Your mama wears combat boots

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DvXo_MQVsAAxxLa.jpg:large via Freerepublic

so after an NBC story was trumpeted all over the airways to criticize the US president for not visiting the troops on Christmas, he shows up in Iraq, and Melania, whose use of high heels was a big issue for the press when they visited the hurricane zones, is wearing combat boots.

actually they are Timberline boots, mocks the press, who don't know how to google...if they did, they might find that the US military allows non military boots to be worn, including a very similar one from Timberline.

expect more negative stories about her costume, because the press is biased and not ashamed to make a fool of themselves to mock those they dislike.

nothing new about this: The Queen Mum was criticized for visiting the bombed out areas and survivors during the Blitz, because she was wearing very feminine clothing and her signature hat.

Her answer: I always wear my best when I visit people.

and the petty criticism is not political: I have defended Mrs. Obama from similar snarky articles.

this is why people dislike the press, and don't trust it.

Similarly,This similar to how the very dangerous Bush visit quickly morphed into ridicule of a "plastic turkey" which he held as he joked with the troops that he was going to serve it to them. (joke usually ignored in the ridicule).

the point not being stressed: Such trips are dangerous. Mrs. Clinton was shot at when she visited the  Balkans, and Anbar is in the middle of the ISIS/Sunni area of Iraq.

But nothing new about distorting the story from heroism to trivia.

when Bush visited Iraq, the Freepers got wind of it, and Jimrob removed their post until it was officially announced for security reasons.

This time, Avgeek spotters in Europe saw AF1 and posted it on line, but apparently the press didn't suspect a thing, or else they were too busy posting their meme to actually wonder what was going on (I would like to say that they were keeping mum for security reasons, but pushing a negative story to cover security is a bit over the top.)

in other news, a lot of tears shed over two kids who "died in custody" after crossing the border. Since both died within hours of what seemed to be sepsis, one does suspect they were sick when they were illegally brought across the border by their fathers even though they were sick.

But the CDC has been asked to check and Mexican public health authorities have been asked to check too.

The irony? Obama's change in regulations mean if you bring a kid with you, you were given a "get out of detention free" card, so in the first case, the father left wife and kids home and just brought one of the kids along, which doesn't make sense except to point out he figured the kid would help him stay in the USA, never mind the danger to the kid.

Sigh.

My take? Why are they making a big thing about Honduras, when there are three million Venezuelan refugees who have fled to nearby countries in the last few months? NatGeo article on one such group.

Although the region has experienced multiple population movements, this exodus is thought by some to be Latin America’s worst-ever migration crisis. Over the last four years, amid a long and dire economic downfall, Venezuela has seen the impoverishment of its citizens and a resulting mass exodus. The latest re-election of President Nicolás Maduro to a second term hasn’t helped the already tenuous situation, igniting a simmering desire of many Venezuelans to leave the struggling nation. Hyperinflation of the economy, hospitals without supplies, and the rampant spread of hunger have fueled their flight.

Sigh.

So many refugees.

I remember the Mariel Boat lift, when some of our Commissioned corps staff were sent to care for the refugees, and when they came back they said they saw diseases and neglected medical problems that they hadn't seen for years in the USA.

So how does one respond? Both prevention and first aid type help.

the USAID is sending help to Colombia to help these refugees LINK2 but short of a change in government/government policies, one does doubt much will help. 

and the US is sending money to Central America to help those countries fight the gangs who are partly the reason for many fleeing the area.