Back in July, we linked to a post by Skeptico that outlined the vague and useless predictions regarding Arizona's Baseline Killer made by self-proclaimed psychic and media whore Allison DuBois. In his post, Skeptico easily and expertly pointed out why Allison's predictions were nothing but meaningless nonsense, and at the time, we filed away her predictions so that, as the case progressed, we could test her claims.

Well, the police arrested Mark Goudeau, and, in the confusion of our site move and the bustle of the holidays, we failed to follow up. Luckily, Skeptico was on the ball. Go read his assessment of Allison's claims versus reality, and you'll see that Ms. DuBois — shockingly! — failed on all counts.

As an example, check out two of the more easily verifiable facts about the suspect, as quoted from Skeptico's post:

Dubois said: "the Baseline Killer is not from Arizona"

But: "Goudeau was born Sept. 6, 1964... and grew up in a Phoenix neighborhood near 12th Street and Southern Avenue."

Last time I looked, Phoenix was in Arizona. Dubois 0 for 1.

Dubois said: "he's ready to bolt, if he hasn't already... I would look in California if I were [the police]"

But: Goudeau was caught in Phoenix.

Of course, Dubois didn't say anything so definite or falsifiable as "he has moved to California". She phrased it so that wherever he was found her "impression" would fit. However, it would seem unlikely for this married man with family connections in Phoenix to run to California. In any case, Dubois' "information" about him being "ready to bolt" was clearly wrong and of no use to the police. Dubois 0 for 2.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Of course, Goudeau hasn't been tried yet, and his guilt hasn't been ascertained beyond a reasonable doubt, but if this does indeed turn out to the Baseline Killer, then there is no getting around the fact that DuBois was wrong about everything. We'll repeat that in the vain hope that the morons out there might actually read and parse this statement of fact before responding: every prediction that Allison made about the Baseline Killer, even the really vague ones, was absolutely wrong. So, not only is she not a psychic, she isn't even a good guesser. Got it? Does that register at all?

So to the die-hard Allison DuBois defenders — the ones who keep sending us asinine messages about how wonderful their skunk-haired heroine really is without ever bothering to check the fucking facts — take a long hard look at how Allison's "powers" completely failed to predict reality. And if you still choose to defend Allison's bullshit, then please seek professional help. There are group homes for morons, right?

There are no group homes for morons. There are group homes for people with developmental problems. And group homes for people with drug problems.

Don't burden these poor people with morons. They've got enough to deal with.

:)

I'm going to prove my psychic powers right now:

1. DuBois will either ignore this incident completely or ad hoc her answers to somehow fit the details.

2. DuBois supporters will ignore this incident completely and focus on the "hits" she (purportedly) made in the past.

As long as there are fools like DuBois, there will be even bigger fools that believe their bullshit.

P.S - Where's my annual "War on Xmas" rant?

We know we should be used to it by now, but every time some creduloid completely ignores established facts and continues to sing the praises of Allison and those like her, we can't help but be amazed. Not only amazed at their continued support for someone who is quite clearly full of shit, but also amazed that they can manage to cross the street by themselves without being killed.

I can't believe how completely rude you are. Maybe you need help.

Yeah, breeze, we are fucking rude. Do you know why? Because Allison DuBois is a piece of human garbage, and she deserves every ounce of rudeness we can toss her way. We make no apologies for that. In fact, we take a certain amount of pride in the fact that we aren't willing to sit idly by while she fucks over our fellow human beings.

The real question, asshole, is why you feel the need to be polite to someone like her. In our estimation, that makes you little better than her. So do fuck off, you stupid, stupid person.

Oh, and while it hardly seems worthwhile to point this out, we also noticed that, like most of the credulous asshats who stop by our site, you completely failed to address any of the actual points that we made in our post above. Then again, it's far easier to ignore reality, and just cling desperately to your stupid beliefs. Idiot.

Nothing but doggerel.

Do you know any polite way to describe a societal leech?

I am not going to lower myself to your standards. Calling people names only proves you have incredibly low self worth. When you speak of people as you do you are really discribing yourself.

Have a wonderful life.

Now that you're gone, our lives are looking better already, breeze.

Oh and thanks for the same old shitty psychoanalysis — we haven't heard that one in, oh, about three hours. We also have no friends, we were beaten up by a gang of roving psychics as children, and we enjoy raping puppies in our spare time. Same sex puppies!

All of the above is probably true. Delt with a few morons in my life. Don't believe in psychic powers either. However I don't have to put anyone down to keep my own belifes.

There are some good points made here by some. But otheres feel as though they have to act ignorant to make a point.

For fuck's sake, breeze. We already explained why we are rude to self-proclaimed psychics and their enablers. It has nothing to do with maintaining our own beliefs — it's because they deserve it. It's because they are, as Bronze Dog says, leaches on society, who feed on the suffering of others. Your assertion that we are rude in order to bolster our own beliefs is just more of your asinine, off-base psychoanalysis of us, and believe it or not, it's still annoying. If that's all you've got to offer, then you aren't welcome here.

There's one more thing that you've managed to completely ignore thus far. As we said above (we won't provide the link this time, just use the scroll wheel):

Oh, and while it hardly seems worthwhile to point this out, we also noticed that, like most of the credulous asshats who stop by our site, you completely failed to address any of the actual points that we made in our post above.

Some things never change, huh breeze? You've still managed to avoid addressing any of the points we made in our post. If your assertion is that we aren't making good points, then by all means, call us onto the carpet and show the world the flaws in our arguments. But people like you never argue the points. Instead, they just bitch and whine about how mean we are, or how much we swear, or how much they hate our font. And these are all wonderful diversions to shift focus away from the fact that people like you aren't capable of arguing our points. But as we said, go on and prove us wrong.

So now that we've told you two fucking times, we'll ask you: why are we rude to psychics and those who enable them? Last chance, breeze.

Oh and we forgive you for acting ignorant to make a point. Just don't let it happen again.

Evildoers deserve to be called evildoers.

Or are you one of those people who thinks we should call them "ethically challenged" or something like that, breeze?

