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| 'Chameleo: A Strange but True Story of Invisible Spies, Heroin Addiction, and Homeland Security' |
The nonfiction 'Chameleo' could have been a great case
study of paranormal phenomena, or so it might initially seem. Talented author and college-level educator Robert Guffey's
description of unfolding bizarre events and seeming synchronicities of extremely low probability are more than a little reminiscent of
such classics as Keel's 'Mothman'. However, Guffey and his
unlikely protagonist, whom he simply happened to have known since
high school, do not hold supernatural or extraterrestrial beings responsible for their descent into high strangeness. They lay the
blame squarely at the feet of the United States federal government,
and with good reason, it would seem, if Guffey reported the saga with
reasonable accuracy.
A number of circumstances make the
plight of Dion Fuller, a drug addict struggling to cope with life
even on his best days and absent government harassment, significantly
different than the typical and often nebulous claims of what have
come to be known as Targeted Individuals, MILABs and alien abductees.
For one thing, Dion's lifestyle led to a series of choices in 2003
that culminated into being served a search warrant by Special Agent
Lita A. Johnston and company of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
Dion had allowed a young man to hang out a few days at his apartment,
a "party house" frequented by Greater San Diego drug addicts and
drifters. The guy was AWOL from Camp Pendleton, and had stolen some
night vision goggles and other equipment of which NCIS took great interest.
Dion was reportedly held and interrogated for six days. It was after
his release without charges that the high strangeness and
surveillance ensued. Most people who report such circumstances do not
have as clear a perceived point of origin for where and when the
events started. Neither do they have a point of contact, as Lita Johnston served not just for Dion, but for peripheral players
who also got in touch with her when the pot boiled and spilled.
Some readers will recall I blogged about NCIS when the agency and the American Psychological Association
(APA) were implicated in an ethics investigation documented in the
Hoffman Report. NCIS employed an APA psychologist who explored the
use of hypnosis as an interrogation tool on Petty Officer Daniel
King, a young man accused of spying in 1999 and grilled for two years
before being released without formal charges.
Early on in the reading of 'Chameleo' I
considered how difficult it is to sort out extraordinary claims
because the claimant becomes increasingly traumatized and subject to
reporting inaccuracies even if some of the events actually happened as perceived. A reasonable question becomes if the individual
was mad or driven to madness. Did the person perceive such things because they are hysterical or are they hysterical because of what they saw?
I have considered similar dynamics between self-described investigators and alleged alien
abductees. If a hypnotist/investigator proceeds to conduct months or
years of hypnotic regression sessions with an individual about
alleged menacing visitors from the far reaches of the universe, it
would seem eventual conditions and resulting symptoms of
emotional trauma should be expected to manifest in the behavior of the
hypnosis subject and considered the norm, not the exception. Again,
we might wonder if the individual was driven to extreme perceptions
and behaviors by quite human beings and the hypnosis sessions
themselves, not the alleged phenomena focused upon in the sessions.
Another thing that seems to make Dion
and Guffey's story rather unique as compared to similar reports is
their path led them face-to-face with Richard Schowengerdt, an
aerospace engineer who worked on Top Secret projects. He confirmed
the existence of technology that supported Dion's claims of invisible
stalkers, surreal scenery outside his window, inexplicably expanded rooms and similar
perceptions. As a matter of fact, the engineer invented and held a patent on
some of it. What's more, related research and development, it turned
out, were taking place literally down the street from Dion's apartment. Guffey
conducted an interview with Schowengerdt published in the March,
2007, edition of 'UFO Magazine'. I found it interesting and
perhaps telling of a UFO community biased towards the
extraterrestrial hypothesis that Guffey indicated he received
virtually no comments or feedback about the article, 'To See the
Invisible Man'.
'Chameleo' is an entertaining read,
even hilarious at times, but this is not to suggest it minimizes the
potential significance of its otherwise dark subject matter. Robert
Guffey tells the story in sometimes unflattering yet appreciated
frankness of the goings ons among the fringe subculture and the
dysfunctional people who inhabit it. A typical saga of investigator
and experiencer it is not – and it should arguably make us consider
how easily it could have been if the writer had opted to frame the
events in such contexts.
Readers are bound to agree with some of
Guffey's points and disagree with others, yet he has produced a work
that should be read by those sincerely desiring to better understand
such claims and the people who make them. We can only wonder how many
Dions may be out there who did not happen to have gone to high school
with a future professional writer.
'Chameleo' by Robert Guffey is
published by OR Books. It contains 264 pages in paperback for 18 USD. Also available in e-book.
Washington,
District Of Columbia, United States