Look back, but don't stare

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Word from Gideon is that 851 Lake Avenue, which hit the market a week ago Thursday at $6.395 million, is already gone. What a difference from the bad old days of post-2008 crash through 2020, as my previous coverage of this house illustrates.

I first posted on it in 2017, when it had already been sitting on the market for two years:

The Back Country continues its decline 

July 11, 2017 Chris Fountain

851 Lake Avenue, which started off in February, 2015, at $5.5 million, has dropped again today, to $4.195.

Mind you, this property has more than its unpopular location going against it: It's on a long, very (very) narrow lot, and gold bathroom fixtures are so 2003.

I posted again on the property after it finally sold in 2018:

Sale price reported (way up) on Lake Avenue

July 13, 2018

851 Lake Avenue, $3.775 million. It's been on the market since February, 2015, when it was initially pegged at $5.5, and I imagine the owner was delighted to be rid of it, even at this discounted price. I'll confess that I always hated the property itself: it's a narrow, stretched sliver of land, which, to me, defeats the whole purpose of living in the back country — why live in an alley? — but this sale just shows, once again, that at the right price, there's always a buyer.

Now, seven years later, those buyers are more plentiful, more generous, and much easier to find; for now.

Looking back

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While prowling this blog’s history for any previous mention of 3 Vista Avenue in Old Greenwich (immediately below) I came across this post from 2020 about another Vista in Greenwich proper, 31 Vista Drive, new to the market then, and priced at $11.9 million. I had my doubts at the time, but apparently, never followed up on its final disposition. So I checked the MLS records this morning, and now we’ve found out: it sold in October 2021 for $8.875 million.

Here’s the original post:

Has waterfront really increased 40% in six years? We'll find out.

June 15, 2020 Chris Fountain

Well, Eagle Scout. Just Sayin'

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Ali Kareem Al Shammari, 19, of Buxton, was arrested in late February of this year on two counts of gross sexual assault and was booked at the Cumberland County Jail.

Famous Eagle Scouts

And from GROK:

Here is a list of former Eagle Scouts from the Boy Scouts of America who later became notorious or infamous criminals. The Eagle Scout rank is the highest achievement in the Scouts BSA program, requiring significant dedication, leadership, and service. However, some individuals who earned this honor later engaged in criminal activities that brought them infamy. Below are notable examples based on available historical records:

  • Ted Bundy: One of the most infamous serial killers in American history, Bundy was involved with his local Boy Scout troop during his youth in Tacoma, Washington. While it’s not definitively confirmed that he achieved the Eagle Scout rank, some sources suggest he may have, given his early involvement and the trajectory of his youth activities. Bundy confessed to murdering at least 30 women across several states in the 1970s, though the true number may be higher. He was executed in Florida’s electric chair in 1989.

  • Dennis Rader (BTK Killer): Rader earned his Eagle Scout rank as a young man growing up in Kansas. Decades later, he became known as the "BTK Killer" (Bind, Torture, Kill), a serial killer who murdered 10 people in the Wichita area between 1974 and 1991. Rader, a married man and churchgoer, evaded capture for years until his arrest in 2005. He is currently serving 10 consecutive life sentences.

  • Arthur Gary Bishop: An Eagle Scout from Utah, Bishop later became a child molester and serial killer. Between 1979 and 1983, he murdered five young boys in Salt Lake City, sexually abusing some of them. Convicted in 1984, he was executed by lethal injection in 1988 at the age of 37.

  • Mark Hofmann: Hofmann achieved the Eagle Scout rank during his youth in Utah. He later gained notoriety as a master forger and murderer. In the 1980s, he created and sold forged historical documents, including some related to Mormon history, deceiving collectors and scholars. To cover up his schemes, he killed two people with pipe bombs in 1985. Hofmann pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and is serving a life sentence.

  • Charles Whitman: Known as the "Texas Tower Sniper," Whitman was an Eagle Scout who, at age 12, was one of the youngest to earn the rank at the time. On August 1, 1966, he killed 14 people and injured 31 others in a mass shooting from the University of Texas at Austin’s clock tower. Prior to the rampage, he murdered his wife and mother. An autopsy later revealed a brain tumor, which may have contributed to his actions.

These individuals represent a small but striking subset of Eagle Scouts whose later actions starkly contrasted with the values of leadership, service, and integrity promoted by the Boy Scouts of America. Their crimes range from serial murder to forgery and terrorism, marking them as some of the most notorious figures associated with the program’s history.

Follow up to the post below

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PROMISES KEPT:

Rubio says at least 300 foreign students’ visas have been revoked.

“Maybe more, it might be more than 300 at this point,” Rubio said at a press conference in Guyana when asked to confirm Axios reporting on the topic.

“We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” he added, saying he hopes it’s even more than the 300 estimate.

“I hope at some point we run out because we have gotten rid of all of them, but we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.”

The Hill does its best to frame this as bad news but this longer quote on Rumeysa Ozturk, the Turkish student who was detained, tells a much better story:

“We revoked her visa. It’s an F-1 visa, I believe. We revoked it, and here’s why—I’ve said it everywhere, and I’ll say it again.

Let me be abundantly clear: If you apply for a student visa to come to the United States and you say you’re coming not just to study, but to participate in movements that vandalize universities, harass students, take over buildings, and cause chaos—we’re not giving you that visa.

If you lie, get the visa, and then engage in that kind of behavior once you’re here, we’re going to revoke it. And once your visa is revoked, you’re no longer legally in the United States. Like every country, we have the right to remove you. It’s that simple.

It’s crazy—stupid, even—for any country to let people in who say, ‘I’m going to your universities to riot, take over libraries, and harass people.’ I don’t care what movement you’re with. Why would any country allow that?

We gave you a visa to study and earn a degree—not to become a social activist tearing up our campuses. If you use your visa to do that, we’ll take it away. And I encourage every country to do the same.

Every country has the right to decide who enters as a visitor. If you invite me to your house for dinner and I start putting mud on your couch and spray-painting your kitchen, you’re going to kick me out. We’ll do the same if you come to the U.S. and cause a ruckus.

We don’t want that here. Go do it in your own country—but not in ours.”

When the facts are on your side, pound the facts; when the law is on your side, pound the law; when neither the facts nor the law is on your side, pound the table

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That “constitutional crisis” Democrats and their media monkeys are howling about? It’s here, alright, and the Democrats have brought it about, by using cherry-picked federal judges to block and delay the implementation of the policies of our duly elected government.

Before discussing the latest outrage by our judiciary, understand that a non-citizen has no inherent right to enter our country. Permission to temporarily enter can be granted, but that permission can be revoked at any time, for any cause or for no cause at all, and the visitor being tossed out can no more sue the government than can the foreigner denied a visa in the first place. Neither has standing to bring a suit, and federal courts have no power or authority to even hear a case involving a revoked or denied visa. So sayeth the U.S. Supreme Court, and it has so ruled just months ago:

December 10, 2024: The Supreme Court Confirms No Judicial Review for Revoked Visas

BOUARFA v. MAYORKAS, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY, et al.

Certiorari to the united states court of appeals for the eleventh circuit No. 23–583. Argued October 15, 2024—Decided December 10, 2024

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court found appeals to revoked visas cannot be heard in federal courts. As U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is a discretionary agency, their decisions are not subject to judicial review for revoked visas. This affirms a July 2023 Eleventh Circuit court decision finding the same.

The Department of Homeland Security secretary is given broad authority, by Congress, to revoke a visa for any reason at any time. As such, there is no legal basis for judicial review of revoked visas. The case emphasizes an important distinction in immigration law: some decisions are mandatory, requiring officials to follow specific rules, while others are discretionary, allowing officials the freedom to decide. The Court determined that visa revocations fall into the discretionary category, meaning these decisions cannot be reviewed by the courts.

In the Court’s opinion, they noted Section 1155 as an absolute confirmation of discretion. USCIS may choose to revoke previously approved visa petitions at any time, for any reason the Secretary and USCIS determine is a “good and sufficient cause.”  In her written opinion on behalf of the Supreme Court, Justice Jackson clarifies that Congress did not outline specific criteria or conditions for the Secretary or USCIS to follow when determining if a visa should be revoked. Consequently, their authority is not constrained by any defined limitations.

An overview provided by Google AI responding to the prompt, “Can a US visa be revoked without cause?”

Yes, a U.S. visa can be revoked without a specific cause, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary has broad authority to do so, and there's no legal basis for judicial review of such revocations. 

  • Broad Authority:

    The DHS secretary, by congressional mandate, has the authority to revoke a visa for any reason at any time. 

  • No Judicial Review:

    There's no legal basis for judicial review of revoked visas. 

  • Discretionary Authority:

    Consular officers, the Secretary of State, or DOS officials to whom the Secretary of State has delegated authority, are authorized to revoke a nonimmigrant visa at any time, in their discretion. 

  • Visa Revocation vs. Cancellation:

    A revoked visa means your visa is canceled because of a violation or something incorrect you did during your visa application (with prejudice). A canceled visa can happen with or without any specific reason (without prejudice). 

  • Examples of Revocation:

    Revocations may occur due to anything from administrative errors to more serious concerns. 

So that’s the law, and here’s a federal judge directly defying it and the Supreme Court.

The setup:

Homeland Security Detains Tufts University Student for Supporting Hamas

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday explained why it had detained Tufts University student Rumesya Ozturk earlier this week.

Footage of Ozturk’s arrest went viral on social media. The incident raised questions about the Trump administration’s targeting of college students who have participated in anti-Israel protests and activities.

Ozturk, a Turkish national, had been residing in the United States on a student visa.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated in a post on X that an investigation revealed that Ozturk had been “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans.”

She further stated that “A visa is a privilege not a right” and that “Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated.”

And into the fray jumps a federal Judge, Obama appointee Indira Talwani, issuing orders, and claiming an authority to decide immigration matters that the Supreme Court has ruled she doesn’t have.

At court hearing in Boston on Thursday morning, the district judge Indira Talwani … issued an order giving the government until Friday to answer why Rumeysa Ozturk was being detained. Talwani also ordered that Ozturk not be moved outside the district of Massachusetts without 48 hours’ advance notice.

A federal judge then ordered DHS and Ice to respond in court on Thursday morning to an emergency habeas corpus request to produce Ozturk.

What’s going to happen here, I predict, is that, rather than let the sabotage of the reforms initiated by Trump to continue, he’ll direct the Department of Justice and other agencies to simply ignore these ultra vires (acting or done beyond one's legal power or authority) judicial rulings and fight it out in the Supreme Court down the road after the fact. The technical legal term for this tactic is “go pound sand”, or, in barrister English, “sod off, Swampy”.

Chief Justice Roberts expressed worry last week that the courts are in danger of becoming politicized, but that’s long since occured. The danger now is that the executive branch will simply declare itself beyond the reach of these activist judges and go its merry way. Justified, but it will indeed be the constitutional crisis most rational people fear.

Fun times.

Sure sounds like a terrorist to me

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A Las Vegas man has been charged in the Molotov cocktail attack that torched several Teslas at a dealership last week. 

Paul Hyon Kim, 36, was arrested Wednesday by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, after at least five cars were allegedly set on fire March 18 at a local Tesla Collision Center.

Kim has been charged with multiple crimes ranging from destruction of property, arson, and possessing a fire device, according to jail records. 

He will also face federal charges, Spencer Evans, the FBI agent-in-charge of the bureau's Las Vegas office, told reporters at a Thursday news briefing. 

"There's nothing courageous or noble about firebombing private property and terrorizing your local community," Evans said. "The self-righteous mob that's cheering you on today to commit acts of violence on their behalf will leave you high and dry and forget about you tomorrow. And at the end of the day, you and you alone will be held responsible and face the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence."

No question that for all the love and marriage proposals being showered on Luigi Mangeonio, he’ll be showering alone (or, at least, without civilian company) for the next 20 -35 years; no one will be joining him in Leavenworth. Likewise, the politicians and TV talking heads cheering on Tesla arsonists today will be found relaxing comfortably in their homes tomorrow; prison’s for chumps and suckers.

Police say Kim arrived near the location in a black Hyundai Elantra before walking over to the Tesla building. He allegedly concealed his face, wore gloves and black clothing.

He allegedly also damaged surveillance cameras with a rifle, police said.

The word "resist" was spray-painted on the Tesla center’s front doors. An unlit Molotov cocktail was found in one of the cars, police said. 

Authorities said Kim's social media activity showed potential links to communist groups and Palestinian causes. His DNA matched DNA samples collected at the scene of the attack, authorities said. 

Investigators searched two vehicles linked to Kim and his apartment, and found multiple firearms, including rifles, a shotgun a handgun, gun parts, as well as ammunition. 

America’s Paper of Record has more:

I'll just bet there are

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No more streaming YouTube videos for Greenwich elementary school students

GREENWICH — Greenwich elementary school students can no longer watch YouTube videos while using their school-issued device.

This is because starting Tuesday, the school district officially restricted YouTube access on devices given to pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students.

"There have been some issues with students watching videos that were not necessary for learning grade level content."