The Pascagoula Abduction

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Calvin Parker has a new book out and is making the interview rounds.

This case always seemed like the odd man out. The imagery is different than almost all others; either there is a genuine reason for that or it's because Communion was still 14 years in the future. As a kid that image stayed with me
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The tape secretly running in the sheriff's office also throws a weird wrench into the works. I've always like this one and it's worth revisiting.

Right now Calvin Parker's book is not receiving the best reviews on Amazon and is a bit pricey. No doubt he has decided to try and cash in a little on this and I wouldn't blame him for it. At this late date it won't do much to change anyone's mind. I could deal with the poor editing but one review mentioned something like 'how many encounters can one family have?'. There's a big red flag.

So I'll listen to what he has to say - haven't yet - and then maybe drop $10 on the Kindle version.

So many of these old cases fail to withstand the full light of day. In the one YouTube interview I saw with Mr.Parker he does seem like a gentleman and presents himself as sincere
 

Standingstones

Celestial
Thank goodness for Amazon ratings. I can’t stand to read poorly edited books; ones with numerous typos, misspellings etc. Also this book is way overpriced. I have a feeling that Parker didn’t get much advice on writing his book. He made the typical mistakes that keep people from reading his story.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Here's a link to a site where you can listen to the secret recording made of Hickson & Parker. UFO related audio clips

My hearing is suboptimal and I am having a really hard time understanding what's being said. I suspect the UK Sun isn't exactly a scholarly reference but it did provide this transcript:

Partial transcript of conversation between Calvin and Charlie recorded by Jackson County Sheriff's Department

CALVIN: " I got to get home and get to bed or get some nerve pills or see the doctor or something. I can't stand it. I'm about to go half crazy."

CHARLES: " I tell you, when we're through, I'll get you something to settle you down so you can get some damn sleep."

CALVIN: " I can't sleep yet like it is. I'm just damn near crazy."

CHARLES: " Well, Calvin, when they brought you out-when they brought me out of that thing, goddamn it I like to never in hell got you straightened out.

"My damn arms, my arms, I remember they just froze up and I couldn't move. Just like I stepped on a damn rattlesnake.

"They didn't do me that way."

CALVIN: " I passed out. I expect I never passed out in my whole life."

CHARLES: " I've never seen nothing like that before in my life. You can't make people believe."

CALVIN: " I don't want to keep sitting here. I want to see a doctor."

CHARLES: " They better wake up and start believing ... they better start believing."

CALVIN:  "You see how that damn door come right up?"

CHARLES: " I don't know how it opened, son. I don't know."

CALVIN: " It just laid up and just like that those sons of b*tches -just like that they come out."

CHARLES: " I know. You can't believe it. You can't make people believe it."

CALVIN: " I paralysed right then. I couldn't move."

CHARLES: " They won't believe it. They gonna believe it one of these days. Might be too late. I knew all along they was people from other worlds up there. I knew all along. I never thought it would happen to me."

CALVIN: " You know yourself I don't drink.

CHARLES: " I know that, son. When I get to the house I'm gonna get me another drink, make me sleep. Look, what we sitting around for. I gotta go tell Blanche... what we waiting for?"

CALVIN (panicky): " I gotta go to the house. I'm getting sick. I gotta get out of here."

[Charlie leaves the room]

CALVIN: " It's hard to believe . . . Oh God, it's awful... I know there's a God up there..."
 

wwkirk

Divine
The skeptic Joe Nickell offers an explanation: Famous Alien Abduction in Pascagoula: Reinvestigating a Cold Case

Here's a key excerpt:

"So which was it: a genuine alien abduction or a hoax? Or is that a false dichotomy? In reviewing the case, I thought there might be another possibility: the two men, who might have been drinking before the incident (as Hickson admitted he was after), might have dozed off. Hickson could then have entered a hypnagogic (“waking dream”) state, a trancelike condition between waking and sleeping in which some people experience hallucinations, often with bizarre imagery, including strange beings (aliens, ghosts, etc.). This state may be accompanied by what is called “sleep paralysis” (the body’s inability to move due to still being in the sleep mode). In fact, Hickson not only reported the bizarre imagery but also said that the aliens “paralyzed” him before carrying him aboard the UFO in what sounds like a hypnagogic fantasy."
 

Wade

Stare..... They are always staring
I like that theory because about 2 1/2 years ago I was affected with that myself. Mostly myself "waking up" before I was ready to wake up. I had a few visitation dreams myself, At least I hope they were dreams. But they paled in comparison to the paralyzed feeling. I could have written a book on the rest of the stuff.
 

