Yowusa.com’s Response to the Nibiru Cult Post by David Morrison, NAI Senior Scientist for NASA

YOWUSA.COM, 05-January-2008
Marshall Masters

On January 31, 2008, David Morrison, NASA’s senior scientist at the NASA Astrobiology Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA became a "cult expert" of sorts. 

In response to an allegedly anonymous post on his "Ask an Astrobiologist" web page, Morrison effectively branded all legitimate Nibiru researchers as cultists intent on “scaring lots of people with totally false stories.” 

The post is an obvious smear aimed at Zecharia Sitchin, author of The 12th Planet.  It is therefore important to note that the first edition of Sitchin’s ground breaking work on Nibiru, as described in the Sumerian texts, was first copyrighted in 1976 – decades before astronomers first discovered the existence of brown dwarf stars.

NASA.GOV, 31-Jan-08
Ask an Astrobiologist — (Backup Image)

Question: Is there a planet Nibiru that will pretty much destroy earth in 2012? I watched a video about it last night and I freaked out so bad i was shaking and crying. Is our world coming to an end in 2012? If so... why can't we just blow the thing up and call it a day?

Answer: I am really sorry that these crazy Nibiru claims have upset you. I don't want to keep answering these questions about Nibiru, but let me say once more as clearly as I can, for you and the other questioners: Nibiru does not exist. NASA has never discovered or detected Nibiru or anything remotely like it. The handful of dwarf planets that astronomers have discovered beyond Neptune are on stable orbits that will never come into the inner solar system, let alone threaten Earth. Nothing will happen in 2012. Nibiru is simply a fake, a hoax, the result of a small religious cult that is unfortunately scaring lots of people with totally false stories.

David Morrison
NAI Senior Scientist
31 January 2008

Furthermore, Sitchin has always worked hard to do good science and to quell false alarms.  Evidence of that is an exclusive interview we published with him in 2002. 

YOWUSA.COM, 01-June-02
Will Planet X / Nibiru Return in 2003?

The recent release of Zecharia Sitchin’s latest book “The Lost Book Of Enki”, caused a lot of public interest, as well as some unexpected and unwarranted misinformation concerning our destiny and the return of Nibiru. Consequently, some have predicted that Nibiru will fly through our solar system next year and with catastrophic results for our planet.

Is all of this hysteria or fact? We wanted to know so we contacted Zecharia Sitchin with the able help of YOWUSA supporter, Josef Novak. In this article, we’ll first we will present our exclusive interview with Zecharia Sitchin in response to a series of written questions submitted to him. 

As the old saying goes, nice guys come in last, so cheap swipes like Morrison’s cult post are nothing new to researchers like Sitchin, or us, for that matter.  Under normal circumstances it is an uninformed judgment and nothing more.  After all, he enjoys the same 1st amendment protections as we do, so let him have his shout in the public square.  If we take offense, we’re free to jump on our own soap box and shout back for the enlightenment and entertainment of all.  Like they say in Texas, “anyone will stop to watch a dog fight.”

However, Morrison is not an independent researcher and author, surviving on the good will of his patrons.  He is a high-ranking NASA official, and the US Government signs his paychecks.  Therefore, his recent cult public post on an official NASA web site carries the full authority of the government and very well may have opened the door to future prosecutorial abuses aimed at innocent Nibiru researchers.

Before you pooh-pooh this, let’s briefly revisit the 2006 Duke University lacrosse case.

The three players charged were pursued by Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, who grossly abused his prosecutorial powers.  He was later disbarred for dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation, found guilty of criminal contempt and was later forced to file for bankruptcy.

In the meantime, the devastation Nifong’s prosecutorial abuse wrought upon three wrongly-accused defendants and their families traumatized them for life.  We may move on, but they live in daily dread of having to explain their innocence time-and-again. Simply put, they’ve been "Nifong-ed," and no, it wasn’t "good for them, too."

The point here is that present day prosecutorial abuse is a real and genuine concern!  One that should bar any convenient attempt to dismiss Morrison's behavior as a clumsy faux pas by a well-meaning government official.

