He didn’t kick the can down the road, he crushed it.
Greg Gutfeld.
When I was admitted to medical school, I thought I was pretty hot stuff. That is, until I realized my medical school classmates were every bit my equal and more. This scenario of confidence leading to humility repeated itself through my internship and then internal medicine residency. And when I began my medical practice, a “seasoned” colleague recognized that my zeal needed tempering with real-world balance and practicality. So, he taught me The Three Day Rule, which some of our leaders should learn.
Being a somewhat feisty guy, I’ve been known to pop off and share my opinions when I should have been more circumspect. The writer of Proverbs said, “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.”
Since antiquity, people have written letters, but in the modern era, this has changed. Snail mail is being replaced by email and texting, which challenges the three day rule. My senior colleague complimented me on my plan to state my position in a letter to an official whom I thought needed my opinion. My mentor said I should write the letter, but first put it in my desk drawer for three days. Afterward, reread the letter and if I still felt passionate, then mail it. Wise counsel indeed.
I dare say, everyone who uses email or texting has inadvertently sent a message before it was completed or before rereading and correcting the note. At least with snail mail, you can run to the mailbox and retrieve your letter before the mailman picks it up. Obviously, not so with electronic messaging, where there is no three day rule. I have learned to avoid adding the address before checking my note. This is not possible on a text chat stream. And I prefer to compose my messages in the notes section on my iPhone whenever possible to promote careful consideration and avoid inadvertent posting.
After thinking about the controversy between Pope Leo XIV and President Trump for more than three days, I’ll offer my opinion: I think both should consider the three day rule. I believe the pope should be speaking about spirituality and morality rather than commenting on national borders or defending the terrorist Iranian regime. After all, he resides in a walled city protected by armed Swiss guards. And Trump should avoid popping off in late-night tweets, and he should speak respectfully of others, even if he disagrees with them.
Admittedly, I am biased. I am a Protestant. And I believe that President Trump is doing what is right for the American people. Eight previous presidents and sane Democrats admit that Iran with nuclear weapons is unacceptable. With intel the talking heads and I do not possess, Trump deemed the Iranians were close to acquiring a nuclear weapon and is doing something about it.
As a kid, I learned in the school yard that sometimes you have to fight, especially a bully. And the duly elected president decided it was the right time to stop the terrorist Iranian regime. The Democrats’ political posturing and their media mouthpieces are irrelevant because they are driven by irrational hatred of Trump.
The stunning military defeat of Iran and destruction of their ability to build a nuclear device and deliver it with their ballistic missile program is vindication of President Trump’s courageous strategy. Furthermore, discounted Iranian oil, bartered for Temu-quality air defense systems, is no longer available to China. That alone should hamper China’s arms sales. And together with the discounted oil China used to get from Venezuela, our primary international adversary is challenged. And I agree with Senator John Fetterman that the performance of our military should give Xi Jinping pause for an invasion of Taiwan.
Hippocrates once said, “Desperate situations sometimes require desperate measures.” Democrats say they want the Iranian terrorist regime defanged, but decry the political victory Trump and Netanyahu receive from Iran’s defeat. That is sick. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz even went to a progressive symposium in now socialist Spain to bash President Trump and our country. Shameful is too kind a word for these traitors and the mainstream media who cheer for Iran and support their war effort by denigrating our country and the President. Trump is actually fighting a two-front war against Iran and Democrats with their media parrots.
Yes, the ceasefire remains dicey, but have you ever seen one that wasn’t? I have a friend who believes we should bomb Iran back to the Stone Age to complement their sick brand of Islam. But this may produce a humanitarian crisis, further destabilize the volatile Middle East and perhaps produce a Libyan-like civil war, an ISIS caliphate or worse.
Paraphrasing Hamlet, to bomb or not to bomb is the question, but Iran may best be handled by replacing Epic Fury with Economic Fury. The blockade of Iran and interdiction of Iranian tankers on the open seas is choking the regime, which is losing upwards of 500 million dollars a day. They won’t be able to pay their soldiers or feed their people. Inflation is already in the triple digits. And they will have to shut down their oil wells due to their inability to store the oil. I’m told that shutting down oil wells is risky.
There are several Iranian factions vying for control after the Ayatollah and multiple levels of leadership have been killed. The new Ayatollah is injured and in hiding. Iranian generals have trouble communicating with the military whose allegiance is in question. The Iranian president’s power is questionable. Paramilitary armed bands participated in killing upwards of 35,000 Iranians. Actually, the radical IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) may be the de facto government. As a result, a valid question is, who are we negotiating with?
I don’t know how this will play out, but the world is safer with a defeated Iran, whether Democrats, Progressives or liberals admit the truth or not. Yes, liberals are unhappy, but they are mad all the time anyway. Rush Limbaugh used to say that liberalism destroys everything it touches. We just need to keep them from destroying our country.
