Always 2 wars, never 1 (Peace Class)

Friends, this is the talk I gave last week presented here edited by Wisdom Quarterly:

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The War of Opinions

Should I write DC a strongly-worded letter?

When we are belligerent and violent, there are always two wars happening simultaneously, the War of Bombs and the War of Opinions.

 

The War of Bombs requires the War of Opinions as its fuel. If we end the War of Opinions, we simultaneously end the War of Bombs.

 

Is this what John Lennon and Yoko Ono meant?

We are all responsible for the War of Opinions, so we can end it at any time. The way we end the War of Opinions is by thinking then saying this: "Whatever opinion you hold, I have compassion for you, and whatever opinion I hold, I have compassion for myself."

 

If we choose these mental positions, we will never have to agree with each other to see the end of belligerence, violence, war, disputes, arguments, and doing harm.

First we disagree then we go to war

(Maron in the Garage) I can no longer talk to my Trump voter friends

 

Talking is easy; doing is a little harder.

The true cause of violence is not disagreement; it is how we think about each other and feel about each other when we disagree with each other.

 

Violence can only happen if it is acceptable for us to withhold compassion from those with whom we disagree. This is the cause of war.

 

Our differences of opinion do not cause violence. What causes violence is that we are willing to withhold compassion from others, any others, because of their opinions.

Jewish Pres. Bernie wants war

(The Financial Express) Independent/Democratic presidential candidate

Bernie Sanders declares political war against Trump and U.S. oligarchs

 

As soon as we become unwilling to withhold compassion from anyone, we will see the end of violence, immediately, at that exact moment.

 

When our compassion ends nowhere, there will be peace on earth.

 

Opinions (holding views)

It's you, Bibi. - No, Donny, you're the War Prez

We are taught to use the opinions of others to justify withholding compassion from them.

• Views (Buddhism)

There is only one reason to withhold compassion from anyone: to actively build more violence on this planet. That's what our withheld compassion does.

 

If we are trying to accomplish something other than that by withholding compassion, then we are using the wrong tool. If we want to build peace, the tool that will build it is compassion-for-all.

Bob Dylan "The Times They Are a-Changin'"

 

These times

Peace Class meets Wednesdays on Zoom at 6:00 pm (PT) Zoom ID: 821 5047 2713. 

.

It's a dog's life these days.

The trouble with these times [is that they aren't a-changin' enough] is that many are trying to build peace by withholding compassion from those who disagree with them. That action builds war. So they are trying to build peace with that which only builds war.

 

That is like saying, "I'd like to build a house to sleep in, a good strong dwelling, so I'm going to build it out of water." [What do we think we are, fish, mermaids, aquatic plants?]

Man builds Water House, uses wood

(President Chay) I built a [waterproof] house and filled it with water

 

Now if we could just nail into sheet water.

Water is useful for many things, but we can't cut it into blocks and build shelters with it. [What if we freeze it first? Igloo ice, sure, but this is water we're talking about, not permafrost ice in the arctic.]

 

Our misunderstandings are so basic to our belief system that we do not see that we are trying to build a house with something we cannot build a house with. That's how elemental our misunderstandings are. But that's also how powerful our opportunities are.

 

All we need to do is say, "Now that I can see that I've been trying to build a house with blocks of water, let me try again, but with blocks of wood, and see what happens." Voila: a beautiful, solid house.

A house made of water would not be nearly so nice or durable...or livable at all.

 

Not by hatred but by...this is an eternal law.

And so it is with peace. We can say, "Let me try using compassion-for-all to build peace, and see if that works any better than withholding compassion." And it will work every time. That is an eternal and universal law.

One can't build walls with wet fluid water; one can't build true and lasting peace with hatred of the people who disagree with us.

 

I had a water house once, called the Sea

Our hatred builds something: It builds more of the Era of Belligerence.

It does not build peace in the world. It also does not build peace for us personally — in our day-to-day experience, our family and circle of friends, our workplace and our minds/hearts.

 

What builds peace for us, in our personal experience, is to say this: "I disagree with that point of view yet still have compassion for the person who holds it."

