CSICOP PROPOSES "SKEPTICS RAPID DEPLOYMENT FORCE"


     Buffalo,  NY  --  The  Committee  for  the Scientific Investigation of 
Claims  of  the  Paranormal (CSICOP) has been monitoring the return tour of 
former  psychic  superstar Uri Geller as he makes his way across the United 
States  promoting  his  new  book,  "The  Geller  Effect,"  and  discussing 
national security with members of the US Government.
     According  to  _The  Washington Times_, on April 24 Geller was invited 
to  meet  with  members  of  Congress  by  Senator  Claiborne  Pell (D-RI), 
Chairman  of  the  Senate  Foreign Relations Committee. Pell stated that he 
has  known  Mr.  Geller  for  a  while and is very impressed with him. Also 
among  the 35 persons in attendance was Rep. Dante Fascell (D-FL), Chairman 
of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
     The  meeting focused upon Geller's assertions that the Soviet Union is 
far  ahead  of  the  United  States  in  conducting  research into "psychic 
warfare."  Geller  himself  claims  the  ability  to  read minds, do remote 
viewing, and erase computer memory banks.
     CSICOP  Executive  Director  Mark  Plummer  expressed  amazement  that 
members  of  the U. S. Government would discuss the subject with Mr. Geller 
and  offered  CSICOP's  assistance  in  countering  the  perceived  psychic 
threat.  Mr.  Plummer felt sure that if there was such a thing as a psychic 
force, it could be neutralized by the skeptics.
     "It's  really very simple," stated Plummer, "Uri Geller has claimed in 
the  past that skeptics, or those who disbelieve in his powers, are able to 
block  or  interfere in his ability to utilize those powers by the force of 
their negative thoughts.
     "What  I propose is this| Perhaps we could place skeptics in strategic 
locations  throughout the world all thinking negative thought about psychic 
projection.
     "Or",   speaking   tongue   in   cheek,  Plummer  continued,  "  If  a 
particularly  nasty  ESP  wave  was  detected,  we  could have on standby a 
Skeptic's  Rapid  Deployment  Force  ready to rush to the affected area and 
neutralize this psychic force."
     Geller,  who  rose  to  notoriety in the early 1970's by professing to 
have  psychic  abilities  which  enabled  him to bend spoons and fix broken 
watches,  now  asserts  that he has used his "powers of the mind" to become 
rich by locating gold and other mineral deposits.
     Geller  all  but  disappeared  from  public view by the end of the 70s 
after  he  was repeatedly challenged by skeptics to a test of his abilities 
under  controlled  laboratory  conditions, and his methods were exposed and 
duplicated  by  magician James "The Amazing" Randi, in his book, _The Truth 
About  Uri  Geller_.  Geller left the U.S. in disgust and took up residence 
in  England,  where  he said that the atmosphere was much more suitable for 
his acceptance.
     Paul  Kurtz, CSICOP chairman, stated, "Uri Geller is back again making 
claims  of psychic powers. Geller is a magician, and as far as we can tell, 
he  has  no  psychic powers. His claims of psychic abilities are not unlike 
an unsinkable rubber duck in a bathtub."
     Under  the direction of Plummer, CSICOP has attempted to follow Geller 
as  he  circuits  the United States appearing on local radio and television 
programs.
     "In  some  cities Geller has been able to astonish the local host with 
his  standard  set  of  tricks,  such  as  starting  broken watches, moving 
compass  needles,  bending spoons, or drawing pictures hidden inside sealed 
envelopes,"  said  Plummer.  "What  we  are  trying  to  do is provide some 
expertise  to  the  local host to help them spot areas in which elements of 
control  can be introduced to eliminate trickery. In a number of cities our 
advice  was not utilized with the result that Geller was allowed free reign 
to do as he pleased. But in other places our advice has brought results."
     Plummer  cites  as  an  example a recent appearance of Uri Geller on a 
"People  are  Talking" program in Boston, MA. CSICOP was able to inform the 
producers  in advance as to what feats Geller would most likely perform and 
ways  to  avoid  deception.  CSICOP was also pleased to provide the program 
with  the  services  of professional magician Henry Gordon. Gordon was able 
to  refute  many  of  the  claims  made  by  Geller and generally block the 
attempts of Geller to showcase many of his alleged "psychic abilities."
     Gordon  commented,  "I  found  that  he did his usual duplication of a 
drawing  made  by  the  host  and  was  fairly  accurate. I also found, and 
pointed  out  on the program, that he had requested that he and the host be 
left  alone  when  the  host  made  his drawing. He uses methods similar to 
those mentalists use to secure information.
     "Of  all  the  programs  that Geller has appeared on to date, this was 
the  only  one  on  which he was unable to make a compass needle move." Had 
Geller  been  equipped with the usual concealed magnet - which is the modus 
operandi  of  the  compass  trick  -  it  would have been easy for magician 
Gordon  to  detect  it  by  means  of  the compass itself. This was done in 
Denver,  CO,  when  a  CSICOP member intercepted Mr. Geller in the audience 
and  by  means  of a hand-held compass showed that Geller did indeed have a 
strong  magnet  somewhere  on  the  front of his body. At that point Geller 
backed away and refused to allow this man near him again.
     CSICOP  has  also  issued  a  24-page  booklet  featuring  a number of 
exposes on Geller written by journalists around the world.