Introduction

All Democratic leaders are against the Solemani execution, and all Republican leaders are for it. It seems like we are choosing sides prior to watching a football game. And both sides cite “evidence”, which, when examined alone, sounds convincing. Where is the truth that should be known by all, and where is the strategic thinking that must cross party lines? Come to think of it, where are the grown ups?

That is the subject of today’s 10-minute episode. 

Continuing

How is it that everything has become political? The Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, should be the most impartial. Can anyone make the case that the Supreme Court is not supremely political? Examples like questions of how to use competition to improve anything from healthcare to education drown in the deepening political quagmire. Participants line up behind what their chosen political party is claiming to be true. Neither party concentrates on using facts and non agenda-based reasoning to achieve the deeply needed results. Worse, there are only two viable parties. Two bitterly divided views of the world.

When I was in school, the gym teacher would often have the boys split themselves into two teams, “shirts” and “skins.” One group would take off their shirts, making teammate identification easy in this ad hoc team selection, and we’d have at it. There might be some bumping, loud words, and a genuine desire to go all in to win, but at the end of the game, it was all over. Everyone was wearing shirts again, with laughter and playful shoving restoring cohesion and friendship.  

The teacher assigned us our opposing sides; we went at it with all the strength and skill that we could muster. When it was over, we were friends and schoolmates again. In our political thinking, in our political biases and mantras, many of us are influenced over a period of time to take up an unwavering faith in what we are being told by our chosen politicians, media, co-workers and neighbors. And in a very real sense we choose the politics of our fellow workers and neighbors. If we choose to work in, say, San Francisco, we will immerse ourselves in a very different political (and moral?) environment, than Cheyenne, Wyoming. 

When it comes to the late General Solemani, here are the very different views of what is going on.

Those who disagree with the execution:

Solemani was Iran’s most popular General. 

He was a true national hero. 

The General used clever asymmetrical war tactics to successfully engage far larger and stronger imperialist America.

Millions in Iran and Iraq mourn his passing.

The Iranian government seeks, and will exact, righteous revenge.

Trump is flirting with--if not downright seeking--yet another endless Mideast war.

Trump is endangering Americans and America to distract us from his impeachment.

Now let’s hear from the other side:

Iran is the world’s leading exporter of terrorism.

Solemani was the main figure in exporting that terrorism to many countries around the world. 

Solemani used civilians as shields in many of his terrorist attacks.

Trump has stayed his hand despite many and severe provocations, e.g., the recent Iranian downing of a US drone.

Trump has long been against foreign wars, having been against the war in Iraq from the beginning.

Iran crossed even Trump’s tolerant line with recent the death of an American. 

If there were a Mount Rushmore for butchers in the Middle East, Soleimani, despite stiff competition, would be on it.

Today’s key point: We Americans are using any excuse, in this case Solemani’s execution, to politically execute each other. And the continuing and escalating attacks from one side against the other, American vs. American,