Sylvia Browne and the miners

[TruthSeeker]

I am listening to the repeat of last night's Coast2Coast. The host has just reported that the miners have, in fact, died, and he is expressing shock and surprise at the wrong information they had been celebrating previously.

His guest is Sylvia Browne. Shouldn't she have known they were not alive?

Her input on this: "I am getting that they are all dead, maybe one alive." She has basically just repeated what the host has reported.

[TruthSeeker]

OMG! Now she's giving the "name" of a serial rapists who is loose in the caller's city. It is not an uncommon name. Imagine if someone has the same name?

I'm getting angry.

[clarsct]

I seriously doubt this makes a dent in her scheme.

Why bother changing now, when everything is working so WELL...

[TruthSeeker]

Neither she nor the host picked up on the fact that she missed that the miners were dead. She is so well protected.

Now, a caller has mentioned the LK show and she said "well, if it weren't for people like me, there wouldn't be sceptics" Sad.

[Lisa Simpson]

Now, a caller has mentioned the LK show and she said "well, if it weren't for people like me, there wouldn't be sceptics" Sad.

Yeah. Because, you know, the world revolves around Sylvia. In fact, when Harry Houdini came to skepticism, he was thinking of her.

[JLam]

Is homicide still illegal in California?

Yes?

Dang. Just checking.

[LostAngeles]

So my first thought on seeing the thread title was, "Oh, hell no." That thought has not changed substantially but is now accompanied by murderous rage.

[TruthSeeker]

from an email I am writing to the host:

I hear now that she is claiming she knew all along they were dead, and yet she responded with surprise and shock when you reported it. She did not say anything about them being dead BEFORE you announced it. It is easy to claim that she knew retrospectively. There is absolutely no evidence that she knew anything was amiss with the reports of the miners' death until you announced it. Had she known, it would have been a wonderful opportunity for her to prove her powers. Why didn't she take that opportunity? Because she did not know; she has no powers. It is that simple

[JLam]

So my first thought on seeing the thread title was, "Oh, hell no." That thought has not changed substantially but is now accompanied by murderous rage.
See above post.

[JLam]

from an email I am writing to the host:

I hear now that she is claiming she knew all along they were dead, and yet she responded with surprise and shock when you reported it. She did not say anything about them being dead BEFORE you announced it. It is easy to claim that she knew retrospectively. There is absolutely no evidence that she knew anything was amiss with the reports of the miners' death until you announced it. Had she known, it would have been a wonderful opportunity for her to prove her powers. Why didn't she take that opportunity? Because she did not know; she has no powers. It is that simple
Perhaps George will read it on the air and Sylvia will fess up.

Oh, wait, we're talking about heartless goons here. Sorry.

[TruthSeeker]

cont'd

On further elaboration, she explains that she missed it because she was distracted by being on the show. And yet, she gives instantaneous readings while doing shows ALL the time.

AND, the psychics were blocked from knowing about 9/11 about the world needed that lesson.

AND, when she does know, who could she call? Who would believe her?

[Zep]

What more does it take to convince ourselves that she is only in it for the money?

[LostAngeles]

See above post.

We should team up and go on a psychic beating spree.

[shalomsteph]

cont'd

On further elaboration, she explains that she missed it because she was distracted by being on the show. And yet, she gives instantaneous readings while doing shows ALL the time.

AND, the psychics were blocked from knowing about 9/11 about the world needed that lesson.

AND, when she does know, who could she call? Who would believe her?

She should have called all of the miners that morning and told them not to go to work, because there was going to be an explosion. THEN I would have believed her...and to think, when everyone was saying they were alive and it was a miracle and a prayer to G-d answered, she didn't say, "They are all dead except for one. I can hear them screaming" Oh wait, that was the COWS she hears screaming. People are always happy to be dead.

[JLam]

We should team up and go on a psychic beating spree.
Are you in L.A.? My fiancee and I have talked about almost that exact thing. So many corner-store psychics in this city, so little time :D

[LostAngeles]

Of course I am! Check my nick! And my location!

