On Friday the 13 (how fitting) MUFON's new Director Of Research Chris Cogswell announced his departure from the organization after seeing John Ventre was still an active member of the group. Ventre, the former state director of the Pennsylvania chapter, put MUFON on the MAGA map last year with his awful, racist rant that pretty much went unpunished by MUFON. You can read Cogswell's full statement below:
At this point with so many independent researchers, investigative /scientific groups, why do organizations like MUFON need to even operate? Now, this isn't to diminish the work of their members as a whole, but to question if the cons outweigh the pros. When one glaring con means keeping an out-of-the-closet racist on board, then maybe it is time for those in the community to jump ship.
What contributions does Ventre make that makes his position at MUFON this viable and valuable? Is it worth the current PR disaster and black eye to MUFON as a whole? Maybe if he didn't reportedly pump a ton of money into MUFON he would have been fully disavowed and banished by now ? Or does MUFON have a bigger problem that runs deeper than the ethical issues that may be in play here? Maybe MUFON has more than just an internal moral dilemma, but a morality problem in general. Allowing members like this exist within the organization at some point becomes an endorsement for his views and behavior.
This isn't an issue of politics; it's about common decency. Cogswell did the right thing here, and maybe it is time those in Ufology follow suit.
-By MIKE DAMANTE