Alien Abduction: Is Travis Walton's Story the Most Compelling Evidence We Have?

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[@decodingtheunknown2373]

Uplevel your news reading experience with Ground News using our link: ground.news/decode Thank you for the sponsorship.

[@budgreenjeans]

Whatever fact boi 🙂

[@2lefThumbs]

Uplevel your own reading experience by comparing Pompey (the person) with Pompeii (the city), and contrasting their respective pronunciations👍 (mind you, if you're in the royal Navy, Pompey is a city, the the final syllable rhymes with "key" as does the general's name, unlike the city in the bay of Naples, which is generally rendered in English to rhyme with "kay", or "kay-ee" if you're doing latin)

[@geromelegnome5446]

17:27 penisthumb!!!

[@tturi2]

sounds like he saw clouds at night time, those can look like floating space ships

[@victoriaeads6126]

Ground will only work if they also screen the news for bull$hit. Right now the American media in the center and left are going nuts over Rupert Murdoch admitting that Fox, which purports to be "News", was lying blatantly to their viewers. Fox and affiliates are not covering anything to do with this, both because of court filings and because of how awful it makes them look. Would Ground be able to parse out the nuances of this? Fox " News" is disturbingly popular, and is often cited as an actual news source.

[@blinddave88]

I’m not usually in the habit of commenting on my own videos, but I just wanted to let everybody know that after I sent the script to simon, I found out that Travis Walton actually did use a Ghostwriter for his website.

[@troubletonez]

He was a lumberjack, not so much an orator as yourself. I don't know anything about this subject other than my own experience. But I know lumberjacks, and no chance he made this up and told his friends. Sorry.

[@Gubbins_McBumbersnoot]

@@troubletonez So your reason for believing that he didn’t make it up is that.. he’s a lumberjack?

[@M1ggins]

@@Gubbins_McBumbersnoot And they're ok.

[@Grimnir_x]

​@@Gubbins_McBumbersnootLumberjacks literally can't lie, it's the law

[@nickp1370]

Who you gonna call? Ghostwriters! Lmao 🤣

[@j.p.6932]

21:22 I share Simon’s skepticism for polygraphs, but I love how law enforcement basically considers someone guilty if they fail, but don’t rule them out if they pass.

[@VioletNightSkys]

A guilty verdict is a payjob for the prosecutor

[@richardlawson6787]

Never take a lie detector even if your innocent..nervous people will trigger a false positive

[@j.p.6932]

@@richardlawson6787 Exactly, they’re unreliable.

[@philb2820]

That’s why they are considered inadmissible in many states now.

[@NinjaNezumi]

All major government jobs require you successfully pass a lie detector. Except, obviously, congress and president.

[@jonathanperry8331]

There was an interview where he said that in his opinion the ship was powering up and basically electrocuted him. So they took him and treated him the same way you would take a dog to the vet if you hit them with your car.

[@MrEnjoivolcom1]

But on a Galactic scale, lol.

[@7Lace77]

Interesting. 😸

[@Nefville]

You're telling me a Tesla has a pedestrian warning system but an alien spaceship doesn't?

[@DeaDGoD_XIV]

​@@Nefvillenext you'll be shocked to learn their entertainment is only Pong

[@M3PH11]

@@Nefville what just like garbage trucks have backup sirens but if you stand behind a fighter plane at the wrong time you are definitely going to become fried chicken

[@sertank735]

“Why are they so obsessed with butts?” - Our pets when we take them to the Vet

[@Zeta9966]

This happened like an hour and a half from where I live. I actually met someone a few months ago (they got into a car accident with my ex lol) who was from Heber and knew Travis personally. He even said that Travis hasn’t broken his story and that he’s a super nice guy and actually hates talking about it.

[@herzkine]

You mean DIDNT happen :D

[@scionofdorn9101]

Probably worried he'll contradict himself and let the cat out of the bag.

[@Zeta9966]

I mean yes, it’s probable that it’s not real. And if it is, it probably was some psyop shit. AZ is a hotbed for UFO sightings and the only one that’s actually really hard to explain is the Phoenix lights. Because they were reported by people across the state, and pilots as well. Could it have been military? More than likely. But it’s still unidentified.

[@ThestuffthatSaralikes]

I mean can’t we just imagine for a second it happened? 😬

[@alexrener2413]

​@@herzkine No. You mean did happen. :D

[@LloxieFox]

I am SO glad you took the time to point out what BS polygraph tests are. Every time I see those mentioned on tv as if they were even slightly reliable, it drives me crazy. At this point I think any show that mentions them should be required to include a disclaimer that they're total BS.

[@pkpistol]

The Green River killer and Ted Bundy both passed lie detector tests, so obviously they are so unreliable. Travis failed atleast 2, one on live tv and it's on utube btw, but like you point out they are pretty bogus, and this live test was on a game show called The moment of truth.

[@JonesingUSAF]

And yet you still have to do them for various positions and clearances in the military. Not saying they aren’t BS. From my experiences, the more out of touch bullshit something is, the more military leadership will want it.

[@khaosreigns6428]

Polygraph tests aren't bs. Now mind you they aren't technically lie detector tests. A polygraph test measures micro changes in the body such as muscle twitches, dilating eyes, perspiration, breathing, heartbeat, etc. It's by a combination of these changes in the body that the person administering the test can make an educated guess on whether a person is lying or not. The test itself does not tell if a person is lying but the registering of these changes are a common occurrence in a person who is not being entirely honest. From personal experience I can say definitively that just because something isn't admissible in court doesn't mean it shouldn't be. For example during my divorce I had photos, texts, and voice recordings of my wife cheating on me. I was told none of those things proved anything. I was told the photo could have been old or altered, I was told that the voice recording could be anyone, and I was told the texts could have been sent by me from her phone. It's not that these things don't work or don't matter, it's that our justice system are lazy and just want an open and shut case to get you out of their courtroom. Just saying. A polygraph may not detect a lie but it is very reliable in picking up on small changes in the body that indicate dishonesty.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

They're more of a stress detector than a lie detector anyway.

[@bumbuzzZ]

If they're accurate only 50% of the time and 6 out of 7 passed, it makes me think the examiner is biased somehow

[@bigafroman4277]

Oh nice! Do Bob Lazar next 😎

[@christophermitchell7001]

I'd like to see what they make of Charles AA Dellschau, NYMZA and the Sonora Auro club.

[@michaelp2952]

I believe Bob Lazar truly believes what he's saying is truly what he saw , it's just that what he saw was all bulshit .

[@7Lace77]

​​@@christophermitchell7001 Never heard any of those.... Heavens Gate would be a good episode tho. I'm sure Simom would be swayed that he missed out on the passing ship with the rest of us. We can't catch up with them now. 😿

[@demonicusa.k.a.theblindguy3929]

" Red rover red rover Bob Lazar is coming over".

[@TempleofAmon666]

Bob lazar is a fraud. Made it all up.

