Facebook-Driven Area 51 Storming May Be Countered With Force, Says US Air Force (deadline.com) 442
Fun and games on Facebook may have serious consequences for the foolish. That was the message delivered by the US Air Force, who have responded to a Facebook's group's efforts to have 450,000 people storm a top secret military base. From a report: Conspiracy theorists have always believed that Area 51 in Nevada holds information about extra-terrestrial activities on our planet, possibly including actual alien remains and aircraft. That belief spawned a Facebook group suggesting that a wave of humanity could overwhelm the defenses at the base and discover the truth. More than 400,000 people have joined a Facebook event page calling for storming Area 51, with many more indicating interest. The proposed event is scheduled for Sept. 20. "We will all meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center tourist attraction and coordinate our entry," the event description reads. "If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Lets see them aliens."
Ugh (Score:5, Interesting)
Obviously, this is a parody event, like shooting guns at a hurricane.
The Air Force ought to play along for good PR. Maybe host a tour of a hanger with jets, and posters with "come shoot the UFO's with us, join today!"
Re: Ugh (Score:5, Funny)
Wait until all the crazies are in the building, lock the doors, and then the aliens can do experiments.
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Heaps and heaps of dead conspiracy theorists in the desert being eaten by coyotes. I can't wait.
Strange times strange times (Score:5, Insightful)
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Americans are obviously losing their last finger-clinging grip on reality.
Well, they are on bookFace so their grip on reality is probably pretty tenuous at best.
Strange people acting strangely (Score:2)
Americans are obviously losing their last finger-clinging grip on reality.
No, most of us are just fine and are wondering WTF medication the rest our fellow citizens stopped taking so we can force feed it to them.
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It's easy to click a i'll join in button. No one will have the guts to do it.
I'm sure a few people will actually show up. But most have signed up as a joke. My teenager and a bunch of her friends "pledged" to show up. But they have no intention to actually do so. Nor do they have a reasonable way to get there.
My guess is that there are maybe a couple hundred people that are serious. But just under 50% of them probably forgot their medication that day. The majority of the other half will be committed by September or will think the aliens erased their memory and forget to go. Which
Re:Strange times strange times (Score:5, Insightful)
" But most have signed up as a joke."
people need to stop doing that, because it will snowball and then suddenly you have people actually believing the earth is literally flat.
"Nor do they have a reasonable way to get there."
In the 60s people hitchhiked across the country for there protests.
"But just under 50% of them probably forgot their medication that day. "
do't do that. As it turns out, people who don't need medication can believe unreasonable things.
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" But most have signed up as a joke."
people need to stop doing that, because it will snowball and then suddenly you have people actually believing the earth is literally flat.
You might as well ask people to stop breathing. The 24 hour news cycle also needs to stop reporting everything like it's the scariest thing ever or we'll end up at each others throats. Oh, wait...
"Nor do they have a reasonable way to get there."
In the 60s people hitchhiked across the country for there protests.
Yes, I hitchhiked a lot as a teen. But most kids these days don't. We scare the shit out of them and they spend a lot more time in their rooms than we did at that age. If they can't take an Uber it's not going to happen. When I was a kid being sent to my room was a mild form of punishment. Now it's difficult to get
Re: Strange times strange times (Score:3)
Re:Strange times strange times (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm sure a few people will actually show up. But most have signed up as a joke.
Most likely the government would stay in front of this one and will identify everyone who clicked Join; if not already, then long before the "event date".
Anyone who actually shows up at the "alien center tourist attraction" will now possibly be guilty of criminal conspiracy - by taking an overt act in furtherance of an agreement to commit a crime [uslegal.com] (The overt act does not itself have to be criminal) and could be arrested/picked up as soon as they step out of their car at the tourist attraction --- they "Joine"d the group and then took the overt act of driving toward the location intending to be present at the agreed upon meeting date and time to co-ordinate their criminal act whose nature was already declared on the group page.
Re:Strange times strange times (Score:4, Informative)
Yes it only makes real sense to have a small number of them because there exists no practical distinction between gender and sex.
The entire point of separating gender from sex is that there is a large distinction between the two, and the two do not have to be in 100% agreement.
We have literally gone backward from "free to be you and me" you can't be a guy who likes knitting or gal that enjoys watching football (American) or playing football (soccer) no you have to be 'gender queer' now.
Wow, you are utterly wrong on this subject. Which, is probably not that surprising based on that other comment.
You can be a woman who likes football and still call yourself a woman. 'Gender queer' is a catch-all for the situations where the brain's development and development of sex organs are not closely coupled.
