tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post8261977605306044239..comments2024-03-29T02:10:02.587-07:00Comments on Bad UFOs: Skepticism, UFOs, and The Universe: NASA's UFO-Related Correspondence - Mostly from Schoolchildren!Robert Sheafferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15324537021429419111noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-27830554639122683472016-04-25T09:14:18.197-07:002016-04-25T09:14:18.197-07:00Dr. Hynek was nice enough to write me back and sen...Dr. Hynek was nice enough to write me back and send me a book on ufos and their explanations back in '66 when I wrote him. Wish I still had them.busterggihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02146221182670363053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-24854679121134956652013-11-07T07:05:09.565-08:002013-11-07T07:05:09.565-08:00Good grief.
Mark's post can be summarized as:...Good grief.<br /><br />Mark's post can be summarized as: <br /><br />'There may be other intelligent life in the universe. He doesn't believe it, nor does he believe in the UFO conspiracies, but he says it's possible.<br /><br />Scientifically, if there's reasonable room for doubt, we should reserve judgment until we have enough facts to warrant a conclusion. <br /><br />He thinks Zoam isn't open-minded about UFO reports. He goes on to say that not considering UFO reports as plausible is as bad as uncritical belief.'<br /><br />Mark, state your points clearly. You bury them in cumbersome language that quickly becomes tedious. Words are a double-edged sword. They can sound impressive, but they can also sound foolish if not used properly. Be wary of words that look or sound similar.<br /><br />Scientifically, it's possible that life exists elsewhere. We can't say for certain either way, but our science does teach us that interstellar travel, while not impossible, is so improbable that Zoam's unicorns are just about as likely.<br /><br />If we're to view the idea of extra-terrestrials scientifically, knowing the distances involved and the travel times between star systems, then we have to acknowledge that alien visitation is not worth considering. jozzcooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10346278013676621644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-68884701839899719702013-11-06T10:25:06.684-08:002013-11-06T10:25:06.684-08:00Mark returns, still making his purely rhetorical (...Mark returns, still making his purely rhetorical (worthless) case for the reality of "UFOs."<br /><br />"the likelihood [of real "UFOs"] dictated by scientific knowledge"<br /><br />What "scientific knowledge" is that, Mark? What evidence supports that claim?<br /><br />Are you still appealing to ignorance, the negative? Yes.<br /><br />Are you still attempting to manufacture doubt where none reasonably exists? Yes.<br /><br />Are you still pushing your tortured misconception of the philosophy of science to exploit the ambiguity of language (possible v barely plausible v likely) in order to pretend that virtual ambiguity is equivalent to actual ambiguity in our Scientific-realist worldview and certain knowledge of the facts of the world? Yes! Equivocation fallacy again.<br /><br />Mark, it's possible that invisible "Unicorns From Outer space" are all around us, it's just not very plausible. In fact, it's so very implausible that it's not even worth considering. It is the very "least likely," dismissed, dead and buried explanation for why people make reports of "Unicorns From Outer Space."<br /><br />If one wants to show otherwise, let him produce evidence of some "UFO" reality and present a positive case--not make worthless straw-men and ad hominems that do nothing but expose the contrarian's discontent with the scientific method and the world as it is.zoamchomskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16519698426338891542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-55181144549197217912013-11-05T05:39:04.592-08:002013-11-05T05:39:04.592-08:00Zoamchomsky,
Would you like a real life fact? Th...Zoamchomsky, <br /><br />Would you like a real life fact? There is a real life and scientifically conceivable possibility that intelligence exists outside our world, and potentially also in tandem with our world. Now, refrain from reforming that statement and putting words in my mouth as you have a habit of doing. I do not believe Aliens exist, nor do I agree that there is any evidence to substantiate a conspiracy or sustain the attention of a reasonable mind. Im merely addressing the issue, which is, you seem unable to accept the totally unrelated proposition that you may be wrong in your 'scientific certainty' AND there may, in fact, be an extra-terrestrial truth to the phenomenon<br /><br />Let me explain, as you are clearly not equip to extract the essential message in my words <br /><br />Since the inception of science, the eminent dignitaries of reason and knowledge have held a common understanding that most of what is indefinite, or in any way questionable in scientific established understanding, is to be treated as a temporary tenant of our collective understanding - A hypothesis, a theory, in a permanent state of mutation and criticism. Not a fact, but a work in progress.