In article <220820031814288022%eltanin@boxfrog.com>, Eltanin says...

Now what would that be like....

It'd be no-contest.  I have figured out the debunkers
many moons ago.  Ergo:

The 3 Golden Rules of the Debunker/Anyone Can Become One!--Even You!

You've seen them on television talk shows, you've read them in Parade magazine
(hint-hint), now you would like to be one too.  Of course we are talking about
the fine art of "debunking".   You say you don't have a science degree from
Harvard or Stanford, no problem, anyone can be a debunker.  Although real
professionals make it sound so easy, you can learn "right now" the skills of
this noble profession.  Discover the secrets in three easy-to-learn lessons.
Write them down and practice the instructions until they become second nature,
and even you can earn your "Degree" in de-bunkology.

First off, why would you want to become a debunker?  It's simple, really.  The
other side has all the good evidence in their favor.  When you stack up the
voluminous amount of exemplary "science" that has been done on crop circles,
animal mutilations, human abductions, government cover-ups, crash retrievals,
landing sites, artifacts, implants, sightings, video analysis, . . . well you
get the picture, we can't really substantially argue against the data.  The
amount of really first-rate evidence is overwhelming in the positive for proving
the existence of extraterrestrial life interfacing with the planet Earth.

So we have to resort to the three "D's": deny, dispute and debunk.  First "deny"
there is anything there, when that fails, go to "dispute" the facts, and then as
a last resort: "debunk" everything.  It's easy and quite "necessary" really to
maintain a functioning society and avoid economic disintegration, which would
certainly follow the announcement of beings from other Planets regularly
visiting ours.  Many industries would become obsolete over-night, including
energy, transportation, chemicals and many more.  Free-Energy alone would put
the oil, nuclear, and coal industries out of business.  Although that would be
for the good for ALL mankind since it would reduce the amount of global warming
and ozone depletion that these industries contribute to.

And now: the three Golden rules of the UFO debunker:

1) Attack the person not the evidence.  ---- As listed above, the preponderance
of evidence to establish the existence of extraterrestrials and their
other-worldly crafts is overwhelming.  So instead of acknowledging the evidence,
ATTACK the persons' credibility.  Call them "crackpots" and "lunatics."  If they
don't have a college degree, assault them for that.  If they do have a degree,
even a Ph. D. ask them the relevance of it to the subject matter.  To quote
Vince Lombardi: "The best defense is a good offense" so be offensive.  Perhaps
use a Phil Klass technique, and declare people who claim to have been abducted
by aliens,  "little nobodies, people seeking celebrity status."  That usually
pisses a bunch of people off.  Another Phil Klass technique which is also very
clever,  (as quoted from the Don Ecker radio talk show) just yell out this nice
expletive: "BULLSHIT" and hang up the phone.  That leaves the audience
bewildered and bothered,
and makes you look like the Authority-Figure.

2) Have a closed mind or "Don't bother me with the facts my mind is made up."
--- Unfortunately, sometimes you will have to address the evidence.  It can be
quite ugly and you really don't want to hear it.  So rule #2 is keep a stiff
upper lip, perhaps roll your eyes and just drown out the other person when they
are trying to make a point or quote a statistic.   Try to dismiss the facts,
here is another quote from the Messiah, Phil Klass, "Even airline pilots can be
grossly mistaken."  Wow!  Would you really want to fly commercially if that was
true, I sure wouldn't.  But by the time the audience tries to figure out what
you meant, just move on to another one liner, such as "Wrong, wrong, wrong!"  

Now, whom is the audience going to believe someone who just illuminated a point
by using some great research, or you, the "debunker" who only has to say "wrong,
wrong, wrong."  You may try throwing in some obscure references and words like
"confabulation."  Gets them every time!

3) Come up with any kind of flimsy explanation, it makes people feel better.
Yes students, it's still really potent, spouting a reason that lacks substance.
Remember, American's are science-illiterates, and they wouldn't know an isotope
from ice cream, or an electron from a election. So razzle-dazzle them with b.s.
Here are a bunch of official-sounding  denials that lack merit, but sound
plausible: swamp gas (but only where there's swamps!), atmospheric mumbo-jumbo,
temperature inversions, funny looking clouds, planets, hallucinations, shadows
and light, smoke and mirrors,  mistaken this or that, hoaxes, and that old
standby, "Doug and Dave" which was recently used capably in Parade magazine by
you know whom!!!!! (He is deceased now but his memory lives on!)

Once you've mastered these three golden rules - you can be a debunker too, and
have a degree in 'Debunkology."  There will be a test given so study and
practice.

