Ok, by now most of you have heard that the official reason that the Richard B. Dunn solar observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico was closed was because a staff member - a janitor apparently - was allegedly using the observatory's computer and communications system to access child pornography. Indeed, prior to this story being made public, I was alerted that this was going to be the official explanation. And I went on record that when the then-unstated official reason was going to be given, and wasn't going to be buying the explanation.

And I'm still not.

But don't misunderstand me, I'm not dismissing the story out of hand either.

Here's the way one local television reported the story:

Child pornography reason behind Sunspot Observatory closure, according to court documents

As I pointed out last week, when this story first began to trickle out, the inconsistencies became even more apparent. Here's Zero Hedge's review of just a few of those inconsistencies:

The Reason The Solar Observatory Was Closed Is Revealed, And It's As Disturbing As It Is Unbelievable

But perhaps the best review, so far, of the problems is this:

Sunspot Observatory Mystery Deepens After 'Official' Explanation - What The Heck Are They Hiding From The Local Law Enforcement And The Public?

The authoress of this article, Susan Duclos, zeros in on the same problems with this explanation that I have, by focusing on AURA's statement (AURA is the actual institution that runs the observatory):

1) According to AURA, they couldn't adequately protect their personnel or residents at "such a remote location," yet the Sheriff and his department, which would have been responsible for protecting said personnel and residents, were never informed and were not consulted, so how could AURA even begin to determine whether adequate protection could be provided without any input from local law enforcement? 2) AURA claims it was the most "prudent and effective action," to force residents from their homes and off the mountain, and to cease all science activities at the location, rather than just call the Sheriff and have his department provide protection to said residents and employees? That doesn't even pass the smell test. 3) They claim that informing residents, employees, and the community at large would "alert the suspect," and they couldn't take that risk," as if the FBI converging on the facility, evacuating it and the local Post Office, with a Black Hawk helicopter flying around above, and "a bunch of people around antennas and work crews on towers," wouldn't "alert the suspect?"

Nor was the Otero County Sheriff buying it either:

SUNSPOT, New Mexico - Otero County Sheriff Benny House told ABC-7's New Mexico Mobile Newsroom Monday he was infuriated at the way the FBI handled the sudden and mysterious closure of the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico. "I think it's chicken sh*t the way the FBI handled it. I have a responsibility to protect my citizens," said House, "I think it's paramount that we know what the threat is so we can provide safety." He wasn't finished, as reported by ABC-7: House is demanding answers. "Is there a bomb threat? Is there an active shooter? Is it chemical? We need to know so we know what kind of man power to send up there, and with out knowing, it's dangerous for everybody," House said, "We have a duty to protect and we can't protect them if we don't know what is going on." House said he reached out to the FBI repeatedly and was kept in the dark. "We've asked and asked (the FBI) and they will not tell us anything," the sheriff said. AURA has refused to respond to numerous calls from the local news organization, and the New Mexico FBI Public Affairs Officer, Albuquerque Division, Frank Fisher, returned one of their calls, but refused to answer any questions about the "dangerous suspect," and would give no response to Sheriff's House's statements, then referred them to AURA's nonsensical statement before quickly hanging up.

In other words, "We've got our narrative and by golly we are sticking with it." Click.

But Ms. Duclos' article also mentions yet a new twist: the inhabitants of the observatory's village allegedly were given "cash payments" and made to sign non-disclosure agreements:

In ANP's previous article about the Sunspot Solar Observatory's evacuation, we showed footage from a drone, taken by Youtuber Paul M., which gave a good view of how massive and sprawling the Sunspot location is, and he has been on-site multiple times since then. (His video channel is here for those that want to see the drone footage) In his latest video's description he said he spoke to Linda Moulton Howe of Earthfiles, and described for her what the Sunspot Observatory looked like after the "re-opening" on the 17th. “The windows of houses in Sunspot around the Solar Observatory are still boarded up with sheets of wood, no one is around, like a ghost town. And I talked with one person today at the observatory who told me they had signed a non-disclosure form (NDA) and that they were compensated with enough money to where they would not want to talk about what has happened.” – Paul M., Drone Pilot from Alamagordo, NM, visited NSO, Monday, September 17, 2018, after “re-opening”

Then there's the rather weak theory that the Federal warrant debunks all the "theories" out there about the closure:

Federal search warrant debunks theories behind Sunspot Observatory closure

My problem here is that it does no such thing, nor does it answer any of the questions that have already been raised. It merely gives an official sanction to the child-porn narrative. It does not explain the rather strange behavior already mentioned. If Paul M.'s statements to Linda Moulton Howe are true, then why would non-disclosure agreements and cash payments be necessary for a child pornography case? Answer: they wouldn't. And none of this explains the coincident shutdown of camera feeds of other solar observatories around the world.

Which brings us to some high octane speculations about what may have been going on. But those will have to wait for tomorrow...

See you on the flip side...