Following Trump’s bizarre performance at the Helsinki Summit with his BFF Vladimir Putin, bi-partisan condemnation of his press conference was swift and severe after he expressed his willingness to accept Putin’s word that Russia didn’t interfere with the 2016 election, despite findings by US intelligence proving otherwise.

Not to worry, though. Following this backlash, and now that he’s home and a safe distance away from Putin, Trump’s false bravado was back on full display yesterday as he attempted to backtrack from his previous statements about Russian interference.

According to Trump, he didn’t reject US intelligence in favor of Russia; he simply misspoke. He’s always believed Russia interfered. He’s just a victim of the English language.

“The sentence should have been ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia,’ sort of a double negative. So you can put that in and I think it probably clarifies things pretty good.

“I have on numerous occasions noted our intelligence findings that Russians attempted to interfere in our elections.”

But Trump’s difficulty with contractions isn’t the only reason for this apparent misunderstanding. Not at all. The real culprit, as is always the case when the news is unfavorable, is the “Fake News” media.

While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way – the Fake News is going Crazy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2018

The meeting between President Putin and myself was a great success, except in the Fake News Media!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2018

Sadly, criticism of Trump’s Helsinki remarks has been noticeably missing in some so-called conservative circles in Washington and in the media. Not only that, they have joined the Trump echo chamber in defending him.

For example, according to Trump, Sen. Rand Paul agreed with his claim that the Mueller investigation was responsible for Trump’s troubling comments.

Thank you @RandPaul. “The President has gone through a year and a half of totally partisan investigations – what’s he supposed to think?”

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2018

Additionally, in an interview with Trump Pravda (FOX News), Paul called out Republicans who criticized Trump, labelling them pro-war and/or anti-Trump for doing so.

“Republicans that are making the criticism are either the pro-war Republicans like McCain and Graham or the anti-Trump ones like Sasse … They are motivated by their persistent and consistent dislike of the president.”

In the House of Representatives, so-called conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus embraced Trump’s “Fake News” mantra, arguing that the media’s criticism of Trump’s statements had overshadowed his accomplishments concerning Russia. At least, that’s how Freedom Caucus member Rep Warren Davidson sees it:

“The reality is people are upset about what President Trump said, but they’re not giving him credit for what he’s done.”

Is it just me, or shouldn’t what you say jive with what you do? I think they call that walking the talk.

Meanwhile, sounding like he wrote Trump’s “Fake News” talking points, the conservative talk show host formerly known as Rush Limbaugh, also blames the media for Trump’s pro-Russia comments, saying that their “embarrassingly shallow and puerile, infantile questions” were responsible.

So, take heart, America. Trump didn’t mean what he said when he said it. He was simply playing 3-D chess with the Russian President, and anyone who thinks otherwise only does so because they are pro-war, anti-Trump, and they believe fake news.

Originally posted on The Strident Conservative.

David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative. His daily radio commentary is distributed by the Salem Radio Network and is heard on stations across America.

Follow the Strident Conservative on Twitter and Facebook.  Subscribe to receive podcasts of radio commentaries: iTunes | Stitcher | Tune In | RSS

The week of July 4th makes it more than appropriate that we celebrate the 20th Century Musket – The venerable AR-15.

Well, it’s that time of year when those who love freedom celebrate the 4th of July. While those who cannot deal with people living in Liberty [In other words – Leftists] lose their collective minds over the festivities.  Those of us on the Pro-Liberty, Conservative Right understand that the Limited government created by the founding fathers has made the US the greatest in the world.

So, in light of the 4th of July celebration and Gun Pride Month, it is time to commemorate the 20th century version of the rifle of the common foot soldier. Of course, the Armalite AR-15 is really a firearm for civilians. For you Leftists out there interested in factual reality, that means it’s not really of the military or ‘Military style’ – whatever that means.

So, without further adieu, this is our list of the 5 best ways to celebrate AR-15 Appreciation Week:

1. Try one.

A number of shooting ranges will let you try one of these distinguished rifles out for yourself. Despite the false assertions of the snowflake set, you won’t end up with a dislocated shoulder or PTSD from shooting what is essentially a .22 calibre rifle with a bit more propellant. In fact, this firearm is especially suited for the distaff side of the population. These ever popular rifles have a very low recoil and can fitted with a telescoping stock to easily adapt to those of varying stature. If most feminists truly believed in Liberty, this would be their rifle [wooden furniture pieces optional]

Renting and shooting off a few thousand rounds – yes, it’s quite addictive and fun – will give you a feel for the firearm. Soon you too will realise that guns are the gateway ‘drug’ to Liberty and you’ll be hooked… forever.

2. Buy one. (or two or three..)

So perhaps you’ve tried one out or you have a very good friend who has let you try theirs – hooking you on freedom in the process. So now you will want to head out to your local FFL and buy one for yourself. You may want to do some research on these “Barbie dolls for grownups” first, but the process is ‘quick and easy’. And when we say ‘quick and easy’ we really mean long and arduous since you will need several forms of ID and the time to wait for the retailer to check with the feral government as to whether you are worthy of owning one of these fantastic firearms. In addition to this, you may have State hoops to jump through. Still further, there may be even local laws on the subject – if you happened to live in an area that doesn’t value Liberty.

Depending on what you’ve purchased, you will then have to outfit your new 20th Century Musket. This task can also be arduous, but still enjoyable in and of itself.

3. Help a friend Try or Buy one.

This is for those who already have a 20th Century Musket who wish to help out their fellow patriots in becoming outfitted for themselves. Its a lot easier navigating all the options when you have a guide, so consider performing this service for the cause of Liberty. With millions already owning this very popular rifle, the more the merrier.