<br />Curiously, the logic you choose to operate doesn't bare the fundamental characteristics of scientific guidelines - it seems you are unable to speak equivocally about the nature of a potential mystery. In your view, the science and reasoning debunking the reports is definite and unquestionable and any reports of UFO's (metalic craft) is to be ridiculed and labelled. Why so dogmatic? Sure, the participants who drive the conspiracy make it very easy to ridicule, but that's not the issue here. You like many others choose to invariably ridicule reports, irrespective of their merits or the consistency of the persons making the report. <br /><br />The default position of science and reason is supposed to be one of robotic skepticism to any and all criteria, and never one of belief, or as you so strategically put it, 'certainty', hence the term; theory. A wary blend of Skepticism and objectivity to likelihood are the essential properties of science and reason, not the barbarian protectionism you employ. It is precisely this doctrine of unilateral skepticism which defines science and separates it from religion. It seems apparent to me that you are reminiscing the errors of our history in forgetting the importance of absolute skepticism and in reuniting yourself with the toxic and vulnerable disposition of belief, or as you put it, certainty.<br /><br />Im a scientific skeptic who is open to all reasonable likelihood. I appreciate the facts of the real world and my disposition is one which agrees that the phenomenon is merely a human delusion<br /><br />You have demonstrated and willingly continue to demonstrate that you believe there is no reasonable possibility that your hypothesis could be incorrect. I tend to agree you're most likely right, though. But that's irrelevant. <br /><br />Answer the question. Are you open to the likelihood dictated by scientific knowledge that you could have wasted the last 30 years of your life simply pertaining to a belief structure which you believed to be correct? <br /><br />(Let me predict your response. More of the 'real world' rhetorical cynicism and regurgitated characterisations labeling me as a deluded believer who appeals to ignorance? Take a good read Zoamchomsky, you're only kidding yourself) <br />Mark McFarlanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16513458957267040420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-58690094361207061282013-11-03T17:57:11.038-08:002013-11-03T17:57:11.038-08:00> I suggest anyone that wants to debunk the cro...> I suggest anyone that wants to debunk the crop circle phenomenon had better do a lot more research into it.<br /><br />They have. Check out these books:<br /><br />P. D. Rendall. Cereal Killers, The Memoirs of a Crop Circle Researcher: Book One<br />http://mrobsr.blogspot.ca/2013/10/pick-of-crop.html<br /><br />Jim Schnabel. Round in Circles<br />http://mrobsr.blogspot.ca/2013/06/moving-in-dubious-circles.html<br />Terry the Censorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13361088223337740598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-39042710873253550762013-11-03T17:49:47.036-08:002013-11-03T17:49:47.036-08:00Catherine, you will find that the Battle of LA pho...Catherine, you will find that the Battle of LA photo does not show a spaceship but a mere convergence of spot lights and shell bursts. Recent archive searches found the negative; the "craft" is an artifact of painting the photo so it would reproduce better on the printed page. The unretouched version is rather beautiful, I think.<br /><br />http://framework.latimes.com/2011/03/10/the-battle-of-l-a-1942/#/0Terry the Censorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13361088223337740598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-88495360825794361082013-10-24T02:25:16.148-07:002013-10-24T02:25:16.148-07:00Dear Robert, so to answer my factual (video eviden...Dear Robert, so to answer my factual (video evidence) of the cropcircle phenomenon that remain unanswered , you bring up Corn Maze's.<br />How does creating a pattern on fallowed ground, then planting corn around the pathwys relate at all to cropcirles?<br />They appear in nearly mature crop, not predetermined by pathways & patterns surveyed on virgin ground. Are you serious?