What Melania's Hat Can Teach Us About First Impressions

Intellectual Takeout

"I caught my first glimpse of Melania’s outfit soon after she and President Trump arrived at Buckingham Palace, kicking off their 2019 state visit.

“Did you see the footage of Trump and Melania visiting Buckingham Palace?!” ran my text to a friend. “I love Melania’s hat!”

"Checking it out for herself, my friend sent back, “I like her whole outfit!” Indeed, it was a classic fashion choice reminiscent of the Edwardian period, capable of measuring up to the proper fashion standards the English Royals commonly exhibit."

. . . 

"But Melania’s classic clothes signal more than a time-tested outfit that fits any occasion. They signal dignity, respect, and grace.
"We live in a time when almost every individual craves these qualities. We want to be treated with dignity. We want others to respect us. And while we may not always think of it, those who have the ability to present themselves with grace through a calm, composed, and considerate manner are often those we most admire." . . .

What Saint Augustine Would Have Thought of Joel Osteen

Intellectual Takeout

“ 'This guy is the best thing that has ever happened to Twitter,” ran a text I recently sent to friends. The occasion? A tweet from “St. AugOsteen.”

"Taking quotes from famed Prosperity Gospel preacher Joel Osteen and mixing them with those of St. Augustine of Hippo, St. AugOsteen creates some pretty fantastic statements. For the sake of your enjoyment, here are a handful of his lovely tweets:" . . .
. . . 

"But most significantly, Augustine’s theology, understanding of self, and view of the world centered around God. He famously wrote, “[God] hast made us for [Himself] and our hearts are restless until they rest in [Him].”

"Joel Osteen, on the other hand, has an arguably human-centered approach to theology, urging people to “speak the miracle” in their own lives and take hold of their “best life now.' ” . . .

My Buddy and Me! Biden Mocked Over Photo of Obama Friendship Bracelet

Legal Insurrection  "On Saturday we celebrated National Best Friends Day because everything has a day. I guess former Vice President Joe Biden thought he could seize the day to remind people that he served next to President Barack Obama for eight years by posting their friendship bracelet.

"Cringeworthy doesn’t quite cut it. Even some of Obama’s closest aides rolled their eyes.

"Do you know what I find hilarious? The media, the left, and the right loved the Obama-Biden bromance… until now." . . .

Top Obama adviser on Biden ‘best friend’ claim: ‘This is a joke, right?’ . . . "Biden claimed in his memoirs that Obama repeatedly discouraged from running in 2016, believing that Biden's entrance into the race would unnecessarily "rock the boat."

" 'In January 2015 the president was convinced I could not beat Hillary, and he worried that a long primary fight would split the party and leave the Democratic nominee vulnerable in the general election," Biden wrote.

"Axelrod, who was the chief strategist for Obama's presidential campaigns, has expressed skepticism at Biden's ability to maintain his momentum through 2020, either, especially given his flip-flop on the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the federal funding of abortion.

" 'His rollout was flawless in my view, and he’s had a very solid spring," Axelrod said of Biden's campaign Friday on CNN. "But this underscores questions that people have had about whether he can go the distance."

"Backtracking from his moderate, decades-long stance on the Hyde Amendment, Biden acknowledged Thursday that "times have changed," and that he supports its repeal." . . .

Newsweek reports: "TWITTER ROASTS BIDEN'S TWEET OF BRACELET PHOTO FOR OBAMA ON 'BEST FRIENDS' DAY"

Following Mr. Jordan, representative Matt Gaetz: “the ghost of Christmas past“….

The Conservative Treehouse  "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Judicary Chairman Jerry Nadler constructed a political hearing to kick-off their impeachment narrative and fuel their base.  In an effort to create the appearance of hearing credibility the plan was to use testimony from former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean.  The plan failed, miserably…  Dean was showcased for what he is, a political prop for the left-wing base of MSNBC moonbats.

"Committee members Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz spotlight the ridiculous positions of Mr. Dean by highlighting his ideological history and presenting questions which showcase the absurdity of it all.  First up, Jim Jordan:

. . . 

The Nadler Democrat clown show invites John Dean to the hanging

California could use a management change

It does seem to be true that people get the government they deserve. TD

Silvio Canto, Jr.  "Over Sunday lunch, a friend was saying that he just got back from Los Angeles.  He added that he had not seen that much filth in some of the third-world countries that he visits for business regularly.  He looked at me and asked: " How do the voters put up with that?"

