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Hello and welcome to the website of the Georgia Chapter of MUFON. If you have not visited the International MUFON site, here are some facts about our parent organization before we jump into the specifics regarding our Georgia group.
With about 3000 members worldwide, the Mutual UFO Network, headquartered in Littleton, Colorado, is the largest international organization of it's kind. MUFON, founded in 1969, is also a Nonprofit Corporation under Sections 501 (c)(3) and 509 (a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.
MUFON's mission statement indicates that the primary objective is; "The systematic collection and analysis of UFO data, with the ultimate goal of learning the origin and nature of the UFO phenomenon."
Most states in the United States of America (and many other countries) have a MUFON chapter headed by a local director, with a headquarters consisting of the Director's immediate staff of experienced senior field investigators and specialists. The remaining chapter membership usually consists of additional certified field investigators, investigator trainees, and others whose occupation, family obligations, or similar constraints, might not allow for active participation in field operations. To supplement the outstanding monthly MUFON UFO Journal, state chapters normally produce a printed bulletin several times a year and a few groups, as with Georgia, might also distribute an on-line bulletin to it's members (ours is the MUFONGA Update). Chapter meetings are normally held two or more times a year, and might include an organized SKY WATCH, a night (sometimes daylight) surveillance of an area having a history of recent reports of suspected aerial anomalies. Some chapters also see its members holding regional meetings within the state's various sections. These section meetings are usually more prevalent in chapters with a large concentration of members in densely populated regions i.e. the Los Angeles area, New York City and environs, Tampa-St. Pete and it's various beach communities etc.
The Georgia chapter of MUFON operates as described above, but with some minor variations in organizational procedure due to population density and the distribution of our membership.
So how does MUFON of Georgia investigate UFO reports? (Remember the mission statement from above!). After orientation, training and certification, Georgia field investigators follow closely the techniques and SOPs found in the superb MUFON Field Investigator's Manual. This 300+ page document compiled by the MUFON scientific board contains THE method used by most competent UFO investigators, no matter where they began their career. There is no other field manual quite like it to my knowledge, and I've found that it's professional content RIVALS a few law enforcement SOP manuals now in use with some police departments. But again, how is it done? After a series of basic preliminary steps, MUFONGA field investigators begin with an interview of the witness(es). A good old-fashioned "sit-down" with a witness can provide a competent investigator with information that might be overlooked by those NOT ORIENTED TOWARD or TRAINED in a forensic or police type of interview. The investigation will include an official witness' personal account or signed statement; a sketch of the observation by the witness; diagram(s) of the event site; photographs/video of the site and recovery of any physical evidence (if any); maps of the area; completion of other MUFON forms in the event the incident involves 1) landing trace evidence, 2) electromagnetic effects, 3) radar/visual activity, or other special circumstances. Subsequent investigative steps usually include contacting the local law enforcement authorities, area military installations, the FAA, local weather centers, news media, the local college or university etc.
All of this effort is directed toward ONE OBJECTIVE - to determine if the described event can be attributed to a MUNDANE cause(s). These can be numerous; bright meteors or bolides, returning space debris, natural celestial and/or atmospheric phenomena, weather, misidentified military aircraft (blimps, advanced secret aircraft, weather balloons, space launches), satellites, visual phenomenon, and of course the everyday variety of lying, fabricating HOAXER. If the field investigator is able to eliminate all of this and more, only then will a TRULY ANOMALOUS UFO become a suspect! A detailed report is then completed and submitted to MUFON Headquarters.
PLEASE NOTE- IN ALL MUFON CASES, IF REQUESTED, THE IDENTITY OF EACH WITNESS IS HELD IN STRICT CONFIDENCE.
As a special note to those new to MUFON or Ufology; I wish to point out that ANY field of inquiry dealing with the unknown, the more mysterious elements of life on our planet earth, will attract a few odd "characters" with unusual or bizarre beliefs and personalities. Please take notice! MUFON OF GEORGIA DOES NOT SUFFER FOOLS, MONEY GRUBBING LIARS, CHARLATANS, EXPLOITERS, FRAUDULENT UFO LECTURE CIRCUIT CLOWNS, "EXPERTS" WITH FUDGED CREDENTIALS, TABLOID CELEBRITIES AND OTHER SUCH TRASHY PRETENDERS.
We at MUFON of Georgia remain open minded in our pursuit of the TRUTH behind the UFO enigma, giving due consideration and discussion to ALL rational theories, from the extraterrestrial to the interdimensional. We respect the theories of our society's SERIOUS thinkers and scientists, from the prosaic to the profound. We have studied Dr. Greg Little's fine research, that of Dr. Carl Jung, Dr. Jacques Vallee, the pioneering Dr. Ivan Sanderson, NASA's Professor Paul Hill, NASA's Professor Richard Haines, Dr. Peter Sturrock of Stanford, Fortean researcher John Keel, author/researcher Richard Hall; paranormal researchers William Buhlman, Richard Broughton, Loyd Auerbach, Robert Monroe and others from both fields of study and various related scientific disciplines.
We DO NOT have ANY confidence in those proclaiming to have regular intimate relations with reptilian or lizard like entities, or those with "insider" knowledge of the U.S. Government committing the so-called "abductions", or that there are "alien bases" under every other mountain and valley, or that some people can "channel" alien entities and perhaps even have high tea on distant planets, and so on and so forth ad nauseam. Sheer rubbish all!
MUFON of Georgia does feel that with the UFO mystery, we are probably dealing with MORE THAN ONE SOURCE for the phenomenon, i.e. it's NOT necessarily ONLY an extraterrestrial matter. If the truth be known, one day we may really wish it was so simple as ET come to call!! I actually feel like we may be approaching that point now, at least for me personally.
Please browse our site. We recommend ONLY the BEST books by the BEST specialists on our recommended reading list, and we will recommend only the BEST UFO websites. We are SERIOUS in our intent to steer citizens AWAY from the VAST amount of UFO garbage that is in print and on the Internet.
If you agree with our opinion that the UFO mystery needs a SCIENTIFIC APPROACH and the USE OF COMMON SENSE, we welcome your membership.
The About MUFON of Georgia was written by former State Director Tom Sheets in 2002. It embodies our organization's approach and sentiment for the UFO subject in 2005. We want people with a critical mind and a sharp eye who are serious about the study of the unidentified flying object phenomenon.
