Binary Choices

One of my many concerns is the willingness of too many to reduce complex issues to simplistic memes and binary options. They see the world, as best as I can determine, in black and white. I do my best to see the world is its magnificent shades of color and nuance. Time taken to read. To learn. To explore options. To look ahead at the possible outcomes of the choices I make. Am I successful? Am I good at that endeavor? Sometimes is the honest answer to both questions. What about the meme above a friend posted today on Facebook?

First, a simple fact. Democrats are not supporting the killing of unborn babies. What they do support is a woman’s right to choose. She made a choice to engage in sexual activity that resulted in an unintended pregnancy. She is pregnant with a child who has serious birth defects. She was raped. There was incest involved. Democrats even some Republicans believe a woman has the right to choose what is best for her life and circumstances.

Second, are Democrats willing to kill our enemies? Certainly when doing so enhances the security and safety of the American people. Did the recent killing of an Iranian general in Iraq accomplish those goals? Democrats and honestly every American should look at what happened, examine the consequences and make a determination.

It appears based on my reading and examination of the facts that the American government is willing to kill our enemies along with their born and unborn children. It remains of interest to me that our willingness to kill enemies is limited to those who have a very limited ability to fight back. Certainly the North Korean leader has created serious problems in Asia and at times beyond. Two things prevent us from taking action against him like with did with Iran. He has no oil. He has nuclear weapons. Putin has killed dissidents and spread his influence through Europe and the Middle East. We don’t attack him or his generals. Saudi Arabia participated in the murder of an American resident journalist. Our response? Well, they do a lot of business with us and buy our weapons. They have lots of oil so we’ll play nice. Looks more to me like we bully the weak.

Take some time. Think, examine, ponder and look around. The world is colorful and complex. Our responses should be well reasoned and proportional to the threat not vengeful and rushed.