Bader, Moneymaker and Beckjord - Upper Peninsula Letters to the Editor

Most people who read this type of entry are all to familiar with the internal bickering and name-saying that goes on in Bigfoot and related studies.

Most are also familiar with the BFRO (Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization) and their work and expeditions, including the one from July 12-15, 2007 in Michigans Upper Peninsula. It has been in the news, and mentioned at various Internet locations.

On July 3, 2007 a Paul Bader had a letter to the editor of the Daily Press posted. Entitled There's no bigfoot in the U.P. . Within this editorial letter, Bader explains his background and briefly why he feels no Bigfoot exists in the Upper Peninsula. He concludes his letter with the following:

I feel Matthew Moneymakers’ search for bigfoot in the U.P. is a folly. The real people to ask about bigfoot are the lumberjacks and the foresters, as they are in the woods a lot and know the difference between a bear and bigfoot or any other animal.

If there were bigfoot in the U.P., I would have found a track or some sort of evidence during that time as I have walked many miles of muddy and dry logging roads of all sorts, new and old ones, or would have heard from other foresters of a bigfoot sighting or track.

Mathew Moneymaker in response has a letter to the editor published on July 7, 2007. His letter, Why bigfoot hasn't been seen offers a challenge to Bader as follows:

My questions to Mr. Paul Bader: How many times has he explored the U.P. woods at night? Has he seen at least one specimen of every mammal species that is known to live in the U.P.?

This is all well and good. Freedom of speech, freedom to speak ones mind and challenge others to express or follow-up on their viewpoints.

Also on July 7, 2007 Erik Beckjord had a response letter printed as well. Beckjord's letter, Bigfoot, elusive, is still here touched on the non-flesh and blood mindset within some Bigfooters. Beckjord states at the letter start the following:

It is our experience at the National Cryptozoological Society that a special type of bigfoot exists in Michigan, either upper or lower, but it is more of a space-time creature, ala Einstein and parallel universes, rather than a trappable being.

Bigfooters attack each other, there is a sense of ownership to the work to the methodologies and to the collected reports. The theories bounce around, and holy grails are held to a flame ala the Patterson-Gimlin Film (read Darren Naish's well put together entry Frame 352, and all that at Tetrapod Zoology).

It is good, in a sense, to see newspapers (even if they may not all be paper based now) use the age old method of letters to the editors to demonstrate civic debate. It may not be the most common public debate, but none-the-less the venue is beneficial and it reaches an audience.

We have, therefore, in three (3) small letters to a regional press, the context of Bigfoot and his kingdom. The skeptic, the challenger and the non-mainstream challenger. Who is correct?