February 11, 2018


News and Views


BILL GATES IS A BILLIONAIRE WHO CARES. HE AND HIS WIFE MELINDA HAVE GIVEN BILLIONS (HE HAS QUITE A FEW OF THEM) TO GOOD CAUSES. HE'S ALSO VERY SMART. AUTISTIC PEOPLE HAVE GIFTS INCLUDING HIGH IQ SCORES, AS WELL AS PROBLEMS, NEITHER OF WHICH ARE SHARED BY ALL INDIVIDUALS IN THE GROUP. FOR DECADES NOW, PSYCHOLOGISTS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THEIR DISABILITIES. DEALING WITH ALL CHILDREN, THOUGH, MEANS FOCUSING ON THEIR GIFTS AT LEAST AS MUCH AS THEIR DISABILIITES. TRYING TO FORCE A CHILD TO BECOME A MATH GENIUS BECAUSE MATH IS POPULAR, WHEN HE OR SHE HAS A GIFT IN ART, MUSIC, LANGUAGE ARTS, ETC. IS REALLY FOOLISH. PEOPLE TEND TO BE ONE-SIDED IN THEIR THINKING, THUS THESE SITUATIONAL CAGES THAT WE FIND OURSELVES IN.

AS IN ALL CONDITIONS, INDIVIDUALS VARY. AMERICAN EDUCATION IS STILL RESTRICTIVE RATHER THAN ENABLING, IN SPITE OF A MINI-RENAISSANCE IN THE 1940S TO 80S. THE COUNTERCULTURE OF THE 1960S TO 80S PRODUCED CREATIVE PROGRESS, BUT THEY DID BAD, BAD THINGS – THEY SOMETIMES USED DRUGS, ESPOUSED EASTERN PHILOSOPHIES, LIVED IN UNRELATED GROUPS RATHER THAN MARRYING AND HAVING CHILDREN “WITHIN THE LAW.” MY BROTHER IN LAW, BLESS HIS MAINLY GOOD HEART, ACTUALLY CALLED “HIPPIES” OUTLAWS.

RONALD REAGAN, IN HIS INFLUENCE TOWARD A NEW AND HARSH ULTRACONSERVATISM -- THOUGH HE WAS A CHARMING MAN AND CERTAINLY NOT A RASCAL PERSONALLY, LIKE SOME PRESIDENTS WHOSE NAMES I WON’T MENTION -- HE DID NOT SEEK TO AID ALL HUMANS. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIS UNWILLINGNESS TO HELP THE AIDS PATIENTS WITH LEGISLATION. IN MY PERSONAL VIEW, ALL OF THAT RIGHTWARD SHIFT IS NOT ONLY MAKING US A LESS ENLIGHTENED CULTURE, IT IS CAUSING US TO BE MORE BORING RATHER THAN MORE DYNAMIC. WE ARE REGRESSING.

IN THE ‘70S WHEN I WAS YOUNG, IT WAS A DYNAMIC TIME TO BE ALIVE. FROM THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES OF THAT TIME, CAME NEW IDEAS AND NEW WAYS OF GROWING. WE NEED TO GO FORWARD IN THE DIRECTION OF OPENNESS AND HUMANISM AGAIN. FUNDAMENTALIST CHURCHES TEND TO DECRY THE LIBERAL TREND OF “ETHICAL HUMANISM,” CALLING US ALL “ATHEISTS.” WE MAY BE PEOPLE WHOSE FAITH IS NOT CENTERED ON A DEITY, BUT IT IS STRONGLY LEANING TOWARD GOOD OVER EVIL, WHICH TO ME IS THE HEART OF WHAT GOOD RELIGION ACTUALLY DOES FOR SOCIETY. THE LESS THAN GOOD RELIGIONS, WHATEVER DEITY THEY CLAIM TO SERVE, TEND TO EXCLUDE RATHER THAN INCLUDE AND STARVE THE POOR RATHER THAN FEED THEM. THEY’RE JUST ANOTHER EXCLUSIONARY GROUP WHOSE GOAL IS TO GAIN AND MAINTAIN DOMINANCE OVER THOSE WHO DIFFER FROM THEM.

VERY SIMILARLY, IN OUR RELATIONS WITH THOSE WHO ARE CONSIDERED COMMONLY TO BE “INFERIOR” MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY, RACIALLY OR IN GENDER, IN AGE OR RELIGION, THE “NORMAL” TEND TO WANT TO PUSH PEOPLE WHO ARE LESS CAPABLE TO THE SIDE AND ABOVE ALL, “OUT OF SIGHT.” KEEP THEM IN HOMES AND GIVE THEM NO PLACE AS INDIVIDUALS TO LIVE FREELY AND ACTIVELY IN OUR LARGER SOCIETY. LIKEWISE, PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS USED TO BE EXCLUDED FROM THE WORKPLACE UNTIL, UNDER THE GREAT SOCIETY OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON, THE DISABLED WERE GIVEN CIVIL RIGHTS. HE WAS NOT CONSIDERED BY ALL TO BE A GREAT GENTLEMAN, BUT HE WAS A GREAT PRESIDENT. HE PUSHED TOWARD GOOD THINGS, AND PUSHED HARD. WITH MARTIN LUTHER KING BESIDE HIM HE CONTINUED THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE COUNTRY.

WHEEL CHAIRS ARE SEEN EVERYWHERE NOW, AND NOBODY OF INTELLIGENCE AND GOOD CONSCIENCE DISCRIMINATES AGAINST THEM IN EMPLOYMENT ANYMORE. IS THAT BECAUSE THE PUBLIC AT LARGE HAD A GREAT SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT ON THE ISSUE OF HOW PEOPLE ARE TREATED? PARTLY, BECAUSE THERE WAS A GREAT FERMENT OF THOUGHT IN THOSE DAYS; BUT IT WAS ALSO BECAUSE THE SEVERAL MARGINALIZED GROUPS PUSHED HARD FOR THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS. PRESIDENT JOHNSON SIGNED A LAW CONSIDERED “TOO RADICAL” BY THE “CONSERVATIVES,” WHILE MARTIN LUTHER KING LED MILLIONS OF BLACK PEOPLE TO MARCH IN THE STREETS IN DEMONSTRATIONS.

TODAY, SOME COWORKERS MAY MISTREAT THE WHEELCHAIR BOUND, THE RACIAL/RELIGIOUS MINORITIES OR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED, OUT OF THAT PERENNIAL PRIVILEGE THAT THE “ABLED” ANGLO-EUROPEANS HAVE IN THIS COUNTRY; BUT THOSE PEOPLE CAN BE SUED FOR DAMAGES NOW IF THEY DO. THE DISABLED NO LONGER HAVE TO STAY COOPED UP IN A ROOM DRAWING A GOVERNMENT PENSION WHEN THEY ARE ACTUALLY ABLE TO WORK IF THEY ARE GIVEN A JOB. LIKEWISE, THE AUTISTIC SHOULD NOT BE SHUT OUT OF JOBS DUE MERELY TO A DIAGNOSIS WHICH IS NOT NECESSARILY PROOF OF DISABILITY. THAT IS REAL PROGRESS FOR AMERICA, AND WE PROGRESSIVES MUSTN’T LET ALL THAT GOOD WORK SLIDE DOWNHILL DUE TO A LACK OF THE ATTENTION THAT MUST BE PAID TO THOSE ISSUES. YOU CAN PLANT PRETTY FLOWERS OR VEGETABLES IN YOUR GARDEN, BUT IF YOU DON’T GO OUT AND PULL THE WEEDS, THEY WILL OVERCOME THE DESIRED PLANTS AND CHOKE THEM OUT. A FINAL THOUGHT -- TEACHING KIDS WITH "DISABILITIES" SHOULDN'T BE THE INNATELY NEGATIVE GOAL OF MERELY RAISING THEM "UP TO NORMAL," BUT ONE OF ALLOWING THEM TO BLOSSOM IN THEIR OWN WAY. WITH ANY GROUP OF KIDS, ABLED OR DISABLED, SOME ARE GENETICALLY CREATED FOR DIFFERENT THINGS. I’M NOT SAYING THAT WE SHOULDN’T FORCE A KID WHO ONLY WANTS TO PLAY BASKETBALL TO GIVE UP HIS DREAMS OF THE NBA, BUT UNTIL HE’S 16 OR 17 HE SHOULD SIT IN THE CLASSROOM, LISTEN TO THE TEACHER, PARTICIPATE IN GROUP LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND, YES, READ THOSE BOOKS UNTIL HE IS OF AGE TO GO ON TO COLLEGE OR GET A JOB.

