QUOTE (Moonie2012 @ May 5 2008, 08:12 PM)

Come on, now...regardless of one's belief in aliens, the guy who is proposing this to his town council is obviously going to be looked at like he's crazy.
I agree
But what is the point though? If he is by some miracle successful what then? Will he setup an office on top of the Rockies with a big light and a sign saying 'Immigration', with burly men and women in rubber gloves asking if they have brought any fruit or vegetables onto the planet? And I mean really, is this the sort of person we want in a first contact situation?
I am on the closed side of open mindedness when it comes to visitors from another world, I just simply don't believe they could have got to us, though I do believe there are other worlds out there that support life.
But I mean, As a race that discoveres another sentient species and is able to reach it, wouldn't you make contact, and I mean real contact, like landing outside the houses of parliament or something. And then if alien's have made contact what are the motives for covering it up? If they wanted to kill us, and they are already here, why aren't we dead, given the level of technology required to traverse light years surely it would be no mean feat to destroy us? It's highly unlikely we would be a food source, or as some modern sci-fi media would have us believe a harvesting source as they would not be adapted to organic material on this planet.
I would love to believe I really would but the sad fact is, it's the believers and campaigners that convince me not to believe, and I think the government is given too much credit for covering up these things, its almost as if, if a government denies something, that instantly means the opposite. Sometimes when a governement spokesperson says no it really does mean simply no!
So NeoGenesis, you are entitled to your opinion and don't apologise for it, I agree, clearly this if guy, and others like him (and there's plenty of em!) put as much effort into worthwhile causes like curing cancer or youthwork etc then maybe the world would be a better place. But then hey maybe his new local government department will welcome their first alien visitor and they will cure cancer for us, ya think?