October 26, 2017


News and Views


I DO HOPE THAT THIS NEW GOVERNMENT REPORT WILL GIVE SOME INFORMATION ON WHO (BESIDES OSWALD) WAS ACTUALLY BEHIND THE ASSASSINATION. PERSONALLY, UNTIL I LEARN THAT SOME OTHER GROUP OR PERSON WAS INVOLVED, I HAVE ALWAYS ASSUMED THAT IT WAS THE CIA WHO ENGINEERED THE HIT RATHER THAN CUBANS OR RUSSIANS. AS MUCH AS I LIKED KENNEDY, REPUBLICANS THOUGHT HE WAS “TOO POWERFUL.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/secret-jfk-files-released-by-us-government/
CBS NEWS October 26, 2017, 11:08 AM
Secret JFK files to be released by U.S. government

Is America about to find out the truth about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy?

On Thursday, the government is due release its final batch of secret files relating to the assassination, the majority of which will come from the FBI and CIA. The files are being released in keeping with a 1992 law that was passed in part due to Oliver Stone's "JFK," which explored the efforts of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison to investigate Kennedy's death.

Will release of JFK assassination files spawn new conspiracy theories?
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Will release of JFK assassination files spawn new conspiracy theories?

Stone's film was popular but widely criticized by experts who saw the film as a disservice to history. Scholars of the assassination are nearly unanimous in their belief that Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, while Garrison argued that elements of the U.S. government were actually responsible. Other conspiracy theorists point to the Mafia or foreign governments, such as Fidel Castro's Cuba or the Soviet Union, as the hidden actors behind the assassination. Meanwhile, former Trump adviser Roger Stone, who says he had been pushing the president to release the files in full, has written a book claiming President Johnson was the real culprit.

President Trump is the only person allowed by law to halt the release of the files, although he's said that he will release all of them "subject to the receipt of further information."

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Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
The long anticipated release of the #JFKFiles will take place tomorrow. So interesting!
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There are numerous questions surrounding the assassination, which shocked the nation on November 22, 1963. For example, it is difficult to discern a clear motive for why Oswald, a 24-year-old former Marine who had briefly defected to the Soviet Union, would shoot Kennedy. Oswald also denied shooting Kennedy and famously claimed to be a "patsy" moments before nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot and killed him on November 24.

The Warren Commission, which was put appointed by Johnson to investigate the assassination and lead by Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, determined in 1964 that Oswald had acted alone. Still, a CBS News poll from 2013 found that 61 percent of Americans believed that more than one man was responsible for the assassination. Other polls have routinely found that majorities of Americans likewise believe in some sort of conspiracy surrounding Kennedy's death. The same CBS poll found that 56 percent believed there was a cover-up.

It's unclear whether Thursday's big reveal will change anyone's mind. But here's what we do know: the new collection includes over 3,100 documents, and some of them are related to Oswald's trip to Mexico City right before the assassination. But most experts are of the opinion that the new documents are unlikely to reveal all that much about what happened that day in Dallas, because the government was legally required to release anything particularly relevant to the case years ago.

On the other hand, it's impossible to know if there's a bombshell hidden in this new tranche of documents.

"It's always possible that a really good researcher will find new information that they think is significant and will add to their version of the story, or perhaps even lead them in other directions," Judge John Tunheim, who chaired the Assassination Records Review Board, told Time Magazine earlier this week.

"There's a lot of still unanswered questions about the assassination. For example, did Oswald, when he lived in Minsk, have any connection with Cuban intelligence agents who were being trained in Minsk by the Soviets? There are issues like that that aren't fully resolved anywhere, and going through these documents might give good researchers an opportunity to come up with more than what we know today in the official story."

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



I WON’T READ THOUSANDS OF PAGES OF ANYTHING, BUT PERHAPS 60 MINUTES OR 48 HOURS WILL DO AN HOUR OR LONGER SPECIAL ON IT. ODDLY, BOTH THE CIA AND FBI HAVE OBJECTED TO OPENING ALL THE INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC. THEY SAID THAT THEIR PEOPLE AND METHODS COULD BE COMPROMISED. I HOPE THAT’S THE ONLY REASON FOR THEIR POSITION. THE SUSPICIONS OF THE PUBLIC ABOUT POSSIBLE CIA COMPLICITY IN THE MURDER ARE DISTINCTLY REASONABLE.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jfk-assassination-files-cia-fbi-among-agencies-lobbying-trump-to-delay-release-of-some-files/
By ANDRES TRIAY CBS NEWS October 26, 2017, 5:19 PM
JFK assassination files: CIA, FBI among agencies lobbying Trump to delay release of some files

There has been late lobbying by various agencies of the U.S. government asking President Trump to hold off on releasing some of the John F. Kennedy assassination documents, and the White House was reportedly receptive to some of those requests.

