The
UFO Myth?
By
Derek Chezzi
Contributor
We
have all seen or heard about movies or read books that
deal with unidentified flying objects or extra-terrestrials.
From Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star
Trek to Communion and Intruders, the
thought of alien life forms tantalizes the curious. People
have had a fascination with the mystery of life on other
planets for quite some time. When Orson Wells' War
of the Worlds was broadcast, terror seemed to grip
the population. Today, people are not as easily persuaded
into believing stories of ghost and Martian invasions.
However, the fact remains that many people do believe
in extra-terrestrials. Even some scientists acknowledge
the fact that someday we could come into contact with
beings in another part of this incedibly vast universe.
Yet,
some people today believe that humans are presently being
observed, and even abducted, by aliens. Michel Deschamps,
UFOlogist. He started gathering information about UFO
and abduction cases nearly 15 years ago. One wonders,
what would possess someone to take up the study of UFO
phenomenon? "Basically the fact that there was something
there that was unexplained and nobody else was looking
into it," says Deschamps. But 15 years of ridicule
and practical jokes will not deter Michel from his interest.
What started as a hobby has grown into what could be considered
a full-time job. He was recently appointed Provincial
Section Director of Northern Ontario for MUFON, an organization
that investigates reports involving unidentified objects.
Too bad no salary comes with the title.
Ragardless
of the number of reports, there will always be the skeptics.
Reputed debunkers of UFO sightings have come up with many
conjectures. Everything from hallucinations to tectonic
plate movements have been cited as the cause of these
sightings. When asked about the latter theory, Deschamps
exclaimed "This is absolute bull. The person or persons
that have come up with this theory have no idea what UFO
are about." He himself has seen a UFO next to Regional
Road 80 - affectionately dubbed 'Radar Road'. On October
9, 1990, between 8:30 and 9:05 PM, a 40-foot craft apparently
landed or rather hovered above the ground very close to
the now defunct Radar Base. "My knees were shaking,"
Michel says. But he toughed it out, observing the event
for the 35 minutes.
However,
Deschamps is not the only one to have seen a UFO in the
Sudbury region. On Tuesday, January 23rd, 1968, Laurentian
students had taken a photograph of what is believed to
be a UFO. Also, some people that worked at INCO in the
late sixties could tell you stories about UFO sightings
over the city. But lately, questions dealing with the
circle mystery seem popular. Overnight, mysterious circles
appearing in farmers' fields. The bent crops are undamaged
and continue to grow normally. According to Deschamps,
crop circles have a link with UFOs, but there is no proof
to accompany the hypothesis. Nevertheless, Deschamps thinks
that the day will soon arrive when humans will finally
understand the mystery of UFO. Numerous daylight sightings
of these objects flying in the sky have been reported
in Mexico City. Around 3,000 years ago, it was predicted
that after the sixth new sun, namely the 1990 solar eclipse,
these sightings would occur. Closer to home, for the past
few weeks, a Mennonite community, between Huntsville and
Gravenhurst, have reported sightings at 2 am on a daily
basis. It seems that the age of enlightenment is upon
us.
This
may seem a little disturbing to some; others will simply
scoff at the allegations. Regardless, the truth remains
that something is there, and often it is inexplicable.
To the uncertain I leave only these words: Keep looking
skyward, you never know what you may find!