"My answer was that voters have been voting with their feet for years.  In other words, they leave the Golden State.

"California is a mess indeed, as Jim Bredo wrote:  

It has the worst ranking for homelessness, 8th worst for roads, and worst for teacher-to-student ratio. Its prisons are so crowded that the Supreme Court determined them to constitute cruel and unusual punishment, and it suffered the worst budget crisis of all the states during the Great Recession.

But residents are so mesmerized by the amazing weather and beauty of the place that they tend to overlook the quality of the services. And as a result, management does not change. The state has been under the same Democratic Party management for years. Their monopoly on power is so safe that they now hold supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature despite California’s worsening condition. Management has no incentive to change when it keeps getting re-elected.

Californians may not be voting out Democrats at the ballot box, but they have been voting with their feet. While California’s population has grown from 29 million to 39 million over the past 30 years, in each year during that period the state has seen a net loss in migration to other states.

The American President and the Queen

Earl of Taint

Mitt Romney, The Dog on the Roof of the Democrat Caravan of Crazies

Canada Free Press  "Mitt Romney has positioned himself as the Dog on the Roof of the Caravan of Crazies, including Wobbly Woofer Joe Biden,  running for DNC nomination in the 2020 Election Campaign.

“ 'Mitt Romney proved once again this weekend that the only reason he ran for US Senate was to trash President Trump for the next six years. (Gateway Pundit, June 8, 2019).

“In 2018 President Trump generously endorsed Mitt Romney for US Senator from Utah.”

"Dog Catcher Gateway Pundit points out that since that time Mitt has been nothing but a pain in the tush, taking swipes at Trump whenever and wherever possible.

"Just about everyone takes swipes at Trump for publicity,  ratings and career boosts,  including Political Opportunist Supremo Mitt Romney.

"Shades of Seamus, The abused Romney dog:

“ 'During a 1983 family vacation, Mitt Romney drove 12 hours with his dog on top of the car in a windshield-equipped carrier. This incident became the subject of negative media attention and political attacks on Romney in both the 2008 and the 2012 presidential elections. (Wikipedia)" . . .

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Kavanaugh ‘Boosted’ Female SCOTUS Law Clerks

Breitbart

"Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) told a group of judges in upstate New York on Thursday that her colleague, newly-appointed Justice Brett Kavanaugh, was the reason the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) had more female law clerks this term.“Justice Kavanaugh made history by hiring a team of all-female law clerks for his staff. Thanks to his selections, the Court has this Term, for the first time ever, more women than men serving as law clerks,” Ginsburg announced on Thursday.

"Ginsburg’s statement comes several months after Kavanaugh went through a drawn-out confirmation battle to become an associate justice on the Supreme Court over accusations of sexual misconduct.

"Democrats pushed the FBI for further investigation into those allegations, but the FBI determined those allegations against Kavanaugh to be “uncorroborated.”

"During the heated set of confirmation hearings, Kavanaugh made a promise to appoint a team of all-female clerks. The New York Times reported in October 2018 that he promised to hire a team of four female Supreme Court law clerks.

"Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee along with one of his accusers, California psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford, over decades-old allegations that Kavanaugh groped Ford at a high school party. Kavanaugh had repeatedly denied the allegations and Ford’s claims.

"However, nobody had been able to prove that Ford’s allegations against Kavanaugh are true because Ford kept changing her version of the story.

"Of the people she named, not one of them said they could recall what happened around that time or whether Kavanaugh and Ford were in the same room.

"Kavanaugh is considered to be one of the more conservative judges on the Supreme Court, but he has sided with more liberal justices in several rulings." . . .

Shameless Kirsten Gillibrand embarrasses herself pandering at an Iowa gay bar

Thomas Lifson "Unfortunately for the junior senator from New York, it takes more brains than she possesses to pull off unprincipled political pandering.  Over the course of her political career, Kirsten Gillibrand has demonstrated a willingness to embrace any policy or group that she thinks will work to her advantage. When she represented a rural-ish upstate New York congressional district, she was all for the Second Amendment, but when elevated to the Senate (to replace Hillary Clinton), her principles reversed themselves.

