By Stephen Bassettex·o·pol·i·tics k s -p l -t ks (pending) Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction Etymology: From Greek exo, outside, from ex, out of, and from Greek politika, from neuter plural of politikos political. 1: the art or science of government as concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy toward extraterrestrial phenomena and extraterrestrial beings. 2: exopolitical actions, practices, or policies. 3: the exopolitical opinions or sympathies of a person. 4: the total complex of relations between the human race and non-human, intelligent beings.Bethesda, MD USA – In Alexandria, Virginia there is a place called Gravelly Point Park. It’s not much of a park, but quite the place. It is known throughout the region because it sits a mere 1000 feet from the north end of runway 1/19 at Reagan National Airport. Bicyclists pull off the Mount Vernon Trail and tourists pull off the George Washington Parkway to watch the planes land and take off – a longstanding pastime uninterrupted (remarkably) by the events of September 11, 2001. Landing planes fly over this grassy patch so low you can see the tread on the tires. Wind direction permitting, planes taking off will rattle the fillings in your teeth. During the day the park is never empty. It’s addictive. This author has been there many times and remembers one perfectly clear day during the summer of 1992. As the planes passed overhead this thought came to mind: while the destination of the plane was known, the Washington, DC metro area, the point of origin was not known. Neither was it known how many people were on board, if any - it could be remote controlled – nor their names, reasons for coming, home towns, hopes and dreams. And depending upon the viewing angle, it might not be possible to even know the airline. With so much missing information one might be tempted to say, “What we have here is an unidentified flying object, a UFO.” But that would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it? What we had there was an airplane almost certainly containing human beings coming to the Washington, DC area for one reason or another. Perhaps you see where this is going for the very next thought that came to mind was this: during the five decades since 1942 millions of people around the world had been seeing unusual objects moving in the earth’s atmosphere. Tens of thousands of reports had been filed. The objects had been photographed, filmed, recorded on radar and sighted by trained observers – sometimes all four at once. They had been seen in the air and stationary on the ground. They had been seen traveling and maneuvering at seemingly impossible fashion for the historical period. They had been seen by pilots off the wings and cockpits of planes – fully formed metallic looking discs. They had been seen by Army, Air Force, Naval and Coast Guard personnel; air traffic controllers, astronauts, police officers, amateur astronomers, doctors, lawyers, political leaders and scientists. Documents referring to these craft had been discovered in government files, delivered anonymously to researchers and formally released by government authorities without prompting – not just in the United States, but in most first-world nations. Systematic investigations had been conducted by civilian and government organizations over the entire fifty years. Nearly 10,000 books, papers, articles and documentary films had been published specifically addressing this phenomenon. Reports have poured into researchers (their numbers would eventually swell to the tens of thousands) of direct contact with beings, clearly not human, who could well be the occupants of some of these craft. When one of these “objects” would pass overhead or close track a plane in flight the destination could properly be assumed to be the planet Earth, but the point of origin was not known. It was also not known whether the object contained humans, non-humans or no beings at all (remote controlled). If containing beings, their names, reasons for coming, hopes, dreams, etc. were also not known. With so much missing information it would be appropriate to call the “object” an unidentified flying object – a UFO – wouldn’t it? No, it wouldn’t. It would be appropriate to call it an alien or extraterrestrial space craft, most likely piloted by non-human beings, origin Earth, reasons for presence unknown. This was on this author’s mind in the summer of ’92. Paradigm Research Group was founded four years later, but it was not until 2000 the implication of those thoughts in 1992 became manifest. The implication was that the era of the “UFO” was over and a new era had begun – the era of exopolitics. The partitioning of history when dealing with large scale, implicative trends is usually done in retrospect. There is no shame in this, but there is often an arbitrary aspect to assigning the time frames. That is done by consensus of historians, but being early has its advantage. Here is the early line: the UFO era ended and the exopolitical era began in late 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union into Russia and 14 other post-soviet states. The short answer as to “why this demarcation?” is this: 1) by 1991 the evidence which had been gathered and analyzed establishing some sightings as extraterrestrial craft was overwhelming. The researchers had done their job in the face of great resistance by the state. The verdict was in. (The government’s refusal to accept this result was irrelevant to this conclusion but entirely relevant to the truth embargo and propaganda campaign waged by the government to negate and subvert this conclusion.), and 2) the end of the Cold War removed the single most powerful restraint keeping military, agency and civilian contractor insiders from revealing personal, direct and indirect knowledge of events and evidence corroborating the extraterrestrial hypothesis behind the sightings. The gradual emergence of these insiders into the public domain gave the disclosure process substance. Understanding this transition is