Telegraph
“It is certainly a possibility that in ten years time, it will be a dead subject”
Assap’s UFO cases have dropped by 96 per cent since 1988, while the number of other groups involved in UFO research has fallen from well over 100 in the 1990s to around 30 now.
Among those to have closed are the British Flying Saucer Bureau, the Northern UFO Network, and the Northern Anomalies Research Organisation.
As well as a fall in sightings and lack of proof, Mr Wood said the lack of new developments meant that the main focus for the dwindling numbers of enthusiasts was supposed UFO encounters that took place several decades ago and conspiracy theories that surround them.
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That’s exactly what they want you to think.
[tinfoil hat off]
Glenn Jericho on November 4, 2012 at 10:41 PM
The study of UFOs won’t die out — it’s just that the acronym will now stand for Unexplainable Frenzy for Obama – -the study of the 2008-2009 era of mass hysteria.
Zombie on November 4, 2012 at 10:42 PM
There are fewer hippies dropping acid, hence fewer sightings.
Conspiracy nuts are now focused on 9-11, as UFOs are passe.
After Clinton proved you can’t keep a secret in Washington, it got harder and harder to believe in some giant government conspiracy to hide the “truth”.
LincolntheHun on November 4, 2012 at 10:44 PM
Mulder?…
Gohawgs on November 4, 2012 at 10:52 PM
The extremely wide-spread prevalence of digital cameras and digital movie cameras means that any actual UFO that appears is much more likely to be filmed.
This means that sightings without video are hardly worth even thinking about.
Dextrous on November 4, 2012 at 11:00 PM
It all depends on how much the media is promoting it and the media doesn’t want to promote such foolishness as UFOs when it’s trying to promote the global warming hoax as credible science. They’ll be staying away from the bigfoot stuff until their climate hoax plays out.
Buddahpundit on November 4, 2012 at 11:01 PM
What’s going on with that mars mission? That was spose to be such a big deal about how they were going to prove life exists or existed there, and haven’t heard a thing about it 2 days after the thing landed. If they find nothing, that’s a story, but they won’t want to report that story because it doesn’t promote more foolish spending on mars missions.
Buddahpundit on November 4, 2012 at 11:08 PM
Cell phone cameras caused the death of the UFO movement. RIP.
RoadRunner on November 4, 2012 at 11:09 PM
One look at a a Hubble Deep Field Image and statistically, there HAS to be life out there somewhere. Now, where they’re coming here in “saucer” and killing cow and putting anal probes in Eric Cartman’s butt…. well, your mileage may vary on that.
My view, yeah, they probably exist. Are they coming here and doing whatever… I don’t know.
Yakko77 on November 4, 2012 at 11:09 PM
Well, maybe not now, but a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
John the Libertarian on November 4, 2012 at 11:21 PM
These.
Add to it the fact that as we discover more and more planets around other stars, the existence of alien life is becoming a very serious field of academic study. We haven’t found alien life yet, but there’s a good chance we’ll find a lot of circumstantial evidence one way or another over the next several decades.
The increased level of serious scientific study is driving out the more sensational, unsubstantiated claims.
JimLennon on November 4, 2012 at 11:23 PM
Seems to me the interest in this subject this goes up and down:
High interest 1950s
Low interest 1960s
High interest 1970s
Low interest 1980s
High interest 1990s
Etc
Norwegian on November 4, 2012 at 11:24 PM
An infinite amount of space and time doesn’t prove anything. If that were so, we’d have seen buildings just popping up randomly on planets. Yet nobody is looking for randomly generated buildings out there. No amount of space or time is gonna change that fact.
/logic
As for the article, as long as it doesn’t waste tax-payer money I don’t care if these organizations exist or not.
Pattosensei on November 4, 2012 at 11:29 PM
So. UFO enthusiasts admit they don’t exist? Because They can’t prove an unknown?
*brain flips*
Ugly on November 4, 2012 at 11:31 PM
Sasquatch ate the UFO
batterup on November 4, 2012 at 11:40 PM
No luck that the same can be said about “climate change?”
Gingotts on November 4, 2012 at 11:47 PM
Maybe they are just avoiding the UK?
sharrukin on November 4, 2012 at 11:48 PM
Not at Yahoo
RickB on November 4, 2012 at 11:48 PM
We have a Chinese restaurant nearby that specializes in Unidentified Frying Objects.
The Rogue Tomato on November 5, 2012 at 12:14 AM
Good job. I was gonna make a post about the paranoia of the 1990s. The X-Files. Vince Foster. Waco. Ruby Ridge. Billy Jeff. Man was that a time for conspiracy theories. The first decade of the 2000s seemed boring by comparison.
Dack Thrombosis on November 5, 2012 at 12:24 AM
Awfully coincidental that as technology increases, the amount of random people having access to record such events, and the increase in being able to identify fakes and hoaxes; “sightings” suddenly and vastly decrease.
anuts on November 5, 2012 at 1:09 AM
How, pray tell, does one “film” with a digital-recorder?
Capitalist Hog on November 5, 2012 at 1:47 AM
Coast to Coast listenership hardest hit.
anuts on November 5, 2012 at 1:59 AM
I’m willing to entertain the idea, but if there are really advanced races out there with the ability to zip between the stars they probably look at us the way we look at Mogadishu.
