#494: Philip J. Berg

Philip J. Berg is a legendary activist attorney and conspiracy theorist, with several famous attempted lawsuits to his name. In 2001 he demanded the disbarment of U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas due to their participation in the case Bush v. Gore. In 2004, Berg filed a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) lawsuit on behalf of a World Trade Center maintenance worker against President George W. Bush and others for Bush’s planning and conspiring to bring about 9/11, including hundreds of allegation; and when that one was unsuccessful he challenged Bush on his right to conduct a war against terror – and to for fairness sake, another lawsuit against Saddam Hussein without a congressional authorization.

More precisely, the RICO lawsuit alleged (among other things) that the Twin Towers were destroyed by means of “controlled demolitions;” that the FDNY conspired with Larry Silverstein to deliberately destroy 7WTC; that projectiles were fired at the Twin Towers from “pods” affixed to the underside of the planes that struck them; that FEMA is working with the US government to create “American Gulag” concentration camps that FEMA will run once the federal government’s plan to impose martial law is in place; that phone calls made by some of the victims, as reported by their family members, were not actually made but were “faked” by the government using “voice morphing” technology; that a missile, not American Airlines Flight 77, struck the Pentagon; that United Airlines Flight 93 was shot down by the U.S. military; that the defendants had foreknowledge of the attacks and actively conspired to bring them about; that the defendants engaged in kidnapping, arson, murder, treason, conspiracy, trafficking in narcotics, embezzlement, securities fraud, insider trading, identity and credit card theft, blackmail, trafficking in humans, and the abduction and sale of women and children for sex. Pretty much every single troofer talking point, in other words. The courts gave the plaintiff a week to show cause why his lawsuit should not be dismissed, which Berg promptly failed to do.

The next step for Berg (a Clinton supporter) was obvious: birtherism. He has filed several lawsuits against Obama, which have usually been rejected because the plaintiff (usually himself) has no standing, though at least one case was thrown out for being self-contradictory (claiming that Obama was not born in Hawaii but also that Obama lost his citizenship when he went to school in Indonesia); another one, filed with (at least) Lawrence J. Joyce (and John D. Hemenway, who at least got his fingers burned) is here. As an offshoot (as opposed to the kicking it up a notch, which he did here), Berg has also sued birther Orly Taitz and her supporters and for harassing his (Berg’s) supporters, plagiarizing his work, as well as various allegations about software tracking kits on her website. Berg also runs a blog called Obama Crimes, and you can see a video from his birther rally here.

Attorney Philip Berg is, by the way, not the same as kabbalah proponent and astrologist Philip Berg (a.k.a. Feival Gruberger). The latter may deserve at least honorable mention as well.

Diagnosis: I suppose a case could be made that the world would be a lot less fun without people like Berg; he lays claims some money and resources that could have benefited more deserving people (but so do circus clowns for hire), but is probably overall relatively harmless. The fact that people actually genuinely support his claims should be absolutely astonishing, but it isn’t.

#236: Jonathan Levy

Jonathan Levy has on occasion been the pathologically incompetent attorney for the incomparably insane Orly Taitz. Admittedly, no one would expect anyone serious to help Taitz – the queen of birthers – with her schizophrenic and incoherent attempts to obtain legal recognition of the fact that Obama was born in Kenya and is hence not rightful president of the US, and the bizarre situations arising in her wake. This time around, she appealed to the United Nations for protection (it is unclear what she wants to be protected from) – but Levy, who finally took her case, seems to be a new low. Levy couldn’t even manage to spell the president’s name correctly.

Levy has also appeared on the Alex Jones show babbling less than coherently about the Vatican bank and the Illuminati. His About Me page on Avvo is … interesting.

Diagnosis: Exasperatingly dense crackpot; seems to have a hard time aligning his worldview with anything resembling reality, but is otherwise probably harmless

#220: Gary Kreep

The aptly named Gary Kreep is one of the more notable elements of the birther movement. Kreep is the executive director of the United States Justice Foundation (it’s truly insane piece of wingnuttery), a California-based non-profit organization dedicated to undermining Obama’s presidency. He has been known to team up with Orly Taitz, which has not exactly been beneficial to his (already completely lunatic) cause.

He has also, apparently, sued the Department of Homeland Security for its targeting of conservatives (warning: this site, run by one Trevor Loudon, is an utterly insane conspiracy theory website).

More here.

Diagnosis: Rabid wingnut whose misguided fury has blinded him to anything remotely resembling reality. His impact is uncertain, and the birther movement appears to be on the decline now, but it may be worth keeping an eye on him.

#213: Larry Klayman

Larry Klayman is a legend in the law business for his long row of knee-jerk, utterly unhinged lawsuits. The founder and chief representative of the Miami and D.C. based Klayman Law Firm, Larry is best known as the founder and former Chairman of Judicial Watch (which Larry has, of course, subsequently sued as well). Judicial Watch gained notoriety through the initiation of 18 civil lawsuits against the Clinton Administration, and subsequently an unsuccessful lawsuit against Vice-President Dick Cheney in order to obtain information about the White House's energy task force. He currently runs an organization called “Freedom Watch”.

Among the lawsuits Klayman has filed is (at least) one against the Islamic Center in Manhatten on the grounds that the project was a “nuisance”.

Klayman is predictably enough among those who suspect Obama of harboring secret, less than benign motives: “Despite Obama's early claims that his is a Christian, the American people are not stupid. Simply calling oneself a Christian, does not make one a Christian. Obama's heart tilts toward radical Islam and the terrorist states which it foments". He also argued that Obama was behind the swine flu. His evidence is a little unclear. He has also raged about what he perceives as a government conspiracy to hide evidence for extra-terrestrial life (yes, that’s the level his mind operates at).

Klayman likes attention, and has apparently realized that making a fool of himself is a good way to get it.
Diagnosis: Legendary kook, and a rather entertaining one. Probably relatively harmless.

#211: Les Kinsolving

Charles Lester Kinsolving is a political talk radio host, currently heard on WCBM in Baltimore. Also a White House correspondent for birfer pandering, and an exceptionally delusional WorldNetDaily contributor (he is also an Anglican Church minister and, to his favor, one of the early vocal critics of Jim Jones back in the seventies, for which he was heavily criticized). He is perhaps most famous for his vocal criticism of gay rights organizations, which he calls “the sodomy lobby”. In all fairness, he has made some intelligent reports in his time, and is liberal for a conservative (he is pro-choice and against the death penalty, and as a priest he has denied the existence of hell and virgin births), and has had an interesting career (he also played General Barksdale in the movies “Gettysburg” and “Gods and Generals”). His association with WorldNetDaily has, however, not exactly put him in a positive light. He is famous as a completely crazy but somewhat charming correspondent who has pestered every Presidential spokesperson from Nixon and onwards with the most bizarre questions, and is a well-known maverick (joke) among other correspondents.

His anti-gay screeds are consistently unconcerned with accuracy. He is also clinically unable to understand why some of the usual slippery slope fallacies are fallacies. That is, he really, really doesn’t get it, and has gone on and on and on about how recognizing gay rights must, I say must, mean recognizing the rights of child molesters to molest whoever they want, and has done so for years and years.

Kinsolving is a hero among the birfer movement who has repeatedly asked Obama (or his staff) about comments on the fact that he is an illegal, muslim alien. He is also prone to typical theocratic distortions regarding most positions he disagrees with.

Diagnosis: Typical village idiot for whom you can’t really help but have a certain ounce of sympathy. He’s something of a legend, but it is doubtful that he has a lot of direct followers (few people but Kinsolving seem to combine pro-choice, birfer conspiracies and virulent, religiously fanatic anti-gay campaigns).

#206: Alan Keyes

Alan Keyes is a conservative speaker and activist who has run for President and the Senate numerous times (always losing, thankfully – in 2008 he ran with Wiley Drake). He is most famous for being clinically insane, completely ignorant and pathologically intellectually dishonest. More about his career can be found here and here. He used to try to run on a Republican ticket, but after 2008 ran with the Constitution part - but since they supported Chuck Baldwin he started his own party, the Independence Party.