critical for anyone wishing to impact impending events. Given that “exopolitics” is not yet listed in any standard dictionary or encyclopedia (it is listed in Wiktionary, Webster’s Open Dictionary and Wikipedia), it is not surprising there is much misunderstanding over scope and usage. The primary misconception is that “exopolitics” only deals with “galactic diplomacy,” how humans should politically engage theoretical or asserted alien beings. Whatever the assertion of facts, this is but one aspect of exopolitics. It is the icing for a cake which is still in the oven. Exopolitics covers all social and political implications of the engagement of extraterrestrial-related phenomena by humans since the phenomena were first recognized. This will likely be split into two parts: the modern era beginning in the 1940’s and the pre-modern era going back to earliest recorded times. [The pre-modern era will perhaps be subsumed under the broader umbrella of exohistory – the study of non-terrestrial influences on human history.] Thus, exopolitics includes the full history of the government truth embargo (cover-up) and the national security structures created to manage the research, the actions or lack thereof of the public and institutions such as the press, Congress and academia, and most importantly, the disclosure process itself. It is a large field of study. It will fill scores of books and documentaries and spawn PhD theses for centuries. In time it will be subsumed into the larger field of political science. A student will major in political science with an emphasis on exopolitics. By comparison the phenomenological, scientific aspects of the phenomena will be dispersed into departments such as exobiology, cosmology, physics, astrophysics (already established) and yet to be established fields such as exoarcheology, exomedicine and exoscience (the study of the practice of science by extraterrestrials). But the academic evolution of exopolitics is the lesser aspect of our present concerns. Formal disclosure will be a cosmic birthing of a new world view, and the human race has now been in labor for 60 years without an epidermal. The screaming can be heard from pole to pole and out to the Kuiper Belt. A significant subject for exopolitical study is to describe the state of the world at the moment of this birthing. What is the condition of the planet and what is the disposition of the species - the variety and depth to the spirituality, science, politics, philosophy, psychology and mental capacity of Homo Sapiens Sapiens – as formal self-disclosure unfolds? The short answer is “not good.” Many Durantian attempts will be made to explain all this in multi-volume sets. Let’s confine ourselves to two perspectives with immediate implications. __________ “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 13:11 By virtue of its military and economic power, its prevailing in the Cold War and its success in building the vast superstructure of secret operations this author has often referred to as the Secret Empire, the United States still appears to have the final say as to when and if formal disclosure takes place, and, if the decision to proceed is made, play the lead role in what will surely be the ‘greatest show on earth.” But what is the state of the nation as the actor prepares to take the stage? So much has happened to the people and institutions of the United States since the 1945 signing of surrender by Japan, one hesitates to pick one trend and drag it out for close scrutiny, but one trend begs for such treatment, cries out for explanation and adjustment. Immediately after World War II the United States was a major economic, political and moral force for good in the world. The American people had demonstrated an almost superhuman capacity to manufacture, deliver and maintain a war machine never witnessed in human history. The nation’s post war treatment of the defeated enemies was so extraordinarily generous in its intent, so effective in its application, it eclipsed the horror of the nuclear bombings. The American people were viewed as capable, caring, fearless, generous, patriotic, family oriented, church going, honest and optimistic. They were in love with their country, and trust in government institutions was rock solid. And then it all began to go wrong. Beginning in late 1947 for reasons well known and less well known the United States embarked on the creation of what would become the Secret Empire – the intelligence wing of a vast national security state complex established for two reasons: 1) wining an ideological cold war against international communism, and 2) understanding, exploiting and secreting the material facts in evidence confirming an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race and the planet Earth As the Secret Empire grew in size and scope it began to make alterations to the social contract, bending it to the breaking point. The most serious alteration was to embrace the concept of government in loco parentis – the government as replacement parent for citizens now viewed as children of the state. This view became a cancerous growth centered in the gut of the Secret Empire which finally metastasized outward into every corner of governance – a glioblastoma multiforme with tentacles reaching into the FBI, ATF, DoJ, DOD, Office of the Executive, Congress, NIH, FDA – only the judiciary remained largely untouched. The Secret Empire had become larger than the Roman Empire with layer upon layer of management in place before an elected official was even in sight. It now consists of tens of billions of above black (itemized) funding, tens of billions of black (not itemized) funding, additional billions in below black (undisclosed) funding, unknown amounts of rouge funding, millions of classified documents, millions of classified personnel, thousands of classified programs, hundreds of unacknowledged special access programs, huge above ground facilities and equally vast underground facilities. Within this cloistered megastructure developed a cult of secrecy