January 3, 4, and 5, 2017


News and Views


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gas-poisoning-amarillo-texas-criminal-investigation-poisoning-killed-4-kids/

Criminal investigation underway into accidental poisoning that killed 4 kids
CBS/AP
January 3, 2017, 5:46 PM

Photograph -- Four children died from gas poisoning believed to have been caused by a pesticide sprayed under their Amarillo home, officials said. CBS KFDA
Play VIDEO -- Four Texas children believed to be killed by pesticide gas


DALLAS -- A criminal investigation is underway into an apparent accidental poisoning involving a professional-grade pesticide that left four children dead and an Amarillo woman in critical condition, police said Tuesday.

Authorities are looking into why the family had the pesticide pellets, called Weevil-cide, which is only supposed to be sold to people with professional licenses or certification. The product’s manual, available online, outlines stringent guidelines for using the product including having two trained individuals apply it. Figures from the American Association of Poison Control Centers show that deaths from the pesticide are rare.

The father of the children who died told first responders through a Spanish language interpreter that he had spread the pellets under the family’s mobile home after obtaining the product from a friend, Amarillo Fire Capt. Larry Davis said. Davis said the product is not available for sale to the general public. The product’s manual says it’s intended for use in pest control in commercial transport or storage of commodities and animal feed.

Davis said the father does not have professional certification as far as he knows. He did not know whether the friend who gave him the product had a certification.

Amarillo police spokesman Officer Jeb Hilton says the department’s special crimes unit is investigating because of the child deaths. Once completed, the investigation will be turned over to the district attorney to determine whether charges will be filed. Hilton said other federal and state environmental regulation agencies may also investigate the use and storage of the chemical.

Four Texas children believed to be killed by pesticide gas

Fire officials said the children who died were three boys -- ages 7, 9 and 11 -- and a 17-year-old girl. Officials have said all four children lived at the home in Amarillo, which is about 350 miles northwest of Dallas.

The children’s mother, Martha Balderas, 45, was in critical condition Tuesday at University Medical Center in Lubbock, according to a hospital spokesman. Five other family members, including the father and four other children, were being treated at BSA Health System in Amarillo and were in stable condition, hospital and fire officials said early Tuesday.

Crews who responded to a 5 a.m. call to the home on Monday originally thought it was related to carbon monoxide poisoning. Authorities later determined that phosphine gas was likely released when the father took a garden hose at some point Sunday and tried to rinse away some of the pellets because family members had complained of the smell.

Toxic Phosphine gas is produced when aluminum phosphide is mixed with water or moisture, CBS Amarillo affiliate KFDA reported.

The water started the chemical reaction that released the phosphine gas. A visitor arrived early Monday, found everyone sick and called 911.

Phosphine gas can cause respiratory failure and in severe cases can cause a pulmonary edema, which fills the lungs full of fluid.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers, which compiles data on poisoning, shows nine deaths from ingesting or breathing in aluminum phosphide between 2010 and 2015.

Two of those deaths happened in Utah in 2010, when two young children died after a pest control company spread vole pesticide pellets that released phosphine gas. Authorities believe the gas seeped into the home through cracks in the foundation.

Cynthia Aaron, the medical director for the Michigan Regional Poison Control Center at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, said doctors there more often treated adult patients for exposure to phosphine gas from aluminum phosphide because the pesticide is often used in industrial shipping.

“It’s not a rare exposure, but deaths like this are rare,” she said. “We see mostly the overdoses. For example, they used to use this in ship holds when they ship grain. So if they are de-mousing the big ship hold and someone doesn’t realize the pesticide has been activated or they haven’t yet been aired out properly, they might enter and pass out or die.”

Chip Orton, emergency management coordinator for the city of Amarillo and Potter and Randall counties, says his staff was working with a number of state and federal agencies to decontaminate the Amarillo home. He did not know when it would be safe for the family to return.

About 10 police, fire and medical personnel who first responded to the home were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, Davis said. Two were kept overnight for observation because of headache and nausea but were in good condition Tuesday, he said.

Davis said the home was far enough away from neighbors that no other evacuations or treatments were necessary.

Neighbors told KFDA that the Balderas family was well known and liked in the community.

“There was a lot of love in that family and still is,” said Nichole Wells, a teacher at Travis Middle School who taught 3 of the 8 Balderas children. “They’ll wave, they’re polite, they’re respectful. They were just such a great family, and they really knew what it was to be a family. That’s for sure.”

Many said the family is going to struggle with the costs associated with the tragedy.

“Everything’s going to have to change, and they’re going to need a lot of help with four funerals simultaneously,” said Wells. “So they’re going to need the love and support from the community and even surrounding areas to really make this happen, and at least give them some sense of normalcy.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up in the family’s name, and surpassed its goal of $25,000.



I have at least some anxiety every time I use a poison; I look it up on the Internet, and take all published precautions. In 15,000 BP, it was predatory animals or a rival tribe that killed people. Now it is one of our miraculous scientific discoveries. Using a poison like that without proper instructions is very dangerous. I really doubt that this father, however, was aware of the danger. He is also recovering from the exposure in the hospital. This is another of the really sad stories that I find. One of the unmentioned problems of being a first responder is that there is often considerable danger in their job. There must have been a huge amount of the gas to kill so fast. The family had been asleep when it happened.



