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Groom Lake Desert Rat no 1.
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<TITLE>Groom Lake Desert Rat #1</TITLE>
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<H1>The Groom Lake Desert Rat</H1>
<I>"The Naked Truth from Open Sources." </I><p>
AREA 51/NELLIS RANGE/TTR/NTS/S-4?/WEIRD STUFF/DESERT LORE <p>
An on-line newsletter. Written, published, <A
HREF="copyright.html">copyrighted</a> and totally disavowed by
<A HREF="../../psychospy.html">Psychospy</A>. Direct from the "UFO
Capital," Rachel, Nevada.
<h3>Issue #1. January 18, 1994</h3>
In this issue...
<ul>
<LI> <A HREF="#status">Freedom Ridge Status</a>
<LI> <A HREF="#view">Some Viewpoints Remain Untouched</a>
<LI> <A HREF="#trip">Field Trip A Success</a>
<LI> <A HREF="#black">Men In Black Visit Rachel</a>
<LI> <A HREF="#plead">Trespassers Plead Not Guilty</a>
<LI> <A HREF="#news">Late Breaking News</a>
</ul><p>
<hr>
<h2><A NAME="status">Freedom Ridge Status</a></h2>
The popular public viewpoints into the unacknowledged Groom Lake
base remain open at present. Although the Air Force has applied
to BLM to seize this land, approval is no longer a certainty.
"You can't fight the government," some people may say, and we
would have concurred a few months ago, but substantial political
opposition has begun to materialize recently from many different
quarters. Aside from the environmental, UFO and anti-secrecy
groups one would expect to be involved, opponents have found
unexpected support in some Nevada state agencies and the brewing
"Sagebrush Rebellion," a movement of local counties to take
control of public lands. At the least, the AF will be forced to
overcome significant hurdles before it gets the land. At best,
some people hope to rout the Federal government altogether from
lands previously controlled by BLM.<p>
From the Freedom Ridge and White Sides viewpoints you see what
appears to be a large Air Force base beside a dry lake bed, with
a very long runway, many large hangers and a virtual city of
support facilities. Ten to twelve roundtrip 737 flights each
weekday bring workers here from Las Vegas. No one seems to have
any confirmable information about what is actually going on at
Groom. The interesting aspect of this facility to most visitors
is that the government in no way acknowledges its existence.
Further satisfaction can be drawn from the intensive monitoring
of nearby public lands by anonymous, heavily-armed security
forces who watch all visitors closely. If you approach these
dudes, they'll run away, but they always remain close enough to
keep track of you.<p>
A public hearing on the land withdrawal is scheduled for Monday,
Jan. 31, in Caliente, Nevada (about 2-1/2 hours north of Las
Vegas), at 7pm in the VFW hall. In spite of the remote location,
this event is already becoming a hot ticket among local Nevada
land use advocates. Opponents have also requested a second
hearing in Las Vegas so more people can attend. Although this
request has not yet been granted, a Las Vegas hearing is looking
increasingly likely and would probably take place in late Feb. or
early March. Sparks will fly at both events: Caliente will
probably be more of an in-state protest focusing on land use
issues, while Las Vegas would probably focus on the Groom Lake
base itself, including the alleged environmental abuses there and
the justification for its continued "nonexistence."<p>
Even if things were to go amazingly well for the AF (which they
are not), the viewpoints cannot legally be closed before the
hearings take place. The land remains public until the seizure
is formally approved, so anyone can come here until then to view
the secret base. If you choose, you can even camp here for up to
14 days without permission from anyone. The hike to Freedom
Ridge takes 50 minutes, while four wheel drive owners can push
all the way to the top on the newly marked "Freedom Ridge
Expressway," a rugged cross-country track. You can park at the
top with a bucket of popcorn and your special sweetie just like a
drive-in movie. Nothing significant ever seems to happen at the
secret base when people are watching, but if you and your sweetie
are feeling cozy that shouldn't matter. (Please note, however,
that making out within sight of the secret base is strictly
against Federal law and is punishable by a fine of $5,000 and up
to a year in prison.) Of course, you must be careful not cross
the nearby military boundary, which is well-marked with signs and
orange posts. (The maximum theoretical punishment for that
offense is the same as for making out, although first time
offenders are usually fined only $300 to $600.)<p>
<hr>
<h2><A NAME="view">Some Viewpoints Remain Untouched</a></h2>
The underlying reason for the proposed land withdrawal is that
the AF botched its survey work for the huge Groom Range
withdrawal of the 1980s. That action was also intended to hide
the Groom base from public view by seizing a whole mountain
range. Alas, they overlooked the more obscure hills now in
question, effectively rendering the entire withdrawal useless.<p>
Could it be possible that, even with the current proposed
withdrawal, the AF has botched the job once again? Reports
continue to reach us of public viewpoints into '"51" that remain
untouched by the current action. We won't publicize all of them,
but it is sufficient to say that the AF cannot neutralize these
locations without bursting the 5000 acre limit beyond which
Congressional approval would be required. (The military would
rather face a dozen Saddams than tangle with Capitol Hill.)<p>
Viewpoints we can talk about now are Badger Mountain and Tikaboo
Peak. These are in the high cluster of peaks about 15 miles east
of Freedom Ridge and just south of Hancock Summit. The climb is
longer and more strenuous, but a recent visitor to Tikaboo Peak
reports that you can see most of the Groom base from there.
