Friday, June 20, 2003
Open minds, flying saucers
The new Portland Alien Museum charts a middle course between frivolous and studious. There's a study library for serious ufologists and a 3-D Thrill Ride and gift shop for the rest of us, one well-stocked with flying-saucer key chains and galactic-locator dogtags.
This range is emblematic of the museum itself, says co-founder Lawrence Johns.
"We want to entertain, but at the same time, there's a serious side to the study of ufology and a lot of questions to be answered," he says. "We're listed with the Portland Oregon Visitors Association, so if people are in town with a convention or on vacation and they want some place to go, the museum is perfect, especially because it's so kid-friendly.
"But we want to provide common ground for all the niches of ufology, too -- people specialize in Roswell or the military or the New Age aspect or whatever. We're looking to be the common ground. What's really encouraging is the support we're getting already -- for instance, we opened the mail today and there were these tapes from a Canadian ufologist of the '50s about an incident that I've never heard anything about."
The open book shelves are filled with the more serious side of the matter, including a thick blue vinyl binder labeled "MUFON Field Investigator's Guide" from the Mutual UFO Network. There are stacks of the MUFON UFO Journal, four copies of "Disclosure," "Communion," "Flying Saucer Occupants," "Behind the Flying Saucer Mystery" and videos such as "The Disclosure Project Briefing Document" and "The Secret KGB UFO Files," which is playing on the TV set near the display case of "Star Trek" spaceships and two beautifully made prop pistols.
"Integration is the toughest part," said Clyde Lewis, who spoke at the opening. He's a Portland investigator whose "Ground Zero" radio program airs on KOTK on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. "We definitely have a fun side, but look around -- there's a serious side too. That's what great about this place," Lewis said of the museum. "This is a place where people can study and make up their minds based on the evidence."
Lewis said that the majority of Americans believe that UFOs exist, Hollywood makes millions of dollars by making movies about aliens, and UFOs are an entrenched part of our pop culture and have been for a half century now. "Do UFOs exist? That's not even a question any more.
"But it may be that believing in aliens is our way of mixing religion and science. We should be ready to embrace the mystery because reality is too finite a term for an infinite universe."
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