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I can't count how many times I've had to tell people that most observations are very likely yet-unknown atmospheric phenomenon. Though I'm also quick to point out that there have been cases that do suggest intelligence. Part of the problem is that the word 'UFO' has never achieved an officially agreed upon definition. Depending on its usage the word UFO can mean a number of things.

Some people use Dr. Hartman's definition (the stimulus for a report made by one or more individuals of something seen in the sky ... which the observer could not identify as having an ordinary natural origin, and which seemed to him sufficiently puzzling that he undertook to make a report of it).

Others imply Dr. Hynek's usage (a UFO is a report the contents of which are puzzling not only to the observer but to others who have the technical training the observer may lack).

However by far the most common definition is the ET hypothesis or alien spacecrafts.

Analyzing all the usages it becomes obvious UFO actually means "a process to identify an unidentified aerial sighting."

Fig. 1 - http://wiki.razing.net/index.php/Image:UFO_definition.png

The problem at the moment is there are very few bodies that are willing to do "official" evaluations to complete the "official escalation of explanation" loop.

What I find compelling is that the US government was confronted by many scientists who agreed average people were reporting a "true unknown" phenomenon throughout the '40s and '60s (Drs. Mirarchi, La Paz, Hynek, Thayer, Shough, J. E. McDonald, R. Leo Sprinkle, Garry C. Henderson, Roger N. Shepard, Robert Hall, James Harder, Robert M. L. Baker, Frank Salisbury, Seymour Hess, Charles B. Moore, Al Cameron, Robert M. Wood, Eugene Epstein, Gordon MacDonald, Robert Wilson, etc). In response to this the USAF / AFSAB started Twinkle and escalated to Project Sign, Grudge, Blue Book and finally the Condon Committee.

Unfortunately Dr. Edward Condon's report was "authoritative" enough to render all opposing viewpoints moot despite 30% of the reviewed cases remaining unknown after spending $500,000 of taxpayers money. Even scientists with an anti-UFO position considered the report rubbish (ie/ Thornton Page) because the "Conclusions and Recommendations" and "Summary of the Study" didn't accurately reflect the contents of the study.

Sadly I think history is going to have a very poor view of Dr. Condon for one simple reason. As humans we know that we don't understand all of reality and thus we accept the following Venn diagram as true (obviously the percentages vary).

Fig. 2 - http://wiki.razing.net/index.php/Image:Human_understanding.png

Effectively by shouting down the study of UFOs Condon was stating that there was nothing new in our skies that is "truly unknown" that could be learned through the anecdotal testimony of the average person. In Dr. Condon's words,

As indicated by its title, the emphasis of this study has been on attempting to learn from UFO reports anything that could be considered as adding to scientific knowledge. Our general conclusion is that nothing has come from the study of UFOs in the past 21 years that has added to scientific knowledge. Careful consideration of the record as it is available to us leads us to conclude that further extensive study of UFOs probably cannot be justified in the expectation that science will be advanced thereby.
(Source: (1969) Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects. Boulder, Colorado: Bantam Books. ISBN NA, pg. 1)

With the help of hindsight we can prove Dr. Condon wrong.

Sprites, large scale electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorm clouds, were documented "with anecd

The public knowledge of feasible technology today is laughably behind. We've had radically advanced aircraft since the late 50s that are still not publicly disclosed, other than a few blueprints due to the FOIA.

http://www.cufon.org/cufon/Silverbug.pdf

That is just the aircraft our government has not disclosed to the public. With advances in computers, satellites, and optics, is there any question that some part of our government can see almost anything on the planet, at any time? This combined with the universal wire tapping that has gone through and still in place....

We live in a society where the government can see everything you do, hear everything you do, does not count the votes at all, and even if they did count the votes, the media makes sure you are not informed about any valid candidates that are not completely beholden to the corporations that now run and control everything.

The Bill of Rights has been almost completely removed, the Constitution is almost completely void, and there is almost no military chance to revolt.

This is why I'm not breeding. I don't want to breed slaves.

Air Force http://www.cufon.org/cufon/malmstrom/malm1.htm

Never made it to FE Warren.. one of the few bases. Postured Malmstrom, Minot, Whiteman, Grand Forks and then did a tour at Vandenberg which was the most fun.

During the Cuban missile crisis we took over the sites from Boeing (even though they were not completed) and postured them just so we would have the additional fire power if required. Fortunately it all worked out with the fight... for that I am grateful.

My experiences were from the 60's so the philosophy may have changed since then about ground burst and hitting hardened targets.

I was already at Grand Forks when this incident took place at Malmstrom.

http://www.cufon.org/cufon/malmstrom/malm1.htm

The BSD logo always reminded me of 'Hot Stuff' comic book characters from the 60's

I read this headline and first thought it was about reading a few issues of Rip Snortin' Cocaine Comics