4 ms·

While I understand and appreciate the aspects of the bill that offers protection for whistleblowers, I don't understand cutting all funding for reversing such t

While I understand and appreciate the aspects of the bill that offers protection for whistleblowers, I don't understand cutting all funding for reversing such technology. If it exists, don't we want to understand it ASAP? Regardless of whether it's alien in origin or not, why in the world wouldn't we want to study potentially advanced technology?

thatguy0900 3y ago
I would assume the issue would be that a government agency is reversing UFO tech and congress doesn't know about it, not just that it's being done. A government agency going rogue in such a manner would be a big concern
- Sunspark 3y ago
  Agreed. Many implications. If technology is reverse-engineered in secret while government funded and then patented to a private corporation, is this not theft from the people if they try to sell it for profit? Security threats are a concern as well, civilians are not allowed to possess weaponry more powerful than what the military has, etc.
- cubefox 3y ago
  What does it mean to "reverse" UFO tech?
  - thatguy0900 3y ago
    Reverse engineering a UFO would be disassembling and studying it so that we can recreate it or repurpose the technologies in it. Presumably it would have some manner of exotic engine or power source or perhaps weapons, etc.
    - HideousKojima 3y ago
      For an example of this from the early Cold War, see the Tupolev Tu-4. The Soviets took the wrecks of three downed US B-29s from WWII and spent huge amounts of money and manpower studying them and developing copies of them since US strategic bomber tech was so far ahead of their own. Supposedly (though I'd need to find a source again) there was a bullet hole in the wing of one of the recovered B-29s that the Soviets faithfully recreated in the Tu-4 thinking it was part of the actual design. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-4 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-4
      - cubefox 3y ago
        Interesting, though the B-29s were IFOs (identified flying objects). And very much not of extra terrestrial origin... There was a similar story: https://fstoppers.com/film/how-soviet-union-snapped-first-picture-far-side-moon-captured-air-force-kodak-325971 https://fstoppers.com/film/how-soviet-union-snapped-first-pi...
  - anigbrowl 3y ago
    Reverse engineering
- throwaway743 3y ago
  The claims are not that it's so much a rogue gov agency, but that it's buried by contractors who aren't tied to the requirements agencies have.
ellisv 3y ago
> I don't understand cutting all funding for reversing such technology. As I understand it, only "secret, unreported programs" would lose funding.
anigbrowl 3y ago
It sounds like a dramatic step without necessarily having any real impact. If as I suspect these UFO claims are largely BS, then it's an easy way to impress the disturbingly large sector of the public that lives in a conspiratorial fantasy land.
michaelbuckbee 3y ago
It's the carrot and the stick: - Stick. Today a program that is doing "Advanced Propulsion Research" that happened to be reverse engineering UFO tech would be perfectly legal. Cutting funding for this, unless explicitly authorized, opens up liability for anyone in the government and related contractors. - Carrot. The amnesty is an opportunity to come forward without the liability.
- bqmjjx0kac 3y ago
  > that happened to be reverse engineering UFO tech would be perfectly legal. Enter the intergalactic copyright lawyers...
ElevenLathe 3y ago
We want the shiny tech, but if the studying shiny tech is a way to step around appropriations, then there are very powerful people who will want to stop that (Congress), since it threatens the very thing that makes them powerful. Sounds to be more about DC power politics than alien technology.
bostonsre 3y ago
If there are indeed people that work on this stuff, are paid well, and this stops funding maybe disclosing it to congress is a way to get the gravy train turned back on.

thatguy0900 3y ago

I would assume the issue would be that a government agency is reversing UFO tech and congress doesn't know about it, not just that it's being done. A government agency going rogue in such a manner would be a big concern

Sunspark 3y ago
Agreed. Many implications. If technology is reverse-engineered in secret while government funded and then patented to a private corporation, is this not theft from the people if they try to sell it for profit? Security threats are a concern as well, civilians are not allowed to possess weaponry more powerful than what the military has, etc.
cubefox 3y ago
What does it mean to "reverse" UFO tech?
- thatguy0900 3y ago
  Reverse engineering a UFO would be disassembling and studying it so that we can recreate it or repurpose the technologies in it. Presumably it would have some manner of exotic engine or power source or perhaps weapons, etc.
  - HideousKojima 3y ago
    For an example of this from the early Cold War, see the Tupolev Tu-4. The Soviets took the wrecks of three downed US B-29s from WWII and spent huge amounts of money and manpower studying them and developing copies of them since US strategic bomber tech was so far ahead of their own. Supposedly (though I'd need to find a source again) there was a bullet hole in the wing of one of the recovered B-29s that the Soviets faithfully recreated in the Tu-4 thinking it was part of the actual design. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-4 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-4
    - cubefox 3y ago
      Interesting, though the B-29s were IFOs (identified flying objects). And very much not of extra terrestrial origin... There was a similar story: https://fstoppers.com/film/how-soviet-union-snapped-first-picture-far-side-moon-captured-air-force-kodak-325971 https://fstoppers.com/film/how-soviet-union-snapped-first-pi...
- anigbrowl 3y ago
  Reverse engineering
throwaway743 3y ago
The claims are not that it's so much a rogue gov agency, but that it's buried by contractors who aren't tied to the requirements agencies have.

ellisv 3y ago

> I don't understand cutting all funding for reversing such technology. As I understand it, only "secret, unreported programs" would lose funding.

anigbrowl 3y ago

It sounds like a dramatic step without necessarily having any real impact. If as I suspect these UFO claims are largely BS, then it's an easy way to impress the disturbingly large sector of the public that lives in a conspiratorial fantasy land.

michaelbuckbee 3y ago

It's the carrot and the stick: - Stick. Today a program that is doing "Advanced Propulsion Research" that happened to be reverse engineering UFO tech would be perfectly legal. Cutting funding for this, unless explicitly authorized, opens up liability for anyone in the government and related contractors. - Carrot. The amnesty is an opportunity to come forward without the liability.

bqmjjx0kac 3y ago
> that happened to be reverse engineering UFO tech would be perfectly legal. Enter the intergalactic copyright lawyers...

ElevenLathe 3y ago

We want the shiny tech, but if the studying shiny tech is a way to step around appropriations, then there are very powerful people who will want to stop that (Congress), since it threatens the very thing that makes them powerful. Sounds to be more about DC power politics than alien technology.

bostonsre 3y ago

If there are indeed people that work on this stuff, are paid well, and this stops funding maybe disclosing it to congress is a way to get the gravy train turned back on.