giant lizard. When Hagenbeck arrived in Africa, he learned of a great beast that was half elephant and half dragon that killed anyone who came near it. Either blinded by the possibility of fame or stupidity, Hagenbeck made his way into the dense dark jungles of western Africa to find his elusive and deadly quarry. And again, this explorer barely made it out alive half his team was either wiped out by disease or hostile natives. The only “evidence” Hagenbeck ever saw of the creature was on the Island of Mbawala when a local big game hunter presented the American with grayish-brown strips of skin he claimed belonged to the beast. And again no concrete proof.

Shortly before World War 1, Kaiser Wilhelm decided to take a stab at finding the beast and sent his top man, Captain Freiherr Von Stein Zu Lausnitz. The Kaiser was convinced that if any man could find this beast it would be the battle hardened Captain Lausnitz. The Captain was to go to the Congo, which was a German colony at the time, and send back reports of the area and if it all possible to capture this living dinosaur. Upon arrival to the region, the Captain was taken to the area by a local guide and reports that he witnessed the beast from a distance of two hundred feet. According to the historical record that is the last we hear of the brave German.

As the twentieth century rolled on folks started to loose interest in the possibly of a living dinosaur eeking out an exitense in the swamps of western Africa, that is until 1976, when an American Herpetologist decided to make the trek to the Congo. Upon speaking to the natives and showing them pictures of dinosaurs the natives tell the scientist that the creature that lives in the swamps and lakes looks like a Diplodacus a plant eating dinosaur that died out in the great extinction over sixty-five million years ago. The natives also report to the researcher a curious story that happened sometime in the 1950s. The natives say that a group of hunters was successful in capturing the creature and killed it for food. Unfortunately, the creature’s flesh was poisinous and all the hunters and their family members died, a body count of over fifty men women and children. Such a tragic tale did not hinder the brave herpetologists from making the journey to Lake Tele what did hinder the researcher was the unexpected. He and his team discovered that the high humidity caused his equiptment to break down and go on the fritz. Another expedition goes down in flames and not by the paw of a deadly denizen of the Jurrasic period.

Yesterday I was reading an article in a magazine and a British Zoologist was quoted as saying that only ten percent of the animals of the world have been discovered and classified. I found that rather amazing that would leave ninety percent that still need to be discovered and classified and if we were to go by eyewitness accounts and anecdotal stories it is possible that Mokele Mbembe may exist and be thriving in the dense forests and jungles of not only the Congo but other eqeutorial regions of the world. Unfortunately when it comes to the sceptics eyewitness accounts and anecdotal stories just won’t cut the mustard. They desire a specimen to study and put on display for the whole world to see and you can not do that with eyewitness accounts.

According to some researchers there are areas in Africa and South America that have remained relatively untouched for millions of years. The same flora still grows in abundance and the same fauna still lives and dies, does that mean it is possible that that fauna includes animals that were supposed to have died out millions of years ago? Sure why not, although it would seem highly unlikely however it would be pretty cool if someone did discover a living dinosaur and put it on display for the world to see. Oh well, until that day comes I guess all of us will just have to settle for bones in a museum.

Rick E. Hale
t_seeker@hotmail.com

In a previous entry I gave a quick introduction of myself, however the one thing I did not get into was what set me down the path that I tread upon today. First off I would like to make something abundtly clear to the readership, I am a Geek. Now I know you may think that characterization is a bit harsh but please allow me to explain what kind of geek I am not and the kind of geek that I so proudly declare myself to be.

First off I am not the kind of geek who sat in his buddies basement for hours deciding whether or not he wants to be a Paladin or a Troll. And secondly I am not the sort of geek who dresses up in his favorite Starfleet jammies and stands in line for hours on end just to catch a glimpse at George Takei or Bill Shatner. No I am the kind of geek who researches those things that we are told we are supposed to fear and dread. I am the kind of geek that delves into the unknown and loves every second of it. I would like to share my memoir of the strange and unusual and the things that has made me the geek I am today.

My first meeting with the paranormal was at the age of eight. My grandparents lived in an historic home in the northwest suburb of Franklin Park Illinois which is perhaps a quick thirty minute drive from downtown Chicago. I loved my prandparents immensly and enjoyed every second I could spend with them. My grandfather was a white man from Huntsville, Alabama and my grandmother was a full blooded Cherokee from Tennessee so of course not only did I grow up with some good old fashioned southern fried ghost stories but I also grew up hearing legends of my grandmother’s people. One hot night in the summer of 1982, my cousin Chris and I fell asleep in the front room. Sometime in the middle of the night I felt nature’s hand grip my kidney’s, I had to pee so bad I could taste it. My grandmother, always left the bathroom light on so us kids could safely navigate the long hallway and find the bathroom.

As I made my way down the hall rubbing the sleep from my eyes I was shocked to see the bathroom light turn off but the greatest shock of my tender young life was still to come. Of course I thought one of grandparents was leaving the bathroom and turned the light off by mistake. I called out for whoever may be in there and then a strange form came walking out of the bathroom. Whoever this person was was not one of my grandparents instead it was a little old lady that I had never seen before. I said hello, and the strange lady turned and smiled at me and floated down the hall that led to the kitchen. Did you catch that? floated not walked she had no feet. I watched in terror as the vision before my young eyes completely vanished.

Now I know what some of you may be thinking, “Yeah right, you were just an eight year old snot nosed brat. You were just dreaming.” I wish this were so. After the lady vanished I ran back into the front room and ran headlong into my cousin who was just turning the corner. I let out a yelp when he hit me in the arm, my cousin although only a year older was much bigger than me. He called me a dweeb and told me to go back to bed. I watched him go down the hall completely unable to warn him of what I had just seen.

The next day before I left my grandmother asked me at breakfast if I had got up in the middle of the night because she heard someone moving around. I didn’t know what to say. What was I supposed to say that she has some weird legless lady living in her bathroom. My grandmother must have been able to read the fear in my eyes because she leaned in closer and asked, “You saw her, didn’t you?” I could not even so much as squeck a word out I just shook my head all the while staring at the smile on my grandmother’s face. “Oh that’s ok if you did, sugar, that was just your grandmaws invisible friend.” Everyone knew that there was something strange about the building on Belmont Avenue I remember hearing footsteps and feeling so cold in certain areas of the house I thought the boogers in my nose might freeze. After I left that morning I felt that my grandmother and I had a special bond, we were the only two people in the family to ever see the invisible friend.