MANY KIDS WHO ARE HYPERACTIVE OR OTHERWISE UNFOCUSED DO GET DISABILITY LABELS, BUT THEY SHOULD BE GIVEN THE BASIC EDUCATION ANYWAY. TOO MANY TIMES THEY ARE SHUNTED TO THE SIDE AND PRETTY MUCH IGNORED. MAYBE OUR TEACHERS NEED TO BE FORCED TO SIGN A PLEDGE THAT THEY WILL “DO NO HARM.” LOOKING BACK ON MY TIME AS A STUDENT, I HAD TEACHERS WHO INSPIRED US TO GO BEYOND OUR FAMILY OR SOCIAL GROUPS TOWARD PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO BEING AN EDUCATED PERSON. FROM THAT POINT ON, THEY WILL MOVE IN GENERAL TOWARD SUCCESS RATHER THAN TOWARD INCARCERATION OR CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS.

THE SAME IS TRUE OF HUMANS IN GENERAL. WE ARE ALL FLOWERS OF DIFFERENT KINDS. AUTISM AND DOWN SYNDROME WERE ALMOST A DEATH SENTENCE WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, AND NOW WITH THE INCREASED SOCIAL AND SCIENTIFIC STUDY AND IMPROVEMENTS, WE ARE AWARE THAT NEITHER OF THOSE GROUPS ARE HOPELESSLY DISABLED, AND WORKING WITH THEM IS CERTAINLY NOT “A WASTE OF TIME.” WE NEED TO MAKE AN ASSUMPTION THAT NO LIFEFORMS, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE, ARE “A WASTE OF TIME.”

AUTISM IN THE WORKPLACE – HOW “NORMALS” VIEW THEIR “INFERIORS” IS IMPROVING. AMERICANS AS A WHOLE ARE GETTING BETTER IN HOW THEY VIEW THESE THINGS. “COMPETITION” IS NO LONGER THE END ALL BE ALL; INCLUSION IS STRONGER THAN AT THIS TIME; BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THAT CAN CHANGE AT ANY TIME. LIFE IS A BALANCE, AND AS A SOCIETY WE MUST MAINTAIN THE BALANCE.

WE ARE GROWING MORE HUMANE IN SOME OF THESE WAYS, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT ITS’ A SHAME THAT ALONGSIDE THAT TREND OF IMPROVEMENT, THE UNDISCIPLINED SOCIETAL NEGATIVITY – UNCURBED “CONSERVATISM” -- IS RAISING ITS’ UGLY, IGNORANT AND CRUDE HEAD AGAIN. THAT TERRIBLY VISIBLE AND AGGRESSIVE TORCHLIGHT MARCH LAST YEAR IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA THAT EMERGED SUDDENLY ON OUR NEWS SHOWS IS JUST ONE CASE OF THAT KIND. HUMANS ARE NOT BORN “GOOD” IN MOST CASES, BUT WILL REQUIRE A DISCIPLINARY AND WATCHFUL EYE FOREVER. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE TO HAVE COURTS AND LAWS, AND IN THE HIGHEST PLACES OF POWER, THOSE “CHECKS AND BALANCES.”

THOSE TO WHOM HOMOGENEITY IS THE ONLY RIGHT WAY FOR OUR SOCIETY TO BE, WHO HATE THE “LIBERAL” VIEWS OF THOSE WHO WANT VERY MUCH TO SEE CONTINUED PROGRESS RATHER THAN ENFORCED SAMENESS, ARE AGAINST ANY RESTRAINTS FOR THE WEALTHY AND THE POWERFUL. THEY CALL THEMSELVES, THE “ALT-RIGHT.” TO ME THEY ARE JUST A STEP DOWNWARD TOWARD AN UNCIVIL SOCIETY RATHER THAN THAT PROVERBIAL “CITY UPON A HILL.” SUCH A CITY CAN’T BE A HOME FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO WISH TO BE EQUITABLE AND HONEST. UNDER THEIR CONTROL IT WILL DIE.

THIS IS A GREAT INTERVIEW OF AN AUTISTIC MAN WHO IS CLEARLY CAPABLE IN MOST IF NOT ALL WAYS. HE IS A COMPUTER PROGRAMMER, AND SPEAKS IN A TOTALLY NORMAL WAY. HE IS EMPLOYED BY MICROSOFT UNDER THEIR PROGRAM TO ACTIVELY SEEK OUT THE AUTISTIC. MUCH THANKS TO YOU, BILL GATES! TRUE ENTREPRENEURS ARE THOSE WHO OPEN THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS TO STEP OUT FROM THE CROWD. I APPLAUD YOU AND OTHERS LIKE YOU.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-growing-acceptance-of-autism-in-the-workplace/
CBS NEWS February 11, 2018, 9:09 AM
The growing acceptance of autism in the workplace

We like to think that good work is always rewarded. But what if some people who could do good work can't their foot in the door in the first place? That's where recent hiring initiatives that look beyond unfair stereotypes come in, as Lee Cowan reports in our Cover Story:

Twenty-seven-year-old Christopher Pauley thought he had it all figured out when it came to looking for a job.

He had a detailed spreadsheet of each and every position he applied for -- at least 600.

But despite his degree in computer science from California Polytechnic State University, he went two years with barely a nibble.

Did he get discouraged? "Oh my gosh, my morale really started to drop towards the end," he said. "In fact, there were days where I would either hardly fill out any applications at all, or just simply not apply on anything."

He knew he had the smarts for most jobs; he was a former Spelling Bee Champ, after all. But Pauley struggles with social and communications skills because he's also autistic.

While precise numbers are hard to come by, by some estimates at least 80% of adults with autism are unemployed, even though their IQs are often well above average.

Sometimes their job skills can present themselves in unique ways. For Christopher, it's video games. His ability to recognize patterns and his acute attention to detail -- both hallmarks of autism -- make his playing the video game Rock Band look pretty easy.

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Christopher Pauley. CBS NEWS
And they are the same skills he was hoping would impress prospective employers in the computer programming world. But he always had to get past that interview, which was a challenge at best.

Cowan asked, "Was there, in any of those interviews, a time where you just wanted to tell somebody, 'Look, I know my social skills maybe aren't quite what you expect, but I know I can do this job, and I know I can do a really good job if you give me a chance'?"

"Yes."

"But you never said that to anybody?"

"Most of the time, no," he replied.

"Because why?"

"I just wasn't comfortable. It makes me come across as desperate."

At Microsoft, however, there was no need to hide his autism; they were looking for it.

"It's a talent pool that really hasn't been tapped," said Jenny Lay-Flurrie, the chief accessibility officer at tech giant Microsoft outside Seattle.

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Jenny Lay-Flurrie, chief accessibility officer at Microsoft. CBS NEWS
"There really is, and was, a lot of data on the table that said to us that we were missing out. We were missing out on an opportunity to bring talent in with autism."

Cowan said, "So in a way, it sounds like this was almost a business imperative."

"Heck, yeah!" she laughed. "People with disabilities are a strength and a force of nature in this company, myself included."

