Bill Maher On Mitt Romney & Bain Capital: "This Is The Same Thing That Makes Guys Like Tony Robbins Rich"

What a nest of vipers we live under. ("Under" being the operative word.) Or is it a "hive," as Arthur Brisbane, the outgoing public editor of the New York Times called it?

Snakes out to bite us, bees out to sting us, it's just so hard to tell anymore. 

Whatever it is, naturally, when Bill Maher made the statement that's become the title of this post, he probably didn't know Oprah Winfrey - the woman who brought us Barack Obama and promotes Tony Robbins - also parks her money with Mitt Romney's Mormon-owned Bain Capital, but it figures, doesn't it?

As Oprah privately (yet famously, thanks to publisher Nan Talese) told author James Frey after dishonestly grilling him on her show about (what else?) honesty:

"It's just business."

Yep, business, that's all it is.

Along with a few healthy doses of hypocrisy, and deception, and lying:

Winfrey was mentioned at a recent national cult conference in Connecticut, according to Philadelphia-area expert David Clark. A former Bible-based cult member who later worked as an exit counselor, Clark said attendees recommended Winfrey get cult-awareness training so she would be attuned to how people can be brainwashed.  

"My main concern is Oprah's long history with New Age people," Clark said.  

Clark remembers Winfrey criticizing brainwashing early in her TV career. Since then, he said, she's been associated with New Age spirituality gurus whose messages and tactics have some cult-like qualities.  

Guests who have appeared on Oprah to promote mystical philosophies include Gary Zukav, who offers "spiritual guidance," and self-proclaimed "lifestyle-makeover expert" Cheryl Richardson. Winfrey has also been aligned with New Age-religion author Marianne Williamson and celebrities who promote similar beliefs, such as actress Shirley MacLaine and spiritualist Deepak Chopra.   

"She definitely has a New Age cocoon of sorts," Szimhart said of Winfrey. 

So now, after nests and hives, we have a cocoon. Well.

Call cultism what you will, but - the more I look into it - the more incestuous it is, the more deadly, and - now with TWO presidents wrapped up in it - it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger,...

Oprah Winfrey, NewAge, Cultism & The Truth: Somebody Ain't Livin' Their "Best Life EVAH!!!"

Damn, kids, I don't see how I missed this one, considering all of my Oprah/Arianna/Evil bitch coverage lately, but - even at a month old - it deserves your attention like all the rest:

With the news that Dr. Melvin Levine—who appeared on Oprah repeatedly over the course of several years as a childhood education expert—committed suicide on Friday, the same day that 40 of his former patients filed a medical malpractice and sexual abuse suit against him, it raises the question of whether O is doing enough vetting of the authors and experts to whom she chooses to lend her credibility.

The number of recent scandals that have emerged — and we're talking about scandals that go beyond Dr. Phil not being a "real doctor," or Rachael Ray not having any formal culinary training, or her own falling-out with Iyanla Vanzant, or even the whole James Frey debacle — is troubling.

Considering events like the James Arthur Ray murder trial currently going on in Arizona, and the crashing of the economy after Oprah told everyone they could wish their way to riches with The Secret, I'd say it's more than "troubling". So, now, on top of the child rapes and the closing of her African school, we've got more blood, and child abuse, on Oprah's NewAge hands, while everyone's still treating her as some kind of moral mother figure for fruitcakes. Amazing.

No, really, it's amazing she's pulling this off, without questions from the media (Have you heard anything about this child abuse scandal? Any investigative reports on Oprah's track record with who she endorses? Even after murders and rapes? Even after Obama?) nor a peep from the American public. The quoted article has a few of the controversies I'm famiar with, but what it contains that gets me is the constant scrubbing being done on Oprah's website every time some NewAger she promotes gets in trouble. It's such a regular occurrence, I'm amazed anything's still left on the damned thing.

In other words, rather than admit she's doing anything wrong, she just ruthlessly (and quickly) "moves on", hoping to latch her viewers into her next diabolical "spiritual" scheme before anybody catches on to the level of real-world corruption, and perversion, she's been involved with.

And it works. I can remember somebody saying Oprah can drive around with dead babies in the trunk of her car and, at this point, nobody would care. How does that happen? I'll tell you how that happens:

You wash an entire society in the delusional waters of cult worship - ensuring everyone's trained to be so "spiritual" and "non-judgmental" that no one is guilty of anything - and even the most wicked of pied pipers can appear to have a saint-like glow.

What Oprah Winfrey has done, and is doing, to and in our society is tragic.

But it's what our society has done to itself that's made it all possible.

Honesty's More Than A Defense: Reality Is Truth

So this is today's viral video - Pakistani actress Veena Malik, bravely defending the truth before a questioning cleric, by exposing what hides under the rock we know as Islam. It's truly awe-inspiring because, as we know, these are the kind of words that can get her killed and, like everyone else, I wish her the best and hope, by posting this segment, it can play some small part in giving her cover to speak and live freely.



