The issue here is that since the 60's, the FAA's credibility is starting to fray on this. They treat these things like the parent of a 7-year old explaining away questions they have about Santa.
I think most people, at this point, can surmise that we might not be alone, and that from a technology standpoint, two things are clear:
1. If these aliens wanted us dead, they probably could have taken care of that by now.
2. As such, they have superior technology to our own, and will for the foreseeable future.
At least on that basis, our scientific community can begin to devote well-directed attention on the issue without fear of compromising a life's work in doing so.
Maybe that's the biggest price we are paying at this point, is that we have yet to unleash the best minds available only to maintain a very thin mythology at this point.
I have a classmate who's an astronaut, and she'll tell you most have seen some sort of 'non-ballistic flight characteristics' from unidentified objects in space. That's about as much as you'll get out of any of them on the matter.
You may be right here, but there is no credible evidence on the origin of these phenomenon, or what they contain. What there is available is anecdotal.
Taking an empiracal approach is all I advocate.
And if someone observes a UFO, we need to carefully get thr details of the observation. It would be good to capture one, or shoot it down.I would have no hesitation to taking a well aimed rifle shot at one, just to see if it would stop or become disabled.
Which is the exact right approach to take. What else can be said, matter of factly? She is wise to retain her standing as a true scientist, and not fall off into the world of overreaching speculative fantasy.
I too have seen many unexplained aerial phenomenon, including as part of a large group that had pulled off the road and originally alerted my attention upward. But what I've learned in years of studying the topic is, those who make claims of the extraordinary without substantiative evidence are helping no one, and are instead hurting those who wish to see actual scientific study. The bar should be set high, so that the leftist kooks like Jeff Rense don't gain in any way off false, unprovable sightings. Bring us something with credence, bring us hard physical evidence, as most 'sightings' are easily debunked by true scientists, and the closest thing to scientists in this story is the named officials at the FAA, not some supposed somebody the liberal rag refuses to even ID. The best U F O scientists worthy of that title will tell you the same exact thing.