Thursday, November 15, 2007

Former Pitch editor Tony Ortega on the "Phoenix Lights" of 1997:

Arizona's Worst Governor on Arizona's Worst UFO

Before people get too worked up about disgraced former Arizona governor Fife Symington's "disclosure" that he saw the 1997 "UFO" known as the Phoenix Lights -- the subject of a breathless segment on the Larry King Live show last week -- a few words about that phenomenon from someone who actually investigated it.


Incidentally, Ortega once wrote a rather confusing account of my Mars book, "After the Martian Apocalypse," in which he manages the curious feat of effectively dismissing it while spending little or no time actually discussing its contents (although his fascination with astronomer Tom Van Flandern seems to know no bounds).

But that's old news -- and despite my gripes, the "Apocalypse" review wasn't nearly as damning as it could have been. I'm interested to see if Ortega's take on the Phoenix sightings stirs up any controversy, especially now that the phenomenon is in the midst of its 10th anniversary.

(For Ortega's stinging assessment of researcher Jim Dilettoso and his role in furthering interest in the Phoenix Lights, click here.)

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