July 30, 2018


News and Views


WHISTLEBLOWER ROBERT MACLEAN COMPLAINED IN 2003 ABOUT NON-SPECIFIC “AGENCY PRACTICES,” THEN IN 2010 QUIET SKIES WAS INSTITUTED. IN 2018, IN MARCH, IT WAS “EXPANDED.” I WONDER WHAT THEY’RE DOING NOW, AND WHAT IF ANY CHARGES HAVE BEEN BROUGHT AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. THEY ARE SURVEILLING PEOPLE WHO HAVE “NERVOUS” SYMPTOMS, IT SEEMS, OR HARD COLD STARES. THOSE STARES DO MAKE SENSE, THOUGH SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST HOSTILE IN GENERAL, AND OTHERS ARE JUST NERVOUS.

THEY FOLLOW PEOPLE (WHICH PEOPLE?) AROUND, LOOKING FOR SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY. THAT’S ENOUGH TO MAKE ANYBODY PERSPIRE AND ACT FIDGETY. SO, IF THEY DO SEEM CONCERNED WITH THAT KIND OF ATTENTION, AS I WOULD BE, THEY SHADOW THEM; AND THEN WHAT? UNLESS THERE’S MORE TO IT THAN THIS, I DON’T SEE HOW IT’S USEFUL, AND I DO CONSIDER IT HARMFUL. SPOOKS SHADOWING HONEST PEOPLE ISN’T GOOD.

CONGRESS IS NOW INVOLVED IN IT, SO THERE SHOULD BE MORE NEWS TO COME. I’LL LOOK FOR SOME MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THIS TIME. I ALSO WONDER WHY IT WAS “EXPANDED” IN MARCH, IN WHAT WAY IT WAS MODIFIED, WHETHER THE PRESIDENT WAS INVOLVED IN IT, AND WHAT HAS TRIGGERED CONGRESS’ CURRENT CONCERN.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tsa-quiet-skies-lawmakers-want-answers-from-tsa-about-program-that-tracked-americans/
By KRIS VAN CLEAVE CBS NEWS July 30, 2018, 6:46 PM
Lawmakers want answers about TSA program that tracked Americans

ARLINGTON, Va. — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are demanding answers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) about a controversial program that targets airline passengers, including many who are not on any watch list.

Federal air marshals are trained to protect an airliner from a terrorist. But for the first time, the public is learning about another use of the air marshals program: the surveillance of some travelers. The TSA's "Quiet Skies" initiative started in 2010 and was expanded just last March.

The program, as first reported by the Boston Globe, identifies travelers, including American citizens, who could pose a threat, but may not have been accused of a crime and are not on the no-fly list. Undercover air marshals follow those passengers at an airport and on a flight, noting behavior like excessive fidgeting or perspiration, or having a "cold, penetrating stare."

Sources say the marshals observe up to 50 travelers a day on domestic flights. If no suspicious behavior is discovered people are removed from the program within 90 days. There is no electronic surveillance like wiretaps.

John Pistole, the president of Anderson University, was the TSA administrator when Quiet Skies launched.

"So the whole idea was, how can we mitigate risk against known risks and unknown risks? People who might do something but just haven't come up on anybody's radar yet," Pistole said.

Whistleblower Robert MacLean is an air marshal who was awarded protected whistleblower status after he raised concerns about agency practices in 2003. The TSA attempted to fire him, but in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, he was reinstated. He regularly tweets about his concerns over the lack of secondary barriers to block access to the cockpit when pilots enter or exit during flight.

"This goes back to what I say over and over, the air marshal's job is to protect the cockpit and the pilots," MacLean said. "Let somebody else do the intelligence and criminal investigative work."

