"The Men Who Stare at Goats" Topic

This movie has great TV ads. I hope it's as god as it looks.

I just hope its as goat as it looks….

I leave speling corections as a exercxize for the studdent.

God is a goat?

Wasn't Pan?

I like the look of it as well and look forward to reading some reviews of it.

Some times.

George Clooney saying, "I'm a jedi knight," to Ewan McGregor is delicious.

Ya know whats really funny, Mrwigglesworth baited my Conspiracy Theory friend the other day. After 2.5 hours of ramblings with no gaming what so ever (when Kevin gets on a tear, everything grinds to a halt) Wiggles made mention that when he was in the Army in the late 80s a Sargent made mention of an Infantry Unit that was being trained to use Psychic Abilities. He called it the 1st Earth Battalion. I googled it and came up with this….
link
and we were all shocked that it not only was real but they were making a movie about them….."The Men who stare at Goats".

Too funny that an off the wall comment lead to us discovering this movie months before it's mainstream advertising campaign.

Oh yes, you can also buy the 1st EB's Field Manual and Logo wear…… link

I saw the book last night while wandering around Best Buy as my son tried out DJ Hero. I had seen the poster for the movie, so I picked up the book, and was stunned by its claim that the events described were "true." Of course, the book jacket implied much more direct involvement by the military in the loopier "ESP" side of things than I am willing to believe was the case. Might be a fun flick, though I'll take it with a huge chunk of salt.

Men who stare at goats… gotta watch out for those types.
picture

Coincidentally, I just finished a re-read of Schnabel's
_Remote Viewers_, published in, IIRC, '94.

A fascinating look at psi, and he recounts the SRI,
CIA, Army and other branch/agency interest and
involvement over a period of > 20 years.

When I arrived at Leavenworth in '85, my boss had a copy of the First Earth Battalion briefing slides. I've got a copy around here somewhere…

Allen

You guys are having me on. It's all an elaborate joke, and you're in on it. Right?

Right?

There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Mr. Weaver, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.

Mweaver, find a copy of Schnabel's book (BantamDoubleday
Dell Publishing Group, NY, NY 1997, ISBN 0-440-22306-7)
and read it.

Schnabel mentions the First Earth Battalion (pp 277)

Not so much for the incidents involving psi, but for the
enthusiastic, engaged and ambitious (for the psi aspect)
approach taken by general officers of the armed forces.

And members of Congress (well, that isn't so strange, now
I think on it…)

That Jim Channon guy must've hit his head hard trying to get his jump wings or something.

Would there were more like LTC Channon. I really like the idea of "environmental cavalry".

Allen

It is true. About the same time as the book Jon Ronson did a TV documentary, which I remember seeing. He may even have had an interview, I'm sure it just isn't my memory reconstructing this. Basically the officer in charge had a theory:
An atom is mostly empty space.
Therefore his atoms should be able to intersect the wall's atoms.
Therefore he should be able to walk through the walls.

The TV programme centered about the remote viewing- I don't remember the goat

He was Radio 5 last Friday with presenter Simon Mayo, and film critic Mark Kermode, and it was laugh out loud. He described interviewing this CO, and it was easy.

The guy said "Level one- teaching soldiers how to live off nuts and grains" (fair enough- foraging if supplies get cut)
So Ronson said "What's level 2?"
"Turning yourself invisible"
"Like camoflauge?"
"No, becoming invisible"
"And did you"
"No, so we decided to concentrate on not being seen"
"Isn't that turning yourself invisible?"
"No."

Literally all he had to do was say "and what was level 3? And what was level 4?"

The CIA were really trying to 'Remote View'- think psychics – to spy on the soviets (that was the heart of the TV programme). However the Russians found out, and started a programme to look into it. Then the CIA found out about the Russian programme (which may have only been to find out if the US was doing it) and felt justified, because then it became part of the arms race!

The part where the goat falls over did happen, but it should be noted the real goat had
1)been in a room where a granade had gone off shortly before
2)its feet tied together.

Before you all try to sign up, Ronson said the down side was because this was all 'black ops' it was impossible to get funding, because of lack of paperwork. So the unit was stuck in a reject hut, with no water-cooler or any other comforts.

"Jon Ronson"? How can someone with that spoonerism of a name be taken seriously?…

I was going to take a pass after I saw the trailer, even though I recognized there was a certain degree of farce in it, which I usually like.

Now that I know it's about ESP and The First Earth Battalion, I might give it a go.

I knew a guy who "stared" at horses, but that's a different genre.

JW

true or not, it was a great film.

Jeff Bridges was on excellent form.

The first time I saw the trailer was on The Net without sound. Saw it again last night at the theatre with sound, and will definitely see it.

Did have something odd happen last night. Right after the last trailer, before the feature was about to begin, the film broke.

First time in fifty years of going to movies that's ever happened. Had them black out a couple of times, but never break.

Jeff Bridges looks like he steals the show.

JW