A VERY SAD NEW YEAR

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-puckett-missing-chief-childs-body-found-amid-search-for-missing-aurora-colorado-boy-6/

Chief: Child's body found amid search for missing Colorado boy David Puckett, 6
CBS/AP
January 3, 2017, 1:47 PM


AURORA, Colo. -- Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora say they have found a child’s body amid a search for a 6-year-old boy who is believed to have wandered away from his home on New Year’s Eve.

Late Monday afternoon, authorities issued an Amber Alert for David Puckett. Over 150 law enforcement personnel from a variety of agencies including the FBI, Aurora Police and Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, along with more than 200 volunteers, joined the search, said Aurora Police Chief Nicholas Metz.

Tuesday, Metz said, crews discovered a child’s body in an iced-over pond.

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Aurora Police Dept ✔ @AuroraPD
LIVE on #Periscope: #FindingDavid Press Conference https://www.periscope.tv/w/azqO3DEzNjEyMDN8MU9kS3JlZWVNTnB4WFzsMqGY_AmjYRckOfKtvNp9uXDn10YMXcdwS0r2cqu7 …
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The body remains unidentified, according to Metz, but he said Puckett’s family has been notified.

“I have the very unfortunate news of letting you know … we found the body of what appears to be a child, inside the pond, underneath the ice,” Metz said.

Before the grim discovery, police said foul play isn’t suspected, but asked for help to find David as quickly as possible partly because of coming cold weather. Police said David had wandered off before. Metz said authorities are treating the pond as a crime scene to ensure a throrough investigation.

His mother said he was only wearing a light jacket. On Sunday night, she issued a tearful appeal for people to help find him.

Metz said it could take time to confirm the body’s identity.



This child may have been autistic. For some reason, they are prone to wandering off, even for miles, and they are also attracted to water. For a common condition, we know relatively little about autism. The autistic are sometimes “intellectually challenged,” and other times they have a high intelligence. That is called Asperger’s Syndrome. It’s very interesting, but is challenging for the parents. There is a great movie called Rain Man, with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise from 1988 on the subject. Dustin Hoffman played the autistic brother and Cruise played the other. That character was based on a true case of an “autistic savant.” “Autistic savants” are sometimes called “idiot savants,” but they are far from being idiots. They do have odd thinking patterns, however, including a difficulty relating to other people. See: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/signs.html.



CONGRATULATIONS, MEGYN !!

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/megyn-kelly-leaves-fox-news-for-high-profile-role-at-nbc-news/

Megyn Kelly leaves Fox for NBC
By JONATHAN BERR MONEYWATCH
January 3, 2017, 1:51 PM

Megyn Kelly is leaving Fox News, where she had been one of the network’s biggest stars, for NBC News.

At NBC, she’ll host a weekday daytime show, an in-depth Sunday magazine and take part in the network’s coverage of high-profile events. She was at the 21st Century Fox (FOX) TV network for 12 years and gained notoriety after she clashed during presidential debates with Donald Trump.

According to The New York Times, NBC News President Andrew Lack was able to convince the 46-year-old Kelly to leave Fox News, even though it seemed doubtful that NBC or other networks could match the $20 million annual compensation that Fox offered her to stay.

Kelly’s contract isn’t due to expire until the summer, and it isn’t clear if Fox will allow her to start ahead of time, the newspaper said. Financial terms of Kelly’s deal were not disclosed. NBC News didn’t respond to requests for comment for this story.

In a statement, 21st Century Fox Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch said: “We thank Megyn Kelly for her 12 years of contributions to Fox News. We hope she enjoys tremendous success in her career and wish her and her family all the best.”

“While I will greatly miss my colleagues at Fox, I am delighted to be joining the NBC News family and taking on a new challenge,” Kelly said in a statement on her Facebook page. “I remain deeply grateful to Fox News, to Rupert, Lachlan and James Murdoch, and especially to all of the (Fox News Channel) viewers, who have taught me so much about what really mat ters.”

Kelly’s tenure at Fox News has been rocky since she gained notoriety for questioning now President-elect Trump during a 2015 presidential debate about why he called women he didn’t like “fat pigs, slobs, and disgusting animals.” When Trump joked that he said mean things only about his longtime nemesis Rosie O’Donnell, Kelly responded that his remarks were targeted more broadly than at just the stand-up comedian.

Kelly later complained about getting death threats from pro-Trump supporters.

She wound up in the headlines again last summer when former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson accused longtime Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes of sexual harassment in a lawsuit. Several high-profile Fox hosts such as Bill O’Reilly, Maria Bartiromo and Sean Hannity publicly defended Ailes against the accusations. O’Reilly even called the 76-year-old Ailes “the best boss I ever had.”

Kelly, however, broke ranks and told an internal Fox investigation that Ailes had made unwanted advances toward her when she was starting out her career. More than a dozen other women made similar claims, and Ailes was eventually forced to resign. Ailes has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Lachlan and James Murdoch, sons of Rupert Murdoch, reportedly were keen on keeping Kelly at the network. The elder Murdoch took over from Ailes as the head of Fox News on a temporary basis.