Lay-Flurrie, who is profoundly deaf, communicates by reading lips and working with an interpreter. She helped create a hiring program for Microsoft back in 2015 designed to better identify candidates with autistic talents.

Instead of the traditional job interview focusing so heavily on social skills, the company has replaced it with a vetting process that lasts for weeks, and team building exercises like one called the Marshmallow Challenge.

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Christopher Pauley (left) takes part in a Marshmallow Challenge exercise. CBS NEWS
"Being able to watch a candidate in that environment as opposed to sitting across the table interviewing them makes all the difference in the world," said Cowan.

"Every difference," said Lay-Flurrie. "Every day, in any company, in any role, you're going to be asked to work with someone else to figure out a problem or a challenge, or a project."

"And yet in that scenario, they're not as self-conscious that they're being observed for a job -- they're just doing a task."

"It's marshmallows!"

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Christopher Pauley now works as a software engineer at Microsoft. CBS NEWS
After Christopher Pauley went through a similar, unconventional interview process back in 2016, Microsoft quickly hired him as a software engineer.

His manager Brent Truell says he was immediately impressed by Christopher's "out of the box" thinking.

"When we are faced with really complicated problems, the solutions to those aren't always simple," said Truell. "And Christopher always kind of brings new insights. And having that creative mind, he always brings something new to the team, which is really exciting."

"Which is exactly why you hired him, right?

"Right."

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Microsoft has actively recruited workers on the autism spectrum, increasing diversity in the company. CBS NEWS
It's an idea that's catching on.

Last April, 50 big-name companies -- including JP Morgan, Ford and Ernst & Young -- came together for a summit on how to bring more autistic adults into the workforce.

It was hosted at the Silicon Valley campus of German software maker SAP, which was one of the first large companies to reach out to the autistic community.

It started its Autism at Work Program almost five years ago, and since then it's hired 128 people on the spectrum, with the goal of hiring more than 600.

"I have been in this industry for close to 30 years, and I can tell you it's probably the single most rewarding program that I have been involved with," said Jose Velasco, who heads the program.

The biggest surprise for him, he says, has been the variety of candidates applying. "Very quickly we started getting resumes from people that had degrees in history, and literature in graphic design, attorneys … the whole gamut of jobs," Velasco said.

"So really, you went into this thinking that people with autism would be good at certain jobs, and what you ended up discovering is they're good at all jobs?" asked Cowan.

"They are good at just about every role."

And they're expected to perform in those roles, just like anyone else.

Mike Seborowski, for example, was hired three years ago and works in cybersecurity in SAP's office outside of Philadelphia. When Cowan was visiting, Jose was helping Mike get ready for a long stint at the company world headquarters in Germany.

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Mike Seborowski, who works in cyber security, and Jose Velasco, who heads SAP"s program for hiring autistic workers. CBS NEWS
"If you would had told me six years ago that we would have an employee who was openly autistic in the company, going on a business trip to Germany for a month, I would have not believed you," said Velasco.

Almost everyone has been a surprise, he says. He points to 26-year-old Gloria Mendoza.

She told Cowan, "You should see some of the videos I had when I was a child. I was not very socially skilled with the other kids. Not showing interest with other people, displaying some of the challenging behaviors that a child on the autism spectrum would have."

Her parents, Rosaura and Enrique Mendoza, helped get Gloria years of speech and occupational therapies, as well as access to top doctors. "When she was very young, I used to worry so much because I never thought she will overcome all what she has done," said Rosaura. "So, it was like a very dark cloud."

Gloria made huge strides in her childhood, but her parents were still concerned about how autism might affect her future.

"We worry about her adult life -- well, first of all, could she make it through high school?" said Enrique. "Then, once she does that, you know, can she make it through college? Can she be independent?"

She made it through both high school and college; in fact, she got two degrees from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania -- one in music (she has a beautiful singing voice), and another in computer science. And yet, a year after graduating -- and hundreds of resumes later -- she still couldn't find a job … until she applied to SAP.

"Probably the best part about working here is that I can use the skills which I have studied whilst being among people that understand who I am and how I'm different from everybody else," she said.

SAP* put Mendoza through five weeks of training, which included working on her social skills.

She's now in something called Digital Business Services, where she deals directly with customers.

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Gloria Mendoza engages with customers in her position at SAP. CBS NEWS
Cowan asked, "What's the one dream you really want to come true?"

"Probably that I can be really up there in my department, earning a lot of money, and still keeping the friends that I have," she replied.

Her new friends are mostly co-workers in the autism program, and they try to get together regularly. Cowan watched as Mendoza and her friends participated in Game Night.

"And that, CBS, is how you play Smash Brothers!" said Gloria.

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Software company SAP has hired many workers on the autism spectrum, who find camaraderie and fulfillment in the workplace. CBS NEWS
She told Cowan, "I never really had that many friends when I was younger, and having this wide variety of friends that understands me really makes all the difference for me."

How so? "'Cause I can express myself in ways that people won't look at me weird. And it turns out that a lot of people have common interests as I do."

SAP boasts a retention rate of about 90% for their autistic employees. Part of that may be due to the fact they're not just set adrift in the workplace all alone. Each participant in the program is assigned a mentor from within the company -- like an on-site guardian angel.

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Gloria Mendoza with her mentor, Gabby Robertson-Cawley. CBS NEWS
Gabby Robertson-Cawley, who has a cousin on the spectrum, volunteered to work with Gloria. "I think it's just the rewards of getting to be friends with these colleagues who have autism -- it's not something you get in your typical corporate day-to-day experience," Robertson-Cawley said.

Microsoft also has mentors. Melanie Carmosino, who works with Christopher Pauley, has a personal connection as well; she has a son who's autistic.

Cowan asked, "What have you taken away from this whole experience, personally?"

"Hope," Carmosino replied. "I think that this program gives hope to the autism community. It gives hope to parents like me, and it gives hope to people like my son that a company can, and will, look past their differences and see their gifts and let them contribute to society just like everybody else."

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Melanie Carmosino, who works with Christopher Pauley at Microsoft, with correspondent Lee Cowan. CBS NEWS
Christopher Pauley is now independent, living on his own in a high-rise apartment, something he's always wanted.

Cowan said, "I don't want to ask how much you're making, but you're doing pretty good, it sounds like, yeah?"

"Yes," he said.

"Could you ever imagine you'd be making this much money?"

"No, I never did! Honestly I would have been perfectly happy with, like, half the money I'm making now."

He bought a car and drives himself to work -- and for the first time, he says, looks forward to arriving at a place where he's accepted for who he is.

He knows there are still challenges ahead, but given a chance to prove his worth, says Christopher, has given him an optimism he never had.

Cowan asked, "If other kids, or young adults, or adults with autism are watching this, what's your message to them?"

"Don't give up, and make sure to always aim high," he replied. "Don't aim in the middle You know, shoot for the stars every time, 'cause you never know what might happen."


See also:

Students with autism make music with iPads (12/17/17)
Breaking through autism with Disney movies ("Sunday Morning," 05/04/14)
Autistic fans' appreciation of "The Curious Incident" ("Sunday Morning," 03/01/15)

For more info:

*Microsoft: Inclusive hiring for people with disabilities -- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity/inside-microsoft/cross-disability/hiring.aspx
*SAP: Diversity & Inclusion -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_SE
*thespectrumcareers.com -- https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd/index.shtml

AHRC New York City
Autism Speaks
Autism Society
Autism Spectrum Disorder (National Institute of Mental Health)
Autism Research Institute
Autism (American Psychological Association)

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



IS IT POSSIBLE THAT “ANALYSTS” SHOULD BE GIVEN A SET OF TALKING POINTS AT LEAST? I DO HATE THOSE TOTALLY SCRIPTED INTERVIEWS, BUT ANYONE WHO SPEAK FOR A GROUP SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE TO SAID GROUP FOR WHAT THEY DO SAY AND HOW THEY SAY IT. MAYBE IN TIMES OF HEIGHTENED INTERNATIONAL TENSIONS WE SHOULD MAKE NO OFF-THE-CUFF REMARKS AT ALL – NOR TWEETS, EITHER. THE LAST TEN OR SO YEARS HAVE SHOWN A LOT OF LOCAL ASIAN TENSION BREWING. THIS MAKES ME NERVOUS. I WISH WE STILL HAD A FULLY STAFFED DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/winter-olympics-nbc-apologizes-to-south-koreans-for-analysts-remark-about-japan/
AP February 11, 2018, 1:14 PM
Winter Olympics: NBC apologizes to South Koreans for analyst's remark about Japan

NEW YORK -- NBC has apologized to South Koreans for an on-air remark by an analyst that cited Japan as an example that has been important to the country's own transformation.