In a statement, the TSA said: "The primary purpose of this program is to ensure passengers and flight crew are protected during air travel. Contrary to the article 'Welcome to the Quiet Skies' published by The Boston Globe, the program doesn't take into account race and religion, and is not intended to surveil ordinary Americans. In the world of law enforcement, this program's core design is no different than putting a police officer on a beat where intelligence and other information presents the need for watch and deterrence. The program analyzes information on a passenger's travel patterns, and through a system of checks and balances, to include robust oversight, the program effectively adds an additional line of defense to aviation security. With routine reviews and active management via legal, privacy and civil rights and liberties offices, the program is a practical method of keeping another act of terrorism from occurring at 30,000 feet."

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Kris Van Cleave
Kris Van Cleave was appointed CBS News Transportation Correspondent in September 2015 and is based in Washington, D.C.



THIS IS VERY, VERY BAD NEWS. I’M GLAD THEY’RE TRYING TO BLOCK IT, BUT AT LEAST 1,000 HAVE ALREADY BEEN DOWNLOADED. IN SOME WAYS OUR COUNTRY REALLY HAS BEEN TOO WIDE OPEN TO “FREEDOMS” OF SEVERAL KINDS. THIS IS ONE MORE CASE. THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME FOR A COURT INJUNCTION AGAINST THE TEXAS COMPANY’S CONTINUING ACCESS ON THE INTERNET.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/states-to-sue-trump-administration-to-block-blueprints-for-3d-printed-guns/
By TONY DOKOUPIL CBS NEWS July 30, 2018, 6:42 PM
States to sue Trump administration to block blueprints for 3D-printed guns

At least eight states are rushing to sue the Trump administration over its decision to allow a Texas company to publish blueprints for untraceable 3D-printed homemade guns. But it may already be too late.

Five years ago, Cody Wilson launched what he now calls "the era of the downloadable gun," a time when anyone can use a 3D printer to make a working firearm.

Now that era is set to begin at midnight Wednesday. Wilson's company Defense Distributed plans to publish digital blueprints for people to make their own firearms, including AR-15 style assault rifles. The 3D plastic weapons would be untraceable and require no background check.

In California last year, Kevin Janson Neal used a homemade metal assault rifle to kill his wife and four others, avoiding a court order meant to block his access to a firearm.

"When it comes to something as basic as public safety, our State Department's saying, hey, this is a giveaway for terrorists," said Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

He is one of eight state attorneys general planning to sue the Trump administration, hoping to stop Wilson's company from publishing the gun blueprints on Wednesday.

In addition, more than 20 state attorneys general have asked to intervene in the name of "public safety and national security."

But Defense Distributed began distributing the gun files earlier and by Sunday 1,000 people had already downloaded blueprints for an AR-15 style weapon.

In a new countersuit, Wilson's legal team argues his company is simply defending the right to bear arms. States have a little more than 24 hours to file their lawsuits and win a temporary judgment before the blueprints go online.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



LIE #1 -- "ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY FOR DISCRIMINATION OF ANY KIND."
POSSIBLE LIE #2 – "IN ACKNOWLEDGING ITS ERROR, ALASKA AIRLINES SAID THE GATE AGENTS INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT DID NOT REALIZE THE MEN WERE A COUPLE.”

ONE OF THE HUMAN BEHAVIORS I HATE MOST IS WHEN SOMEONE DOES A BAD THING TO ANOTHER, AND THEN CALLS IT AN ACCIDENT. I HOPE THAT ISN’T THE CASE HERE. ONE OF THESE MEN IS A RESTAURANT OWNER, SO MAYBE HE WILL HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO SUE THE AIRLINE.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alaska-airlines-gay-couple-separated-seats-given-to-straight-couple/
By KATE GIBSON MONEYWATCH July 30, 2018, 6:47 PM
Alaska Airlines: Gay couple separated, seats given to straight couple

Alaska Airlines is apologizing for an overbooking situation in which a gay couple was asked to relinquish their seats to a heterosexual pair.

"We mistakenly booked two people in one seat. We are deeply sorry for the situation, and are investigating the details," the carrier said in a statement, adding that it has a "zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind."

The apology came after Los Angeles restaurant owner David Cooley took to Facebook on Sunday to vent about his experience on an Alaska Airlines flight bound from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport.

