UFO's, Aliens, and USWeb

In my search for an extra-terrestrial believer, I found instead Joe Firmage. Firmage made this assignment interesting because of his unique biography. In short Firmage was a genius who, at a young age, built USWeb, an internet consulting company that grew to be worth 3 billion dollars. It was at this point that he decided to walk away from it. The natural question would of course be, “why?” In an interview with Keith Morrison from MSNBC News, (http://www.threerivertechreview.com/that_extraterrestial_joe_firmage.htm) Firmage answers, “Wall Street doesn’t feel comfortable with the extra-curricular activities of the nature I have been pursing.” These “extra-curricular activities” involved extra-terrestrials. Firmage developed a passionate belief in aliens, not just that they existed, but that they are active, and walking among us. He was vocal about his beliefs, causing gossip and rumors to fly. It was best for the company that he resigned, he took no such precautions for his own reputation. He continued to preach his believes, investing millions in his quest to educate the ignorant public.
The claim that sets him apart from his fellow believers is that aliens are walking among us. According to Firmage, “science is saying this type of phenomenon is possible. Millions of people are saying it’s happening. We’ve tracked them on our radar. I’ve talked to colonels in the military. I’ve talked to generals. I mean, come on.”
He’s using a claim of fact, backing up his ideas with “fact” and “science.” He also makes his claim sounder by placing respectable figures behind his ideas. As a reader I’d like to know what a general knows about the complicated sciences that Firmage discusses.
Later in the interview, Firmage presents another radical idea, making an interesting connection between the alien visitors and religious history. “Tell me,” he says “what scientific principles do people come to a view of God through? Now, do we put people on TV and criticize their belief in God for having a lack of evidence for it? What I’m presenting to you here is a scientific explanation for an angel.” He seems to think that the visions and characters in traditional Bible stories are visitors. A big claim requires big evidence, but in Firmage’s case he seems to be making excuses for his lack there of. He criticizes the reader for questioning his angle but not others.
Perhaps the interview was not a proper representation of Joe Firmage’s complete ideas. The interviewed could have been bias, or Firmage could have simple had an “off” day. For this reason I downloaded a copy of the book Firmage spent millions of dollars publishing and writing, “The Word is Truth.” (http://www.firmage.org/i/uploads/Truth.pdf) To me, his book seemed a strange mix of scientific explanations, anecdotes, and theoretical paragraphs. However, in the parts I read, I found many more interesting claims. The first, that we are all “Children of the cosmos,” and the second, that “one day we will experience open contact with animals from other worlds”* Both of these claims are made at that very end of his book. They serve as summaries of his important ideas. He makes the reader acknowledge his or her own insignificance by making them feel small. It feels like a claim of value, with his ideas more desirable, and accurate then others. I think he is ineffective because he is questioning people’s religion. People with religion have a hard time accepting new ideas that challenge their beliefs, even if they are more desirable or accurate then their own. Religion is what people live for, what wars are fought over, and at the heart of almost every person. If one challenges religion, they must be ready for a fight. Any religious person would deny that we are made by cosmos, not God, and that the characters in Bible stories are not divine creatures but aliens or visitors not in God’s plan. He makes risky claims and, I truly do not see much solid support for his ideas. Instead I see eloquently worded theories, that while inspire thought do not inspire change of heart.
So Mr. Firmage, as much as I’d like to believe that there is life out there, sorry but I’m not convince.


• *2 of the last paragraphs of “The Word Is Truth”
• You and I, whether good or evil, right or wrong, black or white, rich or poor, human or alien or snake or
tree or ocean or stone or mountain or world or galaxy, are the children of Cosmos. You and I are animals of
Cosmos called homo sapiens on the being of Cosmos named Earth, our Mother, a blue green speck of truth
sparkling in the seething potential of the heavens, herself a child of the infinite possibilities of change.

One day we will experience open contact with animals from other worlds. Perhaps the first ones we meet
will turn out to have helped to guide us along, intellectually and perhaps occasionally even genetically,
thoughout human history. Or perhaps they may be grander beings still than animals, having taken further
steps in evolution we can't yet understand.