What have you done for me lately?

February 17th, 2010

This is a blog that was posted a couple of years ago and it seems appropriate since we now have a new batch of folks that are clearly unaware of who we are or what we’ve done.

It’s not news that there are people out there that don’t like us. They think we’re mean or too brash or too foul mouthed and you know what, that’s OK. We know people aren’t going to all like us and all we’ve ever set out to do was to make people think about what they are putting out there – to make people be accountable for their claims. That’s IT, no more, no less.

We’ve never lied about anything or anyone. We’ve used very few names in the entire time we’ve been blogging. Yet we get called liars all the time and accused of calling out EVERYONE and their dog. We see comments from people we’ve never heard of that say things like, “they attacked my friend”. Bullshit – we can name everyone we’ve ever called out and I would be willing to bet they are not your “friend”.

Anyway – this “image” that people have of us is amusing to us. I’m sure several of you have watched the silliness over the past few years. If you have a question – we would be glad to answer it. Always have been. We’ve never hidden a thing and we’ve never claimed to be anything we aren’t. We comment. Don’t like it, don’t read it.

People have commented that “all” we have is an internet radio show and that we are just trying to get famous. Well, that’s a big ass LAUGH. We aren’t interested in fame in the least. We’re all successful in our regular lives. So to those that say we have done nothing, I would like to make a short list and ask you, what have YOU done lately?

WE are published authors.
WE have had buildings added to the National Registry of Historical Places so they will not be demolished.
WE have participated in and conducted cognitive experiments for paranormal research as well as several psychological ones as well.
WE do all have legitimate teams that conduct research and investigations on a regular basis.
WE have created a journal for peer review in this field – funny, none of the assholes have ever submitted anything to it…
WE have all authored articles on the field that some have even said should be a “must read” for anyone getting involved in this field.
WE have raised money for historical preservation for different buildings.
WE have conducted HISTORICAL tours to educate the public about the importance of historical preservation.
WE have put together a Halloween festival for 7 years for a town of 50,000 people for FREE so the kids have a safe place to trick or treat.
WE have been featured in numerous LEGITIMATE newspaper articles and stories for the things we have done OUTSIDE of paranormal investigation.
WE host a conference every year that brings interesting people to speak about the paranormal.
WE have been ASKED to write for newspapers and magazines. Real ones. That get distributed to people all across the STATE that pay for them.
WE work with Main Street programs to help them create their own tours and historical preservation projects.
WE have all done public speaking all over the place because what we have to say is respected by people that get it and think it should be shared.

On top of that, we all have successful careers and wonderful families.

So, tell me, what have YOU done besides calling us fat and mean as you sit and sift through your big orb collection and shitty EVP?

The next time someone gets a hankering to say we don’t do anything but talk shit, please direct them to this list and they can kiss my ass.

Respectfully,

Tammy

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Tonight – Fun AND a Scam – TUNE IN!

February 10th, 2010

First – the fun – tonight on Ghost Divas Live we’ll be talking with The Urban Legends Detective.  Kat Klockow has an Anthropology degree and enjoys studying that which science says does not exist.  Currently she’s looking for your stories about Bloody Mary/Mary Worth for a “Mirror Witches” project she’s working on.  We’re looking forward to visiting with Kat.

Secondly – the scam.  A few months ago there were promotional ads and what not plastered everywhere for this event.  One of our members immediately began questioning it because it seemed strange that a “hospice” type entity would be teaming up with ghost hunters to grant dying people their last wishes. To us, it seemed more like vultures waiting for the squirrel to die so they could swoop in on it. It just seemed tacky, to say the least.  Then she noticed that not only were the two groups teaming up, but the “hospice” group already had ties to a paranormal team themselves.  It also turned out that there was something fishy about the “non-profit” part of it all.  This simply was not the way a normal non-profit organization operated.  So we called BS on it, much to the chagrin of many people, including some of the speakers. Brian Byers of Ghostology made a point to announce he would no longer be associating with Tonya Hacker because she was “mean” for questioning this event.

As it turns out, we were not wrong about the event or the planners.  Steven LaChance was one of the scheduled speakers and at first, he, too, was angry with us for speaking out against it. However, over time, it became clear to him something shady was going on.  He’s appearing on Ghost Divas Live tonight to talk about what happened and what he knows.

We will likely also spend some time making fun of the fact that Tiffany Johnson is giving cold readings for $6 on Ghostology.  I can’t even fathom how much money Jim Jones would be raking in if he were alive.

Tune in tonight at 10pm central to hear all about it! Supernatural Radio Network – Radio for Smart People!

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How to be a PI

February 4th, 2010

This is a presentation I wrote to teach about historical research. Hopefully it’s helpful. – Tammy