"After my traveling companion and I had been seated in our assigned seats for a while, we were approached by the flight attendant and my companion was asked to move from his premium seat to coach, so a couple could sit together. I explained that we were a couple and wanted to sit together. He was given a choice to either give up the premium seat and move to coach or get off the plane," Cooley, owner of the iconic LA gay bar The Abbey wrote in a Facebook post shared more 2,100 times.

"We could not bear the feeling of humiliation for an entire cross-country flight and left the plane," Cooley added. "I cannot believe that an airline in this day and age would give a straight couple preferential treatment over a gay couple and go so far as to ask us to leave."

In acknowledging its error, Alaska Airlines said the gate agents involved in the incident did not realize the men were a couple.

Cooley ended his Facebook post calling on LGBT people to boycott Alaska Airlines.

"Thank you to Delta Air Lines for getting us home safe," he wrote. "If you are an #LGBT person, please spend your travel dollars with an LGBT friendly airline like Delta."

Federal rules allow carriers to set their own criteria for picking passengers to bump, but the practice can be costly, both in damage to an airline's reputation and in compensating those compelled to give up their seats. An analysis of government aviation data last year found passengers bumped from Alaska Airlines flight received the highest average compensation of $1,605.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.



IT SEEMS THAT THE KOCHS AND THE TRUMP FAMILY HAVE BEEN IN CONFLICT FOR YEARS. I KNOW THE KOCHS ARE, OR CLAIM TO BE, STRONG CHRISTIANS, AND TRUMP SHOWS NO SIGN OF THAT AT ALL, SO MAYBE IT’S A NATURAL DISTASTE. IF THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A WAR, I HOPE THAT THE RESULT WILL SOMEHOW AID THE COUNTRY.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/29/koch-network-takes-on-trumps-tariffs-with-six-figure-ad-buy.html
Koch network takes on Trump’s tariffs with six-figure ad buy as billionaire admits tensions could boil over
The political network funded by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch is unveiling the latest phase in a multi million dollar campaign against import tariffs implemented by President Donald Trump.
"American farmers work hard to put food on our tables but because of new tariffs our farmers livelihoods are at risks," the ad says.
Brian Schwartz | @schwartzbCNBC
Published JULY 29, 2018 7 Hours Ago

PHOTOGRAPH -- President Donald Trump on July 26, 2018. Joshua Roberts | Reuters

The political network funded by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch is unveiling the latest phase in a multi million dollar campaign against import tariffs implemented by President Donald Trump, CNBC has learned.

Freedom Partners, one of the groups that is part of the larger network, is announcing a six-figure television ad campaign entitled "Trade not aid," which describes that importance of trade and the harm tariffs have on the farming community. The news was announced on the second day of the Koch network donor summit in Colorado Springs.

Beyond the ad's attempt to highlight the vital role of the agricultural sector, it also questions Trump's recently announced $12 billion aid package to help farmers.

"American farmers work hard to put food on our tables but because of new tariffs our farmers livelihoods are at risks," the ad states. It later concludes by saying: "Farmers want trade, not aid."

Trump recently announced import tariffs on a variety of goods coming from China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico. Many of those critical trading partners have retaliated with billions of dollars' worth of trade barriers of their own against exports coming out of the United States.

In addition, Freedom Partners, along with two other network organizations in Americans for Prosperity and The LIBRE Initiative, sent a letter to Trump. The groups called on him to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), while congratulating the administration's economic policy achievements of tax reform, reducing financial regulations and inching toward an agreement with EU President Jean-Claude Juncker about removing the tariffs.

The groups argued, however, that if the U.S. doesn't agree to go back into the TPP, the 11 other original countries who are still part of it will forge ahead with their rebranded Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Such a move could put American businesses at a disadvantage, it added.

"As a practical matter, once the CPTPP is in full effect American businesses will be at a distinct competitive disadvantage when trying to sell in these markets and our consumers will miss out on lower-priced goods," the letter stated.

