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Adding to the dismay with which we watch superstition, mythology, science-bashing, and “faith-based” decisions moving in on us from Washington, came this latest affront to reason. Politician John Jacob, who describes himself as a “Reagan Conservative,” made the decision to run for Congress against Representative Chris Cannon, who sought a fifth term in that position. John, however, had a weapon that Cannon might have found hard to survive: he appealed to voters for support based on the way The Evil One – we’re talking Satan here, constituents! – has directly used supernatural powers to defeat him! Said Jacob:
There's another force that wants to keep us from going to Washington, D.C. It's the Devil is what it is. I don't want you to print that, but it feels like that's what it is.
You didn’t want the media to print that comment, John? Get real! Of course they hustled that delicious item into every spot they could find! They exulted when you said that since you decided to run for Congress, Satan has messed up your business deals, preventing you from putting as much money into the race as you’d hoped to. (As it was, Jacob could only get $400,000+ together to oil the skids.) You complained that deals you had lined up were delayed, freezing money you needed to finance your race. And obviously, to you, Beelzebub was behind it all… And you wonder, John, why your comments got into print?
The final count showed Satan well ahead: 56% for Cannon, 44% for the beleaguered Jacob. And he never had any doubt about the reason. Asked if he actually believed that the deciding element was Satan, Jacob said he was just unable to come up with any other possible explanation:
I don't know who else it would be if it wasn't him. Now when that gets out in the paper, I'm going to be one of the screw-loose people… There's no question I've had experiences that I think there's an outside force… We have a country that was created by our Heavenly Father and it was a country that had a Constitution and everyone who came to America had strong faith. If that can be destroyed that would be the adversity… Whether you want to call that Satan or whoever you want to call it, I believe in the last eight months I've experienced that.
Both Cannon and Jacob are members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, so neither one would have any problem blaming Beelzebub for misfortunes. In that case, I think, Cannon’s success is not all that reassuring… But I have to wonder what ever happened to the strange old-fashioned ideas that perhaps business deals just go wrong, and that an incumbent politician is hard to dislodge?
A reader who is currently reading "The View from the Center of the Universe" by Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams, offers us a quotation from it:
In a reversal of all historic and even prehistoric precedent, it is normal today to consider people who are more concerned with cosmic reality than with making money, to be out of touch and unrealistic. As a people, we now have the scientific ability to see so much more deeply into the universe than ancient people, yet we experience it so much less and connect with it almost not at all. This widespread cultural INDIFFERENCE TO THE UNIVERSE is a staggering reality of our time – and possibly our biggest mental handicap in solving global problems.
This is an I-wish-I’d-written-that item…
Richard Dawkins, Dan Dennett, Susan Jacoby, Jamy Ian Swiss, Max Maven, Joe Nickell, Bill Nye (the Science Guy), and myself and others, have been guests on "Point of Inquiry,” the radio show and podcast of the Center for Inquiry (CFI), a think-tank collaborating with the State University of New York on the new “Science and the Public” Masters Degree. CFI maintains additional branches in Manhattan, Tampa and Hollywood, and eleven cities around the world. Go see them at www.pointofinquiry.org.
The topic: "Cosmic Mysteries" will be discussed at a free Public Information Forum sponsored by the Center For Inquiry Community of Southern Arizona, at the Joel D. Valdez Tucson Main Library, 101 N. Stone Avenue, on Sunday, July 16, 2006, from 1:30 until 3:00. The speaker will be our friend James McGaha, a retired USAF pilot, astronomer, and director of the Grasslands and Sabino Canyon Observatories.
James is quite an accomplished man. As an amateur astronomer, he’s discovered 15 asteroids and 34 comets, and has over 1,250 publications on Near Earth Asteroids.
Mankind throughout history has sought the answer to such questions as, "Is there meaning to the Universe?” and, “Is there some hidden or divine source to the cosmos?" Answers to those questions have been sought mostly in myth and magic, but in the last 400 years, science has unraveled many of those mysteries that have perplexed us. We now can seriously think and learn about the nature of the universe and our place in it with greatly enhanced understanding. James McGaha will examine the meaning and origins of the cosmos in light of our current understanding of philosophical arguments, the Big Bang, supernovas, “black holes,” and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. These are all fascinating subjects.