When I first started investigating, I was dead set (no pun intended) on gathering “scientific evidence” that ghosts exist. I had gadgets and I had a tool belt to carry my gadgets in. All those gadgets do is make you appear to be technologically hip – until your EMF meter goes off and the homeowner asks you why and you say, “Um… I’m not sure.” Cover blown – your hip status just went down the toilet, folks.
There are simply too many factors that come into play when you get gadgets involved. Unless you are a photographer by trade, you likely don’t know all the intricacies of your camera and all the ins and outs of photography. You can’t truly 100% say that weird blob is anomalous. You can say you “think” it’s anomalous, but really, in the grand scheme of things, do you honestly “think” anyone gives a rat’s ass what you “think”? Not really. They have you there because they want to know what you know, not what you “think.”
Now that I’ve been doing this for a few years, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve changed my focus quite a bit. I have changed my focus to the history behind the hauntings rather than the science of the hauntings. Why is history so important to an investigation? Because no matter what kind of temperature readings, EMF spikes, or moon phases you have in your favor, you ain’t got jack without the history. The history is the basis of anything and everything going on, if in fact, there really is something going on. If you have exhausted every scientific experiment you can think of and checked all the plumbing and there simply is nothing coming up but these people are still giving you accounts of things that have happened to them, then you owe it to them to find out why. That’s why they called you.
If you can find out the history of a location, you will likely find out why it’s haunted. If you can’t find out exactly why, you may at least be able to verify that it is.
My mother lived in a house in Enid, Oklahoma when I was a baby and things happened to her all the time. She would come home and the recliner would be turned facing the wall. Knick-knacks would be moved from where she put them, the lights would come on, the cabinet doors would open – you know, classic haunted house stuff. One night she was awakened to find herself half way off of her bed, as if she had been dragged off of it. All the lights in the house were on and all the cabinet doors and drawers were open. Buffy, our fearless St. Bernard, was cowering under the dining room table whimpering like a baby. She took me from my crib and got the heck outta Dodge and moved out the next day.
About 20 years later, she was working at the employment office when a gentleman came to her desk with his paperwork. As she was going through his papers, she saw the address. It was the same address as the house I was just telling you about. She says, “Oh, I used to live in that house about 20 years ago,” and the guy says, “Really… anything weird ever happen to you there?” So they exchange stories and it turns out this guy is having things happen, too.
Well, I always thought this was a great creepy story so one night I’m relaying it to a few friends. I say the address and one of my friends starts completely freaking out. After he settles down he proceeds to tell me, “We always deliver medicine to the old lady that lives there and she is always going on about how the devil lives in her house and we always just thought she was crazy!”
So, you see, there are three stories from three totally unrelated people over the span of several years, of things happening to them in this same house. Do we know why the house is haunted? No. But with three stories like that, I think we can safely say that it is haunted.
This example is why it is so very important to know the history of the location you are investigating. Corroborating stories are more validation to me than an orb in a picture or a crazy EMF reading any day.
So this brings us to “How do I find out the history?” Well, that’s not nearly as easy as waltzing through a place with a bunch of gear that squawks and beeps and flashes, but in the end will be much more impressive, not to mention fulfilling for you as an investigator. People are impressed with intelligence and if you can show that you have done your homework, you will likely gain more credibility for that than for having more crap on your tool belt than someone else.
If you are a credible investigator at all, you will have a very lengthy and in depth questionnaire you’ll use to interview your clients with. Once you have talked with them ad nauseam and you have determined that their troubles are not the cat knocking things over, the pipes rumbling, or the medication they’re taking, then you can begin your quest.
Remember when you were a kid and you thought it would be cool to be like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys or even Sherlock Holmes? Well, here’s your chance because being a Paranormal Investigator is much like being a private investigator. You have to be very observant of everything in the location and even the actions of the owners. You will have to be able to purvey the scene, interview witnesses, dig for clues, and follow those clues until you find the answer, just like a detective. I would say luckily, you don’t have to have a PI license to do this, but you know, sometimes I think you should because that would cut down on a lot of idiots out there yelling “Ghost” every time they get an orb, but I digress…
The first thing you need to do on your hunt to uncover the past is take good notes. Look for anything that denotes a particular era – pictures, certificates, scrapbooks, photo albums, etc. See if they have any pictures of the location as it looked originally. Sometimes buildings and homes change considerably over the years and these changes might prove to be pertinent to your investigation on down the road. Ask the owner what history they know, if any. Ask them if they have the abstract of the location. The abstract will have all the deeds and mortgages and documents pertaining to the property in it and you can find out a lot from an abstract, such as any changes or additions to the property over the years and people involved in buying or selling it.
Ask the occupants what they know about their neighbors. Find out if any of them have been there for a while. They may not know much about the neighbors and the neighbors might not seem to know a lot either, but Mrs. Cravitz across the street might be able to recall some minute thing that may not seem to matter, but might be a big clue later on. Take good notes! Note anything you find out from the neighbors!
Now, being in the legal field for the last several years, I have learned how to find a lot of things out that people don’t really know about or think about. There are several online search engines that you can subscribe to and would probably be a wise investment if you plan to do a lot of research. There’s also a social security death index online that can be helpful. But for the real nitty gritty research, you’re going to have to get off your butt and actually do some legwork.
Your local courthouse can be a plethora of information. If you can’t get your hands on the abstract, go to the deeds office and look up the address and you can find every deed that has ever been done on that property. Deeds reflect who owns the land and you should be able to tell from the different deeds whether improvements such as houses, etc. have been made on the land. Also note that the deed will just tell you who owned or owns a piece of property – it won’t tell you if someone else rented it. But you can find that out, too. You can also find out who pays the taxes on the property by contacting the Assessor’s office. This information should all be public record. You can find out a lot about a piece of property from the Assessor’s office and I have never had an experience where they weren’t happy to answer any of my questions. All of this is free – the only thing that will cost you is copies. Everything that is in the abstract should be available at the deeds office; it just won’t be all in one handy book like an abstract.
Another thing you might ask for while at the deeds office is to look at the plat of the location. A plat is a plan, map or chart of a city, town or section, usually on land that has been subdivided, indicating boundaries and borders of individual properties. Each lot is identified by number and letter. Lot dimensions are noted. It may also include features such as building locations, water pipes, sewer lines, vegetation, topography, etc. This can show you what was originally in that location and the layout of the property surrounding it. You might also be able to check with the local code or zoning office and see if they have any permits for building improvements or renovations on the property you are investigating – these might have names on them you need or even might tell you about a stairwell or attic that’s been walled up.
To find out who has actually lived in the house you can access the city’s City Directory. Most cities have these and they are normally available at the library or the city offices. Some people call them a Criss-Cross directory also because you can look things up by address, name, or phone number and they’re all cross-referenced. These are great tools in locating people, past or present. They come out once a year and you should be able to get a hold of them fairly easily.
The city utility office is another place you can check for past residents. They are usually very accommodating if you tell them you are doing historical research on the house. I don’t think I’ve ever been told they couldn’t give me that information.
Once you have a good list of names of previous residents, then you can start trying to contact them. I have found that a letter is much less scary for someone to receive than a phone call out of the blue, by a complete stranger, asking them about ghosts. A letter will give them time to process what you are actually saying to them and to do some research on you to determine whether you’re sincere and credible, or a total loon. If they decide you’re a loon, you’re pretty much out of luck and they will probably throw away your letter or save it and show it to their friends saying, “Look what I got in the mail from this loon!” and you’ll never hear a word from them. Or they might be afraid of appearing like the loon and not say anything at all. Or you could get really lucky and they will call you with their stories.
If you don’t hear anything from the previous residents, don’t get discouraged. Go to the graveyard. Not literally, but start digging through the obituaries. Most libraries have a database of some kind of all the obituaries. You can probably access them on microfilm. Genealogy groups are also a good resource and most communities have them and they are always willing to help people, given you don’t blurt out what you’re doing, or they may think you’re loony. Cemetery associations also should have records of every person buried in the cemeteries and they may be another place to check with.
If someone died of unnatural causes, there will likely be a newspaper article on it and if you search the dates surrounding the death, you might come up with a story or two about the occurrence.
If the person died from a crime, there will be a police report, which you should be able to obtain relatively easily from your local police department. Now with everything being available online, many court districts have court documents available online. You would need to find out their location on the net and then you can search by name to see if anyone has any documents filed in the court system. If you have the name of a murderer, you can probably get copies of things like a probable cause affidavit, which basically outlines the crime committed and you will get a lot of details from that. We were working on a home where a heinous murder took place and we were able to obtain a copy of the probable cause affidavit and the information sheet the state filed and we culled several details from those basic documents. We found out where the bodies were discovered, who all the witnesses were, all kinds of things that related directly to the haunting. We were also able to go online to the Department of Corrections and look up the killer – which doesn’t necessarily pertain to the haunting directly, but it was interesting and a name might be relevant to the haunting in the long run.
It would also probably behoove you to become chummy with the local police department. With this particular house I mentioned, we were able to get a walk through with the detective that worked the scene when it happened. He was able to give us a lot of background and the facts of the case, which was pretty exciting because we had all grown up hearing about this murder and over the years the stories grow and change and you never know the truth, so it was cool that he was able to give us the true story and details that we wouldn’t have otherwise known. Of course, if the crime was a long time ago, this might not be something that’s possible, but if it is, take advantage of it.
Some counties and towns have their own history books. My county has a huge two volume set that was put together by the local historical society in the 80’s and it was done by gathering stories and histories from families throughout the county. I use these in my research of local ghost towns and they are one of my most prized and priceless resources, so check with your local historical society or museum and see if they have such a creature, because if they do, you will feel like you have totally hit the jackpot once you start going through it and realizing how much information is in those kinds of books.
If, after you have exhausted all these ideas, you just can’t get one thing to make sense, then I would say to go ahead and document everything the client is telling you, conduct your technical investigation, and provide them with a copy of the report. Have them keep a journal of any further occurrences. Perhaps by documenting everything well, your information may be able to help the next person that lives there. Someone may remember something later on that will make sense to someone and they may call you back. Check back with them periodically to keep track of whatever’s happening there.
As I mentioned earlier, being armed with knowledge is much more impressive than being armed with a bunch of gadgets and you should be well armed now that you know how to conduct a proper historical investigation. It may sound like a lot of work, but you’ll be glad in the long run that you did it and your clients will have a lot more respect for you knowing you worked hard to truly research their problem. I’ve met people that have written books and books on the history of haunted places and have made a great living based on their knowledge of history of haunted places, but I have yet to meet one successful author or investigator that’s successful because he had the biggest tool belt and the most expensive meters.