The new ad buy and letter to the president comes the same day as Koch admitted in a rare press briefing that a full blown trade war could be on the horizon.

"If it's severe enough it could," Koch said when asked about whether Trump's protectionist policies could result in a trade war.

Brian Schwartz
Politics and Finance Reporter for CNBC.com


WHY DOES ANYBODY SUPPORT OR ADMIRE STEVE BANNON?

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/29/bannon-koch-brothers-midterms-trump-747650
Bannon to Kochs: ‘Shut up and get with the program’
‘And here’s the program: Ground game to support Trump’s presidency,’ Bannon said in an interview.
By ALEX ISENSTADT 07/29/2018 08:40 PM EDT Updated 07/29/2018 09:48 PM EDT

PHOTOGRAPH -- “They were the first people to put the knife in his back,” former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said of the Kochs. | Mike Theiler/Getty Images

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon tore into the powerful Koch political network Sunday, accusing it of undermining President Donald Trump ahead of a midterm election that threatens to derail his presidency.

“What they have to do is shut up and get with the program, OK?” Bannon said in an interview with POLITICO. “And here’s the program: Ground game to support Trump’s presidency and program, [and] victory on Nov. 6.”

Bannon’s comments came as the network of major Republican Party donors, led by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch, convened in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to discuss the 2018 political landscape. During the retreat, top Koch officials described the Trump White House as toxic and destructive to the country.

They sharply criticized Trump's protectionist trade policies, arguing that his actions were taking a toll on the economy. A video shown during the conference depicted images of recently shuttered businesses.

“The divisiveness of this White House is causing long-term damage,” Brian Hooks, a senior Koch lieutenant, told reporters at the event. “When in order to win on an issue someone else has to lose, it makes it very difficult to unite people and solve the problems in this country. You see that on trade: In order to get to a good place on trade, convince the American people that trade is bad.”

The Kochs, who espouse free-trade views, have long expressed discomfort with Trump, and their network largely sat out the 2016 election. But the open hostilities at this weekend’s conference came as something of a surprise.

Since the election, there had appeared to be a thaw. David and Bill Koch met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort a few months after the inauguration, and at a donor meeting earlier this year, the network lavished praise on the president’s tax reform bill.

With 100 days to go before a midterm election that has emerged as a referendum on Trump and his policies, Bannon argued, the Kochs need to rally behind the president. Democrats, who he said want to halt Trump’s agenda and launch impeachment proceedings, are energized and focused — and out-hustling Republicans.

He described the Koch political operation as ineffective, saying it had wasted untold dollars on losing past elections. And he argued that voters had rejected the free-trade approach the Kochs embrace in favor of Trump’s brand of economic populism.

“We can have a theoretical discussion later, OK? This is why they don’t know what it means to win, OK? We don’t have time to have some theoretical discussion and to have their spokesman come out and say the president is divisive,” Bannon said.

Charles Koch
Charles Koch says he'd work with Democrats who share his values
By MAGGIE SEVERNS

He said it was unacceptable “for them to come out and talk about divisiveness” given their long-running lack of support for Trump.

“They were the first people to put the knife in his back,” he said.

A Koch network spokesman, James Davis, shrugged off the criticism.

“We are focused on uniting the country to help remove barriers that are preventing people from reaching the potential,” he said. “Toward that end, we look forward to working with the President Trump, Congress and communities whenever possible to help people improve their lives.”

The Koch network has pledged to spend $400 million ahead of the midterms.

Bannon left the White House a year ago, and earlier this year, he had a high-profile falling out with Trump after he made critical remarks about the president and his family in a book, “Fire and Fury.”

Since that time, he has taken steps to re-ingratiate himself with the president and has been a loud outside supporter and spokesman. He described Trump’s policies as across-the-board successes and said that he’d achieved a wide range of conservative policy goals.

Bannon praised, among other things, Trump’s handling of the economy, tariffs and tax cuts, and noted that he’d nominated an array of conservative judges and pursued stringent immigration policies.

