Locals Living Near Area 51 Brace For Possible Invasion

It started as a joke on Facebook. But suddenly it exploded with over 1.5 million people "signing up" to "storm Area 51" in Nevada "to see them aliens."

Visitors are expected at Area 51 - Photo: Alamy

The Facebook event, called "Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us," says this: "We will all meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center tourist attraction and coordinate our entry. If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Let’s see them aliens."

The "naruto run," explains The Guardian newspaper, "refers to the particular, oft-memed, ostrich-like sprint of a popular Japanese anime character."

CBS8's I-Team filed this excellent video report about how local residents are preparing for up to a million people invading their neighborhood in the shadow of the secret facility. Not everyone is thrilled. Some who live near Groom Lake are apprehensive.


The US military is also apprehensive, points out The Guardian:

The US Air Force, however, is not amused, with a spokeswoman telling the New York Times “any attempt to illegally access military installations or military training areas is dangerous”. “No trespassing” signs in the area reportedly state that the use of “deadly force” against intruders is authorized.

Even world-famous Area 51 whistle blower Bob Lazar is urging people to stay away and not to invade the top secret facility. He says there are no aliens and no alien technology at Area 51, as reported by AVClub.com.

Clinton Publicly Discussed Area 51 Eight Years Before Obama Joked About It

December 9, 2013 - The media today is busy claiming that Barack Obama is the first president to publicly mention Area 51. Lazy reporters and lazy editors let this story go out, but is it true? Sort of, but technically no.

Image source: Weekly World News

Obama joked about Area 51 during a tribute to actress Shirley MacLaine at a reception last night (Sunday, Dec. 8) to honor recipients of Kennedy Center Honors. MacLaine was one of the honorees. Obama referred to Area 51 by saying that newly elected presidents are asked "what's really going on in Area 51?"

Area 51 is a secretive military facility at dry Groom Lake in Lincoln County, Nevada (map). It's been rumored for decades that the military keeps UFOs and even extraterrestrials at Area 51. Also called Homey Airport, it is officially part of Edwards Air Force Base.

"When I wanted to know, I'd call Shirley MacLaine," Obama joked. MacLaine is known for her deep interest in the paranormal, including the possibility of UFOs and extraterrestrial visitations. She writes about it on her website. "I think I just became the first President to ever publicly mention Area 51," Obama added. 

The media ran with it. Bloggers ran with it. Some treated Obama's mention of Area 51 as though a great state secret had just been revealed. PBS ran a story today with this misleading headline: "The Secret's Out: Obama Acknowledges Existence Of Area 51."

But Obama revealed no secrets at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night, and the PBS story even noted that the CIA "confirmed the existence of Area 51, officially known as the Nevada Test and Training Range and Groom Lake" this past August.

"Mr. Obama did mention Area 51 - but said not a word about the kind of work that goes on there," wrote Knoller, "It's still highly classified." He got that wrong: As noted above, CIA admits it exists. In fact, a 1992 CIA report was declassified in August, 2013. That report not only mentioned Area 51, it even said where it is.  

Obama may be the first sitting president to publicly mention Area 51, he is not the first president to do so.

Former President Bill Clinton discussed Area 51 in 2005 during a public question-and-answer session in Hong Kong, and you can watch that video here.

Mark Knoller at CBS News wrote an article titled "Is Obama really the first president to publicly mention Area 51?" Knoller wrote, "President Obama was right Sunday when he said he was likely the first U.S. president ever to make public mention of Area 51 - the off-limits military base near Groom Lake, Nev., at which top secret and sometimes mysterious and suspicious activities are carried out."

Knoller was technically incorrect to say Obama was right. But I give Knoller credit because, unlike most of the mainstream media - and far too many bloggers - he at least questioned the veracity of Obama's tongue-in-cheek claim to be the first president to publicly mention Area 51. Knoller mentioned Clinton three times in his article, he somehow missed Clinton's 2005 Hong Kong mention of Area 51. Maybe he was unaware of that, or maybe he chose to ignore because Clinton was no longer a sitting president in 2005. But the last time I checked, former US presidents retain the title of "President" after they leave office.

