In this clip Ron Paul responds to a question from Phyllis Schlafly, another promulgator of North American Union silliness.

On a related note, see also Ron Paul’s embrace of crank ideologue medical enthusiasts.

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Addendum Nov 29 – Compare to Ron Paul’s discussion of the “North American Union” during last night’s YouTube debate.

Addendum Dec 08 – Ron Paul’s conspiracy credulity has made Newsweek.

The AAPS has published quite a bit of the pseudoscientific crazy, including some bizarre claims regarding immigrants and leprosy. Andrew Schlafly, a son of Phyllis Schlafly, is (at least as lately as September this year) the group’s General Counsel. Ron Paul evidently shares the same opposition to mandatory vaccination and suspicion of vaccination in general as the AAPS, the house of Schlafly, and the Schlaflys’ “Conservapedia”.

That’s looking like some mad doktor territory to me. Plus, unless this is a fantastic joke, his followers want to rent him a blimp. Cue the maniacal laughter.

_
* This all started when Conrad sent me the blimp link. Ow. Ow.

On the other hand, the endeavor has a rushed, Michael Moore, low-hanging fruit feel to it. What they did was mostly just… call customer service and ask questions. (”Aha! I’ve vexed and confounded the receptionist! Suck it, Philip Morris!”) Yes, the poor bastard on the other end of the line is probably just an $8 an hour phone operator reading from a 2-page handout. Yes, anything with “herbal”, “homeopathic”, or “energy field” in the name or description is going to be useless crap. Flawless victory.

More proactive, public critiques will surely follow, one hopes. Being ready and able to call bullshit when asked is most excellent. Vigorously challenging marketers who dress up their products in speculative or concocted science claims would be better still.

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* (Despite the suspicious preponderance of rather attractive young men and women. Look at the photos in the PDFs. It’s like a hard science reality show in there. Yowza.)

“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.”

- “The Call of Cthulhu”, H. P. Lovecraft

Stephen Cherniske’s nutritional authority is his M.S. from Columbia Pacific University – a now-defunct distance learning diploma mill. Browsing directly to the Amazon.com entry – but not the HowStuffWorks bookstore gateway, interestingly – allowed you to see this noted in the customer reviews.

Stephen Cherniske is a founder of the Oasis Wellness Network, aka MaxCell BioScience, Inc., aka Oasis LifeSciences, aka Univera LifeSciences. (See the current blurb, as well as the Internet Archive cache from 2003 February 13). Oasis/MaxCell/Univera ran into some trouble in 2000 (after the 1998 publication date of Caffeine Blues, note) with the Federal Trade Commission for marketing health products with unsubstantiated claims. See documents at the FTC and FindLaw. Oasis/MaxCell/Univera sold those products via a multi-level marketing campaign.

A glowing review of Stephen Cherniske’s Caffeine Blues has a conflict of interest:

I am Caffeine Free after 40 years, October 9, 2004

Reviewer: Michael Van Masters “OasisMike” (Denver CO) – See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been a serious coffee drinker for over 40 years. I love everything about coffee. Reading this book freed me from a major problem (caffeine) that I didn’t even realize was a problem. The book was a gift to me. I am so thankful I read this book. Dr. Michael Van Masters, “OasisMike” Denver CO

“OasisMike”? Yes, it’s Michael Van Masters of Stephen Cherniske’s Oasis LifeSciences, aka MyAgelessLife, aka Oasis Wellness Network, aka MaxCell BioScience, Inc., aka Univera LifeSciences.

89-138-129-66.bb.netvision.net.il

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They tried to leave a comment, but none were in my moderation queue, so I checked the spam comments that my blogging software automatically deletes. Sure enough, this comment was left for my “Salesmanship awareness alliance” post about Marina Kushner’s industry advocacy group, the Caffeine Awareness Alliance – and it came from that same blacklisted Israeli IP.

Janice Templeton RD | as3412@aol.com | IP: 89.138.129.66

Kelly Ramsey

“…..I do what I can to get by.”

