Robert wrote:
Alex, I got a chuckle from your comments about your "goodwill foray" over at MSNBC. I noticed it, but didn't want to draw attention to it since you're so adamant about not doing that sort of thing.

What was neat, though, is that you seem to have hammered Robert "Bob" Williams to a draw ("guess I'd better go read that paper") after eight hard-fought rounds (I counted them), something I don't think I've ever seen before. Congratulations!

Alex writes:
Actually, I don't have any problem as long as the topic, at the very least, loosely resembles something scientific. While Williams started out with the ludicrous claim that MOC M0901354 (which BTW I tracked down at marsglobalsurveyor.com) actually depicted a LIQUID WATER LAKE, he was, as you noted, at least less sure at the end than he started out to be. Heck, even Mcleod himself backed off slightly with "I do have to conceid [sic] that it doesnt [sic] look like this liquid hangs around for too long however."

Robert wrote:
It's not humanly possible to take on all anomalists, but a few selected high-profile debates can make a difference. Keep doing what you're doing.

Alex writes:
I don't think it will come as any surprise that I feel most of the anomalists are "followers" rather than "leaders." Without some purported expert (e.g. Hoagland et al.) to guide them they are reachable - to an extent. I remeber when the latest "Face" image was released, many of the usual "nutcases" were actually humbled into silence until Hoagland, Fleming, etc. came out with their "explanations" of subterfuge, conspiracy, yada yada. At the risk of digression, I am reminded of one of the closing scenes from the movie The American President. The Michael J, Fox character is excoriating the president about his (Michael Douglas's) lack of response to political (and personal) attacks. Fox said something to the effect that "The people listen to your opponent because they are hungry for someone to follow." The president responded simply, "No, they listen to him because they don't know the difference."

Alex R. Blackwell
University of Hawaii