Technorati contacted Italian-American investigative journalist Paola Harris to get her take on Italian MEP Mario Borghezio’s July 7 press conference calling on EU member nations to declassify their UFO files and establish a center for study of apparent alien activity on our planet. (See our July 10 article for more information about the press conference.)

Harris, whose list of published works includes two books on exopolitics, is a frequent presenter at UFO conferences and a familiar name to students of the UFO phenomenon. She does not hold Borghezio in high regard.

You’ve got to look at the integrity (of Borghezio),” Harris says, “He’s a neo-fascist and he’s done violent things in the past.”

No doubt.

A prominent member of the ultra-conservative Lega Nord (Northern League) political party, Borghezio was found guilty of arson in 2005 after setting fire to the sleeping pallets of immigrants living under a bridge in Turin. At the other end of the emotional spectrum, he has described the experience of speaking at political rallies as “almost an orgasm.”

“On the exopolitics forum, there’s been quite a bit of discussion about this,” Harris says, referring to Borghezio’s association with the disclosure movement. “There’s the camp that looks at integrity as being part of disclosure. There’s a real division in the exopolitical community."

Exopolitics concerns the creation or influence of government policy toward extraterrestrial phenomena and extraterrestrial beings. Denver activist Jeff Peckman’s ballot initiative, covered in a recent Technorati feature,  is exopolitical in nature

Paola Harris on UFOs, Europe and Mario Borghezio - Page 2

“I don’t quote (Borghezio) on my website,” she says. “There’s nothing about (his public statements) that suggests galactic diplomacy.”

Exopolitics in Europe … “absolutely normal”

While Borghezio’s flamboyant behavior might raise as many eyebrows in Europe as it does here, his demands for UFO disclosure are no cause for concern in Italy. Asked how Italy’s mainstream media handles the topic of UFOs, Harris says that it’s handled “as something absolutely normal.”

“In Italy, the Campeche (Mexico) story was reported in its entirety. They also compared it to the phenomenon in Hessdalen (Norway). The announcers were familiar enough with the phenomenon to make that comparison.”

Strange lights have been observed over Hessdalen for many years. The Campeche incident occurred in March of 2004, when Mexican Air Force Merlin C-26A aircraft patrolling local airspace for drug smugglers recorded infrared footage of several UFOs. That footage was released by the military to Mexican journalist Jaime Maussan and, to this day, remains unexplained.

Harris says that, while the Italian government doesn’t have a stated position on UFOs, the Italian Air Force makes no secret of its interest in the topic.

"At two UFO conferences that I attended (in Italy), a functionary of the Italian Air Force, in uniform, stood up and described how the air force categorizes UFOs, even describing one or two cases.”

Sober, sophisticated coverage of the study of UFOs by America’s mainstream media is rare and, since publication of the Condon Report in 1968, the American military’s stance on the issue has been consistently “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

“When I lived in Italy,” Harris says, “I personally funded John Mack, Travis Walton, Ryan Wood, Linda Moulton Howe (and others) to come over to speak to the Italian people. The Italian people really appreciated it. My conferences were symposia. No T-shirts, gadgets or retail ufology. You come back to the U.S., it’s one big commercial venture.”

Unfortunately, it’s what Harris describes as “retail ufology” that grabs the headlines here on Terra Americana, while the work of journalists and researchers less interested in selling swag goes unnoticed. For a dose of quintessentially ignorant American arrogance on the topic of UFOs, readers are invited to tune in to Penn & Teller’s upcoming episode of “Bullshit!”

At least, when we show our big, fat Yankee asses, we have the good taste to do it in HD

Read more: http://technorati.com/technology/article/paola-harris-on-ufos-europe-and/page-2/#ixzz0tbiBAHZe

The Weaponization of Space

Harris believes that Borghezio’s motives for calling for UFO disclosure are three-fold. Other than normal curiosity about the phenomenon, which would be the first motive, Harris says that Borghezio simply wants attention. Judging from his comments about the erotic benefits of public speaking, one is inclined to agree with her.

Harris speculates that his third motive may be more insidious, however.

"(Borghezio) is the kind of guy who could create an argument for shooting (UFOs) out of the sky because they’re an enemy,” Harris said. She points out that this militaristic approach to the phenomenon was predicted by Werner von Braun.

Dr. Carol Rosin, spokesperson for von Braun during the last years of his life, has testified that von Braun predicted that the weaponization of space ultimately would be justified as defense against alien invasion. According to Rosin, von Braun said that “the last card is the alien card … and all of it is a lie."

In distancing herself from Borghezio, Harris also parts ways with those in the disclosure movement who are less discriminating about the celebrity endorsement trophies they choose to display on their mantle.