James Randi Is a Day Late and a Dollar Short

In case you didn't see it, the UNCC Niner Online published an article about Anita Ikonen, aka Vision From Feeling. It appears* that James Randi himself decided that after a year of silence it was time that he spoke up about this nonsense. Of course, he didn't do it on the discussion forums that his foundation sponsors. Why would he? After all, it was only the most popular paranormal subject for discussion outside of the handful of people who constantly bicker about bigfoot.

Apparently Randi's plan of attack is to wait until some "woo" (a person who believes in the paranormal) generates enough steam to get some notoriety, preferably national. Then he suggests they take his Million Dollar Challenge. Of course, at this point, they don't need the publicity, even if it's negative. They have also refined their shtick so much that they are no longer foolish enough to even attempt to "prove" their abilities because they know they will fail. Instead, they play the victim and gain even more strength among their followers. Sure, the MDC does some good. A few fence sitters may wonder why some famous psychic refuses to take the test, but with the lies spread by the charlatans, it's a tough sell.

What Randi should do is engage the likes of Sylvia Browne before they become famous. Expose them before they generate a following. Expose them before they have publicists who are smart enough to tell them to stay away from skeptics. Expose them when they might still believe in this nonsense.

James Randi had that opportunity with Anita, but he didn't do a damn thing. The topic of Vision From Feeling has generated literally thousands of posts on his board, but Randi has not made a single post or even mentioned her in his blog. She contacted the JREF about the MDC, so they definitely were aware of her. There's no way he can claim ignorance.

With his fame and connections, he could have called her university (UNCC) and spoken to the head of the physics department. He could have said, "Hey, one of your students is spouting a bunch of paranormal nonsense all over my discussion board. She even contacted us about taking the Million Dollar Challenge. Would you folks be interested in arranging a test for her?" He could have stopped her right in her tracks, but he sat on his hands.

Instead, I had to start this website. Me. Somebody with no fame. No pull. No experience. No million dollars. Did Randi offer me any guidance or encouragement? No. Not a peep. Back in September, before I stopped posting on the JREF, I started a thread about things the JREF could do to promote skepticism. Did anyone from the JREF even respond? Of course not. They are too busy arranging cruises and conventions so they can preach to the choir. They're not interested in doing anything truly useful, like debunking an otherwise exceptional student who plans on getting a degree in medical physics. The best way to stop so-called "scientists" from promoting pseudoscience is to expose them before they get into a position of power.

The only thing James Randi did was post a single comment on the article about Anita, and he got that wrong. He says that her claims are not on her website. They are. He refers to people who might believe in her foolishness as "suckers" - yeh, that's a great technique. Insult the very people you're trying to keep from harm. He also says she will laugh all the way to the bank even though there is no evidence she has ever charged anyone for her perceptions. What Randi doesn't realize is how far this site has already gone in keeping her from being able to make a career of this.

What do you think will happen when Anita wants to go for her masters or doctorate? What about when she tries to get a job? People research candidates these days because it's so easy to do on the web. If any reporter wants to write an article about her, they, too, will do some research. What do you think they will find? I have made sure that this site is the #1 listing in all the search engines for Anita Ikonen. Her credibility as a scientist and a psychic has already been damaged by her own words and actions. This site simply tells the story.

So, Mr. Randi, nobody needs your two cents about Anita, especially when it's ill informed and inflammatory to the people we want to reach. Stick to your cruises.

* I do not know for a fact that James Randi is the one who actually wrote the comment. It sounds like him, though. All of my points about Mr. Randi still stand as do my points about how stupid that comment was, even if he didn't write it himself.