Conference hydra::dejavu

        Yes, I have read it.  It was interesting, up to a point.
    What bothered me, was that he gradually rationalized these creatures
    as being "benevolent" or doing their abducting because of some
    obscure, noble reason.
    
    Ridiculous!!  There can be no justification (I'm going on the
    assumption that his narrative is fact-based) for taking someone,
    altering their memories (and physical altering is probable as well)
    for a "noble" cause.  It sounds to me, that these creatures are
    collecting data and GETTING AWAY WITH IT.
    
    A good book for people who have a paranoic tendency towards watching
    the sky (or the woods out back!) at 3:00 or 4:00 am...
    
    --Eve
    

    I, too, have read this book.  I found it depressing and
    negative.
    
    If I remember correctly, these "creatures" violated some
    of their victims' bodies.  I did not finish it, as I found
    it too far off the wall.... 
    
    Betty

    
    	along the same line is a new book by Bud Hopkins, called
    (i think) "Intruders"....
    
    	I read that Whitley knows Bud Hopkins, and they collaborated
    some on invesigations.   Bud Hopkins' book seemed quite objective,
    and dealt with what were apparently traumatic abduction events
    in recent years.
    	It seems that (if true) these aliens are mainly interested
    in creating a hybrid race between our genes and theirs.
    I found this book a little depressing, almost enough to make
    me want to run if I see a flying disk....
    
    	Alan.

    Yup, me, too.  I liked it, but found the "body-altering" a bit scary.
    For quite a few nights after reading it, I found myself waking up
    at odd hours, watching for little men in black uniforms with BIG
    eyes around my bed.  Not a pleasant thought!  While I would love
    to see a UFO and those who pilot it, I'd want to see them first
    before they see ME.
    
    Jane

    Re: .3
    	Whitley looks up Bud Hopkins for advise and then Bud attends
    the hypnotic sessions.  I felt the questions were very objective.
    
    	The book left me a bit confused.  Even though Whitley says he's
    at peace with the experience, the feeling I got was that of
    uncertainty.  He speculates as to what (who) they are, and why they
    are here, but there is still that feeling of the unknown.  He said
    that he didn't want to frighten people with the book and maybe that's
    why the last quarter of the book it became text book reading to
    me. The most dismaying part of the book to me was the fact that
    it didn't seem to matter where the abduction took place, downtown
    Manhatten, in the country, in a car, on a train, by yourself, with
    friends or family...poof, it's done.  Frightening!
    
    _stew-

    This is unusual.  Everything I've heard about aliens has been of
    the vein that they are highly advanced, kind, helpful beings who
    are here to help and guide, not to do anything harmful.  I might
    read this book just so I can make an intelligent evaluation of it...but
    it doesn't co-incide with what I've heard.
    
    Shades of "V"?? 
    
    DW

    
    	The stories remind me of how we humans sometimes treat wild
    animals;   First we shoot them with tranquilizer darts, load them
    into a truck to take them to the veterinary hospital, then maybe
    attach a radio tag to the ear, then a few hours later the poor
    animal wakes up somewhere near where it was captured.
    	We didn't intend the animals harm, but our experiments and
    "aid" may often seem to the animals to be unwelcome intervention.
    Bud Hopkins notes that the UFO "victims" are often quite traumatized
    by the whole experience, as might be expected.
    	So, even if abduction experiences are "for our own good", they
    may still seem quite damaging to the persons experiencing them.
    Even though aliens might occasionally hurt people, this does not
    make them "evil".  Their attitudes toward us seem to me to be
    similar to our own attitudes to other species.
    
    	Alan.

    I looked at the book when it first came out, and also looked at
    the books that he wrote before.
    
    After reading the replies in this note, my evaluation of the situation
    is that he is in it for the $$$$.
    
    Yes, I always try to be open-minded, but when  "Advanced Civilizations"
    that contact us with as much social skill as a Viking raiding party,
    I start having doubts.  Don't forget he wrote HORROR stories, what
    is a better horror story than one that is claimed as true?

    He has a greater motive to make money than tell the truth, just
    think about it.

    
    	RE .8
    		I don't think you really know what his motives are.
    Certainly he wants money, as we all do, but is it fair to come
    across like you really know that's his only motive?
    
    	Fortunately we do not have to rely only on only Whitley Streiber's
    story, since there are many accounts of similar events in recent
    years.   In Bud Hopkins' recent book the most impressive evidence
    is the number of similarities between different people's accounts.
    
	Alan.