<br />I suggest anyone that wants to debunk the crop circle phenomenon had better do a lot more research into it. Farmers in the UK charge a small admission fee to recoup lost harvest, they are not deliberately making patterns at the planting stage in order to make a profit from agri-tourism!!<br /><br />I looked up huckster. The modern american description seems to fit the description & that is of an agent of advertising for media/TV/Radio.<br />Proof again that the cover-up continues by having a dis-info agent produce a hoax video to suit the agenda.<br /><br />Did you even look at the "Psyop Patches" B R-V ?? "Probably allude" means to me that you "probably" havent even looked at them.deanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16867076217070227180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-69552072429595322712013-10-23T21:02:22.763-07:002013-10-23T21:02:22.763-07:00very nice post
two thumb up for you ^___^very nice post<br />two thumb up for you ^___^Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-71671903698685786102013-10-23T20:02:41.298-07:002013-10-23T20:02:41.298-07:00I have to say, it's pretty funny that you talk...I have to say, it's pretty funny that you talk about UFO believers being ridiculed right before launching into a huge, rambling rant with more tangents than triangle convention. <br /><br />Stanton Friedman deserves some credit here: if you remove the soundbite requirement and ask him to write a report, or give a one-hour presentation on a single UFO case, he can do that. He might be giving the Friedman Version, I'll probably disagree with it, but the information will be presented in an organized, logical and compelling manner. The average UFO proponent should WISH to be half as good at peddling their intellectual wares as he is, rather than these long chains of alternating statement-and-question pairs. "Rex Heflin's photos prove that Leica lens caps are from outer space. Where were YOU when the saucer hit at Roswell? UFOs have been detected by radar, sonar, Wifi, Infra-red door remotes and baby monitors. How do debunkers explain the large light i saw in the sky where Venus was supposed to be? It's all propaganda - i read it in a book!" The average person is becoming more and more receptive to conspiracies, especially government-backed conspiracies, yet UFOs are still seen as crank material, largely because of how the majority of UFO proponents conduct themselves. There's no need for the men in black to make them look like howling chimps. <br /><br />Oh, and to answer your question: the monsters and aliens on psyop patches probably allude to the fact that this idea of vast warehouses stacked with case files proving ETs are buzzing us hourly is the result of the most successful psyop of modern times - all orchestrated by UFO proponents to get you to buy, buy, buy. Brendanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13686386178693703030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-15335416410037545952013-10-23T14:20:33.487-07:002013-10-23T14:20:33.487-07:00Well, it's hard to argue with such a profound ...Well, it's hard to argue with such a profound and literate post like that one. Perhaps you can explain a "battle" with no casualties other than from car crashes and heart attacks.<br /><br />I hope the search for the unknown never goes away. We need that little bit of mystery, no matter how unlikely it is.jozzcooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10346278013676621644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-64656263082267846982013-10-23T11:23:22.999-07:002013-10-23T11:23:22.999-07:00Hey Deano,
Since you bring up "crop circles,...Hey Deano,<br /><br />Since you bring up "crop circles," I refer you to this news re[port on "farm tourism" that I saw on NBC-TV news last night:<br />http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/53347756/#53347756<br /><br />It turns out that many farmers in the U.S. are getting extra income by turning the farm into a mini amusement park, and inviting the public. Many of these farmers have made their own complex "crop circles" in the form of mazes, and other patterns. The video shows aerial views of several of these. They're far more complex than anything that Dave and Doug (or the aliens) ever made!Robert Sheafferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15324537021429419111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-17571790084475646802013-10-23T07:01:25.612-07:002013-10-23T07:01:25.612-07:00They dont catherine, the secret world give these o...They dont catherine, the secret world give these ones the SILENT treatment. <br />Another way is to RIDICULE. A perfect example being the senators aide in an alien costume reguarding the Pheonix Lights incident. Or the creepy X Files or Twilight Zone music that accompanies any MSM news report, usually with the reporters/anchor laughing & joking.