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Open Letter to Graham Hancock

Good Afternoon, Mr. Hancock:

Having recently heard your interview on "The Best of George Noory" radio show, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for several interesting and thought-provoking hours of radio. As a listener who is concerned with the future of our planet and the future of consciousness, I would ask you to consider the following comments in relation to your work:

1. You are absolutely correct in your assertion that the government is unnecessarily preventing research on the use of hallucinogenic substances to achieve altered states of consciousness. However, you must be aware that the sacred plants do not present the only path to enlightenment. Chant, drumming, dance, sex, fasting, and a variety of additional drug-free techniques have been used by mystics, shamans, and wisdom-seekers throughout the ages to achieve ecstatic mind states. Most of these are as at least as effective as hallucinogens for accomplishing this goal (although most probably require more effort and determination). You mentioned in the interview that these techniques will work well for some individuals, and may not work as well or at all for others. I would submit that the plethora of known techniques virtually ensures that surely some technique must exist to suit the frequency and predilection of an individual seeker without resorting to the ingestion of foreign substances.

2. The UFO phenomenon, as Mr. Jacques Vallee describes in his book, has much in common with faeries, spirit beings, shamanic visions and similar mythological phenomena, perhaps moreso than with the "nuts & bolts" concept endorsed by the majority of ufology over the years. This aspect of the UFO phenomenon is strongly reflected in the recollections of Whitley Strieber and other experiencers. It cannot be emphasized enough that, although the "nuts and bolts" flying saucer may play its part, there is without a doubt a "non-physical" component to this phenomenon which is certainly as significant as the trace cases, photographs, radar images, and so forth. Perhaps one reason (if not THE reason) the solution to the UFO "riddle" has remained so elusive throughout the years is that ufology has been looking in the wrong place ("physical" reality) for the answer, or using the wrong method (physical science) to look for it.

3. The "war on drugs" is not designed to prevent Americans from exploring altered states of consciousness (although this may be a consequence of it). Rather, as with most of the actions perpetrated by the oligarchy, this so-called "war" is designed to continue to add money to the already-overflowing coffers of the ruling elite and/or to finance the black budget operations used by the these people to increase their powerbase. The focus of the "war on drugs" is narcotics, rather than hallucinogens; one wouldn't expect the CIA to be able to finance an operation the size of Iran/Contra from the sale of 'shrooms -n- blotter acid.
Undercover operatives sell narcotics to street-level drug dealers and gangs. Profits from this drug-dealing are used to fund "black budget" operations involving so-called "three-letter" agencies and furthering the international interests of the power elite, Iran/Contra being the most well known of these, although probably not the most extensive by far.

Members of the power elite (or their minions) form alliances with international drug cartels and become involved in drug trafficking “on the side.”

Finally, through manipulation of the legal system, elected officials set up situations within the hierarchy by which they (or their cronies) stand to benefit, directly or indirectly, from the penalties imposed upon drug users. The best example of this being the "madatory minimum" laws enacted during the 80's and 90's, designed NOT to take drugs off the street, but, rather, to fill privatized prisons long term (to the immense profit of those who run the prisons, ie. backers of the politicians who enacted these laws). Thousands of civilian "bystanders" were entrapped utilizing these techniques, most of whom are still locked up today and will remain in custody for the majority of their natural lives.

As a side note, I should mention that films and television productions which glamorize drug dealing and the drug scene are almost certainly backed by these same interests (in much the same way the military sponsors movies such as Top Gun and Iron Eagle).

4. Much of your latest work seems to refer to the use of hallucinogenics by shamans in various tribal cultures, particularly in S. America. These shamans undergo literally a lifetime of training to achieve their expertise. They are not casual drug users or experimenters. Most shamans would agree that utilizing the sacred plants is not to be taken lightly, not for the inexprienced nor the uninitiated. Also, simply using a sacred plant does not make one a shaman, nor even an effective interpreter of the experience. Quite to the contrary, most shamans would strongly caution that usage of sacred plants by those who don't know what they're doing is foolhardy at best, more likely downright dangeous, from both a physical and a spiritual perspective. It should also be pointed out that the shamanic practitioners who do use the sacred plants do so only infrequently. Typically, the majority of the individuals living in the shaman's community will not directly experience the altered mind states to which the shaman is privy; rather, it is the shaman's privileged status to be the conduit between his society and the spirit world. The 'regular folks' do not use the sacred plants. Lastly, it goes without saying that the sacred plants are but one tool at the shaman's disposal, and that he will make use with much more regularity techniques such as drumming, chant, dance,and so forth, in rituals which the entire populace may take part.

In closing, I would like to state that I firmly believe that expanded states of consciousness and awareness may represent the solution to human conflict, perhaps even the key to fantastic achievements far beyond what is currently possible through the physical sciences. It is my hope that you continue with this valued research.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kanis Xoaddin

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Open Letter to Graham Hancock

Good Afternoon, Mr. Hancock:

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