[@johnchedsey1306]

I've driven through these areas of Arizona quite a few times and it's the people who live around there who are a bit scary, not lights in the night sky.

[@hana_maru22]

Exactly 😱

[@felicitybywater8012]

There was a guy up in Queensland (in Australia) a fair few years ago who was missing for a few days & his missus got the police into it, thinking he was laying dead/injured in the bush up there. He was found on the roadside or something & told the police he'd been abducted by aliens then wrote a book about it & had his head on the telly. Anyways, the police kept tabs on him & he eventually went back to where he was "abducted", they followed him in & found him tending to his drug plantation. The only thing that ever abducted him was sampling too.much of his own merchandise.

[@mehere8038]

well that's REALLY dumb if true. Alternative explanation would be that the drug farm was why he was in that location alone at night to get abducted. Surely if it was from smoking his own pot, he wouldn't go to the police & report it? Even potheads know if they're tripping, especially if they're with it enough to be growing it in commercial quantities!

[@pedrodepacas-ic1cb]

If you got that much weed to smoke you can smoke all day and not get tired. Tolerance goes up quickly when it comes to THC. I've been a cultivator for 15 years, bong in my lap as I type.

[@NightMedicine]

That’s pretty smart on the aliens part… abduct someone when they’re high. The perfect crime. 😂

[@felicitybywater8012]

@@mehere8038 1. It was well before it was legalised for personal use here. 2. He was growing a commercial quantity. 3. Not many crims/crooks are geniuses.

[@StretchDattass]

​@@felicitybywater8012 4. Weed isn't the only drug you grow, I'm pretty sure Coke is plant based in some way. 5. People will do plenty of stupid shit to avoid jail time 6. If he's willing to grow that much shit, he's probably on other shit too.

[@jmanj3917]

I was staying with my buddy in Washington state, around the turn of the millennium, when the exact same thing happened. We had just started our afternoon drinking session when there was a knock on the door. The forestry service was there to inform my buddy that about a dozen or so huge trees that lined his driveway were starting to interfere with the communications wires near them, and that the trees had to come down. The good news was that they were obligated to pay him for any trees he had to lose...to the tune of a thousand dollars each. As a result, my buddy was paid twelve thousand dollars for some trees about which he couldn't have cared less. So it was pretty much the exact same story: Trees were cut down; People were paid for cutting down those trees; and there were no f'n aliens involved.

[@SotonSam]

🤣

[@baalzeebub4230]

“Not even their beards?” I think I’ve found Simon’s all time shortest tangent! Nice line, Simon!

[@epmueller87]

National Forests are used for conservation and administered by the Department of Agriculture; National Parks are used for preservation and administered by the Department of The Interior in the United States. This is what allows logging, hunting, etc. in our National Forests but not allowed in our National Parks. The rivalry between John Muir and Gifford Pinchot could make an interesting story for one of your channels. Thank you for the years of content.

[@clubjed6276]

I live right near pinchot lake

[@stevethegreatis]

The national forests selling trees is still pretty controversial tho. Especially old growth.

[@wayfa13]

@@stevethegreatis US behaving like a shithole country selling trees like that lol

[@Nylak-Otter]

Yeah, I have significant brain damage from traumatic head injuries, and I'm so glad that ghosts aren't a thing. I have visual and audio hallucinations that look and feel real to me, but I can recognize with context clues (mostly using my dog) when they aren't. If I believed in ghosts, my life would be a nightmare.

[@STORMDAME]

I'm so sorry this is happening to you but so impressed that you are strong enough to rationalise your way out of it.

[@prof.mommyarty]

So sorry that you're suffering like this and super impressed that you've kept your common sense and rely on your dog for confirmation. Have a great day

[@ez_company9325]

@@prof.mommyarty The only problem is...... his dog has been dead for several years. LOL

[@JonesingUSAF]

TBI’s are a motherfucker for sure. I though tinnitus was brutal, then I got a TBI and the hearing random voices that I can’t understand all the time blows!! The quieter it is, the more deafening it is…😢

[@Nylak-Otter]

@@JonesingUSAF You've got the voices that you can't understand, too? So do I, and it's so annoying and hard to describe! It sounds like they're speaking your language and has the same flow and intonation and everything, but you just can't interpret most of it when you try to listen to it and pay attention. My other big one is barking dogs, but that's because I'm personally and professionally constantly surrounded by dogs, so it feels normal...except when I hear a barking dog in the near distance in the middle of the night and my own dog is having no reaction. 😂 My fiancée will sleep through that, but my dog never would.

[@lostbutfreesoul]

Not a lawyer, but you are so close to one of the quirks of law that makes me giggle: Not a witness until you are being asked questions about the case!

[@loadedhot1034]

What a lot of people don't know is a UFO had been reported to police in that same area a couple nights before that, and even that UFO was witnessed by a couple of people fishing that very same night Walton disappeared.

[@royalty5058]

Could u find an article maybe? Not challenging you, I believe the story myself

[@loadedhot1034]

@@royalty5058 I have seen it mentioned on several different videos.

[@NightMedicine]

If you look into it there are a LOT of weird details with this case. Particularly the radiation in the area and on Travis and his friends and medical tests done on Travis when he was “returned.”

[@gestaposantaclaus]

@@loadedhot1034WOW such great proof bro!

[@mtokoto]

I hope at some point in the future, Simon will do an episode on John Titor the "Time Traveler"

[@drewknoles3258]

Maybe the aliens just needed a friend who would fight bears for them, for some reason.

[@charlesjmouse]

FWIW: Memory isn't a recording. It's more a case of your brain making up a convincing re-enactment that may or may not be an accurate version of the events you think you are remembering. It's entirely possible to 'remember' something you are utterly convinced is true that actually never happened. The trick is to realise that possibility.

[@andrewbrady3139]

Just because you have not seen something, does not mean it doesn’t exist. I HAVE seen things.

[@davidyoung623]

Conversely, just because you have seen something, that doesn't necessarily mean that it does exist.

[@TashaBryanUK]

2 minutes in and it's like an inception level tangent. Brilliantly written Dave, always beyond great, Whistle-Boy.

[@davidfaulds2960]

Simon does have some great writers and his wit and charm makes it all well worth watching.

[@--enyo--]

Thanks and welcome, Dave.

[@mindyroe4541]

Simon's decoding, and I'm over here geeking over the fact that the editor, Jen?, is a multi stan. 💜💜💜💜

[@taylordair8]

“Abduct me by aliens and Probe my ass” Totally added to the Roster.

[@andiward7068]

There's always an assumption that aliens will all be unified, advanced and intelligent. What if we get "Florida Man" of the galactic world? Just because they have space travel doesn't mean they know how it works.

[@baalzeebub4230]

I really like the way you put it. Florida man gets a flat tire. While fixing it he picks up a fox or other wildlife beside the road and gets his kicks poking it. Then he turns it loose after his flat tire is changed. That’s all these alien abductions are. Edit: after all if interstellar travel is so cheap that Florida man can buy an old model ufo the cost of landing in a moderate gravity well is probably on par with buying whatever his version of a rack of ribs and a six pack. May as well be comfortable while changing that tire instead of huddling on an asteroid if it’s only $20 extra gas.