The White House will release 2,800 of the JFK assassination documents Thursday, with the release of other redacted records postponed for 180 days, so that they can be reviewed, White House officials said during a conference call Thursday afternoon.

How to view the JFK assassination documents online

The requests – some of which were registered a couple of months ago and some more recently -- come from agencies throughout the government including the CIA and FBI.

Some of the worry seems to center around documents created in the 1990's, when the congressional committee was crafting the legislation setting Thursday as the release date.

Multiple officials at multiple agencies tells CBS News there is concern the documents may reveal sources and operations from the near past and include current people or operations. Of particular concern, according to officials, are names in the documents.

A spokesperson for the CIA told CBS News the agency welcomes the president's directive to further review the records to identify any additional information that can be released. The spokesman said every single one of the remaining roughly 18,000 CIA records will ultimately be released, with no document withheld in full. The CIA wants to protect the identity of CIA assets and current and former CIA officers, as well as intelligence methods and partnerships that are still relevant.

JFK Assassination - News, Pictures, and Videos

CBS News' Chip Reid interviewed JFK scholar Larry Sabato, at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, who said he had been told that "at least most of it will not be released Thursday because not just the CIA, but apparently other agencies, unnamed -- I assume the FBI is one -- are appealing."

Sabato says that the CIA wants some of the names in the documents redacted, and some of the paragraphs they say reveal the names of sources or methods used by the CIA.

CBS News' Chip Reid and Maggie Dore contributed to this report.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


How to view the JFK assassination documents online



“... MORE THAN 600 IMAGES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, AS WELL AS 19 COUNTS SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A CHILD.” I DO HATE CHILD MOLESTATION. THESE CASES OF SEXUAL MOLESTATION OF KIDS ARE USUALLY DONE BY MEN, BUT NOT ALWAYS. THESE PEOPLE WHO CONSTANTLY FOCUS ON CHILDREN SEXUALLY ARE SO ALIEN FROM MY VIEW OF ADULT SEXUALITY THAT I CAN’T IMAGINE IT. I TRY TO WATCH LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT ON TV. IT’S NOT ONLY A VERY WELL PRODUCED SHOW, BUT THE STORIES ARE ALWAYS INTERESTING AND GRIPPING. I HOPE THE PADDOCK FAMILY HOME WASN’T ONE OF THOSE NIGHTMARE SCENARIOS OF PARENTAL MOLESTATION AND ABUSE. UNLESS THERE ARE SEVERAL MORE SIBLINGS, WE HAVE TWO BROTHERS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bruce-paddock-brother-of-las-vegas-shooter-stephen-paddock-arrested-for-child-porn/
By CRIMESIDER STAFF AP October 25, 2017, 5:38 PM
Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock's brother Bruce arrested for child porn

Photograph -- Police say Stephen Paddock (inset) opened fire through two windows on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Oct. 1, 2017. CBS NEWS/AP PHOTO

LOS ANGELES -- Authorities say the brother of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock has been arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of possessing child pornography.

An FBI spokeswoman confirmed to CBS News that federal officials assisted the Los Angeles Police Department Wednesday in arresting Bruce Paddock. An official told the Associated Press that the child porn case predates the Las Vegas shooting. It wasn't immediately known if Bruce Paddock has an attorney.

bruce-paddock-mugshot.jpg
Bruce Paddock LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT

Bruce Paddock is not considered a suspect in the Las Vegas shooting. He is charged with possessing more than 600 images of child pornography, as well as 19 counts sexual exploitation of a child.

In a press release, the Los Angeles Police Department said the investigation began after evidence was discovered inside a business where Bruce Paddock had been squatting after being evicted.

"At the time of the initial investigation Paddock was a transient and could not be located," police said.

Fifty-eight people were killed and hundreds more were wounded in the shooting Oct. 1 at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on the Las Vegas Strip. Authorities say Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay casino-hotel tower and then took his own life.