“It’s a loss for Fox,” said Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University’s Bleier Center for Television & Popular Culture, who called Kelly a “bona fide news celebrity.” He added that “There has been a lot of animosity between Megyn Kelly and Fox, and I have a feeling that they aren’t terribly surprised” by her decision.

Moving to NBC News will greatly increase the size of Kelly’s audience. Fox News averaged 2.4 million viewers in prime time, the most of any cable network in 2016. However, “NBC Nightly News” attracted more than 9 million viewers during the week of Dec. 19, topping rivals ABC, which is owned by Walt Disney (DIS) and CBS (CBS), the parent company of CBSNews.com

NBC’s move isn’t without risks. High-profile talent such as Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper tried and failed to attract audiences in daytime. NBC’s magazine show “Rock Center” was canceled in 2013 after two seasons. Plus, Kelly faces a challenge in switching from cable to a wider audience on a broadcast network.

“One has to wait and see how these transitions get made,” Thompson said. “Sometimes you move from one place to another, and it’s a triumph. Sometimes it’s not. They aren’t going to put Megyn Kelly into a daytime show that people are going to confuse with a Fox show, but at the same time they would be wise to play upon the strengths for which she is known.”

Kelly, who has a law degree, could wind up with high-profile assignments like anchoring the news or appearing on the “Today” show given her experience and credibility with the audience, according to Thompson.

“Now that she’s with NBC, she could potentially be popping up on MSNBC,” noted for being the liberal answer to Fox News, “which is funny,” Thompson said.


HOUSE ETHICS ISSUES


http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/03/opinions/house-ethics-drutman-opinion/

What really changed the GOP's mind
By Lee Drutman
Updated 4:30 PM ET, Tue January 3, 2017


Lee Drutman is a senior fellow in the Political Reform Program at New America. He is the author of "The Business of America is Lobbying." The opinions expressed here are his own.

(CNN)Maybe government ethics have a little fight left in them, after all.

Less than 24 hours after both traditional and social media lit up with outrage over House Republicans' plans to severely weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics, House Republicans decided that maybe this wasn't the brand image they wanted to start 2017 with. So Republicans reversed themselves: The Office of Congressional Ethics will remain independent and therefore powerful, not a silenced fiefdom of the member-controlled House Ethics Committee, as the original GOP rules package had proposed.

Lee Drutman

This is good news, because it demonstrates two things.
First, it demonstrates the news media is attuned to the importance of ethics, and to the ways in which seemingly small, obscure changes can have a big effect. The press reacted quickly to this intended gutting, treating it as a major story.

Second, it demonstrates that voters on both sides are attuned to ethics. Social media lit up with outrage over the move against the OCE, and if people's posts are to be believed, many of those outraged folks deluged their representatives' offices with calls as well.

House Republicans pull plan to gut independent ethics committee after Trump tweets

Presumably, the decision to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics arose from a staggering miscalculation by the House GOP on these two points. Republicans who supported the seemingly obscure changes must have figured hardly anybody would notice, and even fewer people would care. Perhaps, some members concluded, given what President-elect Donald Trump has been getting away with, norms really had changed. Why should members of Congress have to suffer?

This is not the first time the OCE has withstood challenges under threat. Many members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, have long disliked the independence of the office, especially those who have been investigated.

Is this new "ethics matters" lesson a sign of things to come in 2017? Hopefully. But it's not a given.

Why 'draining the swamp' makes America dumber

The Office of Congressional Ethics may have drawn such public outcry in this case because the narrative of weakening existing rules makes for a clear story, with obvious demands in response (keep the OCE!). By contrast, a failure to investigate corruption or identify conflicts of interest doesn't always offer the same narrative clarity. It's harder to raise those stories out of the shadows.

It's also possible that House members who initially wanted to scrap the agency may have been willing to fold quickly because keeping the OCE wasn't a major concession for them. They had lived with it, and the majority of members had never been bothered by it.

To be sure, there may be some who give Trump's Twitter account credit for the course correction. But though it surely had an impact on some of the members, Trump's tweets merely rode the crest of public opinion against the changes, rather than leading it. It is a mistake to give Trump too much credit, just as it is a mistake to take his Drain the Swamp plan seriously.

The successful fight to preserve the Office of Congressional Ethics is an encouraging development. The media was on the story quickly, organizations mobilized, the public responded and Congress heard the outrage loud and clear. This is how democratic accountability is supposed to work. Hopefully this is a sign of more good fights to come. It's a promising sign that a sustained and well-organized call for Trump to divest from his business conflicts might have an impact, too.



https://www.yahoo.com/news/another-organ-hiding-belly-along-194924072.html

Another organ has been hiding in your belly all along
Maria Gallucci, Mashable
January 3, 2017


Another organ has been hiding in your belly all along
Maria Gallucci,Mashable 5 hours ago Comments Like Reblog on Tumblr Share Tweet Email
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f334715%2fca7e90d1-d4fe-497b-879c-c030ff0ea33a
This week, as you dream up ways to improve yourself in 2017, give yourself a pat on the back: You've already made a significant change this year, from deep within your belly.

You technically gained an organ.