[@mehere8038]

well in Star trek, they're intelligent, but bored & so play silly games for fun - assuming Q is the alien doing the abducting or in some way involved in making it happen

[@andiward7068]

@Me Here I'm thinking the TNG ep with Jordy getting kidnapped by the (seemingly) ignorant/backwoods aliens when he went to fix their ship. The crew believed a race that had a 5yo intellect could operate in space so it's not hard to extrapolate there could be a wide spectrum of intelligence among space faring people.

[@mehere8038]

@@andiward7068 or ferengi, just stealing the tech of other species :) tbh, I can't remember that episode you're speaking of, I've been meaning to rewatch TNG for years now, think I really need to, I didn't think there were any episodes I didn't remember at all, but I don't remember that one at all, the closest I remember to it is the episode with the 1's & 0's as it's name, but that doesn't fit that description at all

[@mehere8038]

@@andiward7068 actually, thinking about it, I think I do partly remember the episode you're talking about, where they kinda can't figure out how a species so dumb can be flying the space ship & then kinda discover that they get others to do the work for them, after having made lots of comments to each other about their ignorance/condition of the ship or something, I'm still VERY vague on it, but I do slightly recall the one you're talking about I think. They weren't quite as dumb as initially thought of though, since they had an ongoing strategy of how to handle the problems - abducting gulliable people who wanted to help them & forcing them to work for them ie, wasn't the first time they'd done it, was their standard procedure - if I'm remembering right, but yeh, you're right, likely a wide spectrum out there if aliens are flying around. I suspect the Klingons had to steal the space travel tech too, not like their culture rewards of encourages scientists now is it! How would they have possibly acheived space travel on their own?

[@markmattheviewable]

Fire in the Sky (1993) remains one of those films I go back to every year or so and watch because of how if you push a knitting needle into your frontal cortex, it's almost believable. It's also obvious that in the 90s that there was espionage between production companies and ideas were being stolen, as it was basically one extra long episode of The X-Files. Of course, Robert Patrick ended up in both of them.

[@tophers3756]

Even though the film abduction bears almost no resemblance to Walton's (fictitious) account.

[@machineelf9459]

@@user-or4zq8yh1w I used to imagine it was just for fun.

[@thecianinator]

@Daniel no

[@thecianinator]

@@tophers3756 it's so good though

[@Nefville]

Its a good movie. It starts off like a B movie with the police and the guys at the bar plus what follows but then all the sudden out of nowhere you see what happened to Travis and its scary as hell. I always assumed the story was BS but I like the way they portrayed the aliens and the inside of their ship.

[@AlphaGamer1981]

One thing this story completely missed out was the part where the search for travis with the police, there were men with strange electronic devices testing the area and mike rogers asked them what they were doing. "Checking for radiation." They tested mike and he was clear, they scanned the chainsaws on the back of the truck and the needles shot up. When mike went over to the leading police officer to speak to these guys (to help verify his story that happened) "what men?" Said the officer, the men had vanished and never showed up again during the search.

[@ryancole4015]

Fire in the sky scared me as a kid. Still watched it but that ship scene was wild.

[@ScooterinAB]

Fire in the Sky scares me now. I watched it when it came out and it was upsetting. I watched it when it came out on DVD and it was still upsetting. Sadly, it seems like all of the interesting (upsetting) parts are artistic license and didn't happen in his actual story.

[@lindseyharalson490]

My parents lived close to where this happened, when it happened. My dad said everyone thought they spent a little too much time in the woods. Possibly ingested some fungi 😂❤ I love my dad

[@axby1922]

Simon, National Forests in the US fall under the jurisdiction of the Forestry Service under the Department of Agriculture. The point of them is to yes, preserve, but also manage to ensure a sustainable lumber market as well as healthy forests.

[@freyjaravenclaw3577]

Yeah... the same forestry service that had a "controlled" burn on the driest, windiest, extremely remote forest burning down 800 acres of blue doug firs that my family planted 200 years ago.

[@jmanj3917]

3:15 Why assume that you know, or even could be aware, of the potential reasons an alien being might have for doing whatever they might or might not be doing while at this particular planet?

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

"Abduct the President" - ok, let's play that one. "So President Trump, you were abducted by aliens"? 🤣😂

[@sirchadiusmaximusiii]

The media would be calling the aliens racist in about 5 mins then claim they’re colluding with Russia and that only our tax dollars could stop those alien bigots and a lot of useful idiots would clap like seals at their allowed opinion program boxes.

[@Pennysfishkeeping]

I wish I could see how many hours of your content that I watch. It's a lot. Thank you for making such fantastic videos!

[@personzorz]

His KZbin monopoly expands, soon the FTC will be suing him for antitrust

[@cassieleonard6522]

Same. Living in the WhistlerVerse and love it

[@atheistmom3591]

Whistlerverse forever. ❤

[@fortressgothika]

Nice try Penny but there's another comment that has it head further up Simon's ass than yours does.

[@kaitlynnp582]

I met a polygraph operator a while back and didn't have the guts to say it was bullshit to their face, but they really seemed to think they were great at sussing out lies, with or without their useless machine. I ended up finding another conversation to be in before I laughed at a rude time.

[@teaspoonsofpeanutbutter6425]

Actually the person conducting the test is more important than you think in sussing out what's going on with the person being interviewed. Yes, the actual test is garbage, but the conductor of the tests are trained to pick up on people's differing body language/ticks/breathing/sweating etc on the questions they're asked. Their job is to scare the person into believing if they're guilty they'll get found out.. At least get what I gather from interrogation videos which speak on the practice.

[@kaitlynnp582]

@@teaspoonsofpeanutbutter6425 that makes sense. I wonder how well it would work on someone in a scenario when they aren't afraid of legal ramifications of the test

[@teaspoonsofpeanutbutter6425]

@@kaitlynnp582 i often wonder that too. Folk who also watch such videos and know their tactics and, as you say, feel confident they'll pass with no fear of lW enforcement. That i don't know, and I spose there's lot we don't get told as it's give away tactics!

[@MoGumboFukUTubeForChngngMyName]

If that’s your “expertise,” you tend to convince yourself of its legitimacy. Like chiropractors, most were med school rejects, but once they are practicing, they believe they can cure everything from a sore finger to infertility, autism, pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s, blindness, hair loss, schizophrenia, hemorrhoids, toe nail fungus, stinky ass syndrome, sepsis, and, yes, sore necks.

[@Mr.InbetweenFX]

@@MoGumboFukUTubeForChngngMyNameare you telling me that my chiropractor didn’t cure my my sore ass disease?

[@bardsofantiquity]

Dr. Grande revealed that they had a contract to fell the trees and were behind. With winter quickly approaching they were faced with the possibility of not finishing in time and therefore not getting paid until after the weather permitted. This story allowed them to get paid for the work they had done, rather than waiting until after it was all done.

