# What are the most reputable crackpot-watch websites?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 28, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023 "2003-10-28T14:46:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023/1 "2003-10-28T14:46:08Z")
I’ve been professionally contacted by representatives of a group which is led by what looks to be a criminally insane demagogue. As I give them the kiss-off need to cite this organization’s, uh, unusual beliefs both to them and for my own records. I’d like to name some of the most reputable sources I can find, but circumstances require I do it immediately without consulting print publications.
I’ve been looking around and see that some sites look like good amateur efforts, and some are “look at these whackos” parades. Some _appear_ to be fairly impartial and professional, but I’d like to know who the pros cite when they want to talk about people who are overly interested in UFOs and Kool-Aid.
What are the reputable professional non-profit organizations out there that devote their full time to monitoring cults and similar organizations? Is there an office of the U.S. federal government which does the same?
As always, thank you in advance for your assistance.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023/2 "2003-10-28T15:12:45Z")
One of the best ones is paranormal debunker James Randi’s site at [http://www.randi.org](http://www.randi.org).
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023/3 "2003-10-28T15:29:13Z")
[Randi.org](http://www.randi.org) – Watch those periods, **Quad-roped**. 😉
[The Skeptic’s Dictionary](http://skepdic.com/) – Not as much of a current-events crackwatch site as a general-purpose debunking aid. I’ll still recommend it.
[FACTNet](http://www.factnet.org/) – A reputable cult-watch site specializing in current events.
Note: Don’t trust the **Cult Awareness Network**. They’ve been bought out by the Cult of Scientology and are no longer a reputable source of information. Also, the site **[Religioustolerance.org](http://Religioustolerance.org)** is either a willing shill of Scientology or is dangerously easy to dupe. Either way, its reliability is compromised.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023/4 "2003-10-28T16:39:44Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Sofa King \*
> \*\*I’ve been professionally contacted by representatives of a group which is led by what looks to be a criminally insane demagogue. \*\*
They’re just Girl Scouts for goodness sake! Just tell them “No thanks” re the cookies and move on.
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### Author:  [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023/5 "2003-10-28T17:29:33Z")
Yeah, but **astro** , these Girl Scouts have been eating Bootsy Collins’ brownies, not cookies. Sorry, but that’s all I can say about it.
Thanks all for the suggestions above. Does anyone have an opinion on [www.rickross.com](http://www.rickross.com) ? It has the most comprehensive list of articles on the organization in question, most of which come from reliable sources.
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### Author:  [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023/6 "2003-10-28T17:36:36Z")
[quackwatch.org](http://quackwatch.org)
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### Author:  [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023/7 "2003-10-28T17:54:03Z")
I don’t know just how whacko the folks **Sofa King** is dealing with, but you might try [the Anti-Defamation League](http://www.adl.org/learn/)’s Law Enforcement Agency Resource Network. This is a pretty comprehensive database of hate organizations and events.
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### Author:  [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023/8 "2003-10-28T17:55:07Z")
Know your enemies…
[http://www.crank.net](http://www.crank.net)
A 'Give ‘em enough rope’ site rather than a debunking one…
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023/9 "2003-10-28T19:20:04Z")
**Sofa King** : I’m vacillating on whether I should ask you which group you’ve been contacted by. On the one hand, it’s your personal business and we have no place in it. On the other hand, we might be able to dig up information specific to that group (you’d be amazed at what Google indexes these days, especially Google Groups) and, perhaps, educate other members of this message board on the machniations of a potentially dangerous group.
Maybe you can discuss it at your leisure, when the emergency alluded to in your post has passed. But not knowing which group you’re up against will make it impossible for us to target our search.
(As I said, I’m vacillating. If you cannot name anyone here, my email address is valid and I’ll guarantee a near-obsessive web search during all of my off time.)
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### Author:  [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-reputable-crackpot-watch-websites/210023/10 "2003-10-28T19:50:54Z")
**Derleth** , I’m not really comfortable naming the group here, as this is a professional and potentially legal matter, not to mention a possible matter of personal safety. However, if you want to get a flavor for what these folks are like, I’ll say that in some respects they are nearly _identical_ to the groups led by Jim Jones and David Koresh.
I’ve also assembled a truly astounding amount of dirt on these guys, largely from [www.rickross.com](http://www.rickross.com) , but also repeated by a number of the suggestions given to me above. That’s all that I really need to create a record that shows why I won’t work with 'em.
I’m not going to cause them any harm by disassociating myself from them, so I think they’ll likely leave me alone. And while it’s probably a given that folks so mired in ignorance don’t shine terribly bright, these folks seem to be particularly wanting for wattage.