Irish researchers have confirmed that the mesentery — a fold of membrane that connects the intestine to the abdomen — is its own continuous organ, and not a series of fragmented parts like experts had previously thought.

SEE ALSO: This bacteria is getting harder for kids to fight
The discovery could create a new field of "mesenteric" science and may help doctors better understand and treat abdominal diseases, said Calvin Coffey, a professor of surgery at University of Limerick's Graduate Entry Medical School.

Digital representation of the small and large intestines and associated mesentery.

Digital representation of the small and large intestines and associated mesentery.

Image: The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology

"We are now saying we have an organ in the body which hasn't been acknowledged as such to date," he said in a news release.

Coffey published his peer-reviewed findings in the November issue of The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, a top medical journal on the digestive system.

Mashable was unable to reach Coffey for comment by the time of publication.

An organ is considered to be a self-contained body part that serves a specific vital function. The heart, for instance, is a muscular organ that pumps blood through our blood vessels.

Researchers say they still don't quite understand the mesentery's key functions, beyond the obvious role as a connective layer.

One of the world's earliest depictions of the mesentery was produced by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. While his drawing and subsequent medical illustrations showed the mesentery as a continuous structure, in the past century scientists came to believe it was a series of broken-up pieces, and thus less medically significant.

Drawing of mesenteric organ by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Image: Digestive surgery/researchgate

In 2012, Coffey and his colleagues first showed through microscopic analyses that the fold of membrane was, in fact, a single connected structure.

Over the last four years, the team continued to collect evidence confirming the mesentery's classification as an organ, which culminated with the November paper.

The research prompted the publishers of Gray's Anatomy, one of the world's best-known medical textbooks, to update the entry for mesentery.

Elsevier, which publishes both Gray's Anatomy and The Lancet journal, included the reclassification of mesentery in its 41st edition of Gray's, which came out September 2015, Mashable confirmed.

Coffey said that better understanding and further scientific study of the mesentery could result in less invasive abdominal surgeries, fewer complications and faster patient recovery.

"When we approach it like every other organ...we can categorize abdominal disease in terms of this organ," he said in the news release.

"This is relevant universally as it affects all of us," he added. "Up to now there was no such field as mesenteric science."

Related:
Newsy – Everyone in France is now an organ donor Unless they opt out



ORGAN DONORS BEWARE

REMIND ME TO OPT OUT AND RAISE A COMPLAINT IF A LAW LIKE THIS ONE IS PROPOSED FOR THE US. THESE

I DON’T WANT ANYONE – A GREEDY AND UNETHICAL MEDICAL WORKER FOR INSTANCE – “HARVESTING” ANY OF MY ORGANS WITHOUT A CONSENT, AND WITHOUT MY BEING FULLY AND IRREVOCABLY DEAD YET. SEE THE “EYES OPENED” ARTICLE BELOW.


http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/the-reluctant-organ-donor/comment-page-7/?_r=0

The Reluctant Organ Donor
By TARA PARKER-POPE APRIL 16, 2009 11:20 AM

Most licensed drivers don’t sign up to be organ donors, and it may be due to fears about the organ donation process, a new survey suggests.

Only 38 percent of licensed drivers are registered to be organ donors, despite the fact that many states offer a simple registration process that typically just requires a signature when obtaining or renewing a driver’s license. An online survey of 5,100 people conducted by the advocacy group Donate Life America found that many people still harbor fears about what organ donation really means.

23 percent of people fear they are not healthy enough or are too old to donate their organs.
50 percent of respondents are concerned that doctors will not try as hard to save them if they are known to be an organ donor.
44 percent believe there is a black market in which people can buy or sell organs or tissue.
57 percent question whether or not a person can recover from brain death.

Donate Life chairwoman Sara Pace Jones said common misconceptions about organ donation may be due, in part, to inaccurate media portrayals of the process.

“Some fears are perpetuated by dramatic television shows that, because they have to tell a complete story in an hour or less, don’t have time to show the accurate and entire process of donation,” Ms. Pace Jones said. “Many times I have seen a story unfold where the same physician treats the patient when admitted to the hospital, takes them to surgery, pronounces the patient dead, accesses the transplant list and does the organ recovery and transplant. But this is not how the donation process happens. The doctor who is trying to save the life of the injured patient is not the same doctor who recovers organs for transplantation.”

Helping people understand exactly how the process of organ donation works is the first step toward alleviating fears that doctors don’t work as hard to save organ donors, she said. For instance, many people don’t realize that the organizations that check donor and patient registries and coordinate donations are separate from the hospital where a patient is treated.

“People are reassured that everything will be done to save their lives after an accident when they understand that the doctors who treat them have nothing to do with the transplantation process,” she said.

Donate Life America is launching a page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/donatelife to make it easier for users to register as donors. Just click on the link and then click on the “Register” tab.

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HEALTHY CONSUMER, ORGAN DONATION
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COMMENTS:

txrus April 17, 2009 · 7:15 pm
My daughter died waiting for organs and I have learned much about the distribution [sic] system and what happens to donated organs. The system is geared toward harvesting the whole body most of which is sold for cash and distributed to many different organizations inculding [sic] for profit. I would be willing to donate specific organs, but since in NJ there is no space on our organ donor card, and I refuse to have my skin used by some cosmetic company for profit, I will ask when I die someone I trust to make my wishes clear and take only the organs I wish to donate. I don’t want my arm on Oprah, or at some doctor’s childs science fair.

