The Law, 8 U.S. Code § 1182 - Inadmissible aliens says this about Presidents powers,
Inadmissable Aliens
(f) Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.
Friday, February 3, 2017
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Ghost Smells
A little background: we live in a remodeled farmhouse built in 1898 (the same year my father was born). It's on 12 acres in rural Maine, about 25 miles outside Portland. We purchased the property in 2004 - almost 13 years ago. And once upon a time, neither of us put too much stock - or even thought - into the paranormal.
That was then. Things are different now.
Shortly after moving in, we would hear kitchen cabinets close after we went to bed. And a "phantom ball" would bounce down the back steps, which caused me to take out the steps and turn the space into an office. The bouncing stopped. And then there were the disembodied voices, usually from what appeared to be under the bed, but sometimes sounding like they were in another room.
All apparently harmless, and we are now accustomed to such things, and ignore them for the most part.
Now to the reason for this post - I am seeking the input of people who have encountered, and may have an explanation for - what we call "ghost smells". Every so often we will get a strong whiff of unexplainable smells, from perfume (which we do not use), pipe smoke (no pipe smokers here), cigar smoke (ditto) and even baking smells, like brownies, cinnamon buns etc. - when no baking is being done.
The smells are strong, short in duration, and can happen anywhere in the house, at any time. Guests have commented on them. In one instance a friend spent the night in the guest room, and came downstairs in the morning looking for the cinnamon buns he got a whiff of when he awoke. There weren't any. And another time a house sitter asked if we had any of those air fresheners plugged in some hidden place she could not see it - she claimed she kept getting a whiff of vanilla.
So, it would be great if any readers have experienced anything similar, and if you have any insight as to what may be the cause. Would like to get your story. Feel free to use the COMMENT link to post.
And no, we are not crazy. Just curious.
/
That was then. Things are different now.
Shortly after moving in, we would hear kitchen cabinets close after we went to bed. And a "phantom ball" would bounce down the back steps, which caused me to take out the steps and turn the space into an office. The bouncing stopped. And then there were the disembodied voices, usually from what appeared to be under the bed, but sometimes sounding like they were in another room.
All apparently harmless, and we are now accustomed to such things, and ignore them for the most part.
Now to the reason for this post - I am seeking the input of people who have encountered, and may have an explanation for - what we call "ghost smells". Every so often we will get a strong whiff of unexplainable smells, from perfume (which we do not use), pipe smoke (no pipe smokers here), cigar smoke (ditto) and even baking smells, like brownies, cinnamon buns etc. - when no baking is being done.
The smells are strong, short in duration, and can happen anywhere in the house, at any time. Guests have commented on them. In one instance a friend spent the night in the guest room, and came downstairs in the morning looking for the cinnamon buns he got a whiff of when he awoke. There weren't any. And another time a house sitter asked if we had any of those air fresheners plugged in some hidden place she could not see it - she claimed she kept getting a whiff of vanilla.
So, it would be great if any readers have experienced anything similar, and if you have any insight as to what may be the cause. Would like to get your story. Feel free to use the COMMENT link to post.
And no, we are not crazy. Just curious.
/
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Political Party Hacks vs The People
I am angry! Angry at the politicians who claim to be the protectors of minorities, the poor and the downtrodden, when in fact they do everything possible to harm them and keep them under the thumb of those same politicians.
Let me be clear - When I use the word Democrat with a capital D, or Republican with a capital R, I am not referring to democrats or republican folks on the street. I refer to the Democrats and Republican in public office. The politicians of both parties do not represent the members of their party very well.
Democrats say they are for the children, yet they support abortion on demand, and fight tooth and nail against school choice, which would help children of poor families and minorities to get out from under through a better education.
Those same Democrats claim to be protectors of minorities, yet the inner cities where they live are ignored and allowed to remain ghettos, where poverty and crime run rampant. They are forced, by Democrat policies, to subsist on hand-outs in the form of welfare, which robs them of their self-respect. How can they learn to respect others - their beliefs, property, or even lives - when they have no respect for themselves?
And those same Democrats want open borders, allowing access to our country to anyone who wants to come here, under the pretense of "compassion". Yet they have no compassion for our own citizens, who must take a back seat when it comes to college admittance and jobs. Nor do they have any compassion for American citizens who fall victim to crimes perpetrated by people here illegally - rape, murder, drugs...
And the Democrats support "sanctuary" cities that are sanctuaries for anyone EXCEPT American citizens. The illegal immigrant who murdered Kate Steinly was given sanctuary, but Kate Steinly was not.
It is time for the American public - democrats, republicans and independents - to call for Democrat politicians to start telling the truth as to their objective and intent, and why their policies are diametrically opposed to what they claim.
The Democrat politicians depend upon ignorant, uneducated and/or brainwashed people to keep them in office. Hillary Clinton made no secret that those people make up the base of the democrat party. That is why she and other Democrat politicians pander so much. How many of them would get elected if those people were to become educated, and better informed, and offered the same opportunities that the Democrat politicians, themselves, have?
Yes, I am angry. But not just at the Democrat politicians behind this outrage. I am angry with all the far-left liberal groups, funded by the billionaire fascist George Soros, for fanning the flames of hate and discontent that the Democrat politicians feed from. I am even angry at Republican politicians for being silent on these issues, and not fighting back as hard as they should, calling out the dishonest politicians at every turn.
And while I am angry, unlike those on the left I have no desire to riot, be destructive or use violence to achieve change. But I WILL stand and be counted.
Not to take Republican politicians off the hook, for the last 50 years they have sat back and done little to change things. They became enablers of Democrat policies. Until now.
And I am damned glad that Donald J Trump is ready, willing and able to grab the Democrat tiger by the tail and turn it inside out.
We need two honest, sincere political parties, both acting for the betterment of America. It's good to have two different roads to get to a destination, but both parties should have the same destination - a free, strong, moral, wealthy nation of well-educated people with self-respect and a sense of personal responsibility, number one in the world, second to none. But what we have had for over 50 years are two parties whose only purpose in life is to keep themselves in power, with little or no regard for what is best for America. They fail miserably at using that power to benefit the nation.
/
Let me be clear - When I use the word Democrat with a capital D, or Republican with a capital R, I am not referring to democrats or republican folks on the street. I refer to the Democrats and Republican in public office. The politicians of both parties do not represent the members of their party very well.
Democrats say they are for the children, yet they support abortion on demand, and fight tooth and nail against school choice, which would help children of poor families and minorities to get out from under through a better education.
Those same Democrats claim to be protectors of minorities, yet the inner cities where they live are ignored and allowed to remain ghettos, where poverty and crime run rampant. They are forced, by Democrat policies, to subsist on hand-outs in the form of welfare, which robs them of their self-respect. How can they learn to respect others - their beliefs, property, or even lives - when they have no respect for themselves?
And those same Democrats want open borders, allowing access to our country to anyone who wants to come here, under the pretense of "compassion". Yet they have no compassion for our own citizens, who must take a back seat when it comes to college admittance and jobs. Nor do they have any compassion for American citizens who fall victim to crimes perpetrated by people here illegally - rape, murder, drugs...
And the Democrats support "sanctuary" cities that are sanctuaries for anyone EXCEPT American citizens. The illegal immigrant who murdered Kate Steinly was given sanctuary, but Kate Steinly was not.
It is time for the American public - democrats, republicans and independents - to call for Democrat politicians to start telling the truth as to their objective and intent, and why their policies are diametrically opposed to what they claim.
The Democrat politicians depend upon ignorant, uneducated and/or brainwashed people to keep them in office. Hillary Clinton made no secret that those people make up the base of the democrat party. That is why she and other Democrat politicians pander so much. How many of them would get elected if those people were to become educated, and better informed, and offered the same opportunities that the Democrat politicians, themselves, have?
