Thursday, February 23, 2012

Expert in Pterodactyls

This relates to an online discussion with the title "Jonathan Whitcomb: Pterodactyl Expert." I did not participate in that discussion and had no knowledge of it for many months, until it became prominent in a search engine result with similar key words. I do not link to that forum thread, for it has at least one libelous comment (about "lies" in my book).

Not everything was negative on that cryptozoology forum discussion; most of it, however, was ridicule (or worse) of me, Jonathan Whitcomb, as a person and ridicule of my writings, although I was not quoted. But for now I will concentrate more on the positive.

Words of "Adder"
. . . it is because by pure chance alone I happened upon his book and fell into this whole field called cryptozoology . . . I only like him because of the chance he gave me [to discover cryptozoology]
This seems an appropriate time to quote from my book Live Pterosaurs in America (Introduction in the third edition):

This book might make a few Americans uneasy to walk alone at night; my intention, however, is not to frighten but to enlighten as many readers as possible to know about live-pterosaur investigations. Those who’ve been shocked at the sight of a flying creature that “should” be extinct—those eyewitnesses, more numerous than most Americans would guess, need no longer be afraid that everyone will think them crazy, and no longer need they feel alone. Those of us who’ve listened to the American eyewitnesses, we who have interviewed them, we now believe. So, if you will, consider the experiences of these ordinary persons (I’ve interviewed most of them myself) and accept whatever enlightenment you may.