Hurrah for the L.A. Times (an anti-John Edwards editorial!)

[Eve]

http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Search-0!ArticleDetail-40625,00.html

[Eve]

Dammit, let's try that again (if this link won't click, just cut 'n' paste the whole URL).

http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Search-0!ArticleDetail-40625,00.html

[Strainger]

Link to the article (http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Search-0!ArticleDetail-40625,00.html).

[Zumba The Cat]

Whew!

I couldn't figure out what our Senator did that was so bad the L.A. Times had to speak out against him. (Or why you hated him so much Eve.)

[aenea]

John Edwards needs to be shot. Dead.

I say that with the kindest of intentions. That is one sick cat that needs to be put out of his misery.

I spit on the Sci-Fi channel for airing his kind of crap.
Ptooie!

[Mercutio]

Slight hijack, here. Since the L.A. times got bought out by the Chicago Sun Times, 1600 employees were let go. Not to mention that the new rule for the employees is that they cannot be affiliated with any political groups outside of a political party. A photographer I met was doing freelance work for an Alzheimers association, not a very political group, and they told him he could no longer do it because it was against the new policy. So, very unhurrah for The L.A. Times.

[/hijack]

[Eve]

Well, alright then—hurrah for Bryan Lowry for writing such a wonderful breath-of-fresh-air editorial on the Banana Oil that Walks Like a Man.

And hurrah for Strainger, for being much better at linking than I am!

[whiterabbit]

I remain firmly convinced that were my father to communicate with me from the Great Beyond, he would never choose to do so through a slimeball like Edwards. What I would like to do to Edwards I can't say in this forum, and I feel bad for the people who believe he really talks with the dead. (I'd also like to seriously hurt them for bits of Edward ending up on my B5 tapes.)

I'd love to talk to my dad! But he's DEAD! If he still exists somehow, he's incommunicado, as far as I know.

[FisherQueen]

I grew up fundamentalist. I was aware of every attempt to remove 'objectionable' programming from the air. Even in my youth, I never participated in these. It always seemed obvious to me that if you didn't want to see a program, you can always turn it off.

Now, after I've left fundamentalism behind, I've found a program that I feel a sincere desire to fight against. I want "Crossing Over" off the air. Now. It is wholly evil.

Its only purpose is to make money by preying on the emotions of the vulnerable and gullible. Sure, you could say that people that gullible deserve to be taken advantage of, but I don't buy it.

And here's what makes me really mad. It's shallow, but it makes me furious. I teach in a public high school. I work long, hard, stressful hours trying to decrease ignorance, increase people's ability to make informed decisions, and make the world a little bit better than it was yesterday. John Edwards undermines my work. Every time he goes on the air, he increases the general level of ignorance, decreases people's ability to make wise judgements, and makes the world just a little bit worse. And for doing this, he makes more money in a few hours than I make in years.

John Edwards, here are my demands:
1. A public apology and confession of fraud, made on the most widely-viewed forum you can get access to. I favor "Oprah," where you will catch some of the people you've deceived.

2. Immediate cancellation of "Crossing Over," and a guarantee that no reruns will be shown anywhere, ever, except brief excerpts for instructional purposes.

3. All profits from the program immediately donated to the public school of Mr. Edwards's choice.

4. All black turtlenecks from the wardrobe department immediately donated to the homeless shelter of Mr. Edwards's choice.

[Syzygy]

Oh, how I wish Harry Houdini were alive! He'd prove what a shyster this Edwards bastard is. Too bad we don't have someone like him today, i.e., a famous person with credibility who debunks this "paranormal" crap foisted on the ignorant, and sometimes the not-so-ignorant.

[Legomancer]

My sister buys the John Edwards crap, despite the number of times I've sent her links and such about it. It drives me up the wall. I normally do not try to worry about what other people believe, so long as it hurts nobody, but I find this sort of thing very pernicious.

[MilTan]

Man. I got to this thread and I could have sworn it was about John Edwards, junior senator from NC. I couldn't imagine why there would be so much anti-Edwards sentiment!

Then I realized that y'all were talking about John Edward. In which case I agree. He's a punk.

[Strainger]

Eve: And hurrah for Strainger, for being much better at linking than I am!No problem. Ya need to learn vB coding (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/index.php?action=bbcode), dear. ;) (Don't worry, it's easy. Don't let the word "code" scare you.)

[rjung]

Originally posted by Scott
Oh, how I wish Harry Houdini were alive! He'd prove what a shyster this Edwards bastard is. Too bad we don't have someone like him today, i.e., a famous person with credibility who debunks this "paranormal" crap foisted on the ignorant, and sometimes the not-so-ignorant.
What, did James "The Amazing" Randi die or something? :(

[Padeye]

James Randi would be the heir apparent to Houdini's debunking crown but I think some people would rather be suckered. I think that a lot see Randi as hostile to religion which may hurt his mass appeal.