Ron67

Ignorance isn’t bliss!
I like that theory because about 2 1/2 years ago I was affected with that myself. Mostly myself "waking up" before I was ready to wake up. I had a few visitation dreams myself, At least I hope they were dreams. But they paled in comparison to the paralyzed feeling. I could have written a book on the rest of the stuff.
As a child I experienced what I now rationalise as asleep paralysis.I was around 4 years of age and was during these episodes taken from my bed and out through the skylight at the top of the house by a being i thought was a goblin.Later in life i realised the Goblin looked like a grey.I don't believe I was abducted but our minds play funny tricks on us.
 

The shadow

The shadow knows!
The skeptic Joe Nickell offers an explanation: Famous Alien Abduction in Pascagoula: Reinvestigating a Cold Case

Here's a key excerpt:

"So which was it: a genuine alien abduction or a hoax? Or is that a false dichotomy? In reviewing the case, I thought there might be another possibility: the two men, who might have been drinking before the incident (as Hickson admitted he was after), might have dozed off. Hickson could then have entered a hypnagogic (“waking dream”) state, a trancelike condition between waking and sleeping in which some people experience hallucinations, often with bizarre imagery, including strange beings (aliens, ghosts, etc.). This state may be accompanied by what is called “sleep paralysis” (the body’s inability to move due to still being in the sleep mode). In fact, Hickson not only reported the bizarre imagery but also said that the aliens “paralyzed” him before carrying him aboard the UFO in what sounds like a hypnagogic fantasy."
ok what about Parker? who claimed to see the exact same thing
 

wwkirk

Divine
ok what about Parker? who claimed to see the exact same thing
Another excerpt:

"But if Hickson had a hypnagogic experience, what about Parker? Actually, he need not have been in such a state himself because, as he told officers, he had passed out at the beginning of the incident and failed to regain consciousness until it was over (United Press International 1973). Later he “remembered” bits and pieces of the alleged encounter. This would be consistent with an example of folie à deux (a French expression, the “folly of two”) in which a percipient convinces another of some alleged occurrence (as by the power of suggestion, the force of a dominant personality, or the like) or the other person simply acquiesces for whatever reason."
 

The shadow

The shadow knows!
ok we have this possibility. the two were drunk. both passed out. Hickson
entered a sleep paralysis state.
after the event. Parker "recalled" the event from Hickson's account.
sounds odd but a possibility.
 

Jr35rain

Adept
The skeptic Joe Nickell offers an explanation: Famous Alien Abduction in Pascagoula: Reinvestigating a Cold Case

Here's a key excerpt:

"So which was it: a genuine alien abduction or a hoax? Or is that a false dichotomy? In reviewing the case, I thought there might be another possibility: the two men, who might have been drinking before the incident (as Hickson admitted he was after), might have dozed off. Hickson could then have entered a hypnagogic (“waking dream”) state, a trancelike condition between waking and sleeping in which some people experience hallucinations, often with bizarre imagery, including strange beings (aliens, ghosts, etc.). This state may be accompanied by what is called “sleep paralysis” (the body’s inability to move due to still being in the sleep mode). In fact, Hickson not only reported the bizarre imagery but also said that the aliens “paralyzed” him before carrying him aboard the UFO in what sounds like a hypnagogic fantasy."

Is he a sleep scientist?
Is he a psychiatrist?
 

wwkirk

Divine
Is he a sleep scientist?
Is he a psychiatrist?
I wouldn't say that Nickell's theory is correct. It's just speculation. It seems plausible, but I am still open to the possibility that they were really abducted. It's hard to reach a decisive conclusion.
 

Jr35rain

Adept
I wouldn't say that Nickell's theory is correct. It's just speculation. It seems plausible, but I am still open to the possibility that they were really abducted. It's hard to reach a decisive conclusion.

Couldnt find much on Joe's studies so i had to ask

Abduction most likely the case
listen to how the man speaks
something took him.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
ok we have this possibility. the two were drunk. both passed out. Hickson
entered a sleep paralysis state.
after the event. Parker "recalled" the event from Hickson's account.
sounds odd but a possibility.

A possibility, but I read the same skeptical articles and a hypnagogic sleep event and/or sleep paralysis (are they the same thing?) brought on by alcohol consumption sounds like an explanation being molded into place.

Alcohol and I are no stranger and whenever I have passed out from excess never once did I hallucinate, and the 'sleep' isn't so much sleep as unconsciousness - like an anesthetic. I have had sleep/waking dream issues with paralysis and my brain was in overdrive at the time - which I think is why we are paralyzed so we don't go running around and hurt ourselves or others. From a layman's p.o.v sleepwalking, which I have also been subject to, somehow gets past that inherent safety mechanism. Seems like alcohol would make all that less likely.