— Carol
****************************************************************
Carol-at the time of consent, the donor’s next of kin is asked, & must give consent, for each organ individually, as well as consent, individually, for bone, skin, vessels, corneas, valves, & tissue.
Where do you think skin, for skin grafts for the badly burned, come from? Where do you think a person who needs a valve replacement in their heart gets it from?
I’m sorry your daughter died waiting for a transplant, but it was likely the result of the same kinds of misconceptions you still carry yourself about the process of organ & tissue donation which resulted in no organs being available for her in time.

Kristy April 17, 2009 · 8:29 pm
While the idea of requiring a donation to a charity (as stated on p.1) for an organ is nice, it limits the access to these organs to people who can afford the additional cost, limiting them even further if they are economically disadvantaged. The surgeries are expensive, the medical system is inefficient and overpriced, and then you expect people to donate more in order to get your organs? Really? Why keep them? What use do you have for them? My argument for donation is honestly just, why not? Unless you have a faith-based or similar argument against donating your organs, it seems ridiculous to believe that you not donating will either a) change the current system or b) help ANYONE in anyway.

Claire O’Connor April 17, 2009 · 9:26 pm
#1 rini10:
It’s mostly a trust issue.

Also, there are people who are in denial about reality and don’t understand brain death. Personally, for many, I think religion plays a role in this denial.

To rini10: I would have to agree about the trust issue with organ donation. But I do not see how religion plays any role in this.

The following comes from the Cincinnati Enquirer: “Most major religions and religious denominations support organ transplantation, which implies no spiritual risk to becoming an organ donor.” (see http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/07/08/loc_religious_stances_on.html for more details).

I am a practicing Catholic, and I can tell you that I have been informed by priests and knowledgeable Catholic lay people that the Catholic Church supports organ donation. I have indicated my willingness to be an organ donor, both on my driver’s license and in discussions with my family and friends.



BEFORE YOU MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND, LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES ON THE SUBJECT. A PRIMARY AUTHOR ON THESE ARTICLES SPEAKING AGAINST ORGAN DONATION IS DR. PAUL A BYRNE, MD. HIS STATEMENTS IN THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE BELOW ARE NONETHELESS DOWNRIGHT FRIGHTENING --
“Facts About Being An Organ Donor -- Truth About Organ Donation, www.truthaboutorgandonation.com/factsaboutbeinganorgandonor.html.”

PERSONALLY, I WILL NEVER GIVE CONSENT TO BEING AN ORGAN DONOR PARTLY BECAUSE OF DEFICITS IN THE PROCEDURE AND CONSENT SYSTEM. I HAVE SEEN TOO MUCH OF THE “EVIL THAT LURKS WITHIN THE HEART OF MAN,” AND OF OUR INNATE LOVE IN SO MANY CASES OF WEALTH -- ACQUIRED BY ANY MEANS -- THAT I TRUST NO MAN ON THIS SUBJECT. BESIDES, IN DR. BYRNE’S ARTICLE IT DOES STATE THAT THE PATIENT IS ADMINISTERED A PARALYTIC DRUG FOR THE EXCISION OF ORGANS AND NOT AN ANESTHETIC. THAT CERTAINLY SHOULD BE ILLEGAL, AS SHOULD THE SALE OF ORGANS. THE VERY SAME THING HAS BEEN REPORTED AT LEAST TWICE IN THE NEWS OF THE LAST TEN YEARS THAT DURING LEGAL EXECUTION BY LETHAL DRUGS IN VARIOUS STATES, IN WHICH THE CRIMINAL DID WAKE UP DURING THE PROCEDURE OR NEVER EFFECTIVELY WAS ANESTHETIZED AT ALL. FOR OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION, GO TO “PRESUMED CONSENT TRANSPLANTS” ON GOOGLE. A DEFINITION OF THE TERM PRESUMED CONSENT IS THAT IN THE CASE OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH, ABOUT ONE WHOM HAS EXPRESSED NO KNOWN CONSENT, THE PERMISSION TO “HARVEST” THE ORGANS IS GIVEN BY STATE LAW IN “MOST” STATES. THE WORD "HARVEST" IS A GIVEAWAY TO ME, AND SHOULD BE EXCISED FROM THE LAW ALLOWING USES OTHER THAN A DECENT BURIAL OR CREMATION. I WILL ALSO PROHIBIT MY BODY'S BEING DONATED TO THE INTERESTS OF "SCIENCE," WHICH AND PROBABLY DOES MEAN A VARIETY OF THINGS.

A LONG AND EXCELLENT SCHOLARLY DISCUSSION OF ETHICS FROM THE HHS.GOV IS FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE:
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/resources/ethics/an-evaluation-of-the-ethics-of-presumed-consent/.

