December 02, 2009 06:53 PM UTC

Stupid 'Extraterrestrial' Initiative To Appear on Next Denver Ballot

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• by: redstateblues

(Which way do you suppose the UFO conspiracy crowd breaks partisanship-wise? We’re pretty sure that’s the only thing that matters here, and only a little. – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Denver Post:

A proposal to create a Denver commission to study visitors from outer space will go before voters this summer after supporters gathered the required signatures to get it on the ballot.

City Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O’Malley sent a letter on Monday to Jeff Peckman, who submitted the signatures, stating she had deemed them sufficient.

The ordinance change required 3,974 valid signatures. Peckman submitted more than 10,000 signatures.

Peckman said he will ask voters to approve creating the commission from “grants, gifts and donations.”

The seven-member commission would be tasked with collecting evidence that extraterrestrials and their “UFO vehicles” have been visiting Earth. [rsb emphasis]

Peckman, 55, of Denver, and a self-described entrepreneur, said the election on the issue would go with the next regularly scheduled citywide election, currently set for Aug. 10.

There’s no doubt that benign lunatic Jeff Peckman and his band of wannabe alien diplomats have found enough support to legally place this on the ballot–the more than 10,000 signatures they gathered would likely be enough to get this on even with the proposed ballot initiative reforms from the City Council that would tie signature requirements to previous years’ mayoral elections results.

As you may or may not remember, Peckman began promoting his initiative last year when he stood in front of a crowd of reporters and extraterrestrial enthusiasts and showed what he claimed was “…a couple different shots of a moving extraterrestrial within a 12- to 15-foot range.” It was part of a documentary that was supposed to be released last summer, but has yet to see the light of day. Just as with most of the Art Bell listeners that populate the extraterrestrial subculture, they’re big on theatrics but small on science. But this isn’t really about proof of alien life, or even a plan for the off-chance that bug-eyed beings from beyond the stars land in Civic Center Park and say “Take us to your Hickenlooper”, it’s about a group of people who swear they’re on to something and demand legitimacy in whatever way they can get it.

Even though the chances of the proposed “commission” passing are slim to none, Peckman has achieved what he set out to accomplish–enough media attention from this initative to promote his crackpot theories.