On Things Jim Moseley

The world of fortean wonder lost a true maverick of UFOology this past weekend.  James Moseley died on November 16th of this year from a long, drawn out fight from cancer.

I didn't really know much about the man until the past year; I purchased a couple of his Saucer Smear publications on line when I became aware of him from his friend Gene Steinberg's the Paracast.  From what I could tell from his various interviews on the Paracast and Radio Misteriso programs, Mr Moseley had a sense of perspective on UFOs that was both candid and intellectual.  Hearing his stories from years past and his criticisms of other UFO researchers from the 50's through the 21st century always caught my attention.  If Jim Moseley were to be interviewed on a podcast, I always made it a priority to listen his stories.

I've had his book in my Amazon queue for sometime now; I will likely finally purchase it  (and sadly after he has left this plane of existence).  His idealist criticisms on the infamous space brothers of the 50's, his skeptical viewpoint on the authenticity of the Roswell incident, and his lack of confidence regarding the high and mighty "experts" of this oddball field were always appreciated by me during his interviews.

Of course, as many have pointed out, he might always have been known as a hoaxer and practical jokester; John Keel went so far as to call him a "a boil on the ass of ufology".   Yet after hearing his devotion to the David Huggins case, his intent on believing that UFOs were not caused by interplanetary visitors, and his honest and unbiased opinions of the folklore of UFOology and those who create it, one can not be amazed.  Here was a man that was there at the beginning of this modern phenomenon; and here was a man who was intellectual, humorous and critical of the world around him.  I recall hearing him in the early sixties on various radio shows broadast on various internet programs and thinking "this guy is a very formidable and well spoken adversary to both the utopians and the critics - how bizarre is that?."  For every Keel or Vallee of any field of study, there needs to be a Jim Moseley.  And though I wish I had had the opportunity to converse or even meet with him, I felt that I knew him very well.  Godspeed Jim; your insight on the bizarre things around us all will never be forgotten by those in the know.