He is insanely anti-gay, actually arguing that gay people cannot have sex (they are rather “mutual pursuit of pleasure through the stimulation of the organs intended for procreation, but it has nothing to do with sexuality because they are of the same sex. And with respect to them, the sexual difference does not exist. They are therefore not having sexual relations”). When Keyes’s own daughter came out as homosexual, she was promptly disowned.

He is a strong champion of gun rights, coming up with reassuring claims such as “gun owners are pro life and their guns are to defend the lives of the unborn” (see also this). He has also claimed that downturns in the economy prove that God is angry with legalized abortion.

Keyes is also a staunch supporter of teaching Biblical creationism in public schools, and he supports mandatory prayer and faith initiatives – as long as they are not Jewish, since Jewish (as opposed to Christian) initiatives promote enmity and hatred (see also this). He is also a firm believer in theocracy and the religious foundation of the U.S. - in the sense of Gary Bauer, Gary DeMar, Gary North and David Barton (who should apparently change his name to “Gary” as well). See also this.

In November 2008 Keyes (and Markham Robinson) filed a lawsuit against the California Secretary of State, then-President-elect Barack Obama, then-Vice President-elect Joe Biden, and California's 55 Democratic electors, seeking to challenge Obama's eligibility for the US Presidency (though Keyes didn’t like McCain either). The suit requests that Obama provide documentation that he is a natural born citizen of the United States. Following Obama's inauguration, Keyes denied he had been constitutionally inaugurated, refused to call him President, and called him a "usurper" and a "radical communist". He has even resorted to civil disobedience over the matter (though refusing to call it “civil disobedience, since he doesn’t believe in that). Keyes is thus one of the most central idiots of the birther movement. He has also been affiliated with the Christian Exodus independence movement.

Keyes also made a rather unflattering appearance in Borat.

Diagnosis: Blatheringly moronic fundamentalist and rabid clown. He has some die-hard followers, but even the more extreme Republican wingnuts often find that they have to distance themselves from him.

#153: Louie Gohmert

Gohmert is a current Republican U.S. Representative from Texas's 1st congressional district. That’s a rather scary thought. Gohmert's position as a hardcore fiscal rightwing is not surprising. His lunacy may be made more obvious by the fact that he signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 1503, which would "amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require the principal campaign committee of a candidate for election to the office of President to include with the committee's statement of organization a copy of the candidate's birth certificate, together with such other documentation as may be necessary to establish that the candidate meets the qualifications for eligibility to the Office of President under the Constitution". Still, that might have been opportunistic pandering to the substantial nutblock on GOP’s right wing.

There's no getting around the terror babies bit, however (see also here). And he cannot get around his response to a CDC report saying that Americans did not eat enough fruits and vegetables: ““Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta said people in America are not eating enough fruits and vegetables. They want all the power of the federal government to force you to eat more fruits and vegetables. This is what the federal, CDC , they going to be calling people and finding out how many fruits and vegetables you eat (sic) today. This is socialism of the highest order!" You can virtually see the synapses short-circuiting during the mental processing that goes on in Gohmert’s head here.

To crown the case for the inclusion of Gohmert, you could watch this clip (Gohmert arguing against the protection of gays since that would lead to the protection of pedophiles and necrophiliacs, and he wants Alan Keyes for president – and that last fact is enough to qualify Gohmert for any list of loons).

If there is still any doubt about the helpless ignorance, incompetence and nuttery of Gohmert, try this. Or this one.

You can also watch Debbie Riddle make a fool of herself trying to defend Gohmert’s idea of terror babies.

Diagnosis: It scares me a little that after dealing with this row of unhinged nutters, Gohmert comes across as almost normal. He isn’t. He is insane.