Personally, I suspect breeze is one of those people who thinks that pointing out injustice, and thus rocking the boat, is a sin, and that apathy is a virtue.

I don't need you to forgive me. Don't personally care what the fuck you think. Obviously there is no explaining to you. You think you have to be rude to people to make a point. Take your point and stick it. I don't need or want your link.

Keep me out of your neat little package I don't fit. You are trying to sound like you are a 1 percenter and your not. I just happened to be browsing and happened onto this site. I couldn't believe how you talk to people to try and bully them to believe what you want.

The only point I made went right over your head. This site is gone and don't exsist as far as I am concened.

Wow, you're dense, breeze. We didn't really forgive you for anything — that was a joke. And it was at your expense, just so we are completely clear.

And we got your point just fine — it was that we are rude meanies, and you don't like us. See? It wasn't that hard to figure out.

However, you are still not getting our point, despite the fact that we keep repeating it. Our point is that you are too fucking stupid, deluded, and rockheaded to even acknowledge that you can't argue the actual points that we've made above. You just keep ignoring that, and telling us how terrible we are. Shouldn't that tell you something, dipshit?

Do us a favor — follow through on your promise and fuck off. If you come back here without addressing any of our points, and just say the same shit again, we'll move your comment to the Urinal, then eventually ban your ignorant ass.

And as a note, we aren't trying to bully you into sharing our beliefs. Frankly, we don't want someone as stupid as you are on our side. You are, of course, free to believe whatever you want to believe, and we are just as free to correctly call you a pinheaded moron for those beliefs. Are we clear?

1. The only force I want to use to convince people like you, breeze, is the force of logic and humanity. Unfortunately, you seem to be an immovable, yet simultaneously evasive object.

2. Evildoers should be resisted. Are you trying to covert us to the moral philosophy of apathism? If not, you'd better come up with some arguments that show that Dubois isn't an unethical person by responding to our points, rather than ignore them while spouting evasive, irrelevant, and most of all, baseless psychobabble that seems to imply it's unhealthy and wrong to get angry at injustice.

This website is totally hypocrytical. People like you make me sick. You rant and rave about a this woman. Don't you have anything better to do with your time than scrutinize and maliciously slander people? You wonder what's going on with this world and why people are so fucked up? Look in the mirror when you ask that question. Yes this woman has been wrong from time to time... she's human. We all are and we all make mistakes. Lot's of mistakes time and time again; but she has also helped millions and has proven herself over and over. She has been researched in a laboratory for years and it's been scientifically proven that she is more often right than wrong. Regardless of whether you're a sceptic or a believer, people should be free to believe what they want to believe without being harrassed about it.

I agree with Breeze. You bully people and belittle them. How is that going to get your point across? It's one thing to have an opinion and share it with people. As you say, people are entitled to their beliefs but when you start harrassing people and bullying them, you're going against what this website is supposed to stand for. You're interfering with the rights of others and are adding to the current direction in which your country is headed. Are you people not able to get your opinions and points across without being completely rude and ignorant? You say people that believe in psychics and mediums are narrow minded and stupid but the manner in which you go about talking to people etc... is narrow minded and stupid. Also, yes there are a lot of people out there that are thriving off people's pain. I completely agree with that. But not every psychic/medium is set out to do that. Granted it's probably a small percent, but there are some that genuinely want to help others.

This website is totally hypocrytical. People like you make me sick. You rant and rave about a this woman. Don't you have anything better to do with your time than scrutinize and maliciously slander people?

It's not slander if it's true. How do you suggest we use our time? Selfishly? There's a thing called justice, and we have to work to bring it about.

Yes this woman has been wrong from time to time... she's human. We all are and we all make mistakes. Lot's of mistakes time and time again; but she has also helped millions and has proven herself over and over.

She hasn't even proven herself ONCE.

She has been researched in a laboratory for years and it's been scientifically proven that she is more often right than wrong. Regardless of whether you're a sceptic or a believer, people should be free to believe what they want to believe without being harrassed about it.

The only labs she's been at are sloppy ones that allow for cheating. Also, are you seriously saying that we shouldn't tell people the truth? It's the old Ann Landers solipsism: "No one has the right to destroy your beliefs by demanding empirical evidence."

Translation: Honesty is a sin.

agree with Breeze. You bully people and belittle them. How is that going to get your point across? It's one thing to have an opinion and share it with people. As you say, people are entitled to their beliefs but when you start harrassing people and bullying them, you're going against what this website is supposed to stand for.

Are you going to start complaining about police bullying criminals? What DuBois does is morally and ethically WRONG.

You're interfering with the rights of others and are adding to the current direction in which your country is headed. Are you people not able to get your opinions and points across without being completely rude and ignorant?

1. Is there a polite way to call a societal leech a societal leech?

2. What evidence do you have that could enlighten us from our ignorance? If you had any, you'd be presenting that, instead of whining with zero content and misrepresenting the argument.

3. Since when did honesty cause America's problems. It's the media, politicians, and people like you who advocate "there is no truth" epistemological nihilism.

You say people that believe in psychics and mediums are narrow minded and stupid but the manner in which you go about talking to people etc... is narrow minded and stupid.

Ye Olde Style Over Substance Fallacy. Note how ILAD completely ignores the substance and goes straight for the style.

Also, yes there are a lot of people out there that are thriving off people's pain. I completely agree with that. But not every psychic/medium is set out to do that. Granted it's probably a small percent, but there are some that genuinely want to help others.

Then get them to sign up for the Randi Challenge. Until at least one psychic proves himself under controlled conditions, I think it's perfectly prudent to tenatively assume that magic, fairies, and unicorns don't exist, especially with a wealth of rational explanations.

So let's see if we can paraphrase your two comments, ILAD. First we have "You suck, you suck, you suck, you suck!" Then we have "You suck...oh, but yeah, you were right about this...but you suck...oh, and yeah, you got this right...but you suck...oh, but this was right too...you suck!" You know, if you weren't such an idiot, we might be tempted to let you go for one more comment just to see if you end up singing our praises. But you are. An idiot, that is.

