Planet for expedition: Earth
Species being observed: Homo Sapiens
Gregorian Calendar Year: 2017
The purpose of Expedition 2442 to the Milky Way Galaxy is to gather intelligence on the current state of planet Earth. While the planet has yet to become an intergalactic player, the greatest scientific minds of Earth are on the cusp of lifting the veil and joining the rest of the galaxy in immortality. This work however, is currently under attack. There are interstellar rumblings of a force that threatens to destabilize the global market of this young planet, and rumors that its newest key player, POTUS Donald Trump, is in fact not native to Earth but rather hails from planet Tang. My team and I have been sent to predetermined locations across the globe to diagnose the probability of humans destroying planet Earth before achieving ascension.
My instructions stated that while human flesh comes in many shades, iridescent cyan is not one of them, and so I must use flesh-colored paint called make-up to conceal my natural pigmentation. Color on the eyes and on the lips are permissible, and even aesthetically pleasing to the human eye, so these were left as is. So as to not startle or attract undue attention from the earthlings by the texture of my body, I have been outfitted with local second-hand garb which I’m told should suffice as camouflage. My assignment? To infiltrate one of the many structures that house all of the knowledge humans have acquired during their time as rulers of this planet, report my findings, and determine if cosmic intervention is necessary.
The Place
The metropolitan city of Miami, Florida was of particular interest for EXP2442. We have reason to believe that due to its geographical location, demographic, and topography, the city of Miami is under immediate threat by the looming legislation of Trump’s administration. Miami is a sanctuary city within the country of interest and its populace is comprised of a slew of immigrants and immigrant families. POTUS Trump issued an executive order to cut federal funding from such cities which Miami mayor Carlos Gimenez agreed to fully comply with amidst protests. This action has the capacity to tear apart local families and severely threatens the cultural diversity of the city. Some have reason to believe that the intentions for destabilizing sanctuary cities is to capitalize on gentrification. According to our projections however actions by Trump to barr the Environmental Protection Agency from publishing studies without political approval, and removing any mentions of climate change from its website, could thwart plans to profit from the displacement of immigrant populations in Miami. The adamant denial of climate change by Trump and the resulting legislation may wash away the cosmopolitan coastline due to rises in sea level long before Little Haiti turns into Little Brickell.
POTUS Trump also plans to build a massive wall to stop immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, and has put a ban on travel from immigrants of middle eastern countries. No one seems to understand why these people are being targeted, although many claim it is in relation to race. From my research I have concluded that humans have invented subcategories within their own race, and these racial categories have a large role in the way humans interact with one another. I find it curious how the immigrant aliens of Earth are being detained and questioned at invisible borders, while my team and I who represent a number of extraterrestrial races are simply falling from the sky. For the purposes of EXP2442 however, I am glad the technology of Earth is so primitive that we can drop in undetected.
The coordinates of my landing sight were deliberately adjacent to a massive concrete structure where earthlings house knowledge they have acquired throughout history, a public library. Volumes of musings, research, and scientific data are stored on hundreds of shelving units in public libraries. Among these are works of art and fiction, which I do not yet fully understand. The purpose of these works appears to be an exercise in stirring up emotions and feelings within the human world. After watching news reels by current U.S. press secretary Sean Spicer, I have concluded that the “alternative facts” he frequently speaks in are the same as these volumes of fiction. For the purposes of EXP 2442 however I would need to delve deeper into the consequences of this double-speak.
The Immediate Concern
The election of POTUS Trump has sent populations across the globe into a frenzy. Words like fascism and worries of war have been seeping into the collective consciousness of Earth’s inhabitants and these are of particular concern to my home planet. Earth and its vast natural resources will be an invaluable asset to the interstellar community once the time is right. Earth’s oceans remain largely unexplored, the depths of which hold the key to eternal life, and so, if Earthlings detonate weapons of mass destruction the integrity of these resources will be compromised. If Trump is confirmed to be from planet Tang, he will be forcibly removed by the Peaceful Alliance of Interplanetary Nations (or P.A.I.N), as it is not the practice of extraterrestrials to intervene in Earthly matters.