[@alexiswelsh5821]

Well that explains everyone sticking to their story

[@thisisme2681]

Yep!

[@bradhurd6097]

That’s a good point. I personally think this event was a hoax. I’ve seen the movie and read the book. I’ve put a lot of thought into it while reading between the lines. I think only Travis and the Supervisor were in on it and possibly Travis’s brother. The rest of the crew passed the lie detector because they were in the dark. I think one of the guys did say that it looked staged. Plus, these guys were most likely drunk and stoned every day after work.

[@pkpistol]

​@@bradhurd6097 I have trouble believing this story, big time. Ppl believe it, but I can't understand why, maybe mostly Americans. Atleast two of the crew with him that night, including the driver have come out and said it's a hoax, or words to that effect. On the JR podcast he's description of the craft was so vague, also no-one gets hit by a beam of light then has no marks to show for it, he failed the first lie detector test, and maybe broke even in the 2nd one,but was accused of being deceptive. For some reason ppl say he has passed numerous tests, which is false. He allegedly fought off ETs aboard the craft with a beacon he was able to find on a shelf, he said, lol. The only credit I can give him is for fooling dim witted ppl for over 40yrs, but personally i think it's the biggest hoax doing the rounds and needs to be exposed for what it is, in my opinion.

[@Dude30977]

@@pkpistolDidn’t you watch the video? Lie detector tests are bullshit.

[@sonder122]

Side note: I read a lovely little piece which pointed out that the words ‘cabin in the woods’ and ‘cottage in the forest’ essentially have the same meaning (semantically) but are poles apart in popular understanding.

[@theConquerersMama]

What is the difference?

[@auntbee6993]

Dave's dark humor in the beginning made me choke on my coffee😂 I hope the Ariel School phenomenon is on the list of future episodes

[@josefstrauss9017]

Herostratos actually burned down the Artemis temple and his fate is unknown to history. (Because they tried the Greek version of damnatio memoriae on him wich didn’t work obviously because we know his name). Pompey had nothing to do with him (if you meant Gnaeus Pompeius particularly) since herostratus story was in Ancient Greece (about 350 BC) and Pompey of the first Triumvirate was alive around the first century BC in the imperium romanum. Now I’m finished bickering, sorry for that.

[@starrywizdom]

Reasons why Aliens might want to abduct Travis: They want a cool friend who's up for anything. They need a bear scared off. They want to examine the brain of someone whose amygdala doesn't work.

[@kidddogbites]

I think your onto something with the Amygdala. Assuming for a second travis is telling the truth. I think what we have here is essentially the space equivalent of a Dog running out in front of a Veterinarian's car on her way to work. They Dog (travis) didnt know running into the running car was potentially hazardous to their health, and the Vet (aliens) simply felt bad and didnt wanna let it die.

[@joseybryant7577]

In one month it will be April. Simon should deliver the conclusions to these mysteries like Jonathan Frakes. Did a man get abducted? A similar event did take place.

[@NonContentMakerZ3]

Simon is truly fenomenal in picking superb writers. Dave, Liam and the Legendary Danny Salter. It is a talent to spot talent. Only thing I miss is the Biographics of youtubes most interesting person.. You know what I mean Simon. We all want to see the one about Danny.

[@mikestewart7338]

Phenomenal

[@barrysmith5189]

Preach, Brother! We'll back you up.

[@leah3801]

A Biographics about Danny and/or the other writers would be a brilliant April Fools video

[@mikecassidy1623]

Equivalent to a child’s essay 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@alexiswelsh5821]

And George. Also what happened to him?

[@sam5miy]

I love it when Simon says "baloney" lol

[@nathanmereel2300]

Fun fact, I am actually related to Travis Walton as he is my first cousin twice removed (grandma's cousin). The family retelling of the story is less flattering, since everyone involved in the logging crew (Travis had a forestry service contract for logging) and Travis are notoriously unreliable with a reputation of cheating and lying (and a bit of drugs).

[@sentimentalsoldier5837]

I'm related to several people on that crew, and I've never heard about the "drug" thing.

[@spinny2010]

This sounds fishy to me.

[@spinny2010]

or should it be SMELLS fishy rather?

[@sentimentalsoldier5837]

@Spinney2010. I think his comment sounds fishy. I hear people say stuff like this a lot.... I'm related to so and so on that crew through my mother's cousins side of the family. Lol

[@mytake2688]

​@@sentimentalsoldier5837 yall believe the guys?

[@daviddodson8922]

I love these. Simon makes these super entertaining. The writers do a lot to set him up for greatness. The editor is on point. You have a great team Simon. Thanks everyone involved.

[@robotx4242]

If alien abductions actually happen the idea they would prefer to take the President is just silly. We don't go into the jungle, find an ape, then ask him to take us to his monkey leader. Or try to communicate with them to negotiate peace and technology agreements. One monkey is as good as the next. What are we going to do? We give them our laser and rocket technology and they give us bananas and show us the best tree to sleep in?

[@PeeperSnail]

The thing is that, if an alien civilization is advanced enough for space travel, they're also advanced enough to recognize and separate sapient species from other lifeforms. If there were alien civilizations out there that never moved past the mindset of a 19th century European colonialist they're most definitely too busy self-destroying to even be able to go beyond their solar systems. If aliens are advanced enough to reach us and observe us, then they have to be culturally advanced enough to not immediately assume a sapient species is nothing more than mere animals just because they're behind on the tech tree. If they're going to contact someone, either as a diplomatic gesture or an intimidation tactic, they're going to research who we regard as leaders. Any contact with literal randoms is going to be accidental.

[@Denver_Risley]

I went to a UFO conference in Gallup, NM a few years back. Travis was the guest speaker. It was a small event held at the local movie theater, maybe 100 people in attendance. While he was signing posters, books, DVD's, etc. I got a chance to ask him a question: "How did this experience change your view of human beings?" He gave a poignant answer, kind of standard, and had a vibe of defense. He stopped all eye contact and continued with other guests. Later I saw him chumming about with the sheriff-whats-his-name, the guy who was sheriff during the alleged event. Then I saw the guy who gave all the polygraph tests an hour later and I'm like...this is weird. Then I found out polygraph guy administered all the polygraphs that found Travis was truthful, but there is ONE TEST, administered by another guy where Travis failed. Where's that guy? Nowhere. I think the whole thing stinks, Whistler. It stinks like Satan's crap!

[@UmVtCg]

There's a couple of billion camera's walking around on this planet and yet somehow any decent picture or video's of any alien has yet to surface. Travis however seems to make a pretty penny out of them conferences now does he.

[@Douglas_I]

If aliens had the tech to get to Earth, we likely wouldn't know they came or it would be beyond obvious to the entire earth. They being said, I don't believe Travis's story. I don't know why this group would make up a story like this. I also don't know where Travis would have been while he was unable to be found but maybe he came back right before he thought he was going to be found. I don't know.

