by Bill Knell Page 1 of 1 page(s)
http://www.opednews.com
Tell A Friend
It seems that Ken Cherry, Texas State Director for Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), simply cannot say that anything really strange happened in Stephenville, Dublin or Erath County, Texas. The preliminary report which he helped to prepare says there is no conclusive proof that what folks in those areas say was a UFO. The report also indicates that the video of all those glyphs in the sky was probably just a star.
I recall when the Stephenville, Texas, story first broke on the national news here in the USA. Cherry appeared on Fox News and said that he planned to get some people down to Stephenville on the weekend or whenever they could get there. He pointed out that MUFON investigators are all volunteers and that he is a business owner himself. Well, I think that Ken should stick to his business and leave UFO research to those who have the time and expertise to examine the greater body of evidence surrounding what really happened in Erath County.
The Stephenville, Dublin and Erath County UFO encounters are not just about one sighting. They involve multiple sightings, credible witnesses, photographic and video evidence, a government cover-up, harassment of witnesses and other events involving high strangeness. To focus in on one sighting and pretend that all the available evidence doesn't point to a series of unexplained events is irresponsible and a game that I would expect skeptics, not credible UFO investigators, to play.
Skeptics prove that if you want to explain away anything, it can be done. They begin their investigations by trying to debunk a paranormal or supernatural event, instead of objectively examining it. The flaw in that formula is that debunking doesn't allow for the thoughtful consideration of evidence. It limit's the investigator's ability to consider the big picture and other circumstances that may be related to any given case. Skepticism is the easy road. Objectivity is hard.
Apart from coming to some very suspicious conclusions based on the available evidence, there is another consideration that causes me to question the reliability of the suppositions in the MUFON report. MUFON has a long and well deserved reputation of trying to please skeptics. They practically made a superstar out of Phil Klass. Anyone that's been researching UFOs for more than a few years knows that you will never succeed in keeping the true believers or skeptics happy. It's impossible to avoid running afoul of their narrow viewpoints.
MUFON is also known as a group that doesn't work and play well with others. I seriously doubt that the investigators that prepared this report took the time to speak with people that didn't come to them. MUFON has never learned that an investigation means more than just examining the information contained in sighting reports. You have to get out there and speak with other credible reporters and researchers that are on the scene. They may have important information about the events you are investigating. If you don't, your report isn't complete and can easily mislead the public about the facts and circumstances of any given UFO event.
I want to be fair and remind readers that MUFON is a grass roots organization and, arguably, the oldest UFO investigative and research group in existence. I know for a fact that many of their local chapters are made up of people who are sincere, dedicated and fair. You cannot judge the entire organization by what any one member or group of members may do. However, I think that the conclusions in the report on Stephenville are reprehensible and exhibit and amazing lack of investigative skill.
Some of the explanations that the Texas MUFON investigators managed to cook up to explain the Erath County sighting and video include a military target sleeve, sensitivity of cameras, lights from other sources, sun dogs, lens flares and bad film. These brilliant deductions were announced on May 18, 2008 at a public library meeting (I hope it was held in the FICTION area). Is it any wonder that at least one Texas newspaper likened the MUFON investigation team to the Scooby Doo Gang? Enough said. For more, visit http://newsletter.ufoguy.com