4. Build one*

*Warning to those of snowflake set – you may not want to read the following so you can be ‘safe’ from the knowledge that there are those imbued with the precepts of Liberty that are taking actions out of your control. This may be abhorrent to you folks who would like to have the power to parcel out your version of ‘Liberty’, but you are henceforth warned if you proceed.

For those on the Pro-Liberty side of the aisle, Building an AR-15 is the next step up from buying one. It may take some mechanical aptitude, but there is no better way of becoming thoroughly versed in the parts and operation of your Modern Day Musket than building and maintaining one yourself. Thankfully, there are many guides and videos on the subject Here and Here.

Multiple build levels for every skill set.

Purchasing a complete lower receiver assembly and mating it with the rest of the parts bought separately.

This process is relatively easy from a mechanical standpoint, the difficulty will lie in trying to choose between the multitude of options. There are almost too many choices in customisation, but that is the beauty of the AR-15 platform. There are however few choices with regard to the ‘chainsaw bayonet’ option – sorry CNN.

Assembling a Lower receiver assembly from a stripped Lower receiver and parts kit.

Think of the stripped Lower receiver as the ‘motherboard’ of your new Modern Day Musket, where you assemble the fire control assembly as well as other parts. It can get a bit involved, but there are a number of helpful websites and videos on the subject. This helps to familiarise yourself with inner most ‘workings’ of your firearm.

Curiously enough, this inert piece of a machined aluminium is considered to be a ‘Gun’ by the Federals, so you will have to endure the usual paper-chase to buy one. Of course, the down-side to buying a ‘gun’ that is in the form of a small piece of aluminium is that is extremely easy to lose one of these things. After all, we’re talking about a small inert hunk of metal that you could easily misplace. But those are the breaks…

Machining a Lower receiver blank.

Then there is the finishing out of what is colloquially referred to as an ‘80%’ Lower. This is a partially machined hunk of forged aluminium that isn’t considered to be a firearm so it’s long on the need for metal machining skills but short on a paper trail. Then of course there is the bare minimum of a piece of metal and going through all the steps in making a part out of metal.

Most likely the snowflake brigades will have their knickers in a twist at the thought of someone making a gun without anyone knowing about it. Well, sadly for them, they still lack the authority to control everyone’s Liberty, so they will just have to deal with it. Most likely it hasn’t occurred to them that the ability for anyone to make a gun out of basic materials negates their cherished control fetishes, but we’ll just let them find out for themselves.

5. Bonus Level: Adding a Piston operated upper to your ‘arsenal’.

For the really advanced level, there is obtaining for yourself a piston operated upper instead of the standard direct impingement type.  Along with exploring all the options for this venerable 20th century rifle. This is a bit of an involved topic, but something to consider.
So there you have it, 5 of the best ways of celebrating the Modern Day Musket – the 20th-century version of the rifle shouldered by the Minuteman at Lexington and Concord. Now, go out there and honour their sacrifice in defense of Liberty and get yourself one. (or two or three…)

Other than his plagiarization of Ronald Reagan’s “Let’s Make America Great Again,” Donald Trump’s repeated accusation of “Fake News” has been a key reason for the popularity he enjoys with his loyal followers.

Ironically, Trump’s fake news spiel is also a plagiarization of World War II Nazi propaganda called “Lügenpresse” which translated means “lying press.” Another irony of Trump’s repeated “Fake News” claims—in his own words news is only fake when it contains information he considers negative—is that he most likely owes his 2016 victory to the billions of dollars in free media coverage he received.

Since becoming president, Trump has not only attacked unfavorable media, but he has favored media outlets that feed his narcissistic-sociopathic need for undying adulation. For example, a recent FCC rule change gave Sinclair Broadcast Group—a pro-Trump media outlet with ties to Trump, Steve Bannon, and Breitbart News—potential control of TV news to over 70 percent of US households.

Another beneficiary of Trump’s benevolence toward favorable media is FOX News, the network home of his advisor and shadow chief of staff, Sean Hannity, and the provider of Trump’s daily intel, FOX & Friends. Like Sinclair, Trump is rewarding the network that once branded itself “fair and balanced” in the days before the Age of Trump.

It was announced last week that former co-president of FOX News Bill Shine—after a major push from Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly—will join the White House in a senior communications role. Thought his exact title is unclear at this time, Trump has been without a communications director since Hope Hicks bailed on him back in March. There have been 5 White House communications directors in the past 18 months.

In addition to his tainted history of turning FOX into Trump TV, Shine’s past includes his forced resignation from FOX News due to his poor handling of sexual harassment scandals involving former Chief Executive Roger Ailes and the aforementioned Bill O’Reilly.

Over the weekend, it was revealed that Shine not only failed to address these scandals, he was involved in hiring private detectives to intimidate and track Ailes’ accusers. This recent revelation has some calling out Trump for his decision to hire Shine.

I say this as someone who was on Fox for a decade and had no beef (though little interaction) with Bill Shine: It’s a disgrace that a man who, it turns out, enabled and covered up truly repulsive behavior by Roger Ailes, would get a senior White House job. https://t.co/29cwhYu4NA

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 29, 2018

It’s rather ironic that Trump, a man with his own history concerning sexual harassment would even consider hiring someone like Shine, but not surprising. Trump has been an advocate for the creation of state-run media ever since he first threatened to expand libel laws during his campaign—a threat he renewed this past January—against a media he once called “the enemy of the American people.”

With Sinclair nearly a done deal, and with FOX News literally having an office in the White House, state-run media and the death of the free press could be closer than we realize.

Originally posted on The Strident Conservative.

David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative. His daily radio commentary is distributed by the Salem Radio Network and is heard on stations across America.

Follow the Strident Conservative on Twitter and Facebook.  Subscribe to receive podcasts of radio commentaries: iTunes | Stitcher | Tune In | RSS