ParaNet BBS/future

ParaNet BBS/future

File Name:	future.txt
Author:	Unknown
Date:	Unknown
Posting BBS:	Unknown
BBS Main Page:	ParaNet Main Page
Key Words:	ParaNet, UFO, Ufology

PARANET: The Next Generation
By Michael Corbin, Director of ParaNet
In  his article "ParaNet: Five Years and Counting" in this  issue
of  <B>CONTINUUM<D>, the first Director of ParaNet, Jim Speiser,  tells
why ParaNet was started and how it came to be what it is. Now, as
the current Director of ParaNet, I'd like to map out where  we're
trying to go, as well as some of the opportunities and dangers  I
see lurking along the way.
In  recent years the public has become increasingly aware of  the
UFO   phenomenon.  UFO  vocabulary,  images,  and  concepts   are
appearing  with  increasing  frequency not  only  in  the  weekly
tabloids  (where they have been for a long time) but also in  the
advertising,  entertainment,  and even news  programming  of  the
mainstream  media. Unfortunately, there is precious  little  real
information  content in all of this--and what little  information
there  is comes laced both with misinformation generated  by  the
careless,  and with poisonous disinformation generated  by  those
who do not want the truth to be known.
In  some  quarters of the UFO community this has  resulted  in  a
pervasive  atmosphere  of mistrust and paranoia,  which  is  both
unproductive  and unnecessary. Certainly the UFO  phenomenon  has
some very bizarre elements to it, and taken in isolation this can
lead  to  unreasoning fear. But I am convinced  that  a  positive
public education campaign, if based on hard data instead of  wild
speculation,  will yield a society better equipped to  deal  with
whatever  the phenomenon finally turns out to be. The  mainstream
media, unfortunately, have treated the subject in a very  sterile
way, and failed to appeal to the intellect of the people  despite
solid  evidence that the phenomenon is in fact  "real"  (whatever
that means). In the meantime, people are still being subjected to
encounters  which  leave them frightened  and  confused,  thereby
fomenting  a  deep a lack of confidence in  both  the  scientific
community and the government. Many people want to know more about
what  is  happening, but they have nowhere to go for  a  rational
perspective on the deepening mystery. Where to turn? Clearly what
is  needed  is  a public resource to  spur  both  discussion  and
education on the basis of reliable data.
Jim  Speiser founded ParaNet for just such purposes:  to  provide
the  public  with  a forum where a wide range  of  ideas  can  be
discussed without fear of reprisal; where high-quality,  reliable
information  about  the paranormal can be made  available;  where
research  and  education  can take place side  by  side.  When  I
reflect  back  to  February of 1988, when  Jim  turned  over  the
directorship  of  ParaNet to me, I realize that we  have  already
come a very long way; but there is still a long, arduous  journey
ahead  to  realize  the full potential of  our  network  and  its
benefits to the public. As Jim mentioned in his article, we  have
built  ParaNet into an international affiliation  of  scientists,
journalists, top UFO researchers, and a host of other curious and
concerned  people,  all focusing their attention on  this  global
enigma.  In the last three years, fueled in part by my own  brief
exposure to the UFO phenomenon and my disgust with the charlatans
rampant  in  the  field, we have moved ahead  with  a  continuing
program  of network expansion, public education,  and  scientific
research and investigation which is, I believe, unequaled in  the
field of Ufology.
In the future, our focus will be be directed toward bringing  the
existing  credible UFO organizations together on  common  ground.
This  will  be accomplished in part through  a  new  organization
known  as  MICAP (Multi-national  Investigations  Cooperative  on
Aerial Phenomena), a non-profit research and educational  vehicle
with investigative capabilities. In addition, ParaNet itself will
also  turn more of its attention to investigative reporting;  and
we  intend  to make sure that the information published  by  both
organizations will be highly reliable as well as interesting.  As
evidenced  by  the birth of <B>CONTINUUM<D>, ParaNet is  expanding  its
operations to include regular publications to get the news out to
those  who  do not use a computer and a modem; and we  intend  to
continue our expansion into the global Internet for those who do.
These  are just a few of the many things we have on  the  drawing
board.  Our  problem is not going to be finding  things  to  keep
ourselves busy, but finding the time and the people to accomplish
everything  we already know has to be done. It's a  challenge  we
welcome--and we hope you will, too.
Finally,  I wish to thank all those who have already  contributed
so much to ParaNet's continuing success. Some of them are:
*Jim  Speiser,  Don  Ecker,  and  Clark  Matthews,  for  their never-ending  devotion  to the survival of ParaNet  as  a  viable
network;
*Vicki Cooper and Shari Stark, publishers of UFO Magazine,  for their  commitment  to information exchange and reaching  a  wider
audience;
*Paul  Faeder and Doug Rogers, two of my  close  cohorts,  for their patience during my brief tour of the western United States,
which led me to Las Vegas and Los Angeles and ultimately back  to
Denver--where  I  find that home is the Mile High City  with  its
majestic mountains and clean air;
*Cyro Lord and Roger Black for their hard and often  thankless
work in implementing our connection to the Internet;
*and finally all the ParaNet sysops who have struggled  through
the  thick  and  thin  of this with  us,  and  without  whom  the
integrity  and  quality of this network would not be what  it  is
today.
<B>Onward and upward ...<D>