Navigating the volumes of books at my disposal was simple using rudimentary machines called computers. These computers even exist as portable devices which humans carry on their person regularly. The greatest minds of Earth have devised a worldwide wireless network where information is digitally stored, they call it the internet. With so much knowledge at their fingertips, you may wonder why humans continue to argue amongst themselves about fact, but our research has indicated information algorithms on the internet are easily manipulated by other savvy humans. Worst of all however, is an invisible disease named apathy which renders humans useless under certain destruction. We have a team that constantly monitors the human world wide web, but have found that sites and undesirable information are often blocked by authoritarian regimes, or skewed for specific audiences. While photos of cloaked frogs and clenched aardvark fists draw larger internet crowds than any other media, public fountains of information like those found at libraries, universities, and in scientific journals continue to be the most reliable sources of knowledge.
These public sources however, are currently under the threat of being defunded by POTUS Trump in an attempt to control mass media. A move which is more reminiscent of an authoritarian government than a democracy. Services funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in the U.S., such as National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) are invaluable to the American people. We have concluded that privatizing funding would compromise the integrity of programming and information. My research shows that privatizing institutions, leaves a service at the mercy of special interests to influence it, which is in direct violation of civil liberties.
Final Analysis
POTUS Trump’s disregard for violations of human rights, dangerous policy decisions, and unstable personality leaves the Earth facing certain doom, but only if its citizens and leaders feel powerless to fight it. Whether America wants to admit the ugly truth or not, the rise of an authoritarian government commonly occurs through democratically held elections. Worldwide democracy is in recession, and the quality of it in the places where it remains has deteriorated. Autocratic rule is not often an outright persecution of innocent people, but rather a system structured in such a way that the wealthy, and those sympathetic to the government (often one in the same) are favored and protected for their crimes. Our findings indicate that in the case of the United States, both will be fair game by the year 2020 if citizens and leaders who oppose Trump do not fight in opposition now.
In sample unit America, scientific fact is up for debate, and appealing to emotion is often as valid as appealing to logic. It has become increasing clear to my team and I that misinformation is ubiquitous on Earth, and these are the most troubling findings of my analysis. The spreading of misinformation for personal gain is the biggest obstacle humans have in their journey toward ascension. Misinformation and media manipulation serve a huge role in terrestrial politics and seems to be how the current POTUS was elected (although there are rumors that he is a puppet leader by the Russian government much like the puppet leaders of Latin America by the United States). For the first time in its political history, fascism has openly arrived in America, the consequences of which may echo across the Earth itself. It is not necessary for registries and concentration camps to appear in order for fascism to exist. It exists when leaders take swift and absolute action in complete disregard of the safety and lives of the citizens they have vowed to protect, and defend these actions by assuring that they “don’t worry about it”.
As for President Donald Trump himself, my studies of human anatomy, biology, and psychology have conclusively classified him as homo sapien. In conclusion, an intergalactic court has no jurisdiction here. Donald Trump is not an extra-terrestrial, he is but another human with a thirst for power, blinded by his own ego, and lacking the empathy to see two inches in front of his nose. Humans however, should not despair. While the feelings stirred up by this shift in awareness may be uncomfortable, they are necessary to execute that which must be done. When early Americans wrote things like “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” it wasn’t a hashtag to categorize posts on the internet, it was because authoritarian rule was all they knew. Firsthand they realized that if citizens do not demand justice from their leaders and representatives, and hold these men and women accountable for their actions, they will seize powers and assets of the state as their own personal property.
Upon my departure from the port of entry, Miami Florida I encountered a group of non civilian humans. These humans were but one group of Earthlings appointed to provide emergency services and protect the innocent from harm. Despite my extra terrestrial pigmentation seeping through the flesh-colored makeup paint, and my difficulty communicating in human, they showed me the kindness and respect that I only read about, but had not experienced until then. These traits of care and comradery are but a glimmer of the greatness that this Earth species is capable of, the greatness that often shows in their works of art. It is now up to the vigilant citizens of Earth to use the resources available to them to study the past in order to protect the future. Planet Earth and its natural resources may yet be saved from despots and destruction, if Earthlings unite against injustice.
Next Projected Earthly Expedition: EXP4224
Species being observed: Homo Evolutis
Gregorian Calendar Year: 2020
Reported Findings: MyXXFLY.com
