SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the Why-couldn't-they-say-that-before? dept.
On September 6th, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) made the decision to temporarily vacate the Sunspot Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico as a precautionary measure while addressing a security issue. The facility closed down in an orderly fashion and is now re-opening. The residents that vacated their homes will be returning to the site, and all employees will return to work this week.
AURA has been cooperating with an on-going law enforcement investigation of criminal activity that occurred at Sacramento Peak. During this time, we became concerned that a suspect in the investigation potentially posed a threat to the safety of local staff and residents. For this reason, AURA temporarily vacated the facility and ceased science activities at this location.
The decision to vacate was based on the logistical challenges associated with protecting personnel at such a remote location, and the need for expeditious response to the potential threat. AURA determined that moving the small number of on-site staff and residents off the mountain was the most prudent and effective action to ensure their safety.
http://www.aura-astronomy.org/news/news.asp?newsID=389
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Monday September 17 2018, @03:45PM (7 children)
I know our national government sucks balls, but if there was something "they don't want us to see" shutting down just one observatory would be woefully inadequate to stop those pesky scientists from finding it.
Using conspiracies to explain everything in the world sucks and I wish people would stop doing it(absent specific evidence of knowledge and cooperation of a particular plot by specific individuals, I'm not trying to say watergate didn't happen e.g.)
(Score: 5, Interesting) by jmorris on Monday September 17 2018, @04:45PM (4 children)
Unless the theory that foreign intel assets had set up there to use the vantage point to snoop on other government research in the area is the right one. That would explain the importance of seizing just that one spot. It wasn't the solar observatory itself they wanted, it was all that other RF and other equipment at the site mentioned in the reports.
Which is why the statement is unhelpful in squashing the rumors. It is as content free as a professional serpent tongued PR flack could make it. A nice clear statement as to what actually is going on would have ended the speculation, this one only fuels more.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @05:40PM (3 children)
This doesn't really imply "foreign intel assets" though. I sounds more like they were worried about a mass shooting.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by jmorris on Monday September 17 2018, @05:52PM (1 child)
But that is just stupid, once identified they take the guy in for questioning, not close down a research facility and deploy a swarm of Feds to secure it.
Remember, anything you read in the media is at least partly false. Either incompetence, intentional misdirection or plain old lies. This story smells of a lot of intentional obfuscation and misdirection. That usually means intelligence op.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @08:52PM
Well what threat do you think they were concerned about? That the foreign government would try to bomb the place?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 17 2018, @05:55PM
Actually, I wonder if its involved with hacked/leaked SAP info on the clinton servers. From the OIG report we know there was classified stuff on there, but clinton couldnt be expected to understand there was anything wrong with what she was doing. AFAIK the extra emails on the Anthony Wiener laptop given to the NYSD still hasnt been released at all.. Unfortunately, thats all we really know.
All this anonymous source stuff is too annoying, can't trust it. But this came out about a week before the observatory investigation:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-without-citing-evidence-says-china-hacked-hillary-clintons-emails/2018/08/29/cdbd6c60-ab71-11e8-8a0c-70b618c98d3c_story.html [washingtonpost.com]
https://www.breitbart.com/radio/2016/11/04/erik-prince-nypd-ready-make-arrests-weiner-case/ [breitbart.com]
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday September 17 2018, @11:23PM
So it was aliens then?
Right, got it.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Tuesday September 18 2018, @01:36PM
That's the problem though, there IS clear evidence of cooperation of a particular plot by specific individuals in this case. Unless you're claiming that NOBODY has a clue why this particular facility was shut down. Surely at least one researcher (who made the call) and at least one FBI agent (who received the call) know what's going on, and they are cooperating to keep that information away from the media.
The fact that there is a conspiracy of some sort seems pretty undeniable; the argument can only be about the reasons behind it. And if the officials involved refuse to provide any reasons or any evidence, then people are naturally going to seek out their own evidence. And as well all know, a lot of people really suck at doing that.
If the officials involved were TRYING to spark a bunch of stupid conspiracy theories they couldn't have done a better job...