The remark was made by analyst Joshua Cooper Ramo during NBC's coverage of Friday's opening ceremony. He was noting the significance of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit.

"Every Korean will tell you that Japan is a cultural and technical and economic example that has been so important to their own transformation," Ramo said.

An online petition quickly circulated demanding an apology, and NBC did on its NBCSN cable network Saturday and formally to the Pyeongchang Olympic organizing committee.

Japan occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945. Petitioners said anyone familiar with Japanese treatment of Koreans during that time would be deeply hurt by Ramo's remark. They also criticized the accuracy of giving Japan credit for South Korea's resurgence.

The petition had more than 10,000 supporters on Sunday.

"We believe that staying silent is not an appropriate response to such ignorant, insensitive, and harmful information that defies the very spirit of peace, harmony, and human dignity of the Olympics," it said.

NBC said in a statement Sunday it was gratified that local Olympic officials accepted the apology. The network said that South Korea and its Olympic organizers have been "exceptional hosts in every way."

Ramo, a former journalist at Time magazine, is co-CEO at Kissinger Associates and had been hired temporarily by NBC to bring historical context to its coverage. The network said his assignment at the Olympics is now over.

Spectacle and fireworks at Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
70 Photos

© 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



THIS IS AN INTERESTING NEWS STORY. WHICHEVER CABIN REALLY WAS LINCOLN’S BIRTHPLACE, I WOULD LIKE TO GET TO SEE IT BEFORE I DIE. OF ALL THE AMERICAN HEROES, HE IS MY SECOND FAVORITE.

MY FAVORITE IS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. I HAVEN’T BEEN TO HIS HOME, BUT I DID READ HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN COLLEGE. IT’S WELL WRITTEN AND WITH PERSONAL DETAILS OF HIS LIFE AND FEELINGS, DISHED OUT IN A SPRIGHTLY WAY WITH HUMOR. IT’S AT LEAST AS GOOD READING AS A MYSTERY NOVEL.

THE THIRD IS THOMAS JEFFERSON, WHOSE HOME MONTICELLO IS LOCATED NEAR CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. I HAVE BEEN THERE TWO OR THREE TIMES, AND THE SAME IS TRUE FOR GEORGE WASHINGTON’S MANSION MOUNT VERNON. ALSO IN THAT GENERAL AREA OF VIRGINIA IS THE MANASSAS CIVIL WAR BATTLEGROUND, A PLEASANT AND IMPRESSIVE PLACE AS WELL. ALL ARE WITHIN A HOP, SKIP AND A JUMP OF WASHINGTON, DC. LIVING IN WASHINGTON, AS I DID FOR A LITTLE OVER 20 YEARS, HAS ITS’ ADVANTAGES.

THEN, IN WILLIAMSBURG VA IS A SHOP OPEN TO TOURISTS WHERE SOME SILVER WORKS BY PAUL REVERE ARE HOUSED. BEEN THERE, TOO. AND FINALLY, NUZZLED UP NEXT TO WASHINGTON IS OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA, VA, A MAJOR HOT SPOT IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR DAYS, A PORT CITY AND SITE OF MANY BEAUTIFUL HOUSES FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR PERIOD. IT IS ALSO KNOWN AMONG SOME, FOR ITS’ LATE NIGHT GHOST TOURS, CONDUCTED ON FOOT. IF YOU CAN’T WALK VERY FAR ON COBBLESTONES, TAKE A BUS TOUR.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/did-abraham-lincoln-sleep-here/
CBS NEWS February 11, 2018, 10:21 AM
Did Abraham Lincoln sleep here?

Visitors to a small log cabin in Kentucky are right to ask: Is it true that Abraham Lincoln slept here? On the eve of Lincoln's 209th birthday tomorrow, Brook Silva-Braga has the answer:

Professor Henri Grissino-Mayer has come to Hodgenville, Kentucky to solve a mystery almost as old as Abraham Lincoln himself.

Silva-Braga asked, "So, someone pulls off the highway, sees you guys drilling into this cabin and says, 'What are you doing here?' what do you say to them?"

"What we're trying to do is authenticate when this cabin was made by using the tree rings in the logs," he replied.

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Professor Henri Grissino-Mayer (right), with Brook Silva-Braga, at the Lincoln Cabin at Knob Creek. CBS NEWS

Some say our 16th president, born in these hills in 1809, spent some of his childhood in this cabin at Knob Creek.

But did he?

Examining the cabin's logs, Grissino-Mayer said, "This one has a really nice outer curved surface down here. That's going to give us the outermost tree ring that was ever formed. And therefore, it'll give us the cutting date of this particular log."

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Professor Henri Grissino-Mayer takes tree ring samples from the Lincoln Cabin at Knob Creek. CBS NEWS

The professor and his team from the University of Tennessee have used this technique to date all sorts of old things, including, back in 2004, another Lincoln cabin just down the road … the one he was actually born in.

Or was he?

"I think at one point there is even a plaque that said, "This might be the Lincoln cabin' -- we just didn't know," said Ranger Natalie Barber, at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park.

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Ranger Natalie Barber. CBS NEWS

What we do know is that Honest Abe was born there -- now a park bearing his name. But Ranger Barber says no one honestly knows what happened to the Lincoln cabin. "There was no cabin here; It was likely gone by the end of the Civil War," she said. "But about a mile up the road was a different farm, the Davenport farm. And there was a cabin on it, and the story was the cabin had originally sat here, but was moved to that farm."

"That those were the people that grabbed the logs and moved them down the road?" asked Silva-Braga.

"That's it, and that's a story you can sell. And so that's the story that they sold."

Which explains the genesis of a bizarre 1890s tour that paired Lincoln's cabin with the cabin of another Kentucky native son, Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy -- and brought the cabins of this unlikely duo to towns and cities across America.

After which, all the logs wound up in storage, until a group of private citizens decided to put the cabin back together at Lincoln's birthplace.

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In the 1890s logs from cabins in which Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis lived were shipped around the country and reconstructed, to be put on display for paying visitors. By 1906, the logs - mixed up and stored in Long Island - were transported to Kentucky to the site of Lincoln's birthplace. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

And how did they know which logs were which? "They didn't. They had no idea!" laughed Ranger Barber.

"So they just kinda threw 'em together -- a few Davis logs, a few Lincoln logs. If they fit together, why not?"

"If you got a traditional cabin, there you go!"

Wherever they came from, when Professor Grissino-Mayer dated the logs used to build the cabin, he discovered they'd been cut when Lincoln was already in Congress.

"1848. It's not Lincoln's cabin," Barber said. Which is why they now call it a "symbolic cabin."

abraham-lincoln-birthplace-symbolic-cabin-620.jpg
The "symbolic cabin," at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park in Hodgenville, Ky. CBS NEWS

Some visitors, like Levan Martin, leave disappointed. "I feel kind of cheated," he told Silva-Braga.

Why is that? "'Cause it's not the real thing!" he laughed.