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So, you wanna be a ghost hunter?

February 4th, 2010

So, you want to be a ghost hunter?

The paranormal has become quite a hot topic over the past few years and a lot of that is due to television. There are mixed feelings about the effect of television on the paranormal field. On one hand, it has made it much more mainstream and acceptable. People are much more open to talking about their ghostly encounters these days and tourism is booming when it comes to locations with haunted history.
On the other hand, it has everyone thinking they can run out and buy some gear and hunt ghosts. What happens then is that people become reckless, often times scaring the bejesus out of innocent property owners by telling them they have a house full of demons when in truth they have crappy plumbing. People see all these “as seen on TV” gizmos and think they have all the answers to the afterlife.
If you watch much paranormal television, you will see several different gadgets, thingamajiggys, and do-dads used to “detect ghosts”. Some of the gadgets go so far as to actually print “The Ghost Meter” on them.
There’s the EMF Meter, the KII Meter, the Tri-Field Meter, the digital voice recorder, the Ovilus, the thermal imaging camera and so on and so on…
The truth of the matter is none of these electronic goodies detect ghosts. These gadgets detect changes in the atmosphere. It is theorized that when a ghost is present, there are changes in the atmosphere, however, the existence of ghosts has yet to be proven, so this is all really conjecture and somewhat educated – and more often than not, uneducated – guess work.
People that want to start up their own paranormal investigation teams often say they will do it once they can afford all the equipment. I’m here to tell you, the only equipment you need is a camera, digital or 35 mm, a video recorder, a tape recorder, a flashlight, a notebook, and the most important and least expensive piece – good old common sense.
A lot of paranormal enthusiasts get irritated at groups that always seem to be “debunking” hauntings. It’s just not nearly as fun as having a bona fide haunted house. Debunking is not a negative thing. It’s the responsible thing to do. For example, if you are examining a haunting and the occupant is complaining of sleeplessness or “seeing things” and you notice their bedroom is full of electronics such as televisions, DVD players, CD players, alarm clocks, lamps, etc., it could very simply be that they have too many electronics in their bedroom and not ghosts at all. High levels of EMF have been found to cause hallucinations among other physical ailments. Of course, if you go into that room with your Ghost Meter, it’s going to go crazy. The occupant’s issues will likely cease upon removing all the EMF from the area where they sleep.
My partner had a similar case where the occupants were complaining of the baby not being able to sleep and other odd things taking place around their house. She noticed that all of the switch plates were metal. She had them rearrange the baby’s room and told them they needed to contact an electrician. It turned out their house was not grounded and there were all sorts of EMF being emitted into the rooms. Once the electrical issues were fixed, there were no more “ghosts”.
Now, yes, I did say a camera was an item you want to have in your ghost hunting arsenal. But you need to know how to use it properly. There are a lot of paranormal folks that will swear those orbs they get in their photos are ghosts. Well, they obviously didn’t get the memo. It has been scientifically proven that most orbs captured on digital cameras are caused by dust, reflections, bugs, moisture, smoke, etc. If you don’t believe me, run your finger over a door ledge and snap a picture – you will get a ton or orbs. Coincidentally, there’s an awful lot of dust being stirred up in some of the abandoned locations and cemeteries. It’s also interesting to point out that before digital cameras came along there weren’t nearly as many orb pictures as there are these days. I am not an expert photographer by any means, but when one person wrote to Canon to inquire about orbs, this is what they were told:
“We have checked your camera and are happy that the camera meets all design specification. The problem you have been experiencing is due to a phenomenon not associated with the camera.
When a picture is taken and reviewed afterwards, circular spots may be noticed on the picture. The problem does not occur with every picture. Additionally, the spots are randomly positioned throughout the picture. Highest concentration is in areas closest to the flash unit when the picture was made.
The cause of the problem is common to a lot of digital cameras with small CCDs, not just the Canon digital cameras. Such digital cameras have a greater depth of field compared to 35mm cameras, due to their smaller focal distance. This in even higher degree when the camera is set to wide angle.
Because of the above, small dust particles, droplets of water, etc., drifting in the air close to the camera and not within depth of field for normal 35mm cameras, are within depth of field for digital cameras. Under normal circumstances this is not too big a problem, as these are very small.
When flash is used, its light illuminates these dust particles or water droplets, and these therefore show up and are extremely obvious on pictures taken. The problem is worsened, because the flash unit is positioned close to the lens barrel.
Due to the setup and operation of digital cameras using small CCDs (charge coupled device), there is nothing that can be done about this phenomenon. You can take some measures though, to prevent this problem from occurring as much as is possible.
Switch off flash in environments where there are likely to be small dust particles or water droplets in the air. To compensate for this lack of flash, you can increase the ISO value on your digital camera if this feature is available on your camera.

Use an external slave flash unit further away from the camera and partially cover the camera’s flash. These units are not available from Canon, but there are third party companies producing such units. Make sure a slave flash unit is chosen which can also be set to synchronize with the second flash as used by Powershot cameras. With Powershot cameras, the first flash is used to measure, the second is the actual flash.”
(Copyright Canon – no attempt to infringe copyright)

This is not to say that nothing supernatural ever gets captured on a digital camera. This is also not to say that orbs are never anomalous. There are strange things sometimes captured on cameras, but the sensible thing to do is to have them analyzed and not just assume it’s ghostly.
One of the new toys in the paranormal world is a gizmo called the Ovilus. It’s also referred to as digital dowsing. It’s a device that creates phonetic speech from the environment. It is pre-programmed with a set of 512 words that sometimes coincidentally make sense in certain places. Each word is assigned a number and when the EMF changes, the words are spoken. It’s very random. Since EMF is not ghosts, I think it’s pretty safe to say the words generated from this device aren’t coming from ghosts either. Is it interesting and entertaining? Sure. Is it ghosts talking to you? Not likely.
I am pointing these things out because it’s all too easy to get caught up in all the hype of technology and throw common sense out the window. People think they’re being “scientific” with these gadgets but without an incredibly good working knowledge of the technology behind them, they are in reality being reckless and ignorant.
All of these items can enhance an investigation if the operators are educated about them and understand the margin for error and realize that they are not in fact detecting ghosts with them. It’s not necessary to break the bank getting these things, though, if you’re seriously looking into investigating.
I contend that a good amount of common sense and a library card are the best pieces of “equipment” you can have – and they’re both free. – Tammy

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So, why do you like to Ghost Hunt?

