Have I got a conspiracy theory for you. The phenomenon is less than three years old, still new, so we can all get in on the ground floor and educate ourselves together. It's different from just about any other theory, urban legend and "reality" TV show you might be thinking about taking up.

It's different because there are countless credible, living witnesses, with ample photographs and other physical evidence. You may already be a witness and not know it. Only recently have a handful of television and newspaper organizations begun cracking what was virtually a news media blackout on this incredible story.

Across the United States and some other countries, huge tanker planes are spewing thick, white and silver trails in criss-cross X, checkerboard or parallel line patterns. The plumes linger for hours as the plumes slowly coalesce, causing sunlight refraction that creates a waxy, off-color halo around the sun. Most disturbing is that these "Chemtrails" frequently have a fallout. There can be a strange metallic or chemical kind of odor. Within 24 to 48 hours, some citizens may experience a strange flu-like illness that might not go away for weeks. Congestion, dry cough, headaches, nosebleeds, asthma attacks, dizziness, aching joints, pneumonia and concentration problems are some of the symptoms that are reported in conjunction with the Chemtrails.

These aren't normal jet "contrails," which are frozen condensation trails from engines that typically appear when the aircraft's attitude is above 31,000 feet. These thin streaks disperse quickly and are harmless. Chemtrails are thick, are emitted from the plane's tail area and appear when these typically unmarked KC-135 and KC10A tanker planes are flying at well under 30,000 feet, sometimes close to the ground.

The trail patterns have been reported all over the United States, including Long Island in May, September and October of 1999. The trails were over Queens and other parts of New York City, New Jersey, Rockland and the Albany area this past June. Some upstate communities have seen the trails numerous times in the past two years.

The oily fallout has been tested in some cases, and is a chemical cocktail which contains ethylene dibromide (EDB), a carcinogenic pesticide banned by the federal government in 1983. Analysis has also found a variety of dangerous bacteria and fungi, many related to respiratory illness. Within days of the appearance of the white streaks in the local sky, some people may become ill.

There has been speculation that West Nile spraying may be linked to the unprecedented die-off of Long Island Sound lobsters. Well, the Chemtrail phenomenon is now suspected in the massive die-off of blackbirds in north Louisiana last year. The trails have been reported in other countries, including Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru and Australia. In Australia, the public is demanding answers from their government.

Not all the purposes of the spraying may be malevolent. Some think that this is a mass-inoculation of the public against anthrax and other potential biological warfare weapons. Others think that this is an experimental attempt by our military to control local weather patterns, and that the chemicals found in the residue are an unintended by-product. Others speculate that the public is being used as guinea pigs in bio-warfare testing, something that also happened in the 1950s. No one knows what's really happening, but citizens should know that federal law (Title 50, Chapter 32, Sections 1515 and 1520) gives the Department of Defense a wide berth in conducting biological and chemical experiments on the public, for some of the purposes stated above and for riot control. This law was revised in 1997, though you won't see a mention of it in our representative's newsletters or campaign pamphlets.

If you should see these low trails across the sky, perhaps in conjunction with a strange, haloed sun, report what you see to one of the websites tracking the phenomenon (such as contrailconnection.com, where you can see numerous trail photos). Then call your congressional representative's office, describe what you see, ask for an explanation. It'll be a good reminder for them that they're in the herd themselves and not really one of the cowboys.

Michael Miller was formerly Director of Public Affairs for the Town of North Hempstead. He is a public relations consultant.