Trump meets Putin at the G-20. They discuss Russian interference in the election and agree on a Syrian ceasefire. CNN reports on the comments from the respective Secretaries of State on the topic of “hacking” which, rather unsurprisingly, disagree on what Trump and Putin said to each other.
Looks to me like PDJT has a fairly firm grip on the situation.
This was the big take-away from the Trump-Putin meeting for both Chucky andCNN. Apparently they both believe Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and think a Syrian ceasefire is fake news.
LoyalReader writes: “MOTUS, I always enjoyed your’“reflections’ of our previous FLOTUS, Lady M, even though the images left me mildly nauseous. Will you be reflecting our new FLOTUS?”
MOTUS replies: Thank you LoyalReader. I will be reflecting FLOTUS Melania Trump from time to time. In fact, this is the first edition of a new feature, “FLOTUS Friday.” I hope you enjoy it and find most of the images less, uh, challenging.
Let’s begin with FLOTUS 45 arrival in Warsaw, Poland late Wednesday:
…First Lady Melania Trump made a bold impression upon her arrival in Warsaw today. Donning an emerald suede Diane von Furstenberg trench coat, whose silhouette echoed the designer's iconic wrap dress, she punctuating the ensemble with a graphic scarf, also by the American designer. This was a departure from the wardrobe of Trump's first international trip, which favored strict and militaristic silhouettes. The coat-and-scarf combo, by contrast, appeared to take its cues from ‘70s fashion, projecting a polished yet louche quality.
Now, let’s compare that image with FLOTUS 44 arriving in Poland at the end of Big Guy’s 2011 European vacationapology tour meeting with important, international people:
I know many of you were disappointed that Lady M decided to go home with a sick headache instead of accompanying Big Guy to Poland. Butt trust me, I saw what she had packed for that leg of the trip, and I think it was just as well.
Backward Blouses – could be mistaken for a Polish Joke
And in case anyone is still missing the good old days – of non-“louche” FLOTUS fashion - here’s a retrospective of Lady M’s 4th of July White House attire:
Decidedly not as “louchey” as Melania’s first 4th of July selection:
I don’t know about you but I think we’ll manage the “louche” FLOTUS years quite well, thank you very much.
Thank goodness: President Trump is in Poland, addressing the thousands of Poles who’ve gathered to hear him speak about freedom.
It must be nice to give a speech in “defense of Western civilization” to a population that still believes in it. And interestingly the people of Poland, unlike the American press, believe Donald Trump and weren’t ashamed to say so – repeatedly.
So maybe we can have a brief pause in the endless jokes about CNN’s self-immolation to appreciate the President’s message that “we will never lose our freedom to a lack of pride and confidence of our values.”
Throughout history, changing a country’s politics and statutes has been the final goal of forceful popular attempts to contain power, but mass refusal to accept political abuses has always begun in the culture. “Culture” is a vague term so let us define it as the sum of actions of the citizens of a country, the attitudes that drive their responses to events, their expectations of what they may do and the memories of what they, and perhaps their ancestors, have always done.
The founding of the United States is just one example of this process. In 1776 (American Independence), as in 1689 (the original Bill of Rights), 1628 (Petition of Right), 1215 (Magna Carta), and even 1014 (Anglo-Saxon Charter), freedoms that citizens already believed they had were codified and concretized to shape political institutions. (snip)
…The American liberty movement is understandably pre-occupied with law, policy and political institutions. All of these are of course profoundly important. But the real game is in people’s minds. If we can strengthen our culture of freedom by telling the truth about where we stand today, contrasting it with our rich tradition of liberty, and thereby stimulating that healthy sense of “how dare they?”, then the politics shall take care of themselves. – Foundation for Economic Education
Andrew Breitbart put it more succinctly:
He also famously said: “The Media is the enemy” and “I do what I do because the mainstream media chooses not to do it.” And my personal favorite:
These founding documents were designed and declared with full knowledge of human nature and complete understanding of the soul’s tendencies. The result was the formation of a more perfect union which has stood the test of time in no small part due to the wisdom of these founders who crafted a near sacred separation of powers within the government they created. Let us honor their courage, their genius and their foresight.