#142: Pam Geller

Blogger (her blog is called “Atlas Shrugs”, you do the math), political activist, and co-founder of Stop Islamization of America, Geller has been cited as one of the most virulent opponents of the Park51 community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan – and even as one of the leaders of the anti-mosque movement. She has, understandably, been denounced for hate speech from several critics, and not only for her anti-Islam stance; she has been a staunch defender of Slobodan Milošević, denied the existence of Serbian concentration camps in the 1990s, and claims that black South Africans are launching a "genocide" against whites (she has also expressed support for the far right English Defence League).

Herself of Jewish background, the general tenor of her screeds can be summed up by the following quote: “It galls me that the Jews I fight for are self-destructive, suicidal even. Here in America (and the world over), Israel's real friends are in the Republican party and yet over 80% of American Jews are Democrats. I don't get it. The conventional wisdom on the Left is that Israel is an oppressor and her actions are worse than the world's most depraved and dangerous regimes. Chomsky, Finkelstein, Soros – these men are the killers. [… Israel should] stand loud and proud. Give up nothing. Turn over not a pebble. For every rocket fired, drop a MOAB. Take back Gaza. Secure Judea and Samaria. Stop buying Haaretz. Throw leftists bums out.”

Regarding Park51, she claims that it is a “Mega Mosque at Ground Zero” (truth and accuracy have never been cherished by this kind of people), viewed by Muslims as a "triumphal" monument built on "conquered land". She has also opposed other mosques and claims that the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem should be removed.

Geller says Ayn Rand is "the greatest philosopher in human history," (which alone would qualify her for an entry in this Encyclopedia), and claims that her “blog is, and its purpose is, clearly defined by Rand's philosophy.” (despite my distaste for Rand, I suspect that Geller’s religious right viewpoints are actually pretty far removed from anything Rand would have wanted to be associated with). The blog concentrates on what she perceives to be a violent threat to the United States by Islamic extremists and liberal politicians. Her “style of writing is like one long primordial scream”, but the main focus is anti-Islam.

Among the tasteful and accurate posts on her blog are the following:
- Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan (who is Jewish) supports Nazi ideology (the post was accompanied by a fake picture of her in a Nazi uniform) (on a related note)
- A video suggesting that Muslims have sex with goats
- A doctored photo showing President Obama urinating on an American flag, with claims that Obama's mother was involved in pornography and that Obama "was involved with a crack whore in his youth".
- Accusations to the effect that Obama is an anti-Semite doing the bidding of "Islamic overlords," (posting an essay suggesting, without any evidence, that the President is the "love child" of Malcolm X).
- Democrats are Nazis (repeatedly)

So of course she had to be picked up by the WorldNetDaily.

A longer list of her greatest hits can be found here.

(a few of them are discussed here)

She is of course an ardent birther. That should surprise no one.

Some think this is the peak of her bloglife, however.

Diagnosis: Epically insane. There is no one quite like her. She makes Glenn Beck seem like Noam Chomsky in comparison. Her impact is unclear, but she is given a lot of attention by Fox News.

(Actually, this blog might be even one (small) step farther out there: - though it might be a spoof. You never know.)

#132: Walter Fitzpatrick (and Carl Swensson and the AGJ)

Some people seem to live their life happily in parallel universes, somewhat like the bad guys in Wrong Turn or Deliverance. Barely literate, they have their own little militia camps where they can thump their Bibles, arrange secret meetings in old Skeeter’s hayloft and complain about the lizard men, communists and chicken thieves.

Walter Fitzpatrick III, a retired military officer, is just one of several of these nutballs who have written “presentments” against Barack Obama for citizen grand (show) juries (meetings in Skeeter’s hayloft), and now demands that the local sheriff takes action and go out and arrest the president. “AGJ” stands for “American Grand Jury” – that’s what they fancy themselves – and is one of several such nutball organizations.

Fitzpatrick’s claim that there isn’t even a question about Obama’s eligibility as president. Why? Because he’s not a natural citizen, of course. He was born in Kenya … or something (it is a little unclear, insofar as Fitzpatrick’s screed isn’t entirely coherent). He also accuses Obama of treason. Read the thing here.

