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That’s all well-put. (btw First alleged MiB incident is the Maury Island 1947 one, which was abduction-free). So, that most SETI of all SETI people, Carl Sagan

That’s all well-put. (btw First alleged MiB incident is the Maury Island 1947 one, which was abduction-free). So, that most SETI of all SETI people, Carl Sagan posed the role of the security apparatus in Contact, in the form of NSC head Michael Kitz. The film version gace superficial treatment - Kitz locks down message data, and at the end repudiates Arroway’s visit. In his book version, however, the state apparatus is much more insidious. The astronauts (plural, multiple countries rep’d) are threatened with having their psychological reputations destroyed if they ever utter a word that their encounter ever actually took place, or contravene the governments’ (plural) line that the intended journey had failed. Arroway takes extraordinary measures to make sure her hidden testimony will get out ‘should anything happen to her’. Sagan had a security clearance. One is left with the impression that maybe he wasn’t just making up conflict for dramatic reasons.

psunavy03 1y ago
I held a security clearance for 20+ years, and I am not in violation of my NDA to merely observe that government secrets tend to be a lot more mundane than conspiracy theorists often want them to be. Sometimes some really cool engineering is involved, but still. The laws of physics are what they are, and governments keep things secret to avoid giving their playbooks and sources of information away to adversaries, not because they've re-discovered magic.
- protocolture 1y ago
  >I held a security clearance for 20+ years, and I am not in violation of my NDA to merely observe that government secrets tend to be a lot more mundane than conspiracy theorists often want them to be. Government secrets can be super mundane and still angering the wrong people can lead to abuse. IIRC Brian Toohey "leaked" information that was on the public record in the USA. The Australian government still pursued him over it. IIRC the claimed harassment campaign has strong overlaps with Men In Black shenanigans.

psunavy03 1y ago

I held a security clearance for 20+ years, and I am not in violation of my NDA to merely observe that government secrets tend to be a lot more mundane than conspiracy theorists often want them to be. Sometimes some really cool engineering is involved, but still. The laws of physics are what they are, and governments keep things secret to avoid giving their playbooks and sources of information away to adversaries, not because they've re-discovered magic.

protocolture 1y ago
>I held a security clearance for 20+ years, and I am not in violation of my NDA to merely observe that government secrets tend to be a lot more mundane than conspiracy theorists often want them to be. Government secrets can be super mundane and still angering the wrong people can lead to abuse. IIRC Brian Toohey "leaked" information that was on the public record in the USA. The Australian government still pursued him over it. IIRC the claimed harassment campaign has strong overlaps with Men In Black shenanigans.