Aliens On Earth.com Resources for those who are stranded here Our Bookstore is OPEN Over 5000 new & used titles, competitively priced! Topics: UFOs - Paranormal - Area 51 - Ghosts - Forteana - Conspiracy - History - Biography - Psychology - Religion - Crime - Health - Geography - Maps - Science - Money - Language - Recreation - Technology - Fiction - Other - New Search... for keyword(s)   in Page Titles in Book Title/Author in Contents of Pages ---other searches--- Metacrawler Yahoo FAST Search Google Altavista Dogpile Inference Find Northern Light IWon.com MSN Search Las Vegas Sun Location: Mothership -> UFO -> Updates -> 1998 -> Oct -> Re: Failure Of The 'Science' Of Obergian Debunking

UFO UpDates Mailing List

From: Ed Stewart <ufoindex@jps.net>
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 13:28:52 -0700
Fwd Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 21:26:06 -0400
Subject: Re: Failure Of The 'Science' Of Obergian Debunking


>From: Scott Ribordy <sdr@ns.net>
>To: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net>
>Subject: Re: Failure Of The 'Science' Of Obergian Debunking
>Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 02:29:16 GMT

>>Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1998 16:33:09 -0700
>>From: Ed Stewart <ufoindex@jps.net>
>>To: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net>
>>Subject: Re: Failure Of The 'Science' Of Obergian Debunking

>With your obvious interest in the health and well-being of
>ufology, I have to ask; What, in your opinion, should be done?

>I would be interested in reading your (and the List's, of
>course) thoughts on this.

The following short essay was written as an editorial in JUST
CAUSE, #32, June 1992 by its editor, Barry Greenwood.

"Recently several persons have expressed their dissatisfaction
to us about UFO research. 'It seems like everyone has their own
ideas about what UFOs are and it is all very confusing,' said
one. 'There is so much controversy that it is difficult for an
outsider to tell fact from fiction,' said another. 'The politics
of UFO research seems to be incredibly bizarre,' added a third.

The fact is that there are new people taking an interest in UFOs
who are not familiar with the rather convoluted history many of
us have lived with for decades. And it is a chore for one to
comprehend not only the phenomenon but the people in it. The
best sources of information tend not to be easily available
anymore and costs have risen to a point where some UFO books
make one decide whether having it is worth a week of meatloaf
for supper or a weekend of the Three Stooges on TV instead of
going to a ball game.

It is beyond the scope of this commentary to launch into a
primer on the UFO field. However a few suggestions can be made
without involving a reference work or quoting a prominent person
with a history of UFO interest.

1) There is no such thing as a 'UFO EXPERT.' If one says he/she
is, doubt it. If someone says he/she is, doubt it. How can one
be a UFO expert if they do not know what UFOs are, who's in
them, where they come from, or why they are here? If they do
claim to know any one or all of these things, they are either
careless for not being able to offer proof of their
extraordinary statements, preaching from a religious viewpoint
instead of a scientific one in choosing to 'believe' rather than
considering information on its merits, or just plain lying for
personal gain, self-gratification; etc. Judge UFO information by
how logical and sensible it is, not by who says it. Don't be so
overwhelmed by emphasis on one's credentials or affiliations
that you accept their statements at face value, without
question. Often a close examination of information from a
supposed authority reveals that it is no more credible than your
Aunt Hortense's speculations on Relativity Theory (unless your
Aunt Hortense has done a lot of reading!). Flawed information
from self-appointed authorities become ingrained in many
individual minds from sheer force of personality, personality
that shields their failings behind a fascade of intellectual
superiority.

2) Carve your own niche. If you decide to pursue an interest in
UFO research, make sure you learn much about the world around
you first. Handled properly, a UFO interest can motivate
self-education in astronomy, meteorology, psychology and a host
of other areas. Unlike what some pundits have said in the past,
being into UFOs doesn't always send people off onto wrong
pathways. In fact it probably generates as many people who
become channelled into serious, hard-knowledge fields as it does
ding-a-lings. Ideally, a society that is increasingly inclined
to one-dimensional thinking and stereotyping will recognize that
being interested in space mysteries does not always equate with
eccentricity and instability. It is up to you how others will
eventually perceive it.

3) You are not a 'little person.' You come into the UFO subject
with a great deal of enthusiasm. You desire to contribute to the
resolution of a long-standing mystery. Confronting you are
prolific authors, 'Whirling-Dervish' investigators,
high-intensity personalities and groupie-like hangers-on, all
from the high and low end of the likeability scale. Trying to
fathom all of this seems impossible and you question whether you
can after all contribute anything in such a marketplace of
obscure and fantastic information.

Remember that they all started the same way, from a complete
lack of knowledge of the UFO phenomenon. You have to build your
background slowly, patiently. You must regard yourself as being
as good as anyone else in pursuing UFOs. As previously stated,
there are no experts so don't idol-worship Ufologists. Respect
them if they are honest and truth-seeking and follow such an
ideal yourself. Hold untruthy, chicanery, exageration,
pretentiousness, pomposity and greed in great disregard and
express such in a way that will discourage others from wanting
to pursue those negative attributes. Then you know you will be
an important contributer to improving our knowledge.

Welcome to the UFO field!"

Barry Greenwood


Barry Greenwood is the co-author with Larry Fawcett of "Clear
Intent", which has been re-issued and available as "The UFO
Cover-Up" at your local bookstores. Some of the basis for the
evidence discussed in the book was uncovered by the research
efforts of many people including Robert Todd, an independent
researcher who has been an associate of Barry Greenwood for many
years.

Ed Stewart

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ed Stewart ufoindex@jps.net|So Man, who here seems principal alone,
There Is Something         |Perhaps acts second to some sphere unknown.
   Going On!       ,>'?'<, |Touches some wheel, or verges to some goal,
Salvador Freixedo  ( O O ) |'Tis but a part we see, and not a whole.
---------------ooOO-(_)-OOoo------- Alexander Pope, Essay on Man -------