[@J4ME5_]

​@@UmVtCg okay then I chat with you. Next time you see the airliner in the sky I want you to whip out your floor and get a clear picture of it. Put the Instagram link right here. I want to see a clear non blurry obvious picture of what it is. Do it! It's not as easy as it sounds and these cameras on as great as you think. I do it all the time with my s21 ultra as practice just in case

[@The_SCPFoundation]

Yessssssss!!!!!! I requested this on the other video and said that I would love to see Simon's sceptical commentary while going through the details. This is crazy awesome

[@BstormDa]

A video about Matteo distefano would be interesting. He's a guy that claims to remember past reincarnations, living during ancient Egypt, knowledge about Atlantis, and other things of that nature.

[@erickeller6447]

I currently live in Phoenix but about 10 years ago I lived in Pinedale which is near Heber. It is very beautiful in the mountains but it gets spooky at night. Super dark and I heard many stories from the locals that made me want to lock the doors and sleep with a weapon nearby. It's a nice place to visit but I'm glad to be back in the city.

[@St.Linguini_of_Pesto]

I've read things from people from that Arizona mountain region (can't recall place names) and they had been camping regularly for a while, but were spooked by unseen creatures (for lack of a better term) approaching their campfires. I don't recall all the details, but by the sound of it, there is _very_ weird stuff in the southwestern desert regions.

[@HiiImChris]

Im slightly dissapointed, particularly at the beginning, i really dislike the goofy tone. I think its in everyonea best interest to approach some of these accounts considering both possibilities. Although its incredibly difficult to grasp, it entirely is in the realm of possibility and i feel this aspect is often overlooked. I think unfortunately this demonstrated some of the weakness of how we tend to perceive and approach problem solving logistically, where you bound your perspective to that which throws out everything that is beyond our understanding, motives, and trying to comprehend logistically how something like this is possible. At the very least you get a fascinating thought experiment that expands your sense of possibility

[@NonContentMakerZ3]

Decoding the Unknown: The Story of Danny Salter

[@BobTheSkull]

personally i think that chainsaw guns are the best compromise to the weapon situation. if i learned anything from Gears of War it is to fear the sound of a revving chainsaw sound.

[@kayakMike1000]

The African school children story from the 90s is compelling. The foo fighter cover-up from pilots are convincing too.

[@nameless7838]

i believe Travis & the story, but that guy's fingers & fingernails at 17:28 are the most alien thing in this video.

[@jtjames79]

They made a movie based on this story called Fire in the Sky. It was filmed in Oakland Oregon. They had to pay one of my neighbors $500 not to mow his lawn so they could film some scenes.

[@zisaletter4602]

devastated to inform you that national forests are basically in bed with logging companies. logging companies LOVE national forests. They're HUGE for logging. companies absolutely love to make deals w governing bodies to log, drill, mine etc national forests and parks if the parks service will let them. which they will, unless other governing bodies stop them, because nothing is sacred in america

[@sookendestroy1]

Idk why but when simon is describing the dude going around the "UFO" it just sounds to me like someone having a mental break walking around a hospital or clinic or whatever, getting escorted back to wherever by staff and given sedatives or oxygen before breaking out of the place and waking up the next day in a ditch. A thing that also stands out to me is that it happened in a clearing in the woods and he was struck by a bright light after getting too close to the thing. It almost to me sounds like he saw something like a weather balloon or other object on high voltage transmission lines glowing intensely from the heat, getting shocked or near shocked by getting too close. Those things can mess you up for life or kill you outright.

[@spinny2010]

You're fishing for answers to prove the sceptic point of view. Neither aspects you propose happened otherwise they would have been reported on. Besides, pylons would have fried him, leaving a corpse. If he'd been in a hospital or electrocuted in the woods the story would have been categorically done and dusted decades ago.

[@NightMedicine]

Travis, the other guys helmets, and the surrounding trees all showed significant exposure to radiation. I’m not saying I believe him, but how do you fake that? His medical results are also worth looking at if you can find the details. It’s kind of compelling. I used to think he was making it up but after doing a bunch of research and reading on this subject there are too many anomalous details that only illustrate the strangeness of this supposed incident. Again, not saying it was aliens but I don’t think it’s as simple as a lie or a mental break. It’s worth looking into if you want to challenge your sense of logic or freak yourself out. There’s a reason these particular cases are so pervasive in our culture and it’s because there are way too many bizarre details and physical anomalies that don’t fit neatly into a single definitive answer. I personally think 😊there is something going on outside of our current understanding. I believe we will figure it out in time though. (Whatever is may be.) But that’s just my opinion.

[@kshowers92189]

Your theory is Travis was in a hospital and the beings he thought he seen was most likely medical staff? And none of them came forward to notify the authorities of this, with the story gripping national news and everything that followed for the next 50 years? Your theory also makes absolutely no logical sense

[@RHCole]

I have had floating dreams, face down, being guided through my house at a slow even steady pace by unseen beings. I have also had dreams where I woke up and the exterior of my room is bathed in solid white light. ...they are just dreams, but I love bringing it up to True Believers because they always freak out 😆

[@carlawinduss4665]

Probably sleep paralysis.

[@thea.m.p.co.467]

I have dreams of beings/"aliens" performing upper endoscopies on me without anesthesia, and I can't breathe when the scope goes down my throat. I often wake up from these dreams/nightmares gasping for air... I also have central sleep apnea- my brain stops signaling my diaphragm to move, and I stop breathing for up to a minute at a time, 1-3 times an hour. But it's _definitely_ aliens abducting me and investigating my stomach contents... No way the two are related... 😂

[@sirdabzmcgee]

You prolly just have very good REM’s and are noticing astral projection.

[@jackiekatsianas7271]

I have dreams where I'm slowly floating face down through hallways in my house. No alien beings but I'm not totally in control of how I'm floating. They're weird but essentially meaningless, I think, or maybe an anxiety indicator or something like that. I find it fascinating how people have similar elements in their dreams. But obviously we do, because we're all humans and dreams are part of human psychology 🤷‍♀️.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

"We are no longer accepting Alien Abduction as a valid excuse for being late."

[@Skullofdarkness1]

Any time Simon says that aliens would have no interest in us I always think "we spend billions of dollars sending robots to Mars to look at dirt and call it science. If we found life, I think it wouldn't be outside the realm of plausibility that we might study biology before social structure.

[@Bill-jc1fy]

In answer to your difficulty in understanding why the aliens chose to abduct Travis, an ordinary guy, I believe they thought he was either Buddy Ebson of the Beverly Hillbillies or Robin Williams, according to his appearance in the pictures you showed. I enjoy many of your videos mainly to hear your sketchy understanding of past events.

[@Raymond.Butler]

As for the fingerprints not matching from the phone. In the '70's there were no cell phones, so the corner payphone was your phone away from home. Everyone used them. The cops didn't find out he was back for several days, meaning hundreds of people would have used a gas station payphone during that time. They would have had to fart unicorns for a month to get that lucky. You youngsters forget cellphones are only a few decades old, like 2 or 3.