January 27th, 2010

Imagine yourself as a child. Your mother has asked you to fetch something from the cellar. You don’t like the cellar. Your mother thinks it’s nonsense and your brother will make fun of you (even though you know he hates it, too!) so you grudgingly head that way. You pick up the flashlight and turn the knob to the door that opens into the musty darkness. The cool air greets you but you’d rather suffer the heat than go down there. Your weak flashlight beam finds the wooden steps and you begin the long descent into the black, praying something doesn’t reach between the open steps and grab you by the ankles, dragging you into the cellar and feasting on your flesh. You hurry down the rickety steps as quickly as you safely can, fetch the jar of green beans and take the steps two at a time until you reach the top where you slam the door, leaning against it, thankful you made it out alive, your heart beating wildly…

Or perhaps you’re lying in your bed. The moonlight shines through the window just enough for your desk and toys to be nothing more than dark shapes. You notice your closet door is open. It’s just a teeny bit, but still… That china doll you hate but feel obligated to keep because it was a gift from your Great Aunt Ethel is in there. You know once you start to drift off to sleep it will come to life and attack you. You just know it. But now you’re too scared to get up and close the door because everyone knows you can’t put your feet down after dark – who knows what’s under the bed? So you lie there, too scared to get up and too scared to go to sleep. Finally, you get up the nerve so you bound as far from the bed as possible, run to the closet, slam it shut, and jump back onto the bed, keeping a safe distance from anything that might be able to reach you from underneath it, your heart beating wildly…

I recently came across the photographic works of Joshua Hoffine. He sets up his shoots just like a movie set complete with makeup, costumes, and realistic scenery and props. The children in the photos are his and while several people have questioned that particular judgment, the kids love doing it. They realize it’s all pretend. However, the emotions these photos elicit are quite real. He covers it all from the monster under the bed to the thing under the cellar stairs.

His pictures made me think about fear and what scares people. What scared you as a kid? Something under the bed? A long, dark hallway? Being abandoned? Spiders? Clowns? The ever so slightly opened closet at night? The dark in general? Ghosties?

I asked this question to several people and the responses were colorful and varied. The fears mentioned most often were under the bed, the closet door being open, clowns, spiders, and intruders. There were also completely random ones like moths, birds, needles, aliens, and bridges. A lot of people are scared of dolls or ventriloquist dummies, too. In truth, most of us are still a little scared of these things even as adults. We probably don’t realize it, but when we think back to times gone by we still shudder at the thought of many of these things and can easily recall the terror they caused us as kids.

As a paranormal investigator, I spend a lot of time in what would be considered scary places. Most of them are dark with spiders, snakes, birds, bats, and other creepy crawlies. Most of them are the scenes of some type of tragedy, deep sorrow, or death, with the likelihood of ghosts. We spend the night in places most people wouldn’t venture into in the daylight. So what causes some people to get an adrenaline rush from being scared and others to quake in their boots? Some people would just as soon never see a scary movie, never had any fears growing up, and would never, ever go on a paranormal investigation to a supposedly haunted place yet some people yearn to be terrified. Carolyn Palmer, a psychology professor at Vassar College, said that some situations tie into our need to master threatening situations because anytime we master something, we get a thrill from that sense of control and the closer we get to not being in control, the greater the thrill.

Now, most paranormal investigators will tell you they investigate to find the “truth” or to prove that ghosts exist. If you ask just about any investigator what got them interested in investigating the paranormal, most of them will tell you it’s because of an experience they had and they want to know “why.” This is very noble, but in reality, I believe a lot of us do it for the sheer thrill of being in a spooky situation. Some people are simply fascinated with scary things and the thrill we get from experiencing them. Would I love to prove the existence of ghosts? Certainly. But until then, I will just enjoy hanging out with the spiders in the dark spooky hospitals and prisons. So there you have it – the reason I like to investigate the paranormal is simply because I love being scared. I’m a sucker for spooky places and scary movies. I love the thrill of a good spook house. I scream and clap my hands with delight at the same time. Crazy? Maybe a little. Stephen King explains the need to be scared as a sane way of expressing the insanity we all have – he likens it to feeding the inner “gators” – as long as we keep them fed, they don’t come to the surface.

I related to several of the same fears everyone else listed. One that a couple of people talked about that was also depicted in one of Hoffine’s pictures was nuclear war, or the end of the world. When I was young, the movie “The Day After” came out and nuclear war was a popular subject. I was terrified of dying that way and I was terrified of what it would be like if I didn’t die. The above scene with the closet door and china doll – not made up! I had a doll that scared me to death, but I couldn’t get rid of it. I think part of me was scared it would come back. I would lie there and fret until I finally got the nerve to close the closet door. Take a look at Hoffine’s pictures and let me know what scared you – or still does. Granted, as we grow up our real fears change a bit – things like not being able to pay the bills or losing a child, but I think you will be surprised when you think about it that some of those childhood fears are still lurking there, just under the bed…

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Public Service Announcement !

December 10th, 2009

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Overheard in the News Room…

December 4th, 2009

“Our job is not to judge if they’re right or wrong. Our job is just to lend voice to their stupidity.”

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How to Handle the Threat of a Lawsuit

December 4th, 2009

This guy has it right.

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A New Beginning.

December 3rd, 2009

For the first blog in our new home, we would like to present these statements that were made live on our show on December 2, 2009.  Each one of us made one and they each describe where we currently stand.

The show is here.

Bob

For those of us who have been involved with ghost hunting and paranormal investigation (and yes Virginia, there is a difference) you might think we would have grown as a community with a unified goal of discovering the truth about the paranormal. But finding answers is no longer the primary goal in the in the paranormal community, it’s become corrupted by those who believe the ends definitely justify the means. Obtaining fame, television appearances and large speaking fees are now the priority of many and to protect their interests, they will stop at nothing.  Gone are the days where credibility, integrity and professionalism is sought and protected – today it’s become the norm to claim unearned educational credentials and psychic abilities, disregarding accepted standards, staging activity and falsifying evidence.  Ironically, when they ultimately fail at reaching the stardom so desperately wanted, they call foul, denounce the field and blame it on everyone else instead of accepting they failed to make any substantial contributions to the field.  Sound like anyone we all know?

If that weren’t bad enough, when they can’t criticize someone professionally for any of the aforementioned problems, they attack them personally using every nasty trick in the book to destroy and eliminate them.  But instead of face to face attacks, these cowards do it anonymously by using an alias or by blanketing the internet and email servers with documents that only tell half the truth.  But the worse by far is enlisting a mouthpiece to do their dirty work for them by slamming them on websites with bogus challenges and contacting business associates in hopes of causing them financial strain and damage to their image.  Boastfully proclaiming righteously how bulletproof they are but when they’ve bitten off more than they bargained for and get bit in the ass, call us crazy and skulk away to lick their wounds.

