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?

All fucking men are mortal.
Socrates is a man (and a shit).
Therefore Socrates is a cunting man.

You will note that while the above argument includes a great deal of gratuitous and unpleasant profanity it is still sound.

Um, actually that argument wouldn't make sense even without the profanity. This one does, though:

All fucking men are mortal,
Socrates is a god damned man,
Therefore, mother fucking Socrates is fucking mortal.

Is this what you wish to be remembered for?

If it was good enough for Harry Houdini, it's more than enough for me.

I'm an idiot. Mea Culpa..

No, you're not an idiot. You just suffered a little brain fart. It happens.

Wow...what a bunch of hardheaded fuckers. Like this stuff actually matters.

Halle-fucking-lujah!

All this time I've been contributing to the Two Percent Company, I've been blindly choosing topics with the hope of one day stumbling upon one that mattered. The problem was that I was lacking the insight to tell what was truly important. At first I thought I needed to find Jesus, but I came to realize that it wasn't the Son of Man that I needed, but rather JJ.

The problem was that, up until now, JJ had never weighed in to tell me whether I chose my topics wisely or poorly. Civil liberties? Religious intolerance? Widespread fraud perpetrated on the general public by leveraging the pain and suffering of others? I could never figure out if any of that crap mattered.

But now that I have JJ's all-knowing guidance on what is and is not important, I feel like my life is on the right track. Thank you, JJ, for getting me right with...well...you!

So what is important, JJ? Do tell. American Idol? 24? One Life to Live? It must be a television show, right? C'mon, man, don't hold out on me like that!

Fucking imbecile.

Too bad you're giving skeptics a bad rep with the annoying name-calling.

If you can't get your point across without insulting, then maybe this isn't your thing. I recommend you visit www.stopsilviabrowne.com and learn how a mature, reasonable, intelligent human being debunks a fraud.

Have a nice day.

You know, anon, you incredibly noble and incredibly stupid soul, we here at the Two Percent Company prefer to focus our energies on getting the facts straight, rather than being "polite" to disgusting piles of raw sewage in human form who have done nothing to deserve anything beyond pure outrage and/or antipathy.

For instance, we wacky, foul-mouthed insult artists actually like to get Robert Lancaster's URL correct; rather than having people click to the parked "portal" that you've provided, we'd rather direct them to the real www.stopsylviabrowne.com — as we've done many times before — so they can get the goods on that gross pile of gaudily manicured manure that pretends to be psychic.

As for your implication that "name-calling" and "insulting" are somehow a bad thing in this context, we've devoted an entire post to people like you. See, this is our thing — presenting facts, information, and our opinions on them, and calling fucking spades fucking spades, with no silly notions that getting angry about the bullshit in the world automatically means we're "wrong" or "out of line" or "should be dismissed as crackpots."

But what "thing" did you have in mind, moron?

As a note, when someone says "Have a nice day" in the context that you've provided, it's just as snide a slam on the person or persons they're addressing as our preferred "Go fuck yourself, shit-for-brains." The difference is that we're being honest about it.

Go fuck yourself, shit-for-brains.

[This comment was edited to correct the Stop Sylvia Browne site links, after fuckhole vulture Boris Kreiman stole the original domain from Robert Lancaster. — The Management.]

I think I'm going to start dropping in on some tamer web sites and ask, "How come you people aren't swearing like truck-driving sailors? This shit is fucking serious!".

When you think about all the nasty crap going on in the world, a lot more outrage is definitely called for. And nothing says outrage like swearing.

That's definitely one attitude I can support, Jason. Too much apathy in the world.

All u skeptics...just go f**k yourselves and shut the hell up!

Holy fuck! It's the husband of fake medium Allison DuBois, Joe DuBois himself, here to put us E-ville Skeptycks in our place! Oh, no, wait — it's just some dumb, cocksucking pecker pretending to be Joe DuBois (a.k.a. George Joseph Klupar). Eh, same difference. Except, of course, that "Joe Dubois" has secretly replaced his own capital B with a lowercase b — let's see if he notices.

Thanks, fake Joe DuBois, for your clever, insightful commentary. We'll be sure to "go f**k" ourselves just as soon as we know what the fuck that's supposed to mean. Perhaps, if you dispensed with the juvenile asterisks and spelled an actual word, you'd be able to get your point across a little better. Then again, judging by your comment, any point you're likely to make probably isn't worth getting across in the first place.

