Msg: #390  Sec: C - ParaNet General
      24-FEB-87  10:29 PM
Subj: PHIL DONAHUE
From: Frank Anastasio
  To: ALL

DEAR ANYONE
  ANYONE WHO WATCHED PHIL DONAHUE THIS MORNING (2/24/87), KNOWS THAT IT WAS ABOUT PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.
  AS EXPECTED THERE WERE VIEWPOINTS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY, AND WHEN A MEDIEM (I KNOW I SPELLED THAT WRONG) LET ANOTHER ENTITY ENTER HIM, SCEPTICS SCOFFED, YELLED, SCREAMED,
 ETC, ETC.
  THE POINT I WANTED TO MAKE WAS THAT WHY DID EVERONE GET UPSET?
  THE SKEPTICS WERE SCREAMING AT TIMES, ACTING AS IF THEY WERE ON A SOAP BOX.
THE ONLY THING THAT PHIL'S GUESTS WERE DOING WAS EXPLAINING THEIR PHILOSOPHY
WITHOUT CONDEMING OTHERS.  I WOULD RATHER LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE THAN THE
WHITE SUPERMECY PEOPLE, DEVIL WORSHIPERS, ETC, WHO BUILD THEIR PHILOSOPHIES ON
HATE.

  I, PERSONALLY, KEEP AN OPEN MIND ABOUT PARAPSYCHOLOGY OR PARANORMAL
ACTIVITY, FOR TWO REASONS:
  1. I HAVE SOME STRANGE THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO ME AND I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT
SCIENTIFICALLY,
  2. IF I CLOSE MY MIND TO THIS, I LOSE A LITTLE BIT OF IMAGINATION AND
POSSIBLITIES AND MAYBE EVEN FUTURE HOPE.
  THE REASON I KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS IS BECAUSE:
  1. OBVIOUSLY, NOT TO BE LEAD AROUND BY PHONIES,
 AND
  2. TO KEEP A SEEING EACH SIDE OF THE STORY.
  I MUST ADMIT, I GENERALLY BELIEVE THIS STUFF, BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT I ALWAYS
KEEP THE OTHER POSSIBLITY IN MIND.

  AFTER ALL THAT, MY QUESTION IS SIMPLY THIS:
  WHY DO SKEPTICS, OR PEOPLE IN GENERAL, GET VERY UPSET WHENEVER THIS IS
MENSIONED?  IT'S NOT EVIL (UNLESS THE PERSON USING IT IS) SO WHAT'S THE
PROBLEM WITH KEEPING AN OPEN MIND?
  I APPERCIATE YOUR TIME AND ANSWERS,
  THANK YOU,
  FRANK A.

From: Jim Speiser
  To: Frank Anastasio (X)

Frank:
   It seems you have a good attitude towards the paranormal, and you raise
some good questions. I think many skeptics (myself, alas, included) get worked
up sometimes because we see so many otherwise intelligent people either
wasting good brains or insulting the intelligence of others. I agree with
keeping an open mind, UP TO A POINT. I draw the line at opening my mind to
what is obviously garbage; otherwise, I would have to accept such fantasies as
"gardens on the far side of the moon", "fairies", "Woman Gives Birth to
13-Year-Old", etc. Learning to distinguish fact from fantasy is very important
to our progress as a species. A case in point is these channelers. Now I did
not see the Donahue program you mentioned, but a friend told me about it and I
will be receiving a tape of it. Channelers claim to be the conduits for
ageless spiritual entities. It would seem to me that such entities would be
able to endow us with knowledge so incredibly far advanced from our own that
there would be absolutely no question of their validity. Yet I challenge you
or anyone to provide me with one piece of knowledge gleaned from these
channelers that can be substantiated, that puts us anywhere further ahead than
we are in terms of our understanding of the universe. I can roll my eyes,
change my voice, and spout metamagical platitudes with the best of them. Bet I
could make money at it, too.
    If I'm not mistaken, another of Phil's guests on that show was Whitley
Streiber, who wrote a book called "Communion" about his UFO abduction
experiences. Be advised of two things: 1) I DO believe that UFOs are a genuine
phenomena that may represent extraterrestrial visitations, and that some
people may have experienced actual abductions by UFOnauts. 2) I do NOT believe
Whitley Strieber is one of them. There is information surfacing which may show
that Mr. Strieber is just another fast buck artist, cashing in on a craze.
    


From: Jim Speiser
  To: Frank Anastasio (X)


    For example, Strieber claims not to have held any interest whatsoever in
the subject until he realized that he may have been abducted. This occurred in
January of last year. Yet Marge Christenson informs me that Mr. Strieber has
attended the last TWO MUFON conventions, the first in St. Louis in -1985-!
    I think another reason we sometimes get upset at some bogus claims is that
we want the real thing to stand out, we don't want it to get lost in the
flurry of fluff and nonsense. Does that make sense to you? Thank you for your
excellent message.
        --Jim

From: Frank Anastasio
  To: Jim Speiser (X)

DEAR JIM,
  THAT DOES MAKE SENSE TO ME.  I TEND TO TRY TO BE IN THE CENTRE OF THINGS
WHEN IT COMES TO DISCUSSIONS LIKE THIS, AND I SAW THE AUDIENCE GET SLIGHTLY
UGLY OVER THIS.
  I NEVER HEARD OF THE MAN WHO WROTE "COMMUNION" (I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER HIS
NAME,) AND I'M STILL NOT INTERESTED IN HIS BOOK. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT I SHOULD
HEAR WHAT HE HAD TO SAY AND WHAT YOU HAD TO SAY IN ORDER FOR ME TO MAKE AN
INTELLEGENT DECISION.
  NOT TO STRAY OFF THE SUBJECT, BUT I BELIEVE THAT A LOT OF PROBLEMS START
WHEN A PERSON, SEEING A NEW SITUTATION, DOESN'T SEE BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN.
THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE IN KEEPING AN OPEN MIND.  THAT'S WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO,
SO WE CAN LOVE HIM FREELY.
  EXCUSE ME FOR GETTING RELIGOUS, BUT IT'S A STRONG FEELING TO ME.
  ANYWAY, MY POINT IS THIS:  HOW CAN WE LOVE GOD OR OTHER PEOPLE, WHEN WE
DON'T SEE EVERYTHING COMPLETELY.  I'M NOT SAYING THAT PEOPLE SHOULD TRY ALL
RELIGIONS OR DRUGS OR EXPERIECES OR PHILOSOPHIES ETC, ETC. 
  BUT AT LEAST LISTEN AND MAKE AN INTELLIGENT CHOICE.  IT'S NOT HARD TO DO AND
OFTEN THE RIGHT DECISION IS MADE.
  IT SEEMS TO ME THAT PEOPLE FORGET THAT.
  THAT'S WHAT BOTHERED ME ABOUT THE PEOPLE IN SHOW LAST WEEK.
  THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY, JIM, HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON,
  FRANK A.