To top it all off, we’ve seen possibly the worst of the whole bunch, those who associate with para-celebs only for the opportunity to ride their coattails to celebrity status.  These are the ones that always without fail come out to defend those who refuse to publicly address the accusations of fraud or malfeasance.  They go on forums and chat rooms singing the glory of Chip, Chris or Andrew and adamantly deny any accusation against their heroes.  They use outlandish and ridiculous monologues that always seem to basically say the same thing; I think they’re great and anyone who says otherwise, is evil.  Again, these people will do anything to protect their idols, even attempt to discredit their adversaries to take the heat off of the real matters at hand.

Basically what it all boils down to is a select few made a conscious choice to attack and attempt to ruin my credibility by using one of the most profound and emotion producing methods imaginable; label me as a sexual predator.  Now maybe it was because they had been sexually abused earlier in life or in the recent past or just because Santa didn’t bring them a Malibu Barbie last year, who knows? But if these people had any legitimate concerns, wouldn’t they have used their pea sized brain to check out the whole story first?  Or were they so anxious to throw mud on me and take me down they didn’t consider the consequences?  Did they ever consider the harm they caused to my family, friends or business associates?  NO!  Their only motive and goal was to eliminate a thorn from their side regardless of the cost and without realizing people were not as gullible as they had hoped.  Several others jumped on board the USS Bullshit in hopes of winning their cause, but anything built on the darkness of hatred, vengeance and lies will never withstand the light of truth.

Let me just say this to those responsible for this, I am not going to run and hide or back down from your bullshit; I have screamed my innocence since this crap started back in 1983 because of my neurotic ex-wife and her new husbands need to eliminate me from my childrens’ lives.  Despite any accusation made there has never been a shred of proof or evidence to present that proved I molested anyone, it was all based on hearsay and lies and in a small county in Georgia it is still possible to get railroaded. Yes, initially there was a conviction which was overturned and a new trial was granted, but due to financial problems (that means the money was all gone) I accepted a plea of No Lo so that I could get back to the important matters, providing for my wife and daughter.  Regardless of what the cretin Mellen has to say, anyone faced with a similar situation would have done the same thing if they truly put their loved ones first. Ultimately I do not have a felony conviction on my record otherwise I would not have been able to keep my accreditation for paramedic or hold wonderful positions with 3 major corporations with the last being BellSouth Advertising until 4 years ago.  I am a registered voter (Republican, sorry gang) and my wife Terri and I celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary this year and to those protractors who claim she was simply brainwashed by me doesn’t know their head from their ass. If you knew my wife you’d immediately know NO ONE pulls the wool over this woman’s eyes and while my daughter was only 2 when this shit started, ask her now about our relationship.  Bobbi is a daddy’s girl from the word go and even though she may not remember everything about this fiasco, she’s an intelligent and beautiful young woman who is now married and we still continue to have a close and continuing happy family relationship.

Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with of the greatest family; friends and supporters in the world who were never swayed by the attacks perpetrated by in my opinion are lowlifes, cowards and frauds.  Because I dared to warn a friend of possible danger, people like Denise sent out portions of court documents across the country to ghost hunters for one reason and one reason only; vengeance pure and simple.  How do I know it was Denise?  To start, many of the paranormal teams openly told us of Denise’s actions.  That’s what surprises me so; don’t they know that sooner or later they’ll be found out?  To prove this point, the most recent extravaganza that starred Lan Lamphere was perpetrated with the assistance of Chip and Chris’ numero uno fan,confidant and para-mental;  Babs.  How do I know this?  Well, a good friend with a well known paranormal award forwarded a copy of the email sent to her by  Babs.  Why would she do this? Well, it could be in part due to the situation with Denise but my opinion is it may have something to do with getting revenge on behalf of her present benefactors, but is more likely because of my comments to Liz Martin in Arizona.  Both Babs and I were signed to speak at an event in Arizona and I asked Liz why would Babs be billed over me?  Other than kissing Chip’s and Chris’ ass, what has she done?  My experience and credentials far out weighed hers but because she was there with the para-celebs she got higher billing.  So working in the professional manner in which she does so often, Liz calls and tells Babs what I said; in which Babs calls and attacks me over the phone.  Whatever the reason, eventually she was found out and produces yet another great example of a para-celeb wannabe in action; if I can’t get there honestly and with hard work then I’ll do anything necessary.  Not too pretty a sight is it gang?

Too close, in the end you either believe in me or you don’t.  You either you accept me as a friend or you don’t and in the end, I can live with that.  After all, I’m not here to win anyones admiration or achieve fame and glory.  I’m still here searching for answers like I always have and cherishing my friends and family along the way.  One day when all of this hub bub about ghosts on television is over and when SpookCops, Godfathers and Reverends aren’t jockeying for position to be the most popular and best paid speaker, I’ll still be working with my team hoping to find the piece of the puzzle that provides the answer.  Hopefully along the way, new friends will join our efforts and take part in an incredible field of interest and maybe locate some more incredible documentation to share.

Janice

Before I tell you what I think is wrong in this community I have to say that there is plenty of good and right as well. I’ve met so many people, who aren’t famous, and have no intention of ever being famous, but they are part of the paranormal community. This is a community devoid of humor, a community that cannot laugh at itself. Have you never heard of satire? Come on people. This is a very small community. And like it or not, most of the world laughs at us. We are perceived as odd, weird and strange; live people chasing after the dead. Can’t you see the humor here? We take ourselves too seriously in this community. We are ghost hunters, investigators, and paranormal researchers and so it goes…What we do is viewed as silly by most of the world. But we can’t laugh at ourselves, or our para celebs. These people are sacrosanct. And what do they do? They are on television hunting ghosts, demons and evil. The better to scare you!  The camera crew is all around them, they are the cash cows do you really suppose they are in imminent danger? I know the set is dimly lit and maybe an axe murderer did in a number of victims on the very spot a hundred years ago. Do you suppose he still lingers wielding his invisible axe? How brave our para celeb is to face the killer and his see through axe. The whole premise is funny. Why is it considered rude and mean spirited to laugh at it and yes, to poke fun at it as well?

Next up is the sexism that persists in this community. Women are shoved to the back of the paranormal bus. Yes they are! Look at all those ghost hunting TV shows. How many women do you see facing demons in the dark?  Women face the weapons of enemies every day in Afghanistan, but they are too weak to face a ghost or a demon? Oh there are a few women tossed in to give some eye candy relief, but for the most part ghost hunting is a male dominated endeavor. And what really sucks is how many women go along with all this. Why aren’t any women stepping up to the producers of these shows and saying we want an all woman TV ghost hunting show. And don’t even get me started on conferences. Even one that was produced by a so called women’s group featured a nearly all male lineup. This is a field in which women are to be seen and not heard. And it is up to women to call bullshit on that and refuse to go along with the status quo.

