109 lines
5.8 KiB
Plaintext
109 lines
5.8 KiB
Plaintext
SUBJECT: MUFON REPORTS FILE: UFO2598
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PART 8
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ons" which of course is non-
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sense.
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It is my understanding that a UFO sighting can only be
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assigned to the CE II category if it leaves behind some form of
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physical evidence,e.g. a burned patch of grass,etc.I suppose
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this report is being given CE II status because of the reported
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sound of the lake ice cracking under the weight of the landed
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UFO.A more likely explanation for that aspect of this event is
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the arrival of spring.
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Date: Mon Apr 11 21:47:08 1988
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From: RICHARD P. DELL'AQUILA (ab114)
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Subj: TO THE ASTRONOMERS RE: EASTLAKE UFO
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AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PROFESSIONAL SKEPTICS, RE: UFO SIGHTING
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OVER LAKE ERIE OVER THE WEEKEND OF MARCH 4, 1988
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It is understandable that a professional in any occupation
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will have a reputation to preserve among his or her peers, and that
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the desire to maintain that professional reputation will sometimes
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require the professional to defend indefensable positions (e.g.
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"C.Y.A.") from which he cannot otherwise extricate himself. It's
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okay guys, I understand. You put out the Venus/Jupiter hypothesis
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before the Coast Guard report was released and now you are stuck with
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it for better or worse. I suspect that, being the professionals you
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are, and given the natural curiosity which is the sine quo non of of
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the true scientist, your real opinions are very different than those
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you publicly express.
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Anyway, for the rest of us who remain willing to fairly
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examine ALL the reported phenomena and express our true opinions, it
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is now apparent that the professional skeptics on this SIG have so
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commmitted themselves to their position that the Eastlake UFO
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sighting of March 1988 was a misidentification of the planets, that
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it is almost laughable to expect any thinking individual, who has
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read the Coast Guard report of the sighting, to accept the
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Venus/Jupiter hypothesis. Frankly, a more honest response would have
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been a simple, "I don't know what the Coast Guard saw that night for
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3-4 hours, it could have been Venus/Jupiter."
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But at least you had the fortitude to respond. It is
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important that the subject of UFOs be discussed openly without
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emotionalism or hysterics. After all, we are free to disagree,
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hopefully in a civil manner. I suppose yours is at least a more
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straightforward approach than that taken by the sysop of another
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Freenet SIG who, after inviting UFO discussion, has elected to erase
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all UFO uploads from his SIG and who, when all else fails, resorts to
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name-calling as a rhetorical device. Well, taking your toys home
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when you lose the game is a rather immature way to deal with
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confrontation. Doctor, take an example from the skeptics on this SIG,
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bravely sticking to their guns--going down with their ship, flags
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waving--but proudly, stubbornly, sticking to their guns to the bitter
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end. "Solution: Venus/Jupiter" period.
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Guys: You are the experts. People look to you for answers.
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If you teach, your students rely on you for accuracy. When you
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publish, other experts rely on your objectivity and clarity of
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analysis. Yet you ask us to accept the Venus/Jupiter hypothesis
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primarily because you have put it forward as the "truth." Now that
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the professional skeptics have made their final pronouncement, I
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trust you will permit me to raise a few minor details, tie up some
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loose ends and send along you ways to comfortably bury our heads back
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in the sand again until the next time the planets start releasing
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strobing multi-colored triagular UFOs 20 feet over the surface of
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Lake Erie that cross distances of several miles in a few seconds,
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cast spotlights, and scare the wits out of U.S. military personnel
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for several hours. At least when the next UFO comes along, the handy-
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dandy Venus/Jupiter explanation (or something similar) will be ready
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to go.
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By the way, what an insult to the Coast Guard. Apparently,
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according to the skeptical "experts", their men are not capable of
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distinguishing the planets in the night sky--even after several hours
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of observation. Fair enough, but don't expect any Christmas cards
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from the Coast Guard, guys! (No loss--they probably can't write
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either.)
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At any rate, at least you haven't run away and hid when things
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got a little rough. You proud graduates of the Phil Klass School of
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Skeptical Technique have recognized that the first requirement of a
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skeptic is to remain skeptical: to sift through the evidence, only
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emphasizing those facts that can be made to support your hypothesis
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and ignoring the "meaningless residue" for purposes of clarity.
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However, the a priori assumption with which you approach this
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particular subject (i.e. "UFOs do not represent any phenomena which
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cannot be explained in prosaic terms.") renders your resulting
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opinions on the matter largely irrelevant. Although your credentials
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as Skeptics remain firmly intact, be honest enough to admit you
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cannot adequately explain ALL aspects of the sighting. Don't push
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sophistry.
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I respectfully suggest that the Venus/Jupiter hypothesis is a
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professional embarassment to you, since it completely ignores the
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observed phenomena and fails to explain how the Coast Guard personnel
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could have been so grossly fooled by known celestial objects. Guys,
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it's okay to admit you just "don't know" what was over Lake Erie that
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night. That diploma over your desk doesn't make you a vending
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machine--you don't have to dispense a Pepsi every time someone drops
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in their change and pulls your handle.
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---------------------------------------
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**********************************************
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* THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo *
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