Blue Collar Scientist

The UPI reports, and I learn of it by way of PhysOrg, that the Johnson County Board of Supervisors - who ought to know better - granted “preliminary approval” to the Carroll Area Paranormal Team to conduct a “ghost hunt” at the Johnson County Poor Farm and Asylum after Brandon Cochran, of the Johnson County Historical Society - who also should have known better - proposed it.

Here’s a picture of the Johnson County Supervisors - shall we have a contest? Can we guess which of these people are in favor of allowing a “ghost hunt” on a significant historical site under their jurisdiction? It has to be at least three of these fine-looking people.

I guess it just goes to show you can’t tell someone credulous of antiscientific mumbo-jumbo by their looks.

The Carroll Area Paranormal Team website says their principles are:

To give a complete professional investigation to the client

HAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahah!

Seriously, that’s about all you can say. If you really want a professional paranormal investigation, you have to call these folks.

To provide this service free of charge….

Ok, I’ll grant: that’s a nice change of pace. At least they aren’t trying to fleece their credulous clients of their hard-earned money like many paranormal investigators do. But they are still looking for money:

Please make a Donation to help support our efforts in helping people cope with paranormal activity.

As I write, they’ve made $0 of their goal of $500. Which is probably just as well.

Their definitions page is a credulous laundry list of concepts and fictional entities that are better looked up here. They have several case files up, in which they confuse common imaging artifacts with ghosts, and also wax surprised over apparent accidental exposures. They’ve engaged in talking to the empty air and have used dreams the investigators have had to resolve cases. A lot of their photos wouldn’t look so strange if they weren’t using crappy, on-camera flash and knew how to white-balance the images. At least one report finds heavy significance in an investigator’s probably accidental loss of jewelry and continuing use of crappy on-camera flash.

C’mon, Johnson County Supervisors - you can do better for yourselves and your constituents.