Lincoln County, Nevada has a population of about 5,200 hearty souls who brave desert conditions to scratch out a living on the barren landscape.
It’s also home to “Area 51,” where many people believe the government is hiding undeniable evidence that earth has been visited by aliens from outer space.
If there was any evidence of alien visitation, it was removed decades ago when the military test facility was first exposed as a site where alien technology was being “back engineered” to create everything from cell phones to microwave ovens — much to the amusemnent of Martin Cooper and Percy Spencer; the actual inventors of those devices.
Now, an unknown Californian named Matty Roberts decided to expose Area 51 once and for all. He posted an invitation on Facebook for UFO enthusiasts to gather at the legendary site and “storm the gate.” Thus, “Storm Area 51” was born.
Silly? Stupid? There have been 2 million RSVP’s.
Fearing they’d be overwhelmed with humanity, the Lincon County board declared a state of emergency. The tiny county obviously doesn’t have near the resources necessary to handle such a crush of humanity.
But it’s a mystery that’s now driving an unknown number of unknown people from unknown corners of the country to the Nevada hinterlands. Lincoln County leaders are using this preemptive emergency declaration as a beacon to state officials that there’s a chance more people will show up than local authorities can handle.
Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews said in a statement to USA TODAY that military officials were aware of the event that aims to uncover what many people believe are conspiratorial secrets of the military installation in Nevada.
McAndrews didn’t specify any security plans at the base, but she did warn those thinking of entering the area.
“The Nevada Test and Training Range is an area where the Air Force tests and trains combat aircraft,” McAndrews said. “Any attempt to illegally access military installations or military training areas is dangerous.”
It’s true. Any investigator who has tried to penetrate the site will tell you; the military isn’t fooling around and has the government’s permission to shoot first and ask questions later.
Area 51 sits in a small square near the Nellis Air Force base test site. Groom Lake is also nearby, which is a hyper-sensitive test site where the most advanced military aircraft are tested. I don’t think very many of these civilians who show up — no matter how many make the trek — know what they’re in for.
Of course, the military won’t shoot anyone unless they actually penetrate a top secret area. The chances are very good, however, that there would be many arrests leading to prison terms for at least some.
A free piece of advice: Stay home and watch a couple of episodes of “Ancient Aliens.” One can imagine that a night’s stay in the Lincoln County jail is no cakewalk.
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