 

That builds the kind of deep peace that makes it easier for us to do everything we have to do throughout the day. It makes it easier to be a parent, easier to be a friend, easier to be a whatever.

Buddhist/Shinto real "mermaid" from Japan: Ningyo-no-zu (Bunka 2, 1805)

.

A war brings these forces to our attention, but they are always at play, in smaller ways, within our lives. Disagreements break out in the home and the workplace. And we always make more peace for ourselves when we feel and think this:

 

"I disagree with the way my boss (spouse, child, friend, whoever) sees this situation. Still, I hold deep compassion for this person."

The War of Bombs

Pentagon lies, manipulates U.S. press

(The Young Turks) Leaked documents reveal hidden U.S. deployment to Iran for Israel

DIMMU BORGIR "Puritania" (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

That'll teach 'em to disagree with us, eh, John?

The War of Bombs requires the War of Opinions to exist. Without our War of Opinions, their War of Bombs will very quickly lose steam and peter out.

 

A fire requires fuel -- such as wood and oxygen, plus certain conditions, like heat and the absence of rain.

 

War is a Racket. Just ask Fatty Fatpants

Similarly, the fire of war requires certain conditions to ignite and burn and grow.

Remove the War of Opinions and, no matter how many lit matches are thrown onto the fire of war, it will not ignite.

 

Compassion-for-all is like soaking fuel used in the fire of war. No matter how many flames are dropped on wet wood, it won't catch on fire. Our compassion-for-all ends this war and every war.

 

I serve my king with no question, Sir. - Good boy

When our compassion ends nowhere, there will be peace on earth. When our compassion goes everywhere, there is no ready fuel for war.

 

What will happen when we start to pair compassion-for-all with whatever opinion (view) we hold?

 

Could we eat our way to peace, Will Tuttle?

What will happen is that we will spend more time in our Peace Mind, which is the higher portion of our consciousness. And when we do this, we'll see new solutions—solutions that already exist, except that we cannot see them yet because they can only be seen from the more loving portion of consciousness.

 

When we have compassion for others, we free them from our hatred, vitriol, animosity, belligerence, so they visit their Peace Minds more often, too.

 

Republican gals love soldiers who kill for God.

And when we are all in our Peace Minds, new solutions will be so easy to see that we almost won't be able to comprehend how we ever stayed at war or disagreeing for so long.

 

Solutions to our problems already exist. Whether we can see them yet depends on our perspective. Where are we placing conscious attention in our own consciousness? Is it our Peace Mind?

 

It's not that this conflict, or any conflict, is based on an unsolvable problem. It's that we cannot yet see a solution that will resolve this issue from our current perspective.

 

Move our perspective, and the preexisting solution becomes apparent.

 

What's the one thing we can do to serve the world? We can learn to transition our own perspective upwards so we can see more solutions and bring more innovations to humanity.

 

What's another thing we can do? We can pair compassion with everything we think and feel. Compassion can be added to any thought, like this:

 

"I greatly disagree with what that leader has done, and I have compassion for everyone who lives in that country, even for the leader herself," or "I think that's a terrible thing to do, and I have compassion for the person who has done it." Just add one in.

I love you, Yoko. - STFU, John. (Peace❤️Truth)

No consensus of opinion needs to be reached to end the War of Opinions. We can end war without a single opinion ever changing.

 

We end it by adding our compassion-for-everyone to any opinion we have.

 

That ends the war, because now it's not a War of Opinions that we're seated within—it's simply a landscape of opinions that are allowed to exist.

 

It's not a War of Opinions when there is compassion-for-all present. Now it's a community of unique human individuals who compassionately respect each other. We came here to be unique.

 

We did not come here to create a consensus of opinion. We came here to be in a vibrant (lively and diverse) community of original thinkers, coexisting, more than tolerating but appreciating differences.

Peace Class, free, Wednesdays on Zoom

We came here to learn how to do that in peace.

 

What makes that possible is this phrase: Regardless of how we see things, we have compassion for one another. That choice-of-thought builds the kind of peace we came here to build.

