#304: Christine O’Donnell

Well, I suppose everyone is pretty fed up with this epitome of stupidity and ignorance, so providing any extensive coverage would be excessive. You can read a more extensive coverage here (including a link to the “I am not a witch” video game).

But in case you really want to relive some of O'Donnell's highlights:

O’Donnell’s campaign to end masturbation.

O’Donnell the young earth creationist (complete with the “just a theory” and “if monkeys evolved into humans, why are there still monkeys). 

O’Donnell on why we should stop encouraging the use of condoms and how AIDS would go away if gay people just stopped having sex.

O’Donnell on those awful scientists who have been crossbreeding humans and animals in the US and come up with mice with fully functional human brains.

O’Donnell’s classified information showing that China is plotting to take over the US.

O’Donnell on why she doesn’t celebrate Halloween.

O’Donnell on becoming a Hare Krishna if she didn’t love meatballs so much.

O’Donnell failing the First (and pretty much every other) Amendment.

For the 2012 primaries she endorsed Romney: “That’s one of the things that I like about him — because he’s been consistent since he changed his mind,” said O’Donnell.

Diagnosis: The Platonic form of fail. It might actually be true that she never really consciously lies even though she tells a lot of untruths. Almost as stupid as Victoria Jackson. Hopefully neutralized by now.

#303: Michael Oard

And now we are back to the creationists. Michael Oard is associated with Answers in Genesis and has published several creation “science” articles in their in-house journal Answers. Together with Peter Klevberg he has contributed “Green River Formation Very Likely Did Not Form in a Postdiluvian Lake”. Indeed. For the junk rag Creation he has written, among other things, “Do Rivers Erode Through Mountains”. His answer is that a global flood must be assumed. The geological evidence is … absent. He has also written the book “Flood by Design”. You see where this is going.

Thing is, Oard – who is a meteorologist – is obsessed about taking geology back from those evil “evolutionary geologists” (Don Batten’s term – Batten would have merited inclusion in our Encyclopedia were he not Australian). Oard also denies the existence of black holes and dark matter. Apparently his area of expertise is endless. He has become modestly known for his own theory of the origin of the moon but claims to be suppressed by – you guessed it – evolutionary astronomers. If nothing else works, Oard is pretty quick to appeal to the “different worldview” gambit. But of course, it applies exclusively to evolutionary scientists, who only confirm their preconceptions and are blinded to the alternatives – not to himself.

With one “Beverly Oard” (presumably a wife) he has also written what passes for a creationist science book, “Life in the Great Ice Age” – a picture book designed for homeschool use, appropriate for kids aged 6–8, and another excellent illustration of what creation “scientists” are trying to achieve. It has nothing to do with science, of course, but everything to do with converting kids to Jesus.

He has, predictably, denied AGW – which is promoted by “uniformitarian scientists”. Just as geology, astronomy and biology, I suppose.

Diagnosis: Why are all these deluded, conspiracy-mongering religious fanatics also so blatantly dishonest? In any case, Oard is as deluded and dishonest as they come.

#302: Gary Null

A.k.a. The Kent Hovind of alternative medicine.

Gary Null is a self-proclaimed researcher, nutritionist, herbalist, and political activist. In his medical practice he starts from the commonsensical belief that nutrition is important to health and well-being, and leaves reality from there: he rejects Western medicine and its oppressive trends, such as treating illness with medication. Medicines, you see, don’t help cure the disease, only the symptoms (that goes for everything from colds to cancer). So what should you do? Well – it’s obvious, really – you should buy foods, herbs and woo from Gary Null. And once you have embraced one kind of woo, it becomes a magnet for all the other woo as well. In 2008 Null organized a rally against vaccination in New Jersey in response to a flu vaccine mandate. 

Null is, among other things (such as a cancer denialist), a hardcore AIDS denialist. He denies that HIV is a virus that can be spread sexually and can be “treated” with harmful drugs. Rather, the common underlying conditions for the epidemic are malnutrition, unclean water, poverty, illness such as TB, malaria and dysentery, and poor lifestyle choices (yes, those darned African children and their lifestyle choices). Before he discovered AIDS denialism, Null was the main proponent of the ridiculous coffee enemas, the justification for which truly flaunted his complete medical, anatomical and physiological ignorance – as well as his insulation from evidence (but since the medical establishment is a big conspiracy anyway. Null has often pointed out that he is being followed by shadowy types, obviously agents of science-based medicine). He has also endorsed the blood type diet.

Concerning his credentials, Null claims to be a PhD. He is supposed to have received a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from Union Institute & University (thesis: “A Study of Psychological and Physiological Effects of Caffeine on Human Health” – so that’s where it came from), which is a correspondence college. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, but only for the humanities. An extensive critical look at Null and his credentials can be found here.

He is also known for accusing the “medical community of suppressing alternative cancer treatments to protect the medical establishment's solid-gold cancer train.” Right.

In 2010 Null nearly died from overdosing on Vitamin D through eating his own branded “Ultimate Power Meal” twice a day. This shows that he’s not merely a fraud but actually believes his own claims, I guess. His response was to sue the company making it for him for making it exactly in accordance with his recommendations. Apparently six other people were hospitalized as well. At least Null assures us that “all his other products are fine".

Diagnosis: One of the most dangerous people alive, Null is actually taken seriously by millions of people; he has the potential of doing real harm to the world and has in fact already done so.