Al-Jazeera mocks America as fat and racist on Independence Day

July 07, 2015

WRITER

How do you celebrate the Fourth of July? At the Al Jazeera office, you post a “funny” viral video that calls Americans fat and racist. It’s not even a very good video. Yet this is the kind of garbage that cable companies are pumping out to millions of homes across the country. Would you expect anything better from the #1 distributor of terrorist tapes?

Al-Jazeera released the video on July 3rd. For over a minute and a half, people mock America for high incarceration rates, student loan debt, obesity, and more.

"Americans consume eighty percent the world painkillers. Makes sense, right? I mean racism in this country is a big pain in the ass," one woman said.

Watch:

Glenn was furious when he watched it.

"Comcast, Time Warner, Direct TV will not carry TheBlaze (no matter what lie they tell you) but they will take your money and give it to Al Jazeera who celebrated our Independence Day with this video!" Glenn said when he saw the video.

Stu and Pat played the video on radio this morning, and put many of their facts in context.

"First of all, we have a rule of law. That's number one. And when you break laws, you go to prison. You don't get to bribe yourself out of it. In theory, at least. Obviously we haven't seen that on the border or many other fields. But in general one of the strengths of the country is the rule of law," Stu said.

"Secondly, they'll bring up, it's higher incarceration rate than Iran. Well, you know, when you have a dictator that's not letting women out of the house, there's not a lot of arresting to do. When you have people that are so terrified out of their minds that they won't say anything that doesn't align with the government, man, is it easy to police those people. Because you shoot them dead before they go to prison," he added.

Pat and Stu decided to fire back at Al-Jazeera by pointing out that Qatar, the country that owns the "news" organization, leads the world in certain areas as well.

"We don't lead the world for hiding Osama bin Laden," Stu said. "We're not the go-to country for turning over terrorist tapes. That's you guys."

Listen to the full debate on radio below:

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it may contain errors:

PAT: 877-727-BECK. It's Pat and Stu in for Glenn on the Glenn Beck Program. A couple of stories we didn't get to yesterday that we had on tap. This is Al-Jazeera mocking America on Fourth of July weekend. This pisses me off. Jeffy thinks it's fine. He thinks it's fine.

JEFFY: They were mocking. It's a little funny.

PAT: Yes, they were mocking.

JEFFY: If we would have made that movie making fun of us.

PAT: Since when does the government news channel make videos mocking other channels? Never. Maybe in World War II when they were doing the --

STU: You're probably right. World War II was --

PAT: The Japs then invaded. Maybe then?

STU: Yeah.

PAT: I don't know. But since then, not so much. Anyway, here's the video, you tell me. And it starts out, you know, talking about things that are good, and then it gets into the mocking.

VOICE: You probably know that the US leads the world in the most Olympic medals won, the most number of Nobel laureates, and the most billionaires.

PAT: Okay. Most Olympic medals, most Nobel laureates, and billionaires. Okay. Good things. But billionaires I think they're mocking even that. Because you're stealing all the wealth and resources from the rest of the world. I'm sure that's how they feel.

VOICE: We also lead the world in some other ways.

VOICE: Not to brag, but we have the most incarcerated people in the world.

PAT: See, that pisses me off.

STU: I love this argument.

PAT: I know. And everyone makes it.

STU: It's so patently stupid.

PAT: Everyone who hates America makes it.

STU: Right. First of all, we have a rule of law. That's number one. And when you break laws, you go to prison. You don't get to bribe yourself out of it. In theory, at least. Obviously we haven't seen that on the border or many other fields. But in general one of the strengths of the country is the rule of law. Secondly, they'll bring up, it's higher incarceration rate than Iran. Well, you know, when you have a dictator that's not letting women out of the house, there's not a lot of arresting to do. When you have people that are so terrified out of their minds that they won't say anything that doesn't align with the government, man, is it easy to police those people. Because you shoot them dead before they go to prison.

PAT: Yeah. When you have a police state, there's not as much crime. Do we all not know that? In a free nation, you'll have more crime because people are free.

STU: Yeah. You want China? Because China will say they have a much lower incarceration rate than us. You want that? Because you can have that if you want that.

PAT: Jeez, I'm tired of that. But there's more.

VOICE: God bless the prison industrial complex.

VOICE: When it comes to obesity, we lead the global McDonald's line.