In peace, Mandy

• Zoom link to join Peace Class
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• Mandy Kahn (PRS.org), edited by Dhr. Seven (ed.), Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly

US intel by Scott Ritter: Israel, rave (WOW)

Scott Ritter, Danny Haiphong, 11/3/23; Pfc. Sandoval, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

US Marine Intelligence Officer Scott Ritter: Israel is destroying itself and political Zionism and settler colonialism to get a state is over.

Scott Ritter: Israel in BIG TROUBLE as its War on Gaza inflames regional tensions

(Danny Haiphong) Friend of the show and former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter reflects on Israel's war on Gaza and whether regional forces such as Hezbollah will enter into the conflict in a major way.

• Israel has been lying, spreading atrocity propaganda
• Israel was outwitted by Hamas/El Qassam Brigades
• Israel has been committing war crimes for decades
• Israel uses kibbutz system to steal land, spy on Gaza
• Israeli rave was half attended by armed active military
• The other half was former military young people
• What the US military knows and has warned Israel...

Support independent media by making a paid contribution to keep the work alive on Patreon: dannyhaiphong. This program is being CENSORED. Be sure to get updates on LIVE programs by subscribing to free newsletter: Support the channel in other ways: Substack: chroniclesofhaiphong.substack... for paid annual memberships. One-time donations: BUY A COFFEE: buymeacoffee.com/dannyhai... Cashapp: $Dhaiphong Venmo: @dannyH2020 Paypal: paypal.me/spiritofho. Follow on Telegram and find all work here: linktr.ee/haiphongpress #gaza #israel #scottritter

Music's bad, make it worse: Metal, Punk, Thrash

Finn McKenty, MBA; Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

(Carcass) Vegan British grindcore death metal with a beat? It's classic "Corporal Jigsore Quandary"

The Ultimate METAL Starter Kit

Old Man Finn Mckenty, Aug. 11, 2023: The ultimate metal starter kit is here! From classic metal to death metal to death and grindcore and more -- all the best metal bands that one needs to know are in the metal starter kit.

The Punk Rock Starter Kit

Funny Man Finn Mckenty, Aug. 17, 2022: The punk starter kit is here! Including punk bands like Ramones, Sex Pistols, Bad Religion, Crass, NOFX, Bad Religion, Subhumans, DI, Descendents, Misfits, Operation Ivy, and Nausea. Where to they belong? Find out in the punk rock starter kit.

Thrash Freekin Metal - is it dead?

What killed thrash metal?

COVERED: The Big Four: Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, Anthrax, and other thrash bands like Exodus, Testament, Forbidden, and Dark Angel. There's crossover (from punk to) thrash bands like Suicidal Tendencies, DRI, SOD, and Excel. There's a German thrash scene: Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, and Brazil's own Sepultura. How Pantera and grunge killed thrash, then Municipal Waste, Havok, and Toxic Holocaust brought it back.

🔴 TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/finnmckenty -- 🎉 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thepunkrockmba -- 🔊 PODCAST (Spotify): https://bit.ly/prmbapodcast 🔊 PODCAST (Apple Podcasts): https://bit.ly/prmbapod ▶️ SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: https://bit.ly/prmbalist -- 🕹️ DISCORD: https://discord.gg/9GbTq4d8Pe 📲 INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/finnmckenty 📲 TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@finnmckenty 📲 TWITTER: https://twitter.com/thepunkrockmba 📲 LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnmckenty/ -- 👕 MERCH: https://prmbamerchstore.com/

Eva the European wanders USA and Mexico

Eva zu Beck, Jan. 20, 2023; Crystal Quintero, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

How I see the USA as a European passing through for 6 months

(Eva zu Beck) Culture shock? What are the differences between the EU (Europe) and the USA (America)? Positive surprises, struggles, regrets?

It's good to quickly learn the local language.

I share my impressions of the United States of America after spending six months traveling through the country. Then I dip into the Mexican United States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos), its actual name, which is in a special niche of North America some call Mesoamerica, which is very different from Central and South Americas. There are many Americas.