What seems baffling to me is the objection to this by people such as yourself. We literally have people born without completely-developed genitalia, and you accept that they exist. Yet you pretend everything in the brain regarding gender MUST be perfectly developed every time, into a binary choice.
This is biology. Absolutely nothing is binary. It's all gradients.
so can you be "Transsexual" gendered having not under gone an sort of sex selective procedure?
Uh, yeah. Gender dysphoria is diagnosed before any treatment is given, just like any other medical condition. And someone is "transsexual" before they are diagnosed - that's why they're going to a fucking doctor in the first place.
Re:Ugh (Score:5, Insightful)
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The problem is the its perfectly possible that a mob of idiots who do take it seriously would turn up. If only one in a thousand are stupid enough, a mob of 300 could assemble.
Re:Ugh (Score:4, Interesting)
...and get shot when they try. This is America after all where you can get shot just for taking a short-cut over someone's lawn. And the air-force have the really good guns they don't let you use to defend your home.
No need to shoot them. The closest you can get to area 51 from public land is about 10-12 miles from the actual facility. Some approaches are over 20 miles. They can just block off the roads that enter the range so they can't use them, then sit 7 or 8 miles behind the fence line and round up the hand full of people that desert doesn't take for itself when they try running across it in the dark.
Re:Ugh (Score:4, Funny)
No need to shoot them. The closest you can get to area 51 from public land is about 10-12 miles from the actual facility. Some approaches are over 20 miles. They can just block off the roads that enter the range so they can't use them, then sit 7 or 8 miles behind the fence line and round up the hand full of people that desert doesn't take for itself when they try running across it in the dark.
Too much trouble... Shoot them, hide the bodies, then claim they were abducted by the aliens they were trying to get in to see.
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Nah, that's not how to do it. Move the real stuff to a new site and then "redesign" Area 51 to look like the fake town in Blazing Saddles. When the yokels arrive, have Mel Brooks come out to a microphone and say, "So, you schmucks came all this way ohne an alien translator?" (Not sure how the German ohne translates into Yiddish, it means without).
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The whole purpose of the US Military is supposedly to protect the people of the United States from foreign enemies.
[wikipedia.org]
I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.
Re:Ugh (Score:5, Funny)
The Air Force ought to play along for good PR. Maybe host a tour of a hanger with jets, and posters with "come shoot the UFO's with us, join today!"
Even better: just post to that FB group saying "Thanks for letting us know your plans. We just finished moving all the aliens and spaceships to Zone B-13 (and you don't even know what state that's in). Have a nice day."
Even betterer (Score:3, Funny)
The Air Force should fill the buildings with large alien prostheses in giant glass jars, like in "Independence Day", then leave the site unmanned on the day the crowds invade.
Re:Ugh (Score:5, Funny)
The Air Force ought to play along for good PR. Maybe host a tour of a hanger with jets, and posters with "come shoot the UFO's with us, join today!"
Even better: just post to that FB group saying "Thanks for letting us know your plans. We just finished moving all the aliens and spaceships to Zone B-13 (and you don't even know what state that's in). Have a nice day."
B. Second letter of the alphabet. Pennsylvania was the 2nd state to ratify the Constitution. 13. There is a military facility in Pennsylvania called New Cumberland Defense Depot. There are 13 letters in "New Cumberland". It's over 800 acres and supposedly houses the Administrative Support Center East and Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna Pennsylvania. Those sound exactly like the innocuous sort of name you would use for a top secret facility. There's your Zone B-13.
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Shows what you know, that's actually where the budget for the Manhattan Sewer Authority is hidden.
(Wow, that bit of government black budget lore seems to have been entirely scrubbed from the internet. Perhaps I've said too much already!)
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I always heard Hangar 18 is at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton. They have a really good Air Force museum there, fyi.
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I think the free anal probes will be a hit.
Re:Ugh (Score:4, Insightful)
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Then I would carefully plant an "oh, we have a security hole no one knows about in the hangar that we have not used in years!!" (coincidentally, the same place where his soldiers are making the flying saucer), maybe even put some soldiers firing high (or using blanks) for an extra dose of realism.
Finally, I wo
Countered with force? (Score:2)
How can you state that you will counter with force an assault on a base you still claim doesn't exist? There are still plenty of people walking around who will call you a crazy conspiracy theory nut ball for suggesting Area 51 is real.
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There's an entire generation of people that grew up not knowing running into a bombing range is a bad idea. Colour me shocked and all that.
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Maybe they should restart nuclear testing in the desert for a few days or so.
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"The entire area surrounding the base is an active bombing range."
I'm not saying there are little green men at area 51 but this is exactly what you'd say about the base where you hide little green men.
