“Psychologist” Jean Mercer was operating a blog called “child myths” on Psychology Today’s website.
Several people posted questions about her credentials (she has a Ph.D., but not a license) and some of her associates, who have questionable backgrounds (one, Larry Sarner, was involved in in a voting machine investment scam).
Many comments were removed and there is now no mechanism to post new ones.
Is it possible Mercer joined forces with Andrew Langer? Langer, who likes be thought of as a libertarian, is actually a conservative. Langer has stated that he often has issues with anonymous comments, including this entry on his blog.
Langer used to be with the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), which is generally viewed as a “mouthpiece” for the oil and tobacco industries. They promulgate a great deal of pseudoscience, quackery, and misinformation about global warming.
One of their global warming experts, Myron Ebell, admits to having had no scientific training. His appearance on Newsnight is quite amusing. Ebell did not do a good enough job for the likes of ExxonMobil, and the days of his six figure retainers seem to be over.
Then we have John Berlau. Berlau runs CEI’s Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs, odd, as he’s never been either. Berlau is another global warming denier. He believes that trees pollute more than cars. He believes that DDT is good for the environment.
Once, when asked a series of basic scientific questions, he replied that a gas, when heated, gets heavier!
Langer and his colleagues at CEI have opposed the work of Ileana Rosenthal and her Humanetics Foundation.
Interestingly, Rosenthal has also been opposed by Monica Pignotti.
Pignotti is a former Scientologist. She abandoned Scientology and, after some time, became a devotee of Thought Field Therapy and Voice Technology. She has abandoned those, and is now a frequent collaborator of Jean Mercer, Larry Sarner, and Sarner’s wife, Linda Rosa.
Rosa and Sarner operate various websites and blogs; at least one of them has the disturbing title of child torture.
This blog has also seen fit to publish the “work” of Charly D. Miller.
Miller describes herself as a retired paramedic and author. She plans to, but has not, written travel guides to locales mentioned in the Harry Potter books.
Miller posts a great deal of copyrighted material to her website, and she has, on more than one occasion, removed it.
When these, and other incidents, were questioned on Mercer’s blog, commenting came to an abrupt halt.
One has to wonder whether Andrew Langer, now operating the Institute for Liberty, was involved, given his stated opposition to the use of anonymous comments.
Another possible “suspect” is Brooke Oberwetter. Oberwetter was with CEI for a while, but has subsequently joined “DC Signal” which describes itself as as “communications consultancy.” Is it possible censorship is one of their offerings?
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Not only is jean mercer not licensed, but mercer is, in an unethical and illegal manner, claiming to be a psychologist. Ms. Mercer cannot claim to be a Psychologist for the following reasons:
1. No license
2. Not a member of the American Psychological Association and ms. mercer could not be one, even if she wished to join, because she does not meet their membership criteria.
3. She is violating NJ licensing law. Under those statutes, she cannot use the term psychologist.
The statute states:
Commencing January 1, 1968, no person who is not licensed under this act shall represent himself to be a licensed practicing psychologist, use a title or description, including the term “psychology,” any of its derivatives, such as “psychologist” or “psychological”
From:
NEW JERSEY STATUTES ANNOTATED
TITLE 45. PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
CHAPTER 14B. PSYCHOLOGISTS
Furthermore, mercer has not publications that would allow her to claim to be an expert in child development. She does have a few articles from over a decade ago about the “rod and frame test” that she wrote when she was Gene Lester.
She is a fraud and clearly misrepresenting herself.
How can she get away with this?