Another brother, Eric Paddock, spoke to media following the shooting but Bruce Paddock did not.

Bruce Paddock is being held at the Los Angeles Police Department's Metropolitan Detention Center. His bail is set at $60,000.

© 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



I’M GLAD TO SEE TWO REPUBLICANS SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE DEEPLY WRONG AND OUTRIGHT WACKO THINGS THAT ARE EMERGING DAY AFTER DAY FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. MAYBE IT’S THOSE LITTLE ALIEN ANTS IN THE RECENT TV SHOW BRAIN DEAD. (IF YOU DECIDE TO WATCH IT, TRY TO GET IN ON THE FIRST EPISODE TO FIND OUT WHAT THE STORY IS ABOUT.) IT IS POLITICAL SATIRE OF A DARK SORT, BUT VERY FUNNY.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senator-jeff-flake-its-time-we-stand-up-and-be-a-little-more-forceful-in-trump-era/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS October 25, 2017, 7:39 AM
Sen. Flake urges colleagues to "stand up" and be "more forceful" in Trump era


Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., is calling on his colleagues in the Senate to "stand up" and be "more forceful" in light of President Trump's most recent behavior as commander in chief.

"I think we have a responsibility as elected officials to speak out when there's behavior that goes beyond the pale and some of what we've seen fits in that category," said Flake of Mr. Trump on "CBS This Morning."

When asked if Congress should ever expect a change out of the Oval Office, Flake replied, "We've been waiting nine months for that pivot to occur toward more appropriate behavior and stability and we haven't seen it. It's time we stand up and be a little more forceful."

Flake abruptly announced on Tuesday that he won't run for re-election in the 2018 midterm elections and will leave the Senate when his term ends in January 2019. He also delivered a blistering rebuke of Mr. Trump's behavior.

The Arizona Republican announced on the Senate floor that he could "better serve my country and conscience" by dropping his re-election bid, "freeing myself of the political consideration that consumed far too much bandwidth."

He also penned a blistering op-ed in the Washington Post published on Wednesday, where he compared the political climate to that of the McCarthy era in the 1950s.

"This was a time when McCarthy had gone on for a couple of years and done a lot of damage and no one was willing to speak up," Flake wrote of that time in Congress.

He added, "Until this time, this hearing, when Chief Counsel for the Army Joseph Welch stood up, that really turned things around. At that point that was the threshold that I guess we had to get to, things changed after that."

Asked what Flake suggests should happen next after rebuking the president's actions on the campaign trail and his time in office, Flake stopped short of suggesting Mr. Trump being removed from office.

"I don't think any of those remedies are justified, high crimes misdemeanors, impeachment. I don't think that's the way to go," said Flake.

He suggested, however, that members of Congress "ought to speak out when the president follows through on some of the threats he's made," particularly as it relates to the First Amendment.

"If he continues to, in terms of the tweets and just the debasing statements he's made and also on the foreign stage, I think we need to be incredibly careful about what we're doing," he added.

Flake's dramatic announcement came just hours after Mr. Trump met with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill and after his Republican colleague Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee also took the president to task, furthering their ongoing feud.

His declaration on leaving the Senate also comes after former White House strategist Steve Bannon rallied behind Flake challenger Kelli Ward, in an effort to help elect anti-establishment candidates.

When Flake announced his intentions not to seek reelection, Breitbart, Bannon's news outlet, posted "WINNING" 14 times in a row in a single tweet.

Flake issued this warning to Congress: "I do think that the longer we go, the more this behavior is normalized and that is a problem we can't allow our dialogue to continue to worsen and so it think the longer we wait the more likely that is, already we're seeing the effects of this new era and they've not been good."

Flake said while he's spoken with his colleagues who have not been as vocal against the president, he expects to see "a lot more people stand up" in the future.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


BETRAYAL? POLITICS, IN TIMES OF STRESS ESPECIALLY, IS NOT ABOUT LOYALTY SO MUCH AS ALTERNATIVES. AS A VOTER I WANT CHOICES, AND THE DEMS AND REPUBLICANS BOTH HAVE BECOME LITTLE MORE THAN VAST POWER STRUCTURES, WHO DO WHATEVER THE HECK THEY WANT TO DESPITE WHAT THE VOTERS NEED. IT IS ALSO A FACT THAT THE DNC HAS BEEN EXCEPTIONALLY HOSTILE TO SANDERS’ MOVE IN 2016. WE PROGRESSIVES NEED A GOOD LEADER WITH A REAL MESSAGE. HE NOT ONLY HAS A MESSAGE THAT WE NEED, BUT COMMITMENT TO WHAT I VERY MUCH BELIEVE IS THE RIGHT PATH.