Edit: Which did say I was near the Scientology Center. Damn it.

[Patricio Elicer]

Her input on this: "I am getting that they are all dead, maybe one alive." She has basically just repeated what the host has reported.That's proof that the word "obvious" does not have the same meaning to everybody.

[JLam]

Of course I am! Check my nick! And my location!

Edit: Which did say I was near the Scientology Center. Damn it.
Sometimes if I'm on Hollywood Blvd. and I see them giving out "stress tests" I stop and play mind games with the disciples of LRon. Fun stuff.

[shalomsteph]

I am listening to last night's Coast to Coast now with Slime-e-a. Right now, they still think the miners are alive, which, it turns out, they were not. He said something about the miners being alive and it is a miracle, and she said, "Right"

[TruthSeeker]

Later in the show, after I shut down my computer but before I fell asleep, the justification became even more bizarre. Apparently, when the host said "they are alive", she said "I knew they would be found". However, she did not say "found ALIVE" therefore, this is now, retrospectively, being used as support that she knew all along they were dead.

It makes my head hurt.

[shalomsteph]

Later in the show, after I shut down my computer but before I fell asleep, the justification became even more bizarre. Apparently, when the host said "they are alive", she said "I knew they would be found". However, she did not say "found ALIVE" therefore, this is now, retrospectively, being used as support that she knew all along they were dead.

It makes my head hurt.

Yes, I heard that, too. Of course "they would be found", because the rescuers KNEW WHERE THEY WERE. Finding them was not the issue...whether they were dead or alive was.

And she gets away with that....

[alfaniner]

Even someone at Fox News has his doubts...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,180681,00.html

[Mojo]

Even someone at Fox News has his doubts...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,180681,00.html
Noory: "Had you been on the program today, would [you] have felt if — because they heard no sound — that this was a very gloomy moment — and that they might have all died?"

Browne: "No. I knew they were going to be found. I hate people that say something after the fact.After the fact: She blurted: "I didn’t believe that they were alive."

[TruthSeeker]

I hope Randi sees this article.

I am very glad that somebody outside Coast2Coast picked it up.

[azazal]

I was goign to post the smae link to Fox, D'ouh. But good to see a mainstream article debunking her.

[Loon]

It would be hilarious for FoxNews to call her on it. Talk about unlikely bedfellows.

[JLam]

I don't know who the heck this Roger Friedman person is, but he sure put a lickin' on old Sylvia. Wow. What a great article.

[Flange Desire]

I don't know who the heck this Roger Friedman person is, but he sure put a lickin' on old Sylvia. Wow. What a great article.

Why doncha lobby him to put some more pressure on?

[shalomsteph]

I think Sylvia has some 'splainin' to do...

[skepHick]

I don't know who the heck this Roger Friedman person is, but he sure put a lickin' on old Sylvia. Wow. What a great article.

Agreed! And the mention of the JREF Foundation and Challenge! Bonus!
Has anyone sent the link to Randi?

[CurtC]

from an email I am writing to the host:

I hear now that she is claiming she knew all along they were dead...May I suggest changing your approach?

Most hosts who have Sylvia on have a pretty good idea that she's full of it, they just don't care. What's the harm? So what if she is just making it up? A demand of evidence is just not going to resonate with these folks.

Your letter would be more effective if it showed what the harm is, especially in a situation like this with people's lives. Explain how she is exploiting the dead miners' memories, and insulting their relatives, and making that particular radio show into a sleazy spectacle.

[Eos of the Eons]

She did say she figured they were alive. Then she recanted and said she knew they would be just "found", maybe one dead when the miners were found dead.

Noory: "Had you been on the program today, would [you] have felt if — because they heard no sound — that this was a very gloomy moment — and that they might have all died?"

Browne: "No...It’s just like I knew when the pope was dead... I said, according to the time, it was 9-something and whatever Rome time was. And I said he was gone, and he was."
"


We can tell by that, that she figured the news report was not inaccurate. She DID figure they were all alive.

