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Psychic Vibrations Psychic Vibrations : Barbie's Essence, Creationist Tactics, and Hyperspatial Hoax ROBERT SHEAFFER e've all heard about people the 60s and 70s," writes the editor, who channel the spirits of Barbara, who withholds her last name. WCro-Magnon warriors and "Since childhood I have been gifted Indian princesses, but a recent New with an intensely personal, growth- Age breakthrough apparently makes oriented relationship with Barbie, the it possible to receive messages from polyethylene essence who is 700 entities that never had spirits in the million teaching essences. Her influ- first place. From San Anselmo, Cali- ence has transformed and guided fornia, not far from San Francisco, the many of my peers through pre- Barbie Channeling Newsletter celebrates puberty to fully realized maturity. Her this feat. "I channel Barbie, archetyp- truths are too important to be pre- ical feminine plastic essence who packaged. My sincere hope is to let embodies that stereotypical wisdom of the voice of Barbie, my Inner name- twin, come through. Barbie's mes- sages are offered in love." No word yet on whether anything has been heard from Barbie's plastic boyfriend, Ken. Creationists everywhere will soon be flocking to the new Museum of Creation and Earth History, located on the top floor of the Headquarters Building of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) near San Diego. This new 4,000-square-foot museum has a separate exhibit representing each day of Creation Week. Other exhibits center around "The Fall and the Curse." Visitors to the museum start off with a walking tour "through the newly created universe, then the Garden of Eden, followed by entrance *3£" into the regime of sin and death." Next they enter Noah's Ark, followed by 138 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 17 "the domain of pagan pantheistic stories about an alleged Pentagon evolutionism," from which as they exit "psychic task force" that was sup- their eyes catch sight of "the cross of posedly working to "perfect psycho- the coming Savior in the distance." techtronic weapons that will work Given the ceaseless pronouncements through extrasensory perception." that Creationism is based on scientific These stories were first published by fact, not religious doctrine, presum- the well-known syndicated columnist ably the visitor will be able to see for Jack Anderson, for whom McRae the first time the Creationists' scien- worked; McRae later made them into tific evidence substantiating the Fall, a book, Mind Wars (St. Martin's Press, the Curse, and the Regime of Sin and 1984). McRae's accounts of bizarre Death. experiments like the "First Earth In a related development, the status Battalion" were frequently cited by of ongoing research at ICR was believers in the paranormal to demon- updated in the April issue of Ads and strate the significance of paranormal Fads. The researches of Steven A. investigation, and by skeptics to Austin, geologist, in the Grand demonstrate the allegedly near- Canyon and at Mount St. Helens have infinite credulity of those in govern- demonstrated how both "depositional ment. But Ron McRae, writing in the systems (stratified sediments) and June 1992 Spy, now admits that he erosional systems (canyons) can be made the whole thing up. "In formed in a few days rather than December 1980,1 made a bar bet with requiring millions of years." Physicist a friend," writes McRae. "He main- Gerald Aardsma is investigating "the tained that there were limits to what effects of different environmental people would swallow. I didn't think factors on the longevity of fruit flies. so. We bet $10, and I waited for the This may eventually throw light on right opportunity to test the limits." the greater longevity of humans and Soon McRae was feeding Anderson animals" in the antediluvian world, stories like the one about a "hyper- with its thermal-vapor canopy. Biol- spatial howitzer" that could sup- ogist Richard Lumsden is busily posedly "transmit a nuclear explosion demonstrating via information theory in the Nevada desert to the gates of that "the information required for the Kremlin with the speed of genomic growth must have been thought." McRae writes: "These implanted in the organism by creation stories played on for years. Discover at the beginning" and not by a process magazine asked me for more data; for of evolution. Summarizing the ongo- them, I fabricated another weapon— ing effort, the reader is assured that SADDOR, the satellite-deployed dows- "the ICR faculty members continually ing rod. This was supposedly an review the recent literature in their ordinary Y-shaped stick that had been respective fields, in order to try to sent into space, through which psy- correlate any new scientific data with chics were able to hunt for enemy Scripture." What becomes of any missiles and submarines." He notes scientific data that does not correlate that Discover, like Jack Anderson, with Scripture is not stated. "asked for but got not a scrap of evidence that this program actually existed." But not everyone was fooled. Reviewing Mind Wars in SI (Spring 1984, p. 271), Philip J. Klass disputed Starting in 1981, reporter Ron McRae Anderson's statement that McRae was the source of a number of new Winter 1993 139 "has become one of the best investi- swallow. "In the course of researching gators in the business." Klass said, the book, I was told by a White House "This may be true by Anderson's aide that Ronald Reagan consulted a standards, but not by mine." Then psychic to set his schedule. I never James Randi noted other significant, even considered publishing the story; misrepresentations in Mind Wars. I didn't believe it, but more to the In the end, there were limits to point, I didn't think anyone else would, what McRae himself was willing to either." D \ AVAILABLE SOON! ORDER TODAY! BEYOND SKEPTICAL INQUIRER / Explorations in the Paranormal Starring S t e v e SHAW an all-new, 40-minute video exploring famous case studies in skepticism and the paranormal Is Firewalking Miraculous? Does Astrology Work? Were the Gulf Breeze UFOs for Real? including never-before-released historical footage relating to Gulf Breeze UFO sightings Produced for CSICOP by INQUIRY MEDIA PRODUCTIONS Featuring Andrew FRAKNOI • Kendrick FRAZIER • Ray HYMAN Ivan KELLY • Philip J. KLASS • Paul KURTZ • Bernard LEIKIND • Robert SHEAFFER • many more! Written & Directed by Executive Producer Producers Tom FLYNN Paul KURTZ Mary Rose HAYS & Barry KARR Ideal for SKEPTICS' GROUP MEETINGS •PUBLIC LECTURES • SPEAKER SUPPORT $69.95 • ORDER NOW FOR HOME DELIVERY • $69.95 Compute this order form or call TOLL FREE 1-800-634-1610 YES, send me copies of Beyond Belief: Explorations in the Paranormal on VHS Hi-Fi Stereo @ $69.95 each.' Price includes shipping and handling. CITY STATE DAYTIME PHONE check one.. B i l l my MC Visa Ho. Signature (required tor credit card orders) CSICOP • P.O. Box 703 • Buffalo NY • 14226-0703 140 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol. 17 .
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