THE REPUBLICANS WANT TO RUN THE COUNTRY LIKE AN AUTOCRACY, AND THE DEMOCRATS HAVE MOVED AWAY FROM THE POOR AND WORKING CLASS TOWARD THE MIDDLE TO UPPER CLASSES. WHY? THEY HAVE MORE MONEY, JUST LIKE THE REPUBLICANS. IT IS FOR THAT REASON THAT I BECAME AN INDEPENDENT AFTER THE ELECTION – ALONG WITH THE HATCHET JOB THEY DID ON SANDERS. I WANT SOMEONE OF SANDERS’ POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AS PRESIDENT, AND HIS SAVVY. HE IS ALSO HONEST. I DON’T BELIEVE HE SHOULD BE “HONOR BOUND” BY ANY DECISION HE MADE A YEAR AGO. WHEN WE JOIN A POLITICAL PARTY, WE HAVE A PERFECT RIGHT TO LEAVE IT, ESPECIALLY SINCE IN THIS CASE THE DEMOCRATS LEFT US AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

https://www.salon.com/2017/10/24/sanders-betrays-democrats-announces-reelection-run-as-an-independent/
Bernie betrays Democrats, announces reelection run as an independent
After pledging in 2015 to run as a Democrat in future races, Sanders now wants to run in 2018 as an independent
MATTHEW ROZSA
10.24.2017•4:00 PM

Photograph -- Bernie Sanders, (Credit: Getty/George Frey)

There is no excuse for the Democratic National Committee's efforts to undermine Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. This doesn't mean, however, that the DNC was wrong for distrusting Sanders' sincerity when he claimed to be a Democrat.

The fact that Sanders has just announced he will run for reelection in 2018 as an independent underscores that point.

"I am an independent and I have always run in Vermont as an independent, while I caucus with the Democrats in the United States Senate. That’s what I’ve been doing for a long time and that’s what I’ll continue to do," Sanders told a Fox News reporter on Sunday, during a trip to New Hampshire.

By contrast, Sanders confirmed to a reporter in November 2015 that he would run as a Democrat in future elections, after the subject was broached.

"In future elections, potential future elections, will you also run as a Democrat?" the reporter asked Sanders as he campaigned in New Hampshire.

"Yes," Sanders replied.

Bear in mind: One of the controversial DNC emails that was published by Wikileaks showed former chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz complaining that Sanders "has never been a member of the Democratic Party and has no understanding of what we do."

I wish to repeat: There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that justifies the DNC giving any candidate an advantage over another one. There is, on the other hand, ample justification for members of the Democratic Party establishment to regard Sanders with contempt for not being one of their own while trying to lead their party.

The reality is that Sanders had not been a registered Democrat until he decided to run for president. Although he had caucused with the party as a member of the United States Senate, he had long prided himself on being an independent.

That is not only well and good but necessary. As I've written before, America needs to create viable alternatives to the two major parties. The problem is, when Sanders claimed that he had switched to being a Democrat before seeking the party's presidential nomination, people became concerned that he was only doing so to improve his chances of winning the presidency. While only Sanders knows for sure if that's the case, it seems much more likely now that he has revealed through his subsequent actions that his assurances of sticking to the Democratic Party were ultimately not true.

There are millions of Americans who, unlike Sanders, actually do identify as Democrats. They do not consider the label to be a badge of shame but a genuine reflection of their political values. When Sanders enters and leaves the Democratic Party at his own convenience, it implicitly insults all of those Democratic voters — and raises questions about what other expediencies Sanders would be willing to resort to in order to achieve his political goals.

Just because the DNC was wrong for rigging the primaries against Sanders doesn't mean Sanders is right today for not acting in good faith toward the Democratic Party.

MATTHEW ROZSA
Matthew Rozsa is a breaking news writer for Salon. He holds an MA in History from Rutgers University-Newark and his work has appeared in Mic, Quartz and MSNBC.
MORE FROM MATTHEW ROZSA



A TWO-PERSON COMPANY? DOES THAT REALLY MEAN WHAT IT SEEMS TO? AH, YES. WHITEFISH IS IN THE TRUMP POLITICAL FAMILY!