From that moment on I was hooked I had to know so much more and I had to know now. Keep in mind this was back before the days of the super collasol franchise book stores back then we still had to go to the library. Later that summer, after bugging my mom about getting a library card, she drove me up to the Round Lake District library and I got my first card. After the lady handed the card to me I asked her, “Where can I find the books on ghosts?” She looked down at me probably wondering why such a small boy would want to read something that would most likely give him nightmares but she took me to the section anyways and handed me a book by the great paranormal researcher, Hans Holzer. After absorbing his terrifying narratives of ghosts in American Homes I knew that I was hooked. I was to become a paranormal researcher.

Let’s jump in the time machine and flash forward to September of 1992, I was eighteen and just fresh out of high school I had no real plans such as going to college or getting a full time job for that matter, but I continued my research. It had been ten years since my initiation into the world of the strange and unusual and I had not seen a ghost since. However I knew they existed and wanted to not just research them while reading others words. Nope, I wanted to go out and investigate alleged hauntings and that golden oppurtunity would present itself in a situation that well, scared the living shit out of me.

Through my church I had become involved with a family who belonged to a very special ministry, they helped those who wanted to escape from cults and the occult. They and others like them, would travel all over the country when they were contacted by a young person who was afraid for their lives because they turned against a cult and the cult wanted to take them out. One young girl , we’ll call her Beth, wanted to desperately escape from a coven of witches who practiced black magic and she believed her unborn child would be used a kind of sacrifice to their dark lord and master. She also claimed to be cursed by what we call these days, Shadow People.

When I was told this young girl was coming I wanted to study and try to understand the situation that she was coming from and most importantly to see if I could document the presence of these supposed shadow people. One night as I was watching television, my friend gave me a call and said that Beth had just arrived and if I wanted to meet her I should come over right away.

Beth, was a shy girl of about seventeen she didn’t talk much because she believed that her and her unborn baby were in mortal danger. Finally after awhile she opened up and told me about these shadow people. Beth, said they came every night and threatened to kill her and steal her baby they appeared as this great black shape that seperated into three black shapes that resembled people. She further went on to say that you could not see any features such as a mouth or a nose they were just pure black, dreadful and Evil. I took my friend to the side and asked her If I could stay overnight and see if I make contact with these shadow people and find out what they want. Sometimes the intrepid paranormal investigator must do what they must to get that one shred of physical evidence that proves the existence of otherworldly beings and if that means walking the fine line between bravery and stupidity then so be it. I felt brave that night but I fell over the line into stupidity real quick.

I’ve always been a night owl so staying up as the rest of the house slept was no big deal. Periodically I would get up from the chair I was sitting in and peak into the other room where beth slept on the couch. Around 3:00AM the fun began and all hell broke loose. I could hear Beth shout from the other room they are here. I ran into the room and was immediately shocked by how immensely cold the room was compared to the room that I had just left. As I stood in the room the only light coming from the streetlight outside, I began to provoke the spirit, “Who are you? What do you want? You’re not such a big man. Come on face me.” Remember what I said about stupid? I stood there for a moment with my friend by my side and noticed only was it much colder but a strange tapping sound was coming from the walls. Before I could open my mouth and comment on what a coward the spirit was a great black shape appeared before me and shoved me to the ground. I had made physical contact with this unclean spirit and it scared the bejeezuz out of me.

This was just the first of many haunting and poltergeist activity that seemed to surround this girl over a two week period I documented over twenty examples of phenomenon which resided outside of the explainable. We documented cold spots that moved around the room, shadows that crept along the walls and I personally watched as a book flew off a shelf and crashed into a wall. This girl was a poltergeist focus as well as a cursed person. After the evidence was gathered my friend presented it to the church and an exorcism was performed. That last time I spoke to Beth was seven years ago and I am happy to say that she had relocated to California and married the love of her life.

As you read this I have to question, do you believe all this or are you skeptical. I hope you are skeptical because you don’t know me from Adam. All you have are these words written in a blog by some dude you don’t know. I can attest to you that every word is true and factual and to me, it is the objective truth. To you however it is subjective as well as anecdotal. My only hope that you, the reader will keep an open mind and perhaps look into these things yourself. It is a great big world out there and there really is so much to see and experience the seen as well as the Unseen.

Rick E. Hale
t_seeker@hotmail.com

Across the street from my parents lives a friendly little old man with a story to tell. During World War II, Joe, who is a Polish national, was imprisoned in a nazi concentration camp and Joe’s crime, openly opposing a nazi presence in his homeland and hiding a Jewish Family from Adolph Hitler’s evil “Final Solution.” If you ask, Joe will show you the numbers that were tattooed on his arm that designated his imprisonment. However this brave man is not the subject of this post, the subject is his his son. His son firmly believes that aliens in collussion with the United States government is out to get him and for whatever reason they want to read his thoughts. I have actually seen this gentleman come over to visit his father wearing a baseball cap covered with tinfoil so “They” Can not read his thoughts. Sounds crazy I know, however many believe this and maybe for good reason.

Conspiracy theories are much like flies, they buzz around causing a nusance and generally make people a little crazy. Roosevelt knew the Japanese were coming and allowed it to stimulate the American economy and save our nation from a depression. Others believe that the whole moon landing was an elaborate hoax to rally the American people around a common cause and take everyone’s mind off the conflict in Southeast Asia. And of course others believe the conspiracy that there was another gunman on the grassy knoll who was actually responsible for the assasination of beloved American President John F. Kennedy. However these do not even come close to touching the granddaddy of all conspiracy theories, the American government is involved in an elaborate cover-up to hide the existence of extraterrestrials from Joe Q. Public, Like you and I and “They” will go to any lengths to accomplish their goals. My question is just who is “They” and why are they keeping something so incredible from us?

