I think that was understood from the start. My biggest problem with this, though, is that it seems to uphold the Alt-Med nonsense that seems to be a part of the health care debate in this country. We've already got Chiropractic, Herbalism, Holism, and other such nonsense, all of which in the current discussion are vying for their place in the debate, for their share of what could amount to Federal dollars.
The French political scientist I once read was discussing Louis the XVI, saying, "You don't need a good (hearted) king, you need a competent one." I don't want a doctor with good intentions poking around in my innards, I want one who knows what the hell he's doing, and can diagnose and cure what's wrong with me.
What's desired here isn't an actual test, (hence, the reason for the complicated protocols proposed), but rather the chimera of credibility, something
just valid enough to justify the claim. The Million is safe; it's not the goal. Credibility among a particular group is.
Assume that we go through the same game that we did with The Professor; unworkable proposals follow unworkable proposals, with no clear definition of a "self-evident" proof. VFF then can go out and declare that JREF was terrified,
terrified, I tell you, of testing this marvelous ability! Money, baby, money!
It's the reason Sylvia Browne has fled as fast as her caretakers can push the wheelchair that carries her fat backside. There's great profit in these people claiming that James Randi is too scared to test them, and it's a claim that's believed by the woos, even as the evidence, posted here on the board, shows that not only was Randi willing to see them tested, but that the JREF staff went out of their way to make it possible for them to be tested.
To put it another way, go back and read the abusive display from The Professor, and follow the whole repellent business. There were people writing the protocols for him, and he ignored them!
Sorry, but while this sounds incredibly cynical, I'm just not interested in seeing a repeat. I don't have the time or inclination to participate, (so this could be my last post in this thread), and since this "ability" is based on the downright weird claim of VFF being "Arcturian," offered without evidence of any sort, (even of a wooish nature), I'd like nothing more than to see this whole business die a slow, quiet death. I'm not willing to see people's lives endangered to cater to the whimsies of a self-centered fantasist, someone we'll likely see on daytime TV in the near future. I'm not afraid to see this tested; I'm afraid of the consequences of giving even the most infinitesimal credence to such a destructive flight of fancy.
Now, if you'll excuse me, my buddy, Harvey, and I need to get aboard our flying saucer, since we're meeting Bigfoot and a couple of Yetis over lunch. Seems Xenu's been hitting the sauce pretty hard, and an intervention is called for. Later.
), I do believe it makes more sense to follow JREF's guidelines for the Challenge, and it makes even more sense to keep this whole business as simple as possible. Making it overly complicated, or turning it into an endura for anyone accomplishes nothing, except irritating the participants. Hell, when Jeff Wagg was the test subject, the time limit was fifteen minutes. It seems to me if you can't figure out which hand has a slab of raw meat in it with a quick glance, how will you spot the person with one kidney over a four hour period? 
) against one good spanking if she fails.