What Makes this Threat Genuine?

Tom Wolfe’s novel Bonfire of the Vanities (1987), permanently embedded the phrase “Indict a Ham Sandwich” in the public lexicon. The media immediately jumped on it, and the talking heads have bandied it about since then.  That was 1987.

Fast forward to 9/11 and then a little further to October 26, 2001.  The day when the PATRIOT Act was signed into law by President Bush.

With a pen stroke, Bush significantly expanded government powers of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which establishes a legal regime for "foreign intelligence" surveillance separate from ordinary law enforcement surveillance. 

Prior to the PATRIOT Act become law in 2001, FISA could only be used when pursuing non-citizen foreign agents. That was then, and now, the new PATRIOT-powered FISA lets the government investigate U.S. citizens, as long as the investigation is not based solely upon activities protected by the First Amendment.

However, that’s a mighty fine distinction because the government can easily investigate a citizen when it deems that the citizen is conducting acts or exhibiting behaviors that may include First Amendment protected activities, but is not solely limited to them.  (Cool legal-eze for “It’s nice to be the King.”)

This is why many notable judicial analysts have concluded that the government’s FISA powers are broad and vague as a consequence of this rushed legislation.  They further believe that the secrecy of FISA proceedings makes FISA powers susceptible to abuse.

This brings us back to Morrison and his public statement of "fact" on a NASA web site: “Nibiru is simply a fake, a hoax, the result of a small religious cult that is unfortunately scaring lots of people with totally false stories.”

Morrison’s unspecific and emotionally-charged verbiage wrongly and maliciously tinges  the legitimate efforts of legitimate researchers such as Zecharia Sitchin with public fears regarding the despicable behaviors of cults and cult leaders such as:

• Charles Manson: Manson Family Tate-La Bianca (1969)
• Jim Jones: Peoples Temple group suicide in Guyana (1978)
• Shoko Asahara: Tokyo subway attack (1995)
• Marshall Applewhite: Heaven's Gate group suicide, San Diego, CA (1997)

Any 1st year law student can tell you that shouting fire in a theater for the sake of “scaring lots of people” as Morrison puts it, is not protected speech. 

Call the deli; we’re back to “Indicting a Ham Sandwich.”  Thanks to the Patriot Act, a physical, pre-9/11 sandwich isn’t necessary anymore.  Now, a reasonable facsimile will do, and it can be submitted under separate cover, for that matter.  Ergo, Morrison has gifted any future Federal Nifong wannabe, an “official” pretext for prosecutorial abuse.  Just fill in the name and Voila, instant secret FISA indictment.  Add a handful of innocent researchers, whip briskly and bake until they make bail.

One could say that Morrison’s hubris with this cult post has propelled NASA straight back to the Medieval ages in Spain. 

Imagine if you will...  You’re an independent-minded, intelligent woman minding your own business.  Then one day, a man with the perceived “official” gravitas of Morrison, whispers in the Grand Inquisitor’s ear “she could be a witch.” Before you can click your heels three times, your death sentence is mysteriously issued.  Much like a FISA indictment.

Two Questions for Mr. Morrison
from Mr. Masters

I’m curious about your position regarding life on Mars as an astrobiologist.  In 2005, two scientists from your very own NASA Ames Research Center in the Silicon Valley announced that they’d found evidence of present life on Mars.  However, for some 35 years prior to that announcement, NASA steadfastly claimed that Mars was lifeless.  So whom do we believe; the NASA that denies, or the NASA that reverses itself? 

My other question deals with observing Nibiru.  In November, 2001, I published an interview with Dr. Brian Marsden, Associate Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatories, "Astronomers Fear an ME Impact Event Could Precipitate a Nuclear Holocaust."

In our discussions, Dr. Marsden offered up a rather pithy insight and I quote, “The failure to observe an object only proves one thing; that you’ve failed to observe it, and nothing else.”

In your post, you state, “Nibiru does not exist. NASA has never discovered or detected Nibiru or anything remotely like it.”  Does this mean that according to your logic, Dr. Marsden is a cult leader too?  Curious minds would love to know.