Every single one of your asinine complaints is so pedestrian and banal that an intelligent and comprehensive answer to each already exists, either on our site or on someone else's. Hell, it seems remarkably like you actually wrote your comments by selecting your favorite Doggerel entries from Bronze Dog's collection and tossing them on the table one after the other. While Bronze Dog's entries are wonderful, creating a comment simply by stringing together the subjects of his posts isn't so wonderful. More like: incredibly stupid and pitiful.

People like you make me sick. You rant and rave about a this woman. Don't you have anything better to do with your time than scrutinize and maliciously slander people?

In a nutshell, this is the "why are you so angry at this person" gambit, and this nonsense has been answered by us so many times that we can't even count them all. Many of our commenters have pitched in on this, as well.

Given all of the responses linked above, we believe it is a fine use of our free time to combat the influence of reprehensible people like Allison DuBois. What the fuck are you doing with your free time, aside from making an ass of yourself on other people's websites? From your general attitude and reading comprehension skills, we rather doubt you're feeding third world orphans or finding a cure for cancer. Hell, it might help if you were at least drowning puppies in your free time; sure, it's a bad thing, but at least you'd be contributing something to the world.

In addition, as BD already pointed out: it isn't slander if nothing we say is a lie (pure insults are neither true nor false, you microcephalic asshole — though you can certainly live up to them). If you can point out anything that we've said that is demonstrably untrue, and if you can provide evidence to back up your claim, then and only then are you legitimately able to toss around words like "slander." Come on, ILAD, take a stab at the actual points we've made. We're waiting. By our calculations, there are about two dozen morons just like you that we're already waiting on to back up similarly asinine assertions, so our expectations aren't very high.

Yes this woman has been wrong from time to time... she's human. We all are and we all make mistakes. Lot's of mistakes time and time again; but she has also helped millions and has proven herself over and over. She has been researched in a laboratory for years and it's been scientifically proven that she is more often right than wrong.

First off, this isn't about Allison being "wrong," you idiot — it's about Allison being an evil, greedy, lying fuck. We don't fault people for being wrong, or you wouldn't even have gotten out of the gate. We do fault people for being deceitful and harmful assholes (like Allison), and we fault them for not being willing to educate themselves when they are wrong (like you, apparently).

And holy fuck, ILAD — do you get all of your "facts" straight from the Allison DuBois PR department? If you blindly believe everything people say about themselves, then we have news for you: we have been tested in a laboratory for years, and it has been scientifically proven that whatever claims we make actually shape reality! So just by saying that Allison DuBois is full of shit, we make it so: Presto!

See how easy it is to make wildly inaccurate, unsubstantiated claims? If you're ready to try participating in a discussion based on actual evidence, then you'll have to bring a lot more to the table than your "I Love Allison" T-shirt.

About that "scientific research" you mentioned — we've already addressed that as well. As we said in our lengthy post on the subject, the controls set up by Gary Schwartz (the "scientist" that performed the tests to which you refer) were laughably unscientific. In addition, Gary seems to have never met a fantastic claim that he hasn't validated. Go. Read. Learn, for fuck's sake.

Regardless of whether you're a sceptic or a believer, people should be free to believe what they want to believe without being harrassed about it.

It's one thing to have an opinion and share it with people. As you say, people are entitled to their beliefs but when you start harrassing people and bullying them, you're going against what this website is supposed to stand for. You're interfering with the rights of others and are adding to the current direction in which your country is headed.

Wow, what amazing insight there, ILAD. Unfortunately for you, we've already answered this ridiculous statement with a post from just over two years ago. Despite the existence of that entry, since then we've had to answer this pathetic whine so many times that it fucking makes our eyes bleed. Why do you fucking people never bother to do your homework before you post? (And yes, you certainly are "you fucking people" until you demonstrate at least a shred of research and reading comprehension before mouthing off about bullshit that's been repeatedly and effectively countered.) Go read that post, and then study Doggerel #7 and Doggerel #22. Then never repeat this bullshit line again, you fucking tool.

You bully people and belittle them. How is that going to get your point across? ... Are you people not able to get your opinions and points across without being completely rude and ignorant? You say people that believe in psychics and mediums are narrow minded and stupid but the manner in which you go about talking to people etc... is narrow minded and stupid.

Let's see — we're mean, we're rude, and we use bad words. Does that about sum up this portion of your intellectual Musings of the Ages? That would be Doggerel #38, #44, and #57, with a bonus post from us regarding the naughty words. We'll also ask you to go re-read our reply above concerning why we're so angry with people like Allison (and those who support her), since that directly provokes our rudeness. As usual, folks like you and the rest of the apathetic contingent think it would be nicer if we could all just be civil, but they fail to take into account that some of our fellow planet-mates are insidious predators who won't play nice. Here's a clue: don't bring a napkin to a gunfight.

Also, yes there are a lot of people out there that are thriving off people's pain. I completely agree with that. But not every psychic/medium is set out to do that. Granted it's probably a small percent, but there are some that genuinely want to help others.

Well we agree on one thing, ILAD: there are some "psychics" who genuinely want to help others. However, since these people don't actually have psychic powers, the extent of the help they can offer is, we're sorry to say, severely limited. Hey, we may genuinely want to help a poor family by wishing a million dollars into their bank account, but we can't actually do so. So while such noble intentions do make this category of "psychics" better people than scumbuckets like Allison and Sylvia Browne, it doesn't make them any more psychic.

In addition, we feel compelled to point out that the subject of this post is Allison DuBois (see that title? Yeah, it's a dead giveaway). That said, it would seem to be your assertion (relying on your baseless assertion above that Allison has "helped millions" of people) that Allison isn't one of the "psychics" who are thriving on the pain of others. Bull-fucking-shit, ILAD. It is absolutely Allison's intent to thrive on the pain and suffering of others, and that is precisely what she is doing — quite successfully, thanks to her grieving victims (whom we do not blame) and assholes like you (whom we do blame). Our collection of posts calling this bitch onto the carpet has shown that quite clearly. You'd have to be terribly uninformed or willfully ignorant of the facts in order to believe otherwise (we're guessing both in your case).

Whatever bullshit you feel like spewing on our site, the fact remains: we've done our homework, and we've made our case. Until you can say the same, we suggest that you piss off.

YAY! I was waiting to see your replies to this ILAD cretin. I am not disappointed!!

The only thing I don't like about this site is that everyone that argues against you 2%er's is a complete and total moron! I mean these people either try and argue their points with no evidence and a complete lack of knowledge of what they're talking about or they can't even get to the real issue and just waste their time complaining about how much you swear or how rude you are. And while reading their posts I'm thinking "now they really can't be that stupid", but they are! If I didn't know any better I'd say you 2%er's were typing these comments yourself to make the side you were arguing against look like moronic nutjobs. Man there are some really REALLY stupid people in the world. Are we humans really THAT easily swayed to believe obvious frauds and idiots like Dubois, Sylvia Browne, Or George Bush! So for you people like Breeze or ILAD who either try and argue your points with no evidence and a complete lack of knowledge of what your talking about or can't even get to the real issue and just waste their time complaining about how much 2% swears or how rude they are don't even bother typing in your comment because many people who read these rant and the 2%er's must have read comments exactly like the one your about to type right now a million times already, so whatever you do do not click on post! Instead close this site, shutdown your computer and walk away. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .YOUR NOT WALKING!!!

I don't think Allison ever claimed a perfect track record. So what's the point of hi-lighting a few errors? And why are you so emotional about her? Lie back, let it out. Are you the debunking expert? Not all truths are provable. She's not trying to convince you of jack shit. Either accept it or calmly walk away with the idea that it doesn't make sense to YOU. Do you have some monopoly on truth fucker-butthead potty-mouth?

Oh, holy sheep shit! Here we go again!!!! It would be funny if it weren't so sad.

All we ask is that she prove she's better than dumb luck. We don't demand perfection: We demand usefulness. So far, all psychic powers look to be useless, as successes have nothing that can't be explained by mundane means.

Until Dubois passes simple tests, our skepticism is more than justified.

Did you say fucker-butthead potty-mouth? Are you serious? I guess that's where the mistaken (but in this case accurate) idea that profanity equates to a lack of intelligence and imagination comes from. If you're going to try to insult us, at least put some effort into it.

As far as the rest of your idiotic arguments, I think they've all been covered ad infinitum, but I'll just mention a few things.

I don't think Allison ever claimed a perfect track record.

Good thing you aren't paid to think, because you're dead-fucking wrong, dipshit. Try this on for size:

Allison, have you ever been wrong on a case you were working on?

Dubois: No.

Any other questions about this, kurt? I didn't think so.

And why are you so emotional about her?

Because she's a predator. She makes her living by exploiting the pain and suffering of others. The question is why aren't you pissed off at her? It's bad enough that people like you seem to be pursuing apathy as a career choice, but don't fucking expect the rest of us to jump on board with you.

Are you the debunking expert?

When it comes to Allison DuBois, we'd say that we are the debunking experts. Try a Google search for her name and see what you get. But thanks for playing and all, moron.

And pardon the flying-fuck out of us and people like us who actually give a fuck about the fact that "psychics" are pissing all over people who are suffering. How dare we fucker-buttheads give a shit about other people? Fuck off, you apathetic asshat.

Oh, come on, Tom, all the cool kids are saying "fucker-butthead potty-mouth"!!

Ah I see now. I was wrong you are right. I promise to think like you on this issue. I am sorry for my previous inability to understand clearly.

I hope you can find somethng else to bitch about, but I just have to say, "You are still a poo-poo-head sad fat daddy-didn't-love-me-enough, not-sure-of-which-way-swing turd boy. Go back to your coffee shop, with goth face and bitch, bitch, bitch. But remember NOOOO ONE CARES about bitchy turd-head fart-knocking beavers like you."

Hey, kurt, here's what just happened. You raised some moronic points, and they were all countered completely. Now you are out of points (moronic or otherwise), so you're just going to insult us (and poorly at that). It is clear that you have nothing to add to an intelligent discussion, so please fuck off. If you drop another useless, vacuous comment like this one, it will be moved to to the Urinal where the rest of the dipshits live. We simply don't have time to waste with asshats like you.

You know, we've had lots of people try half-assed attempts at psychoanalyzing us, but we've never seen one as asinine as yours. For the record, none of us are big coffee drinkers, and when we do buy coffee from a coffeehouse, we always get it to go. In addition, none of us can be or could ever be described as "Goth" in any way, shape or form. In short, all of your guesses were wrong. You know, kurt, with a track record like that, you could be a psychic, just like your hero, Allison DuBois!

Oh and we aren't asking you to think like us — we're just asking you to think. Apparently that's well beyond your mental abilities.

Bye, kurt.

And if you dig a bit deeper than the obvious, there is more than just factual truths. I don't think you will even begin to understand this (and I'm not sure why I'm wasting my time), but there are also metaphorical truths. Truths that are impossible to explain in words or Dr. Spock logic.

Why does a father run into a burning building to save a child that he knows will kill them both?

Dr. Spock would wait outside. Is the father heroic or an idiot? Every animal instinct inside him says no, but he does it anyways. Perhaps heroic is not the right word as there is nothing gained, but he has a connection and a call to action that cannot be explained by facts, logic or even words.

The father running into a burning building could be a fictional story told on the street. It may never have happened and may be a complete myth, yet the listener sometimes "Gets it" and understands the imagery that a man can be more than an animal in a meat-suit with Dr. Spock logic. He has an emotional, spiritual capabilities that can propel him beyond himself.

Why is this relevant to the discussion? Allison DuBois believes she sees something and others believe she sees something. Let's assume it's all myth, and you are completely right. So what? If it produces a positive results for some, let it be a metaphorical truth and stop getting hung up on the facts. Yes, sounds cookoo to the superficial, but STOP GETTING HUNG UP ON THE FACTS. Metaphorical truths do a better job explaining emotion and spirit than do factual truths.

Life is a journey and a discovery. Let others walk their paths. You don't have to follow them. 90% of them may be wrong. But it ain't the end of the right path that makes life interesting. It's the walk.

