I’ll tell you this much: I’m obsessed with him!
Every Sunday I get a Google news alert for UFOs, and most of the time, it’s pretty slim pickings. Sometimes, though, there are gems I might not have seen otherwise, such as a Newsweek story from last month titled “Congressman Believes U.S. Government Has Found Alien UFOs.”
OK, wow. That’s a big claim from a sitting Congressperson — bigger than Harry Reid, in his infinite weirdness, ever made as Senate Majority Leader, though I thank him for his service in starting AATIP (Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program), which is the program highlighted by that big Times story in 2017. As far as I can tell/remember (?), Reid never claimed to have seen UFOs with his own eyes. Tim Burchett, the sitting U.S. representative for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district, basically said he has, also claiming our government “has recovered a craft at some point, and possible beings.” (He means Roswell.)
In an interview on Newsmax — a far-right “news organization” — the anchor plays a clip of Representative Matt Gaetz (most famous for being a shit-eating transphobe) saying he’s “seen evidence of craft that I am not familiar with any of our allies or even our country possessing.” To this, Burchett responds knowingly, “I was with Matt and I know what he is referring to.” OK… tea!!
There’s a lot going on here, not the least troubling of which is Burchett’s TV outfit of choice, which really and truly looks like a federal prison jumpsuit.
It is unfortunately a feature of the American electoral system that there are between 35-535 complete lunatics and morons in Congress at any given time, so I shouldn’t be shocked here, but I do find it a little surprising when someone with ostensible political power says something so… apolitically wacky! This is my first encounter with Tim, so I went to Wikipedia to learn more, and I was not disappointed.
It’s never what you want in life, to have a “Roadkill” subhead on your Wikipedia page.
Anyway, a quick review of this guy’s committee assignments suggests to me he’s not actually in a position to get the goods on UAPs — he’s on the Committee on Foreign Affairs (but not that foreign) and the Committee on Transportation (but not that kind). If he gets on Homeland Security, or Intelligence, then maybe I’ll take note. The truth is out there, though I doubt Tim Burchett knows it. Broadly speaking.
Odds & Ends
Like many people with anxiety and iPhone addiction issues, I was obsessed with the Malaysia Airlines 370 story, and screamed when I saw there would be a Netflix documentary on the subject. I watched all three parts last night, and it was quite a journey. It’s REALLY sad, and definitely spooky, but ultimately, I think the saddest and least exciting explanation — pilot suicide — is probably what happened. The conspiracy theories presented were entertaining, for sure, but also… insane. If you watched, and disagree, please respond to tell me why.
I’ve been a 500 words evangelist for almost as long as I’ve been writing, but I think… I’m changing??? (Is this allowed?????) After a stint earlier this year during which I attempted to emulate Bobby Finger’s 5000 words a week regimen (impressive!), I’ve decided that’s just too much for me to manage on a consistent basis. And I really don’t need an added source of daily guilt. So I’ve amended my plan to 3000 words a week, or approximately 600 words a day. So far it’s working well. I am having so much fun with this book. 👽
Love,
Katie