Thank God that all six of the officers shot Wednesday night in Philadelphia appear not to be seriously injured. They were ambushed as they were attempting to serve a warrant. But the eight-hour standoff holds lessons relevant to all of us.

To begin with, it is a stark reminder of the danger the men and women of law enforcement face every day. Most of us get up and go to work every day never thinking for even a second that we might get shot on the job. But every day police officers put their lives in extreme danger so we can enjoy that peace of mind.

Incredibly, the officers were harassed and heckled by some residents in the middle of the standoff. This kind of disrespect didn’t start overnight, but every time the left smears police as “fascists,” they are contributing to this kind of behavior.

Is there any chance that the left and its media allies will stop their constant bashing of law enforcement? Sadly, no. They didn’t stop after a Black Lives Matter extremist killed five Dallas police officers. (See next item.)

By the way, while Philadelphia police officers were still trying to resolve this situation, Kamala Harris went on CNN to push her radical gun-grabbing agenda, lamenting, “When will it stop?”

The gunman in Wednesday’s standoff, identified as Maurice Hill, has an 18-year criminal record. He has nearly a dozen arrests and six convictions for charges involving “illegal possession of guns, drug dealing, and aggravated assault.” He also spent time in federal prison for federal firearms violations.

Does Sen. Harris really think that Maurice Hill cares what the law says? Clearly, he does not. And he obviously did not get his guns after going through a background check!

Here’s the key point: There are good people living in that Philadelphia neighborhood. They have to deal with criminals like Hill when the police are not there. The left’s anti-Second Amendment agenda will make it harder for those people to have the security that comes from owning a firearm when gangs and drug dealers run the streets.

Warren Lies Again

Earlier this week I reported to you that Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren were stoking hatred against law enforcement by claiming that Michael Brown was “murdered” by a “white police officer." 

That is false. Even the liberal Washington Post’s Fact Checker gave them its worst rating of Four Pinocchios for that disgusting smear.

At a town-hall event in New Hampshire Wednesday, Warren was questioned about her claim that Brown was "murdered.” She doubled down, saying:

What happened is that a man was shot — an unarmed man, in the middle of the street, by police officers and left to die. And I think that’s where our focus should be.

Wrong, Elizabeth! What happened is that a thug tried to steal a police officer’s weapon and he got shot in the process. That’s where our focus should be.

Of course, none of the talking heads so upset by Trump’s rhetoric are saying a word about Warren’s.

Trump Protects Religious Liberty

The Trump administration is continuing its bold efforts to protect religious liberty in the public square. The Department of Labor issued new regulations Wednesday intended to ensure that faith-based organizations are not forced to compromise their values when making hiring decisions.

In a press release, the Labor Department declared:

Recent Supreme Court decisions … further address the protections afforded religious organizations and individuals under the Constitution and federal law. Executive Orders … along with U.S. Department of Justice guidance, likewise instruct federal agencies to protect religious exercise and not impede it.

In keeping with that rich history, the proposed rule would clarify that religious organizations may make employment decisions consistent with their sincerely held religious tenets and beliefs without fear of sanction by the federal government…

Consistent with the President’s policy to enforce the robust protections for religious freedom found in federal law, the proposed rule states that it should be construed to provide the broadest protection of religious exercise recognized by the Constitution and other laws, such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

It is unfortunate that the administration has to issue such rules. But the intolerant left is not content with a “live and let live” truce in the culture war. 

Having prevailed in its efforts to redefine marriage, the left is demanding much more than tolerance. The Obama administration attempted to force Catholic nuns to subsidize abortion. Now the left is redefining gender, weaponizing pronouns, and forcing its radical agenda on public libraries, public schools, and public restrooms. 

How many more bakers, florists, photographers, fire chiefs, college administrators, Army chaplains, and tech executives should be forced to lose their jobs and businesses in the name of tolerance? And where’s the tolerance for millions of orthodox Christians and Jews who happen to believe what the Bible teaches about marriage and family?

Poll Position

A new poll suggests Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is continuing to build momentum from her strong debate performance. She has surged to a statistical tie with former Vice President Joe Biden in the latest Economist/YouGov poll. Here are the results:

Biden 21%
Warren 20%
Sanders 16%.

No other candidate received double-digit support.

Sanders and Warren are arguably the most extreme candidates in a field full of socialists. It is telling that their combined support nearly doubles that of Biden’s. 

Meanwhile, a new poll in New Hampshire finds Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders regaining his lead by six points over Biden. As you may recall, Sanders won the New Hampshire primary four years ago by more than 20 points over Hillary Clinton.

Beto O'Rourke attempted to reboot his presidential campaign yesterday by doubling down on open borders and gun control. And former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper ended his presidential bid yesterday. There is widespread speculation that Hickenlooper may jump into the race against Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO). 

Fair Fight? Hardly!

While we’re focused on the far-left’s top-tier candidates competing for the Democrat presidential nomination, the left’s rising stars remain very active. 

Failed candidate Stacey Abrams continues to claim that she was elected governor of Georgia, even though she lost by 55,000 votes amid the highest minority turnout ever. Yet she continues to tell black voters that their votes were suppressed. 

Now she’s taking her demagoguery nationwide. Abrams has launched a new organization called “Fair Fight,” which allegedly promotes fair elections. In reality, Abrams isn’t looking for a fair fight. She’s trying to stack the deck by leading the fight against commonsense reforms like voter ID laws.

But Abrams is also pushing bizarre conspiracy theories. She claims that the Republican National Committee has a secret plan to send “off-duty police officers” into polling precincts to scare off minority voters.

It’s a twofer. She’s bashing police as an enemy of minorities and accusing Republicans of suppressing the black vote.

But I certainly can imagine one scenario where Republicans might ask police to show up polling locations: If the New Black Panthers show up again to intimidate white voters.