Source: http://www.virb.com/kellyramsey

Does that include slander & defamation of character?

Hope you didn’t forget to pay your E&O insurance premium cause I looks like your going to be needing it after she sues you.

Your personal vendetta against Ms.Kushner & her wonderful organization is pathetic at best. Get a life!

Awww, isn’t that special.

Marina Kushner, author of The Truth about Caffeine, wants students to wake up to “the real truth” about caffeine.

Moderate doses of caffeine, ranging from 200-300 milligrams a day (about two to three cups of brewed coffee) aren’t harmful, according Kushner, the founder of the Caffeine Awareness Alliance, a New York-based non-profit organization committed to provide objective information and evidence about caffeine abuse and addiction. However, excessive caffeine consumption, over 500 milligrams a day (over three cups of coffee), can cause irritability, nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, headaches and diarrhea.

The old Coffee & Caffeine FAQ and the Wikipedia article about caffeine could tell you as much. The problem is the reliance on Kushner and her organization.

The Caffeine Awareness Alliance is an industry advocacy group. Prior to March 2006 the CAA site’s front page described its mission as selling caffeine-alternative products:

CAA was founded in 2003 as an authoritative voice for advocacy to serve the needs of the Caffeine-Free Industry & create a valuable network of resources to executives, sales people, retailers, buyers, growers, media and associations.

Caffeine Awareness Alliance founder Marina Kushner also happens to be CEO and founder of Soy Coffee LLC, which sells a caffeine-free coffee substitute.

Marina Kushner also has acquired a reputation on Amazon.com for reviewing her own books (positively) as well as competing caffeine-related books (negatively) under fake names. See Amazon discussion board threads from June 2006, September 2006, again in September 2006, October 2006, and November 12.

Sometimes articles that issue warnings about caffeine cite Roland Griffiths as an independent authority. He has consulted for the caffeine-substitute industry. The Caffeine Awareness Alliance forum used to have a section titled, “Ask the Experts”. The “experts” listed numbered two: Marina Kushner and Roland Griffiths.

College journalists, the Caffeine Awareness Alliance seems to make the rounds year after year after year after year after year after year. Don’t look like tools for industry PR. Search for independent medical professionals who can fill you in on the current state of medical research.

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Addendum: I’m looking for documentation for a spectacularly ham-handed fake Amazon review, since it seems to have vanished down the memory hole. Last year Harold Bresnick “M.D.” (Mayo Clinic, Rochester NY) trashed a competing book of anti-caffeine quackery:

While reading this book, I needed caffeine to keep me from falling asleep., August 21, 2006

Reviewer: Harold Bresnick “M.D.” (Mayo Clinic, Rochester NY) – See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While reading this book I realized that I needed caffeine from falling asleep. Though the book addresses the dangers of caffeine, it is too technical and dry. It easily could have been summed up in 200 pages, instead of being twice that it is now.

The book is also dated (1996) and does not address the latest studies on caffeine (i.e Parkinsons, Diabetes). As a cardiologist, my priority is to help my patients understand the dangers of caffeine. That is why I recommend “The Truth About Caffeine” by Marina Kushner. It’s current (2006) and has everything in this book including the amount of caffeine found in many popular consumer products. It also has an extensive bibliography that I found invaluable.

Caffeine has no nutritional benefit and I believe it should be regulated like a drug. Manufacturers are not required to reveal how much caffeine is found in their products and consumers cannot make informed decisions. The only way to understand the risks is to be informed which I do with my patients

As the anonymous reader who tipped me to this pointed out, “Harold Bresnick” was not on the Mayo Clinic’s list of doctors. I didn’t have any luck finding other mention of him online. Perhaps not surprising, because the Mayo Clinic is in Rochester, Minnesota, not Rochester, New York. “Harold Bresnick” was a few states off.

The reviewer deleted it, maybe in response to other reviewers’ outrage. A remarkably similar review of the same book, though, appeared a month later.