<br />Then there is the IDENTIFIED approach. Flares, Venus , satellite, weather balloon & the verbal flatulance - swamp gas !!<br />The sightings that capture my attention though are the deliberate HOAX !!<br />By inferring a man-made source,hoax or prank, the public gets a quick explanation, & the event is quickly forgotten.<br />Cropcircles immediately come to mind. The UK govt official original explanation was "vortex plasma anomolies", or whirlwinds, but once intricate pictoglyphs occurred , suddenly it became the work of pranksters. MSM flogged the story & the pictoglyphs fell out of the limelight. Team Satan/Circle makers have continued where Doug & Dave left , even with their own dedicated website with "blueprints" to verify the easily lead! Still doesnt explain ( global, intricate lay patterns, cellular bending not broken stems, balls of light, black helicopters, magnetic/electrical effects, ufo sightings, no video footage of very large or very intricate patterns being made. only one person charged with vandalism in over 30yrs, & nobody claiming a response to the Arecibo message sent by Sagan & Drake). No new formations are covered by media & the whole phenomenon is the work of pranksters! That seems to deny a lot of scientific facts. There are videos of small circular patterns being hoxed, but none of 900ft wide intricate ones at night, or ones where the centre of the circle still remains as standing crop . i.e. They cant get to the centre to swing a radius, or "satellite circles" made alone in a field of standing crop.<br />The other case of a HOAX was covered on this very site a couple of yrs ago.<br />Can anyone remember the Jerusalem ufo over the Dome of the Rock ?<br />As correctly pointed out by robert sheaffer, the 3rd video was an obvious fake,planted by a "Huckster". What is a huckster?<br />The voice of tourists at 1am in the morning immediately casts doubts(pilgrims are in bed ready for tourism next day, young locals out partying is more likely). But the woman talking of "we get them in Mississipi" is an obvious ploy to cast extra doubt on the whole event. But why ?<br />This was the main footage played by MSM , the tactic of "redneck association", was clearly planted to put doubts on the whole event.<br />Who would do this so quickly? It worked, the whole event was annouced a hoax shortly afterwards- case closed.<br />I kept digging, as robert points out, different camera angles that corelate are pretty good evidence.<br />More videos came to light! One from the arab section, one a close-up which is if ahoax, the best ufo footage I have ever seen, & one came later from CCTV footage from a govt weather camera. One sight has put all 6 different angles together & the "double flashes" all align.<br />But the damage has already been done, it was proclaimed a Hoax from the start because of that early "Misipi" foootage.<br />Did this Huckster know more videos would come to light?<br />Why did the MSM focus on this crap footage when the first two were good?<br /><br />If one video is a Hoax , they must all be a hoax !!<br />If one cropcircle is a Hoax, they must all be a hoax!!<br />If 3rd phase of moon shows a hoax, they must all be a hoax!!<br /><br />By this sort of thinking, if George Bush lied about WMD in Iraq, then the man is a blatant liar. "Dont pay attention to those conspiracy theories" must be a lie & he is hiding the truth. Hoaxer or Huckster?<br /><br />Questions: 1: What is a Huckster? 2: Why the weird "Psyop Patches" ?deanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16867076217070227180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-20623891276936823752013-10-22T16:21:50.629-07:002013-10-22T16:21:50.629-07:00just REALLY curious-what explanation do debunkers ...just REALLY curious-what explanation do debunkers have for the "battle of L.A."in 1942,& the "washington flap" in 1952?ufos have been documented for thousands of years.seen one myself.they are NOT going away...deal with it!catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05716024276010609349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-89924702714462940742013-10-22T10:16:19.502-07:002013-10-22T10:16:19.502-07:00Apparently Nab, there was a witness(adult) who lik...Apparently Nab, there was a witness(adult) who like the kids saw 3 metallic balls flying, then the kids saw one land.<br />The FIRST thing they were told was to individually draw a picture. Cynthia did pick the clearest ones & photocopied all 22 of them!!!!<br />The TV station interviewed the eldest kids, around 12 yrs old because they can communicate better.One swore on parents death & Bible, & was relieved when they believed her.<br /><br />My whole point of bringing attention to these mass sightings is to question how children are instantly doubted as liars "trivial & foolish", & "frivalous".