All in all, it was a fluffy, fun and insignificant thing that Obama said. It was, admittedly, funny. At least he didn't threaten to invade Area 51 as President Dwight Eisenhower is said to have done.

Also See:

• Obama is first president to mention Area 51, technically OpenMinds.tv
• Clinton Extends Maximum Security & Protection To Area 51 Rense.com

Secrecy in the Illinois State Capitol

February 18, 2010 - Yesterday, the Illinois Senate met in private to review a report on state finances. That's right, in private. A secret meeting to discuss the way your tax dollars are being managed - and mismanaged. The media and the public were actually barred from entering the Senate chambers. That's illegal as hell. 

The State-Journal Register reports:

FOR ABOUT 90 MIN­UTES Wednesday, senators gathered be­hind closed doors to hear a presentation from researchers with the Denver-based Na­tional Conference of State Legislatures about state budgets and the national economy. Senate President John Cullerton and Minority Leader Christine Radogno defended closing the meeting, saying that senators would be more comfortable in the discussion if their questions and remarks were not subject to public scrutiny. Cullerton said this applied especially to senators involved in elec­tions. 

The SJR points out that the closed session is a violation of the Illinois Constitution. To say the least, it stinks and should rightly be viewed with suspicion.

The Chicago Tribune weighed in, too (emphasis added):

At 10 a.m. Wednesday a respected research group, the Pew Center on the States, rolled out a report on severely unfunded pension obligations. One key finding: Illinois ranks dead-last nationally in the percentage of necessary money it has set aside to pay public employees' pensions. 

At precisely that moment, the Illinois Senate was meeting — illegally, we suspect — in closed-door session to hear a presentation about state budget problems nationwide. "You know you're not invited," Senate President John Cullerton told Statehouse reporters — including the Tribune's Ray Long, who was denied entry by the sergeant-at-arms when he sought to follow Cullerton into the meeting room. 

"Not invited," the man said! Perhaps John Cullerton hasn't read the state constitution, which mandates an open invitation to the press and public for meeting such as this.

The Tribune continued:

Think long about that. Cullerton, D-Chicago, and every Democratic and Republican senator who played along, didn't think you — or the reporters who try to keep an eye on politicians for you — had any place in that room. The open-meetings provision of the Illinois Constitution be damned. And never mind that you pay for the salaries, staffs and offices of every lawmaker in attendance: Sorry, citizens, it's your money, not your business. 

Today, two very important items come to my inbox from two important political figures: John Bambenek and Adam Andrzejewski. They write about the secrecy and dark chambers in which Illinois Democrats conduct the state's business in the legislature they control. But make no mistake: There were Republicans complicit in the secret meeting yesterday, too.

The deadlocks, corruption, back room dealing and bullying in Illinois' capitol are legendary, and the overwhelming majority of comes directly from the Democrat Party, which controls the Legislature by majority. Certain Republicans share the blame; more on that in the future.

FIGHTING THE SECRECY: The two important items below are press releases, if you will, but they are well written, informative and factual. The first item comes from John Bambenek, a conservative activist and author of the Put-Back Amendment. The second item is from Adam Andrzejewski, former GOP candidate for governor, who continues his activism.

JOHN BAMBENEK (emphasis added):

Something extraordinary happened yesterday. The Democrat-controlled State Senate led by Democrat John Cullerton discussed our state fiscal crisis. What was extraordinary about it is that they met in secret and locked out the press, the cameras and the public. You read that right, they dealt with state business (and likely their massive tax increase plans) in a backroom. Despite our Constitution requiring the Senate to meet in the open and the intent of the Open Meetings Act to require it, they discussed the mess they caused and how they'll take more of our money behind closed doors. They have no shame. [One] Democrat called it a "joint caucus" meeting, so he says it's okay. I could put on a black cape and run circles under the rotunda and call myself Batman, that doesn't make it true. 

But Democrats like Cullerton get away with word games because they have complete power in the legislature. So does Mike Madigan, and that is the problem. How do you deal with a problem like Mike Madigan? In 2012, I plan to throw him a very pleasant retirement party. Here's how. With some of the top minds in Illinois, we wrote the Put-Back Amendment to end the radical consolidation of power in Springfield. It enacts term limits of 8 years, legislative leaders are limited to 4 years. 

