Well, Bill, here is what I first thought about the first UFO sighting I had. Initially, I saw a very bright light approaching in the sky around or shortly after dusk (it was in the late 60's, so I no longer remember the exact time of day or even the month in which it happened, but it was fairly warm weather...I think it was summertime. Anyway, I saw a very bright light approaching steadily at high altitude.

1. 1st assumption: "Here comes an airplane with an unusually bright light at the front". (some planes do have such lights)

I then was puzzled by the fact that the light became gradually dimmer as the object came closer. That struck me as odd. And there seemed to be no sound of an engine.

2. I began to wonder, "Is that a satellite?" I then got some binoculars.

3. As the object arrived almost directly overhead it stopped moving entirely. By this time I could see it quite clearly, because the bright light had dimmed down to a softer light. The whole object was illuminated equally, as if lit from within. It glowed like a frosted ceiling globe with a light inside it. It was shaped like a smooth saucer, (or 2 desert bowls, back to back) with a raised protuberance on top and below. It had no visible wings, propellors, windows, or jet intakes that I could see. It stood absolutely still in one place in the sky for some time (10 or 15 minutes, I'd say). The light that it emanated varied at times from brighter to softer, dulling down to a sort of metallic sheen when softest. It had two quite small lights that cycled regularly around the rim, red and green (oddly enough, just like an airplane, but they moved around the rim in a regular fashion. Airplanes have wingtip lights like that which are fixed in one position.)

The object then eventually made some indeterminate slow speed manuevers here and there. It then made some tremendously high speed leaps across large areas of sky, stopping in a new position and remaining still for a bit before doing another leap.

4. By this point I was beginning to think: "That is no airplane, helicopter, or satellite!"

There, Bill, I was at the first moment in my life where I seriously considered that we might have alien visitors to this planet.

What would your conclusion have been, under a similar circumstance?

It was not a searchlight playing on the clouds either. I've seen those many times, and I recognize them for what they are. Besides which, there were no clouds that night.

I'll tell you what it was...it was a smooth, manufactured vehicle of some kind, doing things that we do not normally consider possible in this civilization. And whose it was...I haven't the slightest idea.

Now do you have a specific question I haven't answered?

There is nothing insulting about suggesting that a person's basic beliefs rest on an emotional foundation....such is true of all people. They emotionally commit to a given proposition, and then they run around gathering data, opinions, facts, and experiences that support that position. This is true of scientists, politicians, preachers, and ordinary people in all walks of life. If they are rigorously honest and open-minded and unafraid to change, they will also give fair consideration to things they haven't yet made an emotional committment in support of. But that kind of openmindedness is fairly rare.

- LH