Now, go fuck yourself, asshole. See, that's how it's done.

Of course, even if these people are who they say they are, who gives a rodent's patooty? They haven't made a meaningful point.

Is it just me or does anyone else wonder why Joe has always made himself look like an emasculated pussy by publicly taking Allison's last name? I suspect that legally they are Joe and Allison Klupar, and Dubois is not only Allison's maiden name, but stage name as well. We all know his control freak wife wears the pants, but come on.

Joe, it's okay to go by your last name, we get it, we know your married to the world famous medium and a different last name isn't going to change that. Dubois is just a name she pulled out of a hat a few years before she met you anyway. Dude, it's time to stand up to your sugar momma and demand she let you use your name. For fuck's sake have some pride.

If anyone gets a chance, ask Allison why she changed her name from Allison Gomez to Allison Dubois, If she says anything other than "because I didn't want people to think I was Mexican" - she's lying.

Actually, tikay, your suspicion was pretty much spot on...until somewhat recently. In March of 2006, the DuBois clan requested a legal name change from Klupar to DuBois — across the board, for every member of the family, including their three daughters — and the request was granted in May 2006. So in effect, DuBois was merely a stage name for most of Allison's, er, "career," but it is now the family's official last name.

As a note, good old Clueless Joe also took that opportunity to switch his first and middle names. His birth name appears to have been George Joseph Klupar II. We suspect he may be trying to play down his emasculated similarity to Boy George.

Let me get this straight. From George Joseph Klupar ll to Joseph George Dubois? Damn, Junior gives his dad a great big 'fuck you' with that move. Say it ain't so, Joe.

It's nice to hear they spend such quality time together as a family. What a neat experience it must have been for the kids. Changing their names to Dubois and pronouncing them with her abilities guarantees success in the family business for the three daughters. Allison had to use the power of the Schwartz to launch her career but her daughters won't. The Schwartz is already strong in those three.

I am still unclear about where that name came from in the first place. As I mentioned before, she changed her name from Gomez to Dubois. She did this at some point after graduating from high school in 1990. I also mentioned why she did it. It is exactly what she told me in 1992 when I asked her why she changed her name. However, she never told me where that name came from, forcing me to draw my own conclusion. Obviously it's a tribute to the 80's TV show "Benson." She must have been a big fan

I think it's sad that many people get screwed over by believing it so badly that they can't see the truth.
But hey the TV-show Medium is fucking great and exciting (and fictional!)... love that show.'
cheers to you all

XXX

We're happy to see that you get it, Allan. We've received more than a few comments from people who like the show, and who think that our negative reviews of the real Allison are somehow disparaging to the television program. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Our problem isn't with the people who like the show, it's with the people who insist that the real-life Allison has the same "special powers" employed by her fictional namesake. Perhaps this confusion between fact and fiction explains why these people believe in psychics in the first place....

Anyway, it goes without saying that if you like the show Medium, there's nothing wrong with that (you certainly don't need anyone's validation of your opinion). From what we've seen of it, we personally don't think it's a particularly good show (we had to sit through an episode to write one of our Rants, and we've caught bits and pieces of other episodes), but that's just an opinion, because "like" or "dislike" isn't about facts. Hell, we probably have plenty of our own favorites and interests that would annoy the fuck out of other people — of course, we've noticed that, like Greg Dean, whenever we really like a television show, it gets canceled pretty quickly. So by that logic, you can rest easy — Medium will probably last at least another ten seasons.

This website is an absolute joke~ the name clearly outlines what you do on here, thankgod people like you don't get an actual say in t he 'REAL' world. It's scummy pieces of dog snot like you that fark it up for the rest of us. Remain in your little internet world, where you can talk as much shit as you like and know for certain, that nobody really gives a flying fat fuck what you have to say.. Enjoy your nowhere world losers... nice empire that will crumble and not withstand the hands of time... friggin morons...

Did you get it, folks? The website is a joke — and that was the punchline! Get it? Get it?

No? Oh.

Sorry. It would have been funnier, but "smart," well, isn't.

Anything relevant or useful to add, there, "smart"? Or was this just a drive-by tongue-sticking-outing? If you're going to tell us we have an error of our ways, could you at least show us the error of our ways? You know — by actually addressing any of our arguments and refuting them? It's so frustrating knowing that someone as smart as the great "smart" can see our flaws, but won't share them with us so we can hope to better ourselves.

But thanks for taking the time to prove that nobody really gives a flying fat fuck what we have to say...by reading our material and leaving a comment on our site.

P.S. — we like your e-mail address. It's cute.

You know, I think I'll resurrect the ironic "militant apathist" label for the sake of poking fun at people who make a big deal about complaining without complaining about anything.

Honestly, why would you bother, really? "smart", if that is his real name, leaves himself wide open to ridicule just by spending a few minutes composing this little missive and then typing it.

I know the rules, but I must admit to being curious about his email addy. Any hints?

Suffice it to say, dikkii, this one really is "smart" — like, Mister Wizard smart, we bet (or Mr. Wizard Junior, anyway). Like, so amazingly amazing smart we're just brought to our knees by the sheer weight of gray matter involved. Or perhaps we're being incredibly ironic there.

To be honest, though, we mostly threw in our own inscrutable remark about his e-mail address in response to the baffling reference to our "name clearly [outlining] what [we] do on here." Seriously, we have absolutely no idea what that was even supposed to mean. Do we...um...two things? Do we percent them? Or are we just darn good company? Maybe a little of all three.

And careful, BD — fringe groups have a long history of "taking back" the words thrown at them and using them as a call to arms. The militant apathist contingent may well start marching with their newfound label. Of course, that's only if they can get up the energy to give a shit; and if they did that, they'd be drummed out of the apathist ranks. Oh, wait. On second thought, it looks like you may have hit upon the perfect method for thinning out their numbers!

I can't understand why the hell rest of america is silent on this dubois thing. Either they are for her or against her...but it seems the rest of America does'nt give a shit. Sad day.

It's good to see that someone has done their
homework, and KNOWS that Allison Klupar
self proclaimed psychic is a phony. She
pulls info from every source she can get her
hands on to fool the world into believing that
she is what she says she is. Her husband
must follow her with a ring in his nose, just
to keep her satisfied. Changing his name to
please her, and her changing her name to some
concoction she came up with because she hates
her husbands last name. A sad commentary on
this supposed spiritual person who has never
solved a case, ever. She is just a good talker
and story teller, and a compulsive liar.

I felt compelled to write this not because I dislike Allison myself but you guys pose really good questions. Although there are a lot of frauds out there I do believe there are people with certain "abilities", I consider myself among them. I do not always tell people what I see or feel but there have been hundreds of times that things have happened that I do not know how to explain ever since I was a little girl, I do not consider myself a medium nor do I have ever done "readings" or any of the such. I just perceive strong images, have vivid dreams or very "real" nightmares that come true (not related to myself), strong feelings, visions, things like the such that have a relation with someone or something belonging to a certain person, although it doesn't happen all the time. I have come to believe in the afterlife because of this, and I would appreciate your comments or questions as I'm open to answer them with all honesty. I'm not trying to convince or convert anyone to believe in what I believe in, all I want to say is that as there might be many fakes and frauds, there is also people like me that do not make profit out of this and that do not claim to have "special powers" but in plain honesty have certain perceptions of an unexplicable nature. I would appreciate your input as your questions help me understand my "abilities" (I do not have a better word for it). Thank you.

I'll try to be kind, B.R., but revisiting this thread to find comments like yours is like attending a Vogon family reunion and finding out that you're going to be the Bugblatter Beast's hors d'oeuvre before it eats Grandma (will somebody light my smoke with a copy of the order, please?). My response (as I'm sure would be the responses of many sensible people who frequent our Rants) consists of two points to consider.

First:

...I do not consider myself a medium nor do I have ever done "readings" or any of the such. I just perceive strong images, have vivid dreams or very "real" nightmares that come true (not related to myself), strong feelings, visions, things like the such that have a relation with someone or something belonging to a certain person, although it doesn't happen all the time.

I do not consider myself a medium, B.R., nor have I done "readings" — and I perceive very strong images, and have vivid dreams and very "real" nightmares (apparently had one last night, according to the reports of the person next to me in bed), some of which "come true" (or would appear to, if I was more prone to after-the-fact rationalization and subjective validation). I have strong feelings (which would be confirmed by that same person, regarding this morning!) and often find myself visualizing all sorts of things on a daily basis, some of which I virtually "see" right in front of me.

What none of this does is convince me that there is anything "paranormal" or "supernatural" or even particularly unusual going on. We're human beings, B.R. Most human beings experience these things. And creative and imaginative people do so even more.

We rarely reveal much personal, offline information about us Two Percenters, but suffice to say that we've been wildly creative people our entire lives, in a variety of venues (including our professional lives). The silly refrain from True Believers that our lack of belief is due to a lack of imagination is, frankly, beyond ludicrous. Our imaginations are, with all required humility, pretty incredible — as is our steadfast demand for solid evidence before we accept that anything we might imagine is actually reflected in reality.

In short, on this first point, people need to stop thinking both that: a) their wild imaginations are totally unique to them; and b) these experiences provide any legitimate evidence that there is anything going on beyond what we've already discussed ad nauseam (creativity, imagination, subjective validation, fallible human memory, rationalization, et cetera).

It's called an anecdote, B.R., and there's a reason why scientists don't accept them as valid evidence of any concrete phenomena. When you can test your hypothesis, and have your results replicated by other, independent testers under controlled conditions, then get back to us. Until then, you're smart to declare "I'm not trying to convince or convert anyone to believe in what I believe in" — because you're not going to manage it.

(Of course, I always wonder what the point of discussing subjects like these might be, if you're not interested in taking apart every argument to get at the truth of the matter, but maybe that's just me. To be fair, I'll admit that I have some awfully convincing arguments when it comes to this stuff, so maybe I'm more confident about the issue — it's not about "convincing" others, it's simply about laying out the facts and letting them convince themselves one way or the other. Their conclusions — in the face of those facts and simple critical reasoning — tell me a lot about them.)

My second point, just as important:

...there have been hundreds of times that things have happened that I do not know how to explain ever since I was a little girl...

...there might be many fakes and frauds, there is also people like me that do not make profit out of this and that do not claim to have "special powers" but in plain honesty have certain perceptions of an unexplicable nature.

Hopefully, you won't perceive this as quote-mining — I believe I've captured the essence of what you're saying, there, and I think that these two statements are directly relevant to my second point. If you disagree, please feel free to point it out.

Now then, my point — directly responding to the two statements quoted above — is that I'm a little fed up with folks conflating the idea of an unexplained concept with an inexplicable concept.

An unexplained concept, event, phenomenon, or what-have-you is something that we have yet to figure out. It does not mean that we will never be able to.

An inexplicable concept, event, phenomenon, or what-have-you is something that it is literally impossible to explain, elucidate, clarify, or otherwise make comprehensible. Personally, I can't think of many things in reality that I would call inexplicable — other than abstract shit like a "square circle" (which, if we accept the commonly understood meanings of these two simple phonetic expectorations, is completely meaningless) or the usual silly religious bullshit like an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, omnibenevolent deity (which, given the circumstances surrounding us, cannot possibly exist with all of those characteristics simultaneously).

The answer to your statements is pretty easy: your perceptions aren't inexplicable — you're just refusing to accept the really easy explanations for them. They're addressed at least a hundred times throughout our site, and probably somewhere over a million times if you've visited everybody in our Usual Suspects (you should pay particular attention to Bronze Dog's Doggerel list).

The old standby has been, and remains, that science has always taken what was perceived to be inexplicable and then proceeded, over the course of years or generations of research, shared data, and hard work, to explain it. Event after event, observation after observation, phenomenon after phenomenon, have all been subjected to the rigorous scientific method of inquiry, and have subsequently been explained.

What True Believers want, of course, is for us to just "accept" that their bullshit might be true...when they have never explained it. And we're not interested.

Now, our lack of interest is three-fold, if I may be so bold as to speak for my fellow rational skeptics.

One: no matter how "original" the Believers think their claims are, it's always the same old shit dressed up in new words and disguises that match the motif they're trying to put forth (gods, fairies, crystals, homeopathy, aliens, whatever). We've been there before, and we're not interested in treading over the same ground even if they've painted it different colors.

Two: despite their meta-claims — that their claims might be right, and we just haven't tested them enough, or properly, or fairly — paranormal and/or supernatural claims have been tested (in one form or another) for thousands of years longer than the modern scientific community has been working together on more important pursuits. And despite all that time, not one confirmation of one of these outlandish hypotheses has been found. Since the advent of our academic and technological capacity for true scientific testing, these hypotheses still have yet to garner any confirming evidence (in contrast to the reams of confirmed data backing up more scientific propositions). There comes a point where it's silly to look at the same shit, different flavor...and pretend that it's worthwhile looking into it. We give it a shot if we see any reason to, but you have to come to the table with something more than "Hey, I had the weirdest dream!" (Yes, I'm deliberately simplifying your assertions, but keep in mind that they really can be boiled down to just about that, or the nearest equivalent.)