<br />The kids werent in trouble so had no reason to lie, & as adults in the Westall case are in fact adamant about what they saw yrs ago & angry the cover-up still exists> they saw military vehicles, & personnel slash & burn the area!!!!<br /><br />OH! What if those monsters in the closet really have scared little ones.<br />Wouldnt an alien creature with big black eyes be described as a monster???<br /><br />P.S. Still waiting for someone's take on those "Psyops Patches", which have scary monsters on them too !deanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16867076217070227180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-26886243235263870302013-10-22T08:37:39.709-07:002013-10-22T08:37:39.709-07:00Mark; If there were ever any real "UFOs"...Mark; If there were ever any real "UFOs" of any kind, all the world would know it. So far, mythical "Unicorns From Outer Space" are merely the subject of a pop delusion. That negative determination, a real world and logical certainty is completely justified. <br /><br />Prove Otherwise! <br /><br />Mark fails to accept the challenge. Instead we predictably get more of the lame. <br /><br />If there were ever any real "UFOs" of any kind, all the world would know it--I wrote.<br /><br />"The whole world does know"<br /><br />You're <b>ignoring the obvious</b> facts of the world, again. If the whole world knows, then why are "UFO" Believers like Leslie Kean desperately searching for the smoking gun and coming up short each and every time, as with her utterly ridiculous Chilean flies on videotape?<br /><br />What our Scientific-realist world knows is that there are no real "UFOs" of any kind and that the "UFO" myth is a social delusion, the subject of a long-dead fossilized pseudoscience. The only people who "know" otherwise are Believers in imaginary "UFOs" for which there is no veracious evidence. There is no reason to reconsider the utterly implausible "UFO" hypothesis because it has been repeatedly shown to be the very least likely explanation for why people make "UFO" reports. <br /><br />"there's a remote but somewhat conceivable probability that [real 'UFOs' exist]" <br /><br />So no, desperately (and ridiculously) <b>appealing to ignorance</b> doesn't revitalize a long-dismissed and dead hypothesis. And after all your phony tired appeals, fundamentally misconceived "agnostic to extraordinary claims" diversion and <b>"beliefs"</b> equivocation and circumlocution, we are back to the world as it is. <br /><br />If you actually had a case to make, you wouldn't depend on such worthless devices. The real-world Null and Psychosocial hypotheses are reaffirmed every time the "UFO" hypothesis fails. The absurd "UFO" myth is the very worst "friend" you have, Mark! As if by some exercise in paradigm-bursting "belief reevaluation," imaginary "UFOs" might suddenly become a physical reality. What a Hoot! From what one real world? <br /><br />Ignore the obvious real-world facts and appeal to ignorance: the woo's basic MO, as Mark demonstrates once again.<br />zoamchomskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16519698426338891542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-58862983625148283832013-10-22T07:28:34.456-07:002013-10-22T07:28:34.456-07:00Black children were scared because local legends t...Black children were scared because local legends tells the Tokoloshe eats children. White children associated the ambiguous stimulus with UFOs and aliens. Yes they had TV in Harare in 1994, those kids' families were certainly not poor. When teachers asked the children to draw what they saw many of them drew a landed flying saucer, whether they saw it or not. Cynthia Hind selected the best (i.e. most saucer-like) drawings...<br />http://www.realityuncovered.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2007nablatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08085975823083828826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-4162886113111806192013-10-22T07:08:04.579-07:002013-10-22T07:08:04.579-07:00Deano: about the Harare 1994 case, please read the...Deano: about the Harare 1994 case, please read the articles by Cynthia Hind in UFOAFRINews. http://www.ufoafrinews.com/resources.html None of the children who actually saw anything (a small group) other than (possibly reflected) lights reported anything stranger than some sort of vehicle(s) on (or close to) the ground and dark human-looking shapes, far away. The standard description of grey aliens was confabulated later.nablatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08085975823083828826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-11613889012753709012013-10-22T01:55:52.859-07:002013-10-22T01:55:52.859-07:00Im very happy with your response.
