If you, like me are one following gentle wind twists and shifts
might I suggest James Randis story in SWIFT, an internationally
recognised newsletter and a favourite of mine.

September 15, 2006
GENTLE WIND BLOWN AWAY

At www.randi.org/jr/2006-07/072106gentle.html#i1 we wrote about the
farce known as the Gentle Wind Project. Well, the Maine Attorney
General's office, in an Aug. 14 statement, said that Gentle Wind
violated the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act with claims about
its "healing instruments," which he said offer "no benefits," and he
added that the funds of the "fraudulent" charity with
its "misleading business practices" were mismanaged. To me, the very
fact that GWP was allowed to operate as a charity, is a shocker in
itself.

We at JREF tend to hope that our campaign against this scam may have
stimulated this action. GWP had claimed that the "instruments" –
principally hand-held laminated cards and plastic pucks! – could
improve emotional, mental, and physical functioning. The Maine AG
argued that there was no scientific evidence supporting such claims,
to no one's surprise. And, the AG found that the "suggested
donations" the group received for the instruments were spent
wrongfully on personal property.

Now, the law firm for the Gentle Wind Project has refused to
represent them any longer, citing nonpayment of legal fees – but not
because they were scam artists or because their "instruments" were
simple colored plastic cards. "The clients deliberately disregarded
an agreement with, or obligation to, the lawyer as to expenses or
fees," they said in their motion. However, GWP still has an ongoing
lawsuit against former members Judy Garvey and Jim Bergin, of Blue
Hill, Maine, alleging defamation. I ask you, how can such an
officially-denounced and discredited group claim defamation?

The remaining assets of Gentle Wind – after civil penalties and
costs – are to be distributed by the Maine Attorney General as
restitution to their Maine consumers and to a Maine charity whose
charitable mission is to provide services to those with mental
health disabilities.

Ah, but the unsinkable Gentle Wind is already back in business with
a new website and reorganized leadership. They now list an address
in Sparks, Nevada, far from Maine, describing themselves as all-new,
all-volunteer, not-for-profit, making no claims about any relief
their instruments may provide, and they say they do not accept any
donations for them. "We are a group of people who want to make the
world a better, easier place," they piously say. And they still
offer the "healing instruments" central to Maine's suit, but now
from the protection of the state of Nevada.

Forty-nine states to go…