FC: Georgia politico claims she was visited by Chandra Levy's ghost

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

News coverage:
http://opinionjournal.com/best/?id=95001074
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010906/3606563s.htm
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2001/09/05/national1303EDT0599.DTL
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20010906-1048762.htm

Quote from Rep. Dorothy Pelote's floor speech:
"I want you to know that I can prophesy. I can communicate with the dead. 
The last person who visited me was -- I don't know if I need to call her 
name. Maybe I should not, because it's a controversial death now. She's 
missing. You know who I'm talking about. She has visited me. She has."

And we take politicians seriously, and let them regulate and legislate our 
lives? Sigh. If this Georgia politico really was having a tete-a-tete with 
Chandra, why didn't she ask where the ex-intern's body was?

-Declan

********

From: Kevin Christopher <kchristopher () centerforinquiry net>
Subject: CSICOP on GA Rep Dorothy Pelote
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 12:27:03 -0400

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

Contact: Kevin Christopher
Phone: 716 636 1425 x 224
Fax: 716 636 1733
E-mail: press () csicop org     

Her "Constituents" Are Dead People

Amherst, NY (September 7, 2001)-Georgia State Representative Dorothy Pelote
claims she was visited by the spirit of none other than Chandra Levy,
according to stories from the Associated Press, The Macon Telegraph, and USA
Today. Pelote announced her encounter with an anonymous spirit during a
morning devotional message before her colleagues in the Georgia House of
Representatives. She later confirmed to the Telegraph that the ghostly
visitor was Levy. She also claims that her psychic experiences began after
she was nearly drowned as a child and had a vision of a fireball and spirits
of the dead.

Joe Nickell, who is the senior research fellow at the Committee for the
Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), has been
studying claims of channeling the dead for two decades. "Belief in
mediumship--an ability to communicate with the dead--has been growing in
popularity recently, though this is the first instance I'm aware of where a
politician has proclaimed having this sort of ability in public."

Nickell says that whatever Pelote is experiencing, she has not made contact
with Chandra Levy. "I don't necessarily doubt that Pelote has had some sort
of 'experience,' but there is no evidence whatsoever to back up her claims
that she can speak with the dead--or that anyone can. People like
Representative Pelote, who've had repeated psychic experiences and contact
with special entities--such as angels, spirits and extraterrestrials--often
turn out to be what psychologists call 'fantasy prone.' I've also
investigated the techniques of popular mediums like John Edward and James
Van Praagh. They use techniques like cold reading--a method of very subtly
extracting information from people to convince them that they are in touch
with deceased loved ones."

For more information on channeling, cold reading, mediums and spiritualism,
visit CSICOP's Web site at www.csicop.org. Representative Dorothy Pelote's
Web page can be found at
http://www2.state.ga.us/Legis/2001_ss/house/gash149.htm.

###

The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
(CSICOP) a non-profit organization dedicated to science literacy and the
examination of controversial claims. It publishes the magazine Skeptical
Inquirer six times a year. The magazine features articles on paranormal
claims and pseudoscience from a critical, scientific perspective. For more
information about the magazine or CSICOP, contact Kevin Christopher at
press () csicop org or (716) 636-1425 ext. 224.




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