ALSO, THE FOLLOWING SEARCH RESULTS SHOW VARIOUS OTHER SPECIFIC DOUBTS AND CONCERNS. AS WE BECOME EVER MORE GEARED IN OUR THINKING AS A SOCIETY ON “EFFICIENCY” AND “PROFIT,” WE ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY PRONE TO THE SIN OF IGNORING THE NEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUAL AS COMPARED TO THE GROUP. I KNOW, I SAY THINGS LIKE THAT, AND FREQUENTLY, BUT THE IDEA THAT A PATIENT WHO IS DECLARED DEAD BY A PHYSICIAN, BUT NOT FOR A LONG ENOUGH TIME PERIOD -- OR BY ALL OF THE SCIENTIFIC TESTS OF HUMAN OBSERVATION WITHOUT ANY KIND OF ASSAULT ON THE BODY -- CAN ACTUALLY FEEL A KNIFE CUTTING OUT HER LIVER IS ENOUGH FOR ME TO BAN HARVESTING AT ALL, ESPECIALLY WHEN MONEY CHANGES HANDS IN ANY WAY, OR IN A “RUSH” SITUATION IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE SOMEONE ELSE A SECOND CHANCE OF LIFE; THAT IS TOO TOTALLY UNETHICAL FOR ME. TO PROTECT ONESELF FROM THAT SPEEDY EXCISION SO THAT THE ORGANS WILL BE FRESH ENOUGH FOR THE RECIPIENT, ONE SHOULD HAVE A LIVING WILL --AVAILABLE FROM YOUR PERSONAL DOCTOR -- WITH THE WORDS: "DO NOT RESUSCITATE" SPECIFIED ON IT. IF THEY "RESUSCITATE" THEY WILL PUT THE PATIENT ON LIFE SUPPORT AND THE TEMPTATION TO REMOVE ORGANS FOR PROFIT CAN OCCUR. IF THERE IS NO RESUSCITATION, THE ORGANS WILL HAVE BEEN "DEAD" TOO LONG TO USE FOR TRANSPLANTING.

THE MORE I READ HERE ABOUT THE ORGAN TRANSPLANT PROCESS, THE MORE I AGREE WITH THOSE WHO SAY THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED AT ALL, AND THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG OF BIG BUSINESS INTERESTS ENTERING INTO THE MATTER, AS ALSO MENTIONED, IS EVEN MORE APPALLING. IT SHOULD BE REPELLANT TO THE NORMAL PERSON. BESIDES WE CAN NOW LITERALLY GROW ORGANS OUTSIDE A LIVING BODY AND THAT’S WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING. ALLOW THOSE WHO ARE DECLARED DEAD TO "REST IN PEACE," INDEED!

LOOK OVER THE SUGGESTIVE ARTICLES BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION, SUCH AS THE MANY STATES WHICH HAVE "PRESUMED INTENT" LAWS. IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF A CRIMINAL TRIAL, IT CAN BE ARGUED TO "PROVE" THAT A SUSPECT WHO SAYS HE IS GUILTY CAN BE "ASSUMED" TO BE, WHEN IT IS A NOT UNCOMMON OCCURRENCE THAT A MENTALLY UNBALANCED PERSON WILL FALSELY CONFESS TO A CRIME. IN BOTH CASES THEY SEEM TO ME TO BE A LEGAL SHORT CUT TO A DESIRED GOAL ON THE PART OF THOSE WHO WANT THE MONEY THEY CAN GAIN FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE "GIFT OF LIFE" SYSTEM. IT'S DEEPLY DISCOURAGING AT BEST, AND DOWNRIGHT CRIMINAL IN THE EYES OF "THE GOD OF MY UNDERSTANDING," I FEEL SURE. OUR SOCIETY, IN OUR INTELLECTUAL AND PHYSICAL COMFORT, HAVE MOVED TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE MOST BASIC VALUES OF A HUMAN BEING. WE AS QUESTIONING CITIZENS NEED TO HAVE A NEW REVIVAL OF HONOR IN GOVERNMENT AND IN THE DOMINANT PROFESSIONS -- MEDICINE, THE LAW, THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS, SOCIAL SERVICES, AND MORE. HEAVEN HELP US.


How Harvesting Organs from a Dying Abortion Patient Thwarted Justice
www.operationrescue.org/.../how-harvesting-organs-from-a-dead-aborti...
Apr 13, 2016 - She had no idea that she would be dead less than two years later, or that ... Certainly, organ donation to those in need of transplants is a noble and ... the abortion before tending to Wilson's dangerously escalating medical emergency. .... However, there is a profit motive for organ procurement companies to ...

Brain Death - the Simple Truth - Healthread
healthread.net/brain-death-simple-truth.htm
In 1968, the determination to expand the organ transplant harvest without ... to get around the laws of requiring a true physical death before harvesting organs. .... to be educated about the realities of organ transplantation, the profit motive, the ...

Forced Organ Harvesting - DAFOH
www.dafoh.org/unethical-organ-harvesting/
This process allowed Chinese transplant surgeons to provide donor organs ... with an interested organ recipient and their organs are removed without consent.

Woman says VA harvested husband's organs without consent
www.tennessean.com/story/news/...va...organ-harvesting/27342395/
May 15, 2015 - A woman says the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs harvested her husband's organs even though he was not a donor.

Organ Demand Forces Dilemmas - Washington Post
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/science/ethical/organs.htm
Preemptive and invasive organ preservation without family consent is just one of ... "It lets us put the decision about donation in the hands of the family," said Bill ...