and unaccountability which placed those who run it above the law and outside societal norms. The secrets of nuclear war, world control mechanisms, extraterrestrial technology, alien beings and such were so profound only the initiated members of the secret world could even bear up under the knowledge. The average citizen would surely go mad, or so it was thought by those holding the secrets. The public has long sensed this process underway and manifests this awareness by embracing phrases in the popular culture such as “you can’t handle the truth,” “need to know basis,” “don’t ask, don’t tell,” “if I told you that, I’d have to kill you,” and many more. They embrace fictional accounts of the process in books and movies but are unable to marshal anything approaching an effective societal protest to the process itself. More significantly, the public’s new status as children to be seen and not heard by a parental state has resulted in unprecedented drops in trust in all aspects of governance. Trust in the executive, the Congress, the judiciary and the press is near historical lows. Only 25% of citizens bother to vote. What does “government by consent of the people’ mean if the people are children and not of age to give consent? [It should be pointed out the social net (welfare programs) promulgated by democrats and moderate republicans does dovetail into this parental modality. But it arises from a separate ideological source and does not present the same danger to the nation.] The existence of a Secret Empire contained within a developing national security state operating in loco parentis is now the greatest threat to the preservation of the Constitutional Republic, and the most important exopolitical issue now being considered is whether or not the disclosure event (formal acknowledgment by world governments of the extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race), however achieved, has the power to change the status quo and permit reform of the Secret Empire and reconstitution of the social contract. The era of the UFO which ended in 1991 was about “lights in the sky.” The era of exopolitics which followed is about “lies on the ground.” It is about the intersection between the phenomenology and the politics of secrecy and control. When Bob Woodward published his latest book, State of Denial, he confined the title’s metaphor to the Iraq war and concomitant events. If only he knew (or does he know?) how much further this proffered status extends. ________________ They shipped in people with every kind of background: clerks, professors, classical musicians, tradesmen and lawyers along with their spouses and children. No rank or station in life was exempt. They packed them into the designated sector four, five six families to an apartment or house. Outside commerce and services were eliminated or rationed. Guard towers were built, and where necessary gated walls were constructed to complete sector integrity. The residents inside would improvise, overcome, adapt or perish. It mattered little to the overseers one way or the other. In time sector life decayed as sanitation, health, resources, all the customary necessities, eroded. On occasion members of the controlled press would visit and inquire about the sector’s status. The commandant would escort them to viewing ports atop the gated walls. Together they would look down upon the unkempt residents as they slouched along in ragged clothes with listless demeanor. “Do you see what a mess these people are?” the commandant reflected for the benefit of the press. “That is why we must keep them in this ghetto.” Excerpted from Truth Embargo: the Secret Empire and the Intellectual Ghettoization of UFOlogy by Stephen Bassett. Unpublished. For many of the thousands of researchers and activists and millions of interested public who engaged the phenomenology of UFOs prior to 1991 the transition out of the UFO era has been uncomfortable and unwelcome. There is considerable resistance to the concept of exopolitics. One source of this resistance lies with a significant component of the delineation between the two eras. While it is not possible to cover in this short article the full range of issues defining this suggested bifurcation of history, one point of comparison stands out: in the UFO era the ETH (extraterrestrial hypothesis as explanation for the unexplained 5% of extraordinary sightings) was a theory under consideration. In the era of exopolitics post 1991 the ETH is not a theory, it is a given. It was proven by the work of hundreds of researchers over a period of 44 years – an extraordinary accomplishment under great hardship and against state policy. Those who are unable to make the transition and accept the ETH as fact, whatever the reason, are not comfortable confronting an emerging group of academics, activists and researchers who do. This circumstance is not unprecedented. All previous social and scientific paradigm shifts have produced similar tensions. It is also true that previous major shifts in world view have often been opposed and interfered with by state and religious institutions. The cosmic birthing process now underway is not the exception. As remarkable was the citizen-science-activism which confirmed the ETH and revealed the extraterrestrial presence, equally remarkable was the effort by the United States government to impede, misdirect and undermine the citizen driven process of discovery. From 1947 forward every resource available to the developing military-intelligence complex was brought to bear on American society to create an embargo on the most profound truth in human history. The task must have seemed incomprehensible in the beginning – prevent every major institution within one of the most literate and open societies in history during a period of exponential expansion of electronic communication and multi-tiered media growth, from engaging an issue driven by phenomena not under human control. While extraterrestrial craft were being seen and photographed around the world and extraterrestrial beings