Now this is a relatively common occurrence, but this particular case set a rather bizarre chain of events in motion. Some weeks later Fitzpatrick marched into the Monroe county courthouse in Madisonville, Tenn., and attempt to arrest Grand Jury foreman Gary Pettway for official misconduct (Fitzpatrick had previously tried Pettaway to act on his and Carl Swensson’s (another AGJ leader) charges of voter fraud during the election, something Pettaway was unwilling to do). As one expects, the incident ended with Fitzpatrick being arrested instead.

Now for scene 3: Carl Swensson, claiming that Fitzpatrick had “put his life on the line for us [… like] our founding fathers” and was now on a hunger strike. He urged his followers to march on the courthouse, get Fitzpatrick out of jail and make sure justice is served.

A number of people responded to the call, among them Darren Huff who loaded up his truck (emblazoned with the Oath Keepers logo) with his colt and his AK-47 and set off for Monroe to arrest the county officials – “domestic enemies of the United States engaged in treason”. Of course, Huff didn’t get far – he was already being monitored by the FBI, you see (can you imagine why?)

You can read the story, with commentaries, here.

The AGJ website is here.

It is quite a read. See, for instance, one retired lawyer, Leo C. Donofrio, argue for the legitimacy of the AGJ.

Or, go to their archive and read the presentments written by luminaries such as David Rachel (Florida), who writes to judged Lamberth, accusing him of wimping out on prosecuting Obama for being a fraud – Rachel is at least content that Lamberth will, eventually, be judged by God. Or the grievance letter to Lamberth, a petition with 3181 (electronic) signatures, organized by one AGJ member Norman Abbott. Or perhaps Norman D. Caron (who seems to have serious issues) accusing “Barack Obama, aka: Barack Obama, Jr., aka: Barack Hussein Obama, aka: Barry Soetoro, aka: Barry Obama, aka: Barack Obama, presumed President of the United States” of fraud and treason.

One Armando Carranza seems to have been industrious. Daniel Hunt, however, seems more lost, but indicted Nancy Pelosi as well because, well, probably because he doesn’t like her (she may be the grand master behind the conspiracy. Obviously). Maggie Passaro apparently had difficulties with even delivering her presentment and was offended by an agent who referred to Obama as a citizen when clearly he is not. Sally Borghese delivered a presentment in Michigan, and Monica Sanders was obviously dissatisfied with congressman Wittman, who apparently seems to do nothing about her complaint (“[he] might as well join the Democrats as far as we are concerned”).

It’s a pity the sanity side of the debates is so much less persistent.

Diagnosis: Bizarre

#126: Joseph Farah

One of the real movers and shakers behind the moron movement, Farah was the founder and chief editor of WorldNetDaily, with regular columns from luminaries such as Pat Buchanan, Pat Boone, Chuck Norris, Tom Tancredo, Phyllis Schlafly, Alan Keyes, David Limbaugh, Jerome Corsi and others. He has also worked closely with Rush Limbaugh, writing parts of his books for him – and he has written his own books, such as Taking America Back and the Tea Party Manifesto. You get the idea.

He is an avid creationist, sometimes seeming to want to top even Answers in Genesis for sheer ignorance and lunacy.

He is also an avid adherent of homeschooling – officially because children will purportedly get better education not tarnished by liberal brainwashing; less officially because children will not be exposed to science that isn’t obviously consistent with the Bible (i.e. the King James version – everything else is heresy). As he said: “What’s happening in government schools today is nothing short of child abuse.”

And he is a strong supporter of Biblical Taliban and an avid proponent of full-scale war on Islam.

He is most famous of all, however, for being one of the biggest supporters of the birfer movement, usually claiming rather openly that he thinks Obama was born in Kenya and thus ineligible as president (he claims that he only wants the president to procure proof of citizenship, but makes it abundantly clear that no evidence would satisfy his standards). It isn't just that Obama wasn't born in Hawaii – it's that he wasn't even born to the woman who claims to be his mother. Obama was, in fact, born to the woman who claims to be his grandmother and his mother is really his sister.