STU: You know why? Because we have more stuff than you. That's why. Okay.

PAT: And, by the way, yes, we have prosperity here, which leads to lead to eating food. Which when is that a bad thing? Is it better to have a nation of people starving to death? I don't think so. You do telethons for them. No one is doing a telethon for us.

STU: No. That's because we've solved our own problems. And we've been able to feed the overwhelming majority of people almost all the time. And maybe a little too much at times. And probably true. I'd much rather have that problem.

PAT: Yeah. And our food tastes good. Sue us.

VOICE: A third of us can't even see our own toes.

PAT: That has to be a lie. I mean, I've never seen that stat, but come on.

STU: Well, I don't think you can statistically measure who can see their toes. They're saying a third are obese, I guess.

We should point out, that while, yes, you are correct, Pat, this is Al-Jazeera and a state-owned -- these are Americans saying these things.

PAT: Americans, yeah. That's what pisses me off, a lot. Who are these little commies that they got to do this ad?

STU: Because it's one thing to do it and mock your own nation. It's one of those things. It's okay for us to -- to mock Glenn. But when the media does it, I get pissed off.

PAT: Yes.

STU: And it's like, that's a little hypocritical, I suppose. But it's our thing, and we get to do it.

PAT: It's not. I think it was Barney Frank. Barney Frank defended George W. Bush against who was it? It was Chavez, who came and said he smelled sulfur. And then Barney Frank the next morning after that UN speech got up and gave this incredible defense of George W. Bush and said, hey, we'll mock this guy. But not you. Okay, that's none of your business. Leave that alone.

STU: And the guy from Harlem did it too. We've disagreed on many, many issues. Congressman, been there 100 years. The guy with the voice.

PAT: In fact, it might have been him. It might have been Charlie Rangel instead of Barney Frank.

STU: Yeah, but you get that from people who don't like the president. By the way, I would do the same thing. There have been times that Obama has been attacked by people, leaders overseas hammering him. You know, I get defensive. I mean, he's still our president. I think he's done a terrible job. But he's still our president.

PAT: Right.

VOICE: Leading nation in cheese production.

PAT: Okay. Since when is that bad? Cheese is delicious.

STU: It's the thing I'm most proud of with this country. The Constitution is nice. And it's a great second place. But this is -- it's cheese, okay. Who the heck can criticize cheese?

JEFFY: That's just another way of saying we're fat.

PAT: I guess. But you've already said we're fat. So now you're piling on with cheese?

JEFFY: Yes, that's what they're doing.

STU: So we're fat for a good reason because our food is better than yours. That's why. That's why.

PAT: Cheese production!

STU: It's even true to the extent that we've taken other people's foods and made them better. You ever go to an authentic place that has some authentic food from some other country -- you're like, I love Mexican people. It's delicious. Then you have authentic Mexican food. And you're like, is that a rat has had inside of the taco? What is that? You know what, I don't want it to be authentic. I want I want it to be American Mexican. American Italian. American everything, because it winds up improving it.

JEFFY: Yeah. And I'm sure the American Dairy Association would be able to say, cheese, we feed the world.

STU: That's true.

PAT: And they're also number one in bread production. They make more staff of life than anyone, losers.

In fact, they have more food than they possibly could eat in 100,000 years. They can and do feed the entire world, these fatties.

STU: And, by the way, all the systems that they came up with to grow food in areas where it couldn't be grown before were all invented in the United States. But let's continue to mock them.

VOICE: America, specifically probably Wisconsin.

VOICE: Pew, pew, we've got 90 guns per 100 persons. Sorry, Yemen, we beat you in drones and guns.

STU: Good.

PAT: Well, good. There's another thing that's not bad. Ninety for every 100. It should be 100 for every 100 or 200 for every 100.

STU: It will be difficult to have a government overrun their people. Is that an issue for these other countries they're not mocking?

PAT: I'm pretty sure that Yemen will not overrun us. And 90 guns per 100 people is part of the reasons. Not all. But part.

VOICE: We make 89 percent of the world's porn. That makes porn as American as church on Sunday.

PAT: Okay. That's obviously bad, if that's true. I don't know if that's true.

STU: Probably is.

PAT: Jeffy, is it true?

JEFFY: First of all, Mr. Gray, why is that a bad thing?

STU: Secondly, Jeffy makes 89 percent of the world's porn and he lives here. So it must be true.