Tonya K

It is no secret that the Ghost Divas have been relatively silent over the past few months.  While much of my own silence is due to personal and professional responsibilities in our real lives, it is also due to other factors.  There have been some “behind the scenes” issues that have been incredibly time consuming, and have ultimately culminated in my decision to separate myself from the paranormal community as much as possible.  In addition, the continued surge of paranormal programming on television and through internet “television stations” has been very disheartening.  Believe me when I say that tonight, my own period of silence will come to a deafening halt.

Our recent silence is somewhat due to spending time behind the scenes dealing with unnecessary garbage. People who don’t have a leg to stand on with their shoddy evidence and unsubstantiated claims rely upon ad hominem attacks and lies.  One lie that has been circulated recently is that the Ghost Divas have threatened people with physical violence.  This is not true, and there is simply no evidence to support those claims.  When this information has been requested, in all cases the individuals involved have refused and/or failed to produce such so-called proof.  People continue to believe these lies because people in this field will believe anything one throws in their general direction. Lack of critical thinking bleeds into every aspect of their lives, from the paranormal to personal relationships to relying upon homeopathic treatment for major illnesses to not vaccinating ones children because some celebrity on television said not to.  When it comes right down to it, if you are making decisions based upon bad information without looking any further, you are doing damage to your own life and the lives of others. Period. If someone is trying to help you get better information, you should thank them instead of slinging excrement in their path in the form of debilitating lies and schoolyard hearsay. The paranormal community has become nothing more than a poorly planned game of gossip and king of the hill.

In fact, I no longer identify myself as part of the paranormal community.  Other than my association with the Ghost Divas and other friendships I have developed over the years, I have no connection at all within this dysfunctional family that is driven by belief-based inquiry and who can get on television.  My motivation to help provide better information and inject some common sense and critical thinking into this field is quickly waning.  It is dissipating because I feel like I am trying to dig through concrete with a tiny spoon made of jell-o.  People do not want to learn how to think critically, because it will inevitably chip away at their shaky belief system.  These beliefs are so strongly engrained that they are akin to religion.  They will fight tooth and nail with anyone who tries to present information that contradicts these beliefs, because it disrupts their worldview so much that it threatens who they are.  While I will continue to attempt to plant seeds of doubt and try to teach people to dig further for better information and use scientific methodology when examining claims, I no longer want to be considered as part of this community.  It is an utter and complete embarrassment at this point, driven by orb-mongers, people who claim to talk to the dead through magic boxes, and paratainment.

I have been criticized for not making a public statement regarding “Extreme Paranormal.” It is no secret that I absolutely do not support any of the current television shows that have members of the paranormal community running around in the dark waving around cute little devices with sciency names that bleep and blip and light up the night while the members of the group attempt to “help people” as they run screaming into the abyss of grainy nightvision. I have been very vocal about all of this in the past, but did not make a specific statement regarding Extreme Paranormal.  The reasons for my silence are both personal and ethical.  I recognize that any statement I might make would likely be biased because of my friendship with the individuals involved, and so I do not choose to put my opinions regarding that specific  show into some public forum.  My statements regarding the general state of paranormal programming on television apply to all of the shows that are out there right now.  These shows do nothing of value other than put money into the hands of advertisers, production companies, and  networks.  I do not blame only corporate greed, however. They are able to continue to make profit because of the ever-swelling population of kook-aid guzzling parasheep being led away from the Village of Reason by the Pied Piper of Woo.  Mystery and the romance of the possibility of life after death breathe excitement into the flaccid brains of the poorly thinking viewers who then carelessly ejaculate what they have seen and heard onto the remainder of the population, impregnating the entire community with ignorance and bad information. Paranormal television shows are nothing short of irresponsible, magnified by their childish masquerade party as they dress like grown up science in cheap mass-produced costumes.  Once you remove those plastic masks, nothing remains but belief and bad methodology.  Most of them aren’t even entertaining.

Much to the disappointment of many, I can safely say that the Ghost Divas are going to continue to do what we do best….offer commentary and feedback on what is going on in the paranormal community.  Are we critical of what we see?  Of course we are, and that will never change.  That is because the paranormal community deserves and has asked for every single word of it…over and over and over again.

Tonya H

Over the past 11 years I have watched the paranormal evolve into something evil , unethical and just plain dysfunctional. When I started investigating claims of the unknown, there were no television producers, agents, contracts, paychecks or casting calls out there. It was about exploring the unusual and finding out what made it, well unusual. The focus of the field has turned into a cesspool of ghost addicts that are working toward nothing than getting another paranormal fix. I have watched families be destroyed, children neglected, finances ignored and priorities become a laughing stock, all because of this drug also called “ghost hunting”. Today’s quest to go above and beyond for mere publicity and attention is sickening and disturbing. I am embarrassed for the field of paranormal research. I remember when the field was once a real community not a supernatural sideshow. I sit back and watch something that was once dear to me, become a community of diseased and emotionally unstable ghost junkies. The social outcasts of society have found a home in a community where it was once full of people that read books, tested theories and communicated to understand, not to earn brownie points or cheat to get votes on bogus television shows. I am simply disgusted with the field, the community and the people that have allowed the ignorant to invade our territory. Who are those people? Well, it is my opinion that it is TAPS aka TV’s Ghost Hunters on the SyFy Network. They were the ones that have been given pats on the back by the community for bringing what we do to the mainstream. It is my opinion that they have single-handedly destroyed the field of paranormal research. They introduced big money events, big money tours, big money t-shirts and more big money concepts. I blame them for allowing stupidity into our field because they have set the stupid example. Monkey see, monkey do is the new protocol for paranormal research. The word research has been replaced by the word hunt. I have also watched my friends and peers be hunted by those that are not able to validate themselves as paranormal researchers. I have watched people claw their way to the top and milk innocent citizens out of hard earned money. I have watched practical research become a quest for demonic possession, just to out do the others in this field. I have watched people pretend to see dead people just to get attention. I have witnessed countless teams and self proclaimed organizations result to grade school tactics just to get their name out there. Another thing I have witnesses that has turned my stomach sour is the amount of self proclaimed experts that have popped out of some glorified and self righteous and unnamed portal landing on radio and television stations everywhere.

The current trend of exaggerated information, ignorant praise and acceptance based simply off of popularity and name sake. I have watched women be treated poorly, only in return, not to retaliate, those same women showcase their infantile weaknesses towards men while portraying and representing women a whoreish female lackey, self proclaimed paranormal icons and drunken pantie dropping side kicks. It makes me ill to see that women continue to be showcased as a lesser version of the new breed of paranormal researcher. Today’s media and information resources are even worse. Radio shows are just another patch of mucus disrupting this field. Allowing people to broadcast and advertise scams and blatant attempts to make money and popularity. I am disgusted by the events that are taking place. Once upon a time, conferences were information gatherings, now they are festivals for sucking up, notoriety and making piles of money. Those that are actually making a difference within the field are ignored, people pick the flavor of the month and praise them as they are some type of bulletproof god.