How would you have it? If it ain't proven, don't explore it? That's how we evolve, by people walking down untrodden paths, not by status quo. You can choose to stay put and "WALK NOT." But your urge to complain about others, is like sitting on the bench afraid to play. When an athlete scores, you devalue the effort. When an athlete trips, you scorn.

There is no courage without fear. No achievement without stakes and risk. Relax, smoke a dooby. You don't need to be afraid. How is Allison DuBois hurting you or anybody else?

If my kids wake up, and there are Christmas presents under the tree, than Stanta Clause came just as they expected him to.

kurt which part of "do not click on post did you not understand"!

the SPAM blocker hates me everything I say keeps getting filtered

And if you dig a bit deeper than the obvious, there is more than just factual truths. I don't think you will even begin to understand this (and I'm not sure why I'm wasting my time), but there are also metaphorical truths. Truths that are impossible to explain in words or Dr. Spock logic.

Defeatist.

Is the father heroic or an idiot? Every animal instinct inside him says no, but he does it anyways.

Yeah, just go ahead and pretend that there's no such thing as paternal instinct. Or love. Or compassion. Or reckless confidence.

Perhaps heroic is not the right word as there is nothing gained, but he has a connection and a call to action that cannot be explained by facts, logic or even words.

And you accuse us of being goths, Mr. "There is no such thing as altruism!" Just because your little peabrain can't comprehend something as simple as altruism doesn't mean it's incomprehensible.

The father running into a burning building could be a fictional story told on the street. It may never have happened and may be a complete myth, yet the listener sometimes "Gets it" and understands the imagery that a man can be more than an animal in a meat-suit with Dr. Spock logic. He has an emotional, spiritual capabilities that can propel him beyond himself.

Your inability to explain the astoundingly simple amazes me. If you'll pardon my own use of doggerel, I think you're jealous of our ability to "get it" without invoking fairies. Quite frankly, I think your inability to "get it" is as dangerous as one troll my old blog partner and I have dealt with: He said that without a belief in God, he'd go on a killing spree.

You world must be dark, empty place if you have to invoke fictional wonders because you can't appreciate the readily observable ones.

Let's assume it's all myth, and you are completely right. So what? If it produces a positive results for some, let it be a metaphorical truth and stop getting hung up on the facts.

Yes, let's all call the lies truth and just sink back into Dark Age apathism. And let's just bury ideas like justice and honesty.

Metaphorical truths do a better job explaining emotion and spirit than do factual truths.

Your personal ignorance and inability to grasp even the most basic concepts society runs on isn't a solid ground for special pleading.

Life is a journey and a discovery. Let others walk their paths. You don't have to follow them. 90% of them may be wrong. But it ain't the end of the right path that makes life interesting. It's the walk.

Yeah, let's not give a flying flip about whether or not people knowingly harm others in their "path." Harm is irrelevant when you endorse solipsism.

How would you have it? If it ain't proven, don't explore it? That's how we evolve, by people walking down untrodden paths, not by status quo. You can choose to stay put and "WALK NOT." But your urge to complain about others, is like sitting on the bench afraid to play. When an athlete scores, you devalue the effort. When an athlete trips, you scorn.

Now, is that a deliberate lie, or a "metaphorical truth," Mr. Flat Earther? You can't have it both ways: We're the ones investigating. You're the one who actively derides the value of truth, justice, love, and everything else normal human beings hold to be meaningful.

You are an evil, evil, apathetic nihilist, and a hypocrite for pretending to bash us for allegedly having the same "values" and opinions your actions demonstrate that you favor.

Allison DuBois is no athelete: She only demonstrates "talent" when the court is rigged in her favor. Get her on a fair, level, unbaised, controlled playing field with James Randi or shut up. (And if you whine about James Randi's bias, it only shows that you never bothered to learn the most fundamental aspects of science: Proper experiments like Randi's are designed to eliminate bias. Read the faq.)

By the way, Kurt, Dr. Spock wrote a famous book on child rearing techniques. He was a famous real life Earthling. The guy known for logic was Mr. Spock, a fictional half human/half Vulcan crew member of the Starship Enterprise.

Tom:

If you drop another useless, vacuous comment like this one, it will be moved to to the Urinal where the rest of the dipshits live.

Come on, everyone knows that shits live in the toilet. Shitting in the urinal is what caused 9/11.

Also:

In addition, none of us can be or could ever be described as "Goth" in any way, shape or form.

This may have been directed at me, since I participated in the sacking of Rome. It was a different time, and it's not a part of my life that I'm particularly proud of. But even though I haven't renewed my Visigoth membership, I still think they get a bad rap. You know, they've come a long way in the last 1800 years. Sure, they destroyed the seat of all Western knowledge and left the entirety of classical learning in the West in the hands of the Irish, but doesn't everyone deserve a second chance? Jeez, you make one bonehead mistake eighteen centuries ago, and you have to live with it for the rest of eternity.

Kurt:

but there are also metaphorical truths. Truths that are impossible to explain in words or Dr. Spock logic.

1. Dr. Spock was a popular pediatrician who wrote some books 20 years ago. While he probably talked a little about logic, you're thinking of Mr. Spock, the Vulcan science officer on the U.S.S. Enterprise.
2. Metaphors are words. Words that you may not know the meaning of, but words nonetheless. Please, if there are truths that cannot be explained via logic, explain them to us through some other means, specifically how these amazing truths turn Alison DuBois' mistakes into a perfect record.

Why does a father run into a burning building to save a child that he knows will kill them both?

Does he know that? Or does he think "hey, there's a better chance of my child surviving if I run in there"?

Dr. Spock would wait outside.

Dr. Spock is dead. That makes it rather difficult to run anywhere. If you mean Mr. Spock, clearly you haven't seen much Star Trek. Mr. Spock would put his Vulcan katra into some nearby person, then would run in and save the kid, though it meant sacrificing his own life. Eventually, he'd be reborn on the Genesis planet.

Dr. Spock would wait outside. Is the father heroic or an idiot? Every animal instinct inside him says no, but he does it anyways. Perhaps heroic is not the right word as there is nothing gained, but he has a connection and a call to action that cannot be explained by facts, logic or even words.

