From: Jean van Gemert <jeanvg@dds.nl>
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 20:25:41 +0200 (MET DST)
Fwd Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 20:36:33 -0400
Subject: Re: Coincidence or Debunkery?
>Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 01:43:02 -0400
>From: Gary <galevy@pipeline.com>
>To: UFO Updates Mailing List <updates@globalserve.net>
>Subject: Coincidence or Debunkery?
>The other day a copyrighted article was posted on UFO UpDates which
>offered a erudite discussion on the application of physiometric
>polygraph testing and voice stress analysis to UFO cases... one im-
>portant point was to discredit, based on an appeal to authority, the
>validity of voice stress analysis. Interestingly this authority was
>the DoD, the Department of Defense.
No Gary, not just the DoD. As Geoff Price noted in his article, Dr.
Honts of Boise State Univeristy who can be considered an expert in
these matters is in complete consent with the DoD, expressing the
firm agreement that "there is no published evidence to support the
validity of VSA."
This isn't a conspiracy between Geoff Price, Honts, and the Dod to
cover up the National Enquirer's results, Gary. The issue here is
scientific evidence and validity, which VSA has neither.
>Now this might not strike one as a matter of import and with good
>reason. However, the unheralded appearance of this article and the
>point it was making struck a chord with me. This is because I had been
No reasonable person would be capable of inferring a conspiracy here
unless one is compelled, for whatever reasons, to see a conspiracy
everywhere. Let's condense here: You are saying that Geoff Price's
posting of his article on polygraph reliability was not accidental
but instead a directed effort to discredit the National Enquirer's
voice stress analysis of the Roswell USAF press conference!
That's not just paranoid, but completely lacking in any evidence to
boot. Unbridled speculation is no substitute for evidence, Gary. I
happen to know why Geoff Price wrote the essay as we discussed the
issue weeks ago in private email. There can be no question as to its
goals; It illuminated the poor, irresponsible, and selective use of
polygraph and/or VSA results in the cases of Walton and Ed Walters,
and Kevin Randle's treatment of same. The inferences you are making
are not only unwarranted but serve to emphasize, unfortunately, how
paranoia has come to pervade much of contemporary UFOlogy.
Truly disappointed,
Jean
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