[@cmdrflint9115]

Ah Jeremy Kyle, that brings back memories, I seem to recall an episode with the fantastic tagline of “You cheated on me 5 times, but did you steal my pressure washer?” Quality programming right there 😂

[@spinny2010]

So you still enjoy trashy entertainment then.

[@greghenrikson952]

Re. Chainsaws, they're crappy as weapons. Esp. the big ones. They're heavy and balanced to be used to cut down trees. They will jam up on any bits of cloth and can't be whipped around like you see in movies. They also have a tendency to kick back if thrust into something.

[@generallypleasantjenny]

I just watched the (I-won’t-say-his-stupid-name)ex-Subway guy video over on Casual Criminalist. I’m so glad I watch this after. Thank you for the laughs!

[@pullt]

If aliens had the ability to travel here, they must have the means to stay hidden if they wanted to. They definitely wouldn't have their secret visits by a few random people.

[@LisaAnn777]

Depends on how much those particular aliens cared if they were seen. I mean a few humans seeing you isn't going to matter people will just think their crazy anyways lol

[@danps4674]

I’ve been saying that for years, a race thousands is not billions of yrs old wouldn’t be detected and can get bio information without abductions,lol reminds me of one of the ancient aliens guys saying (doesn’t this carving look like a rocket and a space suit lol no why would advanced beings use crappy earth tech lol rockets soooo dumb.

[@NightMedicine]

That’s assuming they want or care to stay hidden. Do you hide from lesser lifeforms like ants? 😂

[@pullt]

@@NightMedicine heh...agreed. and I meant to say that they wouldn't stay secret EXCEPT from a few random idiots

[@pullt]

@@LisaAnn777 But how would you fine tune the dial where NORAD doesn't know but some jerkoff in a trailer home knows everything?

[@jerichohill487]

Being skeptical is good. But remember. First black hole theory, early 1900s, first radio waves thought to show it 1964. First evidence for it 1974 first actual picture? 2017 or 19.

[@rooksy7867]

“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story” - Chopper Read

[@Twiska]

On the subject of the rock climber with no fear due to brain damage, I say it's a philosophical issue. If they "fixed" it, his personality would be completely different. Effectively making him a different person. And consequently "killing" the person he used to be. I'm 27 and was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when I was 10. If there were a magical option to "cure" my condition given to me now, I'd turn it down as my condition is a fundamental part of how I think and feel emotions. So just like this rock climber, our conditions make us who we are. Now, if I had a child, and when they were one year old, they were diagnosed with Asperger's (not possible to diagnose so early, but neither is curing the condition so just roll with it) I'd have them cured. But I'd say five years old is too late to ethically change someone neurologically.

[@felicitybywater8012]

Underrated comment.

[@wayfa13]

Asperger's is just rolled into Autism these days (Autism Spectrum Disorder), you're just on the low/light end of the spectrum

[@AnimeShinigami13]

same, but with not wanting to have kids. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 22 and I was teased and tormented. At one point I actually blew a 10 grand scholarship because i wasn't being properly monitored. I was misdiagnosed as having bipolar, something I'm told is common for high functioning autistic women. The medication gave me severe neurological side effects and i ended up on a revolving door of different meds. I failed my driver's test because of medication side effects, never got another chance and I'm 37 (due to money). If you could guerantee that my kids wouldn't have autism, or detect and cure it in utero, I MIGHT be persuaded to donate eggs for a little extra cash. (No way in hell am i fit to be a parent.) But with my mental health issues and how easily my muscles become inflamed I am in no shape to raise a kid. If you ask me people who think its genocide to try and cure genetic disorders in utero have never had to deal with having one or are pro life fuckers who only want a trophy kid to prove their way of life works. The "I'm neuroatypical, the world isn't built for me so I have to force it to change" attitude only works to a point as well. At some point you have to pay rent and put food on the table and that means trying to meet society halfway on that score. Even if its just taking disability so you don't stress yourself into an early grave trying to go the "normal" route of low paying jobs, college, white collar work, remember to tighten your bootstraps and one day you'll be rich. To some extent you have to adapt, its unfair and unrealistic to expect the entire world of however many billion people to change for you.

[@briancross7835]

Assburgers

[@AnimeShinigami13]

@@briancross7835 there a reason why you posted only a potentially derogatory nick name and not a sentence?

[@HyundaiAccentFanClub]

You should do one one the falcon lake incident, most believable alien story I’ve heard of

[@willmfrank]

Listening to Simon struggling to pronounce the name Stefan Michalak would be a hoot.

[@qrufus]

Something clearly happened. Was Travis examined by a doctor after his "return"? If you strip away the fantastical parts of the story, it sounds like he was injured and might've received treatment at a hospital. Assuming that the police were skeptical of the his friends' story, they probably didn't bother to check to see if was admitted to a hospital.

[@compulsiverambler1352]

There's nothing fantastical about it whatsoever, we have tonnes of precedent, proof of concept, examples, whatever you want to call it - every single day, of the concept of an intelligent species taking another species from their natural environment and providing medical care, or testing, or tagging, or all of the above. We are the precedent. We go into environments that are dangerous to us, even, and sometimes crash and have accidents there and cause problems for other species and try to minimise this - or other times, depending on our intentions, we don't, e.g. poaching for parts of exotic animals to sell on the black market. So it's predictable, mundane, boring concept. I don't understand the surprise, awe, feeling that it's weird, or anything like that. When I saw a massive glowing disc-shaped craft I thought was probably extraterrestrial technology, I looked with the same curiosity with which I'd look at such a beautiful craft I hadn't seen before if I thought it was probably made by humans. Doesn't make any difference to me, who made the stuff or where they came from or what they look like, it seems pretty racist how people care so much about the evolutionary origin, appearance and biology of who is in any particular craft, instead of just the same light curiosity that we (nowadays, after years of making other races into some kind of strange fascination to gawp at) when we meet someone from a different segment of THIS rock for the first time. I'd ask questions about their rock, compare our anatomy, ask about their history and culture, of course, but it would just be different in degree, not in kind, to how I'd be interested when meeting someone from another part of THIS rock that I hadn't heard of before. It's frustrating to think that maybe, if only most other members of my species were not so irrationally, and embarrassingly, surprised and emotionally impacted merely by the concept of persons who evolved on a rock like we did, they would have come down and introduced themselves to me, and I love meeting new people from different backgrounds. But because most members of my species insist on making fools of themselves in their presence, making us look incredibly primitive and stupid in the process, I'll probably never get given that chance to prove that not all of us are like that. I felt pretty embarrassed to be associated with this species when I realised that they couldn't come any closer even if they wanted to, without the people nearby me losing their minds and treating them like freaks.

