Meal, Ready-to-Trump: MRE package bears striking resemblance to president — and Kanye?

In case it has yet to be brought to the attention of Meal, Ready-to-Eat aficionados, one of the MRE’s newer bag designs of figures flanking a rifle stack features one individual who bears an uncanny resemblance to the military’s commander in chief.

This is not a stretch of the imagination, not some discovery of the face of the Virgin Mary in a bowl of gravy-smothered mashed potatoes or a subliminal message burned into the flaky dough of a quesadilla.

That is a presidential silhouette if there ever was one, and an unavoidable visual connection that now can never be unseen.

While preparing to wolf down the succulent brown bag goodness adored by generations of constipated service members, Reddit user Ternarian was confronted by the stunning revelation.

“MRE package design looks like Trump and Kanye sitting around a campfire,” the user captioned the post on the popular r/AirForce subreddit.

Does it ever.

The striking comparison is helped by the notion that the two have developed a unique friendship.

Kanye West has become an outspoken supporter of the president, and met with Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in October while wearing the recognizable “Make America Great Again” hat.

“It was something about when I put this hat on, it made me feel like Superman,” West said, sitting across from Trump in the Oval Office. “You made a Superman. That was my – that’s my favorite superhero. And you made a Superman cape.”

The two discussed an array of topics during the meeting, including the office’s energy force.

“Let me ask you this question,” Trump said to West. “You’re in the Oval Office. How does it feel to be in the Oval Office?”

“Oh, it is good energy in this,” West responded.

“Isn’t it good energy?” Trump inquired.

“It’s good energy," West reaffirmed.

Somehow, that good energy has contributed to a blossoming friendship that managed to find its way onto an MRE sleeve.

https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2019/02/10/meal-ready-to-trump-mre-package-bears-striking-resemblance-to-president-and-kanye/

Pentagon weighs troop cuts as Shanahan makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. is considering what cuts to U.S. force levels could support peace negotiations in Afghanistan while balancing risk there, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Sunday.

Shanahan made the surprise visit, his first since becoming acting defense secretary, to meet with U.S. and Afghan leaders to discuss the nascent peace talks and assess the risks tied to a potential drawdown. Shanahan was named acting secretary in December by President Donald Trump to replace former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who resigned.

Shanahan’s visit comes days after the U.S. top negotiator for peace talks with the Taliban, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, announced that the two parties have agreed in principle to framework where the Taliban would agree to prevent any terror groups from operating under their control, and the U.S. would begin a draw down of forces.

"It always gets back to assurances," Shanahan said. "There's risk-taking but there have to be assurances. and putting in place the mechanisms to get people the confidence to take the risk," Shanahan said.

However, the Taliban have not agreed to meet with the Afghan government, which is a necessary component of a final peace deal.

Shanahan said he would take information gathered during his time in Kabul to NATO, where he is expected at a defense ministerial later this week, and back to the White House. Trump has previously pressed for a withdrawal of forces, who have been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001.

“I think the U.S. military has strong security interests in the region. It’s presence will evolve out of those discussions,” Shanahan said. “We are going to leave it to the teams to start to look at what mix, combination makes the most sense.”

In December, multiple news outlets reported that the White House was considering withdrawing as many as 7,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops now in Afghanistan; and last week the Taliban said that as part of the negotiations with Khalilzad those forces would be withdrawn by May.

Shanahan said that's not the case.

“I have not been directed to step down our forces in Afghanistan,” Shanahan said.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/02/11/pentagon-weighs-troop-cuts-as-shanahan-makes-surprise-visit-to-afghanistan/

Kentucky Proposes New Pro-Life Bill, Abortions Would Be Felony with Jail Time

A proposed Kentucky law its sponsor calls “the most pro-life piece of the legislation that has ever been filed in the Kentucky Legislature” would make abortion a felony if performed after the heartbeat of the unborn child can be detected.

The bill was proposed by state Rep. Robert Goforth, a Republican from East Bernstadt. It will join other pieces of legislation being proposed for the 2019 session of the Kentucky legislature, which begins on Jan. 8.

The law would require an abortion provider to check for a fetal heartbeat before ending a woman’s pregnancy. A baby’s heart begins beating roughly six weeks after conception.

Performing an abortion if that heartbeat is detected — without a documented medical emergency — would be a Class D felony under Goforth’s proposal. That would send an abortion provider to jail for up to five years, WAVE reported.

“My proposal recognizes that everyone has a right to life,” Goforth said, according to Kentucky Today.

“My personal belief is that life begins at conception and ends at natural death. A heartbeat proves that there’s life that deserves protection under law — if a heart is beating, a baby needs to be protected and given an opportunity to live,” he said.

Goforth’s legislation reflects the reality of the hard start his 4-year-old triplets had.

“My children were barely two pounds when they were born 11 weeks early,” he said. “We spent 23 weeks in the hospital when they were born and there were babies born there even earlier than they were.”

He said that just because some abortion laws allow late-term abortions does not mean they are right.

“Some states perform abortions when the gestation is even further along than my children were when they were born,” he said. “We’re talking about viable babies. They are children. We owe it to all children to stand up and fight for them.”

Goforth is under no illusions that the legislation will be a fight all the way — not just to gain passage, but in court if adopted and implemented.

“I look forward to the day our laws and our court system give unborn children the legal right to life that they deserve so they can grow and live happy and productive lives,” he said.

RELATED: Haley Responds to Pelosi’s Climate Committee: Does Protecting God’s Creation Include Babies?

The Kentucky bill is similar to one that is being considered in Ohio, according to Cleveland.com. The two houses of the Ohio General Assembly passed slightly different versions of the bill. If Ohio’s House of Representatives agrees on the language changes adopted by the state Senate, the bill would go to Gov. John Kasich for signature. Kasich vetoed a similar bill in 2016.

Kasich leaves office at the end of the year. If the wrangling over the language delays the bill until next year, it would go before Kasich’s successor, Mike DeWine.

DeWine said during his campaign he would support the legislation, according to Cincinnati.com

“I will sign the bill,” he said. “I believe that the essential function of government is to protect the most vulnerable members of society. That includes the unborn.”

When the law passed the Ohio House, its advocates said it was developed with a bigger picture in mind.

Republican Ohio Rep. Christina Hagan said last month that the bill invites a court challenge that could eventually lead to the toppling of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

“We believe Ohio is best positioned to send this through the Circuit Courts and to the federal Supreme Court,” Hagan said, according to The New York Times.

https://www.westernjournal.com/kentucky-proposes-new-pro-life-bill-abortions-felony-jail-time/

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