Email: "In Las Vegas at the Sylvia Browne Show"
The woman who defended Browne at the Excalibur writes.
Published: Jul 02 2008
Written by: Robert S. Lancaster
"Mr. Lancaster, like i told you and your wife, its only an opi[ni]on unless it can be backed up with proof!!!"
- email author
Background
I recently wrote an article about a Sylvia Browne performance at the Excalibur Hotel & casino which I attended on June 22 2008.
I mention in that article a woman (referred to as Woman #1 in the article) who approached me after the show, and wanted to know why I had been "disrespectful" of Browne.
After the article went up, I received an email from this woman, and have received permission from her to share our correspondence here on the site.
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The First Email
Here - with the author's permission - is that email. I have added some paragraph breaks for ease of reading. As with all emails I publish here, it should be noted that this is simply one person's opinion.
Subject: in Las Vegas at the Sylvia Browne show
From: [] <[]>
Date: Mon, Jun 30, 2008 3:33 pm
To: []
Cc: []
Well, hello again Mr. Lancaster.
My name is [],known as woman1, at the Sylvia Browne show in Las Vegas. I'm the person that first spoken to you and your wife about Sylvia Browne.
I read your story about what had happened at the show. I think you knew what you were doing when you walked up to ask your question. No, it wasn't rude, but it was disrespectful! Knowing she would hit the roof as soon as she figurered out who you really were!! You should of had your wife go up.
At first, I didn't know what was going on. I thought it was part of the show. I can say it got very interesting!!!! She was so heated, she could of exploded.
I remember exactly what she said to you when she was being wheeled out, "SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU"!!!!!! I felt bad for her that she was so upset. I couldn't believe it! They wheeled her out so fast, I'm surprise she had time to say anything.
I still don't understand, what proof do you have that protrays her as a fake??? As many years as she has been in this business, why has nothing been said??? Sylvia Browne has been on tv and now has her own show in Las Vegas. Why hasn't TMZ, the gossip show or anyone else for that matter say" Sylvia Browne is full of bologna"?? I would like to know!
She brings alot hope and relief to people (for a very expensive fee)! And i have know idea anything about her son, which also charges crazy prices!
Mr. Lancaster, like i told you and your wife, its only an opion unless it can be backed up with proof!!!
Thank you again for your time. Also to your wife who was very polite and patient that crazy day in Las Vegas!
[]
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My Reply
Here is my (lengthy) reply. I have added some formatting for ease of reading, including [[ bolding ]] points and questions I quote from her email before responding to them. And of course, as with all emails I publish here, it should be noted that this is simply one person's opinion. Mine.
Those familiar with my opinions might want to skip down to her reply.
Subject: RE: in Las Vegas at the Sylvia Browne show
From: []
Date: Mon, Jun 30, 2008 6:10 pm
To: []
Ms. []:
Hello again, Woman #1! Thanks so much for writing. I will try to answer your questions and address your points below but first, here are a few questions for you:
1. Is my description of that afternoon accurate (at least the parts that you witnessed)?
2. Would you like to send me your description of that afternoon, for me to place up on the site?
3. Alternatively, may I place your email (to which I am replying) on the site?
4. As Security was wheeling me out, I believe I saw you standing with a group of three or four people who were seated near the elevators. Do you know who they were? They looked like perhaps they were the people I had glimpsed sitting way in the back of the theater, behind even that second set of tables, who I assumed were either part of Browne's staff, or perhaps people from her local church.
Okay, on to your email.
[[ I think you knew what you were doing when you walked up to ask your question. ]]
Well, I'm not sure what you mean by that. I knew the question that I was going to ask, and I knew that if Browne didn't a;ready know who I was, she would after I asked my question. But, given the strangeness with my ticket stub, and the fact that I was called last, I was fairly certain (and am still of the opinion) that she knew full well who I was before the show even started. Why else would she even call out every single number from the Preferred sectionif it was not to make sure I was last in line? As I mention in the article, a woman who says she was at one of Browne's Excalibur shows in February says that when it was time to let the Preferred ticket holders go up, Browne called them all up at once, using no lottery/ticket draw. Why did she do so the day you and I were there, if not to make sure I was last in line? If you have any theories, I would truly be interested in hearing them, because I can't come up with any.