[@NightMedicine]

He was in the hospital for many days. He lost ten pound in 5 days and had been exposed to radiation. They tested the other guys helmets and they all showed four times the amount of normal background radiation. The trees had been exposed too. I’m not sure how lumberjacks in the 70’s can fake that kind of thing. If they did fake it then that’s serious dedication and skill. Not to mention access to radioactive materials. Travis’s eyes were also red and swollen for a significant period afterwards. He had no drugs in his system and had shown signs of shock and ptsd. Oh and his clothes were on backwards. (Which is just a funny detail, not proof.) I believe there are more medical details but I don’t have access to them at the moment. Just going by memory. Again, not saying it was aliens but if that’s true it’s very odd.

[@kshowers92189]

Wouldn’t that Doctor have come forwarded as soon as he seen Travis in the news?

[@onemorechris]

Fire in the Sky terrified me when i stayed up late to watch it on tv as a kid.

[@evilwelshman]

For what it's worth, I disagree with Simon's comment that if aliens were to abduct humans, they would abduct someone important like the US president. It would very much depend on what they were trying to achieve. A relevant example, I feel, was North Korea's penchant for clandestinely abducting Japanese citizens (especially kids) from coastal towns/villages back in the 1970s and 80s, as a means of using them to teach their spies how to speak Japanese and about Japanese culture.

[@stephenluttrell8958]

I’ll preface this by saying I don’t believe people are being abducted by aliens, but I agree with you. If you wanted to gather data about the average biology of a species, I don’t think you would go for the ones that clearly have an above average lifestyle. Also, I would expect that an alien capable of going across the universe would be able to tell which people were easier or harder to get and analyze.

[@TobaJones77]

The theory is that the (potential) aliens were trying to heal Travis after he was injured and had no interest in him beyond that.

[@macturner2196]

Taking a world leader would make the world be very afraid of them, and every gov. would activate marshal law.

[@Jonnyorlando7]

Didn’t they go back to the exact area with a Geiger counter and found out that the area/tree he was near before being taken was heavily irradiated.? Outta all the crazy alien abduction stories I believe this one a lot more then others.

[@jodibraun6383]

Not only that, but the trees there are growing in a misshapen way. The rings on the sides that the craft had been are elongated.

[@jerrykinworthy9225]

I wonder if Simon would do an episode of Decododing The Unknown on himself if he were ever ubducted by Aliens?

[@nathank4708]

By the time you where talking about dog balls i totally forgot about the topic of aliens. 😂😂

[@i.am.not.herbert]

Dude... wth is wrong with that guy's fingers and fingernails talking about someone crying at timestamp 17:39?

[@franreid8203]

Simply because a few people exploit this experience for fame or fortune does not discount the many thousands of people who have this experience.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

4:55 - Chapter 1 - Introduction 6:40 - Mid roll ads 8:20 - Chapter 2 - The incident 14:50 - Chapter 3 - Disappearance , the search & police response 21:45 - Chapter 4 - On board the ship 26:35 - Chapter 5 - Aftermath 29:50 - Chapter 6 - The skeptics 31:35 - Chapter 7 - Thoughts & opinions

[@vincente184]

The Hero we didn't ask for, but needed.

[@xealixcrowing7659]

The aliens went to the government first in X files and we all know how that turned out.

[@bobgunter9608]

You should cover the black metal Norwegian church burnings and murders on casual criminalist

[@MrEnjoivolcom1]

I feel, he's mentioned them at least in reference before. But amongst the 37 channels, lol, cannot recall which is was.

[@Poisonwc]

"A complete lack of Travis" ... love it! Great video Simon & Crew!

[@amandabrown4810]

Simon, have you ever seen a high pitched sound break a glass? If you think in terms of everything being different frequencies of vibration, it's not so far fetched to think that sound can have an effect on a body. Idk about sound curing cancer, but I've seen it treat arthritis and such.

[@spinny2010]

People have been known to will their cancer away through attitude alone. Wilco Johnson is a case in point. Famous guitarist from the 70s English rock scene.

[@mayatara1980]

As a scientist and skeptic, I approach all alien abductions stories with a grain of salt, but I also can't stand people who dismiss the topic with simplistic arguments like the ones you make. I have had my own amount of ufo sightings that I have trouble dismissing as the usual baloons, mirages, planes, whatever, as they clearly do not fit any conventional explanations. And I don't find impossible to believe alien or interdimensional beings or AI machines or time travelers being on this planet as observers and collecting data and samples without wanting to interfere with our civilization. The few cases of supposed contact could be easily explained as rogue aliens (whatever) transgressing rules of non-interference of their own civilization. Really not hard to imagine. Just put humans in the same situation: if we were the visitors and our species had a policy of non-interference, but some of our technicians / scientists /space tourists who had the chance to observe a less evolved species, had also the chance to reach out to some of these individuals to experiment on them outside ethical oversight or, on the other side of the spectrum, warn them about their own demise and give them advice to do better, wouldn't they? Potentially they would. So why would aliens (whatever) not do the same? Why is it the scenario always that they would land in front of the White House and say "take me to your leader?" That's such a simplistic approach to how they could actually interact with us. And why would they even know or care about who our leaders are? Maybe we are not that important to them. We could just be an ecosystem they like to watch, as a zoo, to see how it evolves on its own, and on which they sometimes experiment and take samples, discreetly. I am not saying any of this is fact. I am just saying people jump to much into conckusions based on very simplistic models of who aliens could be and presuming too much on how they'd interact with us. We just don't know and it is wrong to assume. I am ok with exposing potential fraudsters regarding ufo sights and alien abductions, but I also want the same level of seriousness from the debunking side and what I see a lot is dogmatism and straightforward denial of possibilities.

[@uncael8314]

I've always loved hearing alien abduction stories. They are so weird, wild and unbelievable. There was one where a woman claimed she was abducted and an alien husband and alien children. Also editor Nadine I'm crying at the stray kids and jin memes!

[@RealElongatedMuskrat]

now that you mention it, alien family sounds familiar. Wasn't there a guy who also claimed this? I feel like I've heard this before but the version I remember was a lady claiming this like you said, and then a guy came out of the woodwork to be like yeeees, I TOO have alien children... and a hot alien wife!! 😂 maybe it was in the same series of interviews that I saw so they were back to back, I've just got the two linked in my head. Different people, different supposed alien families, but basically same story.

[@helpimlagging2910]

Need simons take on the bob lazar story

[@Nefville]

Why aliens would travel trillions or quadrillions of miles over the course of years, decades, or centuries to putt around in the forest in Arizona only to abduct the first guy that shows up is the question I have.

[@franreid8203]

No ships, no sense of time as humans believe it to be, just think it and you are there. Humans are very old fashioned in the way they experience time.

[@rhodrage]

For the lols

[@tturi2]

They would have to be 4th dimensional beings with whatever physics they discovered that's more advanced than E=mc², to get across the galaxy or local group. Or generational similar to District 9

[@spinny2010]

It's an assumption that A: they're aliens (from another star system) and B: they appear to be interested in genetics rather than human occupations, social status and lifestyle.

