MUFON, Detrimental to the Investigative Cause.

Greetings. The heady days of APRO, the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization, and NICAP, the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, have come and gone, leaving MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network, as the only pony in the investigative race. The situation as it now stands is a monopoly of sorts, with MUFON taking up the lion's share of the attention. It is the elephant in the UFO room, but what is that particular elephant really doing? Has MUFON accomplished anything of substance? Let's take an honest look. 

1. Has MUFON uncovered any evidence of alien visitation? No. The best MUFON can claim is that a few of the cases that it's field investigators have examined have remained unexplained, and are possibly anomalous in nature. However, nothing artificial and non-terrestrial has turned up. 

2. Has MUFON maintained it's organizational integrity since it originally came into being back in May of 1969? No. MUFON has become an entertainment entity, with the selling of memberships and merchandise becoming the primary focus of the organization. MUFON is no longer a legitimate investigative organization, that is crystal clear. In addition, with the self-inflicted wounds that MUFON has suffered over the past few years, it is no coincidence that there has been a mass exodus of some highly credentialed, highly experienced investigators and researchers from within MUFON's ranks; Rich Hoffman, Robert Powell, Chris Cogswell, and James Clarkson numbered among them. 

3. Has MUFON addressed internal issues to a satisfactory degree? No. The abhorrent actions of Jan Harzan, John Ventre, Steve Hudgeons, and others have never been adequately addressed, with Mr. Ventre continuing to have a working relationship with the organization, and with Mr. Hudgeons continuing to serve as MUFON's Director of International Development and Director of Investigations. Having racists and potential criminals within the ranks of any organization places the integrity of that organization firmly in serious doubt. MUFON has both within it's ranks, and that is downright disgusting. 

4. Has MUFON become a cult? I honestly don't know the answer to that troubling question, but I suspect that in some ways, it has. The way members blindly embrace the organization's rhetoric is very disconcerting, with no sign of critical or independent thinking readily apparent. Whenever an individual from the outside is critical of the organization, that same person is usually met with a barrage of verbal character assassinations, as if they were defending a family member or a loved one. The attacks are usually blunt, unkind, and personal, not the kind of measured responses one would expect from a professional entity, but just the kind of responses one receives from a cult, or a club, or some other such clique. I have been on the receiving end of those kinds of attacks, and I have always found them laughable and amateurish. 

5. Does MUFON promote valid content? No. MUFON promotes invalid, inaccurate, and nonsensical content, including historical hoaxes. The Aztec and Trinity hoaxes have been consistently promoted by the organization, two historical hoaxes that have been proven as such by multiple independent researchers for decades. MUFON claims to be a scientific investigative organization, but that is simply not true. It does not adhere to the scientific method, nor does it promote accurate content and information. It provides misinformation on a consistent basis. 

MUFON is a joke, not a funny joke, but a amateurish, counterproductive mess of an organization. The UFO community deserves far, far better.  

Thank you for your time and consideration.