Animal instinct is not logic. And the "call to action" can very easily be explained by words (actually a word): love. Duh. There's an easy logical argument to be made here, too. It's a play on the prisoner's dilemma, I'd say.

The father running into a burning building could be a fictional story told on the street. It may never have happened and may be a complete myth, yet the listener sometimes "Gets it" and understands the imagery that a man can be more than an animal in a meat-suit with Dr. Spock logic. He has an emotional, spiritual capabilities that can propel him beyond himself.

What the hell are you talking about? "I can identify with fictional characters and gather morals from stories, therefore Alison DuBois is a psychic"? It doesn't take spirituality to be able to put yourself in someone else's shoes.

Why is this relevant to the discussion? Allison DuBois believes she sees something and others believe she sees something. Let's assume it's all myth, and you are completely right. So what? If it produces a positive results for some, let it be a metaphorical truth and stop getting hung up on the facts.

See, if Alison didn't make claims about factual things, this wouldn't be a problem. If she wanted to tell parables and give fortune cookie advice to people, no one here would have a problem with her. But instead, she claims to talk to the dead, to advise the police on actual, factual, real-life cases, and she charges money to give people cold readings in which she pretends to be able to link them to their loved ones. This kind of charlatanism isn't metaphorical truth, it isn't telling a story about a burning building in order to help people understand the bond between parent and child, it's taking the money of people who are grieving and giving them lies in return. It's telling the police made-up information which could derail actual investigations.

Yeah, in some cases it might give the "positive result" of making people feel better. And if they weren't paying for that better feeling, huge amounts of money at a time, for the false hope provided by vultures like Alison, it would be fine. She can dispense her little stories for free; no one would have a problem with that. When it's useless, at least the target hasn't lost money, and when the target gets a little warm fuzzy from it, they don't have an empty pocket to balance it out. When I get food from a Chinese restaurant, they give me the fortune cookie for free; if Alison DuBois wants to charge for fortune cookie-quality stories, she can learn to make some General Tso's.

Yes, sounds cookoo to the superficial, but STOP GETTING HUNG UP ON THE FACTS. Metaphorical truths do a better job explaining emotion and spirit than do factual truths.

Even if they did, metaphorical truths (whatever the hell they are) would still have to be true. It's true that parents feel a special bond with their children. It's true that you should prepare for the Winter instead of playing all summer, and that slow and steady wins the race over quick-but-arrogant. But despite being told in metaphor, these things are still true. What Allison DuBois offers isn't metaphorical truth, it's lies. She lies when she tells you she can talk to your dead loved ones. She lies when she says she's helped the police. She lies, and she charges money for it. Hey, Kurt, how many parents, do you think, have taken her book's advice, "don't kiss them goodbye"?

How many, do you think, are better off because of that? How many feel better because a fraud has convinced them that she can talk to their dead kids, for a small fee? How many would have rather spent more genuine time with their children, than with a sick woman pretending to be them?

There's no truth in that, except the truth that some people will do anything to anyone for money.

Life is a journey and a discovery. Let others walk their paths. You don't have to follow them. 90% of them may be wrong. But it ain't the end of the right path that makes life interesting. It's the walk.

So, you know, if you see a person walking straight off a cliff, don't try to stop them or anything. And the ones who are being led over the path paved with broken glass? Yeah, let them go ahead, they may be wrong, but at least their lives are interesting.

See, that's a "metaphorical truth." It means "we ought to help people so their path in life doesn't suck because they got duped by liars."

How would you have it? If it ain't proven, don't explore it? That's how we evolve, by people walking down untrodden paths, not by status quo.

No, we evolve by mutation and selection, but that's beside the point. I think the way I would have it is "if we've already explored it, and there's nothing there, stop fucking exploring it already." Or better yet, "if it's not proven, don't pay for it." Allison DuBois hasn't proved her special powers. In fact, they've been repeatedly disproven. And we don't get anywhere by believing in things that have been repeatedly disproven. We don't get anywhere by buying into the claims of carnies and snake oil salesmen. No, that's not how we evolve, that's how we go in circles and stagnate.

When an athlete scores, you devalue the effort. When an athlete trips, you scorn.

More like, "when someone claims to be the greatest athlete ever, we say 'prove it.' When they refuse to prove it, and any athletic attempt they make ends up with them falling flat on their face, we don't believe that they're the greatest athlete ever."

How is Allison DuBois hurting you or anybody else?

Oh god, not this again. Allison lies to people, takes their money, and gives them false hope. Is any of that not hurting people?

If my kids wake up, and there are Christmas presents under the tree, than Stanta Clause came just as they expected him to.

But either way, your kids end up with real presents. Tell me, what does Santa DuBois give? Empty boxes with pretty wrapping.

Well, GOD777, you have my sympathy, but I admit that I am glad to know I am not the only one it hates!!

God: The filter's hitting me, too. But that's the price we pay for not seeing dozens of penis enlargement ads.

Well, since it has been approx. two hours and my comment has yet to appear, I'll try again:

Kurt, just so you know, Dr. Spock was a real-life human being who wrote a famous book about how to raise children. The one associated with being logical was Mr. Spock, the fictional half human/half Vulcan science officer on the (also fictional) starship Enterprise.

Oops, now my post will appear twice (eventually). Sorry! I try to be patient, I really do!

Dr. Spock? As some of our readers have already pointed out, Dr. Spock was a famous pediatrician and author of bestselling child rearing books, alternately a genius who understood raising children better than anyone or the man who ruined two generations, depending on who you ask. Mr. Spock is a fictitious character who attempts to live his life under the constraints of pure, emotionless logic, but due to his half-human heritage, often fails miserably. Dr. Spock would very likely have attempted to rescue children from a burning building (in his prime), as his life and career revolved around helping parents and children. Mr. Spock, being a competent and noble hero despite his attempts at slavish dedication to cold logic, would most likely attempt to rescue the children as well (though arguments about fictitious characters' motivations and actions are always open for debate).

Oh, but that's right — you're not "getting hung up on the facts," right, kurt?

