"I don't put a gun to nobody's head"

ooooh brother.

i google-news "psychic" and i get all kinds of pro-psychic articles.
like this one.

the author gives such gems as "Genuine psychics are very good at tuning in to information they don't really need to know but that is available all the time, and almost anyone can learn to develop this ability to some extent. While some people are truly 'gifted' with psychic ability in the same way that some people are born good at music or math, almost anyone can develop the ability to pick up on subtle environmental cues."
then, she somewhat redeems herself with: "Just don't charge for it."

i google-news "psychic fraud" and i get, well, all kinds of psychic fraud articles.
like this one.
where the subject of the article, who charged her target approximately $20,000, says:
"The woman was in an abusive marriage and had gone to psychiatrists...I worked closely with her until she mustered up enough strength to leave," Miller said. "I talked to this woman every day on the phone, I saw her at least four times a week for nine months straight. I was being compensated for my time, for my expertise and for my practices."
Considering all that, the amount she charged was reasonable, Miller said. "Why should I give my services away for free when people out there like doctors and psychologists get compensated?"
While Miller said she invests a lot of time in her clients, she does not offer guarantees.
"Before they pay a single dime, that is told to them upfront," Miller said. "I don't go out and hunt people down; they come to me for my services. I don't put a gun to nobody's head. This is all done by their own free will."
she (april miller) tops it off with:
"I have had complaints against me, but my paperwork is all in order. If I had stolen someone's money, don't you think I'd be in jail?"

anyhoo - with both of these google-news searches, i get ridiculously idiotic psychic "sponsored ads" in the right hand column of google - i s'pose it's no different from pr0n.

says me: psychics and pr0n have quite a lot in common

both fields are shoddy, shady, full of douche bags, someone is making LOTS of money and someone else is getting hurt and exploited, often willingly.

that said, i think pr0n is the lesser of the two evils.