But Lincoln's importance to Hodgenville is the real thing

Cody McDowell, who works at the Lincoln General Store," said, "We have Lincoln everything. You have the Lincoln National Bank, you have Lincoln General Store. You have the Lincoln Jamboree down the street. Lincoln is kind of our identity. That's who we are. Lincoln!"

lincoln-cabin-view-of-hodgenville-kentucky-620.jpg
Abraham Lincoln is at the center - literally - of life in Hodgenville, Ky. CBS NEWS

Besides, they still have the story of the other cabin, the one back at Knob Creek. It actually belonged to a childhood friend of the president's -- so surely Lincoln would have spent time here.

Time to put the story to the test, by taking samples from the wood.

lincoln-cabin-tree-ring-sample-from-knob-creek-montage-620.jpg
Tree ring samples are collected from logs at the Lincoln Cabin at Knob Creek and later analyzed. CBS NEWS

Back in the lab, the researchers sand the wood to reveal its surface, then precisely measure the pattern of wide and narrow rings, and try to match it to trees with established dates.

"That pattern is unique, just like a fingerprint, just like a DNA match," said Grissino-Mayer. "And we have a saying, 'Trees don't know how to lie.'"

"The trees don't lie, but they seem to often reveal that people have been lying," Silva-Braga said.

"People like things to be old. It's not so much that they're lying; it's just that sometimes history gets it wrong."

lincoln-cabin-tree-rings-from-knob-creek-cabin-620.jpg
The "fingerprint" of tree rings from logs used to build the Lincoln cabin at Knob Creek. CBS NEWS

Having entered all the data into a computer program, the researchers asked the truthful trees what year they'd been cut down.

The answer: 1861.

"Oh, no; he was already president!" said Silva-Braga.

"That's right. Unfortunately, this cabin has nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln," said Grissino-Mayer.

lincoln-cabin-henri-grissino-mayer-promo.jpg
Professor Henri Grissino-Mayer. CBS NEWS

So no, Abraham Lincoln did not sleep here in the Knob Creek cabin … or in the "symbolic cabin" at his birthplace.

What changes now for Hodgenville? Ranger Natalie Barber says, maybe nothing

"People aren't turning off the Interstate and coming here to experience Hodgenville because of the cabin," she said. "They're here because of Lincoln -- who he was as a person, not the wood that surrounded him.

"It's the story and the man that's always going to drive people here."

See also:

Almanac: Abraham Lincoln's beard ("Sunday Morning," 10/15/17)
Almanac: Abe Lincoln's patent ("Sunday Morning," 03/12/13)
Gallery: Abraham Lincoln family artifacts, rare manuscripts
Gallery: The murder of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln assassination: The other murder attempt ("Sunday Morning," 05/10/15)
For more info:

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, Hodgenville, Ky.
Dr. Henri Grissino-Mayer, University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Laboratory of Tree Ring Science, University of Tennessee – Knoxville

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



I GUESS THIS IS FINAL PROOF THAT THE NRA IS IN FULL CONTROL NOW. (JUST KIDDING.) DID YOU SEE THE RACHEL MADDOW REPORT ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE NRA “PASSED MONEY THROUGH” TO TRUMP FROM A RUSSIAN MEMBER OF THE NRA? IT WAS GIVEN TO THE NRA, WHO PUT IT INTO A SPECIAL ACCOUNT WHOSE DONORS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO BE NAMED IF INQUIRIES ARE MADE. THEY THEN GAVE IT TO TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN.

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY REALLY NEED TO WALK AROUND WITH A GUN EVERY DAY AND EVERY WHERE? STILL, THIS ARTICLE DOES MAKE CLEAR THE PROBLEM WITH WHAT IS DESCRIBED AS A MOSAIC OF LAWS THAT CAN CAUSE AN INNOCENT PERSON TRAVELING FROM ONE STATE TO ANOTHER TO BE ARRESTED FOR SIMPLY POSSESSING THE GUN. IF WE IN THIS COUNTRY WERE TO DEGENERATE INTO A STATE OF INSTABILITY AND I WERE TO NEED TO MOVE OUT OF MY APARTMENT, OR WORSE, I MIGHT ACTUALLY BUY A GUN.

ON THE RUSSIA/NRA CONNECTION, SEE THE NEXT ARTICLE BELOW:
HTTPS://WWW.ROLLINGSTONE.COM/POLITICS/NEWS/THE-TRUMP-RUSSIA-NRA-CONNECTION-HERES-WHAT-YOU-NEED-TO-KNOW-W515615

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/concealed-carry-reciprocity-act-showdown/
The showdown over the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
A bill passing through Congress could change the way states recognize concealed carry permits
Feb 11, 2018
CORRESPONDENT
Steve Kroft

Of all the political and cultural issues that divide red states from blue ones, none is more volatile than guns and who can carry them.

Conservative rural states like Arizona and West Virginia allow almost anyone to carry a loaded firearm in public, while in urban states and big cities, it can be a felony.

But a piece of legislation quietly churning its way through Congress may change all that by making gun permits more like driver's licenses, transportable across state lines. If you are allowed to carry a concealed weapon in your home state, you would be allowed to carry it in all of them.

ankle-holster.jpg
The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act has already sailed through the House of Representatives and has the full support of President Trump. It has roughly 40 co-sponsors in the Senate where a showdown is shaping up between the gun lobby and law enforcement over states' rights and the second amendment.

This is the handgun counter at Van's Sporting Goods outside Jackson, Mississippi, a state with the fourth highest gun fatality rate in the country and some of the weakest gun laws.

Pretty much anyone 18 years of age and not a convicted felon can carry one of these concealed weapons here in their pocket, their pants or their purse for self-defense against muggers, carjackers and other assailants.

If the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act becomes law, they'll be able to carry them legally across state lines and onto the streets of any city in America.

Tim Schmidt: I think the aim of this bill is to simply allow responsibly armed Americans to-- to be able to travel and-- and-- and continue to defend their families.

Steve Kroft: And carry concealed firearms.

Tim Schmidt: And carry concealed firearms.

Steve Kroft: Anywhere?

Tim Schmidt: Yes. Yes.

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Tim Schmidt CBS NEWS

Tim Schmidt is president and founder of the United States Concealed Carry Association. Along with the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups, they have successfully sold the bill in conservative red states as a simple, common sense solution to a hodgepodge of confusing, contradictory state laws they say infringe upon Americans' rights to bear arms.

Tim Schmidt: These laws change on a quarterly basis, if not more often. So you can easily go from being a responsibly armed citizen, who's 100 percent legal, to being a criminal just by crossing state lines.

But there is fierce opposition to it in places like California, where there are strict gun laws and concealed carry permits are difficult to obtain. It's one of eight states that generally require thorough background checks, at least some firearms training and a proven need to carry a handgun. In another 30 states, it's easier to get a concealed carry permit and in many of those, there's no requirement to be proficient in the use of firearms. A dozen states have no requirements at all.

Robyn Thomas, the executive director of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, says forcing states to accept any and all gun permits would make the weakest laws in the country the new norm.

Robyn Thomas: Someone who lives in Nevada, who's able to carry a loaded, concealed weapon in Nevada could now bring that loaded gun into Los Angeles, into San Francisco, and carry their loaded weapon, even though in San Francisco that's not someone who would get a permit.

Steve Kroft: So this law would essentially usurp the gun laws in cities like New York and Chicago and Los Angeles.

Robyn Thomas: Absolutely.

robyn-thomas-walking-shot.jpg
Robyn Thomas CBS NEWS

To blue state liberals who favor gun control, it may sound like a right-wing fantasy but to the National Rifle Association, which contributed $30 million dollars to Donald Trump's presidential campaign and claims credit for his victory, it's their top legislative priority. And with midterm elections this year, nothing is taken for granted. In 2013, a similar bill failed by just three votes.

The NRA declined to give us an interview for this story but its position is well-documented on its website. This is the voice of its leader Wayne LaPierre, right after the last election.