    Re: .9
    
    Considering what else he wrote, he should have written it under
    a pen name.  The genre he has experience with gives me skepticism
    for *his* story.
    

    
    
    You might want to check out Note 27 "UFO's" starting at .134, and
    particularly .168 which discusses the connection between Strieber
    and Hopkins.  Interesting reading.
    
    Carole
    

    Re: .7
    	Good point, Alan.  The author makes the very same comparison
    to humans capturing animals for studying and then letting them go.
    	Did Whitley write for the money?  Probably.  Is his account
    true?  I think so.  The author seems to have gone to a lot of trouble
    to authenticate his story including statements by the doctors and
    polygraph expert that studied him.
    
    _stew-

    RE:  last few
    
    
    Yeah.  For example how many of us would really take it seriously
    if Stephen King decided that he _really did_ see a clown in the
    storm drain in front of his house.  :^)
    
    Marion
    
    

    Re .13:
    
    I thought he saw them all the time. :-P
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

    A clown?
    
    Leave us not forget that "The Amityville (sp. I'm on the West Coast)
    Horror" was once billed as authentic and true.
    
    
    John M.

    Yes, John, a clown.  I guess you have been way too busy reading
    all those channeling books and meditateing with your cristals to 
    get around to reading _IT_ tby S. King.
    
    Marion (Who_believes_in_clowns_but_not_in_storm_drains)

                                    -< ;^D >-
I believe in storm drains.
Jay (Who doesn't believe in clowns)

    RE: .17
    
    Yes, but does that make Jollimore any more jolly?
    
    
    John M.

.18   Certainly no less... nycuk,nycuk
Jay

    There's another book by Raymond Fowler that I think is called the
    Andresean Affair (I know that's not spelt right) A woman named
    Betty Andresean was abducted in Ashburnham Mass. The aliens told
    her that at some unconscious level she agreed to be abducted. 
    If this were true then it wouldn't really be a case of the aliens
    just coming down and snatching someone for research..etc.
    
    Another thing I thought of is that Whitley started seeing these
    aliens at a real early age and that could be perhaps *why* and *how*
    he got the material in his head to write horro stories. 
    
    In the book he is very terrified when under hypnosis and seeing
    the aliens. Maybe that's why he writes the terror stories.
    
    
    
    
    			Sue
    			(not to be confused with Mary..)

    
    	I only read part of the book.  It bothered me.  I think Whitley's
    experiences did happen, but I think there's a lot more hidden there.
    A much better book to read is "Light Years" by Gary Kinder.  Whitley's
    book borders on hysteria, while "Light Years" is very rational &
    logical.   If you read "Light Years", let me know what you think
    of it.
    
                                                     Linda
    

    Yeah I know - - this conference took place two years ago...but maybe
    someone will read it.
    
    The book "Light Years" is pretty wild also.  But I think Whitley
    is really going through something.  Of what nature - - who really
    can say.  Recently I sat down for a couple days and read bothof
    
    his books - back to back - Of course I didn't sleep too well.
    
    There are tons of books out on the subject, some are frooty some
    are pretty logical.  Who are we to think that we are the only
    ones in the galaxy.
    
    If you were an alien and were observing the planet you'd see what
    a bunch of violent scum we are....so wouldn't you devise some way
    to study us without us being to aware of it?
    
    just a thought.
    jp.

    jp .22,
    
    I do not accept the label "violent scum" which you pinned on me
    and my fellow brothers and sisters.  There is much much more going
    on in the world than violence...like joy, laughter, hugging, 
    friendship, healing, and lots of people taking time to care.
    
    For the most part, I don't think we can truly understand
    why alien beings are choosing to (covertly ?) hang out around 
    the earth.  Most of us can only speculate, based on "human" 
    experience and behavior, and the limited amount of data we have 
    been privy to.
    
    Karen

    I, on the other hand find "violent scum" to be a fairly accurate
    assessment of the state of our society..

    
    I don't like violent scum either.  The other day I bumped into some
    that was lurking on the bathroom sink.  It attacked and I had to
    fight it off with some "Scum Away" cleaner.
    
    :-)

    Mitaylor .24,
    
    Guess it just boils down to one of us seeing the glass as
    being half empty, the other half full.
    
    peace
    
    Guy,
    
    Bathroom scum that attacked you?  Now *that's* violent scum.
    
    :-)
    Karen   

    Dayligh' scum an' me wanna go home.
    
    ;-)

    
    re: .27
    
    ...or maybe it was some beetle-juice....
    
    :-)