Word on the street is that GOP courtroom hustler Thor Hearne [1] is preparing to roll out the heavy wingnut artillery for upcoming legal proceedings [2] regarding Missouri's photo ID voter disenfranchisement law.

Hearne, who represents a group of pro-ID anti-suffragists intervening in a lawsuit brought by photo ID opponents, apparently plans to rely on the testimony of John Lott [3] --the Babe Ruth of conservative crackpot "scholars"-- in defending the horrendous law. It is rumored that Lott will either testify in person at evidentiary hearings or submit for the record a paper that suggests regulations like photo ID requirements stop fraud without harming the elderly or poor.

Lott is best known for having served as the human representation of the bottom rung on the ladder of scientific non-achievement.

Among his greatest professional hits [4] are his publication of the results of a scientific "study" which he never actually conducted [5], his publication of a book the hypothesis of which was disconfirmed when his hundreds of data coding errors [6] were corrected, and (perhaps greatest of all) his use of a false-identity "sock puppet" [7] to post hundreds of internet blurbs that fawned over his own writing and research and attacked his critics.

Yes, you read that correctly. This dude used to go on Amazon.com and similar sites and post glowing reviews of his own books and articles under the name "Mary Rosh."

Once we're past the obvious comic value that John Lott's participation in the defense of an inequitable law provides, we actually ought be insulted. Thor Hearne and the Republican proponents of the Photo ID law --folks who never saw a jury box nor ballot box that they didn't like better rigged-- are bringing into Missouri court a scientist already proven disreputable so he can opine on the scientific effects of our policy. Congrats to Mr. Hearne on finding a way to push the legal profession to creative new lows.

Should the charlatan Lott be allowed to testify, I'd suggest taking whatever it is he says with a grain of salt. And have I got just the grain of salt for you ...an excerpt from one of Lott's previous writings:

"Do you really think that most women can out run your typical criminal?…Even if I am not wearing heels, I don’t think that there are many men that I could outrun."

(Mary Rosh postings [8])

Fired Up! will have correspondents at the Cole County hearing to see if John Lott wears heels when he testifies in open court, or only when he trolls the net.