You and I know Somalia is there, but no sane person from San Fran or New York is going to do business with them or vacation at the place. At most you might look out the window of your plane as you fly over, shake your head, and mumble “I wouldn’t touch that with a 10 foot cattle prod.” No sane person from the developed world is going to go there and try to be their friend, give them the latest IPad or jet fighter, and expect to be welcomed with civility. They are bloody, dark age barbarians who would strip their foolish visitor of everything he had and use it to their advantage.
I expect that if they are out there they have no desire to meet the locals or take a seat at the U.N., any more than you or I would want to sample Mogadishu’s vibrant night-life. Maybe the occasional genetic sample, the odd listening post, and that’s it. You might want to keep an eye on the barbarians, but you don’t want to actually deal with them.
Boogeyman on November 5, 2012 at 2:58 AM
Ha, that vid was awesome.
WeekendAtBernankes on November 5, 2012 at 3:06 AM
Okay now I’m hooked on this squatch site. Thanks a lot.
WeekendAtBernankes on November 5, 2012 at 3:15 AM
Meh. I used to live in Utah. That was just my other brother Darryl…
Kraken on November 5, 2012 at 3:51 AM
With billions of stars with potential life-supporting planets, why would they come here? We’re not that special. The best we have been able to do in our entire existence is have 12 men walk on our satellite, and send a few data miners and robots hither and yon.
The Vulcans will only show up when we achieve warp capability
IamDA on November 5, 2012 at 3:55 AM
I would be inclined to believe this. They probably took one look and figured “why bother?”.
loudmouth883 on November 5, 2012 at 5:48 AM
Cloaking technology
meci on November 5, 2012 at 6:18 AM
There are plenty of conspiracy theories out there. Just google chem trails, HAARP, Monsanto, and of course 9/11.
Ann NY on November 5, 2012 at 6:19 AM
Hmm… what’s “Here kitty kitty…” in Mandarin?
CPT. Charles on November 5, 2012 at 6:38 AM
As long as George Noory is alive, ufology will not die out.
ButterflyDragon on November 5, 2012 at 6:42 AM
What? You don’t have digital film?
ProfShadow on November 5, 2012 at 7:00 AM
Flying saucers cause global warming. The science is settled. The debate is over. No more flying saucers, no more global warming.
petefrt on November 5, 2012 at 7:07 AM
If there is intelligent life in the cosmos, we’ll meet them one of three ways. Pre-FTL will be either accidentally(they crash on earth) or, they come here to conquer or destroy.
Post-FTL is the only way I see a peaceful planned encounter(like the Vulcans in First Contact)
Just my .02
DStreete on November 5, 2012 at 7:21 AM
It’s too late. They came a long time ago. They’re liberals.
Greyledge Gal on November 5, 2012 at 7:46 AM
History channel hardest hit.
Gatsu on November 5, 2012 at 7:56 AM
Ack… ack ack ack… ack ack!
petefrt on November 5, 2012 at 8:19 AM
It’s my thought that if one believes in evolution as presented that life has to be the norm rather than the exception. My problem with that is that the galaxy is very old and there could be civilizations out there that are hundreds of thousands of years older than ours but yet none have contacted us or visited us. On the other hand it could simply be physics and contacting us is impossible. My other problem is that life is the normal state of the universe then why don’t we find any trace of life on Mars?
Frank Enstine on November 5, 2012 at 8:20 AM
If I were an alien wanting to study Earth’s biology, I would stay. The Heck. Away. From. The US. There’s far too much hardware looking my way, and much of it could mistake me for an incoming ICBM and destroy the biosphere I am trying to study. I’d find out far, far more parking in a high orbit somewhere over Africa, hooking in to a communications satellite, hacking my way into having an internet account, and surfing the web.
Hey, it explains some of our trolls, doesn’t it?
Sekhmet on November 5, 2012 at 8:21 AM
I’m sure there’s actually intelligent life other than us in the Universe. It’s arrogant to assume not.
But considering our address in our galaxy, pray tell WhoTF is going to come & visit us at all?
Imagine living out in the wilderness all by yourself. How many times would you ever see another person?
You might see a plane flying overhead, but if you didn’t know WTH it was, a gigantic bird explanation might suffice.
Badger40 on November 5, 2012 at 8:42 AM
Read CS Lewis’s Space Trilogy if you haven’t already. It’s a lovely read and he has a positive take on life on other planets. We are the ones who are on the outside. Thulcandra “The Silent Planet”.
IdrilofGondolin on November 5, 2012 at 8:49 AM
This is a true story. I have seen something I will never be able to explain. i am love aircraft and aviation. I also grew in a small southern town that has a large Air Force Base. Early one night I saw a bright object that was going in a straight line, It stopped and then went nearly straight up at an incredible speed. A speed that no airplane that could obtain. The speed was like, zip …….. it was gone. I have no explanation for it. And, the AFB that is on the outskirts of the town reported nothing. In addition, I was not the only one who saw it. We were all dumbfounded.
SC.Charlie on November 5, 2012 at 9:08 AM