[@stevenirizarry1304]

Maybe we are the only other intelligent life that they’ve encountered

[@kilo21swp]

Kevin Randle was our Intel Officer in Iraq in ‘03-‘04. I had no idea he had wrote books and was heavy into the UFO community.

[@Rogue_Fox]

You need to do an episode on lie detectors and the different types. They are laughably subjective, yet there are "new" ones that claim 97% accuracy. I am not sure a lot of people actually know how the devices work or how the determination is made on truth/lies.

[@ClassicRiki]

Yeah, I specifically would like to know more about voice analysis tests. With Machine Learning and neural nets, they can really dig into the most subtle patterns and deviations from those patterns.

[@machineelf9459]

I would assume technology would develop to a point of near perfect lie detection like in Bladerunner. I also assume it would involve monitoring brain activity. Surely there’s an area of the brain that lights up only when you lie or make something up.

[@UmVtCg]

Just remember, it's not a lie if you believe it -George Costanza

[@chaudx]

Are you talking about that technique that uses brain activity scans? They are somewhat more reliable than the classical machine we see in movies. They rely on the fact that MOST of the times when we tell lies the part of the brain that's associated with imagination lights up intensely when the memory part should be lighting up instead.

[@me5969]

I'm only going off bits and bobs I've picked up so don't take this to gospel but I believe they're pretty accurate but they don't work on psychopaths. That to me seems like a major problem though because outside of a bit of fun then you'll mainly be using them on people who've done something that a psychopath might do. So you'd mainly be using it to solve a crime, find the truth or find information out about infidelity. Granted you don't need to be a psychopath to do any, even all of these things but a psychopath will so it's hard because chances are you're using it on a psychopath in which case it won't work

[@verbaldrop887]

Hearing the description of the ship and the aliens, that sounds like the classical descriptions you get from like a comic book or novel. Am I the only one who noticed?

[@TheExplorder]

Nope, you're not alone. Culture really imbeds into the brain. That's why people who are raised in a religious family, statistically hallucionate significantly more often a demon presence, when they're in a state of sleep paralysis.

[@cassee2179]

17:27 What is with his fingers there 👀?

[@lucylillypad1512]

My grandson was logging and was hit by a huge limb. He was in the hospital for 3 weeks and hasn't been able to walk comfortably since. That was 15 years ago.

[@lostbutfreesoul]

There is a joke concerning a tweeked out gray, attempting to find another drug mule.... Unable to fathom why that first guy had white powder and none of the rest do. "Go deeper, there has to be something in there... it couldn't have been a statistical anomaly!"

[@Cloud30000]

Simon’s first tangent is like a cautionary plea for neutering pets.

[@magicbowler1212]

Good thing he's being so open-minded and not condescending at all. I've watched Simon for years and typically enjoy all his stuff, and maybe it's just me, but this one was so annoying!

[@Plaprad]

Got into this story when I younger and spent months reading and watching everything I could on it. My personal view, something happened to them. No clue what, or by whom, but something happened. I did discuss this with a friend years ago who had an interesting theory. He was from Arizona, and apparently there was a problem with drug cartels going into National Forests to set up farms. His hypothesis was that they came upon one of these farms, Travis didn't get out, and for some reason or another they came up with the UFO story to get police involved without the cartels coming after them. A few days later, Travis escapes or is released, and reports the same story as everyone else. That way, the cartel won't come after them, and the police will leave it be. Could also explain why the story never changed. If you don't know the state of the cartel, you may not want to risk saying anything. Plus, I'm sure money was made by all in some amount. A lot of stretches in that idea, but not as many as the UFO story. So, personally, I think either he was abducted by aliens or ran into a drug cartel now.

[@slashnburn9234]

That's a pretty good theory

[@SlickWillyTFCF]

This happened in the mid-1970s. Cartels didn't exist until like 1978 or something, and they didn't gain much traction until the mid to late 1980s.

[@Skullet]

My own feeling here is that Travis and his brother concocted this whole thing and the friends were just unwitting bystanders used to give the story more credibility. Humans are not good witnesses and their version of events is easily coloured by other people inserting factual errors. When they retell the story they will often include those errors, you can test this yourself by speaking to friends about stuff you’ve seen or done, chances are their version of events isn’t the same as yours.

[@theresabarreras4775]

Travis is telling the truth.

[@amemooress6291]

Statistically, it's more likely than not that life exists outside of earth -- but few ever believe those that claim to have been abducted. Very interesting, imo. (Personally not sure what I believe.)

[@Skullet]

Life existing outside of Earth is a statistical probability, beings that are able to circumvent the known laws of physics to travel the vast distance to get to Earth and abduct people are several orders of magnitude less likely. Crossing vast distances at the required speeds comes with consequences in the form of time dilation. By the time they returned home everyone they knew would likely be long dead, I’m not convinced that any being capable of such a feat would risk those consequences to come here and abduct some random nobody.

[@SergiReyner]

Two minutes in, and Simon is already on a tangent *while* on a tangent. This one promises... xD

[@EtceteraYouTube]

I watch every episode. But in this case, you didn't really decode anything ... there is a lot more information available on this event, including Travis having a theory that they didn't mean to hurt him, and they were simply taking care of him after he was accidentally injured by their ship. It is a plausible experience in the 1970's... I don't believe in these types of stories at all, but this one has always made me pause to think.

[@pkpistol]

Sounds very convenient, your struck by a beam of light, so they abduct you, heal you then 5 days later return you with no visible signs of the laser beam strike, hail alien tech. Oh yeah and while on board as a gesture for them healing you, you try to escape and swing a beacon at them that's waiting on a nearby shelf for you to use. Upon return your description of the craft is very vague, after spending 5 days aboard it, sounds unprecedented and I don't understand how ppl take this seriously.

[@mehere8038]

@@pkpistol I don't see why not having marks isn't plausible, or little memory after 5 days sedated. It does seem a little hard for me to believe though, that the aliens have the tech to fix without leaving any marks, but need 5 days to do so, after what is, in reality, only a pretty trivial injury to a civilisation with the ability to heal without any marks. Even humans can manage to heal electricutions with little in the way of scaring & not taking 5 days

[@pkpistol]

@@mehere8038 Possible not the best points I put forward, it just seems to convenient to me, maybe I've watched to many cattle mutilation doco's lol. I don't think we should assume they are gods, with almighty powers aswell, they are beings from another planet or dimension. One's who can possibly manipulate time and space, to travel throughout the solar system. Yes, they seem to have magical powers to us, but so do some magicians. It's just the whole story to me doesn't seem authentic, and the events leading up to that day, have me suspicious in regards to the time frame of the work they were doing.

[@macturner2196]

@@pkpistol He didn't know what happened. He woke up in a weird place with strange stuff around him. None of these people were trained to pass a lie detector test.

[@HairTorque]

On my way home from past work drinks. What is this DTU?! Fantastic! Let's go!