In 1984, a series of documents were released to a discerning American public that seemed to outline the American government’s involvement in a grand scheme to keep the American people ignorant of a something that could completely shock the world and change our perception of our place in the universe. The documents outlined how in 1947, then president Harry S. Truman felt a need to investigate the alleged crash of an alien spacecraft in the desert’s of New Mexico and the thousands of eyewitness accounts that were flooding the FBI of seemingly normal people who were witnessing strange lights and craft in the sky that were clearly not of a terrestrial origin. The documents that came to light also outline the formation of a special team of investigators to look into the UFO question. This team has been known by many names but perhaps the best known name of this ultra above top secret orginization is famously known as, Majestic 12 and the documents are widely considered a hoax. My question is are they a hoax or proof of a vast government Cover-Up?

Now I know I may be sounding a little paranoid and maybe a bit Fox Mulderish, but these documents are public record and do show some pretty interesting things. In September of 1947, President Truman sent a memo to top physisits, Vannevar Bush and the Secretary of Defense James Forrestal stating that “Operation Majestic 12, was to be immediately implemented”. After the release of the memo Bush and Forrestal went about the difficult task of bringing together some of the greatest minds known to mankind from top scientists such as, Doctor Jerome Hunsaker an aeronautical engineer from MIT to hardened men of war such as Rear Admiral Roscoe Hillencoeter who would later become the first director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Other great men have been named as co-conspiritors such as, the “Father of the nuclear bomb” and overseer of the Manhattan project, Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein. The only requierments these men had upon them, investigate the UFO question, send out disinformation and of course keep your mouth SHUT.

If these documents are real it shows that our government knows something and they aren’t giving up that information any time soon. Why are these documents which have caused so much debate considered to be a hoax? Perhaps the people who released the documents have something to do with it. In November of 1980, Paul Bennewitz, an New Mexico businessman and UFO enthusiaist came into possession of a mysterious teletype that exposed a ultra top secret government project called, “Operation Aquarius.” Operation Aquarius was supposedly smuggled out of a secret government installation and outlines the American Governments concerted effort to completely lie to the American people of an alien presence on planet Earth and their knowledge of their intentions. As with anything else the Aquarius teletype was quickly exposed as a lie and buried.

It was not until 1984 when the Shit, so to speak would hit the proverbial fan when Jamie Shandera, a television documentarian came into possession of the allegedly real Majestic 12 documents. Shandera, immediatly made the documents public and the real paranoia would begin. The MJ 12 documents seemed to prove the governments involvement in a vast conspiracy of disinformation that tens of thousands is the real Mccoy. The documents include Truman’s memo authorizing the formation of Majestic twelve and they also showed Truman’s desire that he be given ultimate authority over this secret cabal of scientists and military men. The MJ 12 documents also include a lenghty memo written by General Twining, an alleged member, which stated that Flying Saucers are very real and their occupants pose a threat to not only the national security of the United States but also the rest of the world.

In 1988, the Federal Bureau of Investigations went about the daunting task of investigating the MJ 12 documents and the alleged cover-up of an alien presence on planet Earth. After many man hours and sleepless nights the FBI came to conclusion that the Majestic 12 documents did not prove a single thing and should be considered a hoax to bring disrepute upon the American government. As far as the Documents exposing a government cover-up of aliens was concerned they amounted to nothing but a hoax. Case Closed.

Despite investigators proving the Majestic 12 documents to be a hoax tens of thousands of folks still believe wholeheartedly in the continuing existense of the ultra top secret orginization known as Majestic 12. The concept has been featured many times on such popular television programs as the “X-files” and the short lived program entitled “Dark Skies”. These programs raised the bar a notch concerning MJ 12 by stating that the orginization was not just involved with investigating the alien question but was actively involved with conspiring with the aliens to kill hundreds of millions of Earthlings so the aliens could colonize our world. One UFO researcher even went so far as blaming the Kennedy assasination on MJ 12 because the Democrat “Knew to much” and threatened to expose the vast cover-up. Score one more for the Cover-up.

Epilogue: So What Does It All Mean?

Over the last two weeks we’ve looked at some compelling evidence that alien civilizations are visiting our world and possibly abducting unsuspecting innocent humans from the comfort of their homes not to mention the vast conspiracy to Cover-up those visitations. Is it possible that a vastly superior alien race with bitchin’ technology is visiting our world? Absolutely. It is a true statement to say that some of the eyewitness accounts are misidentifications and downright hoaxes, I say 80-90%. This figue may be a little high but I’m just ballparking, however that leaves 10-20% that can still be called unexplained.

It is also difficult to dismiss all the eyewitnesses as a bunch of ignorant red neck hicks. A great deal of eyewitness accounts come from folks who are trained observers such as police officers, airline pilots and soldiers not to mention clergy. Most folks have absolutely nothing to gain from reporting their account except ridicule and ostrization from their family and friends and society in general. You would have to be downright crazy not to mention stupid to lie about something you say you saw. Who would do that?

As for me, do I believe our overpopulated globe spinning innocently in the coldness of space is being visited by an extraterrestrial civilization? When I consider how huge space is and how many stars there are I would have to say yes I do feel that we have been visited in the past as well as today. It is incredibly egocentric to say we are it and no other form of life exists out there. As for the question of a vast conspiracy by our government to Cover-up the knowledge of said alien visitations, I will admit I remain somewhat skeptical. Of course I believe the government has gone about the business of investigating alien vistitations to our world that much is obvious, however I think they are just as stumped as we are and maybe just maybe people are reading a little to much into it and looking for a boogey-man where one does not exist.

Rick E. Hale
t_seeker@hotmail.com

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — The Bigfoot in the freezer is made of rubber, a Web posting asserted Tuesday.

The initial promoter of two hikers’ claim that they found the body of Bigfoot in Georgia said he has determined that the discovery was a hoax.

The body turned out to be rubber, and the two men who claimed that they found it, Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, have admitted that it was a costume, said a posting Tuesday on the Web sites of Searching for Bigfoot Inc. and Squatchdetective.

The posting purportedly was written by Steve Kulls, who maintains the Squatchdetective Web site and hosts a similarly named Internet radio program, where the find was announced weeks ago.

In addition, Stanford University anthropologist Richard Klein said Monday that he was not aware he had been identified as participating in the project and would not be involved in any effort to examine the purported Bigfoot carcass.

Whitton and Dyer announced last week that they had found the body of a 7-foot-7-inch, 500-pound half-ape, half-human creature while hiking in the north Georgia mountains in June. They said they put the carcass in a freezer and had spotted about three similar living creatures.

