Folks are planning to storm Area 51 in order to see some aliens!

[darkrose50]

"Speaking with NPR, an unnamed Air Force spokesperson said, "Any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged."

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hig...8tk?li=BBnb7Kz

The Air Force has guns . . . let's go storm their top-secret base . . ..

[Rogar Demonblud]

I'll go one better: "Area 51" is actually a bomb range for the Air Force base (Nellis?), so there's probably quite a bit of unexploded ordinance about after 80-odd years.

[Willie the Duck]

Presumably top secret bases everyone has known about for the better part of a half century aren't really all that top secret.

I've been watching this little meme develop over the past week or so with a mix of amusement and confusion. Particularly I'd like to know 'why now?' I mean, is it because of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing? Some media property I'm unaware of? It's not like this is the absolute heyday of little-green-men-style UFO-hysteria or X-files-esque conspiracy theories.

[darkrose50]

Presumably top secret bases everyone has known about for the better part of a half century aren't really all that top secret.

Any base/area where people look at top-secret stuff I imagine. Even if we know where the Pentagon is, we still can't go look at all the cool stuff.

For example . . . how fast a tank with a jet engine strapped to it can really go . . . evidently this is a secret kept out of the manual.

[truemane]

"Are planning" is a very strong word for what this is. "Has signed a meaningless internet petition" is a lot closer.

[AdmiralCheez]

Part of me hopes the government lets them in just to see that they moved all the classified stuff elsewhere. I know there's no chance that'll happen, but it would be funny.

Presumably top secret bases everyone has known about for the better part of a half century aren't really all that top secret.

There's a classified Navy radar site near my job. It's loaded with signs detailing exactly what it is and doesn't even try to disguise itself. It's visible from the highway, on a main road between a shopping center and a residential neighborhood. Everyone knows it's there. It's just that nobody knows what goes on inside, and that's the difference.

[veti]

I find it hard to believe that the military would fire guns into a crowd of a quarter-million civilians, if they did turn up.

Surely that's what tear gas is for.

[AdmiralCheez]

Or alien-tech sleep lasers!

[Kyberwulf]

Okay I first heard of this from the Youtuber, Shoeonhead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLhnzs4lm0U&t=40s 1:33 in for reference.

Now, if you watch the video, there is a point in it were she asks a question, that has running in my head for awhile.. In this quote used, "Though the September event is most certainly a joke, it comes just a few weeks after a group of US senators was briefed about reported encounters between the US Navy and an unidentified aircraft-- literally a unidentified flying object."

She stops and asks if that is grammatically correct to use; a group of US Senators was, instead of; a group of US Senators were.

Now, my first instinct is to agree, and say that "A group of US Senators were" is correct. However, Reading the comments of the video however, has me doubting myself. The common consensus seems to be that because it's a group, it should be "was". Commenters seem to be under the impression that group is singular. I always thought that group was either singular or plural, depending on context. In this context, it seems to me that "a group of US Senators" is plural thus should be "were". They seem to be under the impression that "a group" is the subject, and the "of US Senators" isn't important therefore "was" is acceptable.

I don't mean to go off topic, it's just something I can't seem to stop thinking about.

ON topic however, isn't this illegal? Even in jest, I can't imagine that it's really smart to advocate for, I assume a felony? What is storming a US military base anyway..

[Vinyadan]

Okay I first heard of this from the Youtuber, Shoeonhead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLhnzs4lm0U&t=40s 1:33 in for reference.

Now, if you watch the video, there is a point in it were she asks a question, that has running in my head for awhile.. In this quote used, "Though the September event is most certainly a joke, it comes just a few weeks after a group of US senators was briefed about reported encounters between the US Navy and an unidentified aircraft-- literally a unidentified flying object."

She stops and asks if that is grammatically correct to use; a group of US Senators was, instead of; a group of US Senators were.

Now, my first instinct is to agree, and say that "A group of US Senators were" is correct. However, Reading the comments of the video however, has me doubting myself. The common consensus seems to be that because it's a group, it should be "was". Commenters seem to be under the impression that group is singular. I always thought that group was either singular or plural, depending on context. In this context, it seems to me that "a group of US Senators" is plural thus should be "were". They seem to be under the impression that "a group" is the subject, and the "of US Senators" isn't important therefore "was" is acceptable.

[A reply to a letter addressed to 'any Professor of English Language' at Oxford, asking whether it is correct to say 'A number of office walls has been damaged' or 'have been damaged'.]