But he said that the Kochs had only chosen a few Trump policies to support “a-la-carte” and in many instances had actively fought him.

Displeasure with the Trump agenda was an ongoing theme of the weekend’s conference. During remarks to reporters on Sunday, Charles Koch expressed regret about some of his past financial support for Republican candidates — and hinted that he’d be open to working with Democrats.

"Charles Koch is a good man, but 100 days before an election that will determine the direction of the country is not the time to tell us that you are prepared to work with Democrats that support parts of your progressive agenda,” Bannon said.

“It's wrong, it's stupid and it shows contempt for the hardworking grassroots folks that delivered the victory that got your tax cut,” he added.



THIS NEW DOCUMENTARY SHOULD SHED LIGHT ON THE CASE AND UPDATE THE INFORMATION. IT’S HARD FOR ME TO REALIZE IT HAS BEEN SIX YEARS. IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY. I HOPE THESE LAWS ARE RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL, OR BETTER STILL, VOTED IN CONGRESS TO BE ABOLISHED. I’VE NEVER HEARD OF THAT, BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE. IT’S PROBABLY ONE OF THOSE STATES RIGHTS ISSUES, THOUGH. MOST OF THE TIME A PARTICULARLY PERNICIOUS LAW IS ON THE BOOKS, IT IS ONE THAT IS UNDER STATE JURISDICTION.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trayvon-martins-father-tracy-martin-rest-in-power-the-trayvon-martin-story-documentary-series/
By DAVID MORGAN CBS NEWS July 30, 2018, 11:15 AM
Trayvon Martin's father: The problem of social injustice "needs to be rectified"

A new documentary series explores the long-lasting consequences of the 2012 killing of teenager Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed and walking home in his Florida neighborhood when he was fatally shot by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was later acquitted of murder, and the case drew attention to Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law, which permits the use of deadly force.

Appearing on "CBS This Morning" Monday, Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, explained why the series, "Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story," has such relevance six years after his son's death. "There are a lot of social injustices occurring in our communities, and the problem needs to be rectified," he said.

"I think the central thesis of our documentary is that Trayvon Martin's story ignited change in America, but also led to a backlash that we're currently experiencing in our politics," said series co-director Jenner Furst. "And we wanted to use the case to explore that backlash and understand how it's affecting our daily life now.

"I think you look at all the headlines, and so much has changed, but so much is the same. Look at what just happened to Ving Rhames [who recounted being held at gunpoint by police at his own home after a neighbor called to report a black man on the property], look at Markeis McGlockton [a black man shot and killed by a white man in an disagreement over a parking space]. That's a Stand Your Ground case. This is still a major issue in America. I think we have to face it and have conversations about it."

0730-ctm-trayvondocqa-1623038-640x360.jpg
Tracy Martin, father of Trayvon Martin, and filmmakers Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason. CBS NEWS

Earlier this year, Zimmerman was charged with stalking a private investigator and producer working on the series, of which Jay-Z is an executive producer.

Furst remarked he could say little about an ongoing investigation. "What I can say is that, it is alarming how unhinged this person is, and the fact that he is permitted to carry several firearms, rifles, shotguns, assault rifles and walk around with a bulletproof vest, after it's been proven that he killed an unarmed 17-year-old young man and also has abused several women who went to the police reporting those crimes. So, what we found is extremely alarming, and I think it's not surprising that he turned on [investigator] Dennis Warren and our producer, Mike Gasparro, and started stalking them."

CBS News reached out to George Zimmerman for comment but has not received an answer.

Co-director Julia Willoughby Nason said the series draws a direct line between the killing of Trayvon Martin and the rise of white nationalism in America.

"Trayvon Martin's death gave birth to Black Lives Matter; the verdict was when the hashtag was created," she said. "So, we chronicled the birth of Black Lives Matter all the way to the 'whitelash,' the opposite-side reaction to that. We go from Trayvon to Trump, and we see the connective tissue to the last six years and how the political landscape has been thrown into mass chaos today."