“We were not looking for Bigfoot,” Whitton, a Clayton County, Georgia, police officer, said Friday during a news conference. “We wouldn’t know what we were doing if we did.”

He and Dyer insisted that scientific analysis would bear out their claim.

The hoax was discovered after an “expedited melting process,” Kulls wrote. “A break appeared up near the feet area … as the team and I began examining this area near the feet, I observed the foot which looked unnatural, reached in and confirmed it was a rubber foot.”

Kulls said he contacted Tom Biscardi, the self-described “Real Bigfoot Hunter” who has been searching since 1971 for the creature of legend and appeared alongside Whitton and Dyer at the news conference.

“Later that day, Tom Biscardi informed us that both Matthew Whitton and Ricky Dyer admitted it was a costume,” the posting said.

Whitton and Dyer reportedly agreed to sign a promissory note and an admission of the hoax and meet with Biscardi at their hotel on Sunday. But when Biscardi went to the hotel, the two had left, Kulls wrote.

“At this time, action is being instigated against the perpetrators,” the posting said, adding that the motives behind the claims were unknown. iReport.com: Do you believe in Bigfoot?

The posting said Biscardi’s organization, Searching for Bigfoot Inc., “is seeking justice for themselves and for all the people who were deceived by this deception.”

Kulls did not immediately return a call to the Squatchdetective contact number. A woman answering the phone at Searching for Bigfoot Inc. said Biscardi had been ill and said she was not sure when he would be returning calls.

A number listed as belonging to Matthew Whitton was disconnected as of Tuesday. Efforts to locate a phone number for Dyer on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Dyer and Whitton failed to show up Monday for a scheduled appearance on CNN’s “American Morning.”

Kulls said that at the time he first interviewed Dyer on July 28 for the radio program, he suspected the duo’s motive was financial. On August 12, he said, the two “requested an undisclosed sum of money as an advance, expected from the marketing and promotion.”

Two days later, after signing a receipt and counting the money, Dyer and Whitton showed the Searching for Bigfoot team the freezer containing what they claimed was the body: “something appearing large, hairy and frozen in ice,” Kulls wrote.

Dyer, he said, insisted on holding the news conference and told Biscardi he would not release the body unless the briefing was held Friday.

On Sunday, the research team was able to extract some hair and burn it. The hair sample “melted into a ball uncharacteristic of hair,” Kulls wrote.

Biscardi then gave the group permission to expedite the melting process, and the rubber foot was discovered, Kulls wrote.

Meanwhile, Klein, the Stanford professor, said Monday that he was “sorry that my name and Stanford’s name have been brought into this.”

Klein’s name was mentioned Friday as one of four scientists, two of them Russian, who would analyze the corpse. Klein said he was unaware that Biscardi had identified him.

He said he had been contacted by Biscardi in the past and responded to a request to examine bones that were identified as coming from a deer.

“He seems like a nice enough guy,” Klein said, “but I can’t imagine why anyone would devote their lives to proving the existence [of Bigfoot]. Anything has a remote chance of being true, but there is virtually no prospect of this animal being real.”

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/19/bigfoot.hoax/index.html?iref=newssearch

Man has always seen things in the sky that he did not understand. Ancient man looked up at the moon and sun and worshipped them as god’s. We have seen comets and meteors streak across the sky believing that these strange fiery objects were omens of our ultimate demise. And of course after the birth of the modern UFO era in 1947 there have been a myriad of reports of seeing strange lights and oddly shaped craft haunting the night skies that have left us with the ultimate question, are we the only intelligent species in the universe? Or is it possible that these strange lights and oddly shaped craft that have been witnessed over the last six decades been piloted by a people who are way more advanced than us?

According to the Cover-up they would have us believe that what we are seeing are not lights or craft at all, but rather clouds, satellites or my favorite they explain that huge triangular craft that you may have seen drifting without noise across the sky as the planet venus. Those who are “In the know” would have us believe that we are nothing but a bunch witless assholes who are completely unable to trust our own eyes and instincts. However, there appears to have been mass sightings over the last sixty years that would defy all explanations despite the Cover-up’s attempt to shut the witnesses up and shut them down. These folks are credible witnesses and deserve to be heard.

The Battle of Los Angeles

In the Winter of 1942, The war against the Nazis and the Japanese Empire was heating up, the mighty hand of the US military was now involved and despite our policy of isolationism we were kicking ass and taking names. However the government and the military greatly believed that the east coast of our nation was threatened by German submarines and with great reason, numerous U-boats had been seen coming a little to close to New York and other coastal cities. On the West coast tensions were raised a little bit more when on the night of Feburary 23, 1942 an oil production company in Santa Barbabra, was fired upon by a Japanese sub. However the real terror would come the next night when something far stranger was witnessed in the skies over the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles, California and a hellstorm of collasol proportions was released that killed three people with heart conditions.

In the wee hours of the morning on Feb. 25, 1942 the city of Los Angeles was torn from their slumber when the air raid sounds ripped through the cold dark night sky. This was it the Japanese had finally found their courage and was invading mainland America. Citizens along the west coast knew this night would come and it was finally here. Their fear was realized at 3:16 AM, when the anti-aircraft guns began to fire into the black night sky at some strange lights that flew quietly overhead. One reporter from the L.A. Herald Express later reported that whatever the craft were it was obvious they were hit but seemed unfazed by the shelling.

When the all clear was given at 7:21 AM, thousands of shells had been expended with no evidence of an agressive force attempting to invaded the homeland. No wreckage littered the ground, no soldiers were sighted and believe it or not whatever these strange were they never fired back despite the beating they took. There can be no doubt that something was seen and fired upon in the night skies of Los Angeles well over sixty years ago. A threat was perceived and the military took action the only way it knew how, shoot first and ask questions later. It does seem obvious that whatever these craft were they were not an invading force. So, what were they?

Army Chief of Staff, General George Marshall, would go on record as saying that whatever was fired on were real aircraft and could have proven fatal if we had not taken action. But if they were not invading planes what were they? The usual suspects were sited in the strange case weather balloons, sky lanterns and a technology that didn’t even exist in 1942, Japanese fire balloons. Whatever these craft were their should have been somekind of damage weather balloons are not invincible there should have been something except thousands of expended bullets, damage to private property and fraid nerves.

