On 04 Jan 98, concerning _evidence_, Jack Sargeant said to Troy H. Cheek in 
UFO:
 >> It seems to me that some skeptics want so much to NOT believe in
 >> ET that they are willing to accept convoluted "sensible"
 >> explainations that do not even describe the event in question.   I
 >> don't understand that.
 JS>
 JS> (sigh) Troy, that is the role of the skeptic.
According to my dictionary, the role of the skeptic is to question and weigh 
evidence, making a conclusion based on said evidence regardless of his/her 
own personal opinions concerning what is more or less likely.  Hard to do 
that if he disregards some of the evidence and bends some more of it to fit 
his theory, no? It seems to me that if the evidence pointed towards ET, or 
even simply pointed away from a weather balloon, the skeptic should be 
willing to accept that, and not go into a mental gymnastics routine.
 JS> It's also possible you are being a little overly critical of the 
keptics
 JS> that post here.
It should have been obvious that I wasn't necessarily talking about the 
skeptics in UFO or even in Fidonet, but I probably didn't make that clear.  
We've got a pretty good crop at present, and even the ones in the recent past 
don't compare to the ones a few years ago, or some of the ones I've met in 
person.
 JS> Wait till the more "aggressive" ones get a hold of you. 
You mean like the ones who told me I didn't know the difference between white 
and green?  The one who told me he wouldn't believe in abductions even if he 
himself were abducted?  Or the ones who deny that the UFO phenomenon even 
exists outside the minds of a handful of UFO researchers?  :-)
Actually, right now I'm pretty mellow, and I don't think even the agressive 
ones could get a rise out of me.  Last night was a perfect night for UFO 
watching.  A strong wind out of the south brought in warm air (shorts and 
T-shirt weather long into the night) and blew away all the smog and connifer 
respirates.  Clear sky except for a few patchy clouds illuminated by a half 
moon.  Perfect viewing conditions for a night-time UFO.  Perfect conditions, 
period.  It was a great time to be alive, out in the country, and too full of 
stress to go to sleep at a decent hour.
Too bad I didn't see anything that qualified as a UFO.  :-)
... The blood of the soldier makes the glory of the general.
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