40 Things I Learned From "Independence Day" That I Never Knew Before

By Dean Kanipe
Area 51 Research Center

While viewing the film Independence Day, it became apparent that I was
remarkably uninformed about several things related to Area 51, aliens,
military operations, and America in general. Below is a quick list of a few
important things I learned from the film that I never knew before,  and a
few lessons that were inferred from the plot. I wish to thank the
creators of ID4 for making these facts much clearer to me.


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1.Aliens like to blow up significant land marks first. Apparently the best
way to destroy a city is to position your "Death Ray" over the most
recognizable building.

2.All pro-UFO people are morons who dance atop the building directly
under the Death Ray.

3.If alien "Destroyers" come to your city to blast it into oblivion, leave
BEFORE they fire the Death Ray.

4.If alien "Destroyers" come to your city to blast it into oblivion and you
are caught in traffic at the last minute, make sure that you are travelling
with a dog and a small child. The Law of Averages says you'll survive
the Death Ray.

5.If alien "Destroyers" come to your city to blast it into oblivion and you
are caught in traffic at the last minute, make sure that you are NOT a
raspy-voiced homosexual cable TV executive. The Law of
Averages says you'll get waxxed by the Death Ray.

6.Stripping is a lucrative profession that allows one to "Pay the bills,"
"take care of one's boy," and own a nice house in a middle class
subdivision.

7.Strippers got moxie. When the going gets tough, they can drive
California Highway Department utility vehicles, collect refugees and use
their extensive survival skills to provide food and comfort to survivers.

8.NASA sends out rejection letters, just like Harvard.

9.Area 51 is an "Assault Base".

10.A fleet of RVs can travel across the Nevada Test Site in line-abreast
formation without the need of roads, thanks to the imense  expanses of
Salt Flats and the lack of impeding mountains.

11.Area 51 has a big chain-link fence around it, and the guards at the
gate wear black combat fatigues with white metal helmets in 120 degree
heat.

12.Any bonehead with an RV can get to Area 51 by driving across the
Salt Flat to the gate and flashing a captured alien to the guard.

13.Standard operating procedure for the Air Force is to cluster all
vehicles, aircraft, and ground personel on a 200 meter section of tarmac
in the middle of an Alien Invasion.

14.The F-18 is the sole fighter in use by all branches of the service,
including Marines and Air Force.

15.From the assault scenes on the Alien "Destroyers', it appears that the
F-18 must have had a 10,000 unit production run.

16.Both F-18s and B-2s must close to within 10 km of a target 20 km
across before engaging with both air-to-air missiles and aerial launched
nuclear cruise missiles.

17.People too drunk to walk can still fly crop dusters and F-18s.

18.Any bonehead with rudimentary aviation experience can be taught to
pilot an F-18 in 5 hours.

19.Any bonehead with F-18 flight experience can learn to pilot an
Alien fighter in 5 minutes.

20.Aliens with anatomy that includes tentacles and clawed feet use flight
yokes just like ours.

21.Aliens are wimps, even the ones in "Bio-Mechanical" armor. They
have glass jaws and can be taken out with a punch by Will Smith. (He
has had a lot of practice on photographers, though.)

22.Aliens are stupid. When one of their fighters approaches the carrier,
they don't bother to communicate with the pilot.

23.Aliens are even more stupid. They pursue their targets into canyons
walls and closing blast doors.

24.Aliens are unbelievably stupid. While unarmed and unarmored, they
do things to piss off people with hand guns.

25.Aliens are just too stupid for words to express. An alien air traffic
controller can look at a fighter that has been human-modified for 20
minutes and is only 50 feet away and not notice the welded-on missile
rack until the missle is fired through his work station.

26.Aliens are remarkably inarticulate. All they can say is, "Release me,"
"No peace," and "Die!"

27.If you're President and your administration is faltering, an Alien
Invasion might be a good way to boost your ratings in the polls.

28.If you're President and your administration is faltering, manage to
work into every other sentence the fact that you "flew in the Persian
Gulf." No need to specify what branch of service.

29.If you're President and your administration is faltering and an
Alien Invasion occurs, relocate the V.P., the Cabinet, and the Joint
Chiefs to one centralized location so that the Aliens can take them all out
with one shot. You can always blame the problems of the past on them
after victory is achieved.

30.The President's Press secretary keeps her cell phone listed in the
phone book "in case of emergencies."

31.If your father abandons his Jewish beliefs after the death of your
mother, always carry around a Torah and a Yarmulke. Aliens might
attack and offer him a chance to renew his faith.

32.If aliens abduct you and effectively destroy your life by making you
the laughing stock of the community, never fear. When their
"Destroyers" come, you will be vindicated to those who mocked your
tale.

33.If aliens abduct you and do unspeakable things to you, you can have
revenge upon them by flying an F-18 into their Death Ray.

34.If aliens abduct you and do unspeakable things to you and you have
revenge upon them by flying an F-18 into their Death Ray, you will obtain
redemption and your children will be proud of you.

35.The best way to win back a former wife is to be very annoying, look
perpetually vexxed, and keep wearing your wedding ring for 4 years
after  the divorce.

36.In 10 hours, one man with a Macintosh Laptop can code a virus in
C++ that will take down a completely alien computer system.

37.Even though the Mac isn't compatible with most other Earthly
operating systems, it can interface with an alien computer.

38.Alien network security is nonexistant.

39.Rather than attacking a planet when they first encounter it (ie,
1940s), aliens wait until the planet has developed just enough technology
 to possibly defend itself.

40.Scientists at Area 51 are a bit touched in the head, and "Don't get out
much."