The Lubbock Lights

Perhaps the most famous UFO sighting in American history occured on the night of August 25, 1951 and was witnessed by dozens of people in and around the modestly sized city of Lubbock, Texas. And “They” say it didn’t happen. At 9:00 PM three professors from Texas Tech College were sitting in a colleague’s backyard having a laugh when one of the professors looked up and noticed something strange flying overhead in the night sky. When all three looked up they could see what looked like 20-30 lights flying soundlessly at an altitude of two thousand feet traveling at a rate of somewhere in the ballpark of six hundred miles per hour. The proffs would go on record as saying that the lights were the size of dinner plates and seemed to fly as if they were under the control of an intelligent force. They would also comment that the lights were blue and green.

The three eminent professors were not the only folks to witness the lights. A student from Texas Tech, saw the same lights at around the same time and grabbed his camera and snapped off a few pictures of the lights constituting some of the best evidence on record for the existence of aircraft that is not our own. Several others in the Lubbock area witnessed the strange lights and went on record as saying that never in their life had they seen something so strange. However this is the United Sates in 1951, and the Cover-up was in full swing.

In September of 1951, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Ruppelt a member of Project Blue Book (We’ll talk about them later) and astronomer, Doctor J. Allen Hyneck would be the ones called upon to investigate the Lubbock lights and they would offer an explanation that would go down in history as being patently ridiculous and proof that a cover-up was afoot. When the two men arrived in Lubbock they discovered that the city had installed some new road lights that projected up they also discovered that Plover Birds, which fly at night, were in great abundance. Well there’s your explanation the Lubbock Lights were blamed on lights reflecting off Plover birds as they flew overhead at night. Case closed. Not quite.

Many who were pleased with this answer decided they experiment on their own to see if Plover’s were the true culprit behind the Lubbock Lights. Several citizens took pictures of Plovers as they flew near the city and did not get the effect that was displayed in the picture from the Texas Tech student. In fact their was no reflection at all unless they came within ten feet of the lights. It was also reported that the lights traveled at a rate of 600 miles per hour at an altitude of 2,000 feet no Plover can achieve this kind of flight, in fact, no bird in the history of the world could achieve such a fantastic speed and altitude. In my opinion as well as the opinions of millions, the case of the Lubbock Lights will never be closed.

Portage County UFO chase

It is a true statement that oftentimes folks do mistakes when they see something strange. A great deal of UFO sightings are legitimate misidentifications of either planes that we are unfamiliar with or some kind of meteorilogical phenomenon that we are otherwise unfamiliar with. But when it comes to the police the brave boys and girls in blue do not make such mistakes. A good friend of mine as well as my cousin are cops and cops are professional witnesses of events they are highly trained observers and would not make a reports unless they actually witnessed something and such is the case of the Portage County UFO Chase.

In the early morning hours of April 17, 1966 two Portage County, Ohio police officers, Dale Spaur and Wilbur Neff, called into dispatch to report that were in pursuit of a large silver shaped disc with numerous lights around it’s mid section. Upon hearing the chatter over the radio other police officers joined in the chase and radioed to their dsipatchs that they were seeing something clearly not of this world. Several officers chased the flying saucer for approximately thirty minutes when to the amazement of all involved the craft shot straight up at an amazing velocity. All Agreed whatever the object was it was clearly not of this world.

Upon hearing of the sighting investigators from the Air Force’s, Project Blue Book commented that what the officers were chasing was not a flying saucer but, at first they were chasing a communications satellite and then the planet Venus. Here we are again, those involved with the cover-up just expect us to suspend common sense and buy their ridiculous line. These officers saw something truly out of this world and they were told despite their training and years of dedication on the force all they were seeing was Venus. Dude, give me an F-ing break.

North Hudson Park Sighting

It is very rare that a UFO is seen within the borders of a major metropolitan area that is of course until our next sighting that took place on Janurary 12, 1975.

George O’Barski, a local business owner was driving past Manahattan’s Hudson County Park when he saw a sight he would not soon forget. Mr. O’barski reports that in the early morning hours he watched as a craft shaped like an egg descended from the skies and landed in the park. At first George thought this was either a strange military aircraft or his eyes were playing tricks on him that was until he saw what came out of the egg. George watched as several small humanoid shaped beings exited the craft down a long ladder and began taking soil samples with strange instruments. O’Barski said after the little men got what they wanted they crawled back into the craft that shot off into the night sky like a missile.

World famous UFO researcher, Bud Hopkins, arrived to investigate the alleged sighting. After speaking to O’Barski he felt that perhaps this was nothing more than a wild goose chase until he spoke to the doorman of the Stonehenge Apartments, an upscale apartment complex near Hudson Park. The Doorman claimed that he, as well as others had seen a strange red light buzzing over and in and out of Hudson Park over a two week period. Perhaps, O’barski was not a crack pot not with such a great corroborating witness.

The Hudson Park sighting has gone down as a Close Encounter 2 event because the witness came into close proximity of a landed spacecraft and had witnessed the alien occupants of the craft. The Hudson Park sighting will go down in history as one of the strangest encounters on record.

Cash-Landrum Incident.

By 1980, thousands of people, not only in our nation but nations around the world, had made reports of being witness to strange craft buzzing the skies. Of course those involved in the Cover-up explain away the eyewitness accounts saying that people witnessed either known aircraft or atmospheric phenomenon. However the Cash-Landrum Incident would change all that when physical evidence as well as a multi-million dollar lawsuit would be presented to the American people.

On the evening of December, 29 1980, Betty Cash, Victoria Landrum and Landrum’s seven year old grandson, Colby were driving home from a night out when they would witness something that not only terrified them but caused all three to experience physical ailments for years to come. The three witnessed a giant diamond shaped object descend from the night sky spewing out flames and caused the car to become so superheated it damaged the chassis of Cash’s vehicle. Vickie Landrum, who was a born again christian believed that the craft was a manifestation of the second coming of Jesus Christ and reassured her terrified grandson that the lord would harm them. The sighting was broke off when the object flew up and was chased away by numerous military Chinook helicopters. The sighting lasted all of five minutes.

