Concerning _Carl Sagan on UFOs_, Paul Andinach said to Troy H. Cheek in UFO:
 PA>> Sagan's statements are based on evidence that can be followed, tested,
 PA>> and reproduced.
 PA> 
 THC>> Have _you_ followed them?  Tested and reproduced them?
 PA> 
 PA> It's a fair cop, guv. No, I haven't, because I'm too lazy; but because
 PA> Sagan lists his sources I can go and find out if he's telling the truth,
 PA> should that become necessary. He knows that by listing sources, he makes
 PA> it possible to check on his statements, and that's an incentive to tell
 PA> the truth. The fact that he has listed his sources and made himself
 PA> subject to verification makes him more trustworthy, because it suggests
 PA> he's not trying to hide something.
While the majority of UFO reports I've read are vague on the actual people, 
times, and places, some are very detailed.  If they aren't followed up on and 
checked, it's due to the laziness of both skeptics and believers.  I've 
double-checked news with people I knew and the same comment always pops up, 
something along the lines of "When that came out in the paper, I thought we'd 
be buried by the curiosity seekers, but you're the first to ask."
 THC>> Where's the evidence that mixing vinegar and baking soda produces
 THC>> carbon dioxide gas?  Sure, you can test it yourself, IF you have
 THC>> access to the materials. However, if you don't have access, you can't
 PA> 
 PA> I'm not trying to say that because I can't test it, it doesn't happen. 
I'm
 PA> trying to say that because I can't test it, I can't be as sure as some
 PA> people seem to be that it does happen.
I apologize, then.  I must have misread you.
 PA> The baking soda's a bad analogy, because it doesn't, in the big picture,
 PA> really matter to my life if I believe in baking soda. A visit by aliens
 PA> would have wide-reaching ramifications, so I have to be more cautious.
If certain chemicals and chemical processes didn't exist, it would be a much 
greater impact on your life than the question of whether or not we're being 
visited by aliens!  :-)
... "This is the story of how we begin to remember."
--- JetMail 0.99beta22
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