9 October 1959

76 Sandfield Road, Headington, Oxford

Dear Sir,

Your letter has eventually reached me, though I am not 'any Professor of English Language', since I have now retired. The answer is that you can say what you like. Pedantry insists that since number is a singular noun, the verb should be singular, (has). Common sense feels that since the walls is plural, and are really concerned, the verb should be plural, (have). You may take your choice.

Yours sincerely

J. R. R. Tolkien.

[Magic_Hat]

"Speaking with NPR, an unnamed Air Force spokesperson said, "Any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged."

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hig...8tk?li=BBnb7Kz

The Air Force has guns . . . let's go storm their top-secret base . . ..

What? That sounds like a great idea...if you're the kind of person who thinks they can beat gym leader Misty with only a lower level charmander.

[Xyril]

Presumably top secret bases everyone has known about for the better part of a half century aren't really all that top secret.

Seriously. The U.S. military is roughly as media savvy as the huge crop of young officers and enlisted they get every year. They are well aware that everyone has "known the truth" about Area 51 for decades, meaning they've had more than enough time and opportunity to move anything that's actually secret and sensitive to pretty much anywhere that doesn't get mentioned on conspiracy sites every ten seconds.

(Maybe in a secret room under Norad, next to the stargate.)

[Imbalance]

I've been watching this little meme develop over the past week or so with a mix of amusement and confusion. Particularly I'd like to know 'why now?' I mean, is it because of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing? Some media property I'm unaware of? It's not like this is the absolute heyday of little-green-men-style UFO-hysteria or X-files-esque conspiracy theories.

I'm gonna go with "Bob Lazar on Netflix" for 800, Alex. And if you don't know who Bob Lazar is now, by the time you're done with your own research you'll be just as disappointed as I am that there are so few memes of him.

[darkrose50]

It is fun watching conspiracy theories. The flat earth ones make my head hurt. The idea that we have antigravity, but do not use it, because oil is money . . . that is a rather wild idea. Who would not want anti gravity tanks? I want one right now!

[Penviolin]

I find it hard to believe that the military would fire guns into a crowd of a quarter-million civilians, if they did turn up.

Surely that's what tear gas is for.

{Scrubbed}
To complicate matters, Lil Nas X of "Old Town Road" fame is reportedly performing a live concert for free there during the scheduled meet up. Personally I don't believe anything bad will happen, {Scrubbed}

[Eldan]

From what people online who've been there tell me, its in the middle of inhospitable desert and not easily reached. If anyone turns up, its going to be fewer than 20 people, half of them there to watch the other half do something crazy. Worst thing that's going to happen will be a few cases of heatstroke.

[Xyril]

From what people online who've been there tell me, its in the middle of inhospitable desert and not easily reached. If anyone turns up, its going to be fewer than 20 people, half of them there to watch the other half do something crazy. Worst thing that's going to happen will be a few cases of heatstroke.

Heatstroke sounds like the sort of explanation The Man would come up with. About as plausible as weather balloons.

{Scrub the post, Scrub the quote}

{Scrubbed}

And to be fair, from a strictly tactical perspective, shooting an unarmed person seems bad, but if you take that option 100% off the table and you don't have the advantage of numbers or less-than-lethal alternatives, and they either know you won't shoot under any circumstances or simply don't care about dying, then there's really not much to prevent the unarmed person from becoming an armed person. Just your ability to win a close-in fight with an unoptimized club.

[Ventruenox]

Mödley Crüe: While Conspiracy banter is entertaining, it inherently brings real world politics into many debates, which is against forum rules. Use proper judgement before posting.

[AMFV]

Any base/area where people look at top-secret stuff I imagine. Even if we know where the Pentagon is, we still can't go look at all the cool stuff.

For example . . . how fast a tank with a jet engine strapped to it can really go . . . evidently this is a secret kept out of the manual.

As somebody who actually had a top secret clearance, I can tell you that top secret is a synonym for more technical and boring.

[Tvtyrant]

My grandparents are sure people are going to get shot over this, I'm pretty certain about 100 people will show up and then go home. Signing a petition takes next to no effort, greyhound buses cost time and money.

[Bohandas]

Heatstroke sounds like the sort of explanation The Man would come up with. About as plausible as weather balloons.

Fun fact. Roswell actually was apparently declassified a few years back, and while the thing that crashed wasn't an alien spaceship, it wasn't a weather balloon either. It was an early experimental spy drone called Project Mogul.

