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| Gary Bauer |
It is heartbreaking today to see flames engulf the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. As I write this, the fire is still roaring throughout the iconic cathedral, the interior of which is likely to be completely destroyed.
Churches and cathedrals all over Europe have come under attack in recent months. Statues of Jesus have been desecrated. Stained glass windows have been smashed. And there have been multiple cases of arson.
Is it a coincidence that Notre Dame Cathedral is burning today, the beginning of Holy Week? A full investigation is needed. But I do not trust the Macron government to report the facts.
In September of 2016, a cell of radicalized French women, led by Islamic State operatives in Syria, attempted to blow up the cathedral. French police stopped the attack after a car was found packed with gas cylinders. ISIS has been defeated on the battlefields of Syria and Iraq, and an undetermined number of ISIS fighters have returned to Europe.
Meanwhile, multiple social media sites reporting on the devastating fire are inundated with self-described Muslims celebrating the tragedy.
I know this with certainty: If something this catastrophic happened to one of the great mosques of Europe, the media would already be blaming conservative parties that have raised questions about the wisdom of bringing millions of Muslim migrants into the heart of the continent.
Whatever is discovered in the days ahead, it is sad to see the physical evidence of once Christian Europe being methodically destroyed across the continent.
Trump's Sanctuary Strategy
President Trump once again dominated the immigration debate over the last several days when reports leaked out that he was interested in sending illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities.
The president tweeted, "The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy — so this should make them very happy!"
You'd think so, right? Yet for days now, many progressive leaders have been denouncing Trump for daring to suggest he just might give them what they want.
The mayor of Seattle called Trump "a despot." A spokeswoman for Nancy Pelosi, who represents the sanctuary city of San Francisco, blasted the president's idea as "cruel," "warped" and "despicable."
Not long ago, Cher urged progressives to adopt DACA recipients and to give these illegal immigrants "sanctuary" in their homes. But in response to Trump's latest suggestion, Cher tweeted this:
"I Understand Helping struggling Immigrants, but MY CITY (Los Angeles) ISN'T TAKING CARE OF ITS OWN. WHAT ABOUT THE 50,000+ Citizens WHO LIVE ON THE STREETS. PPL WHO LIVE BELOW POVERTY LINE, & HUNGRY? If My State Can't Take Care of Its Own (Many Are VETS) How Can it Take Care Of More."
That's a great question. It deserves a real debate. I commend the president for getting at least one Hollywood liberal to focus on the impact of open borders on ordinary Americans. Is she going to re-register as a Republican?
Let me briefly remind you of what President Trump has tried to do.
- He wanted full funding for a border wall to stop illegal immigration. Progressives in Congress gave him as little as possible.
- He wanted to station more troops at the border. But liberal governors pulled their National Guard troops and some deep state officials in the Pentagon resisted.
- He wanted migrants claiming asylum to wait in Mexico while their claims were adjudicated. But a liberal judge blocked him.
- He tried to end Obama's unconstitutional DACA program. But liberal judges blocked him.
- He tried to block funding to sanctuary cities. But a liberal judge blocked him.
- He offered a very generous immigration deal exchanging protections for DACA recipients for border wall funding. Congressional liberals blocked it.
And what has the left proposed? Well, nothing really. In spite of record apprehensions, left-wing politicians insist there's no crisis at the border.
The left's radical agenda is deeply unpopular. For example:
- 76% of voters oppose open borders.
- 71% of voters oppose letting illegal immigrants vote in local elections.
- 64% of voters oppose sanctuary cities.
- Only 25% of voters support abolishing ICE.
Pence Triggers The Left
Vice President Mike Pence has been invited to speak at Taylor University in his home state of Indiana next month. Unbelievably, some current and former students claim to be "triggered" and "frightened" by the idea that the vice president of the United States might speak at Taylor, which describes itself as a "Christian liberal arts university."
Pence is the most prominent evangelical Christian serving in public life in America today. The idea that some students are having meltdowns and temper tantrums is an indication of the growing intolerance of the left.
Assuming Pence does speak next month, the vice president will become a very rare phenomena: a conservative speaker on a university campus. The overwhelming majority of commencement speakers are liberals. The left claims to value diversity, but not when it comes to diversity of thought and opinion.
Targeting Kavanaugh II
In Friday's report, we told you that various left-wing groups were pressuring House progressive leaders to launch investigations of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. That's not the only way the left is harassing him.
Supreme Court justices frequently teach courses and lecture at law schools during their summer recess. This is a unique opportunity for students to gain valuable insight from one of the Supreme Court's nine members.
Justice Kavanaugh is no exception, and is currently scheduled to teach a summer course overseas in the United Kingdom for George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School.
But left-wing students don't want Kavanaugh associated with George Mason University. Now they are getting help from progressive activist Brian Fallon, who has worked for Charles Schumer, Eric Holder and, most recently, as press secretary for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
Fallon is running ads on social media sites alleging that Justice Kavanaugh is guilty of sexual assault and, therefore, "should not be given a platform to teach." The ads also insist that Kavanaugh's conduct during his confirmation hearings "undermines the legitimacy of the entire Supreme Court."
Once again, we are seeing the left's obsession with delegitimizing conservative viewpoints. Fallon and others are sending the message that if you're conservative, this is what's going to happen to you.
They are doing the same thing to former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and dozens of other Trump Administration officials by trying to make them unemployable.
On many issues, but not everything, we have a center-right majority on the Supreme Court. But if Trump replaces Ginsburg or Breyer, there will be a clear constitutional majority.
This attack against Justice Kavanaugh is part of the left's plan to delegitimize the Supreme Court, much like the Russia collusion hoax was meant to delegitimize Trump's presidency.
It also feeds into the left's efforts to remake the court with demands to add more liberal justices or impose term limits. These things are not being pulled out of thin air. They are all part of a coordinated strategy to change the rules whenever the left loses elections.
Tax Day
It's April 15th -- Tax Day. As progressives demand more and more of your hard-earned dollars, here are some thoughts to keep in mind:
- The vast majority of Americans benefitted from Trump's tax cuts.
- The federal government has collected record revenues under the Trump tax cuts.
- The tax code is already very progressive. The top 20% of income earners pay 69% of all income taxes collected. The top 1% pays 25% of all income taxes collected.
- Medicare For All is not "free healthcare." It would cost at least $3 trillion a year. Doubling income taxes would not be enough to pay for it.
Gary Bauer (@GaryLBauer) is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families
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