#496: Jason Bermas

Jason Bermas is a filmmaker most famous for his involvement in films such as Fabled Enemies, Loose Change, and Invisible Empire. Loose Change is, of course, the famous documentary asserting that 9/11 was an inside job (directed by Dylan Avery, whom we unfortunately missed even on this second round, and produced by Bermas, Matthew Brown, and Korey Rowe, with none other than Alex Jones as the executive producer). The movie argues that 9/11 was a set-up in order for the US to justify a war in Iraq, but unfortunately offers no explanation for why the government would carry out this ruse and subsequently not incorporate any connection to Iraq in their elaborate scheme (e.g. by making the hijackers have some connection to Iraq). See also this. For a viewer’s guide to Loose Change, you can go here. It is worth noting that Bermas said of Mark Roberts (who constructed the viewer’s guide) “[h]e's betraying this country and humanity,” and Alex Jones called him “[a]n absolute demon”. This site offers helpful guidance as well.

“Fabled Enemies” was another attempt from Bermas at the 9/11 conspiracy. “Invisible Empire” is, as you guessed, about the New World Order.

Bermas used to host The Infowarrior, a political, caller-based and widely distributed t Alex Jones spinoff talkshow. He is currently alternate host of The Alex Jones show itself.

Diagnosis: A rising star in the insanity movement, Bermas efficiently applies his lack of critical thinking skills to a variety of (interlinked) areas in you typical crank magnet manner. One to watch

#495: George Berkin

George Berkin is a conservative (well, fundie) columnist for NJ.com who is sufficiently wingnutty to have been caught defending Conservapedia on at least one occasion. He also produced an extraordinarily tasteless column on Hitchens’s sickness, arguing that God is being good to Christopher Hitchens by afflicting him with a lingering disease, because it will give him a chance to repent, concluding by encouraging everyone pray for a deathbed conversion. If nothing else, this kind of reasoning shows why fundie beliefs are insane and a threat to civilization.

Being an asshole is not enough to get you an entry, however. More importantly for our purposes is the fact that Berkin is a stooge for Intelligent Design Creationism (no, he has no clue about biology – of course not), who combines his delusional advocacy with an unhealthy but expected dose of fundamentalist Christian persecution complex. After a screening of Inherit the Wind he was absolutely shocked when the audience did not agree that intelligent design should be taught in public schools. He went on to claim that those who deny that creationism is science are as “intolerant and close-minded” (i.e. if you deny that false beliefs are true you are intolerant) as the pious Hillsboro Townsfolk from the film. Ergo, Berkin is now being vehemently persecuted (never mind that he has his own column on nj.com).

His defense of Intelligent design is the standard PRATT canards: “Darwinism” is a religion, while intelligent design is pure science since intelligent design advocates make no reference to religion at all – this is backed up by quoting Phillip Johnson  and Michael Behe!

Here, for your amusement, is another crazy, Martin Patterson, making the evolution-is-a-religion argument.

Diagnosis: Another insane fundie (plenty where he came from), who appears to have a certain substantial audience regardless of the vile lunacy of his rants. Evil chowderhead godbotter.

#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.

#493: Alex Benzer

A.k.a. Ali Binazir

Todd Bentley is Canadian and therefore disqualified. Alex Benzer is of course not comparable in terms of the kind of forceful challenge to reality he represents, but he should still be considered a mild nuisance for any civilization building project. Benzer is one of Huffington Post’s “medical experts”, which means that he is not remotely an expert on health, but a dating guru, hypnotist, and Master Practitioner of NLP (a “degree” with a trademark is always a cause for suspicion).

Yes, Benzer has a real MD degree as well, but when you’re the author of “The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman’s Guide to Embracing Your Inner Goddess & Finding the Fulfillment You Deserve”, and “The Tao of Dating: The Thinking Man's Enlightened Guide to Success with Women,” a reality-based approach to reality has been left pretty far behind. He has also called Michael Bernard Beckwith “a spiritual teacher of our times”. That pretty much settles it. (Ok, the neurolinguistic programming had probably already nailed that coffin pretty firmly shut already.)

Here are Benzer’s absolutely nonsensical points about how traveling in Europe can be therapy, one of which is how entering a country with another currency makes you develop your empathy with the poor since you are literally penniless until you find an ATM. Yep, that’s the general tenor of his blathering; he pulls his advice out of rather dark places, and is apparently not very good at it.

Diagnosis: Benzer may be more of a clinically empty puff of contentless self-help fluff than an actually unhinged loon, but when you spew garbled, empty nonsense like he does, you ought to be held accountable. Another mortal blow to Huffpo’s trustworthiness when it comes to medical matters – if any were needed.

#492: Stephen Bennett

Stephen Bennett is the founder of Stephen Bennett Ministries, which reaches out to those wanting to leave the homosexual lifestyle. Bennett himself claims to have been “set free” himself a couple of years ago through the power of Christ. Accoringly, he pays ardent attention to the American Family Association’s call for boycotts of gay-friendly organizations, with sometimes puzzling results, such as here.

Apparently Bennett is “Emerging as One of the Nation's Key Speakers on the Issues of Homosexuality & the Homosexual Agenda” and, according to himself, he speaks the truth “in love”, because “in love” sounds better than the more accurate “hate and bigotry”. His take on the possibility of an HIV prevention pill displays his love clearly enough: “Why can't these intelligent scientists and doctors understand we need to educate people on abandoning their risky, unsafe sexual practices and behavior – not give them a pill to enable and encourage them?” Wouldn’t matter that it saves lives, in other words, when saving lifes might take the dangers away from living a sinful lifestyle.

Though “Stephen Bennett” is not an entirely uncommon name, I assume that the Stephen Bennett involved with Concerned Women for America is the same one.

Diagnosis: Another that kind of guy, who devotes his lack of insight and reason to bigotry and evil. Despite the blurb his actual impact is unknown, but he’s definitely a solid piece of mud in the landslide.