Asked about a recent Washington Post report which found that 70 percent of murder victims whose killers were never arrested were black, Tracy Martin said it shows how the scales of justice are imbalanced.

"We actually are in place where we made a little progress with our previous administration, and so I think it's going to take the power of the people getting out voting to shift the dynamics of how African-American men and women are viewed in this country," he said.

"CBS This Morning" co-host Anthony Mason asked Martin, "It cannot be easy to relive all of this. What made you want to go through with this project?"

"As parents, we felt as though the story was watered down that was being told about Trayvon, who he truly was, and the perception that he was a thug," Martin said. "This was a 17-year-old unarmed child on his way from the store, going home. It had nothing to do with him being a thug, and it had everything to do with racial profiling. And so we felt that, as parents, that we needed to tell the story of who Trayvon truly was."

Martin hopes that viewers will who are outraged by violence will vote in November, "putting people in place that are willing to listen and take action on the social injustices that are occurring across this country. We can't sit back and let another term go by without going out, putting people in place that will make a change."

Furst said he hopes "Rest in Power" will be a teaching tool. "People can watch it and if they're affected by it, if what they see they feel is wrong, they can use their civic duty of voting to change the story. Stand Your Ground, it's very unfortunate that the law was passed to begin with, but it's in over 20 states across this country. Look at what's just happened to Markeis McGlockton. Look at what happened to Trayvon Martin. If you believe that was wrong, if you believe that people should not have the right to kill because they say they're afraid — which is a very subjective term and has a lot of racial undertones — then you should hold your politicians responsible, and this November you should vote those out of office who disagree."

"Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story" debuts Monday, July 30, on the Paramount Network and BET.

To watch a trailer for the series click on the video player below.


'Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story' Official Trailer | Paramount Network by Paramount Network on YouTube
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


I KNOW I’M GOING TO BE CONTROVERSIAL AGAIN HERE, BUT I’M GOING TO SAY SOMETHING THAT I’VE THOUGHT ABOUT A NUMBER OF TIMES IN MY LIFE, BOTH IN THE SITUATION OF WHAT THE MORALITY OF ABORTING A DAMAGED FETUS IS, AND NOW IN THIS CASE, OF THE POSSIBILITY OF KNOWINGLY AND PURPOSELY IMPLANTING AN UNHEALTHY FETUS. IN MY OPINION, IT SHOULD BE A LAW THAT ANYONE WHO GIVES THEIR CONSENT – EITHER THE PARENTS OR THE PHYSICIANS OR THE “FACTORY” WHICH PRODUCES THESE FETUSES – SHOULD BE CRIMINALLY CHARGED WITH PRISON TIME FOR IMPLANTING ONE THAT IS EVEN SLIGHTLY FLAWED, AND NOW THEY HAVE A SCIENTIFIC TEST. THEY SHOULD USE IT IN ALL CASES, AND NEVER IMPLANT A FAULTY FETUS.

YOU SAY, “WHAT? THE BIBLE SAYS WE SHOULD BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY.” THE BIBLE DOESN’T SAY WE SHOULD DEFY THE LAWS OF LOGIC ON THE GROUNDS OF “FAITH.” BRINGING TO BIRTH A LITTLE CREATURE WHICH WILL HAVE GRIEVOUS PHYSICAL OR MENTAL PROBLEMS, AND VERY LIKELY WON’T BE ABLE HAVE A NORMAL LIFE IS A TRAVESTY. WE SHOULDN’T EVEN BE GOING INTO THIS DISCUSSION OF WHETHER A WOMAN WHO IS UNABLE TO BEAR A VIABLE BABY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO THIS. AS A MATTER OF MEDICAL, PERSONAL AND RELIGIOUS ETHICS THIS SIMPLY SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED.

