Professional skeptic, professed atheist and one time stage magician James Randi has issues. His biggest issue, one that has consumed the man for over 30 years, is his public smear campaign against world famous “mystifier” Uri Geller..jpg)
Ashes in your eye!
Now facing his own mortality, Randi is making his final wishes known. According to an entry on Wikipedia, the ailing sultan of skepticism made an appearance at his annual “Amazing Meeting” in early July and announced his dying wish: "I want to be cremated, and I want my ashes blown in Uri Geller's eyes." He pooh-poohed any thoughts by his devoted followers of a fancy tomb or a museum in his name, so the world can breathe a sigh of relief on that count. No — all he wants is to make sure he’s in Uri’s face one last time.
Randi is suffering from intestinal cancer, and at the age of 81, has recently had surgery to remove a tumor. He announced at his meeting that he would begin chemotherapy shortly after the annual gathering and would fight the cancer. Clearly the specter of his own death has not brought about any spiritual awakening or softening of his rhetoric of personal rage at Uri Geller.
Has Uri gotten wind of Randi’s plans for his remains? Yes indeed. In fact, it is addressed, among other things, in a letter from Uri’s lawyer to Randi that is published on Uri’s website. The letter is a gem. It is included on a page titled: To all skeptics — a big thank you: site.uri-geller.com/to_all_skeptics_-_a_big_thank_you
Uri takes time on this page to thank all the skeptics, “in particular the one in Florida who has been announcing my demise for over 30 years . . . .” He notes these folks “could be, just could be, spitting blood!” He gives credit where credit is due — with a high five to the skeptics, and especially James Randi, who have created “a long publicity and PR campaign — and it’s all free! To calculate that in financial terms: if I had to pay for all this, I believe a Madison Avenue public relations agency would have charged me many millions of dollars over the decades. That's what the ‘Get Geller’ bunch have supplied me with on a silver tray: FREE PUBLICITY. There is NO such thing as bad publicity . . . .”
At the bottom of the gratitude to the skeptics page is a link to Uri’s letter from the London lawyer, Robert Brand, to Randi. This is what he has to say about Randi’s final wishes:
"We have established we believe that though you are one of our client’s greatest publicists, you are perhaps not his biggest fan. Having said this however, we understand that it is your wish that when you die, you be cremated and that our client should have your ashes. We suggest that this perhaps shows more affection for our client than you might wish to admit to, and we know that our client is touched by this gesture.
If however your parting gesture is to be 'one in the eye for Uri Geller' then we must warn you that this is in all probability an incitement to commit a crime, and we will hold your estate liable for any damage.
We are sure however that should your Urn be delivered in tact it will find its place on the sideboard in Uri’s kitchen along with the others that our client (like the writer) retains of his most beloved pets whose lives are so fleeting but who bring so much joy to us all."
Touché, Uri. The full text of the letter, detailing exactly the most recent lengths Randi is going to to defame Geller, is worth the read: www.uri-geller.com/pdf/070725RandiLet.pdf
Randi’s gleeful proclamation of the best use of his remains paints a sad picture of a bitter old man holding fast to his resentments and jealousy of Uri Geller even to his dying wishes. A few years ago I wrote a book entitled Living Well & Dying Well. It espouses an ancient spirituality of the “good death.” Randi’s mandate isn’t that, needless to say. Randi is the poster child for the opposite effect. Uri’s lawyer points out that his client had prayed for Randi’s recovery from previous health problems and was relieved that Randi pulled through. No spirit of generosity has broken out over on Randi’s stage, however.
Another Randi Attack
Randi’s followers have also recently launched an attack on this writer and on Eddie Benitez after I wrote an article announcing Benitez’s $50K psychic challenge, a spiritually based challenge quite different from Randi’s infamous Million Dollar Challenge..jpg)
On that matter, Eddie Benitez wants it known that he is prepared to take Randi’s Million Dollar Challenge on the condition that it be a publicly held event that viewers around the world can watch. No hidden, secret tests in labs that no one can see. No paperwork after the fact written by Randi or those in his camp that was not witnessed by the public. When he successfully passes the public challenge, Eddie will donate the winnings entirely to helping impoverished neighborhoods.
He points out that Randi, ironically, has taken a path to fame not unlike another medium he attacks, James Van Praagh. Van Praagh, in his memoir, writes that he started out as a t.v. comedy writer, but didn’t have much success at that. Serendipitously, he visited a medium and found his new calling, and has found fame and fortune as a medium. Randi also tried to make it as an entertainer, a magician, but had only muted success. He found his fame by turning to skepticism, an outlet for his jealous rage against those far more talented and successful than himself in the world of “mystifying.” Randi tried to mystify with a magic act. Uri Geller successfully mystifies with the power of his mind and his gifts. Something Randi cannot tolerate.
After witnessing the hyped up heckling and attacks of the JREF forum dwellers, Benitez likened it to a witch hunt, where the people raise their fingers in hysteria pointing at this one and that, and crying “burn the witch!” That is something they learned from their magical leader, James Randi, who’s been leading the witch hunt against Uri Geller for decades.
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Benitez has a challenge for the folks at JREF who seem to be spending their time 24/7 on forums focused on negativity, and uninformed attacks against others: “Take just 50% of your energy, and use it for positive purposes; promote peace, feed the hungry, care for the sick, work to end poverty.” He wonders how much positive power could be unleashed for the good if these same people turned their energy to writing to their senators and congressional representatives, or leaders in other countries to advocate for reforms that would benefit society.
Legacies — Goodwill or Illwill
It’s likely Uri Geller, master of mind power and advocate for peace and the power of positive change, would agree. So much good could be done.