As the weeks passed the three witnesses began to experience what many witnesses would claim . When the three witnesses went to their doctor the doctor was shocked to see that all three were suffering the effects of radiation sickness. All three had vomiting, migraine headaches and burn marks on their skin. The doctor remarked the only way such an illness could be caused is if they were exposed to a nuclear blast. Cash and Landrum described to the doctor, who was skeptical, their witnessing of the UFO. The doctor told the two women they needed to call the military and report this strange incident. The two elderly women did more than just report the incident, they brought a lawsuit against the United States government for the sum of twenty Million dollars.

After spending a few years tied up in litigation the Judge finally dismissed the case stating that despite their extensive medical problems being caused by the alleged sighting they could not prove that the Chinook helicopters were associated with the United States military therefore the government was not at fault. I have to question was it the judge’s own skepticism that cuased the case to be thrown out or did someone get to him perhaps an agent of the Cover-up threatened the judge if he did not dismiss the case. The world may never know.

The Phoenix Lights

My brother, Steve is a citizen of the city of Phoenix, Arizona and he was the first to tell me of the strange series of sightings that ocurred not only in Phoenix but the rest of Arizona and Nevada as well.
On a hot summer night in 1997 the entire population of Phoenix was treated to a sight of strange bright lights burning in the skies over their fair city. Between 7:30PM-10:30 PM MST the lights shown brightly until they all dissapeared one at a time. Sevral pictures and videos were taken of the lights and some of the footage of the lights do appear to show that the Phoenix Lights may have been a part of a much larger craft. Shortly before the lights appeared over Phoenix several witnesses claimed that they saw what looked like a giant triangular shaped craft with bright lights flying and hovering over the desert. Perhaps this craft was reponsible for the lights.

A few weeks after the initial sightings a nearby airfield claimed that on the night in question A-10 Warthog aircraft were operating in the vicinity and the flares they were dropping were responsible for the strange lights in the sky. The funny thing about this explanation was a few days after the sighting some of the city officials contacted the airfield and asked if any of their aircraft were operating in the area. The officials at the airfield responded that they had nothing in the air that night. Hmm, sounds like Roswell, one minute they have a downed space craft of an other worldly origin the next minute it’s, Oops our bad it’s just a weather balloon. Suspicious, woudn’t you say.

O’Hare Sighting

I thought I would bring our final sighting a little closer to my home turf of Chicago, Illinois and the
craft that was seen hovering over the busiest airport in the world, O’Hare airport. At 4:30PM on November 7, 2006 several airport employees including pilots of aircraft and their crew witnessed a large saucer shaped object hovering a few hundred feet off the ground near gate C-17. The airport was so alarmed by the sighting and the credibility of the witnesses several planes were put on stand by and not allowed to leave or land until officials could get to the bottom of what was being seen.

The craft stuck around for approximately five minutes and then vanished. Several area newspapers reported on the sighting and the sighting caused quite a stir after all this happened a mere five years after 9-11 and many who were still flying the freindly skies had doubts that the skies were really that friendly. However the FAA came to the rescue and dispelled the fears of many when they claimed the craft sighted was nothing more than a cloud. Aircraft pilots, like police, are highly trained observers and would not mistake a cloud for a solid aircraft. It would appear that all facets of the federal government are involved in the Cover-up.

As I said earlier the majority of any kind of sighting pertaining to the paranormal can be explained or blamed on naturally ocurring phenomenon. However there are some things that DO defy any logical explanation and after careful and responsible investigation can and should be put into the category of the unexplained. Those involved with the Cover-Up expect us to buy the BS they are shoveling with their pretty little explanations wrapped up in pretty little bows but some of us are not having it. Common sense should never suspended because someone in a suit with an impressive tells us what we think we saw is not what we saw. We should not forget the Philosophy of Occam’s Razor, “The simplest explanation is the obvious explanation.” However that being said neither should we be to ready to believe unless either we see it for ourselves or investigate the situation while suspending our own beliefs until that objective proof is found. Just another brick in the wall of the Cover-up.

Rick E. Hale
t_seeker@hotmail.com

Parkersburg, WV (HNN) — The 2008 Haunted West Virginia Ghost & Paranormal Conference will be held on August 29th/30th at the Old Sumnerite School in Parkersburg. The Sumnerite School was the first free black school south of the Mason-Dixon-line and offers up a host of hauntings.

Above Sumner School on Quincy Hill was one of five Civil War Hospitals in Parkersburg during the Civil War where African-American and Immigrant Irish soldiers were kept. During the ghost & paranormal conference, ghost hunts will take place at three different haunted sites. Friday night will feature guest speakers and a trip into the haunted regions of Parkersburg on the Haunted Parkersburg Ghost Tours, voted top #10 Ghost Tour in the nation in 2008. Saturday night will feature ghost hunts, a Victorian séance at the TransAllegheny Bookstore as well as “Messages from Beyond,” mediumship session and three ghost hunts led by seasoned ghost hunters.

The following are the speakers for the event:

Tom Moore : Co-Founder of the Mid-Ohio Valley Ghost Hunters, MOVGH was founded in 2000-2001

Tom has investigated numerous haunted sites such as The Anchorage, Waverly Hills, Moundsville Prison, Twin City Opera House, Prospect Place and numerous private residences & haunted areas. Tom has also appeared in three episodes of Creepy Canada TV show & Haunted Marietta.

Susan Sheppard : Psychic Medium and Author

Susan is the founder of the Haunted Parkersburg Ghost Tours. Her Ghost Tour is ranked 10 in the nation. Susan is an author of five books on paranormal subjects and has appeared on the television shows Creepy Canada, Scariest Places on Earth and Mystery Hunters. She will teach mediumship, conduct a seance and a Message Circle.

Jeff Wamsley : Annual Mothman Festival Founder & Author

Jeff is the author of “Mothman: Behind The Red Eyes” and ” Mothman: Facts Behind the Legend” with Donnie Sergent Jr. His yearly Mothman Festival is held in Point Pleasant In September. Here is just a few of many tv shows that Jeff has appeared in Paranormal State,Weird Travels and Sci-Fi Investigates. Jeff Will be speaking on the mysterious creature “Mothman.”