"But then again, Bill Clinton was flexible in his principles depending on political advantage and got away with it with enough voters to get re-elected as president. Gillibrand’s problem is that she isn’t bright enough to pull off the slipperiness with aplomb.

"This lack of the finesse necessary to be a good political con artist was all too evident Friday in Des Moines, when Gillibrand visited a gay bar, The Blazing Saddle. She actually went behind the bar (at least she didn’t jump on top of it, Beto-style) and appeared to be (or feigned) drunkenness." . . .

When John Dean testifies, the real Watergate analogy should be made clear

Jonathan Cohen

"The Democrats in the House are opening their post-Mueller report hearings with testimony from John Dean, the former Nixon White House Counsel, whose riveting testimony in the Watergate Hearings helped push the House of Representatives towards an impeachment probe. While Dean is the Democrats’ choice, the hearing will provide the Republicans the opportunity to show that the true similarity of the current political situation with Watergate is between the Nixon and Obama administrations. By the time all is known, the real question may be: should Trump pardon Barack Obama.
. . . 
"As the facts in the origins of the Russian collusion investigation begin to become known to more than Fox News viewers, the similarities between the activities of the Nixon White House and the Obama administration will become glaringly obvious. John Dean needs to be asked a series of questions, and, since he would be under oath, would have to answer them somewhat as I imagine below:" . . .   Read the questions here...

PETA Condemns Fishing as ‘Cruel’ Harassment

These people vote and choose those who run this nation. TD

Breitbart  "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has denounced fishing as a cruel sport, insisting that fish feel pain and urging all anglers to become vegans.
“ 'Fish are sentient individuals who feel pain,” PETA stated in a tweet Friday. “Invading an animal’s natural habitat, harassing them, killing them, and eating them for fun is so cruel.”
“ 'Don’t go fishing this summer, or EVER,” PETA commanded.
"In their accompanying video, PETA asks viewers to try to imagine what their cold-blooded brethren feel by putting themselves in the fish’s place.
“ 'Anglers often try to retrieve hooks by shoving their fingers or even a pair of pliers down a fish’s throat. Doing this doesn’t just rip out the hook, but also part of the fish’s throat and organs,” the video states.
“ 'Can you imagine having a hook pierce your face before suffocating to death?” it asks.
“ 'No one deserves this. Try vegan!” it adds, seeming to suggest that human rights and fish rights are basically equivalent and that a fish is a “someone” just as a human being is." . . .

PETA Wants a Memorial to Dead Fish
"In her letter, [the PETA representative] argues that even though these memorial signs are usually reserved for humans, these fish deserve one because they’re people too:" . . .

"Perhaps their compassion can be directed to this dying, still unborn baby experiencing the pain of being aborted:  . . . "After injecting the hormone into the patient’s womb, the doctor left the syringe standing upright on her belly. Then, Selzer wrote, “I see something other than what I expected here. . . . . It is the hub of the needle that is in the woman’s belly that has jerked. First to one side. Then to the other side. Once more it wobbles, is tugged, like a fishing line nibbled by a sunfish.” 

"He realized he was seeing the fetus’s desperate fight for life. And as he watched, he saw the movement of the syringe slow down and then stop. The child was dead. Whatever else an unborn child does not have, he has one thing: a will to live. He will fight to defend his life. The last words in Selzer’s essay are, “Whatever else is said in abortion’s defense, the vision of that other defense [i.e., of the child defending its life] will not vanish from my eyes. And it has happened that you cannot reason with me now. For what can language do against the truth of what I saw?' ” . . .

Hours After Joining the Congressional Black-Jewish Caucus, Ilhan Omar Expresses Support for Linda Sarsour

Legal Insurrection

By once again standing shoulder to shoulder with anti-Semitic activist Linda Sarsour, Ilhan Omar demonstrated her goal was to undermine the bipartisan caucus she had just endorsed.

"If nothing else, one thing most people would agree on about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is that when she wants to get a message across, she doesn’t waste any time.

"Such was the case earlier this week when, on Wednesday evening, the freshman Congresswoman tweeted out support for a newly-formed bipartisan caucus for black and Jewish House members . . . and then sided with anti-Semitic activist Linda Sarsour in a Twitter war over one of the caucus’s Jewish founders just hours later.

"Here’s a timeline of what went down:

"On Monday, the American Jewish Community advocacy group officially announced the formation of the coalition:". . .