The “fact” that Obama is not born in the US is not the only reason he is ineligible as president, however.

Farah is also at war with Wikipedia (compare here and here).

Obviously, he is a theocrat (rightwing; compare “America will never again be a free country until it ends the income tax. I'll bet you agree with that statement. I'll bet a referendum on ending the income tax would be approved by 75 percent of the American people -- maybe 90 percent.” and “We cannot ignore that a libertarian society devoid of God and a biblical worldview would quickly deteriorate into chaos and violence.”) Of course, the argument is strengthened by the fact that it is premised on God intervening and actively punishing America if we go against the commands of the Bible. Besides, the Founding fathers never supported the separation of church and state (taking a full DeMar here; facts are irrelevant as long as you think of Jesus when talking). And he doesn’t like gays (this argument against gay marriage has to be savored); nor Ann Coulter, since she is apparently not anti-gay enough. Point is (of course): gay marriage will, necessarily, undermine civilization (since, of course, there is no difference between recognizing gay marriage and prohibiting straight marriages and straight sex).

But it is still abortions that constitute maybe the biggest threat to … the Constitution: “If Roe v. Wade is...the law of the land, then the U.S. Constitution is null and void. There is simply no other interpretation.” (task: try to reconstruct the tacit argument there …)

On a completely different note, he thinks that people who consider waterboarding to be torture to be unable to distinguish right from wrong, because considering waterboarding to be torture means that you want the radical Islamic terrorists, and liberal pro-science evolutionists, to take over the US. See also this one.

He is, in short, the king of wildly misdirected, ignorant, contentless outrage.

He did, however, think that the Conservapedia Bible project was a little over the top (we'll return to that).

More here.

Diagnosis: The face of unhinged lunacy itself, this guy is too insane even for people like Michael Medved. This guy can hardly be topped. But he is doubtlessly dangerous, and the Worldnetdaily does, believe it or not, have sympathetic readers.

#117: Cynthia Dunbar

Perhaps the most influential loon in our Encyclopedia, at least in 2009-10 – her antics caused severe, maybe irreparable damage. Hopefully, her power to do harm may have abated, but I’ll be reluctant to write her off.

Dunbar is a lawyer and author in Richmond, Texas and currently a Republican representative on the Texas State Board of Education. She is a graduate of Regent University School of Law (Pat Robertson's university) and teacher of law Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. In other words, she has a fake education, and her lack of real knowledge or understanding is displayed by her utter stupidity, lack of knowledge and understanding, her anti-science anti-intellectualism, ignorance, dishonesty, zealous conspiracy theories and general wingnuttery.

In 2006 she won the Republican nomination for the Texas State Board of Education for District 10, claiming that people voted for her because she supports teaching intelligent design in science classes. So what else does she stand for?

Her book “One Nation Under God” argues (asserts) that the Christian religion should be more prominent in the public square and championed by the government. She is herself a homeschooler, and also claims that public education is a "subtly deceptive tool of perversion" and that "the establishment of public schools is unconstitutional and even 'tyrannical'." (here
- because, of course, they disagree with respect to whether schools should actively promote Christian reconstructionism of Barton’s or DeMar’s styles, or creationism).

What has she achieved? As a member of the Texas State Board of Education, in March of 2010, she proposed and won ratification of a number of modifications to Texas K-12 social studies curriculum, including the removal of Thomas Jefferson and mention of the Age of Enlightenment (i.e. any implication that reason should be the foundation for authority; more here). More precisely, the previous formulation:

- “explain the impact of Enlightenment ideas from John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Charles de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Thomas Jefferson on political revolutions from 1750 to the present.”

was changed to

- “explain the impact of the writings of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Charles de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin and Sir William Blackstone on political revolutions from 1750 to the present.” (important enlightenment thinkers such as Aquinas and Calvin were added, in other words)

So Thomas Jefferson, who favored separation of church and state, had to go. On the other hand, a new focus on the "significant contributions" of pro-slavery Confederate leaders during the civil war was added. Furthermore, the study of Sir Isaac Newton was dropped in favor of examining scientific advances through military technology; and she suggested an amendment to the effect that the anti-communist witch-hunt by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s may have been justified.

