As one of the members of this list most fascinated by Fermi's Paradox, I'm glad to see that that the question (if there are aliens out there, where are they?) is enjoying wider discussion.
For myself, the question definitely does not assume its own answer (i.e., that there aren't any aliens out there). It raises the question, which is very good because it makes us question our assumptions. SETI has been based on certain ideas, which so far have produced nothing. Maybe those ideas are wrong. Maybe our electromagnetic emanations aren't getting to them and theirs aren't getting to us. Maybe something else is going on. However, it is far too early to assume that the notion of SETI is wrong or that we really are alone. We simply don't know anything near enough to make either assumption. But perhaps we're looking in the wrong place or the wrong way? In either case, more research and thinking are required, not less. Tom Beck "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I didn't realize I'd also see the last." - Jerry Pournelle