VOICE: Kids consume 80 percent of the world's painkillers. Makes sense though. Right? I mean, racism in this country is a big pain in the ass.

JEFFY: Wait. What?

PAT: Racism.

STU: See, the racism is tied to the pain pills in the way of nothing. But let's throw it in there because it seems funny.

PAT: And it's great because they are so inclusive and diverse in the Middle East. Oh, my. There's people from -- oh. Arabia and Persia in the Middle East.

STU: You know how accepting that entire area is of Jews. Oh, they love the Jews.

PAT: There's no racism there.

STU: No! None at all.

PAT: There's no bigotry there whatsoever. When they call them pigs, they mean that in a nice way.

STU: Of course.

PAT: I'm pretty sure.

STU: I hate all of these countries who point the finger at our racism and have no chance to be racist because they're all the same!

STU: And as soon as someone tries to come in their general continent and settle, they're the -- at the other end of a target of every weapon they can come up with.

PAT: Yeah.

STU: Including trying to come up with entire nuclear programs to wipe them off the map. Yeah. Nice tolerance there.

VOICE: -- developed nations can't compete when we lead with the most number of teen pregnancies per capita.

VOICE: Credit card debt, grab your Visa, because we lead the world in that too. Just think of all the air miles!

STU: Oh. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. How stupid is this? First of all, credit card debt. Yes, we have a lot of credit card debt. That is true. We also have the largest economy on earth. By --

PAT: So it stands to reason we'll have more credit card debt.

STU: Then you add on -- oh, teen pregnancy. Porn is another one. Porn, 89 percent of the world's porn -- I'll take that at face and assume it's true. We're not consuming 89 percent of the world's porn. Which means other places are even trying to get our porn. Screw you.

PAT: No pun intended.

STU: Thank you. The teen pregnancy rate, look, there is a -- we don't force abortions like some other areas of the world do when people get pregnant. We do have a culture that does, you know, about 50/50 on abortion. So not everyone aborts their kids. Sorry. We try to keep a lot of them alive. It's terrible, I know.

PAT: We also don't kill our children when they become pregnant, as a rule. No honor killings here. Scant few.

VOICE: America is not that great. Just say God bless the country with the most deaths by lawn mower.

PAT: Most deaths by lawn mower. Wow. How about deaths by beheadings? Is Yemen in the top ten there? I'm guessing it is.

STU: Qatar, probably.

PAT: Sandstorms, I bet they're at least top ten. Oppression of women, got to be top five?

STU: You don't get to criticize anyone for anything when your women can't vote yet, okay? You can't criticize any part of any other country --

JEFFY: That's kind of the way I felt after the first time I heard it. And? Yeah, that's great. All right.

STU: It's not something to get so fired up about. It's Al-Jazeera.

PAT: No. It's just annoying.

STU: We don't lead the world for hiding Osama bin Laden.

PAT: Or terrorist production.

STU: We're not the go-to country for turning over terrorist tapes. That's you guys. So I understand, you know, that you have to put something on your crappy network. And Jeffy is right in the point of, who cares, it's Al-Jazeera saying it. It's hilarious. All these typical complaints about America and how bad it is. First of all, as we pointed out a million times, 99 percent of the people saying it don't want to go anywhere else. And if they want to, they're able to. And they stay. Because it's great here. For as annoying as this country gets at times and as bad as the government is at times, it's still way the hell better than every other place on earth.

Then when you look at the things they criticize you over. Well, you know what, do we have a culture that has a lot of guns? Yeah. There's a great reason for that. To throw out a number, well, they have more guns per capita than any other country. So what? It's made us one of the strongest countries in the world. It's made us a country that hasn't changed its Constitution in 200 years, other than the constitutionally available way to change it, which is amending it. And even those things have been relatively few and far between. Other countries turn over their constitution every couple decades when something else becomes popular. Here we have some principles, and we fight for them. And one of those principles is being able to defend yourself. How can you possibly be against that?

PAT: How many how many coups have we had in the last 239 years? Let's count up the total number of coups since 1776.

STU: Can you do this, Pat? Because you're the historian. Remember that one from that time.

PAT: Oh, that's right. There was the time --

JEFFY: Don't forget.

PAT: Okay. Zero. None. Not a single coup. How many in Qatar?

STU: Sixty zillion.

PAT: Since Wednesday.