Yes, I am angry. But not just at the Democrat politicians behind this outrage. I am angry with all the far-left liberal groups, funded by the billionaire fascist George Soros, for fanning the flames of hate and discontent that the Democrat politicians feed from. I am even angry at Republican politicians for being silent on these issues, and not fighting back as hard as they should, calling out the dishonest politicians at every turn.
And while I am angry, unlike those on the left I have no desire to riot, be destructive or use violence to achieve change. But I WILL stand and be counted.
Not to take Republican politicians off the hook, for the last 50 years they have sat back and done little to change things. They became enablers of Democrat policies. Until now.
And I am damned glad that Donald J Trump is ready, willing and able to grab the Democrat tiger by the tail and turn it inside out.
We need two honest, sincere political parties, both acting for the betterment of America. It's good to have two different roads to get to a destination, but both parties should have the same destination - a free, strong, moral, wealthy nation of well-educated people with self-respect and a sense of personal responsibility, number one in the world, second to none. But what we have had for over 50 years are two parties whose only purpose in life is to keep themselves in power, with little or no regard for what is best for America. They fail miserably at using that power to benefit the nation.
/
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Canada - A Greater Threat Than Mexico?
Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States in large part because of his promise to build a wall on our southern border. And while it makes sense to have walls surrounding ones home, our border with Mexico may actually be a lesser threat than our border with Canada..
The mainstream media makes it a point to ignore the very real threat posed by the insecurity of our northern border, simply because they LOVE illegal immigration, no matter from where or how it comes. To them, illegal immigrants, protected and given freebies by Democrats are considered to be future Democrat voters - or their children will be, since children of illegals born in the U.S. are citizens.
But even that is not the point of this post. The true threat is the fact that Canada has a very loose and generous "re-settlement" policy that has resulted in upwards of 35,000 Syrian and Middle Eastern "refugees" - NONE OF THEM VETTED - being resettled just across this incredibly porous border. And statistics show that at least 10% of all Muslims are Islamic radicals. That's at least 3,500 potential terrorists at the front door.
I won't go into the weeds about how most these people - and the ones Obama has brought to America - are not only not thoroughly vetted, but also not refugees. A refugee, by definition, must be in direct fear of physical harm in his own land and only leaves his country with the intent of it being TEMPORARY. How many do you think come here with an intent of ever returning to their Third World lives? NONE. And at least half are not threatened with war or persecution in their homeland - they are from countries not involved in the wars, like Saudi Arabia, or even having found "sanctuary" in a country like Australia, but still manage to get refugee status in the U.S..
But I will point out these important statistics and facts:
1) The Mexican border is 1954 miles. The Canadian border is 7,063 miles (including border with Alaska - 5,525 miles without)
2) We employ 10 border agents for every mile of the Mexican border, but only 10 agents for every THIRTY miles of Canadian border
3) We have a lot of fencing and walls on parts of the Mexican border, but NONE on the Canadian border
4) Illegal immigrants coming across the Mexican border are, by and large, just Mexicans seeking a better life, or "freebies". Any illegals coming (easily and unfettered) from Canada are likely to be unvetted Muslim immigrants with an intent of doing us harm.
America really needs to take a serious look at how the threat of lax Canadian immigration and resettlement policies threaten the lives of every American citizen.
/
The mainstream media makes it a point to ignore the very real threat posed by the insecurity of our northern border, simply because they LOVE illegal immigration, no matter from where or how it comes. To them, illegal immigrants, protected and given freebies by Democrats are considered to be future Democrat voters - or their children will be, since children of illegals born in the U.S. are citizens.
But even that is not the point of this post. The true threat is the fact that Canada has a very loose and generous "re-settlement" policy that has resulted in upwards of 35,000 Syrian and Middle Eastern "refugees" - NONE OF THEM VETTED - being resettled just across this incredibly porous border. And statistics show that at least 10% of all Muslims are Islamic radicals. That's at least 3,500 potential terrorists at the front door.
I won't go into the weeds about how most these people - and the ones Obama has brought to America - are not only not thoroughly vetted, but also not refugees. A refugee, by definition, must be in direct fear of physical harm in his own land and only leaves his country with the intent of it being TEMPORARY. How many do you think come here with an intent of ever returning to their Third World lives? NONE. And at least half are not threatened with war or persecution in their homeland - they are from countries not involved in the wars, like Saudi Arabia, or even having found "sanctuary" in a country like Australia, but still manage to get refugee status in the U.S..
But I will point out these important statistics and facts:
1) The Mexican border is 1954 miles. The Canadian border is 7,063 miles (including border with Alaska - 5,525 miles without)
2) We employ 10 border agents for every mile of the Mexican border, but only 10 agents for every THIRTY miles of Canadian border
3) We have a lot of fencing and walls on parts of the Mexican border, but NONE on the Canadian border
4) Illegal immigrants coming across the Mexican border are, by and large, just Mexicans seeking a better life, or "freebies". Any illegals coming (easily and unfettered) from Canada are likely to be unvetted Muslim immigrants with an intent of doing us harm.
America really needs to take a serious look at how the threat of lax Canadian immigration and resettlement policies threaten the lives of every American citizen.
/
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Podesta Email was NOT a "Typo". Here's Why Not...
The Clinton camp is now trying to say a Podesta email was a typo, and that is what caused the hack to his email. But that is not logical, nor even likely given the facts of the case.
According to the Clinton camp, Podesta received a "phishing" email stating someone had tried to access his account, and he should change his password. They go on to say that the email was sent to an aide who checked it out (John Delavan), and emailed Podesta "This is a legitimate email. John needs to change his password immediately."
Now they say it was a typo - that he MEANT to say "illegitimate". But that simply cannot be truthful, for two reasons.
One reason is grammatical. If he had intended to type "illegitimate", he would have prefaced that with "an", and not "a". Can you imagine any educated person saying "a illegitimate..."? Not hardly.
But even more telling is the actual context. If, in fact, Mr Delavan intended to type "illegitimate", he would NOT have suggested that "John needs to change his password immediately", because if illegitimate, his email account was not at risk, but WOULD be if Podesta were to respond to it and provide his password. It would only be at risk if the email WAS legit and from gmail, and someone HAD tried accessing his account. In other words, it is not the word "legitimate" that caused Podesta to respond to the email and give up his password. It was the statement from Mr Delavan that he SHOULD respond and change it (to change it you must first provide the current password), and that is what allowed the hack. If Delavan had intended to type "illegitimate", he would NOT tell Podesta to respond to it. Therefore, there was no "typo" - just more incompetence from the Clinton camp.
In short, the assertion that the hacking occurred because of a typo is pure BS, and just more deceit from a campaign that is notorious for deception.
/
According to the Clinton camp, Podesta received a "phishing" email stating someone had tried to access his account, and he should change his password. They go on to say that the email was sent to an aide who checked it out (John Delavan), and emailed Podesta "This is a legitimate email. John needs to change his password immediately."
Now they say it was a typo - that he MEANT to say "illegitimate". But that simply cannot be truthful, for two reasons.
One reason is grammatical. If he had intended to type "illegitimate", he would have prefaced that with "an", and not "a". Can you imagine any educated person saying "a illegitimate..."? Not hardly.
But even more telling is the actual context. If, in fact, Mr Delavan intended to type "illegitimate", he would NOT have suggested that "John needs to change his password immediately", because if illegitimate, his email account was not at risk, but WOULD be if Podesta were to respond to it and provide his password. It would only be at risk if the email WAS legit and from gmail, and someone HAD tried accessing his account. In other words, it is not the word "legitimate" that caused Podesta to respond to the email and give up his password. It was the statement from Mr Delavan that he SHOULD respond and change it (to change it you must first provide the current password), and that is what allowed the hack. If Delavan had intended to type "illegitimate", he would NOT tell Podesta to respond to it. Therefore, there was no "typo" - just more incompetence from the Clinton camp.
In short, the assertion that the hacking occurred because of a typo is pure BS, and just more deceit from a campaign that is notorious for deception.
/
Friday, December 9, 2016
Fake News - Fact vs Fiction
Liberals and other Democrats are all harping on the proliferation of "fake news" that affect peoples actions and decisions. And while I agree there is a proliferation of phony news, perhaps we should take a closer look at where it is actually coming from.
All the mainstream media, excluding Fox News, reported the phony "hands up, don't shoot" narrative that came out of the Ferguson shooting. The New York Times, CNN, NBC, MSNBC - even the "ladies" on "The View" pushed that phony narrative as if it were Gospel. And race baiting liberals like Sharpton are STILL pushing it.
And with the help of Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration, they pushed the bogus narrative that a video no one had ever seen was responsible for Benghazi.
And speaking of Mrs. Clinton, there is her phony report that she was under sniper fire on the tarmac (never happened); that she tried to get into the military in the '70's (false); that she was named after Sir Edmund Hillary (who did not gain fame until she was 6); and so many other falsehoods I haven't the time to type them all.
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid started the fake story about Romney never having paid taxes, and pulled a similar stunt on Trump, with Hillary, Obama and the mainstream media following suit.
Liberal newscaster Brian Williams was canned for falsely reporting his own chopper was under fire - a narrative he had pushed for 10 years. And NBCs Dan Rather was caught lying about President Bush's military record - and even now, years later, many on the left are still pushing those falsehoods.
And as I read through liberal media this very day there are countless false stories, rumors and innuendo concerning President-Elect Trump. And even though he fought racism in Florida for years, they still call him "racist", not because of anything he actually did, but only because some racists support him (which does not equate to him supporting them), and because he wants to build a wall to keep us safe, which is a national security issue, not an issue of race.
Yes, there is a lot of fake news out there, anbd granted, some comes from the far right. But the vast majority has come from the liberals, Democrats and mainstream media, and they have been the purveyors of fake news for decades.
After all, it was Hillary Clinton who touted Senator Byrd, a former kingpin in the Klan, as a steadfast protector of people's rights. And even though the Civil Rights Act was passed by a much greater percentage of Republicans than Democrats, it is the Democrats who wrote the false narrative that they had pushed it through - even though the same Senator Byrd (D) tried to stop it with his filibuster against it.
Fake news is a problem, to be sure. But the only way to rid ourselves of most of it is to DEMAND that the media fact-check their stories before publishing them, and to DEMAND that all news media be OBJECTIVE and UNBIASED in their reporting, or to face huge fines for abusing their freedom of the press by using their outlets for propaganda.
And we can demand colleges and universities REQUIRE their professors to be objective, unbiased and to encourage diversity of thought, as least as much as they encourage diversity of color, or face the unemployment line, regardless of tenure.
And we should make our politicians subject to the same libel and slander laws as the rest of us - no one should be above ANY law.
Then, maybe we can begin to get things right again, and not just "great again".
All the mainstream media, excluding Fox News, reported the phony "hands up, don't shoot" narrative that came out of the Ferguson shooting. The New York Times, CNN, NBC, MSNBC - even the "ladies" on "The View" pushed that phony narrative as if it were Gospel. And race baiting liberals like Sharpton are STILL pushing it.
And with the help of Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration, they pushed the bogus narrative that a video no one had ever seen was responsible for Benghazi.
And speaking of Mrs. Clinton, there is her phony report that she was under sniper fire on the tarmac (never happened); that she tried to get into the military in the '70's (false); that she was named after Sir Edmund Hillary (who did not gain fame until she was 6); and so many other falsehoods I haven't the time to type them all.
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid started the fake story about Romney never having paid taxes, and pulled a similar stunt on Trump, with Hillary, Obama and the mainstream media following suit.
Liberal newscaster Brian Williams was canned for falsely reporting his own chopper was under fire - a narrative he had pushed for 10 years. And NBCs Dan Rather was caught lying about President Bush's military record - and even now, years later, many on the left are still pushing those falsehoods.
And as I read through liberal media this very day there are countless false stories, rumors and innuendo concerning President-Elect Trump. And even though he fought racism in Florida for years, they still call him "racist", not because of anything he actually did, but only because some racists support him (which does not equate to him supporting them), and because he wants to build a wall to keep us safe, which is a national security issue, not an issue of race.
Yes, there is a lot of fake news out there, anbd granted, some comes from the far right. But the vast majority has come from the liberals, Democrats and mainstream media, and they have been the purveyors of fake news for decades.
After all, it was Hillary Clinton who touted Senator Byrd, a former kingpin in the Klan, as a steadfast protector of people's rights. And even though the Civil Rights Act was passed by a much greater percentage of Republicans than Democrats, it is the Democrats who wrote the false narrative that they had pushed it through - even though the same Senator Byrd (D) tried to stop it with his filibuster against it.
Fake news is a problem, to be sure. But the only way to rid ourselves of most of it is to DEMAND that the media fact-check their stories before publishing them, and to DEMAND that all news media be OBJECTIVE and UNBIASED in their reporting, or to face huge fines for abusing their freedom of the press by using their outlets for propaganda.
And we can demand colleges and universities REQUIRE their professors to be objective, unbiased and to encourage diversity of thought, as least as much as they encourage diversity of color, or face the unemployment line, regardless of tenure.
And we should make our politicians subject to the same libel and slander laws as the rest of us - no one should be above ANY law.
Then, maybe we can begin to get things right again, and not just "great again".
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie
This pie is the best I have ever had. Here is the recipe I use:
Ingredients:
1 pastry crust for a deep-dish 9 inch pie (I use frozen, but I put in a GLASS deep-dish pie plate)
½ cup sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
6 cups thinly sliced apples ( I use 3 Fugi & 3 Golden Delicious)
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup caramel topping
1 recipe for crumb topping (below)
Ingredients for Crumb Topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup Quick cooking rolled oats
½ cup butter
Directions Crumb Topping:
1) Stir together brown sugar, rolled oats, flour
2) Cut in ½ cup soft (not melted) butter until topping is like course crumbs
Directions for pie:
1) In large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon & salt
2) Add apples slices and gently toss until coated
3) Transfer coated apple slices to pie shell
4) Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over apple mixture
5) Place pie on cookie sheet so drippings won't drop into your oven
6) Cover edges of pie (if exposed) with aluminum foil
7) Bake in pre-heated 375 deg. Oven 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes
8) Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped pecans then drizzle caramel on top
9) Cool on wire rack. Serve at room temp, cold, or heated in microwave
10) ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 pastry crust for a deep-dish 9 inch pie (I use frozen, but I put in a GLASS deep-dish pie plate)
½ cup sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
6 cups thinly sliced apples ( I use 3 Fugi & 3 Golden Delicious)
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup caramel topping
1 recipe for crumb topping (below)
Ingredients for Crumb Topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup Quick cooking rolled oats
½ cup butter
Directions Crumb Topping:
1) Stir together brown sugar, rolled oats, flour
2) Cut in ½ cup soft (not melted) butter until topping is like course crumbs
Directions for pie:
1) In large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon & salt
2) Add apples slices and gently toss until coated
3) Transfer coated apple slices to pie shell
4) Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over apple mixture
5) Place pie on cookie sheet so drippings won't drop into your oven
6) Cover edges of pie (if exposed) with aluminum foil
7) Bake in pre-heated 375 deg. Oven 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes
8) Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped pecans then drizzle caramel on top
9) Cool on wire rack. Serve at room temp, cold, or heated in microwave
10) ENJOY!
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