A COUPLE WHO VERY MUCH WANT A BABY “OF THEIR OWN,” SHOULD BE COUNSELED TO DO PSYCHOTHERAPY ABOUT THE QUESTION, AND BE BROUGHT TO THE SANE AND RESPONSIBLE CONCLUSION THAT BRINGING UP A CHILD WHO DESPERATELY NEEDS PARENTS WHO WILL LOVE HIM OR HER IS THE TRUE WILL OF GOD. THAT’S WHAT ADOPTION IS FOR, TO HELP THE BABY AND NOT JUST THE PARENT.

IF SUCH A BABY WHO DIDN’T ASK TO BE BORN, WILL BE ADOPTED AND LOVED FOR ITSELF, THAT IS ONE THING; BUT FOR IT TO LIVE AND DIE IN A SPECIALIZED CARE FACILITY WITH NO ABILITY TO BECOME A USEFUL OR SUCCESSFUL PERSON IS CRUELTY. IF A BABY IS ALLOWED TO LIVE IN SUCH A HIGHLY LIMITED WAY, I ABHOR THAT. THERE IS A TIME FOR THE LAW TO STEP IN AND PROHIBIT CERTAIN THINGS.

OF THOSE NOW HERE AMONG US WHO WILL NEED FOOD, CLOTHING, BATHING, BEING SUNG TO AND TOLD FAIRY TALES, HAVING A PUPPY OR A KITTEN AND A BABY DOLL TO SLEEP WITH, HAVING GENTLE AND UNDERSTANDING CORRECTION, HAVING PLAYMATES, AND BEING HUGGED AND HUGGED AND HUGGED, THEY SHOULD BE ADOPTED BY GOOD PEOPLE. MANY PEOPLE ARE TOO EMOTIONALLY STARVED AND WARPED THEMSELVES TO PROVIDE EMOTIONAL WARMTH TO A BABY, WHICH IS ONE OF THE PRIMARY THINGS THEY NEED TO GROW UP IN A HEALTHY WAY. I READ THAT WITHOUT THAT KIND OF ATTENTION, INCLUDING MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH THEM AND ENCOURAGING A VERBAL INTERACTION, WILL OFTEN “FAIL TO THRIVE,” AND THAT’S A MEDICAL CONDITION.

PEOPLE NEED TO EXAMINE HONESTLY WHY THEY WANT A CHILD, AND WHY IT ABSOLUTELY MUST BE GENETICALLY THEIRS. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IMPRESSED BY ROY ROGERS AND DALE EVANS WHEN THEY ADOPTED A LARGE NUMBER, IN THE RANGE OF 15 OR MORE, AND GAVE THEM ALL A BIG BOISTEROUS AND LOVING HOME, AND YES, A RELIGIOUS HOME. THEY WERE OF MIXED RACE, AND WERE LOVED. THEIR KIND OF CHRISTIANITY WASN’T THE HARSHLY CRITICAL KIND THAT WE HAVE SO MUCH OF THESE DAYS, BUT THE GENTLE KIND THAT JESUS HIMSELF DESCRIBED. NOW THAT’S “CHRISTIAN.”

IF WE CAN’T DO MOST OF THOSE THINGS, ESPECIALLY THE HUGGING PART, THEN WE SHOULDN’T BEAR OR ADOPT A BABY. GET A DOG IF YOU WANT SOMETHING TO LOVE. OF COURSE, WE SHOULD TREAT THEM KINDLY ALSO! ALL LIFE IS VALUABLE AND FRAGILE. IF YOU CAN’T DO THAT, BUY A PHILODENDRON VINE, OR A CACTUS. THEY WILL THRIVE IN A PATCH OF SUNLIGHT EVEN IF YOU OFTEN FORGET TO WATER THEM. AS FAR AS WE KNOW AT THIS TIME, THEY DO NOT “FEEL” OR “THINK,” THOUGH SOME SCIENTISTS WHO ARE POSSIBLY INSANE BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN; AND KEEP TESTING OUT THAT THEORY. EVERY TIME I SEE AN ARTICLE ABOUT THAT, I CLIP IT FOR MY COLLECTION; YOU SEE, I HALFWAY BELIEVE IT MYSELF. IF YOU’VE EVER SEEN A NIGHT-BLOOMING LILY OPEN, YOU WILL KNOW WHY.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ivf-testing-spurs-debate-over-mosaic-embryos/
CBS NEWS July 30, 2018, 8:55 AM
Advances in IVF testing spurring debate over "mosaic" embryos

This month marks 40 years since the birth of the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization, Louise Joy Brown. Since then, more than eight million babies have been born using the technique.