Another curriculum amendment describes the civil rights movement as creating "unrealistic expectations of equal outcomes" among minorities, and at the same time drops references to the slave trade in favor of calling it the more innocuous "Atlantic triangular trade".

Dunbar says these are important steps to overturning what she believes is the myth of a separation between church and state in the US (she is, with DeMar and Barton, explicitly endorsing the view that the United States was ultimately governed by the scriptures.) In fact, she thinks government should be guided by a “biblical litmus test.” She endorses a system that requires “any person desiring to govern have a sincere knowledge and appreciation for the Word of God in order to rightly govern.” (in other words theocracy, Taliban style). Here is her prayer before the board voted to distort history for Texas’s kids. And here is an intelligent discussion of the system that allows such loons through to positions of influence. Another of her public prayers is discussed here.

If you have children in Texas, you should move.

She is, of course, a pathological liar, but I suspect it is unintentional – this nitwit wouldn’t be able to distinguish truth from falsity if it hit her with a shovel.

She has also written (for the Christian Worldview Network website) that a terrorist attack on America during the first six months of an Obama administration would more likely "be a planned effort by those with whom Obama truly sympathizes to take down the America that is threat to tyranny." As if ayatollah-sycophant Taliban theocrats such as Dunbar would be able to distinguish tyranny from freedom.

She is also a birfer who thinks Obama is, secretly, a muslim.

Diagnosis: Total moron, and probably one of the loons that has caused the most harm of all the loons covered thus far. She is off the board now (she didn’t run for reelection), but much damage has been done, and it doesn’t mean she won’t reappear elsewhere.

Also indicted is fellow board member, Democrat Rick Agosto, who aligned himself with the Taliban on most issues concerning education. Do not forget him. The abominable Ken Mercer will get his own entry (Barbara Cargill has already got hers). As mentioned, Dunbar was not herself running for reelection in 2010, and her handpicked successor Brian Russell (equally lunatic) lost the runoffs. At least a glimmer of hope for the future of sanity in Texas.

#113: Wiley Drake

The amiable, lovable Wiley Drake is a Californian Southern Baptist minister and talk radio host, and a prominent member of the American Independent Party. In fact, he was their vice-presidential candidate in 2008 (with Alan Keyes - who will be covered later - rest assured, as the presidential candidate). He is most famous for calling for prayers for the deaths of those who disagree with him, including political opponents.

He was most famous for urging his followers to pray for the death of Obama ("Imprecatory Prayer is now our DUTY"). In fact, his obsession with imprecatory prayer is based on its success rate. God had already answered his call with the murder of George Tiller who, according to Drake, “was far greater in his atrocities than Adolf Hitler, […] so I am happy. I am glad that he is dead". Actully, Drake said he didn’t think the killer was pro-life – rather, the killer was planted by Obama to make anti-abortionists look bad.

Well, it wasn’t his first attempt at calling down the wrath and death mongering of God. The reason he wanted to take down Americans United for Separation of Church and State was primarily not because they defend the separation of church and state, but because they filed a complaint against him with the IRS for violating his church's tax exempt status. A fairly typical Jeebus and Christian™ cause for invoking the wrath of God, in other words.

Before running on Keyes’s ticket, Drake had endorsed Huckabee. Even Huckabee wasn’t particularly pleased about that.

Drake is a birfer. In fact, his main (official) argument against Obama is that he was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii and is thus an usurper.

Diagnosis: One of the most repugnant characters alive. Clinically insane, fascist piece of mindrot who needs serious medical attention. His influence is to some extent marginal, but he can’t be written off as harmless.