[[ No, it wasn't rude, but it was disrespectful! ]]
Ms. [], I firmly believe Browne to be a truly bad person who makes her living by lying to people who are in very vulnerable points in their lives. People who have recently lost a loved one. People whose children are missing. People who are dying of a disease the doctors cannot help with. People with a loved one dying of such a disease.
She takes these people's money and lies to them. I do not respect that, not her. Despite that, I was (I believe) very polite, and asked her a question that, had she answered it and let me sit down, very few (if any) people in the audience would have realized what was going on. But Browne - again, who apparently had orchestrated it so that I was the last one up - brought me back to the mic with questions and comments. Was she trying to goad me into making a scene, so that she would have an excuse to call security? I think it quite possible. I also think she was trying to goad the rest of the audience into making a scene, which she could then blame on me.
I think that she got as angry as she did because I didn't take the bait, and because her audience (which was perhaps not as full of supporters/believers as she thought) reacted very little. As I think I mention in the article, I heard a couple of soft "boos", but beyond that, nothing. If I had taken the bait, and openly insulted Browne, perhaps her supporters in the audience would have reacted more vocally.
[[ Knowing she would hit the roof as soon as she figurered out who you really were!! ]]
Again, I'm pretty convinced that she had figured that out before the doors even opened to let us in.
[[ You should of had your wife go up. ]]
It would certainly have been interesting had my wife asked the question, even though my number had been called. I'm not sure how Browne would have reacted to that, as I don't know if she knew that Susan was my wife. Regardless, had Susan gone ahead and asked the question, freeing me up to ask another if I so chose, I don't know what I would have done. I may have simply sat down, as I did not have a second question ready. And in fact, that was part of what occupied my mind from the time I got in line until the time Susan asked her question.
[[ At first, I didn't know what was going on. I thought it was part of the show. ]]
Another woman who was in the audience that day (but not part of the group talking outside afterward) has written to me saying the same thing! But she says that the look on my face showed her that it was not staged.
[[ I can say it got very interesting!!!! ]]
You're telling me!!
[[ She was so heated, she could of exploded. I remember exactly what she said to you when she was being wheeled out, "SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU"!!!!!! ]]
The closest I could come in the article was "Someone is going to deal with you!" and my wife thought it was "Someone is going to get you!" (but it couldn't have been that, because I know I would have added in my mind "...and your little dog too!"). But your recollection does sound familiar. And, if you think about it, it also sounds like something pretty generic and vague, which would be true of pretty much anyone on the planet.
I just discussed this with my wife, and she thinks that after Browne said the first thing (which my wife does not remember), she is pretty certain that as Browne was being wheeled away, the second thing she said was "Someone is going to get you!" I didn't hear the second thing, so I don't know.
[[ I felt bad for her that she was so upset. I couldn't believe it! They wheeled her out so fast, I'm surprise she had time to say anything. ]]
Well, she evidently had her assistant stop long enough to say that. And she evidently had him wheel her over specifically to say it, because she had a clear path to avoid us if she so chose.
[[ I still don't understand, what proof do you have that protrays her as a fake??? ]]
Okay, this will be lengthy, but you opened the flood gates! :)
BURDEN OF PROOF
In debating circles, this (your question above) is known as "shifting the burden of proof." Browne is the one making an extraordinary claim (that she is "psychic"), and so the burden of proof is on her, not on those who doubt her claim.
For example, if I claimed to be able to run a mile in thirty seconds, and you doubted me (which I hope you would), the burden of proof would not be on you to prove that I could not run that fast. It would be on me to prove that I could. Browne has supplied no evidence of her supposed "abilities."
PROVING A NEGATIVE
Also, proving that someone cannot do what they claim is generally impossible. Could you prove that I cannot run a mile in thirty seconds? No. But you could point out the fact that I had never provided evidence to back up my claim. You could point out that I had bragged about my many fast-running exploits in my books, but that none of them were verifiable. You could point out the holes in my claim, such as the fact that no human has ever run that fast, and that I refuse to be publicly tested.
This is of course, what my site attempts to do with Browne's claims.