Wayne LaPierre (Soundbite from "Our Time is Now", Date: 12/19/2016): This is our historic moment, to go on offense and defeat the forces that have aligned against our freedom once and for all. I call on Congress and the president-elect to pass national right to carry reciprocity as quickly as it can be written and signed. The individual right to carry a firearm in defense of our lives and our families does not and should not end at any state line.

As proof of injustice, the NRA and other gun rights advocates use the case of Shaneen Allen as ammunition.

In 2013, while driving from Philadelphia to Atlantic City, New Jersey, the single mother and mugging victim was pulled over with a pistol in her purse and a valid concealed carry permit from her home state of Pennsylvania.

Rep. Richard Hudson, House Floor, 12/6/2017: "Let me tell you a story."

Congressman Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who authored the House version of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, told Allen's story on the day the House passed the bill.

Rep. Richard Hudson: What she didn't know is that New Jersey didn't recognize Pennsylvania's concealed carry permit. So this single mom who had never had a run-in with the law spent almost two months in jail and was facing ten years in prison because she'd crossed that state line.

Steve Kroft: How was the case finally adjudicated?

Rep. Richard Hudson: Governor Chris Christie stepped in and pardoned her-- otherwise, like I say, she was facing ten years in prison.

Steve Kroft: How often does that happen?

Rep. Richard Hudson: Well, it-- once is too much. These are law-abiding citizens, these are not the problem.

The large constituency for this message is a long way from the New Jersey Turnpike, in the red states that stretch from the Carolinas through the mountains of the far west. It is the political fault line of regional and cultural differences that split the country and guns are one of the triggers. They're woven into the culture here, passed down from generation to generation in rural, remote parts of the country where dialing 911 does not always bring immediate help. To people here, whether they're single mothers worried about robbers and rapists while driving their kids across state lines to soccer matches, or ranchers worried about rattlesnakes, guns are a security blanket of self-reliance and protection that keep them safe.

Scott Yarbro: For me, it's just a way of life. It's like when I get up in the morning and I get dressed, I get my wallet, I get my watch, I get my keys, I get my phone. It's the same thing to get my gun.

But in most big cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and New York, guns are a cause of fear and concern, not comfort. And law enforcement has lined up against strangers from far away places walking around their cities with loaded guns in violation of their own laws.

Cyrus Vance: I think it would be a disaster for New York City. And I think for major cities around the country.

James O'Neill: I think it's insanity.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill say their city has the most to lose. Every year, New York takes in nearly 50 million visitors from all over the country into a congested, sometimes chaotic city. Even if a tiny fraction were legally carrying concealed weapons, it would mean hundreds of thousands of additional guns for what is right now the safest big city in America.

Cyrus Vance: You bring that kind of volume of firepower even with well-intentioned people-- it's gonna be extremely dangerous.

Steve Kroft: More guns, more violence. That's what you're saying.

James O'Neill: Absolutely.

They're not just worried about more crime, but an increase in suicides, gun accidents and heated arguments turning into lethal altercations. And with no national database for concealed carry permits, the NYPD says it would not be able to immediately determine whether someone was legally carrying or not.

James O'Neill: Right now we-- we have a good idea of-- of who's carrying guns. If this law passes, the-- all bets are off. Anybody can come into New York City from any state and-- and carry a weapon.

Cyrus Vance: I wouldn't presume to tell the residents of West Virginia what their gun laws should be. They've figured out what they want there. But I don't think they, or Congress, should be having West Virginia's laws put on New York City.

Cyrus Vance at press conference: The people who are strongest against this bill are law enforcement.

Vance and O'Neill have established a formidable coalition of prosecutors and police chiefs from nearly every big city in America to lobby senators to keep the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act from becoming law.

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Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill CBS NEWS

Steve Kroft: Representative Hudson, there's huge opposition to this bill, among police departments in major cities in the United States-- Houston. Tucson. Metropolitan DC. Boston. New York City. Baltimore. Seattle. These are all cities where the chief of police has come out against this law. I can-- there are more, if you want me to read more.

Rep. Richard Hudson: Sure. Well, look--

Steve Kroft: Now how do you explain that?

Rep. Richard Hudson: There are folks on both sides of the argument-- and I think good folks on both sides, who are honestly trying to protect their citizens. I just disagree with the conclusions—

Steve Kroft: So you're saying New York or Los Angeles or Chicago big cities have no right to pass any laws that regulate who can carry-- a weapon.

Rep. Richard Hudson: These cities and these states can still continue to have whatever laws they want to protect their citizens.

Steve Kroft: Except they can't have a law that prohibits someone from carrying a concealed weapon?

Rep. Richard Hudson: Right. Just like a driver's license. You can't say you can't drive here --

Steve Kroft: It's not just like a driver's license. Because to get a driver's license, you have to demonstrate a proficiency and-- and establish that you're not going to endanger the public and that you understand all the laws governing it. But that's not the case in terms of possessing--

Rep. Richard Hudson: Right.

Steve Kroft: --getting a concealed carry permit.

Rep. Richard Hudson: But driving is a privilege, owning a firearm is a Constitutionally protected right. So there is a difference.

The central tenet of Concealed Carry Reciprocity is that the Second Amendment gives people the right to carry guns anywhere they want but that idea is more aspiration than factual.

Steve Kroft: Is there such a thing?

Robyn Thomas: Absolutely not. In fact, the Supreme Court has ruled on the Second Amendment in 2008. And what the Supreme Court said is that you have a right to have a handgun in your home for self-defense. And it absolutely does not include a right to carry a loaded, concealed weapon in public. And right up until the Supreme Court says it is your right, that is a fallacy that they're pushing, in the hopes that it will become the truth. But it simply isn't the truth as of right now.

But Tim Schmidt of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association thinks it should be.

Steve Kroft: The Bill of Rights doesn't say that anybody could walk around with a gun in their pocket or a gun in their hostler-- a concealed weapon. It doesn't say that.

Tim Schmidt: Steve, with all due respect, it actually does. It says you have the right to keep and bear arms and it shall not be infringed. Telling me where I can and can't carry a gun, telling me where I can and can't protect my family and loved ones, that's an infringement. Yes, that's gone on for a long time in our country, but we're finally fixing it.

As in almost all political arguments today, each side comes equipped with alternative facts and opposition research, allowing people to believe whatever they want. The NRA claims the only way to stop bad guys with guns is to have more good guys with guns -- it will make people safer…and its facts, as recited by representative Hudson of North Carolina, claim it's working.

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Rep. Richard Hudson CBS NEWS
Rep. Richard Hudson: I can tell you that, you know, in the last 20 years, you've seen-- a huge uptick in gun ownership. You've seen a huge uptick in conceal carry permit holders, and at the same time, you see violent crime drop. If you look at the states that have Constitutional carry, you've seen violent crime drop.

Steve Kroft: Are you saying that the more guns that are out there, the safer the population is?

Rep. Richard Hudson: I dunno if I'd go quite that far. But, you know, I'm-- I'm not gonna come out here and say the-- the solution to gun violence is give everyone a gun. But I'm also saying that's not gonna necessarily increase violence.

That conclusion has been refuted by numerous studies, as well as testimony from chiefs of police like Edward Flynn in Milwaukee, who says Wisconsin's six-year experiment with lax concealed carry laws has been a disaster.

Chief Edward Flynn in 2017: Every year since that law was passed in 2011, every year, non-fatal shootings have gone up, gun-related homicides have gone up, and the number of guns seized from the streets by our department has gone up.That's what our cockamamie law has done here.

Steve Kroft: Why is this bill so important to the NRA?

Cyrus Vance: The goal is, of the gun lobby, to have what they call Constitutional Carry, which means that you-- anyone can have a gun, anywhere, anytime. Because the Constitution, and the Second Amendment, in their view, says that. And so the world that they imagine is one where everyone can have a gun. That's not the world that I think I wanna live in. But that's the world that I think they're tryin' to create.