The Gift of a Lifetime: Understanding Death Before Donation
www.organtransplants.org/understanding/death/
Understanding Death Before Donation. To understand organ donation and the shortage of organs for transplants, one needs to have a basic understanding of ...

****** "dead" patient opening eyes during organ harvesting - CBS News -- www.cbsnews.com/.../hospital-errors-lead-to-dead-patient-opening-eyes-...
Jul 9, 2013 - Hospital errors lead to "dead" patient opening eyes during organ harvesting ... They also did not wait long enough before recommending the ...


National Protocol for Donation and Cardiac Death | Organ and Tissue
www.donatelife.gov.au › For Health Professionals
In this situation there is usually plenty of time to organise organ donation. This allows the family to spend more time with the patient who has died, before the ...


STARTLING AND DISTURBING INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE WHICH THE "DECEASED" MUST GO THROUGH TO BE AN ORGAN DONOR AND GIVE "THE GIFT OF LIFE."

Facts About Being An Organ Donor - Truth About Organ Donation
www.truthaboutorgandonation.com/factsaboutbeinganorgandonor.html

FACTS ABOUT BEING AN ORGAN DONOR
By Paul A. Byrne, M.D.

You’ve probably heard and read a great deal of positive publicity about the benefits of the organ donor program – information which is provided by those in the medical profession deeply involved in the so-called “gift of life”. But when presenting their information they deliberately leave us believing the donor is already truly dead before the organs are taken. They intentionally omit the in-depth explanation of the necessary procedure a donor must undergo WHILE STILL ALIVE.

IN ACTUALITY, IT IS THE EXCRUCIATING VITAL ORGAN REMOVAL PROCEDURE WHICH CAUSES TRUE DEATH OF THE DONOR.

“BRAIN DEATH”- The new “Pretend Death” is not True Death

Prior to 1968 a person was declared dead only after their breathing and heart stopped for a determinate period of time. The current terminology "Brain Death" was unheard of.
When surgeons realized they had the capability of taking organs from one seemingly “close to death” person and implanting them into another person to keep the recipient alive longer, a "Pandora’s Box" was opened.
In the beginning, through trial and error, they discovered it was not possible to perform this "miraculous" surgery with organs taken from someone truly dead--even if the donor was without circulation for merely a few minutes - because organ damage occurs within a very brief time after circulation stops.
To justify their experimental procedures it was necessary for them to come up with a solution which is how the term "Brain Death" was contrived. To verify the determination of "brain death" they developed more than 30 different sets of criteria to declare “brain death” (DBD) published from 1968–1978. Every new set was less strict than previous sets–now there are many more. Dear reader, those criteria are flawed.
Recently we read and heard about the young man in Oklahoma declared "brain dead," but his cousin, a nurse, recognized response during the 4 hours of preparation to take his organs. The transplant was not done. This young man is living proof that “brain death” is not true death. If his organs had been taken, he would have been killed.
He even attested to being able to hear and understand what was taking place but was unable to speak in his own defense as a result of his brain injury. Most frighteningly, he could not cry out "STOP!" when it came to the harvesting of his own organs. IMPORTANT: This is not an isolated case
More recently, when there is a desire to get organs while the donor still has obvious brain activity, a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) is obtained to stop the life support. When the donor is pulseless for as short as 75 seconds (but the heart is still beating) the organs are taken – this is called Donation by Cardiac Death (DCD). When a heart is taken for transplantation, after about 1 hour of operating, while the heart is beating and blood pressure and circulation are normal, the heart is stopped by the transplant surgeon. Then the surgeon lifts the heart from the donor’s chest.
________________________________________

ORGAN REMOVAL IS PERFORMED WHILE THE PATIENT IS GIVEN
ONLY A PARALYZING AGENT BUT NO ANESTHETIC!
________________________________________

REMOVAL OF THE ORGANS

Once DBD or DCD has been verified and permission extracted from distraught family members (in cases where relatives cannot be located the government often now makes the determination on our behalf) the "organ donor" undergoes hours, sometimes days, of torturous treatment utilized to protect and preserve the body-container of "spare parts!" The "organ donor" is forced to endure the excruciating painful and ongoing chemical treatment in preparation for organ excising. Literally the "donor" is now an organ warehouse and used for the sole purpose of organ preservation until a compatible recipient can be located.

The truth of the horrific treatment and DEATH OF THE "DONOR"

Organ removal is performed while the patient is given only a paralyzing agent but no anesthetic! Multi-organ excision, on the average, takes three to four hours of operating during which time the heart is beating, the blood pressure is normal and respiration is occurring albeit the patient is on a ventilator. Each organ is cut out until finally the beating heart is stopped, a moment before removal.
It is well documented the heart rate and blood pressure go up when the incision is made. This is the very response the anesthesiologist often observes in everyday surgery when the anesthetic is insufficient. But, as stated above, organ donors are not anesthetized.
There are growing numbers of protesters among nurses and anesthesiologists, who react strongly to the movements of the supposed "corpse." These movements are sometimes so violent it makes it impossible to continue the taking of organs. Resulting from their personal experiences and attestations, many in the medical profession have removed themselves from this program altogether and/or are having second thoughts about the donor being factually or truly dead.

