Undoubtedly, you’ve heard about the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. At 79, he passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, February 13th.

Within hours, political pundits, amateur and professional alike, took to social media and the airwaves to share their thoughts on Scalia’s passing and offered their view on what should happen next with regard to the vacant seat on the bench. The typical partisan divide and political fight appeared almost immediately with Republicans pointing to a delay of the appointment, with Democrats favoring the president’s intent to fill the position during the current term.

We even saw a question at that night’s GOP Presidential debate posed to the candidates, who all agreed that the Republican-controlled Senate should delay any nomination until the 2016 election victor assumes office.

Through the weekend, each “team” lined up with their talking points and punditry about the history of Supreme Court appointments that supported their view. The audience they reach became parrots for those same talking points and historical events to allow them to score political points for their “team.”

Here’s the problem: Everyone was talking past one another to “win” the imaginary debate taking place before the other “team” could.

In a few hours after a man’s death, very few took the opportunity to acknowledge it, praise the good works, lament the loss, and extend condolences to those personally affected by his passing. Instead, it became what politics brings out in people… the worst.

We also see it in the wake of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and tragedies like Sandy Hook. Rather than react to the situation to make the lives affected better, a stampede to microphones and platforms takes place to politicize what just happened.

While it may appeal to some to jump into the fray in the wake of a disaster or the loss of a prominent figure, that activity drives away those who aren’t a part of your “team.”

The divisiveness of these conversations is akin to the wedge issues used by politicians to divide the public and prevent discourse about the ACTUAL issues.

Normal people take a moment to reflect on what just happened, while the super political “never let a good crisis go to waste.”

Walk the walk,

#BigGovernmentStrikesAgain 

Woman arrested after daughter misses 44 days of school - WISH TV 

Teen Takes Nude Photo of Himself, Charged with Making Child Porn - Reason

Venezuela under 'economic emergency' as court gives Maduro decree powers - The Guardian  

THERE IS A PLACE: "There is a place, I think, for jury nullification—finding the balance in that and the role judges should play." — Sonya Sotomayor, Supreme Court Justice, February 11, 2016

FAIRLY UNEQUIVOCAL?: â€œThe research is fairly unequivocal in demonstrating that reducing access to guns — and reducing the number of guns — would reduce gun violence in America.”  â€” German Lopez, Vox Journalist, December 17, 2015

REGULATE VIAGRA: "I think it illustrates how intrusive it is...how wrong it is, for any type of government, whether it's state legislature, whether it's Donald Trump, inserting themselves into personal, private medical decisions."  â€” Mary Lou Marzian, Kentucky State Representative, February 15, 2016