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whitefish-energy-tiny-montana-company-awarded-huge-puerto-rico-contract-has-ties-to-trump-administration/
By JULIANNA GOLDMAN CBS NEWS October 25, 2017, 7:23 PM
Small company awarded big Puerto Rico contract has ties to Trump administration

WASHINGTON -- It's been more than a month since Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, leaving its power grid in shambles.

Now, 75 percent of the island is still without power, and lawmakers in both parties are asking why a small Montana company was granted a $300 million, no-bid contract to help rebuild transmission and distribution lines.

"My biggest concern is we don't have enough information as to the process that went into that," said Republican Rep. Rob Bishop, who chairs the House committee that oversees Puerto Rico.

The government power company -- known as PREPA -- signed the contract with Whitefish Energy, a two-person, two-year-old company whose largest previous federal contract had been for $1.3 million to upgrade lines in Arizona.

goldman-whitefish-energy-2-2017-10-25.jpg
Whitefish Energy has been awarded a $300 million contract. CBS NEWS

PREPA filed for bankruptcy in July amid the island's ongoing debt crisis. It bypassed a network of utilities and a "mutual aid" system that is usually activated for storm recovery.

The $300 million contract is the biggest yet for Puerto Rico's recovery effort -- and for Whitefish, which relies on subcontractors for their work.

"This appears to be a pretty small company," said Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. "Are they capable of doing the job that they're being asked?"

Murkowski, the chair of the energy committee, expects a hearing on Puerto Rico in the next week. Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell is calling for the Government Accountability Office to investigate.

goldman-whitefish-energy-3-2017-10-25.jpg
Whitefish Energy's subcontractor rates. CBS NEWS

The company's subcontractor rates are also raising questions: $462 per hour for a supervisor and $319 for a lineman.

And its ties to the administration are under scrutiny. Whitefish is backed by HBC Investments. That firm's founder and general partner Joe Colonnetta gave $33,000 to the campaign of then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is now Energy secretary. Colonnetta and his wife gave $28,200 to President Trump.

Additionally, Whitefish founder and CEO Andy Techmanski knows Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke -- and Whitefish is based in Zinke's hometown.

The Interior Department and Whitefish say Zinke played no role in the contract. And the company says Colonnetta didn't either. Whitefish officials say they were willing to work for $2 million up front while the other company that PREPA was considering wanted $25 million. On Wednesday night, Puerto Rico's governor said he will be reviewing the contracting process.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-to-declare-opioid-epidemic-a-public-health-emergency/
By JACQUELINE ALEMANY CBS NEWS October 26, 2017, 11:20 AM
Trump to declare opioid epidemic a public health emergency

President Donald Trump plans to declare the opioid crisis a public health emergency on Thursday afternoon at the White House and call for all federal agencies to authorize emergency measures to reduce a crisis that claimed more than 64,000 lives in 2016.

Major Trump speech on opioid crisis may prove controversial
Promise tracker: Is Trump keeping his word on opioids?
The move stops short of what Trump initially promised to do during an announcement in August – declare a national emergency – and instead directs Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Eric Hargan to declare a nationwide public health emergency under the Public Services Health Act, according to a White House official who briefed reporters on Thursday morning.

Trump takes on opioid crisis, tax reform
Play VIDEO
Trump takes on opioid crisis, tax reform

This designation will allow for expanded access to telemedicine services for substance abuse treatment – a service designed to help people in rural areas like Appalachia who do not have timely access to a doctor. It also directs a shifting of resources within the HIV/AIDS program to provide those eligible with substance abuse treatment. And the Department of Labor will issue dislocated worker grants to workers who have been put out of work due to a substance abuse disorder.

The order also allows HHS to make quick temporary appointments of specialists and doctors needed to combat the epidemic.

Ex-DEA agent: Opioid crisis fueled by drug industry and Congress

But Mr. Trump's order does not authorize any additional federal funding, according to a White House official, who said the administration is working closely with Congress on the end-of-year budget deal.

"There is a lot of money already deployed and being used to fight the crisis but we do expect to have conversations with Congress as part of our deal," the official added, declining to provide a specific dollar amount the administration is requesting.