[DeTess]

Fun fact. Roswell actually was apparently declassified a few years back, and while the thing that crashed wasn't an alien spaceship, it wasn't a weather balloon either. It was an early experimental spy drone called Project Mogul.

Suuure. That's what they want you to think...

In all seriousness though, that is a nice find, thanks for sharing!

[Xyril]

Fun fact. Roswell actually was apparently declassified a few years back, and while the thing that crashed wasn't an alien spaceship, it wasn't a weather balloon either. It was an early experimental spy drone called Project Mogul.

Thus setting back the development of civilian peeping drones decades, no doubt.

My grandparents are sure people are going to get shot over this, I'm pretty certain about 100 people will show up and then go home. Signing a petition takes next to no effort, greyhound buses cost time and money.

The reason for their certainty: Your grandparents are MPs assigned to Area 51.

[Peelee]

Thus setting back the development of civilian peeping drones decades, no doubt.

Setback? It progressed! "Well, we now know that one doesn't work, let's try the next idea."

[farothel]

If people are really going to try this, I nominate them for a Darwin Award.

[Maelstrom]

...I always thought that group was either singular or plural, depending on context. In this context, it seems to me that "a group of US Senators" is plural thus should be "were". They seem to be under the impression that "a group" is the subject, and the "of US Senators" isn't important therefore "was" is acceptable.

I don't mean to go off topic, it's just something I can't seem to stop thinking about.

ON topic however, isn't this illegal? Even in jest, I can't imagine that it's really smart to advocate for, I assume a felony? What is storming a US military base anyway..

Pedantry mode /on

Not sure how 'group' in any context could be plural...there is a plural for that and it is 'groups'

ex:
A group of senators was briefed on the sensitive matter.
The three groups of senators representing different ideologies were briefed on said sensitive matter.


Onto the subject at hand, go storm a beach or neighborhood park and clean it up instead of something that will lead to incarcerations or worse. Have people lost their damn minds these last 20 years or so? The internet seems to be one of mankind's greatest achievements, giving nearly unfettered access to our collective knowledge, allowing us to study, discuss and debate, and advance in so many disparate subjects, and at the same time, unleashed chaos. Pandora's box indeed. I'll go back to my rocking chair and sip my lemonade now, so get off my lawn! ;)

[veti]

Have people lost their damn minds these last 20 years or so? The internet seems to be one of mankind's greatest achievements, giving nearly unfettered access to our collective knowledge, allowing us to study, discuss and debate, and advance in so many disparate subjects, and at the same time, unleashed chaos.

Yeah, that's the problem in a nutshell. The Internet seems to be all of that. But what it is in practice is more like a crap version of Star Trek's Holodeck. A place where any version of reality you choose can be made to feel real, with the result that it's increasingly hard to tell what is real.

If you actually go to Area 51 to see for yourself what happens there, I applaud you, but as far as the Internet is concerned - even if you write about it, your testimony will be drowned out by crackpots and charlatans who will tell a more elaborate version. The fact that your story is "true", at least to the extent of being a faithful eyewitness report with no speculation or embellishment, will count for absolutely nothing.

[Vinyadan]

(a stormer approaches the sentry box.)

Stormer : Good Morning.

Guard : Good morning, Sir. Welcome to the Area 51!

Stormer: Ah thank you my good man.

Guard: What can I do for you, Sir?

S: Well, I was, uh, sitting in that bus over yonder just now, reading instructions to make tin hats out of aluminium, and I got all agog.

G: Agog, sir?

S: Quizzical.

G: Eh?

S: I was all curious!

G: Ah, curious!

S: In a nutshell. And I thought to myself, 'do aliens exist', so, I curtailed my tin-making activities, sallied forth, and infiltrated your place of surveillance to negotiate the vending of some aliens!

G: Come again?

S: I want to buy some aliens.

G: Oh, I thought you were complaining about the mind-controlling radiations!

S: Oh, heaven forbid: I am one who delights in all manifestations of the Poseidonian muse!

G: Sorry?

S: 'Ooo, Ah lahk a nice wave, 'yer forced to!

G: So we can go on sending, can we?

S: Most certainly! Now then, some aliens, please, my good man.

G: (lustily) Certainly, sir. What would you like?

S: Well, eh, how about a little dragonworms.

G: I'm, a-fraid we're fresh out of dragonworms, sir.

S: Oh, never mind, how are you on dwarfs?

G: I'm afraid we never have those at the end of the week, sir, we get them fresh on Monday.