Debbie Smith : Pet and People Psychic,

Debbie Smith will share her stories of insights from her real-life experiences with communications with the Spirit World as well as from her communications with the animals around us. As Animal Behaviorist, Debbie’s love for animals combines naturally with her intuitive skills to help pet owners develop relationships based on respect and teamwork. Debbie and her daughter JoAnna offer private consultations for pet owners. Debbie and her dog have appeared on Animal Planet, she been featured in national pet magazines. Debbie also offers Card Readings with words of inspiration and guidance as tools for inspiration for choices on your path.

Randy Hastings : UFO Researcher & Teacher of Native American & Shamanic Traditions

Randy Hastings is a certified UFO Researcher, trained through Flamel College – an institution of metaphysical and esoteric studies and has an M.A. Degree in Transpersonal Psychology. He is also an active Teacher & Practitioner of Shamanism, Energetic Healing, and Native American Spirituality – having spent over 30 years studying with elders of Cherokee, Iroquois, Lakota, and Toltec/Mayan traditions. His main area of interest in the science of Ufology is the overlap between consciousness/paranormal research, Native American shamanism, and alternative methods of direct communication with Extraterrestrial and Interdimensional Intelligences via spiritual and energetic techniques. Randy Hastings will be speaking on “UFO’s, Consciousness Research, & the Native American Star People: The Overlap”. Mr. Hastings will also be available during the conference for Mayan Calendar Readings and will have Meditation CD’s available.

Jim Moore : Co-Founder of the Mid-Ohio Valley Ghost Hunters with Tom

Jim handles the technical angle of all the investigations, working with a series of different cameras and other investigative tools. Also appearing in Creepy Canada Jim has helped investigate more than 30 haunted areas and is actively involved in filming projects. One video project title is “The Anchorage” DVD that will be available soon.

Michael Sundstrom : As a manager of the TransAllegheny Books (the old Carnegie Library), Mike has been involved in most of the Haunted West Virginia Conferences and his store is featured on the Haunted Parkersburg Ghost Tours. The bookstore is known for its hauntings.

Scott Britton : Local historian and Civil war re-enactor will be on hand to answer questions and talk about the haunted activity of the Old Putnam House (aka) The Anchorage in Marietta, Ohio. MOVGH & WCHS has scheduled monthly open Ghost Hunts at the Anchorage.

Other Local Ghost Hunters will also be available to help with the conference,ghost hunts,classes, & festivities: Al & Joni Rorick,Ron Nelson,Virginia Lyons,Lea Wilson, Kristall Chambers

Besides the Speakers we also will be having other activities that you can join in. On Friday: Susan will be guiding the Conference attendees around on her local Parkersburg Haunted Ghost Tour that’s ranked in the top 10 in the nation.

On Saturday: There will be a few places open to investigate including the TransAllegheny Bookstore, Quincy Hill & Sumner School itself.

We will also be having a Victorian Style Séance, “Messages from Beyond” mediumship session and also a ghost hunt located in the TransAllegheny Bookstore.

For more information visit our website at: www.midohiovalleyghosthunters.com

or email Tomrmore@aol.com

Thanks & Happy Hunting
MOVGH Members

Source: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/events/080815-staff-event2008hauntedwv.html

They are watching you, you know that right? They bug your phones and listen to your phone conversations. They read and scrutinize every last word in your e-mails, hell they are probably reading this post even as I sit behind my computer and write it. And when you least expect it a long black car with blazing headlights pulls quietly into your driveway and three strange men dressed in freshly pressed suits as black as night ring your doorbell. These strange characters that seemed to step out of a nightmare are the Men In Black and If you were unfortunate enough to witness a UFO and dared to tell the tale, they have arrived to Shut You Up.

In 1997, director Barry Sonnenfeld, released a very funny and very entertaining movie that would introduce a whole new generation to one of the most enduring and some would say most frightening legends that surrounds the governments attempt to Cover-Up the truth about UFOs. The film, MIB which starred two of my favorite actors, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, tells the tale of two black clad super secret agents whose primary goal was to keep the innocent and unsuspecting citizenry of planet Earth blissfully ignorant of a long term alien presence living and working on our little planet. Although, the movie was funny and took a lighthearted view concerning the MIB it left out the more sinister activities of these enforcers of the lie.

Researchers who have actually made it their purpose to study these shadowy government agents believe that they may have some precedence in history. For centuries folks have reported coming into contact with shadowy figures dressed in black from head to toe. The witnesses who were unfortunate to meet these nightmarish men believed they had made contact with a manifestation of the prince of darkness or one of his evil minions. Historical records, which are subjective at best, tell us that if a good christian should chance a meeting with one of these beings in black the entity would demand that the person reject God and worship them. However, shortly after the dawn of the modern UFO era these black clad beings would take on a whole new mission. Instead of showering good christian souls with riches if they bowed down and worship his infernal majesty, the MIB used the tool of intimidation to shut those up who just so happened to either witness a UFO or come into contact with it’s occupants.

The strange and oftentimes surreal encounters with the Men In Black always seem to have some kind of pattern with their appearance. Usually one of these dudes or three will appear at your doorstep wearing a black suit and tie over a crisp clean white shirt and large black sunglasses that hide their probing eyes. Usually, but not always, the strangers would claim to be a member of some government orginization investigating a claim of a visitation by a UFO. After they gain access to your home using friendly and sugary words the real intentions of their visit come to the forefront and the real strangeness begins.

Many who have claimed to have been visited by the MIB report the strange behavior of these otherwise seemingly normal men and in a few cases women. When the agent is offered something to drink they inspect the glass and whatever beverage is in it as if they had never seen a glass or water. If you had a dog or a cat the MIB would immediately ask you to put the animal away because they are afraid of the animal who appears to be more afraid of the agent.

Perhaps the oddest thing about the MIB is their odd and sometimes strange personal appearance. The skin of an MIB has been described as being pale and waxy with virtually no lines on their face. In some rare cases the witness states that the MIB have removed their sunglasses after asking the witness to either close the shades or dim the lights. Their eyes have been reported to be large with black pupils and have an almost hypnotizing effect that seemed to keep a person transfixed.

After the initial greeting and niceities the MIB would immediately go about the real business of their visit. The agent would ask a few short questions about the witnesses UFO experience using outdated language that made them sound more like a movie gangster than a professional in the armed services. Shortly after the question and answer session it has been reported that the demeanor of the MIB turns dark as they threaten the witness with jail time or financial ruin and sometimes with bodily harm if they dare tell another soul about what they had seen. After the witness was properly interrogated and intimidated the MIB leaves the frightened person in a large black four door sedan that seemed to appear out of thin air.