Whether people like it or not, that world already exists in many parts of the country where people are quite happy with it and so are their representatives in Congress. It's expected that just a handful of votes in the U.S. Senate will decide whether it becomes the law of the land.

Produced by Michael Karzis and Vanessa Fica. Associate producer, Ann M. Daly.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Steve Kroft
Few journalists have achieved the impact and recognition that Steve Kroft's 60 Minutes work has generated for over two decades. Kroft delivered his first report for 60 Minutes in 1989.


MORE ON THE NRA CONNECTION

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-trump-russia-nra-connection-heres-what-you-need-to-know-w515615
The Trump-Russia-NRA Connection: Here’s What You Need to Know
Did the Kremlin funnel payments to help Trump's campaign through the National Rifle Association?
By Tim Dickinson
January 18, 2018

Here's what you need to know:

Unprecedented Trump Support
The National Rifle Association spent tens of millions of dollars backing Trump's presidential bid in 2016. The NRA endorsed Trump in May 2016. And the NRA disclosed it spent at least $30 million on Trump's behalf and attacking Hillary Clinton. That level of support is unprecedented – more than twice what the NRA disclosed it spent on Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential run.

The true sum the NRA spent to install Trump in the White House may be far higher. Campaign finance disclosures do not cover spending on unregulated Internet advertising or voter mobilization; citing two sources close to the gun group, McClatchy suggests the NRA may have spent upwards of $70 million on Trump's presidential bid.

President Trump is clearly indebted: "You came through for me, and I am going to come through for you," Trump promised the NRA at its 2017 convention. "I will never, ever let you down."

Dark Money

In the age of citizens united and unlimited campaign donations, the nra has emerged as an important "dark money" hub in republican politics. Under its tax code designation, the nra is a "social welfare" organization, largely exempt from disclosing its donors. To skirt disclosure, other big-dollar political players – including a superpac linked to karl rove and a "chamber of commerce" controlled by the koch brothers – have routinely steered money into the nra, confident that the gun group's spending will advance the gop cause.

It is illegal, however, for foreign money to be used to influence U.S. elections. According to McClatchy, the heart of the FBI investigation is whether the NRA became a conduit for Russian cash, linked to the Kremlin, that bolstered Trump.

The Banker and "Godfather"

The key figure in the nra/russia investigation, mcclatchy reports, is alexander torshin. Torshin is a longtime putin ally who previously served as a top russian senator. He is now a deputy governor of russia's central bank, where his purview includes cracking down on the outflow of dirty money.

That's ironic, because Torshin has been linked to money laundering. Bloomberg reported on the conclusions of a 2013 investigation by Spanish authorities, writing that "Alexander Torshin instructed members of the Moscow-based Taganskaya crime syndicate how to launder ill-gotten gains through banks and properties in Spain."

As a result of this investigation, Spain convicted a Torshin underling – who reportedly called Torshin "boss" and "godfather" in recordings – and sentenced this man to nearly four years in prison for illegal transactions totaling more than $1.8 million. Torshin himself was not charged; a Spanish official told Bloomberg that Russia won't cooperate in cases against top politicians. Toshin has denied any wrongdoing.

NRA Connections
Torshin helped establish a Russian gun group called Right to Bear Arms, whose president calls Torshin "a great gun lover." Torshin is also a life member of the NRA – and forged ties to its leadership after attending the NRA's national convention in 2013. McClatchy reports that, in 2015, Toshin hosted "a high-level NRA delegation" during a week-long Moscow trip "that included meetings with influential Russian government and business figures." An attendee describes a debauched week: "They were killing us with vodka and the best Russian food," he told McClatchy. "The trip exceeded my expectations by logarithmic levels."

Trump Connections
At the May 2016 NRA convention in Louisville, Kentucky, where Donald Trump accepted the group's endorsement, Torshin shared a table at dinner with the candidate's son Donald Jr. According to Bloomberg, Torshin claimed to also have met now-president Trump at the convention, and that: "He keeps photos of the event on his computer tablet."

The 2016 NRA convention came off just as Russians were actively seeking contact with the Trump campaign – just weeks earlier, a Russian conduit told Trump staffer George Papadopoulos that Russia had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton, including thousands of her emails. – and hoping to set up a meeting with Trump and Putin.

According to the New York Times, Torshin tried to set up a dinner meeting in Louisville at the time of the NRA convention with then-candidate Trump – with the aim of connecting Trump with Putin. The request was conveyed through a Trump ally in the Christian conservative world, who reportedly sent the campaign an email with the subject line: "Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite." (Trump did not attend that dinner.)

Separately, an NRA member, Paul Erickson – who had been part of the 2015 NRA delegation to Moscow – wrote an email titled, "Kremlin Connection," to Trump campaign adviser Rick Dearborn, according to the New York Times. Erickson reportedly told the campaign that Russia was "quietly but actively seeking a dialogue with the U.S." and would be seeking "first contact" at the NRA convention.

Weeks later, in early June 2016, the trio of Donald Trump Jr., then-campaign manager Paul Manafort, and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner took a meeting with a Putin-connected lawyer who had offered incriminating material on Hillary Clinton. Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon has dubbed that meeting "treasonous."

A Potential Game Changer

The allegation that Russia funneled money into the NRA – to directly support Trump's presidential bid – is staggering. Until now, we've understood the Russian support of Trump to have been oblique, delivered by a cadre of Facebook and Twitter trolls, and by the release of hacked DNC and Clinton campaign emails through Wikileaks.

The notion that the Kremlin was supporting Trump's presidential bid financially – and through an organization that holds itself up as a paragon of American patriotism – is almost unreal.

If the allegation bears out, it raises unsettling questions:

How much money did Torshin deliver?

Did the NRA understand that this money was coming from Moscow?

Did the Trump campaign?

Did Russian funds only support Trump – or did the money infiltrate the NRA's broader mission of electing Republicans? (In total, the NRA spent nearly $52 million in the 2016 general election on dozens of House and Senate races.)

Does Russian influence have anything to do with the fascistic turn in NRA messaging?

The NRA did not return a call seeking comment from Rolling Stone.

We will update if we hear back.


WHAT FASCISTIC NRA MESSAGING, I ASKED MYSELF? AND I FOUND THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR EXAMPLE. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE RARELY GOOGLED THE NRA WITH THE AIM OF SEEING WHAT THEY ARE DOING AT THE MOMENT. I EXPECTED THE SAME OLD “JACKBOOTED THUGS” VERBIAGE, BUT I FIND HERE THAT THEY ARE PULLING THEIR WEAPON OF CHOICE – ENCOURAGING THE MOST DANGEROUS ELEMENTS IN THIS COUNTRY AND CRYING, “CHAAARRGE!” WE MUST BEWARE AS A REASONABLY CIVILIZED SOCIETY THAT WE MAY INDEED BE UNDER ATTACK AND IN TRUE DANGER. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

THIS REALLY IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM TO THE COUNTRY. HEAVEN HELP US. THE LATEST NEWS REPORTS IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS SHOW MORE THAN ONE REPUBLICAN IN CONGRESS FOLLOWING IN THE TRUMP PATH. THIS ALMOST LOOKS AS THOUGH THE NRA MAY BE THE ORIGIN OF THE TRUMPITE VANDALS RHETORIC AND BEHAVIOR. IT WOULD BE GOOD TO KNOW WHEN AND WHY LAPIERRE SWITCHED TO THIS MODE. IS IT BECAUSE HE FEELS HE HAS THE BACKING OF RUSSIA, OR WORSE, A LARGE PORTION OF “MIDDLE AMERICA?” UNFORTUNATELY THIS HUFF POST ARTICLE IS ONE YEAR OLD.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nra-makes-seamless-transition-from-insurrectionism_us_58b43037e4b0658fc20f97de
Ladd Everitt, Contributor
Director, One Pulse for America
NRA Makes Seamless Transition From Insurrectionism To Fascism At CPAC
Wayne LaPierre’s message to conservatives: Prepare for armed violence against Trump protesters.
02/27/2017 09:01 am ET Updated Feb 27, 2017

When National Rifle Association (NRA) CEO Wayne LaPierre took the stage at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday, he grinned broadly and exclaimed, “What a difference a year makes!”

