Sometimes it seems like 'anything but TIGHAR' to some out there.
Agreed, and I can see why. While I really haven't spent much time on the other theories (I did read a book on the Saipan theory years ago), my impression of them is that they are simple explanations wrapped up into neat packages, end of story. Witnesses have said what they said and are taken as incontrovertible. Crashed and sank? That's the most obvious explanation and it would be too costly to prove (
if it weren't so believable that it no, if it weren't true). But that's what happened so end of story. In short, I don't think there are any really active investigations involving those other theories.
Now for TIGHAR. Way back when, the Earhart topic came up and the evidence (new take on the subject) was intriguing enough to pursue. Evidence was gathered and, so as to do it right and get truly incontrovertible truth, scientific methods were applied to analyzing the data. The search for evidence, and its analysis, has and still continues. From following the evidence and it's analysis TIGHAR's theory has evolved, as it should. That's what a scientific approach is all about, go where the evidence points, reevaluating every step of the way. And that's the problem of the naysayers. TIGHAR, with its active investigation, seem to be constantly changing it's story rather that wrapping it up into a tidy little "end of story" package. Because it changes, there must not be anything there, or, at the very least there's a nefarious alterior motive - stealing credit for "finding" Amelia? (I can't think for the life of me why the naysayers would really care about TIGHAR's on going efforts - maybe because we're on the right track?)
Has TIGHAR even claimed to have acrually found Earhart? I don't think that's ever been articulated in so many words, but by some people's measure, the circumstantial evidence sure does look suggestive of it. (Don't get me going on the Ballard analogy) But the search continues (and it absolutely NEEDS TO) for that "shut up stupid" piece of evidence.
People are stupid, sorry to say. They don't like to think and want everything presented into neat little packages. A work in progress is just too complicated to comprehend. "That's nice, don't bother me with the details of how and what you're doing, just tell me the story when your done." TIGHAR's problem it that it thinks out loud and is willing to consider input from the masses.
Anyway, just a bit of my take. Sorry to have rambled.