I have never come across so many back stabbing liars as I have lately. It is disgusting to hear about so many lies that are being spread around about myself and my friends. This mentality is now the norm in this field. Those who seek paranormal claims have now become the true paranormal. These people are beyond normal. I have watched emotionally unstable people spread lies and rumors just because they feel it makes them important. I have watched people support scam artists and worship people that claim they are honest, when in fact they are the biggest frauds out there. It is also disgusting to witness first hand people (and women) who will not own up to what they say and be proud to say it and face the consequences, no matter how difficult they may be. I am sick of liars and people with selfish agendas of personal fame in a field where it really is nothing but a pointless game.

Just this week I received one of the most disturbing phone calls I have ever received during my years as a researcher. It was a man wanting to start a team. He wanted to start a team because of what he has watched on TV. This man even told me that he had an idea that his favorite TV show was faking stuff, but it did not change his mind enough to want to be just like them. No matter how rational I was to this man he would not listen. No matter how much common sense I threw at him, he refused to understand and open his mind to the fact that “ghost hunting” is not a real sport. He is a junkie. Within months, this person and his team mates will be entering peoples homes and not having a clue to what they are doing. He had no knowledge of computers and begged me to help him learn the EVP software that TAPS uses. He also continued to call his audio recorder an EVP recorder. I offered to help them learn. I asked if he had read any books or studied anything outside of what he seen on TV. He said no, but he took a lot of my time to explain why he’s wanting to be a ghost hunter.

I am disgusted at the product that TAPS has designed. I am disgusted that there are so many mentally unstable people in this field that are claiming to help people or feel they deserve some kind of fame out of it. Everyone has a gimmick and it’s just sickening. A field that was once questionable has become a laughing stock. I am embarrassed to call myself a researcher these days. I am embarrassed of all the people I talk with because they have no goal outside of creating something that should never be created in the first place, a bigger nauseating freak show. I am sick and tired of people trolling and trying to hurt others out of jealousy and hatred. I have wanted to walk away from this field at least once a month for the past 3 years. I have not because I do not want the scum of this field to feel as if they won.

Tammy

Let me start out by making it clear what the Ghost Divas are and what they are not.  They are five women with a common goal – to tell the truth.  They are moms, sisters, wives, daughters, and friends.  They have lives and feelings just like everyone else out there, contrary to what many would like people to think.  They are women with strong opinions and passions that are able to speak about them without fear of repercussions or losing friends.  When you tell the truth, you don’t have to fear anything because even though it may cause you some hassles, it always wins in the end.  This is why they are so steadfast – because they know in the end they will still be standing and they are able to go to sleep at night knowing they have been nothing but honest.

Now, some people equate honesty with being mean.  This attitude is caused from a severe lack of self esteem and ignorance.  Granted, the Ghost Divas are not always the most eloquent of orators, but the language they use does not change the message.  The message is what’s important, people!  Too many people get hung up on the delivery and the messenger and fail to focus on the real issues.  We are commentators.  We have always been up front about that and have never claimed to be anything other than that.  A commentator is someone that comments on current events.  That’s what we do.  We don’t create the things we talk about and we don’t make up the stories you hear us talk about.  It’s ALREADY out there – we simply bring attention to it, so if you want to get up in arms because we asked if there was a staging crew on TAPS, don’t get mad at us – get mad that the show’s integrity has caused the question to be asked in the first place.

What we are NOT are liars and criminals.  Any information we pass on is researched and we do not go around blabbing incorrect information to the masses.  We CAN back up the things we say and have done so in many instances when we have been questioned, which is more than we can say about the people that are passing around misinformation about us all over the country.  We have recently been accused of threatening physical violence on a woman.  She supposedly turned this information over to the local police and emailed this story to Jason Hawes and Ron Tebo yet neither one of them have the balls to prove it, but both will report this story publicly, perpetuating the lie.  If this story were true, the police would have contacted us and they could produce the emails.  The truth is – it’s fiction.  We have never threatened to harm anyone physically, ever.  We know where this story began and we know the motive behind it – it was created by a bored, crazy, housewife with nothing better to do that wanted to cause trouble for us.  She has several people around the country believing her and she has had us removed from at least one venue because of it.  Which, oddly enough, just in the last couple of weeks, the person that bought into her craziness over that situation has come to us and admitted that he did things he shouldn’t have and that we were treated in a manner we did not deserve.

Now, why people cannot fathom that there might be crazy people in this field is beyond me, but yeah – it’s chock full of them and they have internet access, too.  The fact that people believe anything they’re told is a huge problem in this field.  Tonya K will be addressing this very issue. We are not mean, we are not violent, and we do not lie, but there are many people that will tell you differently even though they have never met us.  We hear almost weekly about stories where people have “worked with us” and we were so horrible.  Blatant lies!  We haven’t “worked with” anyone for them to even be able to say this, yet they do – they perpetuate the bullshit because they choose to lie.  I wonder if these are the same parents that ground their children for lying?  Is this how people live their lives in the real world?  Backstabbing, lying and sabotaging?  Why, then, do they do it to people they have never even met?

We have formed many strong and lasting friendships with other people in this field and the things we have witnessed people doing to other people in this field is absolutely appalling.  We have seen people ruin marriages.  We have seen people ruin lives with their tireless efforts to bring people down by passing around misinformation about them, like has been done to our good friend, Bob.  We have seen people try to sabotage peoples’ careers merely because they were angry at them. We have seen friends lose friends and families be destroyed because people are more interested in getting famous and kissing ass than taking care of what’s important.  It’s sickening!  Yet we get accused of tearing people apart?  We question the methods of collecting evidence of something that’s never even been proven to exist and WE’RE mean?  We have yet to contact someone’s wife to tell them about an affair at a ghost conference or call someone’s boss to get them fired because they made us mad because they didn’t agree about an EVP like we have seen many other people do – people that claim to be all about love and light, mind you.  And we never will.  Personal lives are personal. Period.

One misconception is that we will destroy anyone that doesn’t agree with us.  This is silly.  We are huge proponents of the freedom of speech and we encourgae people to speak their minds.  PLEASE speak your minds!  If you disagree, great! Let’s talk about it.  Where we get upset is when people cannot discuss something like adults and have to resort to attacking people rather than attacking the argument.  All we do and all we have ever done and will continue to do is we ask people to be responsible for their own words and actions and take some personal accountability and use some damned common sense.  That’s IT.  That’s what the big mean Ghost Divas do.  How dare they!  If THAT is tearing people apart, they have bigger problems to deal with than us.  And seriously – if all you can come back at us with is, “oh yeah, well… you’re fat!” like a common 8 year old, we’d be glad to help you out with some better comebacks.  All that does is drive our point that you’re an idiot right on home.

The truth is that reputations are based on perceptions rather than reality and we would simply ask people to take a few minutes and think about the things they hear.  Investigate them to find out if they’re true.  Don’t take everything you hear for the truth.  That is reckless and irresponsible.

None of the things we’re talking about tonight have stopped us from doing what we do and that is shedding light on the shadiness of this field.  I know at least a few of us in recent weeks have almost thrown our hands up and walked away from all of this insanity – but we didn’t and we won’t, because this army against stupidity is small and we are not going to let ignorance win.