[JSexton]

This was one of the best bits from the article:

"This particular show will be difficult to duplicate... but there will be those that will try."

Bwa-ha-ha-ha! As though there aren't dozens of folks doing this around the country in smaller scale events. Fox, for one, will have no trouble filling the airwaves with a copy, although Fox's version will probably be naked.

[Syzygy]

Yeah, Padeye hit on some of the reasons why I didn't mention him. Also, I'm thinking of someone with far greater public appeal. I mean, I didn't hear about James Randi until I started to learn about magic (illusion) and sleight-of-hand.

Thinking along the same lines, Penn and Teller have made fun of this subject as well, being skeptics cut from the same cloth as Houdini. I think the only thing keeping them from really hitting home with the public is their (well, Penn's) sarcastic, often abrasive tone. I love these two, see them wherever I can, but most of my friends and family would prefer to watch David Copperfield (bleah) rather than Penn and Teller.

A mainstream celebrity with widespread public appeal and some healthy skepticism would really help. Or not - some people really want to believe.

[Polycarp]

Zumba the Cat said:
I couldn't figure out what our Senator did that was so bad the L.A. Times had to speak out against him. (Or why you hated him so much Eve.)

Me too, Zumba!! (Of course, I tried to get her to move to a farm down here, and she posted me the "Green Acres" theme song in response! :D)

What I figured was that she got the wrong North Carolina Senator. They are hard to tell apart: one is young, handsome, liberal, and intelligent; the other isn't.

[FallenAngel]

Originally posted by Scott
Oh, how I wish Harry Houdini were alive! He'd prove what a shyster this Edwards bastard is. Too bad we don't have someone like him today, i.e., a famous person with credibility who debunks this "paranormal" crap foisted on the ignorant, and sometimes the not-so-ignorant.

Didn't anyone pick up where the James "The Amazing" Randi left off? Just curious, but isn't his foundation still in operation?

[jab1]

http://www.randi.org

[Mr. Frink]

Originally posted by Mercutio
Slight hijack, here. Since the L.A. times got bought out by the Chicago Sun Times, 1600 employees were let go.
[/hijack]

Uh, The L.A.Times was bought out by The Chicago Tribune, not the Sun-Times...

...and considering the huge slide in quality of the Times in the last few years (anyone remember the Staples Center fiasco?), the Tribune buy-out can only be a good thing!

[Miller]

Originally posted by Scott
Thinking along the same lines, Penn and Teller have made fun of this subject as well, being skeptics cut from the same cloth as Houdini. I think the only thing keeping them from really hitting home with the public is their (well, Penn's) sarcastic, often abrasive tone. I love these two, see them wherever I can, but most of my friends and family would prefer to watch David Copperfield (bleah) rather than Penn and Teller.


A while back, I saw Penn on Politcally Incorrect, opposite another so-called medium (forget his name, heavy-set guy with a moustache and a slightly effeminate manner) Penn was absolutely savage with the guy. Loved it. Wish I had taped it. Wish I had been more sober when I saw it, so I could remember more of what was said.

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

I actually don't have a problem with John Edward. I am annoyed with the Sci-Fi channel, though, for showing this junk when it could be showing something worthwhile, like, say. . .
Tales of Tomorrow
Lights Out
'Way Out
The Invaders
UFO
Space: 1999
Outer Limits
Lights Out

But, it costs money to purchase rights to programs, more than it costs to air John Edward.

And the "heavyset, effeminate guy. . ." I know whom you're referring to. I don't recall his name, but I've seen him on talk shows. He had Barbara Walters going one time on "The View."

[pesch]

Don't know who was the heavy-set effeminate guy though. Maybe they just pair Penn off with the nut of the week.

Like in this discussion (http://www.redrival.com/eternalillusion/jamesindex/articles/politicallyincorrect.html) on the show that Penn had with Rosemary Altea, author of "You Own The Power," a spiritual medium.

Also on the show were Mac Davis and James Marsters ("Buffy" star).

Google is my friend.

[Baker]

Slight hijack. Anyone else see Penn and Teller as Reebo and Zooty on Babylon 5?

[aenea]

On B5 and in Vegas!


Zooty, zoot zoot!

[pldennison]

Originally posted by Mjollnir
And the "heavyset, effeminate guy. . ." I know whom you're referring to. I don't recall his name, but I've seen him on talk shows. He had Barbara Walters going one time on "The View."

I suspect that was probably James Van Praagh (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0525942688/qid=998315179/sr=2-3/ref=aps_sr_b_1_3/002-2186240-1773668).