Wednesday, May 31, 2017

A Pope, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Princes, and Their Pictures

I have seen several leftist websites and mainstream media sources (but then I repeat myself) promulgate the notion that Pope Francis was not happy when he met with President Trump recently as was reflected in their group photo.

Even my good friend Burr Deming at Fair and Unbalanced picked up on this new trendy left-wing meme on his site.

The problem is that not everything is as our brothers and sisters on the left would seem to want it to be.  Yes, a picture can say a thousand words, but when we look at all of the pictures, they also can tell a completely different story if we only take the time to truly look.

Here is a typical version of what the anti-Trump Left is posting.  They will first show a picture of President Obama standing next to a smiling Pope Francis and then contrast that picture with a dour looking Pope standing next to President Trump.  Of course the implication is that Pope Francis adores President Obama and is not pleased with President Trump.



But as Paul Harvey would say, here is the rest of the story.  It isn't hard to also find a picture of a seemingly displeased Pope standing next to many of the world's leaders, regardless of their political ideology.  

Below is a picture of a Canada's very leftist Prime Minister Trudeau smiling beside a seemingly grumpy Pope Francis.


Or how about this one where Israel's right-wing Benjamin Netanyahu is posing with a surly Pope Francis. 

Perhaps the apolitical (left-wing) Prince Charles would cheer up the Pope... or not.


Is it perhaps possible that Pope Francis simply doesn't typically smile for staged photographs?  There are myriads (more than two) of candid pictures of him smiling and laughing with numerous world leaders that are easily found on the inter-webs, but for the staged photographs, he presents a more stoic countenance that can be taken for a disapproving or grumpy attitude towards the official with whom he is being photographed.  

For those that attempt to make political points by pulling merely two pictures out of thousands in order to justify a talking point, they come off as being naive and self-deluding or perhaps even intentionally dishonest in their presentation of the facts.  I know beyond all doubt that it is not the latter but far more likely the former in the case with my friend Burr Deming.

I guess we sometimes need to stop and ask ourselves a question.  Is it possible that sometimes we only search long enough to see just what we wish to see and nothing more?




18 comments:

Just the Facts! said...

Great job for exposing the truth,,wonder if Bruce will get it?

Darrell Michaels said...

Thanks JTF. I am certain Burr got it. :) So did all of his fellow political travellers. They really cannot argue the conclusive facts on this one.

Dave Dubya said...

I don’t blame the Pope for not smiling with a racist birhter and idiotic climate science denier.

Climate change represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity today, and the response requires the solidarity of all. – Pope Francis Tweet

“Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming, or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it.” - 2015 encyclical, “Laudato Si.”

Trump promised to read it. Yeah, like that will happen.

Just the Facts! said...

Mr. Paine,

Looks like Dave isn't satisfied with spreading his hate on liberal blogs, so he's making his normal crazy hate filled posts here.

Just ask him to disavow Antifa or Anti-Fa or you will block his posts like he does on his blog. Let's see if he can man up!

Majormajor said...

“The idea of going after Obama’s otherness dates back to the last presidential election — and to Democrats,” Bloomberg News reported. “Long before Trump started in, Hillary Clinton’s chief strategist, Mark Penn, recognized this potential vulnerability in Obama and sought to exploit it.

Former McClatchy Washington Bureau Chief James Asher has backed up Trump’s version of events, saying he was personally pitched the story by a Clinton surrogate in 2008.
So it was the racist HRC campaign who started the birther movement?

A former Washington reporter maintains Clinton surrogate Sid Blumenthal personally pitched him the President Barack Obama “birther” story in 2008, prompting him to send a reporter to Kenya to investigate.

Majormajor said...

Dave, here's a bit of news about the military arm of the socialist liberals.


http://dailycaller.com/2017/06/04/police-attacked-14-arrested-as-antifa-pro-trump-protesters-clash-in-portland/

Still won't disavow them?

Majormajor said...

Mr. Paine,

I found this link as a great way to expose the fraud of man caused climate change..Please excuse me if you've already seen it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_RuverrEZ4

woodenman said...

Chuck, if you think that the video disproves man made GW then you so abysmally ignorant of science that you should not have any opinion on the matter.

I am sure you do not have an opinion about String Theory because you might not even heard of it so the same should go for GW. The video was piss poor and useless as an argument because it was so superficial and illogical.








Majormajor said...

Woody,

I didn't realize you were a movie critic.

