-=> Quoting Michael Holt to Paul Andinach <=-
 -=> Quoting Paul Andinach to Michael Holt <=-
 
 PA> I think Ken meant that nuclear energy shows that we're an
 PA> advanced species, worthy of contact.
 MH> Or maybe worth watching to see whether we'll poison ourselves?
   Why would any sentient being want to watch other sentient beings
poison themselves?
   You're falling into the old fallacy of assuming aliens are like
humans. ;)
 
 PA> Or maybe he's referring to the old theory that aliens are visiting
 PA> to warn us that we could destroy the planet with nuclear energy.
 PA> (Why didn't they warn us back in 1944, when we hadn't already
 PA> worked that out for ourselves, and we could have done something with
 PA> the knowledge, nobody knows.)
 MH> What's the 1944 reference?  I recall Adamski talking about that sort 
 MH> of thing, but he didn't get started until the 50s.  Or did he?  I
 MH> don't remember.
   I have no idea. I was referring to one of Carl Sagan's discussions
of alien abduction, where he notes that aliens allegedly often show
their victims ghastly films/slideshows of what will happen if humans
continue doing whatever it is this set of aliens is warning us about.
   He then poses the question: If they know what's going to happen if
we don't chuck away nuclear weapons, why didn't they warn the
Manhattan Project scientists back *before* they built the Bomb and set
us on the path to destruction? Why didn't the warnings start until
after everyone had too many bombs, and it would be really difficult to
fix things?
   He also asks similar questions about the other things aliens have
brought warnings about (always long after whatever-it-is has passed
manageable levels), and rounds it off with the general-purpose
question: Why do they always give their warnings to some poor nobody
who can't do anything but have a nervous breakdown? Why not the
President of the United States? The Joint Chiefs of Staff? Whoever it
is that runs Russia these days?
Paul
... Aliens have invaded Earth! How else do you explain Michael?
--- Blue Wave/Max v2.30 [NR]
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