Advances in IVF testing have improved outcomes for couples with infertility. But these advances are also spurring debate over what's called "mosaic" embryos. Those are embryos with both normal and abnormal cells.

Mosaic embryos could not be detected before the improved genetic screenings. Some fertility experts are torn over whether mosaic embryos should be implanted. But for patients struggling with fertility and with limited options, mosaic embryos may offer new hope.

For Mary Jo and Shane Dunn, the embryos were their last chance at a dream of having a family. In 2015, the Dunns lost their only child, Luke, to a rare cancer at 17 months old.

"I just didn't imagine continuing to live without my baby," Mary Jo told CBS News' Dr. Tara Narula. "It was just excruciating pain."

"I was determined that this wasn't gonna be the thing that was going to ruin us," Shane said.

The Dunns decided to try for another child, but in their mid-40s, knew conceiving would be hard. They endured nearly two years of failed IVF treatments.

After six egg retrievals and $70,000, their hopes of a child came down to two remaining embryos Dunns initially set aside. The reason: they didn't test genetically normal. In the end though, those were the only two embryos that turned out perfect.

Twin girls, Riley and Kelsey, were born nine months later.

The embryo testing the Dunns opted for is called PGS testing, preimplantation genetic screening. It takes a biopsy of just a handful of cells from the outer layer of an embryo to determine if it is chromosomally healthy. It's then classified as normal or abnormal.

In 2014, advances in this screening made it possible to detect when an embryo has a mix of normal and abnormal cells. When they do have the mix, they are called mosaic embryos.

The Dunn twins grew from mosaic embryos. Doctors believe, in some cases, those abnormal cells can self-correct or be pushed to the placenta, leaving the embryo healthy. But because the biopsy is small, the challenge is knowing the extent of abnormality and what that means for pregnancy. The Dunns heard the risks when doctors explained what mosaic embryos were.

"The mosaic embryo can either fail to implant and you could miscarry, you could have a child with birth defects, or you could have a perfectly healthy baby," Mary Jo said. "That's with every pregnancy, really."

But the decision to implant these embryos using IVF is spurring debate among fertility experts.

"Mosaic embryos are not abnormal embryos. Abnormal embryos don't make babies or pregnancies," said Dr. Jamie Grifo, director of NYU Langone Fertility Center. "Mosaic embryos have potential. They don't have the same potential as a chromosomally normal embryo. But they can make babies."

Grifo says mosaic embryos carry a higher risk of miscarriage.

"We have to learn which ones are more likely to make the baby and which ones are less likely and then patients get to decide whether to use that embryo," Grifo said.

According to one study, mosaic embryos create a baby roughly one-third of the time. Out of 78 transferred mosaic embryos, the study found 24 healthy babies were born.

But some doctors like Mandy Katz-Jaffe, scientific director at the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, caution against implanting mosaic embryos. They point to a lack of long-term studies of babies born from them.

"We really don't know the answer to the full question of what is the probability that a mosaic embryo will result in either an affected baby or a healthy baby." Katz-Jaffe said.

The Dunns believe they are living proof of its value.

"If one person sees this interview and decides, 'You know what, I have a mosaic embryo that I was questioning whether or not to transfer.' Here we are," Mary Jo said. "It's worth taking that chance."

The lab that tested the Dunns' embryos, Cooper Genomics, say they are seeing a growing trend in fertility doctors requesting mosaic reporting. But many of the roughly 400 clinics nationwide still only report normal or abnormal results. A committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine found earlier this year that they didn't have enough information to form an opinion on what percentage of normal cells is needed to be recommended for use.

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