Before letting her go, Tami Simon says, they have to talk about UFOs. D.W. Pasulka has written extensively about her research at alleged crash sites and her interviews with people who report alleged contact, and Tami likes that word, alleged. She describes being with friends recently, taking bets at the dinner table on when mainstream acceptance of extraterrestrial presence will arrive. Not a debate about belief, but public, settled knowledge. What is the time horizon? Pasulka answers by going back to how she began. She came to the communities of people who believe they are in contact not as a believer but as a scholar of religion, studying a change in infrastructure and what it would do to belief systems, and she concluded that what she was watching was most likely a new form of religion taking shape. By the end of writing American Cosmic she had also recognised that government disclosure of the topic was coming, and that this would supercharge the religion, because a government backing a religion is a very big thing. The book came out and disclosure started. There is now a group within government, she says, including military personnel, fighter pilots and members of Congress, who regularly ask the president to speak about UFOs, and formerly classified documents, videos and photographs are released almost weekly. And most people, she has noticed, do not care. Asked whether President Trump will announce that the government has been hiding something, she does not think so, because she is not sure he believes in it. She reads his public remarks as acknowledging that others believe rather than saying he does. Her larger point is that many people already accept that there are anomalous phenomena in the skies and simply do not think it is a big deal. Short of a president saying plainly that these things exist and are studied, she sees nothing really changing. And part of the government, she adds, does not want it to get out at all. On this question, the government is not unified. Want to go deeper with D.W. Pasulka? Join Sounds True for more conversations like this. Get your first month FREE at https://bit.ly/4ctecMn Subscribe to Sounds True's YouTube Channel ► https://bit.ly/SubscribeSTYT Sounds True is a mission-driven learning and media company, and a recognized leader in wellbeing, personal growth, and spiritual transformation. Partnering with the world’s foremost wisdom teachers and best-selling authors, the company reaches millions worldwide with its unique programs, digital learning experiences, and worldwide events. The company also features a variety of original series, weekly shows, and live online experiences on Sounds True One, its global platform and community with members across more than 125 countries. Sounds True is a Public Benefit Corporation and also the home of the Sounds True Foundation. Connect with us: ▪️Facebook: http://bit.ly/2XFIIeE ▪️Instagram: http://bit.ly/2UlEoiH ▪️Website: http://bit.ly/2tOl02d