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This is one of my all-time favorite cartoons. Bruce Pritchard, graciously gave his permission for me to use it. Visit his
website or send him an
email.
The Worst Persons in the World
I got the idea for this page from Keith Olbermann's Countdown and his nightly Worst Persons in the World. The only difference is that this site will feature faith healers, psychics, astrologers, chiropractors, energy healers, homeopaths, channelers, shamans, naturopaths, applied kinesiologists, and other New Age charlatans and those who promote them. If you have any suggestions please let me know.
Well, I have to start with someone and at present Sylvia Browne seems a good starting point. Unless you've been in a cave somewhere I'm sure you've seen her. If you're a fan of Larry King I know you've seen her. In case you don't know of her, she's the one who always swoops in like the vulture she is in disappearance cases. Yes, she'll tell you what happened to your loved ones and where they are. Only problem is that she's always wrong. Sadly, in desperation people come to her. She's told people their loved one is alive when they're dead and vice versa....telling people their loved one is dead when they're alive.
It's one thing for Sylvia Browne and bozos like her to tell someone they're going to meet a tall dark stranger or something...but to prey on people at their most vulnerable truly takes a despicable person. I'm not sure if Sylvia Browne is the worst person in the world...but, if not, she's up there in the battling in the top two or three. I'm not sure how she can look herself in the mirror everyday; or, does she. By the way, incase you don't know, Sylvia claims she's a psychic and for $700 she'll give you a half hour of phone time.
Also, Sylvia has a second award...yep, because of her dreadful looking talon-like drugstore fingernails...she's given a Tacky Person award.
For those of you who would like to learn more about Sylvia, please visit Robert Lancaster's Web Site, Stop Sylvia Browne.
Yes, Larry King the CNN talk-show host definitively qualifies for inclusion on this list. He has a long history of having psychics and faith healers on his show. He never actually makes a concerted effort to have these charlatans prove their claims.
Here's a letter I recently sent them.
First learned of Ms. Altea when she was on Anderson Cooper (CNN) in late January 2007, along with James Randi. As I best remember, Ms. Altea said that when she did a reading she “looked for” a deceased family member to give her information. Hmmm. Ms. Altea has a “spirit” guide, Grey Eagle. I guess when she has “bad hits” she can always blame it on Grey Eagle (I would).
Sylvia Browne: self-proclaimed psychic
Larry King: yes, that Larry King
Here's a letter I recently sent him.
January 15, 2007
Hi Mr. King,
Obviously I know nothing about you other than having seen you on TV a few times. You seem like a pleasant fellow and I assume that you’re sincere in your programming. However, when you have Benny Hinn on your program and don’t make him prove his claims, you are doing your viewers an extreme disservice. Benny Hinn is a fraud, period. He’s never healed anyone and never will. If he can heal people why doesn’t he go to hospitals and heal those folks. By him being on your program some of your viewers feel that you are offering him a type of legitimacy.
I also think I may have seen Sylvia Browne on your program. Another fraud. She’s as psychic as you and I are.
Please, Mr. King, if you must have these kinds of people on your program….put them to the test.
Wishing you well, and continued success in all of your endeavors, I remain
A sometime viewer……
GC
Court TV's Psychic Detectives
January 26, 2007
Re: Court TV….Psychic Detectives….Carol Pate
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I’m not psychic, I have no idea whether you are well-intentioned or not by running this series. I have spent several years searching the Internet and reading 15 plus books and have yet to find any information that would remotely suggest that there is such a thing as a psychic.
No telling how many folks claim they are psychics and have psychic web sites…I would imagine thousands. However, The James Randi Education Foundation has $1,000,000 on deposit and will give it to the first person who can prove they are a psychic. Hey, how about Ms. Pate? Why hasn’t she collected the million bucks?
You folks are truly doing your viewers a disservice by having programs of this type. Sadly, most viewers will actually think that Ms. Pate is psychic. You are adding legitimacy to something that is not legitimate in any way. You are facilitating people believing in things that aren’t true or real. This is destructive to society.
For the producers of this show….do you really believe this stuff or have you prostituted yourselves, so to speak, to sell the public more pap? I urge you to spend a few minutes with James Randi. http://www.randi.org/
If you actually want to do something of value, have Mr. Randi and Ms. Pate on your program and let her prove she is psychic.
In closing, please stop this kind of programming. It’s one thing to have programming that is poorly done, has no entertainment value, and what-have-you…but to be the driving force in perpetuating, well…for lack of better words…magical thinking is truly evil.
Please folks, knock it off. Do you really need the money this badly? Can you really look yourself in the mirror and be proud of being a part of bringing this program to TV? Shame on you if you can.
If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for hearing me out.
Sincerely,
GC
PS. You might want to check out Ms. Pate’s website. She claims she works on more than 500 murder cases a year. Hmmmm. Let’s see. If we assume that she works six days a week, takes off only seven days a year for vacation and sick time, and doesn’t work for six holidays (52 weeks X 6 days=312-7-6=299)….that would be working on about 1.6 new murders a day. Hmmmm.
Rosemary Altea: yes, another self-proclaimed psychic/medium
When confronted by James Randi, she tried the old misdirection, and went on a rant about Mr. Randi being an atheist, as if that has anything to do with anything. Come to think of it, I think Browne’s representative did the same thing. She also used the old “I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
The most pathetic thing about the interview was when she started talking about having to be ethical as a psychic??? Ethical??? I’ve always said that a robber has more ethics. They jam a gun in your face and take your money. No hocus pocus.
If you read Altea's web site it will become readily apparent that she is a true humanitarian. I guess that part of this is her free "absent healing." Here's what her web site has to say about this "service."
"Once you have registered for absent healing, Rosemary and her team of healers send their prayers daily. As you receive healing, know that you are in our thoughts.
Please Note: There are no guarantees that healing will work to aid you physically, we can only promise our healing prayers, and let God do the rest. Our association believes, however, that healing always works, even though it may not heal the physical self, our prayers to God bring the light of healing and the light of love to the spirit and to the soul and hopefully, the physical self responds likewise."
Hey, this is a pretty safe guarantee. Altea can't lose on this one. I would imagine that there are thousands of gullible, naive, and desperate people who will sign up for this service. As many, if not most of our illnesses and sicknesses will get better without any medical intervention, everyone who signs up and gets better will give old Altea credit. For those with illnesses that don't get better, well you'll get the old light of healing to the spirit. Hmmm.
Equally as fascinating as who the people are who seek the services of people like Ms. Altea, is who are people like Ms. Altea; that is, how can these people do this? How can a person look someone in the eye and tell them what their deceased mom is saying and so on.
The best I can come up with is that they are mentally ill, and actually think they have these so-called abilities, or just outright crooks or a combination of the two. Would be glad to hear anyone else's thoughts on this.