And that's why your arguments hold no water. That's why nothing you contribute to this discussion is any better than banging on pots and pans and saying "But you guys don't get my point!" We get your point, kurt, what little there is of it. We just utterly disagree with it, and we think you're an asshat for proposing it.

As always, we've addressed every one of your asinine displays of "truth-seeking" elsewhere, as have many others (including those readers who helpfully commented above), and we're fucking sick of providing those links. Do the fucking research yourself. In addition, you handily demonstrate in your comments that particular brand of arrogant ignorance that just makes our cornholes pucker; so please take your banal line of shit elsewhere. There are only two reasons that we didn't move this comment to the Urinal. First, you tried to make an argument. Yes, your arguments were crap, and yes, we've answered them all time and time again, but at least you did more than call us fucker-butthead potty-mouths. Second, we knew that our readers would quite readily rip you a new one. They've all seen your brand of vacuous horseshit just as often as we have, and we were confident in their ability to respond. Our confidence was not misplaced. Now we'll delve into your little "fact-finding" mission ourselves, thanks very much.

"Metaphorical" truths are bullshit feel-good pap that you're making up — they are not "truths," in the sense that "truth" means "veracity," as in "verifiable," as in we can actually test it and find out the "truth." (Verus est verus, cretin — truth is reality.) What you are feebly attempting to refer to are the subjective perspectives of individuals based on their own emotional needs, biases, and preferences. These perspectives are no less valid than scientific facts from an ethical or moral stance; but they are completely invalid when it comes to engaging in scientific inquiry to learn more about our universe (as opposed to just ourselves). And there's nothing wrong with that. But there is something wrong with saying that such "truths" are in any way related to actual facts, those things we can all observe and agree have actually taken place.

But right — you're not getting hung up on the facts. Because you're such an advanced thinker.

Your implication that anyone here thinks that man is "an animal in a meat-suit with Dr. Spock logic" is a straw man, and incredibly obtuse besides. For your edification — man is an animal, there's no getting around that. Those silly facts again. In addition, the animal is the "meat-suit" — we're made of meat. Wherever our emotional and spiritual capabilities arise from, they're encapsulated in the electrochemical reactions inside that meat. Take a few more biology courses, and try to learn from them this time.

But don't get hung up on those facts, kurt. We wouldn't want that, would we?

Allison DuBois believes she sees something and others believe she sees something. Let's assume it's all myth, and you are completely right. So what? If it produces a positive results for some, let it be a metaphorical truth and stop getting hung up on the facts.

Where do we start with this tripe? Allison can "believe" she sees something 'til the cows come home (though we don't think it's a given that she does), and others are welcome to believe it as well. We've never — ever — said otherwise, and we've made this quite clear in a number of posts and comments, which you would do well to read if you want to participate in any kind of conversation here. But whatever their beliefs, the fact remains that it is a myth with no supporting evidence, and we are completely right according to all possible objective observations. As for "positive results" — yes, it's ever so positive that people are being given false hope and thin comfort while Allison and her ilk provide utter bullshit to distort the memories and emotional impact of lost loved ones while, incidentally, getting paid an obscene hourly rate. If we're assuming it's a myth (and we aren't assuming, we're quite confident in our research), then yes, there is a fucking problem with the "positive results" that come about, because there's nothing positive about them, and only someone who is an ignorant, apathetic fool would think there is.

Damn facts. Why do they keep getting in the way?

And where the hell does someone who takes Allison DuBois' claptrap at face value, who advises that we not dig any deeper than her surface claims, and who thinks we should all be happy to let "metaphorical truths" go unexamined get off calling us "superficial"? Good news, kurt — you're now also officially a hypocrite. Talk about cuckoo.

Sorry, that was a spelling fact. We don't usually correct those, but we're getting hung up on facts today, apparently.

"Life is a journey and a discovery" — that's wonderful and terribly poetic and all, kurt, but it appears that you've unjustly commandeered something that we've been explaining to fruitloops like you for two years, often in those exact words. Correct: it is about discovery, and we're constantly examining what's put before us precisely to discover more about what's going on in this amazing, incredible universe of ours. It's the woo fucks and the religiosos who claim to have figured out the "destination" of the path, asshole. Skeptics and scientists have been patiently explaining for at least a century that the walk is the important bit, and the destination is not only unknown, but such a long way off that — if it even exists — it will be quite an eon before we get there. Read the literature from both sides — we have. It's pretty clear who's interested in exploration and discovery, and who thinks they've seen the base camp at the end of life's nature hike.

Man, those facts are relentless, aren't they?

How would you have it? If it ain't proven, don't explore it? That's how we evolve, by people walking down untrodden paths, not by status quo.

Not "if it ain't proven, don't explore it," kurt. It's: if we've explored it, and the evidence after thousands of years is still utterly lacking, and there has been no useful, practical application of any results, then fucking get over it. That's exactly what has happened, and that's exactly what we're doing. And if you think that scientific inquiry is the status quo, the "trodden" path, try reading the polls some time. The path people have trod for millennia — and most still do, despite some progress — is that of religious conservatism and mystical mumbo-jumbo. That is the status quo, asshat, and that is what we're trying to overcome by walking down the untrodden paths that science and skepticism put on the map in the first place. Woo bullshitters like to think they're "interesting" and "unique," that they're "off the beaten path" — which couldn't be further from the truth. All they do is rehash the same damn bullshit every few generations, with a fresh coat of new vocabulary and hierarchy to fool others into thinking it's "new" (they even call it "New Age" now). Assholes like you have apparently bought into that crap hook, line and sinker.

Wow, facts are like Pringles — once you pop, you can't stop.

But your urge to complain about others, is like sitting on the bench afraid to play. When an athlete scores, you devalue the effort. When an athlete trips, you scorn.

Oh, now we get it...since we're actually trying to point out the predators and bullshit artists in the world, we're sitting on the bench, "afraid to play." Since you want to just pretend that they're not fleecing vulnerable victims, and not take any action to stop it, and not examine any of their claims any more closely than "well, they said so," you're the star player on the field. Right, right...we can't believe how backwards we had all that. Thanks for setting us straight, you apathetic dickhole.

