Can The Scientific  Community Be Trusted?

COLUMBUS, Ohio (U-Wire) - The scientific community has always been quick to
dismiss any kind of alternative viewpoint that threatens to throw the 'accepted'
knowledge of the world into question.  Sometimes this scurry to explain the
unexplainable leads to leaps in logic that can only be described as laughable.
This is the case with the latest report on new developments in the search for
extraterrestrial intelligence.

While browsing the magazine section at a local convenience store I happened to
stumble upon a
headline that deeply disturbed me. Right on the cover of the July issue of
Scientific American appeared the declaration: "Alien Civilizations: if they
exist why aren't they here?" I was intrigued.
I just had to investigate the logic that would lead someone to make such an
uninformed statement and get it published in a supposedly scientific
publication.

What I found was one of the most deliberately one-sided pieces of journalism I
have encountered
in my short existence.  In the article entitled, "Where Are They? Maybe we are
alone in the galaxy after all," Ian Crawford, University of London astronomy
professor, briefly illustrates popular scientific research and viewpoints
regarding this controversial issue.

Throughout the piece he reviews data based on the Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence program's
new findings and astronomical data regarding the existence of planets outside of
our solar system.
In his opinion, he maintains, that based on these new findings the human race
must face the possibility that we are the most advanced civilization in the
galaxy.

He bases much of his argument on the famous scientific 'paradox' voiced in 1950
by Enrico Fermi. Fermi's paradox basically states that if alien civilizations
existed in the universe, their presence would be obvious. Crawford argues that
since these new scientific findings don't point to any obvious presence of an
alien civilization, they simply might not exist. He further goes on to suggest
that we should continue expansion of the SETI program to find some obvious
evidence.

OK, this is ridiculous. No obvious evidence, who are they kidding? I'm no expert
on the topic, but I
do know that UFO sightings and reported alien abductions have been permeating
our culture for
nearly 50 years.

The questions raised by these phenomenon's are numerous and the answers don't
exist. The number of people, pilots in particular, who have reported UFO
sightings is enormous. In addition, nearly 1.5 million people in this country
from all walks of life have reported supposed abductions, the psychological
influence of which is easily measured. This is not to mention the fact that the
military possesses literally thousands of pages of information regarding the
existence of aliens, which they refuse to declassify to the general populace.

It would be one thing to write an article of this nature and systematically
discount these claims or
argue against them with some type of reasoning. To simply ignore them and
pretend that they don't
exist is completely irresponsible and insulting to the general populace. Those
who are putting their faith in the scientific community to save the world should
take note: these people can't be trusted.

(C) 2000 The Lantern via U-WIRE
By John Gillanders
The Lantern - Ohio State University
7-21-00