Reap

I speak strongly, some take it as a threat to them physically. I think the real reason they are threatened is inside they know what they are doing or have done is wrong. There is in my opinion a lack of humor in not just the paranormal but in life. Life is ironic, if we do not find the irony and laugh at it we will spend our whole lives angry and wasting what could be the only opportunity to give reason to why we are here, which in my opinion is to enjoy the ride.Too many in the world believe in things ‘just because’ and that is just sad. I think we owe it to whoever or whatever put us here to learn about our world, enjoy it and share our jokes, laughter and reason, not to make others think like us but to give them the opportunity to make choices that are right for them.

I am tired of people ranting on about claims, stories and beliefs only to be to afraid to back them up with reasons and a real thinking process. if you are to lazy to think then keep it to yourself.

A reason I think so often people will not back up their stories or beliefs and call those who ask questions haters, jealous, or closed-mined is because they know in their heart the things they say are simply what they want to be true. What we all do scares people because it is the truth we want, not conflict or destruction, just truth and the truth sometimes scares people with good reason that is why we must learn to laugh and cry together, learning as we go.

Our tactics are not traditional but that doesn’t make us wrong it makes us real and we will not stop doing the best we can to share knowledge, fighting when we need to, forgiving when asked to, and admitting fault when faced with it.

Amanda

In summary, don’t be an asshat.  Think critically, logically, and argue with intelligence.  As Tammy often reminds us, the world isn’t gift wrapped in pretty boxes with pink bows filled with rainbows and lollipops.  We will not, do not and cannot blow glitter up people’s asses.  However, we also do not always do what people expect either.  There has been so much going on behind the scenes, from researching and dealing with Lampshades to fallout of the Donna interview.  Let’s not forget, we are all parents, spouses/significant others and full-time working adults.  Just because we do not handle things how we normally do on the forefront, doesn’t mean we aren’t dealing with it behind the scenes.  We discuss and deal with a lot more behind closed doors than we do in the public eye.  We value our genuine friendships with people and each other.  We have had some serious knock-down, drag-outs with each other behind the scenes, but because we are adults, we never take it public and we work through our issues via fantastic communications behind the scenes.

So, in case everyone has missed the memo, here are our general guidelines:

1.  Speak intelligibly about the subject matter at hand.  Don’t defend yourself with the argument, “Because that’s just what I believe.”  Beliefs mean nothing if you cannot justify your belief.

2.  Apply logic and critical thinking.  If you cannot explain why you think something is the way you think, research and see if you can possibly find data to back up your explanation and change your view.

3.  Argue the argument, not the person.  That means if you make attacks personal, then we’ll go personal.  If you can discuss the argument, it tends to stay a little more civil.

4.  Call people out.  Don’t email us behind the scenes, thinking we will do all of your dirty work for you.  We also do our research.  We don’t deal with people’s personal lives, we deal with paranormal issues and research.

The biggest myth about the Ghost Divas is that we are jealous and we want to be famous.  If we wanted to be famous or get a TV show, we would be just like all the other ass-kissing para-celeb groupies out there.  We are good friends to those who have taken the time to get to know us.  We are best friends among us.  We are not haters, we just call bullshit when we see fit.  So to the Mellens, Lampshades, Jason Hawes, and whoever else I have forgot to mention, I say fuck off.  We are who we are, we say what we want, we do it our way, not the way everyone always expects.  If we offend you so be it.  We are passionate, and we tend to elicit passion from the people who read our blogs and listen to our show.  We are not everyone’s cup of tea, nor do we try to be.  Love us or hate us, we are here to stay and we are going to continue to do it our way!

AND THEN we saw a statement by Troy Taylor that he included in his newsletter this week. We had no idea he was doing it and he had no idea we were doing ours, but it was perfect timing. He wasn’t available to read it on the show himself, but gave us permission to.

Troy

I have been thinking about adding this in to the newsletter for a couple of weeks now, but an incident that occurred last week really convinced me that it was worthy of mention. It’s been almost two years since I offered my “two cents” about the state of the paranormal community and frankly, it’s been a relief not to comment on it. My main goal – as stated in this newsletter two years ago – was to keep my head down, mind my own business and work hard to put out the best books and arrange the best tours and events for people that I could. I have continued (for the most part) to avoid the silly television shows, phony “paranormal celebrities”, and all of the outrageous behavior that has threatened to turn this field into a big joke. But, here are a couple of thoughts on the state of the field, so to speak. Accept them as just my opinion. It’s been a while since I made people mad with this newsletter, but if the comments here strike too close to home… too bad.

* A man and his wife call the police and tell them that their young son has lifted off in a giant balloon and is now floating over the countryside, although their son is actually safely hidden at home. The elaborate hoax, which made national news, is soon exposed. Why did they do it? They hoped to get a reality TV show.

* A woman and her husband show up at the White House for a state dinner with the President. They somehow get past the Secret Service and even though they have no invitations, manage to be photographed with the President and White House officials. Why would they do something like this? A burning desire to meet the President? No, they wanted to score a role on a reality TV show.

What do these ridiculous “fame whores” have to do with the paranormal? To answer that, I would only have to direct you to the unbelievably horrible “paranormal” television shows that we have recently been subjected to! I didn’t think that it could get any worse two years ago, but guess what – it has! At least the shows were somewhat original a couple of years ago when they first began airing. Now they were simply a re-hash of everything that has been done before with horrific writing, ridiculous “characters”, poor research, bad history and antics that make Scooby-Doo and his friends look like parapsychologists!

And who are these people? Or rather who were they before a production company gave them a trailer and sent them to alleged haunted places around the country? No one seems to know. We have been told that many of them have “years” of experience in paranormal research but no one seems to be able to find anyone who has heard of them. Why would a production company want to use someone that no one knows for a show? That’s an easy one – because no one with any sort of a decent reputation would destroy their credibility with this crap!

Which brings us back to my original question – what does a desperate need for fame have to do with the paranormal? It’s become painfully obvious that some of these people will do anything to be on TV. And if and when they do make it on screen, they will do anything to hold onto that fleeting moment of “glory”. It’s hard not to notice the “paranormal celebrities” who are still riding the coattails of a TV show that has long since been canceled. But since they really haven’t done have anything else, what else can they do? They did anything they could to get on TV and now want desperately to get back on.

Believe me, this desperation is not new. It’s been going on for a while now and it used to be an inside joke with some of the people I know about how many brand new ghost hunting groups were “shooting a pilot”. It was obvious every time that I heard this that they didn’t get into this field to do something as mundane as ghost hunting. Oh no, it was more important to be “famous”.

So, what’s my point here? I guess I don’t really have one. I have seen several commentaries lately about how reality television has so invaded our culture that people will hoax missing children and sneak into the White House in order to see themselves on screen. Many of us in the paranormal field weren’t even surprised to see these events take place – we have been watching morons who will do anything to get on TV for a long time now! Is it going to change? Will we finally see the end of these stupid shows and the idiots who embarrass themselves in them every week?

Sadly, I doubt it.

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