All legislation must be made public for 7 days before a final vote. 25 legislators can force an up or down vote on any bill. No longer is it necessary to kiss Mike Madigan's ring to get good law considered. It ends gerrymandering by requiring maps be drawn on objective criteria with anyone (not just corrupt insiders) being able to participate in the map-drawing process. And it returns to 3-member districts with cumulative voting that we had before 1980. What will it cost to have Mike Madigan's retirement party? Just 1 sheet of 15 signatures. If we want to end the culture of corruption and "secret" meetings in Springfield, it costs each of you one petition with 15 signatures in the next 7 days (Feb 26th). If we get 500,000 signatures total by April, we will get this on the ballot. If the voters say yes, it becomes law. 

Mike Madigan cannot stop this. Learn more about the Put-Back Amendment and download petitions at http://www.putbackamendment.com/. Join the facebook page at: http://www.6acebook.com/putback Together we can take back our state from the corrupt Chicago political machine, but its up to us. Can I count on you to get just 1 petition sheet filled and sent back? If so, I look forward to seeing you at Mike Madigan's retirement party in 2012! Sincerely, John Bambenek Precinct Committeeman Champaign County Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JohnBambenek Twitter: http://twitter.com/bambenek 

P.S. The timing of this amendment is critical. If we don't get this on the ballot, Mike Madigan will control the redistricting process and I don't need to tell you how destructive that would be for our party and how legilsators like Rep. Aaron Schock could be forced into retirement. Act now, just 1 [one] sheet is all it takes. Paid for by the Office of John Bambenek, 715 Erin Drive, Champaign, IL 61822. (217) 493 0760 

ADAM ANDRZEJEWSI (emphasis added): 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS RELEASE Contact: Basia Sikora Wednesday, February 17, 2010 (630) 899-9191 Basia@adamforillinois.com The Illinois Senate locks the citzens of Illinois out of public business. “Legislature violates spirit of Open Meetings Act and letter of Illinois Constitution,” says Andrzejewski. Adam Andrzejewski, Founder of good government organization For the Good of Illinois, and former Republican Gubernatorial candidate, is calling on the Illinois legislature to meet the standard they themselves have imposed. “Today, the Illinois political class used the statehouse as their personal private meeting hall, abusing the state constitution, the open meetings act, and the spirit of open and transparent Government” stated Andrzejewski. “Illinois is at the juncture of political and financial crisis.”  

For the first time in state history, the Illinois Senate met in private with the National Conference of State Legislatures under a new extra-legal meeting defined as a “joint caucus”. The Illinois Senate gathered discuss the severity of and solutions to the Illinois budget crisis, a topic that is negatively impacting every Illinois citizen and business. Senate Sergeant at Arms held order and barred entry to the press under threat of arrest.  

“The people of Illinois pay for the lights, heat, building, and the salaries of the every state employee and legislator,” said Andrzejewski, “Yet the people of Illinois were locked out of the discussion.” One wonders what the Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, would say about this event. The Attorney General’s website states; “an open, honest and accountable government, the cornerstone of a democracy, can be achieved only through the free and open exchange of information between government and the public’.” 

[On Wednesday, Feb. 17], Andrzejewski filed a “Request for Review" with the "Public Access Counselor" at the Attorney General’s office under the new transparency and Freedom of Information Act reform law signed last year in wake of former Governor Rod Blagojevich’s arrest. Andrzejewski called on Attorney General Lisa Madigan, to render an opinion as to the legality of “joint caucus” meetings of the Illinois Senate in regard to the circumvention of the people’s right to know under the Illinois Constitution or the Open Meetings Act. 

RELATED:

• Illinois ranks dead last in funding pensions 
• Madigan says he warned Cohen things would get worse 
• John Cullerton - WhoRunsGov.com, a Wash Post Co 

Chemtrails - Poison in the Air?

A fascinating video, informative and visually intriguing.

