PART III
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institutional advancement and protection. Being a public official can be so time-consuming that time for personal independent research and thorough contemplation is limited, which may make him dependent on advisors for condensed briefings and recommendations. This makes for reliance on potential sources of disinformation and an overall lack of discernment concerning matters beyond his expertise. His prominence as a public figure may also make him too much of a liability to be given the real truth, so he may be barred from higher security clearances unless he has an absolute need to know. Unless he has intelligence, allegiance, and power that surpass his role as public official, he is expendable. Strength of Vector: Officials are decision-makers, opinion leaders. If their reputation is intact, their words hold sway over public opinion. They can influence public opinion to hijack democracy, advancing private agendas under the protection of majority vote. Officials can also invoke the power and reverence of the institutions they represent, like a church official declaring some political agenda as being in the will of God. Weakness of Audience: The audience in this case is the general public, the least discerning audience of all. Typically speaking, the public has blind respect for authority, is easily impressed by credentials, and lacks the knowledge and context to properly evaluate what they are told — especially if they are told disinformation concerning fringe subjects like aliens. This is simply the fact of statistical averages. The mainstream public needs security, stability, and certainty, which authorities are obliged to provide, though not without political motivation. Should public officials reveal the existence of aliens with full sanctioning by their affiliated institutions, the shock to mass consciousness and ensuing clamor for answers would allow these officials to unload a wellreceived torrent of disinformation concerning alien motivations and identities.