You may ask if such a thing could be true. Is it possible that there is a group of men and women running around our country scaring the hell out of the hapless UFO experiencer? The answer appears to be yes. Out of the many reports of meetings with these nightmarish characters two seem to stand out from among the rest and would convince tens of thousands that “They” want to shut you up.

Albert Bender, was a gentleman who became intensly interested in the UFO phenomenon as it began to heat up in the early 1950s. Bender, believed that the craft buzzing about our skies were vehicles piloted by an advanced alien culture and he was the man who could get to the bottom of the mystery. Bender, was credited with starting and operating one of the first civilian UFO investigation orginizations, the International Flying Saucer Bureau and a monthly newsletter that was gaining a respectable readership. In his newsletter, Bender began dropping hints that he had figured it all out and gotten to the bottom of the UFO question and shortly he would make his discovery known to the world. The one thing Mr. Bender, had not counted on was that those involved in the Cover-Up did not want the truth to be known and they would go to any lengths to keep his big yapper shut.

One night as Bender, was working in his office he was overcome by a strange tingling sensation that started in his toes and worked it’s way up to his head. Later to investigators, Bender would remark that it felt as if someone had hit him with a mild electrical charge. After shaking the odd sensation off, Bender looked out his window to see a large black four door Sedan sitting in his driveway. As he sat there wondering who his late night visitor could be a loud knock came to the door startling him.

Not knowing who this could be Bender opened the door to discover a tall, gaunt, pale faced man in a black suit standing on his door step wearing large black sunglasses despite the fact it was late at night. Before Bender could greet this late night visitor the man said, “Mr. Bender, if you value your freedom you will not make your findings on UFOs known to the public.” The MIB moved in closer to Bender’s face and hissed, “If you do, you will incarcerated in a maximum security prison for the rest of your natural born life.” Without saying goodbye the man returned to his vehicle and backed out of the driveway all the while staring Bender down from behind his black sunglasses.

Bender, was terrified by what the mysterious man said he never made his findings known to the public, in fact he stopped printing his newsletter and shut his investigations down completely. The secret he promised to share his readers would never be known even over fifty years after his amazing discovery and late night visit by the mysterious Man In Black.

This particular MIB had done his job, he succeded in shutting Albert Bender up using a tried and true method complete intimidation and fear. If this account of an MIB is thouroughly terrifying our second well known account is not just frightening but down right bizzare.

In 1976, Doctor Herbert Hopkins a respected psychologist and hypnotherapist was acting as an independent consultant dealing with a few cases of alleged alien abduction and it was a dark night when the good doctor would have his visit from a Man In Black. One dark night as everyone else in the house slept Dr. Hopkins sat in his study going over some notes concerning a young man who claimed to have been abducted numerous times by alien visitors. The Doctor was startled when his desk phone let out a long strange eerie ring, a ring it had never sounded before. When Doctor Hopkins answered the phone a strange almost robotic monotone voice on the other end identified himself as the vice president of a New Jersey paranormal research labratory. Before Doctor Hopkins could get a word out the man stated that it was of the utmost importance that he speak with him. The man said that he would be over shortly and the line went dead.

I’m certain that a man of Herbert Hopkins breeding and education thought this individual rude but all that changed when a knock sounded at the door. When Dr. Hopkins opened the door he was greeted by a fast talking man dressed in a frumpled black suit and sunglasses that were almost to big for his face. As the Doctor asked the man how he had arrived so quickly the strange man brushed past him. Doctor Hopkins, was shocked by such rudeness and stood at the door for a moment as he watched his visitor look around the front room acting as if he was lost.

After closing the door Dr. Hopkins turned to face his rude visitor and terror gripped his heart. The Doctor would later describe the man as having a deathly white pallor that gave him the appearance of the living dead. The strange nature of the man would become ever more so evident when he removed his hat and glasses. Doctor Bender felt like fleeing his visitor when he noticed the man was without hair on his head, no eyelashes or eyebrows his pale skin was completely smooth without a hint of blemish. Dr. Hopkins would also later relate to investigators that as they made small talk the man rubbed his ruby red lips and smeared what looked like lipstick exposing ghost white lips.

When the corpse like man noticed his error he explained to the terrified doctor that he was agent with a special branch of the United States Air Force and that it would be in the doctor’s best interest as well as his families that he burn whatever research he was working on dealing with UFO abductees otherwise he would be sent to jail for the rest of his life. Angered by the threat Dr. Hopkins gathered together his courage and demanded that the man produce some credentials or he would call the police. The strange man pointed a black gloved finger in the Doctor’s face and and growled, “You had better heed my warning.” The anger that Doctor Hopkins had felt fled and fear took over. The black clad man began to shake his head and said, “Hmm, I had better leave. My energy is getting low.” The nightmarish man quickly brushed past Doctor Hopkins and jumped into a black sedan that drove away into the night without making a sound.

At first Doctor Hopkins thought this man was nothing more than a lunatic and went back to his research. As the weeks past his wife and adult children started to tell him stories of strange men dressed in black suits following them around town in large black cars. Mrs. Hopkins related a particularly frightening story to her husband when she said one of these nondescript vehicles attempted to run her off the road into a tree. Dr. Hopkins came to the conclusion that his late night visitor was more than just a crack pot but someone to reccon with. Doctor Herbert Hopkins immediately went into his office and destroyed every shred of research he had accumulated over the years concerning alien abduction cases. Score another one for the Cover-up.

These are only two examples of meetings with the mysterious Men In Black. Over the last fifty plus years there have been dozens of reports of folks who have dealt with these frightening individuals and have only recently dared to tell the tale. Who are these Men In Black and what do they want? Some researchers believe they could possibly be the aliens they witnessed who are putting on bad looking human suits and scaring the hell out of us innocent humans. Others suggest they are agents of the Cover-up in league with the aliens and it is their job to shut us up. Me, I think they are just fashion victims. Hang on be right back someone is knocking on my door. Oh shit gotta run.

Rick E. Hale
t_seeker@hotmail.co