As Jim urges us, “Don't miss this talk; it’s your universe. Study it.” Call Paul Taylor at 520 648 7231 for details or email him at pmtaylors@cox.net.
Three women in Queens, New York, who claimed to be psychics, were arraigned last week on fortune telling and other charges following a “sting” operation in which undercover police officers posed as clients. Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown dryly commented:
As claimed psychics, the defendants themselves apparently suffered vision deficiencies, as they could not see themselves being prosecuted on fraud charges in their futures.
Sabrina Martell, Dorothy Miller, and Rose Miller, all of Astoria, were arrested and charged with various infractions ranging from fourth-degree grand larceny, to first-degree scheme to defraud, petty larceny, and fortune telling. If convicted, they could be sentenced to one to four years in prison, but there are so many ways out of this charge – appeals to freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of swindling – oops, not that last one. I looked up the pertinent statute. Under New York State law, S 165.35:
A person is guilty of fortune telling when, for a fee or compensation which he directly or indirectly solicits or receives, he claims or pretends to tell fortunes, or holds himself out as being able, by claimed or pretended use of occult powers, to answer questions or give advice on personal matters or to exorcise, influence or affect evil spirits or curses; except that this section does not apply to a person who engages in the aforedescribed conduct as part of a show or exhibition solely for the purpose of entertainment or amusement.
I see a gaping hole in this statute. I must ask – seriously – are exorcisms by Roman Catholic or other priests, similarly covered? I’ve never heard of a minister or a priest being charged under the statute. Nor have I ever known an ecclesiastical exorcist to declare, before, during, or following this potent ceremony:
This presentation was a show, and solely for entertainment or amusement purposes.
But back to Sabrina, Dorothy, and Rose. Two undercover agents posing as customers met with the women and paid various sums to them. On one occasion, when a female agent said that she wanted to bring back her wandering boyfriend, $1,100 was asked for and received. Tarot card readings were given and evil spirits were banished, each for sums ranging from $275 to $375.
But hold on, folks! This sort of thing happens all over the state of New York, every hour of every day, and it has been happening for a century! The truth of the matter is that (a) there are not presently enough agents in place to handle this problem, (b) it’s only a class B misdemeanor, maximum penalty 3 months, with the distinct possibility of only a scolding and no jail time, and (c) no one much cares if stupid people are taken in and relieved of their cash in this manner – certainly not police agents who usually have much more pressing matters to attend to. Also, electable officials who prosecute these scallywags may present a profile to their constituents that does not perform well at the ballot box.
When I lived in New York City in the 60s, I was invited to see the small “Black Museum” that the Safe & Loft Squad maintained somewhere downtown. There were ingenious gambling gimmicks and various scams displayed there, and I learned, during the tour, that the “Bunco Squad” – their more popular designation – regularly brought in fortune tellers and other such scam artists. In the museum were various devices used by gypsies – cloths for switching eggs, boxes for holding cash that was to be “purified,” and envelopes for substitution purposes. Alas, the gypsy/bunco profession is now not attracting its due attention from law enforcement.
Oh, I would dearly love to see a fully frocked ecclesiastic charged under New York State statute S 165.35 for casting out a demon – which is done regularly by specialists designated by the Vatican. The applicable section of the statute can be more succinctly stated as:
A person is guilty of fortune telling when, for a fee or compensation which he directly or indirectly solicits or receives, he claims or pretends to… exorcise… evil spirits.
I’ll be damned – I’m sure.
Reader Mariano Garza-Cantú, in Mexico, writes this very interesting report about an Intel project I’d not previously heard of:
I'm a journalist from Mexico. As you may know, this is a country that takes pride in being one of the most religiously faithful. Here people pay a visit to the Virgin of Guadalupe every time she concedes a favor – the standard is so low that miracles are no longer needed, and some people even walk there on their knees a lot of the way, if not all the way.