Distance is a problem: 25 miles vs. about 10 miles from Freedom
Ridge, but having a high-quality telescope could help. The
important thing proven here is that the AF is once again engaged
in "government work," an incompetent, weak-kneed effort that does
only half the job. If they are going to take any land at all,
they should be required also to take Tikaboo and Badger peaks.
This, in turn, would burst the 5000 acre limit and force the
issue to be debated in Congress, where the voice of the people
can be heard.<p>
<hr>
<h2><A NAME="trip">Field Trip A Success</a></h2>
About 25 people showed up on Freedom Ridge for the Jan. 15
aviation field trip. Given that the plans came together only
about 10 days before the event, this was a strong turnout. A
wide array of civilian optical devices were turned on the base,
allowing participants to see "the hairs on a gnat's ass," so to
speak. Sweetman, Goodall, psychospy, Dr. Brown, Agent X, Rocket
Scientist, The Cops and other fanatics and riff-raff speculated
wildly about what was inside each of those big hangers and
factory buildings, but no consensus was reached.<p>
The field trip coincided with the opening of the new "Freedom
Ridge Expressway." In a scene reminiscent of a television
commercial for Coors or Toyota, four sport-utility vehicles
traversed the desert sagebrush to this remote hilltop location,
where the occupants broke out their lawn chairs and would have
drank beer if anyone had thought to bring any.<p>
Also in attendance, but trying desperately not to be noticed,
were at least a dozen of the anonymous, camouflage-clad security
dudes lurking behind rocks and Joshua trees at various locations
on public and military land at least a mile away. The word on
the street now says these folks work for the government
contractor EG&G, not Wackenhut as once surmised. There were
plenty of distant appearances by the ubiquitous white Jeep
Cherokees, sticking out like beacons against the beige-and-brown
landscape. Less obvious was a big beige van partially covered
with cammo netting on public land about two miles from the get-
together. On top of the van was a tower of some kind, about 5
feet high. Our speculation is that it was a high powered range
tracking <a name="camera">video camera</a> pointed our way. We waved and turned our
own telescopes in that direction, and eventually the occupants
packed up and slinked back across the border.<p>
Road sensors were also a popular tourist attraction for visitors.
The organizers had labeled some of the secret roadside detectors
with big fluorescent orange signs that said "SENSOR" so they
wouldn't be missed. We hope the heavy traffic and close
inspection of these paint-can size transmitters didn't damage
them any, because they have come to seem like old friends to us.
They are usually found in reliable locations and are easy to
disable should the need arise.<p>
After yaking and milling about on Freedom Ridge for a few hours,
the group made its way to the Little A-Le-Inn where we warmed up
a big pot of Dr. Brown's famous "Fartless Chili" (scientifically
designed to avoid the obvious aftereffects) which all in
attendance were required to consume. From there, the caravan
proceeded westward to the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) where we gave
out Area 51 patches to the guards. Unlike the anonymous Groom
dudes, these guys have name tags and were happy to converse with
us. There sure were a lot of them, however. They said they knew
we were coming because the Dept. of Energy sent them a copy of
our flyer. (Gosh, that was clever of them. Maybe we should take
DOE off our mailing list.)<p>
A pleasant time was had by all, and great satisfaction was
derived from our observation that no more than 25 of us law-
abiding citizens resulted in canceled vacations and untold
overtime for what appeared to be about 50 security dudes total.
We think of it as defending the job security of our friends in
beige.<p>
<hr>
<h2><A NAME="black">Men In Black Visit Rachel</a></h2>
As part of the group was making its way from Freedom Ridge toward
the Little A-Le-Inn, we stopped briefly at the mysterious Black
Mailbox, site of many UFO tales. There, the word reached us from
a departing visitor that two men in business suits were seen
lurking around the Campbell residence in Rachel, still 20 miles
away. This reporter nearly shat in his proverbial pants as he
contemplated the implications of that intelligence. WHO WEARS
BUSINESS SUITS IN THE DESERT? At best, these must be FBI agents
waiting to arrest or serve a warrant on Mr. Campbell, the chief
irritant to the military along the '51 border. At worst, they
could be the mysterious Men In Black, perhaps employed by a
shadowy government agency that knows no rules or even, if you
choose to believe the stories, actual aliens disguised as humans
and engaged in some sinister mind game.<p>
Not knowing what to expect, we decided that the best option was
to descend on the Campbell residence en masse. There were only
two of them, our intel said, versus a dozen of us, so maybe we
could stand up to them as a group. We motored as a convoy down
Highway 375 to Rachel, then took up a position on the opposite
side of the road from Mr. Campbell's mobile home. Peering
through binoculars, we saw at first no sign of the Men In Black.