 

 

Reckon I should come back? → For exclusive news and behind the scenes, support on Patreon: patreon.com/evazubeck → Thanks to my wonderful supporters on Patreon: More

So you want to be a writer? (Here's how!)

Colum McCann (The Guardian.com, May 2017); Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

How to write a killer opening line. Why Google is not research. When to rip it up and start again. Whatever you do, just write! -- lessons from acclaimed novelist and creative writing Prof. Colum McCann.

^{[Anyone can be a writer, but how does one get to be a published writer?]}

Dear Editors, I have lots of Buddhist opinions.

“Nobody can advise you and help you, nobody,” said Rainer Maria Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet more than a century ago. “There is only one way. Go into yourself.” 

Rilke, of course, was right -- nobody but yourself can help. In the end it all comes down to the strike of the word on the page, not to mention the strike thereafter, and the strike after that. But Rilke was taken by the request from a young writer, and he corresponded with Franz Xaver Kappus in 10 letters over the course of six years.

Rilke’s was advice on matters of religion, love, feminism, sex, art, solitude, and patience, but it was also keyed into the life of the poet and how these things might shape the words upon the page.
 

I'm blasting off for a new career or hobby!

“This most of all,” he says. “Ask yourself in the most silent hour of night: must I write?”

 

Everybody who has ever felt the need to write knows the silent hour. I have come across many such people -- and indeed many such hours -- during my writing and teaching life. I’ve been teaching now for the best part of 20 years.

That’s a lot of chalk and a lot of red pencil. I haven’t loved every minute of it, but I’ve loved most. There’s been a National Book award for one student. A Booker prize for another. Guggenheims. Pushcarts. Mentorships. Friendships. But let’s be honest, there has been burnout, too. There’s been weeping and gnashing of teeth. There have been walkouts. Collapses. Regret.

 

All of these students, bar none, are looking, in Rilke’s words, “to say ecstasies that are unsayable.” The unsayable indeed. The job is theirs. The ability to trust in the difficult. The tenacity to understand that it takes time and patience to succeed.

There are no rules?

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

- W. Somerset Maugham

There are no rules. Or if there are any rules, they are only there to be broken. Embrace these contradictions. You must be prepared to hold two or more opposing ideas in the palms of your hands at the same time. More

• The planet's most prolific novelist (is dead) and still going
• Who is dreaming Finnegans Wake?
• VIDEO: "Raised by Krump" the dance of Los Angeles

• Want to be published in Wisdom Quarterly? Submit your work or idea marked "submission" in the Comments Section below! If it's something we can use (on some topic we cover), instead of ever appearing as a "comment," we'll edit and polish it then create a post with you as the author.
  

Kenna: Vegetarianism and Buddhism (video)

Simply_Kenna, Jan 8, 2016; Crystal Quintero, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Vegetarianism (My Thoughts and Advice)

Hello, Earthlings. Today we'll be talking about vegetarianism, Kenna's thoughts, experiences, and advice. Hope this helps some because, "It takes nothing away from a human to be kind to an animal." Business email: mckenna.kaelin@yahoo.com.

(Earthlings) WARNING: Graphic and disturbing images for those who slaughter, pay others to slaughter, or eat slaughtered animals as food! Getting butchers to kill for us is a kind of killing.

 

(Simply_Kenna) Let's talk about Buddhism and some other stuff.

Is there an afterlife in heaven or REBIRTH in Buddhism? (Yes!)

• VIDEO: Cowspiracy (Netflix)
• The Best Speech You'll Ever Hear

Racism: Killer arrested, charged with murder

Liz Goodwin (Lookout); Frank Newport (Gallup); Wisdom Quarterly
(washingtonpost.com)

Armed vigilante/volunteer Neighborhood Watch patrolman George Zimmerman has been charged with second degree murder.

It carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Colluding officers, police brass, and his allegedly dissembling former judge father have not been charged.

In his foolishness or hubris, the accused murderer has lost contact with his attorneys, who then dumped him. He instead preferred to media spotlight on his own, going on Fox News and starting his own websites, exciting Neo Nazis to patrol in his place and "keep an eye on things."

