ok - I got to put my skeptic beanie on here , and ask is there ANY verifiable evidence for any of the fantastic events described here ???
a few of the vague and maddeningly elusive claims made , include :
The phenomena are not just localized on the ranch, but are a part of a 50 year history of unusual sightings in the area. The local Ute tribe says
the ranch is on the "Path of the Skinwalker" and have 15 generations worth of oral history legends about the property.
and this rich history can be found where ??? the book that accompanies the claims apparently – makes heavy use of the “ links “
Correspondingly, the book is padded with extraneous lore on masonic societies, Indian curses, Bigfoot sightings, and a history of unidentified
flying objects. Hunt for the Skinwalker doesn't attempt to prove that Bigfoot and extraterrestrial craft exist among us; it comfortably begins with
the presumption that they already do.
But at least my cursory search for 3rd part reference material on the massive phenomenon that apparently blights this remote corner of Utah , draws a
sickening blank
Sure – there are a lot of sites that describe the “ fabled skin walker ranch “ – but it’s a seamless circle jerk – each feeding of the
other , with no mew material being offered , and each site using the last as a citation for its “ facts “ , and so on .
All the sites and books , make huge appeals to authority , quoting NIDS as the be all and end all authority on such matters , able to bring their “
vast “ expertise and resources to bear .
In 1995, the ranch came to the attention of NIDS, the National Institute for Discovery Science based in Las Vegas. NIDS bought the property and
began an unprecedented scientific study. Observation posts were built. Video cameras were installed and operated. Scientific personnel and former
lawmen were on the property 24-7 for 8 straight years. Dr. Colm Kelleher headed up the NIDS study.
That the heck did they do for 8 years , This “ scientific study was certainly unprecedented , if only for its singular failure to produce ANY
evidence
Just who are the “ fabled NIDS “ anyway , they have a flashy
website , but it doesn’t actually offer any
evidence , infact it is almost devoid of any useful material , esp. biographies of its “ scientists “
NIDS seems very god at drawing conclusions , alas its evidence collection skills seem to have suffered , in 8 years they have released NOTHING
worthy of note
Even their book is devoid of photography , or even any scientific recording and logs of the events that allegedly occurred ,
Considering that Kelleher is supposed to be present as a research scientist, it's amazing how often he both relies upon and reports personal
testimony like "Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. A chill ran down my spine. Something was close by and watching me" or "When I
first set foot on the ranch I had an unmistakable feeling that something was not quite right. Things were not what they seemed." Obviously, however
instinctively sound such intuitive responses may have been at the moment, they are utterly useless as evidence, especially since the ranch was well
known to be "haunted" by the time the NIDS staff arrived, full of anticipation and ready to encounter manifestations of the supernatural.
At the risk of sounding sarcastic , was the NIDS team modeled on the project serpo “ scientists “ ?
They have lots of ` feelings ` and are in touch with their inner selves – at the expense of any physical science
The reasons for the lack of evidence and documentation are maddeningly vague and contradictory even – they claim on the one hand that there is a “
media black out “ , but they are are granting media interview – and publishing books . Are they courting publicity , or shunning it ???
No one who has studied this can say with any certainty what's going on here. The NIDS researchers are not making any claims about E.T.s or
ghosts or Skinwalkers. They are merely collecting data and trying to make some sense of it. That is small comfort to me as I sit in the darkness on my
little plastic chair, waiting for something to happen. The mind certainly can play tricks in such an environment, but could so many witnesses be
completely wrong?
Do they really need us to answer that one ?? their alleged data remains hidden from view for the most spurious reasons . and they are seemingly
incapable of turning a little basic psychology on the vexing problem of why a man sat in the dark in a plastic chair in the middle of a ranch he has
been told is haunted will see strange things in the gloom
and finally the doozie :
Warning to paranormal enthusiasts: Do not travel to the ranch. You are not welcome there. It is private property and the people who live on or
near it don't want to be hassled by curiosity seekers or the media. What's more, the level of unexplained phenomena has taken a steady nosedive over
the past several months, so chances are you wouldn't see anything even if you could get on the property.
ROFLMAO - that’s the biggest cop out I have read in a while , we don’t want any attention , move along nothing to see , but before you go ,
please buy our book
BTW – I thought that NIDS owned it now , so just who lives there , and what are they doing ?
Like all good scams – this one contains a “ buy our book “ hook , alas if you buy into the hype and purchase the book - things don’t seem to
get any better , despite the " impressive " resources and " credentials of the " mighty " NIDS team - it seems they didn’t manage to take a
single photograph of any value
And they don’t want any help either :
NIDS still owns the ranch, but it appears the phenomena have gone underground, as if weary of being hunted. As yet, the mystery of Skinwalker
Ranch remains unsolved. Kelleher said, "If anything, it has created more questions that I had when I came into this thing."
The ranch remains off limits to outsiders. Visitors -- from this world anyway -- are not welcome.
What are they hiding ? apart from their lack of scientific rigour ?
Why cann they not even offer the evidence of the aftermath of these ` events ` - or even better footage of things happening with zero visible cause ?
The bottom line , IMHO is that talk is cheap , its when you actually have to attempt to produce evidence that things get complex
The NIDS team offer various hand waving cop outs as to why they cannot produce any documentation , These range from the sublime to the ridiculous -
Dr. Colm Kelleher said, "We probably have, if you count all the pre-NIDS and post-NIDS incidents, close to 100 different incidents. If you look
at all of them, the one thing that jumps out is how unreproducible they are."
Not only un reproducible , but also un documentable
Lastly – I would like to see a pre 1994 reference to the ` 100s of weird events ` that they say plagued this area
PS - I realise that there is a lot of external material - but it is from 5 different web pages on 3 sites , and IMHO all pertinent
In conclusion – as I read in a sig , “ extra ordinary claims require at least some evidence “ , skin walker ranch , IMHO has none .
APE OUT
edited for typo errors - as proof read by zaphod58
[edit on 6-4-2006 by ignorant_ape]