And for our part, let us be ever vigilant against those who would impinge on that greatness by opening the very gates that hold tyranny at bay.
Anyway, the long and short of it is Lady M decided to send me and Little Mo back to the Big White to weed and water the Big White Organic Garden of Versus in order to give our illegal Mexicans the rest of the Quarto de Julio weekend off.
“The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep’s throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as a liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty, especially as the sheep was a black one. Plainly the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of the word liberty.”
Although I think we all know a “destroyer of liberty” when we see one.
And a sort-of-recipe for some 4th of July s’mores that have been kicked up to notches unknown – something that I think PDJT will make America famous for again:
Warning: do not eat more than a baker’s dozen (one for each original state)
From 2015, Weiners on Parade, a tiny BBQ for tiny hamsters (h/t Blonde Gator). Creeper, if you’re out there, it’s the perfect meal for your new little buddy.
To counter that sad state of affairs I leave you with this, excerpted from Thomas Jefferson’s 1826 letter from Thomas Jefferson to Roger Chew Weightman on the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It reminds us what American Independence is really all about:
…our fellow citizens, after half a century of experience and prosperity, continue to approve the choice we made. may it be to the world, what I believe it will be, (to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all,) the Signal of arousing men to burst the chains, under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings & security of self-government. that form which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. all eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. the general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view. the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of god. these are grounds of hope for others. for ourselves, let the annual return of this day .forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them…
So get those baked beans in the oven, the potato salad in the frig, the burgers, dogs and ribs on the grill and party like it’s 1776! We’re Making America Great Again. We intend to make Jefferson proud.
I have a little gift for Progressives, who would otherwise spend the holiday gnashing their teeth over President Donald J Trump’s tweet in which he shows a 10 year old clip of someone with a blond pompadour body slamming a corporate logo to the ground. My gift is a short video to give them something new to obsess over:the stability of the Yellowstone Caldera. Hard as it is to believe if it erupts with it’s full force it would be more disastrous than Trump beating Hillary. Honest.
Wow! Even global warning pales by comparison. Pity, that, for sure. A disaster that isn’t of (trigger alert!) mankind’s own making.
Meanwhile, read all about the demise of “norms of presidential behavior” from Victor Davis Hansen (spoiler alert: the Left practically invented the erosion movement).
Bill Clinton redefined presidential behavior when he had sexual relations with a 22-year-old, unpaid intern (so much for power imbalances as sexual harassment) in the presidential bathroom off the Oval Office, lied about his recklessness to his family and the country, smeared Monica Lewinsky, and then wheeled out to the Rose Garden feminist cabinet officers like Madeline Albright and Donna Shalala to deny and defend his unsavory predatory behavior. After that sordid episode, the apologetic Left lost all credibility as an arbiter of presidential norms…
He is literally hated by his peers, considered crude, boorish and untalented. But despite having had some failed businesses he continued to work his butt off, kept his nose to the grindstone and somehow managed to survive. Well, not just survive, thrive. Somehow this unsophisticated rube managed to write several books while also building an eponymous international business empire that employs thousands of people. He’s successful beyond most people’s wildest dreams, and still, he’s ridiculed endlessly by the elites.
No, not Donald Trump, Guy Fieri, the Donald Trump of Flavortown:
Sometimes you don’t want precious food - a tiny dab of deconstructed molecular gastronomy that used to be food, served in the center of a 16 inch white plate - smothered in foam and/or smoke.
you just want a damn good juicy burger made in a Mom and Pop Diner, Drive-in or Dive.
Okay, maybe with a little Donkey Sauce:
Yes, Donkey Sauce is just a silly name for aioli. Yes, he wears pinky rings and his goatee looks ridiculous. Yes, the staff at his El Burro Borracho in Laughlin, NV, isn’t waiting for that third Michelin star. But through hard work, Guy Fieri transformed himself from a short-order cook in the sticks into a one-man industry that has boosted the fortunes of countless mom-and-pop diners, hired countless people, and entertained millions. -Ricochet
Everything else on the menu is just a void, filled with smoke, mirrors. For $39 a pop.
Isomalt Sphere filled with Smoke
Americans finally began to ask “where’s the beef?”
And that’s why Donald Trump is President – only shooting stars break the mold.
Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold