http://doubtfulnews.com/2013/10/telepaths-faked-remains-of-dead-vietnam-soldiers-for-money/ When I say this is a new trend, I'm not talking about the complete lack of basic decency and morality displayed by this guy, but the new trend of psychics and other scammers actually being charged with crimes, and in some cases actually getting prison time. Here's some other recent stories to illustrate my point. While the crimes are not new, what seems to be new is that law enforcement is actually getting more serious about it: http://doubtfulnews.com/2013/10/kevin-trudeau-exasperates-judge-is-jailed/ (Note, Trudeau WAS, unfortunately, released from jail. Still, this judge had the right idea) http://doubtfulnews.com/2013/09/rose-marks-found-guilty-of-all-counts-in-psychic-fraud-trial/ http://doubtfulnews.com/2013/10/more-of-the-marks-family-sentenced-for-psychic-fraud/ http://doubtfulnews.com/2013/10/lucrative-psychic-ring-busted-in-moscow/
This is the first good news since the unchecked atrocities of the dark ages with regard to this problem. Some still claim to have "supernatural" insight into things. Perhaps they do. But when they stoop to trying to get your money as a first and primary goal, I could not believe them if God himself (Or herself/itself if that fits your beliefs better.) told me they knew everything.
For those who believe such things, Christ Jesus himself gave the command: "you received free, give free." It's nice to see the law catching up to these charlatans who prey on people in weakened emotional states.
A whole lot of psychics and mediums that appear on television or set up shop, use the disclaimer that what they do is for 'entertainment purposes only'. And I have no quarrel with that if it were true. But most legitiimate magicians and illusionists and mentalists, when they do their act, have this tacit, usually spoken statement that what they do is a trick. And when that happens, there's no harm done. Don't get me wrong, there are actual skills involved, which is what makes what they do all the more entertaining and surprising. And if there really were paranormal psychic phenomenon, coming forward to be tested under controlled conditions would be a major contribution to mankind, and science and would really change the way we think about how the world works. So when someone makes extraordinary claims, and does it for (as they say) 'entertainment purposes' (or worse yet, get involved with all-too-credulous law enforcement), yet still maintain that what they are doing is not trickery, that says a lot more about the morality and dishonesty of those individuals. I don't think that the law has caught up with the day to day fakers, but at least more people are being held responsible when victims actually do come forward. If you really have psychic abilities, you should be able to demonstrate them without trickery, and should be able to replicate those abilities under conditions that are designed to prevent fraud or false results. The way I look at this particular Vietnamese practitioner, yes he was particularly brazen. But I see the more maintstream psychics, such as John Edwards, and James Von Praagh the various psychic networks and so on, as committing the same kind of crime, in almost equally a brazen fashion, and sometimes even more lucratively, but without faked bones.
One thing I have to point out is that anyone with genuine supernatural abilities would likely be inclined to hide them. Too many in this world would resort to anything to extort such individuals. If I for instance was able to read minds, I would not be the least bit surprised to discover that some would resort to torture and all manner of horrors to either uncover how it works, use it for their own purposes, or even to kill those with such abilities to keep others from using it. If you had committed numerous, serious crimes but had covered it up well, a person who could learn the truth would be your worst nightmare. Likewise, if you worked to fight terrorists and thought there was a plot to endanger or harm millions, you may be able to justify to yourself, atrocities upon one to make them reveal what they somehow knew. The Human species is not yet mature enough for what we consider supernatural. Time will tell if we ever are.
More on my speculation about what would happen if psychic abilities and/or paranormal phenomenon could be proven scientifically -- it would no longer be labeled paranormal, because then it would be 'normal'. You'd have actual research into the mechanism of these abilities, you'd have scientists watching brain activity, you'd have a whole new field of physics with regards to cause and effect, and so on. Paranormal is just the word that people apply to phenomenon that they want to lend an air of mystery to in order to sell something.,
If any of them were real, they are doing a very bad job of it by hanging out shop signs, and so on. Truly, could you imagine a psychic who could claim that their abilities were scientifically proven? That would be a pretty enviable position to be in. Could there be a few out there with genuine abilities, and no desire for the spotlight? Of course. But if there's only one and he's not talking? That in itself seems kind of unbelievable (in that I don't believe it).
There is no such thing as supernatural or paranormal. They are words describing the unreal. If any such thing was real it would mean we would need to reclassify natural and normal to incorporate it.
More on Kevin Trudeau: http://doubtfulnews.com/2013/11/jury-took-only-45-minutes-to-find-trudeau-guilty/
An update to this story... http://doubtfulnews.com/2014/09/kev...ction-says-the-government-messed-up-the-case/
