Here’s where having Donald Trump in the White House gets really damned scary. Everyone admits that the main Iranian military leader, and possibly the second most powerful person in that nation, was killed by an American missile strike. The US openly admits that we did it, that we targeted the guy, an that the order came from Trump.

The questions now include, why did we do it, was there a genuine threat to America, was it thoroughly thought through, were the consequences seriously considered before the trigger was pulled. and most importantly, can we trust the word of our government; a government led by a man who has twisted the truth (lied) over 16,000 times just since taking office just three years ago?

I’m not going to claim to know or understand our actions. But I would bet the farm that Iran is not going to just, suck it up and absorb the loss. They have already threatened, and I take them at their word, to retaliate. And, their retaliation will be at a time and place of their choosing and we will most likely not be able to find any willing allies to help us out.

The Iranian shit hit the fan when militant Iranian students seized the American embassy in 1979 and held our embassy workers, hostage, until 1981. During the Obama years, tensions eased and after long negotiations an important, and working, anti-nuclear proliferation treaty was worked out. But Trump, needing to sate his ego, has worked diligently to crush all things Obama, including improving Iranian relationships.

A serious question I find myself asking is what was the driving force behind the assignation of a major foreign leader? Was there a real threat to American officials, as claimed, or was this simply one more example of Trump practicing the art of deflection to lower the temperature he is feeling from being impeached and having to run for reelection?

So, the Iran question? As I’ve written, there are lots of questions, but how can we hope to know the right answers. In a world where all but Trump’s closest followers question his honesty, how are we to understand this grenade we just tossed into the Iranian sandbox? How are we to know if the violence that will someday be reeked upon us came as a result of serious and genuine concern for American security or, was motivated by selfish political positioning by a man who displays little knowledge of and appreciation for international traditions and rules of engagement?