were interacting with humans on every continent, the United States government was able to prevent American academics, clerics, editors, publishers, state and federal political leaders and foundation board members from studying, teaching, covering, politically engaging or funding the issue in an appropriate manner leading to public understanding. It was and is a brilliant accomplishment now approaching its sixtieth year. The tools used to control the extraterrestrial disclosure process were forged in the fires within the Secret Empire which burned most fiercely during the prosecution of the Cold War (1947-1991). These same tools were also used in a wide range of abuses of power, the impact of which on American policy and the future of the nation can not yet be projected. But the outlines of this impact are beginning to emerge, and the picture is not attractive. The basic mechanisms of suppression are now well known: misinformation, disinformation, subversion, intimidation, lies, denial and misdirection. But these mechanisms were part of a broader process of social manipulation which this author has termed the “intellectual ghettoization of ufology.” The “ghettoization” of people and ideas by ruling authority has a long history which was always unpleasant but always effective. There is something fundamental within the human psyche which makes people susceptible to this maneuver. It is so simple. You direct intense ridicule at a selected target (a person, a race, an idea, a religion) and begin a process of isolation and separation. Then you associate more people and/or ideas to the selected target creating a defined and growing discredited grouping. The isolation process requires a containment barrier. With people you build a physical wall to encompass the group. Whenever you need to add to the group you toss another person over the wall. With ideas you build walls in the mind. Such a wall is the “ridicule curtain” built around the study of UFOs by the United States government in the early 1950’s. Once it was built every person who touched the issue from that time forward was “tossed” over the wall into the ghetto of ufology. No one was spared. Walked on the Moon? Won a Pulitzer Prize? Commanded a Naval ship? PhD from MIT? “Greatest jet pilot that ever was?” No matter. Touch the subject of UFOs and you are in the ghetto. The money dries up, the job offers diminish, programs are cancelled, medals are pinned elsewhere, college tenure is challenged, spouses leave home, phone calls are not returned. As the years passed without resolution the misery mounted. Many good people spent their lives in pursuit of truths they would not live to see acknowledged and shared. Many others “burned out” and withdrew. Those who stayed on became increasingly frustrated and frayed around the edges. Within the confines of the ghetto they turned on each other. Everyone was suspect. Anyone could be an operative. Occasionally someone might attempt to break out and run for mainstream daylight. If the stain of the ghetto was strong enough, they might be ignored. Who will believe them? If not, well, collateral damage is an integral part of modern rule. The murders were few by historical standards. With vision obscured by a wall of lies many lost sight of the most important point – one which should be etched onto a plaque and mounted over every door. The failure to resolve the political impasse preventing the formal disclosure to the world of the extraterrestrial presence is the fault of one entity – the government of the United States – period. It’s not the researchers or activists one doesn’t like. It’s not the character flaws so clearly seen in others but not in oneself. It’s the government, stupid. The one many didn’t bother to vote for because they were too disgusted or simply didn’t care any more. It is the government that acts on your behalf every day whether you voted or not and can make your life a living hell anytime it wants – if you let it. The UFO era is over. It ended in 1991. The United States government by intention or default is trying to extend the intellectual ghettoization of the extraterrestrial issue well into the second decade of the exopolitics era. This same government also wishes to extend its tenure in loco parentis to a nation of “children.” It is essential, it is critical the American people stand up and assert their role as parent to a misbehaving government which has lost its way. Those within ufology and exopolitics must recognize the “ridicule curtain” is a wall in the mind only. It can be torn down with an act of will. Tear down the wall, leave the ghetto, stand up to the state and demand the truth. _____________________ * To sustain and expand a construct of such complexity over time required a widely dispersed “carrier” – a kernel which could accrete the layers of ridicule, propaganda and mendacity – and which, like the spores of the dandelion, would attach itself to all who came in close proximity and spread. That kernel, that carrier was and remains the acronym “UFO.” It is the truth embargo’s flag, the “hook” upon which “the mainstream” can hang all who dare to challenge the status quo. Ultimately “UFO” has to go. Not simply because the “UFO Era” is over, but because it no longer serves the truth process. However, this acronym is entrenched in the culture. It is in the titles of magazines, books, papers and a legion of websites. It will take time, and, of course, that is exactly what is desired by the keepers of the ghetto. Nevertheless, the transition to a new lexicon within the era of exopolitics must be advanced as quickly as possible by those able and ready to do so. Relevant Web Links: X-PPAC: www.x-ppac.org Paradigm Research Group (PRG): www.paradigmresearchgroup.org [Stephen Bassett is a political activist, founder of the Paradigm Research Group, Executive Director of the Extraterrestrial Phenomena Political Action Committee (X-PPAC), author of the Paradigm Clock website, and a political columnist and commentator. You can reach him at: PRG@paradigmresearchgroup.org]