It is certain they and other American racists hope for any issue that provokes a long awaited "race war" on the 2oth anniversary of the Los Angeles riots following the acquittal of racist, civil rights violating police in the sensational Rodney King trial. Bias is alive and well in many parts of America.

Meanwhile, Zimmerman's alleged second degree murder -- as well as that of police across the country who continue to execute black and brown men on the street and at least two men who seem to have targeted blacks in a shooting spree -- has divided the nation along race lines.

• Prejudice in the Age of Colorblindness
  
• Trayvon Martin case: Poll finds stark racial divide
• VIDEO: The mass incarceration of Americans
  

Going from a plan of mass incarceration, as outlined by Michelle Alexander, to street execution has led the nation from bad to worse, from state crimes to state atrocities.

Blacks, Nonblacks' different views of Martin case
Frank Newport (gallup.com)
PRINCETON, NJ - Black Americans' views differ dramatically from those of nonblacks regarding the circumstances involved in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida on Feburary 26, 2012. Blacks are paying much closer attention to the news of the incident; overwhelmingly believe that George Zimmerman is guilty of a crime; believe that racial bias was a major factor... More

Poll shows big racial divide
Liz Goodwin, Lookout (news.yahoo.com) OPINION
Americans are sharply divided by race in their opinion of the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Florida by a Hispanic neighborhood watchman.

A Gallup/USA Today poll finds that most black Americans (73 percent) think Trayvon Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman, would have been arrested if Martin had been white. Only 33 percent of non-Hispanic white people said the same thing.

The racial divide on Zimmerman's guilt was also big: 51 percent of black people said Zimmerman is "definitely guilty" based on the information available, compared to only 10 percent of whites. About 20 percent of both whites and blacks said Zimmerman was "probably guilty."

Zimmerman told police that he was following Martin because he looked "suspicious" when the unarmed 17-year-old then attacked him. Zimmerman said he shot Martin in self-defense. He hasn't been charged. Martin's family says Zimmerman followed and then attacked and shot Martin in an act of vigilante policing.

An earlier Pew Research Center poll found that only 16 percent of black people said there had been too much media coverage of the shooting, compared to 43 percent of white people. The Gallup poll of more than 3,000 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Source

Occupy: "What Would Jello Do?" (video)

Jello Biafra; Occupy Movement; Wisdom Quarterly

(AlternativeTentacles) What Occupy Wall Street Should Do

Starting with Occupy Wall Street, punk icon Jello Biafra moves from a maximum wage to the Tea Party to UK Uncut to former Senator Hollings to taxing the rich to the Green Party and beyond! One day his insight and seasoned wisdom will get the attention it merits. He is important for his integrity, music, and positions on important social issues -- even having run for political office -- that we find ourselves asking from time to time, What would Jello do?

Censorship Then and Now
“The word is out on the teenage sex thing. It will be quite difficult to get the toothpaste back into the tube. I don’t think Mrs. Gore is going to be the one to do it. And I think she should give up trying for everybody’s sake” – Christopher Hitchens, March 14, 1988.

(RC) Dead Kennedys' frontman, Jello Biafra, stands up to Tipper Gore (former VP Gore's wife) on an ancient episode of the now defunct "Oprah Show." Oprah used to be a famous voice on afternoon TV who vanished into the oblivion of her OWN network with her billion-dollar fortune and mild case of megalomania. Does Tipper's behavior make her a hypocrite? While Mr. Gore may or may not be good for the environment (having left out the Number One source of greenhouse gases from meat production and slaughter in "An Inconvenient Truth"), Tipper's PRMC tried to ruin music to save it.

• Tipper Gore: Mrs. Sugar Walls
  
• Sticker price: Race, sex, PMRC label
• AUDIO: "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables" An immortal classic, one of the most important punk rock records of all time
  

(ANTIanitmetalclub) Jello Biafra with the Dead Kennedys

"When You Get Drafted"
Are you believing the morning papers?
War is coming back in style.
There's generals here, advisers there,
And Russians nibbling everywhere.
The chessboard's filling up with red.
We make more profits when we blow off their heads.