All that having been said, here are some of the more telling pieces of evidence I have presented which cast doubt on Browne and her claims:
MISSING/MURDERED "READINGS" ON MONTEL'S SHOW
I have listed more than a dozen cases where she did a reading on Montel's show for the families of the missing and murdered, and was largely/totally wrong in every case. I (and others helping me with my research) have looked into more than a hundred of these types of "readings" she has given on the show. Many of them, we were not able to track down, as the names and locations given during the show were not enough to identify the crime for us. The majority of the ones we could identify had not been solved, as is typical with cases like these (so, whether Browne was right or wrong in these readings, she was evidently of no help to Law Enforcement).
Of those we could identify, and which had been subsequently solved, Browne was largely or totally wrong in EVERY SINGLE CASE. We have yet to find a single case where she was significantly correct. Not a one. As I mention many, many times on the site: If you know of such a case, please let me know. I will research it, document it, and put it up on the site. I have been asking people (including Browne's staff) this for more than a year and a half, and have yet to receive anything from someone who even THINKS they have found such a case.
Browne claims to have an 87% accuracy rating. If this is so, she should have gotten the majority of those cases right. Instead, she got zero percent of them right.
Here is an article which lists most of the articles on the site where I document these cases:
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/scorecard_missingmurdered.shtml
PREDICTIONS
Browne's annual prediction lists are also evidence of her lack of psychic abilities. Every year, Montel likes to mention the two or three things Browne got right in the previous year's list, but makes no mention of the dozens she got wrong.
Here are a couple of articles where I document some of her abysmal track record regarding predictions:
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/predictions_annual_1996.shtml
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/predictions_presidential.shtml
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/predictions_jenniferlopez.shtml
If you want to research some of her annual prediction lists, here is an archive of a page on her old we site where she used to list them. Ask yourself: why does she no longer keep these lists on her site, other than the one for "The Next 100 Years," where she can't be proven wrong until long after she is dead?
Do you have her book "Prophecy"? If so, read through it, and see how many of her predictions in it which were supposed to have come true by now, HAVE come true.
http://web.archive.org/web/20000303082642/www.sylvia.org/predict.htm
FRAUD CHARGES
There is much more on the site. Documenting her federal fraud charges, her account of which changes many times:
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/peoplevsbrown.shtml
PLAGIARISM
There is the proof of her plagiarism:
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/browneandborrowing.shtml
CONTRADICTIONS
There is proof of her contradicting herself over and over again in her writings and recordings:
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/contradiction_doangelshavewings.shtml
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/contradiction_meetingfrancine.shtml
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/contradiction_panthertotem.shtml
And there is much more on the site. Browne around and read it at your leisure.
That was supposed to read " around". My fingers automatically go to the "ne" after "Brow" now...
[[ As many years as she has been in this business, why has nothing been said??? Sylvia Browne has been on tv and now has her own show in Las Vegas. Why hasn't TMZ, the gossip show or anyone else for that matter say" Sylvia Browne is full of bologna"?? I would like to know! ]]
Criticisms of her have been written about and broadcast in many places, but, up until recently, mostly in Skeptical magazines and web sites.
Her live, on-air mistake about the Sago Mining disaster was talked about on Fox News, and written about in several newspapers. Her utter failure regarding the Shawn Hornbeck case (she said he was dead, he turned up alive four years later) received widespread coverage in newspapers and TV, including a two-episode critique of her (and her supposed "proof" of her abilities) on the Anderson Cooper 360 show.
Here is my article critiquing her "evidence" on that second show:
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/ac360_brownesbestevidence.shtml
Here is a YouTube videos of the first show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUCECDBOOjw
Here is an article about recent coverage of her Shawn Hornbeck reading:
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/email_kmovtv.shtml
And there is more. Dig around and you will find it.
[[ She brings alot hope and relief to people (for a very expensive fee)! ]]
She doesn't always bring hope and comfort. Here is just one example of that, which I mentioned to you that day in front of the theater:
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/montel_opal.shtml
And whether she is bringing comfort or not, sh is lying to people, Ms. []. And she takes a large chunk of change for doing so, so it is very hard to argue that she is doing this for spiritual or benevolent reasons.
And, before you say "but she is using that money to support all her churches and her charities," I will tell you that there is no evidence to support that either, and in fact, evidence which seems to say just the opposite, including the testimony of several of her ex-ministers, who say that she did not support the churches, but in fact, that the churches had to send HER money.