We're so happy you think we have an "urge to complain about others," cockboy. Bully for you. Of course, we're not "complaining" about assholes like Allison, let alone people like athletes who have actual skills and talent that they put into their work. We are, however, calling out pure bullshit when we see it, to assist others who may not have noticed it. And when an athlete scores, we're impressed — because something has been accomplished. When an athlete trips, we feel bad, because that sucks for anybody. Of course, athletes (as overpaid as some may be, but that's another Rant) are providing an actual service — entertainment, in a microcosmic jingoistic way — and they deliver on their stated goal, which "psychics" never do. Analogies only work if they make any fucking sense, kurt.

This would be so much easier to write if we didn't get hung up on all these facts. You must tell us your secret method for ignoring them, kurt.

And here's the inevitable fortune-cookie-cutter portion of your comment.

There is no courage without fear. No achievement without stakes and risk. Relax, smoke a dooby. You don't need to be afraid.

Of course, we rarely get fortune cookies that suggest we indulge in marijuana, but we have to admit, that would be kind of cool — Chinese restaurants, take note. However, we're unsure why you think that our putting effort, thought and research into an exposé of a vile predator like Allison DuBois, who could easily decide to litigate (though she'd never prevail), speaks to a lack of courage or risk. Just as we're unsure how your stance of "just sit down, shut up, and let the bad people do what they do" is supposed to display any courage or risk at all.

How is Allison DuBois hurting us or anybody else? If you've read through our entire series of posts on Allison, and you still can't figure out the answer to that question, then there's not much we can do for you, kurt — you're just actually, factually an idiot.

Oh...that's why you don't like facts — because they punch up what a dispassionate moron you are. Got it.

If my kids wake up, and there are Christmas presents under the tree, than Stanta Clause came just as they expected him to.

And exactly how long do you plan to go on deluding your kids, kurt? Hey, it's a wonderful fantasy for children, and we wouldn't take that away from parents or kids who enjoy it, but according to your "logic," we should continue to accept the "presents" unquestioningly well into adulthood. At some point, it's time to grow the fuck up and face the facts.

Those terrible, evil, mean, nasty, ungracious facts.

Wow, facts are like Pringles — once you pop, you can't stop.

I have a new motto.

Anyone notice when someone says they're leaving after everything thet've said has been refuted they just come right back and start insulting everyone who comments negatively about them. It would be nice if they actually stay true to their statment and never post again

Anyone notice when someone says they're leaving after everything thet've said has been refuted they just come right back and start insulting everyone who comments negatively about them. It would be nice if they actually stay true to their statment and never post again

We've dared to dream that impossible dream on many occasions.

What the hell is a metaphorical truth?
The defining feature of a metaphor is that it's not real.

Whoa. I need to stop by here more often. That was an asshanding if I've ever seen one.

It must be a full moon the weirdo altie wooists are crawling out of the woodwork all over the damn place.

Well, there is supposed to be a lunar eclipse tomorrow night. With the typical altie/woo understanding of science, that might be "close enough" to inspire some utter madness.

Or at the very least, it's not literal — but you got it, JC: "metaphorical truth" is a pretty meaningless phrase. People like onemoment like to use those, because they think it might distract us from the fact that they have no valid case. If we weren't all inured to meaningless psychobabble after years of dealing with such tools, it might even work.

I have phycic powers.
I am getting an impression from kurts passed on
bunny rabbit that that he is a very good candidite for retrospective abortion

I think you mean retroactive abortion.

Retrospective abortion would be like "hey, remember prom? Let's get out the photo album!"

Okay, yeah, bad taste...

The fact that you keep refering to Allison Dubois by insulting names highly discredits your voice and opinions. It makes you appear as an angry and bitter teenager with a limited vocabulary aswell as a limited mind set. Maybe you should take sometime to assess your questionable devotion to targeting Mrs. Dubois, and focus that passionate dislike toward such things as racism and intolerance in the world. Is this what you wish to be remembered for? If so I wish you luck with your bitter and ignorant legacy.

The fact that you keep refering to Allison Dubois by insulting names highly discredits your voice and opinions. It makes you appear as an angry and bitter teenager with a limited vocabulary aswell as a limited mind set.

You've got it waaaaay backwards: The fact that you focus on such trivialities is a sign of immaturity. It's called concern trolling, and it shows that you're more concerned about style than about substance. Your inability to look past such matters is always sign of closed-mindedness: You're looking for flimsy excuses to avoid evaluating the substance of the argument. Bad words do not make the thrust of our arguments vanish.

Maybe you should take sometime to assess your questionable devotion to targeting Mrs. Dubois, and focus that passionate dislike toward such things as racism and intolerance in the world. Is this what you wish to be remembered for? If so I wish you luck with your bitter and ignorant legacy.

So, don't bother with the crime of fraud, which we could potentially do something about by raising awareness. Instead, take away all the physical initiative to focus on abstract bad things we can't ethically do anything physical about, since I'm sure we're all about the spirit of the First Amendment.

I notice that you desperately avoid actually discussing the matter, and apparently place more value on the absence of conflict than you are about combating evil.

Oh, and just so you know: I do speak out against racism. I did a post about a "subtle" sort. Quite frankly, I don't see why it isn't obvious.

sarah:

The fact that you keep refering to Allison Dubois by insulting names highly discredits your voice and opinions.

You can prove DuBois isn't a money hungry lying evil bitch with one single shred of evidence she has the powers she claims. You can't, so we're right.

Maybe you should take sometime to assess your questionable devotion to targeting Mrs. Dubois,

Questionable?! This woman rips people off for a living! If there was a salesman in your neighborhood ripping people off, would it be "questionable" to call him out on it?

Is this what you wish to be remembered for?

Do I want to go down in history as someone who didn't believe in magic for no reason and called out evil vultures preying on sad human beings? Sounds good to me you insipid bitch.

If so I wish you luck with your bitter and ignorant legacy.

Bitter? More like outraged. Ignorant? Come on sarah - you defend a cunt who claims magic powers and feeds on innocent people. Who's the ignorant one?