Bush Secrecy Is Now Obama Secrecy

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. Secrecy is secrecy, regardless of who abuses it. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) used to fight the secrecy practices of the Bush Administration. Now they're battling that of the Obama Administration. (Change? Riiii-ght.) An email blast from EFF alerted us to this: For years, the state secrets privilege was a favorite tool of the Bush Administration. They used it to avoid accountability for both the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program and the CIA's "special rendition" program. The Justice Department has used the privilege to get lawsuits thrown out of court before they have even begun, based merely on the claim that letting courts judge the legality of those programs would endanger national security. Yes indeed, and Democrats, liberals, and even many Republicans and consevatives were very unhappy about the Bush practices. Now that Obama is guilty of the same sneaky things, will the Democrats and liberals cry out about it? Recently, the Obama Administration has begun to use the same tactic -- most notably, to attempt to dismiss Jewel v. NSA, EFF's ongoing lawsuit against the NSA for warrantless wiretapping. Yet, even President Obama himself recently admitted that the state secrets privilege is "overbroad" and a "blunt instrument" that needs to be reformed. Read more at EFF's web site in the article "Fight Government Secrecy and Reform the State Secrets Privilege"... More from EFF: Government Still Blocking Information on Secret IP Enforcement Treaty - Broken Promises from the Obama Administration Keep Americans in the Dark About ACTA Massive FBI Data-Mining Project Needs Congressional Oversight - EFF Calls on Congress to Examine the Investigative Data Warehouse CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter

Obama's Secret Scrap Book

Holy s#!+, this is beautiful. The secret scrapbook of Barry Soetoro Barack Obama takes us down memory lane. Unfortunately, the Obama Mafia has been busy trying to erase many of these happy memories. But now, YOU can relive these moments for yourself, kinda, in a vicarious sorta way.

Swooping Down on Obama's Annenberg Documents

Sleuths and spies, oh the intrigue! The Barack Obama-William Ayers-Annenberg Challenge documents were finally made available for public scrutiny yesterday at University of Illinois - Chicago. The Annenberg Challenge was a "an education reform program in which Obama and 1960s radical William Ayers played key roles." Ayers was a terrorist bomber in the radical Weather Underground in the 1960's. Like vultures swooping in for... no scratch that metaphor. Like hawks swooping in for a kill, mysterious visitors swarmed into the University of Illinois at Chicago library today. The Swamp reports this evening: As reporters continued to dig through Barack Obama-related documents at the University of Illinois at Chicago library today, they were joined by four young men who wanted to remain incognito. Men in black? Not exactly, says The Swamp, they were dressed "in jeans and shorts and appearing to be in their early 20s." methodically sifted through boxes of documents. A successful spy never looks like a spy. MORE MYSTERY at The Swamp... (Thanks George!)

Who "Owns" the Annenberg Papers?

Over 140 boxes of 'em, we're told. We were told - before UIC released them - that the "owners" of the papers were, uhm, shy about letting us know what's in them. Thanks to friend Natasha for a link to the best theorizing on this subject I've seen yet, at the Flopping Aces web site. Excerpts: Just who is the donor, that the U of IL will not disclose, holding up the info chain? First there’s the Annenberg Challenge Ambassador himself, Walter H. Annenberg. Born in 1908, the man has a resume on the Annenberg Challenge website that reads like the philanthropist’s dream.... One of the oddities is a relationship between this man, appearing above reproach, and William Ayers, who is credited for being instrumental in starting the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. Granted, Chicago’s challenge was only one of 18 locally designed Challenge projects operated in 35 states. But Ayers? An odd choice of an alliance right off the bat. Indeed, odd and disturbing. Flopping Aces also wonders about the reasons for initialy withholding the papers: One is protection because of respect for Obama. The other is protecting their own interests - physical or financial - against threats from those surrounding the Obama campaign. Which is it? Withholding for respect? Or are they threatened in some way? As the week goes on, watch for updates on the Annenberg documents. We'll learn quickly what is in them. What is undoubtedly more important, however, is what is not. As Flopping Aces wrote, "Uh.. haven’t these people heard of a Sharpie?" RELATED: Shielding The Facts About Obama’s Relationship With Terrorists