Economy is looking bad.
Let's start another war / when ya get drafted
Fan the fires of racist hatred.
We want total war / when ya get drafted

Drooling fingers, panic buttons
Playing with missiles like they're toys
There's easy money, easy jobs
Especially when you build the bombs
That blow big cities off the map
Just guess who profits when we build 'em back up?

Yeah, what Big Business wants Big Business gets,
It wants a war! / when ya get drafted
Trilateral Commission goonies
Laugh and scheme for more

Call the Army! Call the Navy! / when ya get drafted
Stocked with kids from slums
If you can't afford a slick attorney
We might make you a spy.

Forget your demonstrations.
Kids today sit on their ass / when ya get drafted
Just a six-pack and you're happy.
We're prepared for when ya get drafted.

Is Burma the next Mexico?

Federico Varese (OPINION), Reuters.com
Hillary Clinton had many “hard issues” to tackle during her recent visit to Burma (Myanmar). Yet there was no mention of one of the most, if not the most, difficult issue Burma faces: their lucrative drug trade.

Northern Burma is the home of the “Golden Triangle,” a hub for opium production and the location of hundreds of heroin and amphetamine refineries. So how do political leaders and the international community plan to tackle this problem in the event that Burma truly becomes a democratic country?

The totalitarian regime which has ruled Burma since 1962 has been, to a point, successful in keeping the production of illicit substances under control. In 1999, Burma’s notorious military junta... More

Public Opinion Polls on UFO beliefs

The public already believes (UFOevidence.org)

Public opinion is as important as the reality because, more than reality, it leads to action (theragblog).

Public Opinion Polls on UFOs

Numerous public opinion polls from the last 50 years from different countries report very consistent and similar findings: 50% of the population believes in the reality of UFOs; 5% has seen a UFO.

Canadian UFO Poll: 3 million Canadians have seen UFOs
A national survey by an independent research consortium has found that 9.6% of all Canadians believe they have seen UFOs. "This translates into nearly 3 million people who say they are UFO witnesses," notes Chris Rutkowski, project coordinator.

Condon Report: Public Attitudes Toward UFO Phenomena
Aldora Lee, The Condon Report, Sec. 3, Chp. 7

Reported in this chapter are the findings of four opinion surveys conducted during the spring of 1968. The major surveys were of 2050 adults and 451 teenagers, representing a cross-section of the U.S. population. The other two surveys concerned college students and UFO sighters. In this report, opinions regarding the proportion of sighters in the United States, opinions regarding the reporting of UFOs, and attitudes toward UFOs and related phenomena are considered.

NIDS Extraterrestrial Intelligence Online Survey Results

NIDS (National Institute for Discovery Science)

Poll Reveals UFO Belief
Sci Fi Wire (Sci Fi Channel, Oct. 17, 2002)

A new national poll found that 72 percent of Americans believe the government is not telling the public everything it knows about UFO activity, and 68 percent think the government knows more about extraterrestrial life than it is letting on, the SCI FI Channel reported.

In ancient times an ancient tablet reveals that everyone not only believed but lived the reality of extraterrestrial visitors.

Poll: U.S. hiding knowledge of aliens

(CNN, June 15, 1997) Nearly 50 years since an alleged UFO was sighted at Roswell, New Mexico, a CNN/Time poll shows that 80 percent of Americans think the government is hiding knowledge of the existence of extraterrestrial life forms.

Poll: U.S. hiding knowledge of aliens (CNN, 1997)

(CNN, June 15, 1997) Nearly 50 years since an alleged UFO was sighted at Roswell, New Mexico, a new CNN/Time poll released Sunday shows that 80 percent of Americans think the government is hiding knowledge of the existence of extraterrestrial life forms.

