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Democrats began their quest to retake the White House from their least-favorite Republican President by forming their customary circular firing squad – shooting each other down, rather than their opponent.

After decades of divisive conflict, with countless casualties, TMM asks: Can we agree both sides (pro-life and pro-choice) have legitimate beliefs – and neither side will surrender? Can we find solutions neither side is HAPPY with – but both sides can LIVE with?

In The Abortion Wars, Part One, TMM discussed recent history of these wars and how conservative Republicans are winning them. Now let’s summarize both sides’ positions, in a good-faith effort to clarify them.

Conservative Republicans have been winning these wars in recent years, curtailing women’s rights to access abortions. Steadily capturing state legislatures and governors’ mansions, they’ve enacted ever-tighter restrictions in many states. Women accustomed to decades of safe, legal abortions as a right they could count on, have watched that right undermined – until it may be too late, someday soon, to keep it.

In winter, it’s easy to forget horrific wildfires and hurricanes last summer and fall. Harder to forget: the deadliest day of American tornadoes in six years, killing 23 in Alabama recently – not in summer, but barely in March.

What’s needed to resolve this issue, once and for all? One, politicians with courage, standing up to extremists in their parties blocking compromise solutions, such as this one...

“The Wall” is currently THE issue, since President Trump’s demand that taxpayers pay $5 billion for his border wall triggered the recent government shutdown and now his national-emergency declaration.

Thankfully, the partial Federal government shutdown, longest in U.S. history, is over – temporarily.  The government reopened with employees getting paid, but only until mid-February or a border deal is reached.

Constant personnel churning at high levels of the Administration (and lower levels, such as Brett McGurk, envoy to the coalition fighting ISIS, who resigned and said it was “reckless” to consider ISIS defeated) reflect Trump’s management style: chaos. But is chaos, defined as “complete confusion and disorder”, effective leadership?

Hating others because they have different beliefs, or look different, is an EXTREME attitude, not a Moderate one – and decidedly un-American.