Every time the Pope visits here, the country goes crazy and people go out into the streets trying to see him as he travels from one place to another. There are so many saints here that there's even one who will intercede with God to help you find a parking space, and of course as you’ll find a space sooner or later, that saint never fails. Right now, God is busy attending to millions of guys who pray for their country to win the World Cup! This saint is really something, isn't he?
Randi comments: apparently citizens of Argentina spent more time on their knees than the Mexicans did. It was Mexico 1, Argentina 2. How does it work? Is it total bent-knee time, fervency of pleading, degree of blind belief, amount of pain, or how many pesos go into the pot? I’ve heard that some few people think it’s a matter of skill, but that’s not a popular view… Mariano continues:
Mexicans are proud of this faith, but I’m not. Mexico is in great need of critical thinking/thinkers. Mexico is also one of the countries with many UFO sightings, and we have Jaime Maussán, a "respected" pseudo-journalist who once even dared to call for all Mexicans to pray one Sunday at noon, in order to calm down… I don't remember what nonsense. This guy is on TV, on radio, and has his own magazine. Right now he's organizing a trip to see the cornfields in England, because you know, the aliens want to send us a message that is related to some Mayan prophecies...blah, blah, blah. These are just a few examples of a culture plagued with woo-woo thinking.
In your last commentary you talked about the importance of challenging students to critically evaluate the sources of their beliefs. Intel has set up a webpage in Mexico – as well as in other countries of the world – where teachers can create critical thinking projects so their students can assess ideas through some interesting, simple and very graphic online tools. You can find the English version here: http://tinyurl.com/eowcv. As you’ll see, the first tool helps use critical thinking to prioritize a ranking or list; the second one is a kind of mindmap tool to analyze relationships of cause and effect; and the third one, perhaps the one I like the most, is a tool that is used to evaluate the quality of all the evidence sustaining any argument. I think it's a great system to work with, not only for kids, but for adults as well. As a journalist, I find this is a very helpful tool, because if it’s used well you can see how strong or weak a claim is. I believe most of your readers will be interested in taking a look at it.
Intel is investing a lot of money in Mexico to show Mexican teachers how to use the new technologies in the classroom. Their goal is to have 1.2 million teachers or so trained by the end of the year, but I’m unaware of how they are promoting the use of this tool, how many teachers are subscribed, and how many are using it. I dare to say it's not too popular.
But I'll find out and let you know if you're interested. I appreciate your time and effort.
Way to go, Intel! A big step in the right direction. I wonder what Intel executive came up with this idea? And thank you, Señor Garza-Cantú!
Reader “Kitty” sent me this disturbing ad leaflet. This summer camp agency – “Doubledog” – offers an environment of instruction in dowsing, dreamwork (whatever that might be), astrology, alchemy, tarot, and I-Ching, for the kids who attend. Get ‘em young, and they’ll be woo-woos for the rest of their lives! The goofy pair behind the camp – Timothy and Diana Whitney – proudly advertise that they belong to the American Society of Dowsers (ASD), which reminded me of an incomplete project I’d started.
I’d wanted to reach as many dowsers as I could, and just last week I went to the ASD page and looked up all the e-mail addresses for local groups that I could find. There were 40 of them, nationwide. I fired off a formal invitation for them to apply for the JREF prize, and in return I was notified that 16 of those addresses were no longer in use. Perhaps there’s more attrition in this activity than I’d anticipated? In any case, not one of these groups I reached, has yet shown any interest at all…
I tried…
Get the fuller, scarier, story on this summer camp offer at www.doubledogcenter.org.