Any half reaso...Im very happy with your response. <br /><br />Any half reasonable mind reading this thread will be afforded an insight into the true workings of a man who believes in 'common sense' perceptions and is willing to ignore anything and everyone, in order to protect them<br /><br />My favorite part; which perfectly sums up his attitude to what is an historical and highly complex issue:<br /><br />"If there were ever any real UFOs of any kind, the whole world would know it"<br /><br />Haha guess what? The whole world does know, that's why we're on a blog discussing it. You should mend your statement to - 'If they were real the whole world would have real aliens and their crafts to examine, so as to satisfy as irrefutable scientific evidence'... Its amusing how little you understand even your own logic, let alone that of others. <br /><br />You relentlessly peddle the notion that UFO's cannot exist due to the Null and PSH within my interpretation of the phenomenon, knowing full well the plot and intent of my argument had little or nothing to do with the phenomenon itself. I was essentially inspiring a platform on which to self reflect and get to the heart of why we choose to believe what we believe. Pretty strange behaviour to continuously pretend im a 'believer' and repeat your irrelevant rhetoric, don't you think? <br /><br />Once again, you can prove to us all right now that you are not an ignorant, self serving priest by repeating this neutral statement. Your refusal to do so is an admission that you are religiously protecting a belief system<br /><br />So! Repeat after me - 'there's a remote but somewhat conceivable probability that the last 30 years of my life have been devoted to a 'common sense' position which could be simply, wrong<br /><br />If you actually believe any of the pseudo-righteous rhetoric you spew over this blog, you should be able to answer that... : )Mark McFarlanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16513458957267040420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-69339419554485111622013-10-21T10:06:03.725-07:002013-10-21T10:06:03.725-07:00Thanks B R-V!
The numbers have been grossly infla...Thanks B R-V!<br /><br />The numbers have been grossly inflated; they saw a weather balloon, later a training target pulled by a plane; the "landing spot" part sounds like a fantasy added later, as does the appearance of the military.<br /><br />Typical misidentification, followed by confabulation, enhanced by media sensationalism and ufoolergists prompting, prevarication. A typical "UFO" fairy tale.zoamchomskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16519698426338891542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-46496660591704287632013-10-21T08:39:37.109-07:002013-10-21T08:39:37.109-07:00More stuck in the mud and desperately spinning whe...More stuck in the mud and desperately spinning wheels back and forth by Mark and going nowhere--much less making a case for a "UFO" reality of any kind.<br /><br />We know your fundamentally misconceived "model agnostic" routine, you give yourself away with every use of "priest" and "belief," every phony appeal for me to reconsider the repeatedly falsified and least plausible hypothesis for "UFO" reports, and every reference to really crummy anecdotal evidence that is never what it's purported to be. There is no "UFO" <i>phenomenon</i>, it's all an ignorant, immature and wishful <b>delusion</b>.<br /> <br />Believe it or not, like it or not, in the real world, solid determinations based on evidence and reason are made every day; that has been done repeatedly with individual cases and so ultimately the whole of the "UFO" myth and delusion. The Null and Psychosocial hypotheses are reaffirmed every time the "UFO" hypothesis fails. (That's every day!) A lifetime of real-world experience and training--that extends experience to history and fortifies analytical tools--have reinforced this determination, the <b>certainty</b> of the truth of the Null and PSH.<br /><br />Mark; If there were ever any real "UFOs" of any kind, all the world would know it. So far, mythical "Unicorns From Outer Space" are merely the subject of a pop delusion. That negative determination, a logical certainty is completely justified.