Ain’t that the truth.

A year ago at CPAC, LaPierre declared, “[The November 2016] election must set our nation back on its rightful course where individual freedom is respected, justice is restored, laws are enforced, government gets off our backs and leaves us the hell alone and elected officials start telling us the truth.” He railed at President Obama for “try[ing] every day to restrict the rights of law-abiding people” and bragged, “When it comes to…fighting for our fundamental freedoms, no one fights harder, longer or stronger than the NRA.” And looking forward to the prospect of a President Hillary Clinton, LaPierre warned, “If you want to turn this election into a bare-knuckle brawl for the survival of our constitutional freedoms, bring it on!”

For four decades, the NRA has told its supporters that they have an individual right to shoot and kill government officials if they behave in a “tyrannical” manner. I outlined this dangerous “insurrectionist idea” with Coalition to Stop Gun Violence executive director Josh Horwitz last year in an op-ed in U.S. News & World Report just before the election.

For four decades, the NRA has told its supporters that they have an individual right to shoot and kill government officials if they behave in a “tyrannical” manner.
But such anti-government rhetoric was nowhere to be found in LaPierre’s 2017 speech at CPAC. Instead, LaPierre made it patently clear that he has no problem with an authoritarian government that infringes on the rights of average Americans as long as that government is on the NRA’s side. Just as ominously, he prepared conservatives to engage in armed violence against those who protest the policies of the Trump administration.

At CPAC 2017, LaPierre declared, “We’ve got President Trump’s back for the next eight years” while engaging in a full-throated defense of the administration’s most overreaching policies. Regarding the administration’s highly controversial muslim ban, he said the following:

It’s not that the Constitution’s unclear on the issue. The president handles the foreign affairs of the country. It’s an executive function… The president has absolute authority to suspend the entry of all aliens, or any class of aliens, that he may deem to be appropriate to protect the interests of the United States of America.

He then described the suspension of the ban by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals as “a form of violence against our constitutional system,” echoing the administration’s attacks on the legitimacy of our Judiciary.

LaPierre even embraced the Trump administration’s ties to Vladimir Putin and Russia, which are now being investigated by six different U.S. intelligence agencies. He mocked the U.S. media’s coverage of the issue, saying, “They’re horrified. They’re all afret over the Russian-American equation.” He then added, “Even more alarming is they’ve apparently found willing co-conspirators among some in the U.S. intelligence community.” In the past, LaPierre told CPAC, these intelligence officials would have been “hanged for treason.”

(Remember as you read these remarks that the NRA claims to be a “single-issue organization” that advocates only for the right to keep and bear arms.)

But the meat of LaPierre’s speech was used to paint a portrait of “the violent left.” He echoed Republicans’ conspiracy theory about Trump protesters being paid professionals ($1,500 a week, according to LaPierre). He told a story about an unnamed high school girl who was beaten by a mob because she liked Donald Trump. He claimed that the political left in America is “dedicated to destroying…Western civilization.”

His ELIMINATIONIST* RHETORIC was like something out of an old John Birch Society pamphlet:

NOTE -- SEE: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminationism -- Eliminationism, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – “Eliminationism is the belief that one's political opponents are "a cancer on the body politic that must be excised—either by separation from the public at large, through censorship or by outright extermination—in order to protect the purity of the nation".]

Right now we face a gathering of forces that are willing to use violence against us … Anarchists, Marxists, Communists, and the whole rest of the Left Wing socialist brigade … They’re willing to engage in criminal violence to get what they want … They want revenge. You’ve got to be punished. They say you’re what’s wrong with America and now you’ve got to be purged … What happens when terrorists tag along with a flash mob protest at your local airport and gas the place like they did in Tokyo?

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There was a specific purpose to all this fearmongering, and LaPierre made it clear near the end of his speech, stating, “Make no mistake. If the violent left brings their terror to our communities, our neighborhoods, or into our homes they will be met with the resolve and the strength and the full force of American freedom [guns] in the hands of the American people.”

IN OTHER WORDS, CONSERVATIVES SHOULD ARM THEMSELVES WITH FIREARMS AND SERVE AS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PRIVATE MILITIA, SHOOTING AND KILLING HIS POLITICAL OPPONENTS AS NECESSARY—A PERVERTED VISION OF AMERICA THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF SOUTH SUDAN.

It’s always about the bottom line with the gun lobby.

AFTER LISTENING TO LAPIERRE’S SPEECH, I CONSULTED POLITICAL SCIENTIST LAWRENCE BRITT’S “CHARACTERISTICS OF FASCISM.” Britt studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile) and found 14 COMMON CHARACTERISTICS. In his 29-minute speech, LaPierre exhibited and embraced at least half of them:

POWERFUL AND CONTINUING NATIONALISM: LaPierre made constant use of patriotic rhetoric [“freedom”] and symbols [firearms].

DISDAIN FOR RECOGNITION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: LaPierre’s absolutist embrace of Trump’s Muslim Ban showed no concern whatsoever for potential violations of human rights. He also mocked those concerned about Russian intervention in U.S. politics.

IDENTIFICATION OF ENEMIES/SCAPEGOATS AS A UNIFYING CAUSE: The Media and “The Violent Left.”

CONTROLLED MASS MEDIA: “They dehumanize, they demonize us all,” LaPierre said of the media. He accused them of purposely fomenting political division and violence in the country.

OBSESSION WITH NATIONAL SECURITY: Evident in LaPierre’s support for the Muslim Ban and fearmongering about “terrorists” attempting to impose a “worldwide caliphate.”

CORPORATE POWER IS PROTECTED: LaPierre warned that Leftists are attempting to “tax capitalism to collapse.”

OBSESSION WITH CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: “Crime, it’s rising against in many U.S. cities … Drug gangs are expanding their networks all across the country.”

Wayne LaPierre and Donald Trump have something in common: Both men covet wealth and power and will destroy whatever democratic institutions stand in their way. LaPierre knows that Trump will give the NRA what it wants in terms of regressive gun policy. These regressive gun policies will allow the gun industry to operate with little if any regulation (public safety be damned), thereby producing greater profits. And these profits will enrich the NRA through its “Ring of Freedom” program—which takes in millions of dollars every year in direct corporate contributions from gun and ammo manufacturers—and other symbiotic ties to the industry.

When Barack Obama was in the White House, insurrectionist propaganda was a tool the NRA used to stoke fear among Americans and sell product. Now that Donald Trump is president, the NRA’s embrace of authoritarian government shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s always about the bottom line with the gun lobby. If that now means spurring on a private militia to shoot those of us who disagree with this administration and its policies, so be it.

We’d be wise to take LaPierre’s threat seriously, and understand that our democracy will never truly flourish until the NRA has been discredited and dismantled, totally.

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NOW, FOR SOMETHING HAPPY TO TRANSITION US INTO SLEEP.

“ARCHAEOGENETICS,” OR GENETICALLY GUIDED AND INTERPRETED ARCHAEOLOGY, HAS BEEN VERY, VERY BUSY THESE LAST TEN OR SO YEARS, WITH THE RESULT THAT THE MUCH-MALIGNED NEANDERTHAL MAN IS NOW CLEARLY AN ANCESTOR OF OURS. NEANDERTHAL GENES HAVE INDEED BEEN FOUND IN SOME MODERN HUMANS. FOR YOUR INFORMATIONAL MIDNIGHT SNACK, GO TO THE FOLLOWING YOUTUBE VIDEO:

HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=0URCVYJ7-0C
ARE WE THE LAST NEANDERTHALS?