S: Tish tish. No matter. Well, stout yeoman, four crates of assorted eggs, if you please.

G: Ah! Egg've beeeen on order, sir, for two weeks. Was expecting them this morning.

S: 'T's Not my lucky day, is it? Aah, drones?

G: Sorry, sir.

S: Chameleons?

G: Normally, sir, yes. Today the van broke down.

S: Ah. Greys?

G: Sorry.

S: Venusians? Martians?

G: No.

S: Any Norwegian Hopkinsville Goblins, per chance?

G: No.

S: Flatwoods monsters?

G: No.

S: Space brothers?

G: No.

S: Plejaren?

G: No.

S: Tall whites?

G: No.

S: Agarthans?

G: (pause) No.

S: Draconians?

G: No.

S: Mantis?

G: No.

S: Multidimensionals, Salinas, Chihuahua, Fair Beings Absurd, Rods, Chupacabras, Altairians, Eva-Borgs, Grails, Hyadeans?

G: No.

S: Genetically modified humans, perhaps?

G: Ah! We have one, yessir.

S: (suprised) You do! Excellent.

G: Yessir. It's ah... he's a bit runny.

S: Oh, I like it runny.

G: Well,.. He's very runny, actually, sir.

S: No matter. Fetch hither the humain créé par la science! Mmmwah!

G: I...think he's a bit runnier than you'll like it, sir.

S: I don't care how ****ing runny he is. Hand him over with all speed.

G: Oooooooooohhh........! (pause)

S: What now?

G: He's run away.

S: (pause) Has he?

G: Now he mutated into a she, sir.

(pause)

S: Amphibians?

G: No.

S: Gizahn?

G: No.

S: Iguanoids?

G: No.

S: Moon-eyes?

G: No.

S: Mothmen?

G: No sir.

S: You... do have some aliens, don't you?

G: (brightly) Of course, sir. It's Area 51, sir. We've got-

S: No no... don't tell me. I'm keen to guess.

G: Fair enough.

S: Uuuuuh, Orions.

G: Yes?

S: Ah, well, I'll have some of those!

G: Oh! I thought you were talking to me, sir. Private First Class Orvin Orions, that's my name.

(pause)

S: Phoenians?

G: Uh, not as such.

S: Uuh, Pleiadeans?

G: No

S: Reticulans?

G: No

S: Sasquatch?

G: No

S: Telosians?

G: No

S: Lyrans?

G: No

S: Insiders?

G: No

S: Brazilian-Bred Fourth Sector Bernarians?

G: Not -today-, sir, no.

(pause)

S: Aah, how about Reptilians?

G: Well, we don't get much call for them around here, sir.

S: Not much ca--It's the single most popular kind of alien in the world!

G: Not 'round here, sir.

S: (slight pause) and what IS the most popular alien 'round hyah?

G: Burrowers, sir.

S: ARE they.

G: Oh, yes, they're staggeringly popular in this facility.

S: Are they.

G: They're our number one best seller, sir!

S: I see. Uuh... Booteans, eh?

G: Right, sir.

S: All right. Okay. 'Have you got any?' He asked, expecting the answer 'no'.

G: I'll have a look, sir.. nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnno.

S: It's not much of a secret base, is it?

G: Finest in the country, sir!

S: (annoyed) Explain the logic underlying that conclusion, please.

G: Well, it's so clean, sir!

S: It's certainly uncontaminated by aliens.

G: (brightly) You haven't asked me about the Anakim, sir.

S: Would it be worth it?

G: Could be.

S: Have you --SHUT THAT BLOODY RADIATION EMITTER OFF!

G: Told you sir...

S: (slowly) Have you got any Anakim?

G: No.

S: Figures. Predictable, really I suppose. It was an act of purest optimism to have posed the question in the first place....... Tell me:

G: Yessir?

S: (deliberately) Have you in fact got any aliens here at all?

G: Yes,sir.

S: Really?

(pause)

G: No. Not really, sir.

S: You haven't.

G: Nosir. Not a scrap. I was deliberately wasting your time,sir.

S: Well I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to shoot you.

G: I'm the one with the gun, sir.

(The stormer turns around and start walking back. It's high noon. The uncovered metal on the body of the bus is ablaze with the desert sun. New buses arrive, throbbing and rocking as they kick up dust from the trail.)

S: What a senseless waste of human life.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Hard to go wrong with the classics.

[Ghostrider583]

Haha I don't think anyone is legitimately going to 'storm' the place. Soldiers are gunna be waiting at the first mile marker.