What effects our climate the most, man or the sun?

Can man cause the sun to change it's effect on earth?

Has the earth's climate changed in the past?

What was mans role in those changes?

China is earth's largest polluter, what are YOU doing to stop them?

Name this person:
a Harvard sophomore, scholar who "earned" a D in Natural Sciences 6 in a course presciently named "Man's Place in Nature." Who at Vanderbilt DIVINTY school, took a course in theology and natural science. The assigned readings included the apocalyptic, and widely discredited "Limits to Growth," which formed much of the foundation for "Earth in the Balance." It is said that he failed to hand in his book report on time. Thus, his incomplete grade turned into an F, one of five Fs he received at divinity school.

Why, its the Godfather of man caused climate change, Al Gore.


Woody, like most liberals, you lack critical thinking. And it shows.

Darrell Michaels said...

First, I apologize for the delayed response. I was on vacation and have been trying to catch up since my return.

As for Mr. Dubya's comments, we are all well aware of your hate and loathing of President Trump. Some of your ranting criticisms are even justified.
That said, despite your nearly-religious belief in the political issues of "climate change", it is NOT settled science. There is much there that simply doesn't support the dire warnings and hysteria that is routinely debunked as the years pass by and the end-of-the world scenarios fail to come to fruition. We won't even bother to go into the myriads of issues of data cherry-picking and data falsification done by the pro-climate changers.

Yes, we all have an obligation as God's children to care for and be good stewards of His creation... of the earth. That doesn't mean that we should
enter into asinine political agreements that would have negligible, if any, effect on warming while decimating world economies. Of course the economic catastrophes would impact the poorest among us the most, but that is always overlooked by the zealous climate changers.

As for Pope Francis, he is a good and loving man and a fine example of many things. That said, it is my opinion that he should stay out of purely political issues as it strains credibility for him.

Darrell Michaels said...

Majormajor, we all know that NOTHING is ever immoral or illegal or wrong if Bill and Hillary do it, according to many of our leftist friends. Back then, Obama was the Kenyan usurper who denied the smartest woman on the planet her rightful spot on the throne... errr... I mean in the oval office. Now he is the left's climate change messiah.

Darrell Michaels said...

Majormajor, I grew up in the suburbs of Portland. Sadly, the city is a hot bed of FAR left lunacy.

I find it amazing that the antifa groups are often the very same ones using fascist violence in their attempts to prove that "love trumps hate".

That said, I am sure Dave disavows all such violence perpetrated by these criminal leftists.

Darrell Michaels said...

Majormajor, thanks for the video. I had not seen it. I found it to be interesting indeed. While Woodenman is correct that it doesn't categorically disprove all of the climate change "scientists" assertions, it sure does poke some serious holes in a lot of their theories.

Woodenman, perhaps I am daft too, but could you provide some specific examples of where the video was illogical or superficial. I grant that it was not a presentation of a scientific dissertation, but it does bring up some difficult points to counter by the pro-climate change group when it comes to the earth's temperature fluctuations over time, sir.

Majormajor said...

Mr. Paine,

I hope you fine this article as insightful as I did.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/448562/donald-trump-ironies-wrecking-ball-long-overdue-may-benefit-country

Darrell Michaels said...

An interesting article indeed. Thanks for sharing it Majormajor.

As you know, I am not a fan of Trump's.

That said, while he has said and done some foolish things, he also has gotten some very good things accomplished thus far.

We will see what the future holds.

woodenman said...

Chuck, I have been critical of you for about eight years now so I fail to see how I lack critical thinking.

T.Paine it is good to see that you are back, you have been sorely missed, here and also at the Rant.

I am getting ready for an out of state trip for a few days so I cannot take the time to compose a proper reply to either of you but will do so when I get back.

Majormajor said...

Woody,

Are you using your non fossil fueled car for your trip? Do you plan on contacting China's embassy about their role in man caused climate change?

Darrell Michaels said...

Majormajor and Woodenman, it troubles my heart to see so much animosity between you two. Woodenman, wouldn't the world be nicer and far easier for you if you just realized and acknowledged the blessings of conservativism and capitalism, my friend? :) lol!

I appreciate that I was missed, sir. Thanks for your kind words. Things have been exceptionally busy in my life lately and my on-line writing has suffered because of it.

I hope your trip is safe and productive for you, Woodenman. I eagerly await your response upon your return, my friend. Cheers until then!