Appearances Count for Nothing in the UFO Field.
Greetings. The level of professionalism in the UFO field is often suspect, and occasionally non-existent. Many well-known people in the UFO community consistently appear on shows, at UFO events, and with other celebrities whose backgrounds are less than favorable. Some celebrities take selfies with frauds and hoaxers. None of this constitutes research work. It is a bizarre situation.
Just a few days ago the Mexican government held hearings on the UFO issue, with some noteworthy people in attendance. The infamous Jaime Maussan, an individual who has consistently promoted hoaxed material, and embraced hoaxed UFO cases was in attendance. Ryan Graves, a retired Navy pilot who has recently testified about his personal experiences with UFOs while on active duty was in attendance. Robert Salas, a retired Air Force Captain who was a witness to the unexplained events at Malmstrom Air Force Base in 1967 was in attendance.
Why is this worthy of note? Why is this even an issue? Simple. When people of credibility are seen with people who have no credibility it gives the false impression that the entire situation is credible and free of fraud, free of nonsensical content. Mr. Graves may not be aware of the fraudulent claims of Mr. Maussan, but Mr. Salas certainly is, or at least should be, having been a part of the UFO community for decades. At the very least both gentlemen should have done some homework on the other attendees, to determine their credibility, or lack thereof, and to make an informed decision about whether to appear or not. Perhaps they did, but chose to appear at the event anyway. I won't profess to know, but if that is the case, then their integrity should be questioned. There is no reason why anyone with integrity or credibility would allow themselves to appear alongside such a fraud. It makes the entire UFO field look bad.
This kind of thing happens all the time. Researchers of some notoriety often appear on shows that have absolutely nothing to do with legitimate investigative work. When researchers like Cheryl Costa or Peter Robbins appear on shows like Spaced Out Radio or Fade To Black Live, it hurts the credibility of the entire UFO field. Who an individual chooses to associate with casts that person in a certain light. It is not always fair, but that the reality of the matter. It pays dividends to keep such factors in mind, but that is a course of action that many don't employ, especially when those same people are attempting to gain some notoriety, or are trying to regain their former standing in the UFO field. Many people don't seem to consider the ramifications of their decisions, letting the chips fall where they may, which is to the detriment of the entire UFO field. Unfortunate, but it is the situation as it often stands.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Good to see the public apology from Mr. Graves. I have not seen any comments from Mr. Salas. Other than the role of Mr. Maussen, could you summarize your thoughts about the claims and why most reputable investigators think it is a hoax? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks as always for your comment Sir. Jaime Maussan has been promoting hoaxed content for decades. He stated that the bodies in question had been examined by qualified individuals, but he did not provide the valid documentation to support his statements. That is necessary regardless of the background of the person making the claims. The bodies in question were debunked years ago, but never really went away, as all hoaxes do in the UFO community. Invalid content has a life of it's own in this field. I always refer to Hitchens' Razor: The onus is on the claimant to provide the evidence to support their statements. That never happens in the UFO field, unfortunately.
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