Sunday, December 20, 2015

#1550: Richard Dolan

Richard Michael Dolan is a ufologist and television personality. Initially he had some success with his deranged conspiracy rants in book form, such as UFOs and the National Security State: Chronology of a Cover-up 1941-1973 (with a preface none other than Jacques Vallée, one of the most delusional crackpots to walk the face of the Earth). The basic idea, as you’d expect, is that UFOs are ubiquitous but systematically covered up by the US government because, well, that’s what governments do. Sequels include National Security State: The Cover-Up Exposed, 1973-1991, which doesn’t really seem to have exposed anything converts in various conspiracy communities weren’t already convinced of, and (with Bryce Zabel) A.D. After Disclosure: The People’s Guide to Life After Contact. As for the quality of his works, I’ll quote UFO enthusiast GhostofMaynard: “My take on Mr. Dolan is that he uses a vast number of sources, and from that perspective his work is quite good. However, Dolan doesn’t do a good job at verifying the veracity of sources.” I am not sure GhostofMaynard ranks his parameters of assessment appropriately. (Dolan’s work includes e.g. “deathbed testimonies” from anonymous “CIA officials”. Right.)

Dolan may be most familiar from 2006 Sci-Fi Channel television show Sci Fi Investigates, where he was part of a team that looked into various paranormal and unusual events with as much credulousness as possible, including Roswell. He also appeared in Sci-Fi Channel’s UFO Invasion at Rendlesham. Currently he teaches the Introduction to Ufology class at the International Metaphysical University as part of its ufology program. Yup, such a thing really exists, and it is probably magnificent.


Diagnosis: As a deranged conspiracy theorist Dolan has had some success, probably because he – unlike most – tends to meet the minimal criteria for grammatical coherence and intelligibility. There is a very, very long distance from that achievement to being worth taking seriously.

6 comments:

  1. Out of the countless self-proclaimed "UFO researchers", Richard Dolan is in the .0001% that are actually credible, incorporate legitimate facts/documents to back up (most) of his claims/theories.

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  2. Out of the countless self-proclaimed "UFO researchers", Richard Dolan is in the .0001% that are actually credible, incorporate legitimate facts/documents to back up (most) of his claims/theories.

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  3. Richard Dolan is not a loon he is for real

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  4. The biggest LOONS are those with closed minds.Like the person who wrote this article.

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  5. The author said "(he) tends to meet the minimal criteria for grammatical coherence and intelligibility". WOW! He exceeds that standard by a mile. Has the author of this article even read or listened to him? This article isn't even intelligent DISINFORMATION!

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  6. Richard Dolan is not a loon in the slightest. He is very exact when separating fact, sepculation and theory in his arguments. He has often remarked on how crazy some of his theories sound and he admits his theories are often wildly speculative.

    Have you even read any of his books? Watched any of his lectures?

    Have you even been following what's been happening in the U.S. regarding the UAP/UFO pehnomenon for the last three years? Much has changed since December 2017.

    You need to be much more careful with your posts if you actually intend to be taken seriously, I agree in 90% cases that peopel you list are definitely on the cusp of sanity if not beyond but throwing in Richard Dolan like this is cheap and proves you don't really dive deep into the people you dismiss as loons.

    His work on the history of UFO's is excellent. I've followed his work for a decade and he's nothing like your diagnosis.

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