Honestly though, they'd have to be crazy to still be hiding anything significant at Area 51, it has been too well known for too long. You'd shift focus to another base long before now and keep up the mystery around 51 so nobody looks for that other base.
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Honestly though, they'd have to be crazy to still be hiding anything significant at Area 51, it has been too well known for too long. You'd shift focus to another base long before now and keep up the mystery around 51 so nobody looks for that other base.
According to the crazies on the latest "History" channel shows, the new location is Dugway Proving Ground, and is referred to in nutjob circles as "Area 52".
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"The entire area surrounding the base is an active bombing range."
I'm not saying there are little green men at area 51 but this is exactly what you'd say about the base where you hide little green men.
But it actually is an active range. We've been blowing that area up since the 1940's. It's home to the Nevada Test Site and Nellis Air Force Range. Area 51 is one of a number of facilities out there. There are also 5 other airfields and a bunch of other facilities inside the range. It's why they put it there.
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Re:Countered with force? (Score:5, Informative)
How can you state that you will counter with force an assault on a base you still claim doesn't exist?
From Wikipedia:
The CIA publicly acknowledged the existence of the base for the first time on 25 June 2013, following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed in 2005, and they declassified documents detailing the history and purpose of Area 51.
Realistically, it was used to test secret programs like the U-2. Most UFO sightings around there from the 50-60s can probably be attributed to captured or otherwise acquired foreign aircraft such as the MiG-15, which was often unpainted.
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+1 Informative
I hadn't gotten the update. All my ancient aliens info really comes from the 90's. As much as it makes me groan I'll have to refresh.
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According to Air Force spokesperson Laura McAndrews:
[Area 51] is an open training range for the U.S. Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces,” McAndrews said. “The U.S. Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets.
(via the Washington Post)
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They do not claim Area 51 does not exist. Its not its official name, and they certainly do not admit to keeping aliens or flying saucers there.
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Area 51's existence was declassified in 2013.
That said, people do stuff like that all the time. If it were still classified, the warning would go something like "While there is no Area 51, if there were, it, like all other USAF facilities..."
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Re:Countered with force? (Score:5, Interesting)
They claim the base doesn't exist. The land around the base however is clearly marked, that's a fully different story.
You are kidding right? The existence of "Area 51" has been generally known about as long as I've been alive (and I'm pretty close to retirement.) A NASA astronaut got himself in hot water by taking a photo of Area 51 from Skylab after agreeing to avoid doing just that, even though NASA published the blooming thing. The airspace above Groom lake has been restricted for more than 50 years, which is pretty much an acknowledgement that SOMETHING exists down there.
Besides... "Area 51" was PUBLICLY acknowledged in a FOIA response in 2005, so it's use in the late 60's and 70's as a flight test center has been confirmed for more than 10 years. We officially know it was used for flight testing the U2, SR-71 (really the predecessor OXCART) , the FA-117 and other stealth aircraft.
So, folks are musing about storming an ACTUAL air base that is well known and well protected and deadly force IS authorized (under specific rules of engagement I'm sure). You can literally get shot for trespassing here, or more likely get bombed out of existence if you happen to wonder though a live fire exercise.
I figure that unless one of the invaders actually shoots first, nobody is getting shot. The guards WILL round the trespassers up at gun point and may fire some warning shots just to communicate how serious things are. They make it inside the base perimeter, but nobody is going to see anything but snakes, sand and scrub brush, certainly not any alien technology or bodies, before they are lined up at gunpoint and marched off to jail.
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This is the SJW era where they even have considerable sway over the military lately. If anything, this is high time to attempt this because any action would be very negative press for the military no matter what they do. It's so stupid that this may actually work, because even pointing guns at these people would stir up even congress to legally force the military to disarm with the likes of AOC.
Right... You understand that this is officially part of Edwards AFB and shares the same restricted airspace. The runways and lakebed are used for flight testing the really secret stuff they want to fly during the day and keep people from getting photos of, and where Edwards AFB proper might not provide enough security. By all accounts this place is actively guarded, with many on foot intercepted by guards, even off the beaten paths and roads. They have no-trespassing signs, use of deadly force signs and
primative caveman aero-planes, SAD. (Score:5, Funny)
September 21, 2019 (Score:5, Funny)
A lot of dumbasses died yesterday.
Desert (Score:5, Funny)
No matter how many morons you could mobilize, the desert is the same for everyone. Numbers wouldn't help much in that case. Plus an army could mobilize thousands of people too should that stupid challenge go past the tongue in cheek stage. That would be funny if they really tried.
Tragic idiots (Score:4, Insightful)
Plus an army could mobilize thousands of people too should that stupid challenge go past the tongue in cheek stage.