Public Opinion Surveys and Unidentified Flying Objects: 50+ years of Sampling Public Opinions (PDF)
John F. Schuessler, International Director, MUFON (Mutual UFO Network)
Public opinion surveys fill an important need in business, politics, and advertising. For more than 50 years surveys of public opinions about Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) have been conducted to satisfy a variety of customers. While the numbers h ave fluctuated from time to time, the general results of these surveys showed the public to be very aware of UFO sightings, interested in what may be causing them, and concerned that the government was not doing enough to resolve the mystery. The purpose of this paper is to summarize a large number of surveys of public opinions about UFOs, starting in 1947 and continuing to the present.

Roper Poll Survey 1999 - Press Release
NIDS (National Institute for Discovery Science)

A nationwide survey by the Roper Organization has uncovered the following: when asked what they thought UFOs were, 25% thought they were alien spaceships, 12% thought they were secret government programs, 9% said hallucinations, 19% said UFOs are normal events that are misinterpreted by witnesses, and 7% said travelers from other dimensions.

Roper Poll Survey 1999 - Survey Data and Methodology
National Institute of Discovery Science (NIDS)

It goes much further than "belief," many Americans have contacted the others. There are many "others." And then as now they have many agendas and are engaged in many different activities on this planet.

Roper Poll Survey on "The Day After Contact"
National Institute of Discovery Science (NIDS)

How would humans react if E.T. landed? That is the question explored by the 1999 Roper Poll Survey, on behalf of the National Institute of Discovery Science.

Roper Poll Survey on UFOs and Extraterrestrials 1999 (PDF)
National Institute of Discovery Science (NIDS)

The 1999 Roper Poll on human reaction to contact with extraterrestrial civilizations.

Sci Fi Channel / Roper Poll 2002: UFOs & Extraterrestrial Life
Sci Fi Channel

The 2002 Roper Poll, commissioned by the Sci Fi Channel, on UFOs and Extraterrestrial Life, found that 72 percent of Americans believe the government is not telling the public everything it knows about UFO activity, and 68 percent think the government knows more about extraterrestrial life than it is letting on, the SCI FI Channel reported. This page has the results and summary of the survey.

Sci Fi Channel / Roper UFOs Poll 2002: Majority Already Believe in the Extraterrestrial
Sci Fi Channel/Roper Poll 2002
More than half (56 percent) of the American public think that UFOs are something real and not just in people's imagination. Nearly as many (48 percent) believe that UFOs have visited earth in some form.

Sci Fi Channel / Roper UFOs Poll 2002: Many Wonder What Government Really Knows About Other Intelligent Life
Sci Fi Channel/Roper Poll 2002
More than two-thirds of Americans say that the government is not telling the public everything it knows about UFO activity (72 percent) or extraterrestrial life (68 percent).

Sci Fi Channel/Roper UFOs Poll 2002: Most Americans Psychologically Prepared for Proof of Extraterrestrial Life
Sci Fi Channel/Roper 2002 Poll
Three in Four (74 percent) Claim They Are At Least Somewhat Psychologically Prepared For an Official Government Announcement Regarding the Discovery of Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life.

Sci Fi Channel/Roper UFOs Poll 2002: UFO Experiences Are Not Foreign to Americans
Sci Fi Channel/Roper Poll 2002
One in seven Americans say they or someone they know has had an experience involving a UFO.

Sci Fi Channel/Roper UFOs Poll 2002: Highlights
Sci Fi Channel

Overview and highlights from the recent poll, "UFOs and Extraterrestrial Life."

Summaries of Some Recent Opinion Polls on UFOs
Alberta UFO Study Group

In studying the UFO phenomenon I am always stuck by the results of the most recent surveys. Recall the argument that there would be wide spread panic if the government announced that there was an extraterrestrial presence visiting earth. Well every polling result in the last 10 years simply doesn’t support that argument.

The Attitudes of Canadians Toward the Existence of Extra-Terrestrial Life and UFOs
Geoff Dittman

Survey of several major opinion polls taken of Canadian's beliefs on UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Over the years, a consistently large portion of the Canadian population has expressed a belief in UFOs and aliens. I did manage to locate four professional polls and an informal survey conducted by ufologists. The first poll goes back to 1974, the last to 1997.

UFOs: Seeking the Truth Through Savvy Marketing
Leonard David, Space.com, Oct. 25, 2002 More