These two were just relaxing after a long day and just wanted to go fishing. As long as they weren't operating a boat at the time go ahead and have a couple of belts. Hickson certainly didn't blaze a new trail doing that. If he intimidated Parker into compliance he did a perfect job which has lasted a long time, and it doesn't explain the audio all that well. It could though, but I just don't get that impression. They are hard to understand on the audio clips.

It's the damned audio tape. This case is unique in that we have a way to actually peek into the event while it was fresh. A little Googling tells me that they have made some hay of the event with books, etc but they are human and we might all be subject to those sorts of things if we were to walk a mile in their shoes. These events should have a 'sell by' expiration date after which they are of limited value.

As for the podcasts - PodcastUFO only offered a tease without a subscription, so I guess I'll wait and see what our friends do with it tomorrow, assuming Supergirl or the type of shoelaces Parker was wearing don't become of greater importance than letting the man speak.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Yeah, well with two interviews under my belt and hearing about his childhood experiences and Bud Hopkins hypnosis the shine is starting to come off this one. If we can deem him credible by what he has said we can reevaluate based on the same thing. Nice guy though and I'd still like to transport myself back to see whatever caused this in the first place, regardless of it's origin - which is why I still would keep this case in my WTF file.

Love the accent and manner of speech. If I ever hit Powerball and Troy Landry isn't available to be my personal spokesman I'll see if Calvin is interested
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Just listened to the Paracast interview with Calvin Parker. At risk of saying something positive about them it was a better interview than the ones I heard on Shattered Reality and Into the Fire. Those had me cringing.

Tell you what, Mr.Parker sounds credible to me and he doesn't sound like the type of man prone to hyperbole. His story seems to have been consistent and I can't see how this has been of any great benefit to him. Bothersome that in later years he has encountered people who managed to slobber ufology on him, which I think accounts for some of things I've heard him mention regarding a second abduction, recalled memories and so forth. Maybe someone will track down a few of the surviving witnesses he says he says are in the book. When he mentioned that the police found the bridge tender sound asleep that I had no trouble believing. The other potential witness, a woman in a nursing home, is a dead end if you'll pardon the expression. If the US Coast Guard does have records of any peculiar stick poking incidents from 45 years ago it would be nice if they could be brought to light but I'm not holding my breath.

No doubt the true believers will get some mileage out of his book and whatever tidbits, if any, come of it.

Problem is all we have is a case of an otherwise apparently credible witness and that damned weird tape. So throw it on the pile. I'd take his word for it before I sat and listened to Travis Walton tell his story. Again.
 

Rick Hunter

Celestial
Is he a sleep scientist?
Is he a psychiatrist?

Joe Nickel has a Ph. D. in English. He is an intelligent guy, but I am not aware him having any education or training outside of that. As with so many professional debunked a over the years, too often he has to resort to explanations that are just as bizarre as UFOs.
 

Creepy Green Light

Don't mistake lack of talent for genius
The skeptic Joe Nickell offers an explanation: Famous Alien Abduction in Pascagoula: Reinvestigating a Cold Case

Here's a key excerpt:

"So which was it: a genuine alien abduction or a hoax? Or is that a false dichotomy? In reviewing the case, I thought there might be another possibility: the two men, who might have been drinking before the incident (as Hickson admitted he was after), might have dozed off. Hickson could then have entered a hypnagogic (“waking dream”) state, a trancelike condition between waking and sleeping in which some people experience hallucinations, often with bizarre imagery, including strange beings (aliens, ghosts, etc.). This state may be accompanied by what is called “sleep paralysis” (the body’s inability to move due to still being in the sleep mode). In fact, Hickson not only reported the bizarre imagery but also said that the aliens “paralyzed” him before carrying him aboard the UFO in what sounds like a hypnagogic fantasy."
When I was 17 yrs old, I used to get sleep paralysis all the time. I used to be scared to open my eyes because I had the sensation that I was floating in the room and that my nose was an inch from the ceiling. So I'd keep my eyes closed until the sensation went away. 20+ years later, I was reading one of the letters I sent from Navy Boot Camp to my family back home (as my mom & dad kept them all). In one of the letters I describe that it happened to me one night in basic training. That was actually a relief because my logic was saying that aliens wouldn't come down on to a massive Naval base and then come into a compartment with approx 60 other guys to mess around with me lol. As I got older I grew out of it and it hardly happens anymore. I think the single worse time (where for a day or two was convinced it WAS aliens) is when I was stationed in Maine and me and a friend had an apartment in the middle of the woods about 5 miles from base. I even tried contacting John Mack in Massachusetts. I had to call someone right after it happened and stay on the phone with them for a couple of hours before I could calm down and go back to sleep. But that was the worse it ever got.
 
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