A White House official argued that declaring nationwide public health emergency was "a better use" than declaring a national emergency under the Stafford Act, which offers the president more wide-sweeping powers and funding from the federal disaster relief fund.

"Under the Stafford Act, as unfortunately we have seen on multiple occasions over the last several months, the Stafford Act is deigned to respond to mostly natural disasters that are (of a) very short time duration and a specific geographic region," one official said.

A former ONDCP official called Trump's order "mostly symbolic" but important and can help eliminate some red tape.

"It's a start, but it needs to be backed up with a broader, more holistic strategy and actual funding from Congress if we want to really move the needle on this," the official said.

The public health emergency will last for 90 days and can be renewed every 90 days until it's no longer necessary. Officials on the call would not say whether or not the president will be traveling the country to speak on the issue, but did say that starting tomorrow, Cabinet officials will be in different places across the country taking "appropriate actions."

The Trump administration is also scrambling to fill top posts that would typically be involved in the coordinating the response to the opioid crisis. A White House official said that filling the positions of HHS Secretary and the Office of National Drug Control and Policy's Drug Czar is "an urgent priority" and that Trump will be putting forth names "soon," but blamed Democrats for obstructing sub-cabinet nominees.

"HHS, which bears essential brunt of the entire public health side of this, doesn't have a confirmed assistant secretary for Health, doesn't have a general counsel and does not have a confirmed new chief financial officer, so for Senate to obstruct in that way is unheard of breaks precedent during a time when there is an emergency going on," one official said.

Governor Chris Christie, the Chair of the White House Commission on Opioids, commended President Trump for "the bold action he is taking today by adopting the first recommendation of his Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis to declare a national emergency."

"By using the Public Health Service Act, as we recommended, the President is showing an unprecedented commitment to fighting this epidemic and placing the weight of the Presidency behind saving lives across the country," Christie said in a statement.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



I THINK MOST NON-CHEMICAL HABITS ARE “DISPLACEMENT ACTIVITIES,” BUT IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET A PHYSICAL “HIGH” FROM CERTAIN THINGS, SUCH AS EXERCISE AND THRILL SEEKING. UNFORTUNATELY, THE LATTER CAN BE SOMETHING LIKE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHILE TEXTING. THANK GOD THERE WAS A NEWS REPORT YESTERDAY THAT SOME LOCALITIES ARE MAKING THAT TEXTING A “PRIMARY OFFENSE” WHICH IS GROUNDS FOR A TICKET AND A FINE, OR PERHAPS THE LOSS OF ONES DRIVING LICENSE. THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE CASE IMMEDIATELY WHEN SUCH A DESTRUCTIVE, UNINTELLIGENT, MENTALLY UNBALANCED AND TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE ACTIVITY FIRST BEGAN. I FIRST HEARD OF IT IN TEENAGERS, BUT THEN IT CAME TO LIGHT THAT SOME ADULTS WERE DOING IT ALSO. THERE IS A STRONG STRAIN OF BASIC INSANITY IN THE HUMAN ANIMAL.

SOME THINGS OF THAT SORT ARE ACTUALLY “CHEMICAL” IN NATURE, BECAUSE THEY RELEASE BRAIN CHEMICALS THAT RELAX THE USER, OR FULFILL THE NEED FOR A STIMULUS. NICOTINE AND ALCOHOL HAVE DEFINITE BRAIN AND PHYSICAL RELAXATION BENEFITS. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY DAMAGE THE BODY SEVERELY OVER TIME. NO, I HAVEN’T READ ANY STUDIES, BUT I HAVE USED BOTH CHEMICALS, AND THERE IS A DEFINITE PHYSICAL “WITHDRAWAL” PERIOD WITH ANXIETY AND IRRITABILITY UNTIL THE BODY ADAPTS TO FUNCTIONING IN DAILY LIFE AND UNDER STRESS WITHOUT THE “DRUG OF CHOICE.” A 12 STEP PROGRAM WORKS BETTER THAN DRUGS FOR ALCOHOL ADDICTION, BUT I WOULDN’T USE IT FOR NICOTINE WITHDRAWAL. I WOULDN’T USE THE NICOTINE GUM, EITHER, BECAUSE ANYTHING THAT IS SELF-ADMINISTERED WHENEVER THERE IS AN “URGE” IS “ADDICTIVE,” BECAUSE WE ARE DOING A COMPULSIVE ACTION TO SOLVE A TEMPORARY PROBLEM. WHAT I DO HIGHLY RECOMMEND IS NICODERM GRADUATED DOSAGE SKIN PATCHES, BECAUSE WHEN YOU FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS CORRECTLY, YOUR “DOSE” WILL BE REDUCED BY ABOUT A QUARTER EVERY TWO WEEKS AND YOUR BODY WITH GRADUALLY GET USED TO THE FACT THAT YOU DIDN’T JUST SMOKE ONE OR MORE CIGS. WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO THE 7 MG PATCHES, AFTER ONE WEEK OR SO ON THOSE, IT WILL BE NO PROBLEM TO STOP ALL USE. I PERSONALLY KEPT SIX OR SO 7 MG PATCHES IN MY HANDBAG IN CASE I BEGAN TO HAVE A DISTURBING URGE TO “USE.” IT’S A PIECE OF CAKE! [HTTPS://WWW.DRUGS.COM/CDI/NICODERM-CQ.HTML]