This is James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" publisher Nan Talese. Like Veena Malik, she was bravely defending the truth, but before a questioning audience member, and by exposing what hides under the rock we know as The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Veena Malik's made a nice living - without saying a single word against the belief system she knows hides despicable practices.

Nan Talese was once glad to have Oprah Winfrey advertise her books.

But do you think, if they weren't attacked publicly, that either of these women would ever have spoken out about what they know?

My heart goes out to both of them but, I'd be negligent if I did not say, they're also evidence of a staggering lack of integrity.

And, unfortunately, they are more common in this regard than not.

I Told You: They're Nothing But A Deck Of Cards

"The Lancet 'fully retracts' publication of [a] study linking the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism and bowel disease."

-- The Associated Press

I've made this analogy too many times to link to them all - click the "Alice In Wonderland" tag, below, to see them - but here's my point, once again, about what has been the influence of these (twisted) people - and the answer to them - from Alice In Wonderland:

"`Let the jury consider their verdict,' the King said, for about the twentieth time that day.

`No, no!' said the Queen. `Sentence first--verdict afterwards.'

`Stuff and nonsense!' said Alice loudly. `The idea of having the sentence first!'

`Hold your tongue!' said the Queen, turning purple.

`I won't!' said Alice.

`Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.

`Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) `You're nothing but a pack of cards!'

And, once she grew to full size, and stood up to them - *poof* - they, and their "powers", were gone. Let me know when Andrew Wakefield (the study's quack author) Oprah, Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey, etc., get the news and start telling us, James Frey-like, how very, very sorry they are for attempting to deceive us - and for all the children's lives that were lost as a result of their deception.

And here's my multi-billion dollar exit question:

Is Oprah - the (red) "queen" of daytime talk - ever going to be held accountable - and forced to give back any of the money she earned - for being part of it?

The Oprah Winfrey Statue Cast In Bronze: As Warm (And As Fake) As Television's Real Thing

"I will not report on,...complementary and alternative medicine. This is a scientific term for 'something you heard about from your hairdresser, who thinks she saw it on Oprah' — a category that,...includes acupuncture, homeopathy, healing magnets and assorted herbs and supplements".

- Jerry Adler, writing in Newsweek

"There is a growing acceptance of the notion that some sort of mysterious "energy" (usually called chi) is at the root of pain, health, the economy, world history, and who knows what else. Media personalities like Oprah Winfrey and her medical mandarin, Dr. Mehmet Oz, are only too happy to spread the superstition across the land."

- Robert T. Carroll, writing in Skeptimedia, the commentary section of The Skeptic's Dictionary

"I like Oprah. OK, really, my wife likes Oprah,..the problem with that is when a single person is so influential, people may perceive them and those whom they anoint as experts…so it was with trepidation that I watched Oprah with my wife tonight—she brought out her “favorite gynecologist,"..the doctor,...rapidly turned down the path of crankery,..almost like she never went to medical school,...she talked about injecting chi into [your] clitoris—I shit you not,...Oprah has a great deal of influence, and so has a great deal of responsibility, whether she wants it or not. I hope she wields it more carefully in the future."

- The White Coat Underground

Please, everyone bow your heads, and pray with me:

Excuse me, Oh Great Oracle Oprah, but is homeopathy really good medicine? Why do you choose to promote it? Why do you promote so many other forms of quackery? Do you know what quackery is? Has pushing quackery on your fellow Americans been your plan all along?

Is Tom Cruise - a leader in what's called "the world's most dangerous cult" - someone Americans should admire? Or you should promote? Why do you promote so many cultists? Are you a cultist?

Why do you have so many NewAge (rhymes with "sewage") guests on your show? Are you a NewAger? Hitler was a NewAger. Are you a part of the NewAge "movement"? If so, do you think that's something you should make clear to your "followers"?

What about The Secret? Why did you give it two days on your program? Did it deserve two days? Why? Is the "Law Of Attraction" really a scientific law? Are you attracting me, to you, right now?

Do you give us all the facts on the topics you cover? Are you a journalist? Do you have journalistic integrity? Do you know what journalistic integrity is? Do you stand behind what you do/promote on your show?

Why do you give short-shrift to skeptics on the program? Why do you invite so few skeptics? Are you, a journalist, afraid of skeptics? Are you afraid of having your beliefs and advice challenged? Are you afraid of truth? Or does it make you upset? Are you afraid or upset at the idea of going broke if you're ever sued for leading the American people astray?

Why did you tell James Frey it was only about money? Is it only about money? What does money mean to you? Is it more important than truth? Do you bathe in your money?

Please, Oh Great and Powerful Oprah, answer me,...I'm waiting.

Yea, yea - once again - I got nothing.

Talk about your "Sacred Cows",....