The army wouldn't have to. A few AC-130 gunships [wikipedia.org] would take care of the problem in remarkably short order. Our extremely well funded military has toys that can wipe out entire population centers in extremely short order. Group of unarmed and unprotected civilians running in the desert would be child's play. Not to mention the ring leaders would be arrested LONG before they ever got anywhere near the property they intend to storm.
That would be funny if they really tried.
Funny? No it definitely would not be funny. It would be tragic and a lot of people might die for no good reason. The good news is that it's a virtual certainty that very few people will actually show up for this nonsense.
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Pretty sure the PR of killing tens of thousands of American citizens is something the government would like to avoid. Not sure the military would like the fallout from a mass slaughter.
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"It would be tragic and a lot of people might die for no good reason."
Darwin is ALWAYS a good reason.
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They don't need an army of thousands to defend the base. I'm guessing there's at most a half-dozen roads leading to it. Just block those and you're pretty much done. Sure, a bunch of people could march through miles of desert, but when 90% of them are just there for likes, most of them are going to turn around fast when they realize how hot and far it is, and how much hiking through sand sucks.
This is an air force base. They've likely got close air support in addition to ground forces. And as an active USAF
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Who is the real moron? The ones putting up a parody event or the ones taking it seriously?
There's no harm in taking it seriously. Even if nobody shows up, it's still a good exercise.
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The ones who show up at the Area 51 Travel Center [roadsideamerica.com], looking for aliens and not whores.
Yes, you read that right. An Area 51-themed whorehouse. Only in America.
Re: Desert (Score:2)
I liked Babylon Bee better when they were just doing theology satire, and now that they are basically only don't politics they are mostly boring and I stopped reading them.
But that's pretty damn funny.
And while the military is busy.... (Score:5, Funny)
...I'll sneak into Warehouse 13.
May be - translation (Score:2)
"may be" in military lingo translates to "won't be, but we want you to be scared"
Darwin Awards TBD (Score:2)
If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Lets see them aliens.
If someone actually believes in and acts on this lunacy then they richly deserve the Darwin Award they are about to receive. They clearly do not understand how lethal modern weapons are or this is the cruelest troll of all time. If all it took was large groups running at their target in large groups, don't you think the military would try that in actual combat? No they do not move faster than bullets nor will large numbers protect them. Even if they somehow manage to not get shot immediately they still
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It would be NOTHING for the US Army to wipe out 400,000 people gathered in a small area when they know they are coming
It would be an absolute PR nightmare for decades to come.
Fortunately, the area, including its surroundings is not anywhere near 'small', and it's in the middle of a mostly empty desert. A typical plan of action, like gathering everybody in a nearby meeting point and then travelling all together is easily thwarted by blocking a couple of roads.
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It would be NOTHING for the US Army to wipe out 400,000 people gathered in a small area when they know they are coming
It would be an absolute PR nightmare for decades to come.
It's a test range. There's bound to be unexploded ordnance laying around. Easy to claim that the "protestors" stumbled across some.
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It would take a Nuclear UXO to take out 400000 people though. Maybe the airforce forgot a mid 50s 20 MT device in the desert.
Never going to be a real problem (Score:2)
It would be an absolute PR nightmare for decades to come.
No argument. The point is that their argument that they can swamp the US military's capacity to deal out death is incredibly not correct. I'm not worried it will actually come to that. Worst case they would make an example of a few of the them and the rest would scatter because they know it isn't really a cause worth dying for.
Fortunately, the area, including its surroundings is not anywhere near 'small', and it's in the middle of a mostly empty desert. A typical plan of action, like gathering everybody in a nearby meeting point and then travelling all together is easily thwarted by blocking a couple of roads.
It wouldn't even get that far. The police would descend on the gathering spots and stop the whole mess before it ever began.
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Here is some footage of the incident https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Re: Darwin Awards TBD (Score:2)
We kill our citizens all the time (Score:2)
Of course a few machineguns could quickly make the mob think twice, but in practice opening up on your own citizens is a terrible idea.
You do recall this is the US right? Our police routinely shoot about 1000 people [independent.co.uk] dead every year with almost no consequences of any kind. We have over 30,000 deaths by firearm in the US every single year, with about 1/3 of those being homicides of some description. You think a few idiots getting themselves killed doing something obviously stupid in the desert is going to really make people start caring? Hell we have people who would probably celebrate it.
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The difference between what you cite and this situation is that this is not something that is spread out over an entire country, and over a period of 12 months, but a single event.
If you don't think that makes a difference, consider the impact that people dying at a single event had on the American collective consciousness when just 2,000 people died at one time had on September 11, 2001.