There were no unidentified cars parked in the vicinity and no
obvious indications that the front door had been tampered with.
However, closer inspection of the door with our most powerful
optical devices revealed undeniable evidence that the MIBs had
indeed been there and were on the prowl for our very souls.
Wedged between the doorknob and the doorframe was a rolled up
copy of The Watchtower.<p>
Jehovah's Witnesses! <p>
<hr>
<h2><A NAME="plead">Trespassers Plead Not Guilty</a></h2>
Seven people accused of trespassing on military land near the
Groom base were arraigned in Justice Court in Alamo on Jan. 12.
Three pleaded "No Contest" and accepted their fines of about $300
each. Four pleaded Not Guilty, and their trial is scheduled for
Mar. 2. The four contend that although they did cross the line,
it was entirely accidental, the result of confusing signals and a
misread map. <p>
On Jan. 2, these seven traveling in three vehicles drove beyond
the Keep Out signs on the well-maintained Groom Lake Road and up
to the guard shack about a half mile beyond. This was their
first visit to the area, and they obviously had not read this
reporter's "Area 51 Viewer's Guide," which advises against
crossing the line. Trying to follow a crude map to the Freedom
Ridge trailhead, the group whizzed past the often photographed
sign forest forbidding trespass (and photography) and containing
such memorable but evidently unread phrases as "Use of Deadly
Force Authorized." <p>
There was no place to turn around at the signs, the intruders
claim, and as they passed a white Jeep Cherokee, they said a
guard inside waved to them, as though saying "Come on in!"
Naturally, upon arrival at the guard house, they were descended
upon by a gaggle of excessively armed cammo dudes who were not
prepared to give helpful directions and certainly were not versed
on any of the social graces. The immediate arrest of the
offenders, no matter how old, young, naive or harmless, was
apparently the only option available in their very limited
emotional repetoir.<p>
This reporter and two other hikers happened to witness the
incident while climbing Freedom Ridge ourselves. As soon as we
understood what was happening, we aborted our ascent and broke
out the telescopes to watch the festivities. The ratio of armed
cammo dudes to naive intruders was easily two to one. We watched
as the trespassers--four men and two woman of varying ages--stood
around their cars for over an hour looking frustrated and
confused while tough men with big assault weapons milled about
looking equally bored and a bit embarrassed. A state trooper
arrived first, followed by Sgt. Lamoreaux of the Lincoln County
Sheriff's Dept. Forms were signed, and the prisoners were turned
over to the Sheriff for more advanced forms of humiliation.<p>
The intruders were thoughtfully provided with handcuffs and leg-
irons (for their own safety, no doubt) and were taken in an Air
Force van to the palatial, brand-spanking-new Lincoln County
Detention Center in Pioche. This nearly empty, high-tech
hoosegow, otherwise known as the <a name="jail">Jail That Ate Lincoln County</a>,
was built with the intent to house other people's prisoners for
profit. That was before the bottom fell out of the captive
housing market, and the county now has to scrape for any
prisoners it can get.<p>
In this case it graciously accommodated Connie Ruiz, her daughter
Sissy and son David, Connie's neighbor Bill Fitzgerald, his sons
Kevin and Tim, and a friend Gilbert Narvaiz. Hardened criminals,
all. They claim that at the Detention Center they were forced to
stand facing a blank wall for over an hour and a half, even one
man who had an injured ankle, and were denied the use of the
bathroom for many hours after their arrest. They said they were
strip searched (because, presumably, you never can know in which
body cavity those devious trespassers might be hiding drugs or
weapons) and were given stylish orange jumpsuits to wear (as
you've seen rakishly modeled by Charlie Manson). The seven
wasted away in jail for about eight hours while Bill's wife and
Connie's husband three hours away in Las Vegas tried to hunt up
$4200 in cash on a Sunday night to bail out their loved ones.