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2151515-gaming-addiction-probably-isnt-a-real-condition-study-suggests/?cmpid=ILC|NSNS|2017_webpush&utm_medium=ILC&utm_source=NSNS&utm_campaign=webpush-gaming
73
DAILY NEWS 26 October 2017
Gaming addiction probably isn’t a real condition, study suggests
By Inga Vesper

Photograph -- Displacement activity?
Zhang Peng/Getty

There may be no such thing as internet gaming addiction. People play excessively not because they are hooked on gaming itself, but because they feel unhappy about other areas of their life, according to a study that followed thousands of online gamers over six months.

Internet gaming disorder is referenced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a “condition of further study”, meaning the American Psychiatric Association thinks it warrants further research as a potential psychiatric condition.

The manual suggests that people suspected of suffering from gaming disorder must fulfil five or more criteria from a list of nine that include: lying about time spent gaming; jeopardising jobs, careers or education because of participation in gaming; and using gaming to relieve anxiety. They must also feel distress over their gaming habits for a – yet to be defined – period of time.

To investigate the potential prevalence of the disorder based on these criteria, Netta Weinstein at Cardiff University, UK, and her colleagues used a nationally representative sample informed by US census data to identify 2316 people over the age of 18 who regularly play games online.

Participants filled in a questionnaire covering aspects of their health, physical activity and lifestyle. At the start of the study, only nine participants met five or more criteria and experienced distress as a result of their gaming. However, none still met this criteria six months later and therefore weren’t diagnosed with addiction.

Three people matched four or more criteria at the beginning and end of the study. However, none felt ongoing distress over their gaming habits.

“We didn’t see a large number of people with clinical problems,” says Weinstein. “The study’s results suggest that it’s not clear how many resources should go to gaming addiction, compared to other addictions like drugs.”

Filling a hole

Further analysis by the team showed that people who displayed some of the proposed symptoms of gaming addiction had lower “needs fulfilment”, meaning they were unhappy in other areas of life, such as relationships or their career.

This suggests that gaming might be a displacement activity for people in an unhappy situation, rather than an addiction, says Weinstein.

Six months later, the symptoms of gaming disorder were reduced in those who had become more content since the first questionnaire. “This is initial evidence that having more needs fulfilment in life can make people feel better about their gaming,” says Weinstein.

Treatment for game addiction includes scrutinising life outside gaming, says Kimberly Young, a clinical psychologist who specialises in internet addiction. “Addicted players need to examine the emotional motives that prompt them to play a game excessively and look for alternate ways to satisfy those needs,” she says.

Gaming addiction is a real problem that deserves recognition, says Daria Kuss, a cyber-psychology researcher at Nottingham Trent University, UK.

Using questionnaires to study addiction can be misleading as people tend to under-report bad behaviour, says Kuss. “If someone uses gaming to meet basic psychological needs, this could become a problem if they are not able to satisfy these needs in real life,” she says. “But to confirm this, we need clinical samples of people who are being treated for addiction in centres.”

Journal reference: PeerJ, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3838


MSNBC MADDOW

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 10/25/17
Senate committee splits as Trump behavior warrants scrutiny
Rachel Maddow reports on how congressional committees are splitting along partisan lines in the Trump Russia investigation even as new revelations show Donald Trump's behavior warrants a closer look by committees like the Senate Judiciary. Duration: 21:08