UPDATES:  Other techniques of the debunkers:  A) Ask for endless references.  
This technique only purpose is to stall for time and lulls the audience to
sleep!
B) What the public doesn't know - we won't tell them.  Obviously, the Pentagon
who is in control of the "Black Budget" has a greater data-base than most
researchers, and they are keeping that information to themselves.  The
collaboration between certain
Military Contractors, the Pentagon, Private Individuals with Intelligent Agency
Connections are the ones who have kept this information outside of reach.

Thank you Stanton Friedman for all you have contributed to discovering the real
truth.

A reader added the following Golden Rules of the UFO Debunker (Graduate
Program):

1.)  Guilt by association. The idea of this tactic is to directly or indirectly
yoke UFO research to more bizarre areas. For example: 

a)  Psychics; especially those of the amazing Kreskin variety. 

b)  Witchcraft, voodoo, apparitions, snake handlers, spiritualism, and other
Bovine eschatology. Everyone loves a good ghost story.

c)  Parapsychology. ESP, Imply sickness of the mind. 

d)  Linkage to elaborate and incredulous conspiracy theories 
rather than facts. Sows lots of doubt and makes UFOs consigned to the lunatic
fringe.

e)  Imply a tradition rooted in mythology and spiritual fairy tales. Employ
false exegesis of various religious scriptures for support. Why not blame the
devil? 

f)  Gather UFO support from extremist groups, assorted crackpots, criminals,
secret societies, cults,,...etc.. 


2.) Misinformation.

a) Encourage men with "credibility" to testify of Government cover-ups, secrecy,
and collusion with alien malefactors. The idea here is that the most dangerous
lie is the one closest to the truth. Somewhat like offering a fine steak laced
with just a bit of arsenic. However, to be real good at this you need reliable
source of true information. Lacking this offer a creative theory of your own; no
doubt someone else will embrace it.


3.) False bifurcation.

a) Make people choose between limited and unacceptable alternative "either-or"
explanations.

4.) "Totalism"

a) Encourage the belief that a theory is entirely true or entirely false. No
grey areas permitted. Use this to promote heated and bitter debates between UFO
researchers. Make people draw lines between science and chicanery over minute
differences of understanding. 


5.) Straw man attack.

a) Fashion a dummy position held by a UFO researcher. Then proceed to rip it
apart. Many will discredit the researcher on this false premise.

6.)  Whipping Boy.

a) When a UFO researcher is caught in some error, use this as a platform to
debunk the field.

Warning: Prospective graduates are going to have to work at this degree. No
matchbook universities or mail-order sheepskins here! 

Thanks to  Joe Byczko for the Graduate Program!	
byczko@gdc.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thirteen Techniques for Truth Suppression
by David Martin

Strong, credible allegations of high-level criminal activity can bring down
a government. When the government lacks an effective, fact-based defense,
other techniques must be employed. The success of these techniques depends
heavily upon a cooperative, compliant press and a mere token opposition
party.

1. Dummy up. If it's not reported, if it's not news, it didn't happen.

2. Wax indignant. This is also known as the "how dare you?" gambit.

3. Characterize the charges as "rumors" or, better yet, "wild rumors." If,
in spite of the news blackout, the public is still able to learn about
the suspicious facts, it can only be through "rumors."

4. Knock down straw men. Deal only with the weakest aspect of the weakest
charges. Even better, create your own straw men. Make up wild rumors
and give them lead play when you appear to debunk all the charges, real
and fanciful alike.

5. Call the skeptics names like "conspiracy theorist," "nut," "ranter,"
"kook," "crackpot," and of course, "rumor monger." You must then
carefully avoid fair and open debate with any of the people you have
thus maligned.

6. Impugn motives. Attempt to marginalize the critics by suggesting
strongly that they are not really interested in the truth but are
simply pursuing a partisan political agenda or are out to make money.

7. Invoke authority. Here the controlled press and the sham opposition can
be very useful.

8. Dismiss the charges as "old news."

9. Come half-clean. This is also known as "confession and avoidance" or
"taking the limited hang-out route." This way, you create the
impression of candor and honesty while you admit only to relatively
harmless, less-than-criminal "mistakes." This stratagem often requires
the embrace of a fall-back position quite different from the one
originally taken.

10. Characterize the crimes as impossibly complex and the truth as
ultimately unknowable.

11. Reason backward, using the deductive method with a vengeance. With
thoroughly rigorous deduction, troublesome evidence is irrelevant. For
example: We have a completely free press. If they know of evidence that
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) had prior knowledge
of the Oklahoma City bombing they would have reported it. They haven't
reported it, so there was no prior knowledge by the BATF. Another
variation on this theme involves the likelihood of a conspiracy leaker
and a press that would report it.

12. Require the skeptics to solve the crime completely. For example: If
Vince Foster was murdered, who did it and why?

13. Change the subject. This technique includes creating and/or reporting a
distraction.