And three: despite its millennia-long head-start, "research" of the paranormal/supernatural has yielded no useful results. In just a couple of hundred years, real science has given us incredible advances in knowledge, application, recreation, productivity, creativity, manufacturing, maintenance, transportation, communication, medical technology and treatments (both preventative and curative), longevity and infant mortality, and absolutely countless other spheres. When do we simply say "Fuck it, let's concentrate on the stuff that's giving us something we can use instead of the bullshit that doesn't produce"? For me, and those who agree with me, we've already said it. For far too many people, they have yet to reach this conclusion — even though they're very happy to take advantage of all the wonders science has brought them.

To me, that's the height of hypocrisy. "Sure, I'll use all this wacky science stuff to give me a better life, but I still won't accept the results when the scientific method is identically applied to my pet form of bullshit, and my pet bullshit fails miserably." Well, then, don't accept the scientific method at all, stop taking advantage of its incredibly copious results (read: nearly everything and everyone you have ever encountered in your entire fucking life), and watch yourself die off quickly, so the rest of us can get on with actually exploring, learning, growing, and expanding the fantastic body of human knowledge.

The harsh bits aren't directly aimed at you, B.R., unless you yourself are one of those hypocritical pseudo-Luddite atavistic leeches. But by your words, you're not really keeping an "open mind" — something that you'd likely accuse us of doing when we dismiss your "inexplicable" claims as very explicable — but rather deciding without any careful analysis that your own subjective experiences have clinched the subject for you. No, you don't offer an explanation (par for the course with woo bullshit, if you'll pardon my blunt description), but, as just one example, you announce definitively that you believe in the afterlife with no explanation (or evidence).

My truly open mind is open to hypothesis, observation, and evidence, B.R., and therefore — since there has been zero evidence of an afterlife — it is now closed to that possibility, until and unless some kind of evidence comes to light that suggests I may want to revisit the subject.

So what it comes down to, here, is that helping you to "understand" what you call your "abilities" has already been covered. It's about the straightforward (though certainly not simple!) human capacity for warping memory, rationalizing things after the fact, and only recalling the stuff that works seamlessly into our desired conclusion. That's why good science can't be done only by individuals working alone, and why we don't accept anecdotes as evidence, period. We're all fallible — that includes me, and you, and all the skeptics and all the faithful believers — and must therefore work together in order to arrive at an accurate explanation of the universe.

Me? I like working and playing with others. If you're not hanging out with somebody else, then — whether physically or mentally — all you're really doing is masturbating. And I find that highly unsatisfying in the long run (physically or mentally!). Learning new facts, observing new developments, and especially that sudden moment of realization when a concept actually "clicks" — those are the mental equivalent of orgasm, no joke. And those of us with an addiction to reality crave that mental orgasm, in some ways as much as we do the physical one.

So, True Believers: with respect, and understanding that you may just not have come to any of these realizations yet, stop cockblocking us, would you?

And B.R., I hope that this lengthy explication of my position (likely shared — in part or in whole — by others here) will give you an idea of what a comment like yours means to me. It's frustrating, and disappointing, and — when I'm feeling unkind — downright ridiculous.

But I'm trying to be kind. So I'll just say that you might want to do the research yourself, and find out what you may be experiencing, and why there's no need to resort to paranormal or supernatural explanations to understand it. In the end, though, that's your call, and nobody can make that decision for you.

I've made mine, though. And I see your claims for what they are: evidence of a pleasant and creative imagination accompanied by a lack of understanding of how science and evidence work. There's nothing wrong with that, B.R., as long as you own up to it — but you just really have to stop expecting those of us who use the scientific method to accept any of it as a valid representation of reality.

OMG - I just saw Allison on THe real housewives of Beverly hills..... what a mean mean person she is .... your website it soo soo true.

I also just saw Allison on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! OH MY GOODNESS SCARY! My opinion is that she was ATROCIOUS, SCARY, EVIL, AND SINISTER. Totally quack in my opinion. FRIGHTFUL!

OMG, its the reality TV that will set us free?