Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 11:02:18 -0500
From: Steve Smith <sgs at aginc.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Got Milk?
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

"Strong, Lee" wrote:

>         Nevertheless, allow me to take your concerns about my credulity
> seriously:  I do not believe in the "Shaverian" theory of underground
> civilizations populated by dero and tero descendants of the Atlans and
> Titans of Greek myth.  Nor do I equate pseduo-science with real science.
> However, you appear to believe that pseudo-science is so radioactive that no
> one can examine it without becoming hopelessly contaminated by it.  I
> disagree.  I believe that the intelligent individual can read (or watch)
> pseudo-science and derive entertainment value from it... much as the
> intelligent individual can read (or watch) science fiction and derive
> entertainment from it without concluding that Thomas J. Whitmore was
> President of the United States in 1996.  And there is always the possibility
> that a fringe belief will be validated and accepted by serious scientists.
> There are multiple examples of this happening in almost all branches of real
> science.  Shaverism is almost certainly not likely to be validated by real
> science, but (with apologies to William Shakespeare) there are more things
> in the world that are dreamed of by your small philosophy, Horatio.
>                                                                         Your
> friend and sparring partner, Lee

I'm with Lee on this one, as another fan of pseudoscientific trash.  I
just happen to have a book next to the computer here called "The Hollow
Earth", by Dr. Raymond Bernard, A.B., M.A., Ph.D. (I think I got all the
periods in the right place.)  Front cover blurb: "Dr. Raymond Bernard,
noted scholar and author of 'The Hollow Earth', says that they true home
of the flying saucers is a huge underground world whose entrance is at
the North Polar opening.  Dr. Bernard believes that in the hollow
interior of the Earth lives a super-race which wants nothing to do with
man on the surface.  They launched their flying saucers only after man
threatened the world with A-bombs."  This is a mass-market paperback; I
used to have a trade paperback.

A quick look around the bookcases shows that some of my favorites
("Somebody Else is On The Moon", "Skycreatures -- Living UFOs") have
gone walkabout.  I need to do some serious sorting.  On the other hand,
there is something fitting about finding "The New Industrial State" next
to "Shut Up and Eat Your Snowshoes".

--
Steve Smith                                           sgs at aginc.net
Agincourt Computing                            http://www.aginc.net
"Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense."