Sammy's Smorgasbord

**Chester** · 15th July 2019, 15:04

Just a place holder here -

"Just when I thought 'Life/life' could not get any weirder..." On July 11, 2019, I was faced with a horrific experience which I am currently still unable to post about (I may never be) but just so happens to be exactly 7 years to the day that my 2nd son (I have three) went on a crime spree which could have been deadly where I soon became involved in an effort to "help him" such that he might be able to receive a probation instead of going to prison. My son was just 18 years old at the time. He is now 25 and the experience involves this same son as the center piece of the experience. As dark as one could ever imagine... potentially, permanently relationship ending... taking my other two sons along with him.

Background -

I had only recently returned to the US (Dallas, Texas... my original home which also had been my "home base" for most of my life prior to leaving the US, in 1997) due to a personal life crisis of my own when his sad day happened. Strangely, my personal life crisis became a pivot point in this particular lifetime where I was able to experience the key changes at the deepest levels of my being and thus ever since, my life experience has steadily improved and to the point I can only describe as wonderful with a major caveat.

That caveat is - my wife of 17 years and her daughter, a wonderful 21 year old was able to immigrate to the US (they are from Medellin, Colombia) on what would have been my father's birthday, January 13, 2017 (he would have been 82) - and the caveat is that when I describe my life as wonderful, I am speaking from the perspective my life experience as to my current "living in my home" family life experience is concerned. Sadly, all of my external, recent experiences, especially those involving my sons who no longer live in my home (they had to move out when my wife and step-daughter arrived in that January of 2017), have been pure psycho/twilight zone/Stephen Kingish...

And so all the above is written and posted for the one or two that might read but more because this is a method I use to "process" what may be "processable" (if processable).

And I know that I am (once again) pointing to something which surely "ya'll" may be curious as to what could have possibly happened, but I cannot speak about it yet...

Note that I have not posted in days (since July 10, 2019) and this is because I am still pretty rattled by it all AND that things related to this are still unfolding where I am advised NOT to discuss at this time.

As for my idea regarding a listing of X22 predictions (Q related), I am dropping the idea. As Fred suggested, it would be a waste of time (but I had already known that). I only wanted to do it because I thought it might be entertaining... maybe even fun. Sadly, at this time, I have no time for any fun and even more important - no space for any fun.

**Aianawa** · 15th July 2019, 22:53

Feel blessed to know you Sam, keep strong. everything happens for a reason, sending blessings to you n family.

**Dreamtimer** · 18th July 2019, 16:41

You're lucky your wife and daughter made it in, Sammy. The barriers are being thrown up before all, not just the trouble makers. I'm glad they didn't get caught up in nastiness.

My heart breaks for you and your sons. It's beyond my imagining to think of losing any of them, much less all three.

I hope sharing can help. Often, another can offer a perspective or idea which you can't get to through all the emotions and stress. And expressing yourself is a very helpful activity.

**Emil El Zapato** · 19th July 2019, 00:32

That's a good point DT,

It occurred to me that if those walls go up to keep out immigrants only the rapists, drug cartel members, murderers, MS-13 will be in the U.S. Sort of like take away guns and only criminals will have guns.

**Dreamtimer** · 19th July 2019, 13:12

Lumping good people into the bad will just cause harm to the good people.

People's cognitive dissonance doesn't allow them to see the contradiction in their positions regarding guns.

**Chester** · 19th July 2019, 13:27

I cannot explain why this community means so much to me. I really can't explain it... but it does.

I will have an important update and all will become clear Wednesday afternoon.

**Chester** · 19th July 2019, 14:12

Originally posted by Dreamtimer

You're lucky your wife and daughter made it in, Sammy. The barriers are being thrown up before all, not just the trouble makers. I'm glad they didn't get caught up in nastiness.

My wife and step-daughter landed in Miami on January 13, 2017. The effort took us 3 1/2 years. One whole extra year just to get one single piece of paper called a "Letter of Good Conduct" for Cristina from the government of the island of Curaçao. Despite that this same government had provided us this same letter in the summer of 2006 (so that we could obtain a "stay permit" for her with regards to our move to Costa Rica), they stated that they could not find evidence of her registration in their civil registry from when we lived in Curaçao and had residency back during that time.

The story -

We started the effort in the fall of 2013 assisted by the services of an excellent immigration attorney who, coincidentally, had been an immigrant herself (from India).

We filed the original paperwork in early 2014. It took us up until October 15, 2015 for us to obtain the all important "interview" for Cristina (my wife) and Alejandra (my step-daughter) at the US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia. At that interview, and despite we had been married for 13 years, despite that we had filed all applications, paid all fees, had all the other paperwork perfect, despite that we had the Letters of Good Conduct from the other jurisdictions we lived before (with residency) and despite the fact we had a copy of the Letter of Good Conduct from 2006, the US State Department official told us "no visa" and told us we had to obtain a new, "official" (certified with apostille) Letter of Good Conduct from Curaçao and we had one year to get that letter to the US Embassy.

Everything perfect except one silly piece of paper as they would not accept the copy of the letter from 2006.

I hired another attorney (a friend for many years who lives in Miami but still practices in Curaçao) to attempt to get this letter from Curaçao with no luck and soooooo.....

At an expense that added up to almost $10,000, Cristina and I went through the process to become residents again of Curaçao... all and only so that she could register in the civil registry so as to be allowed to ask for and obtain this silly Letter of Good Conduct and in the form we were required by the US State Department to obtain. We finally got the Letter in late August of 2016. We then spent 6 panicked weeks trying to get the Embassy to give Cristina and Alejandra an appointment - we even hired a Colombian attorney to assist. Cristina got the call from the US Embassy on Monday, October 3, 2016 from Bogota and was told she and Alejandra had to get their vaccinations (lovely) again as they expire after 6 months. Our deadline, we were told, was Thursday, October 13 (not the 15th as we had thought). Cristina and Alejandra flew to Bogota (from their home in Medellin) the next day.

The Embassy gave her an appointment for 11:00 AM Friday, October 7, 2016. Cristina and Alejandra got the shots on Thursday, October 6 BUT! the doctor's office told her that by agreement with the US Embassy, the doctor had 24 hours to provide them the paperwork regarding the shots that we had to take back to the Embassy. It was late afternoon and the embassy appointment was at 11:00 AM the next morning and we feared they would not give her another one for Monday. The receptionist was adamant they would have to wait. Yet she went ahead and asked the doctor anyways and thankfully the doctor was kind enough to agree to process the paperwork then and there (Cristina got the papers at 8:15 PM meaning the doctor stayed late to get it all done for her and Alejandra).

Cristina and Aleja got to the Embassy the next morning and provided the papers - 6 days before the deadline. If we had failed to meet the deadline, we would have had to start all over again. Which we would have done anyways.

I shared all these details for a reason. All the above occurred prior to the 2016 US presidential election. I was born in the US and am a US citizen. I married Cristina on August 28, 2002. Despite all that, despite all that I shared above as to paper work. All of the hell we went through (and barely achieved our goal) all came about during the previous administration.

The nastiness regarding legal immigration began long, long ago... and got quite difficult for those who wished to achieve legal immigration sometime in the late 2000s according to the three immigration attorneys I have spoken with here in the US, one being the one I mentioned above, another being Francisco Hernandez (who offices in Fort Worth and who appears often on national TV news).

The case of my wife and step-daughter's immigration experience is just one experience and is anecdotal. Regardless of that, legal immigration got much, much harder for anyone that was immigrating and was in relationship to a US citizen as of the late 2000s. Just for the record.

**Chris** · 19th July 2019, 14:38

I heard many stories about the US (legal) immigration system. It really is a nightmare.

However, most countries are almost as bad. The one country I know of that does immigration as painlessly and efficiently as possible is Singapore. It really is a marvel of good governance and civic service. The big difference that I noticed compared to almost every other country on earth is that civil servants treat you like a client, as if you were paying them to do their jobs, which of course, indirectly, you are.

Getting my employment pass there (which is a precursor to permanent residency) was the least painful bureaucratic procedure I ever had to go through. I think it took a couple of days for the paperwork to clear and for me to get my Employment Pass, which is an actual picture ID that you can even scan at airport to get through customs automatically and with no waiting. I remember being actually shocked at how easy and quick it was.

**Emil El Zapato** · 20th July 2019, 17:21

Hey Sammy,

I get it...Remember that the people you deal with on a daily basis are professional civil servants...lifers...It is hard to do such research but I'm willing to be that many of the existing workforce have held their positions since the Reagan Era. It is from the top that the workers are imbued with their 'sense' of civil right and wrong. They just keep chugging along until they are done. This exactly points more repurcussions to the sense of right and wrong that is instilled in newbies. That sense will guide their actions for the next 40 years.

I actually got such an individual once to admit that they had been instructed (from the top) to not offer any suggestions of help to anyone in need (During the Reagan administration).

**Emil El Zapato** · 21st July 2019, 16:56

Originally posted by Chris

I heard many stories about the US (legal) immigration system. It really is a nightmare.

However, most countries are almost as bad. The one country I know of that does immigration as painlessly and efficiently as possible is Singapore. It really is a marvel of good governance and civic service. The big difference that I noticed compared to almost every other country on earth is that civil servants treat you like a client, as if you were paying them to do their jobs, which of course, indirectly, you are.

Getting my employment pass there (which is a precursor to permanent residency) was the least painful bureaucratic procedure I ever had to go through. I think it took a couple of days for the paperwork to clear and for me to get my Employment Pass, which is an actual picture ID that you can even scan at airport to get through customs automatically and with no waiting. I remember being actually shocked at how easy and quick it was.

Interesting, The Department of Transportation has traditionally been a serious nightmare...it is a long standing American joke...My last experience was this past January and it was a dream by comparison...the difference was remarkable....almost as great a difference as I see in my Comcast TV service experiences.

**Chester** · 23rd July 2019, 22:16

Originally posted by Sammy

I cannot explain why this community means so much to me. I really can't explain it... but it does.

I will have an important update and all will become clear Wednesday afternoon.

This is to be delayed until Thursday evening late (or Friday morning).

**Chester** · 27th July 2019, 19:21

All's well now... Thanks for ya'lls support.

**Aianawa** · 28th July 2019, 08:43

Baited breath lol, good to hear Sammy.

**Chester** · 28th July 2019, 20:00

Though I would like to share the story, unfortunately "wisdom" suggests I just share that all is well. Our friend, Aragorn, has been very helpful in this regard and I thank him and TOT.

And sooooo.... back to "matters at hand."