PART 9:

LAWYER VICTOR ZAMMIT CROSS-EXAMINES SKEPTIC James RANDI
(This is a continuation from part 8)

(This would be fairly close to a real cross-examination- the information is taken from what closed-minded materialist J.Zwingi Randi has ALREADY ACCEPTED and IMPLIED. Some very minor flexibility and embellishment consistent with Zwingi Randi’s beliefs and record have been used for easier reading and understanding of the script. Randi's beliefs have not been misrepresented. Words in caps are there for emphasis - very important in cross-examination).

Part 9

Victor: You are on record for stating that you are a professionally trained ILLUSIONIST. Right?

Randi: … (Looking very cautious) … Yes, I’m professionally trained illusionist.

Victor (looking at his notes): We are informed that the definition of an illusion is the state or fact of being intellectually deceived or misled …. Do you want to dispute that?

Randi: No, of course not …

Victor: So, you were trained to make people perceive and believe that something is there BUT IN FACT IT IS NOT?

Randi: Yes, as an illusionist …

Victor: What do you say to the claim by those gifted psychics and mediums and others who did not take up your challenge that your challenge is just another GRAND ILLUSION – saying it has all the ingredients: a fantastic plan that causes a mistaken, erroneous belief, a promise of something that does not exist … put up by a professional conjurer using verbal sleight of hand to fool the American – and other people…

Randi: When it comes to my challenge … I’m not an illusionist …

Victor: Do you think the HOAXES you organized damaged the acceptance of the paranormal in the United States?

Randi: I think I’ve done that … someone said I set paranormal research back some 25 years …

Victor: Others said the opposite … Ever heard of the University of Chicago’s sociologist Andrew Greeley’s surveys – University planned and executed surveys?

Randi: No I haven’t ….

Victor: Do you know that over the last thirty years the actual percentage of people accepting the afterlife and the paranormal actually INCREASED?

Randi: That’s doubtful …

Victor: Many people claim that you convinced people the opposite to what you wanted them to believe … What percentage do you think in America accept the afterlife?

Randi: Not too high I’m sure …

Victor: Greeley’s early survey showed SIXTY FIVE per cent accept the afterlife … and another THIRTY per cent are uncertain, but do NOT deny the afterlife. THIS MEANS THAT 95% DO NOT DENY THE EXISTENCE OF THE AFTERLIFE … Doesn’t that leave only a very low 5% of uninformed, confused, closed-minded skeptics you monkey around for?

Randi: That can’t be right!!

Victor: Things you learn when you bother to investigate. Or don’t you know how many closed-minded people there are in the United States?

Randi: We’re not closed minded we're critical thinkers...

Victor: So you keep on deluding yourself. Did you know that an UPDATED survey of sociologist Andrew Greeley reports that now 81% of the people in America accept the afterlife?

Randi: That can’t be right …

Victor: What’s your response to what the record shows, that there are MORE people in the United States – and around the world - to-day who accept the afterlife and the paranormal than at any other times in the history of the United States?

Randi: I don’t think so ..

Victor: You mean you hope that’s not the case … do you know that to-day there are more television shows, more radio shows and more psychic journals generally about the paranormal and the afterlife than at any other time in the history of the United States and the world?

Randi: I don’t agree with that …

Victor: Of course not! Once more, did you organize the Alpha Project HOAX – yes or no?

Randi: Yes …

Victor: Did you organize the Carlos Affair HOAX?

Randi: Yes …

Victor: Were you involved in the Fulcrum TV Challenge attempted HOAX which showed you were indulging in fraud?

Randi: ….. Yes, yes … SO WHAT?

Victor: I put it to you it follows that your silly million dollar challenge is ANOTHER HOAX–in fact the GREATEST HOAX IN PARANORMAL HISTORY …. Tell us, you are on record for saying that you could do ANYTHING a medium or a psychic can do … do you still believe that?

Randi: Yes …

Victor: Are you an expert in detecting fraud?

Randi (confidently): Yes, I am …

Victor: Would you like HALF A MILLION DOLLARS?

Randi: What do I have to do?

Victor: Something very simple – and something you will get by way of a contractual commitment: all you have to do DETECT that FRAUD is taking place with the materialization medium David Thompson. You say what he’s doing has to be fraudulent and that you can duplicate what any medium does. That Sydney lawyer is more than happy to hand over to you the huge cash sum of $500,000 if you can detect fraud or duplicate David Thompson’s materialization mediumship. So, why don’t you take up the challenge?

Randi: What’s the catch?

Victor: If - and when - you fail, you hand over the HALF A MILLION dollars to the medium. That stuns you?

Randi: Materializations are all fraud …

Victor: You were asked to test materialization before in the 1980’s – why did you STUBBORNLY REFUSE to attend something that guarantees the existence of the afterlife?

Randi: I don’t remember that .. too long ago.

Victor: Don’t you want to remember when Professor Jan Vandersande asked you to test his materialization medium when the Professor wanted to apply for your alleged one million dollars?

Randi: I don’t remember …

Victor: Why did you lose the greatest opportunity ever in your life to be communicating with afterlife entities to see for yourself that materialization is absolutely legitimate …

Randi: I don’t believe in that …

Victor: Does it not make more sense that if you attended the materialization session, Professor Jan Vandersande would have blown sky high your greatest challenge illusion?

Randi: No …

Victor: Why is it that you rudely slam the door shut in the face of those quality applicants who apply to take on your hoax challenge … is it because you are convinced they have the skills to beat your challenge ..?

Randi: No …

Victor: You mean to tell us you are just all talk, all propaganda, just a noisy empty vessel, trying to con honest people … someone who uses verbal sleight of hand and verbally assaults gifted mediums and psychics as the record shows - without an ounce of skill, ability or competence to PROVE that the paranormal is not valid as you claim?

Randi: It’s all fraud …

Victor: So, you are refusing to DO something to prove what you are talking about, to prove you have some credibility – or don’t you have any credibility when it comes to testing psychics and mediums?

Randi: I have credibility …

Victor: So you keep on deluding yourself … But whilst highly credible and highly intelligent scientists and lawyers have presented the irrefutable evidence for the paranormal and the afterlife, in a timorous way, you ran away from their challenges, you ran away from the evidence, from the testing – and you have NEVER in your life proved that psychic phenomena or mediumship are not or cannot be valid. Would not a reasonable and independent informed person see you as someone WITHOUT credibility, WITHOUT any intellectual substance – see you just as an illusionist who has been misleading people everywhere these last forty years?

www.victorzammit.com HOMEPAGE