Today, he joined the debate with Michael Salla about his "research methodology" at UFO Updates. His pointed response to Salla's latest ramblings about "whistleblowers" can be found at:
www.virtuallystrange.net/ufo/updates/2005/may/m16-001.shtml
It is, along with Stan Friedman's recent responses (posted here as Stan vs. Salla, and Stan vs. Salla II), required reading for anyone who might be tempted by Dr. Salla's Dark Side Exopolitical "methodology."
Also of interest, given his role as one of the key proponents of the crashed saucer theory for the Roswell incident, is a recent post at his blog about the impact that the fraudulent testimony of Frank Kaufmann might have on the case, and Walter Haut, Philip Corso, and Robert Shirkey, in particular. Randle writes:
"Where does that leave Walter Haut? He was close to William Blanchard, the commander of the 509th Bomb Group, he was close to the inside on this story, and he was the one who gave us Frank Kaufmann. Doesn't that call his testimony into question? Shouldn't he have known that Kaufmann was not telling the truth? Especially when it is remembered that both men lived in Roswell long after the UFO crash and that they apprently knew one another for many years.
That, then, is the impact of Kaufmann. We know that his tale was bogus. If these others, who suggested they knew much more, who suggested inside knowledge, were who they claimed to be, they would have known Kaufmann wasn't telling the truth. And if they didn't know, then their own tales are open to criticism. And that is the legacy of Kaufmann. We have a window on the Roswell case that we didn't have earlier thanks to the destruction of the Kaufmann story."
The full post can be found at: www.kevinrandle.blogspot.com/2005/04/roswell-witnesses.html.
It will be interesting to see if Kevin follows up on the implications here, and where that follow up might lead.
Finally, for those interested in the "Future of Ufology" - take note, young Jedis at the UFO Coalition, as well as prospective Exopolitics Dark Siders - here are some words of wisdom from Randle, from 1995. When asked about the future of ufology, and what a single individual can do, he stated:
"Pay attention to the research, make sure the facts are right, stop believing what you want to believe, but only that which can be proven, and we will advance... Read everything and analyze it all. Don't let anyone insult your intelligence. Just because someone has been around for a number of years, it doesn't mean that he or she knows everything. Don't let anyone ride over your beliefs. Analyze and ask questions. If a question angers someone, that probably means you have discovered a weakness in the argument. The point, however, is to search out all you can, analyze it as best you can, and then go on."
Ufology doesn't need a new paradigm. It just needs to follow advice like that offered by Randle a decade ago (the full interview can be found at www.cufon.org/cufon/cir/randle.htm).
Paul Kimball
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