Ha ha, such a liar and fumbler. I'm enjoying this, even though most beleevers will cling to her "found" claim. They will ignore the actual question she was asked.

[TruthSeeker]

May I suggest changing your approach?

Most hosts who have Sylvia on have a pretty good idea that she's full of it, they just don't care. What's the harm? So what if she is just making it up? A demand of evidence is just not going to resonate with these folks.

Your letter would be more effective if it showed what the harm is, especially in a situation like this with people's lives. Explain how she is exploiting the dead miners' memories, and insulting their relatives, and making that particular radio show into a sleazy spectacle.

You are absolutely right. I wrote in anger and should have waiting at least overnight before sending.

I may write again using the approach you suggest.

Thanks

[kedo1981]

I joined a SB group on yahoo just for larfs.

here is what posted

"I think she may have a real gift!
But as someone who has been in the medical field for a long time, her “health advice” is way off most of the time.
She seems to have a little trouble with anything geological, such as mines."

If it gets posted (not censored) I'll let you know what kind of "replys" I get

[Libertarian]

1. Ever notice that SB ALWAYS has to be right? Always. You'd think it would behoove her to admit being wrong once in a while. I think that would boost her cred more than situations like this, where she is talking out both sides of her mouth.

2. Wouldn't it have been great if she had been interviewed by a skeptic, rather than George "there are no coincidences" Noory?! A fast-thinking skeptic could have said, after she said that the miners were dead, "oh, wait a minute Sylvia. We are now getting reports that the miners are indeed live. What is you final answer?"

[MarkDown]

I also like Sylvia's claim on the same radio program that she "predicted" when the pope died, and she was on Montel and proclaimed him dead, and he was. Of course the previous day several news sources had reported the pope dead only to recant leaving the world wondering what the true status of the pope was. Regardless, there was no way he wasn't going to pass away within another day or so. Had it taken any longer for an official announcement of the Pope's passing to be made, she simply could've said he had passed earlier but Vatican officials were holding off on making the announcement. But I'm sure her believers count this as some major hit.

[Zep]

Actually, I would address any correspondence not to Sylvia or her boosters but to her supporters. I would ask them if there was ANYTHING AT ALL that they would NOT accept as the utter UTTER truth from Sylvia Brown's mouth.

Remind them that if the answer is "Nothing - I believe everything she says, regardless!", there's some common truisms they should recall: "Fools and their money are soon parted", and "There's a sucker born every minute!" Oh, and wish them Good Luck as a paid-up lackey of the Church of Sylvia!

However if they do admit that there are things she spouts that they believe is not the truth after all, ask them to consider how they determine what makes that stuff any exception to the rest of her drivel. If some of it is crap, why isn't all of it crap?

Publish excerpts of any responses!

By addressing her fans directly, Sylvia gets cut right out of the loop, and so can't kibbitz or play dodgeball with the truth.

[curt]

Is homicide still illegal in California?

Yes?

Dang. Just checking.
But, wait - are you a celebrity??

[Tricky]

I also like Sylvia's claim on the same radio program that she "predicted" when the pope died, and she was on Montel and proclaimed him dead, and he was. Of course the previous day several news sources had reported the pope dead only to recant leaving the world wondering what the true status of the pope was. Regardless, there was no way he wasn't going to pass away within another day or so. Had it taken any longer for an official announcement of the Pope's passing to be made, she simply could've said he had passed earlier but Vatican officials were holding off on making the announcement. But I'm sure her believers count this as some major hit.
Yeah, predicting that a very old, very sick man is going to die is a toughie.

Of course, she predicted that he would die in 2004 too, as I recall.

[Loon]

Fun Fact:

Tonight on Coast to Coast with George Noory (guest: Michael Shermer), George admitted that he didn't believe in Sylvia Brown.

[Darat]

...snip...

Of course, she predicted that he would die in 2004 too, as I recall.

Prove he didn't!

[CurtC]

I'd just like to point out that "Sylvia Browne and the Miners" would be a great name for a soul group.