[[ And i have know idea anything about her son, which also charges crazy prices! ]]
There are several articles about him on the site as well.
[[ Mr. Lancaster, like i told you and your wife, its only an opion unless it can be backed up with proof!!! ]]
Again, this is shifting the burden of proof. But even with that, I think that there is plenty of evidence on the site which shows there is far more reason to doubt Browne's claims than to believe them. This, combined with her steadfast refusal to be tested, or to bring forward any compelling evidence (just look at the nonsense she gave to the Anderson Cooper show!), leaves me with no other conclusion that Browne is NOT what she claims to be, and is taking people's money for telling them lies.
[[ Thank you again for your time. Also to your wife who was very polite and patient that crazy day in Las Vegas! ]]
I will let her know! And thanks again for taking the time to write.
Best regards,
Robert S. Lancaster
Webmaster,
www.StopSylviaBrowne.com
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The Second Email
Here is her reply (again with paragraphing added for ease of reading).
Subject: RE: in Las Vegas at the Sylvia Browne show
From: [] <[]>
Date: Tue, Jul 01, 2008 6:30 pm
To: []
mr. Lancaster,
"WOW", you have really done your homework! You blew my opionions right out of the water!! I can't believe what i read!
I talked to my husband about what you sent me, he said" thats what i have been trying to tell you!" He said "if she is such a good person helping people, then why does she charge outragous prices for everything! She can't help someone help their dying child for free! And he also said, when we watch phychic detectives, they help for free and you see they know what they are talking about.
I also talked to my mom, which was at the show that day. She said people have told her that Sylvia Browne was a fake! But she wanted to see for herself.
One thing that did get me thinking, was one question my husband asked me. That was, if i truely believed in her, why haven't i bought any of her books? He said i have been many times to the book store and all i did was skim through them???!!!!
Then what i read about her not giving anything to her churches, that they pay her. I couldn't believe it!
Well, everything you told about that day day iv Vegas was true. Only except what she yelled out to you. But, in the long run, it was great all the crazyness! Its Vegas!!!!!! You had gutts to go into her show, thats for sure!
I did want to ask you one question. About three minutes before the she came out, did you see her peeking out through the curtains? I had front row right down in front of her. And she was looking where you were sitting. Kinda like starring with a mad look on her face! i thought alot about everything last night, and i remembered that. Usually when people do a show and peek out to the crowd, they usually smile or even wave at the people that did notice them!! She just stood there with kinda a scary look on her face! One lady even said out loud, look their she is; look how beautiful she is!! Thats when i looked up, and thought ,holy moly, she looked scary!!!!
I almost didn't even had the courage to ask her my question. Which mine was stupid. I asked" if i had any ghosts in my house?" And she responded," yes, his name is Andy". I got so nervious, that i started to get a coughing attack and had to sit in the way back!!!
On tv, most of the time she seemed to be in a bad mood and very short fused. Maybe thats why you had alittle indigestion, because the pressure was on once you went in!!!
When i saw you being escorded to the elevator, i was standing next to my mom, and two of our friends that went with us. I didn't see anyone else around except for onlookers. And that was weird that you did get picked last out of the bowl???
and the worst part about it, is i was the stupid one that paid full price to have a question answered!!! AND WHY DID SHE GIVE A FREE QUESTION??? She never gives anything away for free?!!!! So, maybe you did change the show program. Did you know she charged 25.00 for a picture with her?
Well you really opened my eyes. Thank you!!!! I still got alot of reading to do on all the information you sent me. Have you every written to her before?? I have, and they sent me a bunch of papers on their merchandise for sale, prices of her and her sons readings, etc. I still have them! I'm so glad i was never stupid enough to pay!!! The price got my attention to not do it. I would rather spend 750.00 on a small trip!!!
and definately yes, you can put my email address up. I guess i got alot of learning to do!! Thanks for all your help on knowing the truth about Sylvia Browne!!!! Please keep me updated!!
[],aka Woman1
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Conclusion
My thanks to this woman for approaching us that afternoon, and politely engaging us in conversation. I am especially glad that she took the time to write, and to consider my response.
And, of course, my thanks to her for allowing me to share our correspondence here on the site.
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