> although one of the ‘UFOs’ has been dismissed as an “out of focus picture of a seagull having a poo.”<p>This long term trend of UFO mockery is a very intelligent way to keep interest and investigation at bay. Take for example the Phoenix Lights incident where the Arizona Gov. got an aide to dress up as an alien as a good and far less subtle example:<p><a href="http://www.ufosnw.com/news_items/govsymington03182007/govsymington03182007.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.ufosnw.com/news_items/govsymington03182007/govsym...</a>
"The U. S. Air Force has just given us a contract to take E.T. back home."<p>"We already have the means to travel among the stars, but these technologies are locked up in black projects and it would take an act of God to ever get them out to benefit humanity… ...anything you can imagine we already know how to do."<p>"We have things at Area 51 that you and the best minds in the world won't even be able to conceive that we have for 30 or 40 years, and won't be made public for another 50."<p>--Ben Rich, former head of Lockheed Martin Skunkworks<p>"We have things in the Nevada desert that are alien to your way of thinking far beyond anything you see on Star Trek."
People have been conditioned to think "UFO" = "Whacko". This runs throughout society .. calling something a "UFO cult" is a pretty easy and cheap way of discrediting the whole subject in the minds of the public. I can think of quite a few perfectly valid subjects that have had this treatment .. and which would also result in an upheaval of society were this veneer not smeared all over the subject.