$200 more to tow each of the three vehicles brought the total bar
tab to $4800 for this very engrossing weekend experience. The
adventure was all the more educational for several of the
participants had never before seen the inside of a jail cell. <p>
Some hysterical activists might cry "overkill" and "law
enforcement run amok." Well, maybe just a tad.<p>
In the meantime, after witnessing the arrest but still not
knowing who these people were, this reporter got on the horn to
his contacts to tell them about the event. ("Seven People
Arrested in Groom Lake Incident," the Las Vegas Review-Journal
reported on Jan. 5.) He then headed down the highway to Pioche,
arriving at the Detention Center sometime after the prisoners
did. The duty officer behind a seamless expanse of bullet-proof
glass refused to give any information about the prisoners, even
whether they were being held at the detention center at all, so
this reporter was forced to wait outside in the sub-freezing
night for an uncertain release. And wait. And wait. In his
delirium and creeping hypothermia, the reporter was transformed,
in a metaphysical sense, from a mild-mannered Bill Bixby into a
raging green Incredible Hulk. Alas, when the prisoners were
finally bailed out around 4 am, the Hulk was sound asleep in the
back of his car and did not get a chance to meet them. He
learned who they were only when one of the seven called him a few
days later, and the story they told further enraged the Hulk's
already green condition.<p>
Doctor, help me. Ever since spending the night in the parking
lot of the Lincoln County Detention Center, I have been afflicted
by the uncontrollable urge to do violent damage to both the
anonymous cammo dudes and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Dept. I
don't mean to bomb, shoot, dismember or otherwise physically harm
these noble defenders of the law; I want to utterly destroy them
at the very core of their being. I WANT TO CUT THEIR FUNDING. I
know this is an irrational impulse. Each of these people, as
individuals, are probably nice folks, but when you throw together
a lot of decent people "just following orders" what you sometimes
get, on the whole, is a sadistic monster with no collective
conscience or critical judgment.<p>
The case of the seven trespassers has become, for this reporter,
a timely symbolic example that dovetails naturally with the fight
to save the viewpoints and expose the nonexistent base at Groom
Lake. The four who pleaded Not Guilty must continue to make
their own decisions, but I encourage them not to go down quietly.
At the trial on Mar. 2, they will be accorded all the protections
of any other defendant, including the right to subpoena
witnesses. The first witness I would call, and that any good
lawyer would also want to haul into court, is that cammo dude in
the white Cherokee who waved at the visitors as they passed.
"What was your intent?" Perry Mason would ask. "Were you giving
them an implied consent to enter your area?"<p>
If this well-armed paramilitary force patrolling public land
refuses to officially exist, then this is a good opportunity to
bring them out into the open. "Could you please state for the
court your name and who you work for?" Mason would ask. The Las
Vegas press will be present at this promising trial, and even a
few in the national corps might be interested in meeting a
genuine cammo dude face to face. They are, after all, so hard to
pin down in the field, always running away as they do. With a
bloody land seizure hearing (or two) expected in the meantime,
everyone should be whipped into a glorious frenzy by the time
Mar. 2 rolls along. What if the cammo dudes don't honor the
subpoena? Then the case falls apart. Implied consent is a
critical issue here, and if the government fails to supply this
one essential witness, it would be obstructing a legitimate
defense.<p>
These four have been crudely treated and are not guilty of the
charges against them. Although they did cross the line, they
followed each other like lemmings, in clouds of dust and under
conditions of limited warning where there was inadequate
opportunity to read the signs. The only person who might be seen
as having control over the situation was the driver of the first
vehicle, who has already pleaded No Contest. The others either
were passengers in other people's cars--and who thus had no
control at all over the situation--or were drivers of following
vehicles who made a legitimate error that any law-biding citizen
could easily have fallen victim to. ("The guy in front must know
where he is going, and that nice fellow in the Cherokee is waving
us along.") The authorities, if they are smart, will drop the
case to avoid their ultimate and totally publicized humiliation.
If they are not smart (as is common among authorities), then they
should be ready to fight a high-profile battle, not to mention
the seething greenness of this reporter.<p>
Hulk wants blood.<p>
<hr>
<h2><A NAME="news">Late Breaking News</a></h2>
1/25/94: Official notice has just been received that a hearing
WILL be held in Las Vegas. It will take place Weds., Mar. 2, 5-
8pm, in the Cashman Field Center, Rooms 203-204. More details
will follow in Desert Rat #2, due sometime after Feb. 1.<p>
The Las Vegas hearing is in addition to the Caliente hearing
scheduled for Jan. 31. The Caliente hearing is already shaping
up to be a big event for land use advocates. For those who plan
to attend, you may like to know that opponents will be gathering
for dinner at the Knotty Pine Restaurant at about 5 or 5:30, just
before the 7pm hearing.<p>
Final wisdom: If it says, "Restricted Area," "No Trespassing,"
"Keep Out," and "Use of Deadly Force Authorized," then keep
going, don't worry about it, God will protect you.<p>
[<A HREF="rat_02.html">Next issue</a>]<p>
<hr>
<address>
<b>(c) 1994, Glenn Campbell</b>, Rachel, NV 89001. All rights reserved. May not be copied or
redistributed except in accordance with <A
HREF="copyright.html">copyright statement</a>.
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