Grounds for Impeachment?

No; he actually cannot do that.

Trump vows to end birthright citizenship with executive order:

President Donald Trump said in an interview that he plans to sign an executive order ending "birthright citizenship" for the children of non-American citizens who are born on U.S. soil, a move that would likely be challenged immediately in the courts over its constitutionality.

American Democrats have been waiting for President Trump to make a misstep, and he just tripped over his big mouth with this statement.

The office of the President is an "executive" position, which means he is responsible for executing the law.  He cannot make, change or delete laws ... which are based on the Constitution.

Trump's declaration that he can end "birthright citizenship" puts him in the political position of attempting to undermine the Constitution, and that might reasonably be grounds for a move for impeachment.

Which will certainly happen.

Impeachment isn't necessarily the same as removing him from office, but it certainly is justification for requiring him to resign (as did Nixon) with a sufficient number of responsible Republican Congressmen to reinforce the inevitable Democratic motion.

He has crossed the Rubicon, and he's not an American Caesar ... he's not strong enough to defeat all of his enemies when his own party concurs that he has overstepped his authority.

I voted for Trump on the basis that he was "Not Hillary"; but this move puts him in the same category as the power-mad Clinton family.

If there's a small town in America who is looking for a new dog-catcher, I can name a candidate.
Although it may offend the dogs.

Here's the bad news: his replacement is likely to be the vice president; and can anybody even remember HIS name?

"Trick or Treat" is no longer an American Pastime

Sigh ..

I tried.  I really tried to encourage that Great American Moment ... Halloween.

It didn't work ... for me, or for "here"

I compromised by putting out  candy where the neighborliness kids could just .. just come take it.

No need to knock on the door, or yell "Trick Or Threat, or even just hold out their bags for the expected goodies.

I just put out a barrel of candy .,.,. individually wrapped ... for them to come  by and scarf it up.

ZERO TAKERS!



I am despondent  Kids don't trust anyone any more. 

I suppose that's A Good Thing, in this age, but I had hoped that we had got past "apples with razor blades" and other nasty things by now.

I guess all of us ... adults and children too ..have learned to be cautious of feebies.

I do not LIKE this America, when Children cannot  trust Adults to be caring, loving, supportive.

( I do not like the word "Supportive"   ... I'm not sure what it means; but I THINK it means that Mom and/or Dad go out trick-or-treating with their children, if only to keep them safe

I guess I'm a product of the sixties, when we knew our neighbors and trusted them. In the blocks within a half mile of me, I reaped a lot of goodies.  I liked to wait until after 9pm, and  then work the neighbors; they NEVER had given out all the candies and goodies, so even though I was a little too old to be "Trick or Treating: them, they were glad to get rid on the last of the Candy Bowl.
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(I never ate the apple which some of them gave me .. Too Organic!)

Amazon.com: Watch Thank You for Your Service | Prime Video

Amazon.com: Watch Thank You for Your Service | Prime Video

"Trick or Treat" ... or "Scaredy Cat"?

I can't say that I was surprised ... although I was disappointed ... that I welcomed no "Trick or Treaters" at my doorstep this year.

I live in a culdesac in a univiersity townm, and I really didn't expect to receive any children at my front door ... encased in bizare costumes and yelling "TRICK OR TREAT!" when I responded to their knock.

It's a scary world out there, and parents are disposed to keep their children at home on this night which was expected (in my day) to be more treats to the kids, and a few tricks to curmudgeons.

I was forewarned this afternoon when I went to the store to buy candy for my neighborhood children (of whom there are only two ... it's a college town) and the shelves were FILLED with delectables.

I chose my favorite ... peanut butter in chocolate (AKA "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups" (miniatures), because they're individually wrapped, delicious, and because ... if nobody showed up, I like them as an occasional snack.

Good choice.   They're individually wrapped, and if the trick-or-treaters are too thick, I can give them only three, rather than the five or six (depending on degrees of "cuteness" their costumes displayed).

Nobody showed up.

I know have enough Peanut Butter Cups to last me for some time.

I don't blame the parents; there have been so many scarey stories about razor blades in apples,  and poisons in candy, that it's a rare parent who will let a child go Trick-or-Treating when escorted, let alone without parental guidance

I'm not going to beat the dead horse of "poisoned apples", because you've heard all the stories.

I'm just disappointed that our society has changed so much that we are no longer "comfortable" allowing our children to go outside after dark and portune our friends and neighbors for ... 
Treats.


There are only two children in my lonely Cul-de-Sac, and if I thought it would be appreciated, I would go to their door in the morning and offer all of my candy treats to them ... just to show them that their Neighbors adore and appreciate their play-time, their childish squeals of glee during play, their spats, their homely dog (whose name I don't even know, but he's a lop-eared mongrel who enjoys more love than he has earned), and their youthful enthusiasm.

We don't get enough of that last part: enthusiasm is a fading economy, and we need to encourage it.

---

I would knock on their door, offer all my accumulated "TREATS" for their children.  If only to demonstrate a spirit of neighborliness, and to show that they could have trick-or-treated at one door, at least, and been safe.

But their parents would reject my overtures, in defense of their children .., politely, I'm sure.
Yet firmly.  And I would go home with a fistful of melting chocolate dollars, and everyone would be sad.

Because we no longer trust our neighbors, who are strangers.
And we no longer start the morning by hand-watering our lawn and shouting "Hellow, Neighbor" across the street.

In my day, "our children" were "everyone's children", and we watched over them as if they were our kin.  Today .. awww, I don't want to think about it.

It sickens me the way we treat America's Children.   when they don't know, or trust their neighbors, then there's some endemic sickness in America which we're too frightened to confront.

And that's all I have to say about that.

(Say, anybody want a bag of peanut-butter-and-chocolate candy?  It's really, good.  You'll like it!)

Don't come any closer!

View From The Porch: Don't come any closer!:

So, if a dude was going for a gun, would you consider that enough of a threat to warrant shooting him?

Good Question.

Me?  I'm a product of the "late" 1960's, so maybe I could just plead: "Hey Dude, Why So Angry?"
You know, talk him into a peaceful place.

Unfortunately, I split the 1968-1970 years in an un-peaceful place. So I was never, like, really into the "Easy Peaceful Feeling" thing.  Like, y'know man?

Best response I can come up with is:
 (1)  OPEN CARRY MAKES YOU A TARGET and
 (2) AT MY AGE, THERE'S ONLY TWO KINDS  IF FIGHTS; THE ONE YOU WALK AWAY FROM, AND THE ONE YOU DON'T.

Walk away if you can.

It beats the hell out of crawling away.

RIP Dave Skinner

I wanted to write about Dave Skinner .... and while researching him,  I learned that he had died.

It's hard to write about a friend.   Maybe more remembrances.

Maybe later.

Much later.