The age-old dilemma regurgitated thousands of times on college campuses across the country and debated in every entry-level ethics class or elementary freshman Psych 101 workshop: If you could go back to 1889, would you kill the baby Hitler?

Forgetting about the laws of unintended consequences and the swirling combinations that would cascade from the death of this tyrant, on the surface, the answer seems obvious; do one heinous savage deed and save the planet from a merciless murdering machine. Adolf Hitler's atrocities contributed to 85 million people losing their lives and, as ruthlessly unimaginable as that was, could you look into the eyes of that infant and do the unthinkable? Would you be able to compartmentalize and accept this moral albatross?

If your answer is yes and baby Hitler’s life is snatched by your hand, then the question begs: why stop there? We can make a list and jump into a modern-day version of H.G Wells' time machine and travel back generations systematically eliminating history’s biggest monsters. Imagine a world rid of madman and psychopaths. Envision our utopian planet minus the most hated barbarians in history, Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Hideki Tojo, Pol Pot, and Donald Trump.

Wait. Trump?

If you don’t think some would want him on the list, then you have misjudged the deep-rooted resentment for the current Commander in Chief. Social media, the newest barometer for American sensitivities, has dubbed our leader Hitleresque, worthy and deserving of a death sentence. Trump Derangement Syndrome is so fierce that many progressives are happy and excited about his COVID-19 diagnosis.

Twitter was ablaze after the announcement that the president and first lady contracted the coronavirus and he was headed to Walter Reed Hospital. The Twitterverse exploded with an avalanche of tweets and, despite Twitter's vow to suspend any account wishing for the president's death, the noxious posts kept coming. Tens of thousands rejoiced in the perceived reckoning. Now the country would sit and wait for righteous justice without the need for a time machine and no babies in anyone's crosshairs. It would all be relatively guilt free. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.

In case you missed it, here are some random tweets directed at the president.

"He killed 200,000 people I hope he dies a horrible death"

"I will say, I hope he dies"

"I hope they both die"

"For once I'm rooting for the virus"

"Time to die please"

"I hope Trump dies a painful COVID death"

“I think the only thing cooler than Trump getting Covid is watching all the sicko conservatives cry about how mean the left is”

Even Bette Midler got into the act, tweeting, "Gee, woke up this morning to learn Donald and Melania have tested positive for Covid-19. How can a HOAX infect anyone? That's a new one on me. I'm sure he's taking the Clorox cocktail"

So much hate for the Orangeman. But why?

To be fair, the right does exactly the same thing. Distasteful disrespecting content has become the norm for all sides. Social media is broken. The bullying, the hatred, the vitriol, it’s on full display.

Kudos, however, to one unlikely source responding to the news that the president was sick. Rachel Maddow, hardly a fan of Trump, set the appropriate tone by saying: “God bless the president and the first lady. If you pray, please pray for their speedy and complete recovery — and for everyone infected, everywhere. This virus is horrific and merciless — no one would wish its wrath on anyone. We must get its spread under control. Enough.”

Similarly, Joe Biden responded to the president’s illness with a gracious note wishing him and Melania well. The majority of the CNN talking heads offered up hopes for recovery.

On Jan. 27, 1838, Abraham Lincoln spoke about "the perpetuation of our political institutions." During that address, he said: "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reaches us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

If this nation topples, it will come from within. Wishing and wanting for a political adversary's death might appear justified, but it also might put you on the doorstep of eternal damnation. Don't mortgage your soul for a fractured misguided piece of a mangled political ideology. Remember, we are all Americans first.

Lee Elci is the morning host for 94.9 News Now radio, a station that provides "Stimulating Talk" with a conservative bent.