Again, what follows would be amusing if it were a joke, but it’s apparently not… It deals with “Vivo Clustered Water,” another one of the many “special” versions of H2O that are so popular with the woo-woo folks. A “Joey” commented on the miraculous qualities of Vivo, using every bit of scientific acumen available to him. Believe me, every bit…
Long-story-short: Like everything else on earth [sic], water degrades over time. "Vivo" is water restored back to the way it was when God created it 6000 years ago. The metabolic aide [sic] and healing properties of Vivo are so great, Dr. Carl Baugh (founder of the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, TX – www.creationevidence.org) devoted two entire episodes of his TBN program ("Creation in the 21st Century") just to Vivo. The wife of one of the researchers involved claimed Vivo cured her fibromyalgia [fibrositis]. She also said her son's wart was gone after three days of having a Vivo-soaked cotton-ball bandaged to it! A losing olympic [sic] swimming team started winning after they started drinking Vivo; the other teams were so shocked at their improvement, they demanded they be tested for steroids! When I drink Vivo, I feel 10 pounds lighter and I don't get thirsty as quickly as I do after drinking regular water. They say you can use it topically and they're right – when I smear it on my chapped lips, they instantly stop hurting, and when I rub it on cuts and scrapes, they instantly stop stinging and they heal ten times faster! My father says Vivo gives him more energy. My mother says it "rejuvenates" her. When my brother-in-law's brother drank a Vivo for the first time, he was amazed – he said it was "smooth" and the best water he ever drank. Two friends of my mother said they could feel difference [sic]. People who say "water is water" don't know what they're talking about.
To learn just how rational and down-to-earth this man is, go to people.tribe.net/calciumboy and read his other entries. As Arthur C. Clarke – I believe – once said, “Some people are educated far beyond their intelligence.” Go to www.randi.org/jr/032803.html for a previous reference to such wondrous wet stuff...
As if to validate our view, “Joey” closed his comments with:
I'm a real Christian (the kind most Christians hate).
Gee, I’ve been going about saying “Water is water” for the longest time! Imagine my profound embarrassment!
Reader John Hankinson sends us this photo of President Bush boarding Air Force One in Ottawa while snow is falling. As John says:
Of course, given that Reuters is a professional news and photography agency, the orbs are conspiratorially described as “snow”.
As we all know, these are disembodied spirits trying to get at George W. Bush, but we’re assured that garlic was rubbed around the entry to the aircraft, and prayer-wheels were whirring as the plane prepared to depart. This faith-based activity has surely protected the future of the USA, once more.
What fascinates me is how very similar these mysterious orbs are to the well-known natural artifacts that accompany the photographic process. Another mystery to deal with. Sigh.
Someone at www.cmeter.org is offering an improved version of the Scientology “e-meter” at a fraction of the cost – and perhaps it's even better at measuring electrical body resistance, which is all the original meter does, in any case. I’m sure it doesn’t come with the all mumbo-jumbo of Hubbard, but you can have just as much fun with it. It’s electronics stripped of religious claptrap and stories of giant extraterrestrial octopi.
Guess what? After all the preparations we made to test Lou Gentile (www.randi.org/jr/2006-06/060906just.html#i1) and our confidence that he’d go through with the agreed protocol, we now learn that he has recovered from his recent accident – and has changed his mind. He’s going to await “professional” testing by Professor Gary Schwartz, which is a guarantee of success for any woo-woo claim, as we – and Lou – well know. Quelle surprise! It’s the ones who make all the fuss, and complain that I’m not falling over myself to launch a test, who then turn around and withdraw. I’m told by reputable sources that Lou is going to ask Dr. Schwartz to surgically dislodge his tail from between his legs, where it’s firmly stuck…!
Danish reader Claus Larsen informs us of the latest wrinkle in clothing…
Danish clothes designers, the Kokholm Sisters, have taken the healing flimflammery one step further into WooWooLand. Since 2004, they have employed the services of Johnny Körvell, a healer, who "cleanses" the clothes of "negative energy" before they are shipped to customers around the world.
"Clothes collect negative energy," Jeanette Kokholm says, "and that can influence the one who wears them." Of course, the company doesn't issue any guarantees that the customer will feel the effects of the healing. "It will always be up to the person, and whether one is open or closed to the energies."
If you feel it, it's because you’re openminded. If you don't, it's your own dang fault…
Next week, we’ll look at the persistent belief that something mysterious happens at the Oregon Vortex site, by showing you the Fort Lauderdale Vortex, just discovered. I’ll bet you can hardly wait!
And, to titillate your senses, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3RC3M5VKAQ to see me doing some “psychic surgery” – from my 1991 Granada TV series, “James Randi: Psychic Investigator.” We’ll be sending you to various such places each week…