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Before that the 10 mile hike through 110*F desert will remove a lot of them.
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On the plus side, it will provide them with exercise!
Re: Darwin Awards TBD (Score:2)
I don't know, this was basically the Omaha Beach tactic. Have more people running in then they have bullets.
But I imagine these people are in a bit less shape than your average WWII combat soldier storming the beach. Most wouldn't make it the first mile.
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This is like Bolshevism. Bolsheviks think that, if you take 100000 dumb people together they will make 1 clever person. Wrong.
They are idiots...Deadly forced authorized! (Score:2)
About the only thing they will get to see up close is the sand and scrub next to their noses as the MP has a knee in their back putting on the cuffs, followed by the inside of the paddy wagon on their way to jail followed by a chance see the judge.
There are better ways to get a cool story to tell your grandchildren, assuming you survive the sand and heat, don't get shot... Besides, there is no alien technology or bodies to see anywhere, including Area 51. You will be storming a military flight test cente
The Art OF Amplification (Score:4, Interesting)
Artificial scarcity solved (Score:2)
Naruto run (Score:3)
You might be able to run faster than bullets. But you will be going up against alien faster than c plasma weapons. Did you think the Air Force just stashed those flying saucers in warehouses without reverse engineering their technology?
Sounds good! (Score:2)
Bunch of loonies and armed trained soldiers? What could possibly go wrong?
Loss of loony life? Sounds like a win to me.
Area 51 stormers: Please bring your coffin with you.
Just keep them at the gate (Score:4, Funny)
Sand blasted (Score:3)
A few helicopters hovering over the crowd is probably enough to disperse them with non-lethal force. The downdraft and sandblasting that would occur is really unpleasant.
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A few helicopters hovering over the crowd is probably enough to disperse them with non-lethal force. The downdraft and sandblasting that would occur is really unpleasant.
I was going to say, the US military has been paying for the development of all sorts of non-lethal weaponry. Water cannons probably aren't too feasible that far out in the desert, but September 20th sounds like a fine time to test some of the other devices, like the sound wave projector.
Helicopters work too, if the sound device doesn't dissuade them.
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A few helicopters hovering over the crowd is probably enough to disperse them with non-lethal force.
US Air Force officers and grunts seen at Sam's Club hauling away cases and cases of XXXL family size, king size and Holy Roman Empire tear gas.
road block? (Score:4, Informative)
"What? You put up a road block here? We are five miles from the site! We can't be expected to walk that far. Aw man!"
Sept. 20. Plan to mass raid Area 51 foiled by simple concrete barricade and two guys in a Humvee.
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"What? You put up a road block here? We are five miles from the site! We can't be expected to walk that far. Aw man!"
"I called an Uber, but the driver refused to drive through sand to get around the barricade."
Avoid the crowd (Score:2)
I visit Area 15; it's where the dyslexic aliens go. And there's less of a crowd.
Better name for the event (Score:5, Funny)
I am pretty sure this event needs to be re-titled the Live-Fyre festival.
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Actually, calling it the Burning Man Festival would do just fine. If the sun and desert does not do it, the napalm will.
Like the Battle of the Somme (Score:3)
That sort of thing has been tried. (Score:4, Interesting)
"If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets." Some native forces believed that sort of thing back in the nineteenth century. It didn't end well for them.
Just let them in! (Score:2)
September is long enough away to move all the flying saucers to a new location. Heck, leave one weather balloon in the middle of a large airplane hanger just as a joke.
What scares me is... (Score:5, Funny)
The folks storming Area 51 can vote...
Suddenly a whole lot of stuff doesn't seem so crazy...
Groom lake visitor pass (Score:4, Funny)
The secret to gaining access to groom like facility is when challenged for clearance at the guard post show the guard an alien draped in a parachute and say "get the hell out of the way". They'll let you right in.
next up (Score:4, Funny)
guess next there will soon be a petition to overrun Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in order to see the Stargate.
Re:The Air Force, really? (Score:5, Funny)
Until you need close air support. Then you say, "Sorry about all those air force jokes. Can you please send in the A-10s now?"
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And you know this how? What an asshole. I served in the US Navy. You want me to post my DD214? Now, just where did YOU serve?
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
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Maybe the Army. The Marines, for certain. But the Air Force? I doubt it. That dog is all bark and no bite.
Citizen to the Air force... "Does that dog bite?"
"No, that dog does not bite."
The citizen steps over the line, A dog comes over the hill and attacks the citizen...
Citizen to the Air Force... "I thought you sad your dog doesn't bite!"
"That's not my dog... Besides.. I lied... Of course my dog bites. "
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