If we're determined to have humans on our galactic vessels and no means
of fast interstellar travel available, then we could still do the good old
multigenerational starship approach.

We are (slowly) getting the hang of living in space for long periods of time,
so having a ship that houses a lot of people who will reproduce over
generations to have their descendants reach another star system is not
impossible or requiring of new physics like FTL drives would.

But this assumes we can trust a group of humans to keep the idea of
colonizing distant worlds intact over centuries. Maybe I read Heinlein's
Orphans of the Sky too many times to fully trust this plan.

Phil - I actually agree with you about needing more data. But you also
like to shoot down any reasonable speculation on how to conduct SETI
while putting in those buzzwords like religion and cult and pontification,
just like the neocons use unpatriotic and traitor whenever someone
dissents from their views.

I don't worship aliens or even think they are coming to "save" us. I even
doubt they know about us or would care if they did.

I just want to find them and see what they are really like. And I know you
hate this fact, but it's a damn big Universe with a lot of stars and planets out
there which we've barely explored, so I think I'll go out on a wild limb and
say that there's probably more than just us out there. They are probably
nothing like us and may not even be anywhere near us on the evolutionary
scale, but the odds are good that they at least exist. It isn't very scientific
to assume they don't exist simply because they aren't dancing at our door.

How about if you don't like even the latest SETI paradigms that you come up
with a search plan or two of your own? I won't shoot you down for speculating.

I keep thinking you have a better idea up your sleeve. If so, then please share
it so we can find those beings out there sooner rather than later.