Fox News is reporting that Baghouz, the last stronghold of the ISIS caliphate, has been liberated. “The bombs have stopped dropping and the gunfire has disappeared,” reporter Benjamin Hall writes. “Troops here are now bringing down the black flags of ISIS. The flags no longer fly over the town, instilling fear.”

I am under no illusions that the danger from radical Islamic supremacism is over. But the end of the Islamic State caliphate and everything it represented, including a genocide against Christians and other religious minorities, is surely something to celebrate!

The Socialist Solution

Jacinda Ardern, the socialist prime minister of New Zealand, announced yesterday that her government was banning a large swath of semiautomatic weapons. If New Zealanders do not handover their guns, they can face fines up to $2,700 and three years in jail. Prime Minister Ardern warns that the penalties will likely be increased in the near future.

This is an emotional response to the shootings at the Christchurch mosques that took place just seven days ago. So in reaction to the crimes of one man, New Zealand’s left-wing government just criminalized many law-abiding citizens. In what world does that make any sense?

Today is a good day to thank God for the wisdom of the Founding Fathers and that we have a Second Amendment in this country, which New Zealand does not have. 

There are approximately 5 million people and approximately 1.5 million guns in New Zealand. In 2017, there were 35 murders in the entire country, not all of those involved firearms. Chicago, which has roughly half the population of New Zealand, would do anything to have only 35 murders in a month, let alone a year. 

And don’t miss this: Numerous progressive politicians, including some Democrat presidential contenders, are saying this is exactly what we need to do in the U.S. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) praised Ardern’s gun confiscation tweeting, “This is what leadership looks like.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) tweeted, “See. It’s not that hard." 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) wrote, "We must follow New Zealand’s lead.”

By the way, Venezuela banned guns in 2012. It didn’t go well for them. Many Venezuelans now regret it. 

Speaking of Venezuela, Bernie Sanders’s new communications director once praised the “economic miracle” of Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela.

The End Of Citizenship

The progressive left is well on its way to completely negating the concept of citizenship. Citizenship means that you are by birth or through the legal process granted certain benefits by your country, along with certain obligations to your country. 

But the left is doing everything it can to block efforts to secure our borders, while giving illegal immigrants access to all the benefits and services that are normally reserved for citizens. The result is to increase the magnetic pull that America has to millions of people around the world. 

Our border is being overwhelmed right now. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said this week, “The situation at our Southern Border has gone from a crisis, to a national emergency, to a near system-wide meltdown." 

Nevertheless, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) upped the ante this week by proposing that illegal immigrants should be able to get driver’s licenses and Social Security benefits because they are working here and paying into the system. 

Well, they are not supposed to be working here without a Social Security number. And if they have one, it’s because they stole it from a citizen like you. Identity theft is one of the biggest problems with massive illegal immigration. 

Social Security is already struggling. I don’t see how it makes any sense to let millions more tap into it. And exactly what constituency is Gillibrand appealing to with this idea? I guess she assumes lots of illegal immigrants might vote for her.

Speaking of voting, many left-wing cities are pushing the idea of giving non-citizens the right to vote. 

As I suggested, we are seeing the end of the concept of citizenship. But there is very little appetite for these radical ideas. Seventy-one percent of Americans oppose giving illegal immigrants the right to vote.  Even 61% of New Yorkers oppose giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. 

I’ve not seen a poll lately on the idea of giving Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants, but I suggest GOP leaders in Congress put Gillibrand’s proposal on the floor for a vote. Let’s find out how many other left-wing politicians think this is a good idea.

Trump Recognizes Reality

President Donald Trump took another big step yesterday toward strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance. Thursday morning, the president announced that the United States will officially recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Trump tweeted:

"After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!”

Speaking with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged world leaders to recognize reality and accept Israeli control of the Golan. Netanyahu said:

“Just last week, we uncovered efforts by Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, to build a terror network in Syria, on the Golan Heights. You can imagine what would have happened if Israel were not in the Golan. We would have Iran on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It’s time that the international community recognizes Israel’s stay in the Golan, the fact that the Golan will always remain part of the State of Israel.”

McCain’s Defenders

I don’t want to revisit the history of the strained relationship between President Trump and the late Senator John McCain. But I do think there is a lot of hypocrisy right now among McCain’s defenders on the left.

I remember how progressives attacked John McCain in the past. They compared him to segregationist George Wallace. They questioned his mental stability. They called him a “warmonger.” And I don’t remember any of today’s media defenders coming to McCain’s defense then.

Dirty Politics

It is a common thing in politics to try to dig up dirt on your opponent. Entire divisions in campaigns are devoted to “opposition research,” which is generally turned into negative ads. There’s nothing unusual about that.

What is unusual is for a candidate to admit that he actually ate dirt!

I am referring to Beto O'Rourke. Apparently, after losing the 2018 Texas Senate race to Ted Cruz, O'Rourke went to New Mexico and ate the dirt from a site that some believe has magical powers. According to the Washington Post, “He brought some home for the family to eat, too.” In addition to eating the dirt, I suspect he was smoking something too.

Clearly, the 2020 campaign will be breaking a lot of new ground, and perhaps eating it too!