Nimitz witness Sean Cahill shows Luis Elizondo’s Mike Damante’s second book. ( Photo by Sean Cahill.)
Luis Elizondo and To The Stars Academy Of Arts and Science has helped break the stigma associated with the UFO/UAP phenomena, has attracted credible news outlets like the New York Times, and has forced the Pentagon to admit that the phenomena exists; a feat predecessors have failed to accomplish.
Elizondo, the former official of the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, and career Intelligence Officer with U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, the National Counterintelligence Executive, and the Office of Director of National Intelligence, has also gracefully dealt with the allegations, and negativity of those who were out to disprove his credentials. Elizondo has held his head high this whole time, as the To The Stars Academy Of Arts and Science / History Channel’s “Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation” is now on its second season with Elizondo again leading the charge bringing credible military witnesses and government officials from all over the world revealing new cases on the record. Programs like “Unidentified” were made possible by the TTS-facilitated release of the now-famous Pentagon UAP videos, which includes the Tic-Tac UFO/Nimitz, that were featured in mainstream news outlets starting with the New York Times, and then followed by large media representation in CNN, Washington Post, VICE, Popular Mechanics, and others.
“Over the last three years, efforts spearheaded by TTSA have made headlines across the globe with some of the world's most-reputable media outlets,” Elizondo said to punkrockandufos.com. “Although the topic of UAPs (UFOs in the vernacular) has historically been associated with science fiction and the paranormal, due to the caliber of individuals associated with TTSA and its investigative efforts, this topic has finally been given its ‘day in court,’ and considered a legitimate newsworthy subject by mainstream media. Although the threshold for reporting anything related to UAPs remains very high within the press, TTSA’s efforts within the U.S. Government, Congress, and the scientific community, continue to help legitimize and de-stigmatize this important topic. With the foundation TTSA has laid, it should be much easier for the media to continue to report on this topic for many years to come.”
An early criticism of TTSA, argued that its efforts were being done without the UFO community. The goal wasn’t to ignore, but rather target their efforts to the mainstream to help elevate the conversation away from the “fringe.” If the goal was to alter how the phenomena is viewed, and scientists, policy makers, credible news outlets, and private companies began to take a deeper look, and you add in the media coverage, the CRADA TTSA signed with the U.S. Army, and all the-upcoming innovation TTSA promises , than it appears as the mission is working. TTSA has begun to show a lot more transparency lately with “TTSA Talks” podcast , which has been a concise, rational discussion of TTS scope, and Chris Mellon actively fielding and answering questions on Twitter. TTSA cooperated with author Mike Damante, and Tom DeLonge even gave an exclusive quote for “Punk rock and UFOs: Stranger Than Fiction.”
“I don't consider the target audience of our ‘TTSA Talks’to be individuals who are already in the ‘UFO community,” Elizondo said. “My focus remains on those individuals who have never been exposed to the topic before; the other 99 percent of individuals so to speak. Our hope is to encourage dialogue and transparency when it comes to this important topic.”
TTSA is aiming high, but is dedicated to letting things progress in a logical way. While some of the detractors have grown weary of the perceived lack of progress on some TTSA projects, or an official timeline, Elizondo is quick to remind TTSA isn’t working on anyone’s deadline. He promises TTSA is committed to being in the game for the long haul.
“The TTSA realizes that there is a distinct difference between ‘doing things right’ and ‘doing things right now,’” said Elizondo. “Although we are excited about the many ongoing efforts within TTSA at various stages of maturity, we remain committed to our investors and supporters to do things in a professional manner. Sometimes this means holding off on the launching of a product until it is ready for public debut. We also recognize that there are high expectations with TTSA and as a result, we are committed to excellence and delivering only the most professional products and services, in some cases it could mean months or even a couple years before something may see its debut, but as the old saying goes...Rome wasn't built in a day.”
-By MIKE DAMANTE
If you are a fan of To The Stars, Mike Damante’s latest book “Punk rock and UFOs: Stranger Than Fiction” features exclusive interviews with Tom DeLonge, Peter Levenda, Kevin Day, Sean Cahill, and the producers of “Unidentified.” Order now.
Below is a preview of “Stranger Than Fiction”
Tom DeLonge and Mike Damante
