[meteorite-list] Alien Contact Predicted

[Phil Whitmer]

To all listees pondering the Eternal Verities:

Just because the Universe is really big is not an argument that there is 
Life out there.  The Ocean is really big, but that's not an argument for the 
existence of a Loch Ness monster or any other species of   pleisosaur.  I 
have to actually see a unicorn before I'll believe that they exist.  I'm Old 
School,  I have to actually see a visible light photograph of just one of 
these supposed googols of Earth like planets. All I've heard is pure 
speculation, forumulae, projections of our loneliness, (there has to be 
someone out there!) extrapolations, computer models, mathematical 
probabilities, etc.  Still waiting on the evidence!  Not proof, just a 
simple tiny shred of evidence. One simple SOS in Morse Code on any one of 
the billions and billions of channels monitered by Seti. One peer reviewed, 
in focus, well lit, properly exposed photograph of an actual flying saucer. 
One little tiny fossil in a meteorite. Anything!  Closer to home, I'm still 
waiting for anything at all from the Mars probes.  Just one incontrovertible 
shred of evidence where all the scientists go: "Yes, there's life on Mars!" 
Until I see this evidence I have to conclude that on the closest planet that 
was once very  Earth like, there is no sign of life. If we can't even find 
it on Mars,  which should have been teeming with life, which should have 
left tons of evidence which should have been found by now, then I must 
conclude that the Universe is a vast lifeless place.

The only life that I can verify by empirical evidence is right here on this 
planet. You can do all the thought experiments you want, in your imagination 
you can populate the entire vast Universe with bacteria, or Star Trek/Star 
Wars like critters, whatever you like, it's all pure speculation. All that 
we know for sure is that is Life here on Earth.  Plenty of it. The problem 
is nobody knows where it came from. Nobody is really sure even what it is. 
Can someone tell me what  the Life Force is that differentiates living 
things from inanimate objects? Is it Chi?, Ki? Prana?  What the heck is it? 
Did it originate here on Earth.  (I think it did.)  If it did, then how did 
that first coacervate of organic molecules become alive in the first place? 
How did it know how to assemble a strand of self replicating RNA? At exactly 
what point did the Life Force enter this assemblage of non living stuff? 
Don't even get me started on the Miracle of Intelligence/Consciousness! As 
if anyone knows what that little voice in your head is!

This should be pretty simple stuff to figure out, even for a young, dumb 
species like homo sapiens.  After all, it happened right here on our home 
planet just a few billion years ago right under our noses.  People will tell 
you otherwise, but we don't have a clue as to what life is or how it got 
started.   Until these basic questions about the origins of life on our own 
planet are answered  I think we're getting way ahead of ourselves by 
believing in aliens. Little green men or tall gray men, I have to see one to 
believe in them.

Dos mas pesos,

Phil Whitmer

Nota bene:  Of course I could be completely wrong and Dr. Edgar Mitchell 
could be completely right!