North Texas Skeptic - Vol 16 No 01 - 2002

Magazine Overview

The North Texas Skeptic, Volume 16, Number 1, published in January 2002, is a newsletter from The North Texas Skeptics, available online at www.ntskeptics.org. The issue features articles on FLIR technology and the Waco siege, an editorial titled 'Stupidity kills,' a critique of 'young-Earth creationism,' a 'What's New' section covering science-policy news, and a 'Skeptical Ink' comic.

FLIR by John Blanton

This article examines the controversy surrounding the Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) video footage from the 1993 Waco siege. John Blanton discusses Mike McNulty's documentary 'FLIR,' which claims the video shows government forces firing automatic weapons at the Branch Davidians, leading to civilian deaths and preventing their escape. McNulty's previous works, 'Waco: The Rules of Engagement' and 'Waco: A New Revelation,' also focused on criticizing government actions during the siege. The article notes that Branch Davidian survivors sued the US Government, alleging responsibility for over eighty deaths.

Senator John Danforth was appointed special counsel to investigate the case. The government conducted tests at Fort Hood, Texas, using FLIR technology to replicate the Waco scenario, concluding that the plaintiffs' claims were invalidated because their alleged gun flashes were explained by debris reflections, and visible shooters were always present in the Fort Hood tests, unlike in the Waco video. In July 2000, a US District Court advisory jury found that the ATF did not fire indiscriminately, the FBI tanks were not negligent, and FBI commanders were not negligent in their decision not to fight fires during the tear gas assault.

McNulty's film 'FLIR' argues that the Fort Hood tests were flawed due to dissimilar FLIR equipment, weapons, cooler temperatures, and the absence of dusty conditions that would prolong muzzle flashes. McNulty also suggests government agents wore uniforms that suppressed their infrared signature and that they were harder to see on grassy areas compared to concrete.

The article presents counter-arguments to McNulty's claims. It questions the comparison of Waco imagery with COPS imagery, noting that the COPS demonstration of prolonged flashes by firing into dust clouds did not match the clear ground visibility in the Waco video. It also points out that the COPS video shows bright gun barrels, which are not visible in the Waco FLIR, and that a tank tread appearing to run over an alleged 'invisible shooter' in the Waco video challenges McNulty's assertion that flashes could not be produced by ground debris. The article also suggests that the Branch Davidians were killed by their leaders, citing recorded orders to start the fire and close-range killings within the compound.

Stupidity kills by John Blanton

This editorial uses a joke about a man named Melvin who refuses to let go of a vine to illustrate the concept of 'stupidity.' Blanton differentiates between ignorance (not knowing) and stupidity (knowing but not acting on the logical consequences of that knowledge). He connects this to the September 11th attacks, where individuals acted on beliefs that led to their deaths. The core argument is that stupidity kills, and since people need to live, eliminating stupidity is a desirable goal. The North Texas Skeptics (NTS) aims to reduce 'surplus stupidity.' The editorial touches on the NTS potentially engaging with strictly religious issues, such as life after death, reincarnation, and the literal truth of religious texts, acknowledging that scientific analysis is limited in these areas.

It'll Take a Miracle to Save their "Science" by Dr. Kevin R. Henke

Dr. Henke critiques young-Earth creationists (YECs), particularly the RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth) Project, for admitting that supernatural processes are essential to their 'science.' He contrasts this with the scientific method, which seeks natural explanations for phenomena and has a successful track record in explaining natural history and material properties. Henke argues that YECs invoke miracles as a 'short-cut' to solve natural mysteries, which he deems premature, unnecessary, and ultimately unsatisfying. He criticizes the 'god of the gaps' approach, where supernatural explanations are used to fill in scientific unknowns, noting that science has repeatedly developed natural hypotheses to replace such explanations.

The article also accuses YECs of hypocrisy, applying skepticism to scientific claims about the Earth's age and origin while accepting the Bible as infallible without question. Henke states that YECs are trapped in a circular fallacy regarding the Bible's infallibility and that their reliance on miracles hinders their ability to understand nature and deal with reality, potentially preventing them from using 'Flood geology' to find resources like petroleum.

What's new by Robert Park

This section presents several brief science-policy news items:

• Baskerville effect: A report in the British Medical Journal suggests that Chinese and Japanese Americans have a higher death rate from chronic heart disease on the 4th day of the month, possibly due to the number four being considered unlucky and causing psychological stress.
• Unbaskerville effect: A 1999 study claiming that coronary patients fared better with unknown volunteers praying for them is contrasted with a more recent Mayo Clinic study that found no significant difference.
• Remote censoring: The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is given authority to classify information as 'Secret,' raising concerns about restricting scientific knowledge, reminiscent of 1980s pressures to censor papers that might aid Soviet weapons scientists.
• Bio-terrorism: An investigative piece from The New York Times is highlighted, detailing a deliberate salmonella poisoning attack in Oregon carried out by members of a Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh cult to influence local politics. It notes that James Gordon, a follower of Rajneesh and author of 'The Golden Guru,' now heads the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy.
• PCAST: The Bush administration names the Advisory Council on Science and Technology, noting a lack of representation from research scientists, with most members coming from the information-technology industry.
• Dietary supplements: The article discusses the '94 Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act (DSHEA), which exempted 'natural' substances from safety and efficacy demonstrations. It notes that a push is underway to repeal DSHEA due to concerns about the effectiveness and potential dangers of some supplements, especially after Stephen Strauss was appointed to head the NIH's alternative medicine program.

Skeptical Ink

This section features a comic strip by Prasad Golla and John Blanton titled 'Skeptical Ink.' The comic depicts a professor defending modern science, while a student agrees, interpreting the professor's critique of postmodernism as a dismissal of all post-modern rubbish. The comic is dated 1/5/2002 and is available for free, non-commercial reuse.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around critical thinking, skepticism, and the scientific method. The NTS actively debunks what it perceives as 'stupidity' and pseudoscience, whether it's the interpretation of FLIR footage in the Waco siege, the reliance on supernatural explanations in young-Earth creationism, or the unscientific basis of certain beliefs. The editorial stance is clearly pro-science, pro-reason, and anti-superstition, advocating for evidence-based reasoning and a critical examination of claims, particularly those that challenge established scientific understanding or rely on faith over empirical evidence. The magazine also engages with contemporary science-policy issues, highlighting potential threats to scientific freedom and the integrity of scientific discourse.