A Slight Change of Direction

Up to this point, the thrust of this blog has been talking about my experiences in the military with the hope it will help young people understand what life in the armed forces can be like. I intend to continue in that way to some point.

But, I also intend to use this forum to speak out about things I see in the world as I see them. In that vein, the following is going to be my very first opinion piece. I hope you enjoy and am looking forward to your responses.

Underestimating the Smarts of Melania Trump

There’s been a whole lot of media attention on a couple of instances of the First Lady “swatting away” the hand of the president. That same media has totally ignored the instances where they walked together hand-in-hand, close together.

Let’s stop to think about that for a moment.

Melania is European with that outlook. She is also a very intelligent and successful lady in her own right. And, last but not least, she is a mother. Part of her experience is dealing with visuals and their importance in the scheme of things.

Has anyone stopped to think that perhaps she is the one leading the visual effects of the president’s trip? Maybe she understands there are times when the president is representing the country she loves and needs to stand alone as its Chief Executive. And, maybe there are others when she understands its in his best interest to be a husband and father.

Let’s compare those times.

Walking across the tarmac or meeting foreign leaders. She takes a role in the background and lets the president take the lead. Walking to holy places like the Church of the Seplechre or inside the Vatican, they hold hands as she is at his side in the place she feels she needs to be.

Interesting, isn’t it.