Controversy has dogged Uri Geller throughout his career thanks to skeptics and especially the unflagging obsession of James Randi. But his career continues to thrive on all fronts. As he said in an interview with Mensa UK Magazine in 2005, though Randi called him a “dangerous and insidious figure,” it did not have Randi’s intended effect. It instead made Randi his biggest promoter. He views such statements, he said, as a mixture of jealousy and an attempt to turn publicity away from him and to them. Comfortable these days with the inevitable controversy, Uri told the interviewer, “show me a successful man and I will show you controversy.”
People like Uri Geller and Eddie Benitez, who advocate for peace and positive change will leave a legacy of goodwill in the world, while it appears James Randi will leave a legacy of illwill. To quote Benitez, “What’s so amazing about Randi?”
Photos:
Uri Geller, Google Creative Commons https:/.../starcomsos_ blog/tag/psychic/
“Amazing” Randi, Google Creative Commons www.boingboing.net/ images/randidididi
Comments
A poem for Randi and his "crue":
For all the good it does you now
Sure in your mind of your own church
More peace is found in rational,
Revising faith with more research.
Until you realise at the end
Last thing before you pass away
Each shining truth you held on faith, all
Zepped and found to be a lie.
So there!
Hi MaryEllen!
You have been reported to the managing editors of this journal for abuse and misuse of these facilities.
Have a nice day!
Cheers from Australia
Zep
Mary Ellen, Thanks for this great, yet sad story. It seems as if Randi's attempt to become the Ralph Nader of an industry only turned him into the Edsel of day.
They (JREF) hide with false names.
Jim Fay — nice analogy, thanks! You are right it is a sad story, on the one hand, a cautionary tale on the other. It's also an inspiring story on the Uri Geller side. Uri has handled Randi's lifetime of attempts to destroy him with grace and humor, and darned good lawyers.
Zep: As a member of the JREF forum this is a predictable response.
I have to join with Uri Geller now and say thank you for the Publicity campaign. Cheers!
What an absolutely terrible article. Uri Geller is a fake and this has been proved. Your vitriol for Randi clearly comes from his assault on your defences of non-sensical beliefs you've built up because you can't handle reality. As for Benitez, and his accusation towards JREF users of "uninformed attacks" it is laughable. They're not the blind believers being conned by cheap parlour tricks.
They (JREF) hide with false names.
See above.
I would say this sort of drivel is beneath you, Mary Ellen, but apparently it is not. Sad.
For the benefit of readers: Moochie is the name of a card carrying JREF member who also stalked Mr. Benitez after this discussion began — creating dummy Facebook and MySpace accounts to do so. Now he's back, with a typical JREF insult in lieu of discussion.
Robert, yes they do hide behind false names.
And James — your comment is hilarious. The only vitriol around is that of James Randi's unconscionable and incomprehensible bitter and evil "final wish" for his ashes.
Its sad when Moochie says " That it is beneath MaryEllen" so is not Randi making the statment about tossing his ash's at Uri's eyes a comment of of he who is angry at life and thats not beneath Randi because everyone would expect that. And if that is the Real Mr. Randi making a comment here he should be taking care of his health or is he seeking one last hurrah? JREF members you are blinded by one who knows not and believes not. Just a magician. I pray for all of at JREF and Randi's Miracle cure as well.
Congrats MaryEllen on your Victory with Globalfamily Day. Your letter to President Obama was chosen from many. Again I wish you the best.
Thank you, Gabriel — GlobalFamily Day is an idea who's time has come — a day of peace and sharing throughout the world for January 1st each year.
It is strange that Randi's followers have suddenly gone witless over this aricle when it is over two months old — and simply reports the facts — Randi's bizarre and bitter wishes, and the wonderful response from Uri Geller's attorneys in London.
I have been banned at the JREF Forums as they rant with outrage about anyone not agreeing with their point of view — something I wear as a badge of honor. Yet they wish to post endless comments here that border on hate speech, and are uninformed and witless. They continue over at the JREF forum to get the facts all completely wrong, which shows their reading comprehension to be MIA.
The JREF simply continue to prove the truth of what I have written. For that, thank you.
Honestly I find Randi's extreme bitterness and tendencies to play shell games with those attempting to take his "challenege (is well documented treatment of the late Lou Gentile being a prime example) sad more then anything else. Unlike yourself I have never bought the idea that Uri Geller was anything more then a very clever magician preforming magic acts and calling them psychic (his failure in front of the late Johnny Carson comes to mind as an example of why I believe this) but Randi also at one time did the world valuable service. He worked hard to expose people like Pupoff who were swindling many through magic tricks they claimed to be divine providence and worked to get people to question and test. Sadly his later life (I think in no small part related to this disease) was marked with bitter hatred for anyone who disagreed with him and a need to dismiss the supernatural rather then seriously question its existence.
Thank you Kevin Meares of Philly Ghosts, Angels and Demons for your thoughts. Just one thing — I have no idea why you made the assumption that I attribute Uri Geller's highly entertaining act as a magician and entertainer to anything other than magicianship. I say no such thing in the article. I simply report the facts of Randi's "last wishes" and the rather amusing response from Uri and his lawyers. Truth be told, I see Uri as a great entertainer, a positive force in the world who not only entertains but teaches valuable, positive attributes to success. Whether or not he is pyschic, the jury is out — I have no judgment at all on that. He may be. I do not know. He may be more like Criss Angel, a great Illusionist. (And Angel is a great one.)
I think Rand was a mediocre magician for starters, who never made it big like Uri and the original jealousy and bitterness started there, decades ago. From there, obsession with taking Uri down. Didn't work.
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