You iterated many valid points, like Project Blue Book ended their 'research' with this is not a threat. I wonder if that idea was based on our ability to collect data at the time. You're right, eye witness testimony in the absence of harder, more tangible evidence results in eye rolling.

There is a thing known as bias. Species bias may be bigger than you imagine. For example, scientist trying to publish in scientific journals that plants make noise and can respond to stress stimuli by making particular sounds were initially dismissed, even though they had hard artifacts, auditory recordings. Anyone with the right microphone can duplicate this study. Have you heard about this? No. Why? Because we might have to reconsider how we treat plants?

I am interested in Carl Sagan. Many skeptics quote him, especially when it comes to extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. I have a book here, right in front of me, that has a scholarly published article by Carl Sagan. Published in Planetary and Space Science, "Direct Contact Among Galactic Civilizations by Relativistic Interstellar Spaceflight." That was always publicly available, but since Donald Zygutis published it in a conspiracy book I have not heard anything from the scientific and academic community weigh in on the fact that Sagan not only believed in aliens, he said they are here and have likely been here for a millennia. And NASA paid him to say the opposite.

Sigh, humans. We're all over the place in contradictions. Considering how people often dismiss those who use even the simplest drugs like cannabis, I am surprised anyone can seriously quote Sagan. I think there was evidence he was using. Not picking on him. As soon as the gummies are legal in Texas, I will be participating. Texas will probably be the last state to legalize it, though. Again, here is evidence for duplicity. We can't agree that this one plant offers more for society than any other plant. Why? Because it would undermine someone else's ability to generate profit, we make it illegal. There is a correlation here. Academia has just lost the high ground, like the Church did when someone figured out they could also make telescopes and confirm what Galileo was saying. If we don't figure this out, someone else will. I am not afraid of aliens. I am afraid of people, mostly those in authority.