<br /> <br />Prove Otherwise! <br />zoamchomskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16519698426338891542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-55663160487481310652013-10-20T06:26:56.062-07:002013-10-20T06:26:56.062-07:00You continue to regurgitate your decades old rheto...You continue to regurgitate your decades old rhetoric in labeling me as a deluded juvenile alternative who has consumed more than my fair share of the mass-media (profound insight there, Zoamchomsky!) When in reality, I've demonstrated no dependence or strict partisanship to any compilation of beliefs or displayed any prepossession towards themes of influence, which you proclaim as the chief driver of the mass-media delusion. My only supposition is one of advocacy for open-mindedness, and at the very least, the strength of mind to admit to one's self that concluded certainty is never a safe proposition, let alone upholding it in the face of a whirlwind of conjecture and circumstantial evidence that is the UFO phenomenon. Yet you continue to mis-represent my position with generalizations clearly designed for a practiced prejudice. Ironically but not surprisingly, you have indeed committed and continue to commit the straw-man approach as the knife point of your own arguments. Your central devotion is to ignore the simple concepts I present (I.e. objectivity and open mindedness) and return fire with pre-prepared and over simplified characterisations painting a devoted believer, which frankly, serves to convey a limited capacity for outward interpretation and operates only to draw attention to your wider set of intellectual deficiencies.<br /><br />I really wonder, if not faith, what it is which motivates your zealotry in partisanship? Is it the evidence, Zoamchomsky? Astonishing, how convincing this hard fixed evidence must be to envelope one's conviction so wholly, so certainly. It must be profound evidence. Can I see it?<br /><br />Why is it that you can't even admit in realistic terms (not DELIBERATELY ludicrous and impossible comparisons of flying unicorns) that there is a reasonable probability attached to the reality of the phenomenon?<br /><br />Prove to us all right now that you are not an ignorant, self serving priest and repeat this neutral statement - 'there's a remote but somewhat conceivable probability that the last 30 years of my life have been devoted to a 'common sense' position which could be simply, wrong'<br /><br />Im not suggesting you are wrong, rather, like me Im simply providing you with a platform to exercise the objectivity with which intelligent people often behave. The most amusing and telling part is that I know you will have a deep-seeded angst in opening your religious entrentchment to the broader spectrum of relative likelihoods. And all this does is stand as proof that your partisanship is born of a faithful belief that you are privy to all the available evidence and under no circumstances can there be truth to the UFO phenomenon.<br /><br />Just give it up. Stop pretending you have all the answers, because in reality, that is the truly juvenile response.<br />Mark McFarlanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16513458957267040420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-56466063510564390032013-10-20T06:23:21.987-07:002013-10-20T06:23:21.987-07:00It seems you are able to find meaning in my words ...It seems you are able to find meaning in my words that even I didn't implement, but don't worry, you're not uniquely talented, it's merely a compulsion to dramatically misconstrue and misinterpret the intended meaning for one's own benefit. I never did convey that I felt all beliefs are equal or mutually discredited by an intrinsic zealotry, nor did I use negative evidence to affirm a position against positive evidence, or any other of the quick draw phrases you mistakenly applied. In fact, I never once commented on any evidence in anyway, aside from pointing out the validity of a Government statistic. Surely that doesn't motivate the use of those fierce and poorly aimed generalizations? I was purely, from a psychological perspective, illuminating a common human tendency to involuntarily misconstrue information to favour or reaffirm previously held suspicions, prejudices and beliefs. It's quite a complex phenomenon and despite what you think you understand, it's a common trait within particular individuals who are keen to protect their intellectual currency, on BOTH sides of the fence. <br />You perpetuate your own delusion by drawing circumstantial comparisons between the strength and relative certainty with which most of science is held, with the apparent 'scientific approach' of some skeptics in their analysis of the UFO phenomenon. A very un insightful and naive comparison, indeed. <br /><br />Mark McFarlanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16513458957267040420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-19404636374571670302013-10-20T05:19:27.776-07:002013-10-20T05:19:27.776-07:00Deano's points raise some good questions:
Do ...Deano's points raise some good questions:<br /><br />Do we attach more significance to eyewitness statements because they're made by children (or some sort of expert, reliable witness)?<br /><br />Can witnesses be wrong? Can they fabricate? Can they have some fun at our expense since they're not legally bound to honesty?<br /><br />Are we hearing this from them directly, or through yet another source? Can this source have an agenda of its own?<br /><br />When a large group tells the exact same story, do our inner "alarms" go off? Especially after several decades? (Take a look at some eyewitness reports of traffic accidents to see how much statements vary) <br /><br />Be wary of being told children are isolated from outside influences while describing rugby balls.<br /><br />Lastly, do we, at times, suffer from confirmation bias in regard to our beliefs?jozzcooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10346278013676621644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-14634037990646608412013-10-19T20:25:25.181-07:002013-10-19T20:25:25.181-07:00To B-R-V, Is this the same "Skeptoid podcast...To B-R-V, Is this the same "Skeptoid podcast" that is of Brian Dunning fame, recently pleading guilty to wire fraud > cookies on e-bay???<br /> you read one skeptic article on a subject, & bingo, its been debunked, its a fraud , hoax, case closed. Read the article, & it is full of, "probably,most likely,appears as, etc" & usuall skeptic jargon, & low & behold, a WEATHER balloon!<br />Considered by many as Australia's "Roswell", a 50min documentary was made in 2010, re-uniting many of the former eye-witness students.<br />Still in agreeance as to what they saw, they still wanted explanation from the military, yet still denied.<br />I think everyone has a vivid memory of a playground occurance. Be it, a first puppy-love, breaking a classroom window, first fight or run-in with the dreaded big "bully". I am sure a UFO landing at the back of the playing fields would be a definite "VIVID" memory that you would never forget. Especially men in uniforms at a school assembly shortly afterwards!<br />The trouble with skeptics is "eye-witnesses" should not be believed at all!<br />Presidents, pilots. police, military are all dillusional????<br />In a court of law their statements would hold, just as sure as over 50 8yr old statements would hold, if they all described the same event!!<br /><br />To Zoam, Kids in a South African village, with no TV, are not surrounded on the lounge room floor by glossy magazines. I have grown up in Aus, & I too have never seen UFOs on the cover of magazines. Nor cropcircles.<br />Apart from Hollywood films, my whole interest, has come from books & documentaries, until purchasing a computer a few yrs ago.<br />Another good Aus UFO documentary, is "Oz Encounters". Australia wide & even shows photo evidence of "scars" made on abductee victims(fresh).<br />We are not selling books or out to make money, in fact we risk ridicule & slander, just letting you know that this is a global phenomenon.<br />Bush has admitted to lying about WMD, how can you be certain that anything else is not a lie?<br />deanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16867076217070227180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104600450225406597.post-10854543774154894672013-10-19T19:18:56.868-07:002013-10-19T19:18:56.868-07:00It's amazing that anyone can say "childre...It's amazing that anyone can say "children make excellent witnesses" and keep a straight face. Did these people somehow skip their childhood years? Have they forgotten the superstition, the fantastical leaning, the parroting of other views and all-around immaturity that one has as a child? <br /><br />I have a feeling many lawyers wouldn't touch a legal case where the key piece of evidence is the testimony of an eight-year old; UFOlogists would consider it one of their best. Brendanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13686386178693703030noreply@blogger.com