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We could write about a possible government shutdown.
We could detail the Senate changing procedures to confirm nominees.
We could even tackle the Epstein files.
But frankly, all of that would be boring.
Especially when you could instead write about UFOs.
THUNE'S SUITCASE NUKE - AND THE FILIBUSTER'S LATEST BLAST INJURY
"There were four lights in total," recalled former Air Force intelligence officer Dylan Borland before a House panel investigating UFOs Tuesday. "I immediately could feel static electricity all over my body."
"Chaos ensued over the radio as the object approached rapidly. I heard my friend screaming, ‘It's coming right at us! It's coming right for us!’" testified retired Air Force officer Jeffrey Nuccetelli.
"There is something out there, and we should know what it is," recounted U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Alexandro Wiggins.
Shocking eyewitness testimony came this week to Congress about close encounters, especially since the testimony came from whistleblowers who served in the military.
"It stopped about 100 feet in front of me and approximately 100 feet above me. My telephone got extremely hot. Completely froze," said Borland about his experience.
Quite the space oddities.
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"I’ve not jumped to the conclusion that I believe that there are aliens coming from another planet," said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., during the hearing. "But I'm open to that."
Burlison may not be all in on little green men. But the testimony was enough to convince at least one lawmaker about UFOs who was a skeptic.
"Growing up, I really never believed in UFOs or any of this stuff. I always thought it was a little kooky," said Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz. "But after hearing your testimony from honorable service members and watching videos, I’ve got to admit, I’ve become a believer."
Burlison showed an alarming intelligence video during the hearing. The Missouri Republican said it was leaked to him anonymously. He contends it reveals video of a U.S. drone firing a Hellfire missile at an unidentified object off the coast of Yemen last fall.
"That's a Hellfire missile that smacked into that UFO and just bounced right off, and it kept going," said UFO investigative journalist George Knapp at the hearing.
Burlison provided color commentary.
"[The UFO] kind of pivots in some way. And then there's what appears to be debris from the missile. The missile is deflected. And then there's some pieces of debris that appear to be traveling alongside this object at speed," said Burlison.
In other words, Knapp and Burlison believe the U.S. fired a missile from a drone at a UFO, the UFO miraculously parried it, and then the drone somehow "captured" remains of the missile, like it was caught in a tractor beam. The UFO then zipped off without changing course and without losing speed.
Not exactly the Great Space Coaster.
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Here’s another issue: How in the world (or another world) is Congress ever going to get to the bottom of these mysteries if lawmakers can’t even agree on the nomenclature.
"UAPs or UFOs?" asked Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev.
UAPs is the term that gained currency in recent years, short for "unidentified aerial phenomena."
Sanitized. Anodyne. Washington-speak.
But "UFOs" are code: "Unidentified flying objects."
When you hear "UFOs," you can practically see people fleeing apartment buildings after the Martians landed in Grovers Mill, New Jersey, during "The War of the Worlds."
"UFOs" implies conspiracy. Cover-ups. Peculiar visitors from another galaxy. All garnished with a dash of Roswell and Project Blue Book.
This is why Congress, the military and the aviation industry have looked askance at UFO claims for decades.
"I still don’t want to say UAP," said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. "I recently introduced the UAP Whistleblower Protection Act to help provide whistleblower protection to federal personnel for disclosing the use of federal taxpayer funds to investigate UFOs."
Legislative remedies like the UAP Whistleblower Protection Act reflect a recent change in Congress.
Lawmakers held the first hearing into UFOs in two generations in 2022. Such congressional inquests now pop up at a rate of one or two a year. In a push for transparency, Congress created an office which is required to probe reports of unidentified objects in the sky when reported by the military, as well as civilian and commercial pilots.
Congressional intervention helped diminish the stigma associated with reporting UFOs. But not to the degree some would like. One witness said the agency tasked with investigating them routinely relies on a convenient shield to dismiss potential extraterrestrial encounters, out of hand.
Or tentacle.
"[They say] the only way to scientifically prove [that something is] extraterrestrial is we have to go to that planet, acquire technology, bring it back, and compare it to what we have here," said Borland.
"So you're saying they won't let anything out … unless they go to the planet and confirm its origin?" questioned Burlison.
"That would be scientific evidence. Yes," answered Borland.
And before we get into a broader discussion about ET, we should note that one witness on the panel was Joe Spielberger, with the Project on Government Oversight.
"How do we get to these other planets? How do we pass the Van Allen Radiation Belt safely?" asked Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.
Astronauts aboard the Apollo missions to the moon successfully navigated the Van Allen radiation hazards. But radiation elsewhere in deep space presents a challenging problem for humans.
Regardless, lawmakers believe the witnesses at the hearing were credible because of their positions in the military.
"The narrative has changed. It [would be] politically convenient for the government if you all weren't military folks in suits. It would be much better if you pulled up in Winnebagos and were wearing [tinfoil] hats," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.
Burchett flagged his legislation to safeguard UAP whistleblowers. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who called the hearing, believes these types of whistleblowers are a special class and deserve extra protection.
"For most of our whistleblowers that come forward, the first thing that goes is their security clearance," said Luna. "The security clearance is their livelihood."
"If I say the wrong word, technically I can be charged with espionage," said Borland.
So lawmakers find themselves in the same posture as members of Congress in the 1950s and 1960s. Lots of questions. Few answers. But in the social media era, there are competing influences to simultaneously fuel skepticism and inhibit the ability of government to cover things up.
"I think it's clear from the hearing that there's advanced technology taking place in our airspace. The question is, is it ours or is it otherworldly?" asked Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.
"I don’t really know what is true," said Moskowitz. "But I do know when we’re being lied to."
"This is not science fiction or creating speculation. This is about national security," said Luna.
That means the U.S. is again in a space race. It’s competing against China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and perhaps others to determine who can solve the UAP mystery first.
And getting to the truth would be one giant leap for mankind.
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