#84: Jerome Corsi

Paranoid, right-wing loon and conspiracy theorist, columnist for World Net Daily, and prolific author who has hit upon the most effective rhetorical strategy there is: just lie. Outright, all the time, and if anyone catches you lying, just lie more. Just invent the facts – some people will believe you.

Among Corsi’s conspiracy theories are the NAFTA highway, the alleged plans for a North American Government, criticism of the United States government for allegedly covering up information about the 9/11, the abiotic theory of petroleum (arguing that oil is produced from chemical reactions in the Earth, rather than from biological matter – in fact, the argument isn’t mainly the usual creationist ones, but arguments from the conspiracy that oil is a scarce commodity), and that the United States (i.e. the Democrats) really support Iran in their attempt to develop nuclear weapons.

As a matter of fact, Corsi’s attacks haven’t only been directed at the Democrats; he also alleged that a Muslim terrorist group group with ties to criminal drug networks and al-Qaida has given "strong support" to John McCain, and that "the Republican Party is controlled by what used to be called the ‘Rockefeller Wing'”. Politically, Corsi backs Chuck Baldwin, who has already been covered in our Encyclopedia.

Corsi’s most famous achievment was his 2004 book “Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry,” the book that (dishonestly) started the rumors of Kerry’s “cowardice” in the Vietnam war. Purely made up, of course, but the distinction between truth and falsity has always been blurry (or rather unimportant) for people like Corsi. His equally non-factual book on Obama, book The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality, was released in 2008. More on Corsi’s antics can be found here.

He frequently hangs out with White Supremacists, and with Alex Jones (who will be covered here in due time; don’t worry). He is also (in addition to being a Troofer) a Birfer and spends a lot of time warning people about the planned, Government-run concentration camps.

Even right-wing pundits like Medved think Corsi is a kook. That should tell you something.

Diagnosis: Utterly unhinged, pathologically unable to distinguish truth from falsehood from fantasy from opinion. Has had a huge impact, however and must be considered severely dangerous.

#34: Pat Boone

Singer, actor and writer Pat Boone was hailed (by the conservatives) as the conservative alternative to Elvis Presley back in the 50s. Currently, he is a political commentator, Christian activist and preacher, and a columnist for the fringeloon magazine WorldnetDaily. He is an ardent young earth creationist and has had several stabs at disproving evolution, such as this one; he uses the tried and dishonest “it’s only a theory”, “there is no evidence”, “Darwin recanted on the deathbed” fallacious arguments from authority (his authorities are uniformly preachers and Boone praises their credentials as award-winning missionaries and staunch Biblical literalists) + some novel ones I have, for obvious reasons, never seen before. Another attempt is discussed here (updated here). Boone later wrote an editorial in the form of a fairy tale where a young Prince Charming was seduced by a dwarf, got AIDS, and then overdosed.

Apart from anti-evolution, his columns are filled with the standard delusional moron stuff – Christians are a persecuted (particularly by the ACLU) minority in the US (discussed here and here), defense of torture (discussed here - the ignorance and dishonesty is astounding, even for a wingnut) and similar stuff.

He got attention for the claim that Democrats and others who were against the president during the Iraq War could be questioned for their patriotism – under an interview on this, he expressed his outrage against the opponents of George W. Bush (namely the Dixie Chicks) that their criticisms of the president showed they did not "respect their elders". He also vigorously defended Mel Gibson after the actor was recorded making an antisemitic rant.

He is also a vocal opponent of gay rights, and won some fame for his tasteful comparison between equal rights activists and the terrorist attacks in Mumbai (Boone apparently thinks that the “homosexual jihadists” should be sent to concentration camps because they are anti-freedom, or something like that); discussed here and here.

He is also a birfer (i.e. Obama is not a natural born citizen, but a Kenya-born Muslim, and hence not eligible for being a president).

Diagnosis: Complete moron; hateful, dishonest, zealous bigot and loon. Impact uncertain, but he is probably read by a lot of people who are initially sympathetic to his views – whether he comes across as spurring them onwards into wingnuttery or helping them come to their senses by displaying purefied idiocy is unclear.