THE REQUEST TO FAMILY MEMBERS

The federal government has been deeply involved in promoting vital organ transplantation. A federal mandate issued in 1998 states that physicians, nurses, chaplains, and other health care workers may not speak to a family of a potential organ donor without first obtaining approval from the regional organ retrieval system. Only a “designated requester” trained to approach family members is allowed to discuss the matter with them. Why? Because studies show that these "specialists" have greater success in obtaining permission. They are trained to "sell" the concept of organ donation, using emotionally-laden phrases such as "giving the gift of life," "your loved one’s heart will live on in someone else," and other similar platitudes - all empty of true meaning. Don’t forget that the donation and transplant industry is a multibillion dollar enterprise. In 1996, Forbes Magazine ran an informative series on this issue, but as a rule it is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain solid financial data. One thing, however, is clear: donor families do not receive any monetary benefit from their "gift of life."
In the midst of trauma and shock the anguishing family/loved ones of the patient are subjected to immense pressures by those seeking to obtain approval for taking the organs. Incapable of making a decision based on factual and sound information, “consent” is obtained through coercive measures. “No hope” for recovery is the first step in this process followed by the false declaration of death—“brain death.” Relatives are not only persuaded to “consent” and participate in organ donation, but also they are made to feel obligated. Fully “informed consent” is not part of the organ donation process.
The truth of the death of the organ donor, the gruesome facts of which are often not learned until after the procedure has been completed, leaves family members/loved ones isolated in their guilt, pain and horror. So popularized, "the gift of life" campaign has successfully excluded these suffering in their grief and deep remorse of having been deceived. The reality of having been forced to participate in making a decision, of which they were not fully informed or physically, mentally or emotionally capable, leaves the deceased’s family with the incredible burden of having given permission for something which they accepted as only good, but discovered too late that if the donor had been truly dead the heart and liver would not have been suitable for transplantation. Some cannot be consoled and are immersed in deep depression ever seeking to escape their intense heartache as the mere thought of the tortuous death of their loved one continuously haunts them. Left in utter despair, and complete solitude and chaos, peace is not found in the death of their loved one! Few are offered the compassion and counsel necessary as "the gift of life" is not revealed for what it really is, thus no counsel is available to them.
LIFE GUARDIAN FOUNDATION is an organization that began with mothers who had experienced the heartbreak of having been deceived and having lost their children. They wish to warn others by sharing their own suffering and knowledge gained thereof, offering others hope of the blessings of restored health and the continuation of life.
The website is: www.thelifeguardian.org


THE YOUTH ARE MOST AT RISK AS THEIR ORGANS ARE PRIME.

More often there is a rush to pronouncement of "brain death" when a young person has been suddenly critically injured. Parents and young persons must be fully informed and armed with the truth before such a decision is forced upon them at the time of greatest distress.
Part of every declaration of “brain death” is the apnea test which is not for the benefit of the patient. It is the last so-called “clinical” test to achieve the declaration of “brain death.”
The need for a ventilator doesn’t mean the brain is permanently incapacitated or ones’ health cannot be restored! This “life support” device is a supplement to the patient’s compromised, weakened physical condition and may be necessary in providing the patient with oxygen while removing carbon dioxide during the most crucial period. Time and continued medical care are necessary for the ongoing treatment to protect and preserve the patient’s life. The ventilator provides the patient and physician this valuable time as it eases the patient’s distressed respiratory system allowing time for therapy and healing.
Knowing full well how critical the ventilator is, to withdraw it when it is needed most is absurd! Yet, it is planned for the patient to be taken off for up to 10 minutes - the patient can only get worse! This test is sometimes lethal. Make sure to instruct all medical staff: “DO NOT DO AN APNEA TEST!”

Dr. Paul Byrne M. D.* informs us: “Brain death” is not true death, never was, and never will be."

Almost all states have now passed a presumed intent for donation law; Delaware introduced a presumed consent bill. At least 8 European countries have presumed consent. This means we are all subject to having our organs taken without our expressed consent!

Great strides have been made in the use of artificial organs. Recent articles are publicizing the newest, vastly improved artificial hearts soon to be available for those with a failing heart who are on a transplant waiting list.
Here is exciting and hopeful news for those with brain injuries. Successful results of hypothermic therapy have been published from studies done in Japan and Germany with a 60-70% success rate. Also, new research has demonstrated the benefit of the steroid, progesterone, in patients with head injury. Further details on this subject matter can be found in Dr. Byrne's article:
"Excision of Vital Organs is Imposed Death"

IT IS NOT MORALLY ADMISSIBLE TO DIRECTLY BRING ABOUT THE DISABLING MUTILATION OR DEATH OF A HUMAN BEING, EVEN IN ORDER TO DELAY THE DEATH OF OTHER PERSONS.

Saving a life is certainly a good thing but using others as sacrificial lambs is throwing the door wide open to compounding venues. Currently, there are those who are working on developing new human beings for the sole purpose of organ transplantation.
Conversely, the good news is, other researchers have discovered methods to grow just the organs which can be accomplished using the affected persons own genes.

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