The Skeptic

Magazine Overview

Title: The Skeptic
Issue: Volume 5 Number 8
Date: November 1991
Publisher: The North Texas Skeptics
Website: www.ntskeptics.org

This issue of The Skeptic, published by The North Texas Skeptics, focuses on a range of topics from the perspective of critical thinking and skepticism. The cover story details the Church of Scientology's aggressive campaign against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), including a massive advertising blitz and a $120 million lawsuit. Other articles address health fraud in Texas, critique questionable health products, and offer commentary on media coverage of controversial events and public figures.

IRS Current Target of Scientology Media Blitz

This article by Mike Sullivan reports on the Church of Scientology International's extensive advertising campaign against the IRS. The campaign, featuring full-page ads in USA Today, urges readers to become IRS 'whistleblowers' and proposes a flat 16% national sales tax. These ads, paid for by the Church under the guise of 'Citizens for an Alternative Tax System (CATS),' follow a previous costly campaign against Time magazine. The Church's actions are framed as retaliation for a Time cover story exposing the cult's financial practices. The article highlights that the Church is not only running ads but has also filed a $120 million lawsuit against the IRS in Los Angeles, alleging a 33-year-long war and a conspiracy to deprive the cult of its First Amendment rights. The suit names 17 IRS officials. The IRS maintains that Scientology is a sham religion designed for financial gain and has revoked tax-exempt status for some operations. The article notes that several Church officials have been convicted of felonies related to tax evasion and IRS office burglaries in the late 1970s. It also points out the irony that the Church is suing the IRS for tactics that ex-Scientologists claim the Church itself uses against its opponents, such as mail covers and informants. The lawsuit could potentially expose more of the cult's inner workings.

In related news, the article mentions that Scientology and its front group, the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights, spearheaded a campaign against the antidepressant drug Prozac. An FDA advisory panel rejected a proposal for suicide warnings on Prozac prescriptions, despite testimony from relatives of depressed individuals who died by suicide. The panel's decision was influenced by scientific and professional testimony showing no established link between the drug and increased suicides.

Healthy Skepticism

Health Fraud Messes with Texas

By Tim Gorski, M.D., this section reports on the significant problem of health fraud in Texas. Robert E. Reyna, Assistant Attorney General of Texas, estimated that health fraud costs Texans as much as $1 billion annually. Reyna noted that many people are hurt by misleading advertising and quack claims for vitamins, herbal products, and other unproven remedies, often promoted by individuals who claim persecution by the medical establishment. He explained that law enforcement faces challenges due to civil litigation's treble damages, limited prosecutorial resources, and the time required for criminal cases. However, the Texas Department of Health has increased its investigators, and prosecutions are pursued when appropriate. Examples cited include Chinese herbal remedies for arthritis containing diazepam and 'rolling labs' that defrauded people with health insurance by offering free medical checkups. Reyna also discussed 'info-mercial' health frauds for weight loss and baldness, which have moved from English to Spanish-language television. Fraudulent cancer treatments and a scam involving 'bounty hunting' patients for psychiatric hospitals were also mentioned. Reyna emphasized that public awareness and education are the primary means of combating health fraud, urging skepticism in everyday purchases, such as questioning 'light' labels.

The Council Against Health Fraud in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area solicits reports and serves as a resource. Dr. Tim Gorski is Chairman of this Council and a technical advisor for The North Texas Skeptics.

Fool's Gold

LOTS OF GLITTER IN ADS FOR HIGH-PRICED ARTHRITIS RUB

By Mike Sullivan, this article investigates 'Aurum-The Gold Lotion,' an advertised arthritis pain relief product. The ads claim the lotion, made by Au Pharmaceuticals, provides 'almost miraculous' relief, appealing to the perceived connection between its inactive 24-karat gold ingredient and medically proven gold injections. However, Dr. Tim Gorski and Dr. Joe Cole of UT-Dallas Health Science Center state that the gold in Aurum 'does nothing.' The active ingredients are standard topical analgesics like menthol, camphor, and methyl salicylate. The article points out that the gold content significantly increases the price compared to similar, equally effective lotions like Absorbine and Ben-Gay. The Council Against Health Fraud expressed concern that the promotion of Aurum might be deceptive, advising consumers to use common sense. Au Pharmaceuticals did not respond to a request for comment.

The Third Eye

News and Commentary from the Weird World of the Media

By Pat Reeder, this column uses the Clarence Thomas hearings as a case study for skeptical thinking. Reeder argues that Anita Hill's extraordinary claim lacked extraordinary proof, comparing it to UFO reports that gain details with telling. He notes that while Hill offered emotional testimony, it was not corroborated by direct evidence. Reeder also discusses the intelligent discussion of polygraph evidence during the hearings, noting that Senator Patrick Lehey called it 'powerful evidence' while Chairman Joseph Biden highlighted its unreliability due to question phrasing, interpretation, and the test-taker's belief. Reeder concludes that the hearings served as a valuable lesson in applying skeptical standards.

The column then shifts to commentary on televangelists. Jimmy Swaggart was stopped in Indio, California, for traffic violations while driving a Jaguar belonging to his ministry, accompanied by a prostitute, Rosemary Garcia, who stated Swaggart solicited sex. Reeder notes the irony of Swaggart asking for money on TV for charitable purposes while allegedly soliciting prostitutes. He also mentions the Vatican's new 'Dial-A-Pope' line as a response to unauthorized Pope hotlines.

Finally, Reeder critiques television programming that sensationalizes the supernatural. He cites an episode of 'The Simpsons' where a psychic is consulted to find a missing principal, and an episode of 'Cheers' where a character is convinced she is psychic after consulting one, only to learn the psychic was a fraud. Reeder concludes that these shows often exploit credulity, and he humorously suggests that learning to bilk people, like the character in 'Cheers,' is a way to make money, even if it doesn't pay as well as televangelism.

President's Column

Commentary by NTS President John Blanton discusses the right to free speech versus the right to disbelieve. Blanton advocates for drawing out creationists, UFOlogists, and faith healers to state their cases clearly, believing that public scrutiny will damage their positions. He recounts an anecdote about a young man trying to publish Hitler's Mein Kampf, which Hitler successfully sued to prevent, thereby gaining credibility in post-war Germany. Blanton mentions encountering MUFONs (Mutual UFO Network) members while printing NTS literature and notes that conversations ended when he identified himself as a skeptic. He also mentions MIOS (Metroplex Institute of Origin Science) as a group that invites debate but does not engage on skeptical turf. Blanton touches on the difficulty of debating creationists, citing an example involving Dr. Douglas Dean and the Seagoville Church of Christ, where attempts to discuss issues on local broadcast stations were unsuccessful. He concludes by stating that while some advise ignoring creationists, he will continue to engage.

Up a tree: a skeptical cartoon

This cartoon by Laura Ainsworth depicts a conversation between two characters, one of whom states, "God tells me it's none of your business." The other character responds, "Perhaps Greta Garbo got started this way..." The cartoon humorously implies a connection between divine pronouncements and personal privacy, with a touch of celebrity mystique.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of The Skeptic are skepticism, critical thinking, and the exposure of pseudoscience, fraud, and misinformation. The publication consistently challenges claims made by religious organizations (Scientology), purveyors of alternative health remedies, and those who promote supernatural or unverified phenomena. The editorial stance is clearly in favor of evidence-based reasoning, scientific inquiry, and a healthy distrust of claims that lack empirical support. The magazine actively seeks to debunk what it perceives as irrational beliefs and deceptive practices, encouraging readers to question authority and critically evaluate information presented in the media and by various organizations.