STU: Yeah. So some of them don't have coups because they kill all the people constantly that oppose it. So it's pretty fancy.

All right. 877-727-BECK is the phone number. I guess that one did fire me up a little bit. Probably right, Jeffy. Probably a little too much. But it's frustrating. I'm sick of that nonsense.

Colorado counselor fights back after faith declared “illegal”

Drew Angerer / Staff | Getty Images

The state is effectively silencing professionals who dare speak truths about gender and sexuality, redefining faith-guided speech as illegal.

This week, free speech is once again on the line before the U.S. Supreme Court. At stake is whether Americans still have the right to talk about faith, morality, and truth in their private practice without the government’s permission.

The case comes out of Colorado, where lawmakers in 2019 passed a ban on what they call “conversion therapy.” The law prohibits licensed counselors from trying to change a minor’s gender identity or sexual orientation, including their behaviors or gender expression. The law specifically targets Christian counselors who serve clients attempting to overcome gender dysphoria and not fall prey to the transgender ideology.

The root of this case isn’t about therapy. It’s about erasing a worldview.

The law does include one convenient exception. Counselors are free to “assist” a person who wants to transition genders but not someone who wants to affirm their biological sex. In other words, you can help a child move in one direction — one that is in line with the state’s progressive ideology — but not the other.

Think about that for a moment. The state is saying that a counselor can’t even discuss changing behavior with a client. Isn’t that the whole point of counseling?

One‑sided freedom

Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor in Colorado Springs, has been one of the victims of this blatant attack on the First Amendment. Chiles has dedicated her practice to helping clients dealing with addiction, trauma, sexuality struggles, and gender dysphoria. She’s also a Christian who serves patients seeking guidance rooted in biblical teaching.

Before 2019, she could counsel minors according to her faith. She could talk about biblical morality, identity, and the path to wholeness. When the state outlawed that speech, she stopped. She followed the law — and then she sued.

Her case, Chiles v. Salazar, is now before the Supreme Court. Justices heard oral arguments on Tuesday. The question: Is counseling a form of speech or merely a government‑regulated service?

If the court rules the wrong way, it won’t just silence therapists. It could muzzle pastors, teachers, parents — anyone who believes in truth grounded in something higher than the state.

Censored belief

I believe marriage between a man and a woman is ordained by God. I believe that family — mother, father, child — is central to His design for humanity.

I believe that men and women are created in God’s image, with divine purpose and eternal worth. Gender isn’t an accessory; it’s part of who we are.

I believe the command to “be fruitful and multiply” still stands, that the power to create life is sacred, and that it belongs within marriage between a man and a woman.

And I believe that when we abandon these principles — when we treat sex as recreation, when we dissolve families, when we forget our vows — society fractures.

Are those statements controversial now? Maybe. But if this case goes against Chiles, those statements and others could soon be illegal to say aloud in public.

Faith on trial

In Colorado today, a counselor cannot sit down with a 15‑year‑old who’s struggling with gender identity and say, “You were made in God’s image, and He does not make mistakes.” That is now considered hate speech.

That’s the “freedom” the modern left is offering — freedom to affirm, but never to question. Freedom to comply, but never to dissent. The same movement that claims to champion tolerance now demands silence from anyone who disagrees. The root of this case isn’t about therapy. It’s about erasing a worldview.

The real test

No matter what happens at the Supreme Court, we cannot stop speaking the truth. These beliefs aren’t political slogans. For me, they are the product of years of wrestling, searching, and learning through pain and grace what actually leads to peace. For us, they are the fundamental principles that lead to a flourishing life. We cannot balk at standing for truth.

Maybe that’s why God allows these moments — moments when believers are pushed to the wall. They force us to ask hard questions: What is true? What is worth standing for? What is worth dying for — and living for?

If we answer those questions honestly, we’ll find not just truth, but freedom.

The state doesn’t grant real freedom — and it certainly isn’t defined by Colorado legislators. Real freedom comes from God. And the day we forget that, the First Amendment will mean nothing at all.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins Megyn Kelly LIVE — One night ONLY in Fort Worth!

Get ready for sparks to fly. For the first time in years, Glenn will come face-to-face with Megyn Kelly — and this time, he’s the one in the hot seat. On October 25, 2025, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, Glenn joins Megyn on her “Megyn Kelly Live Tour” for a no-holds-barred conversation that promises laughs, surprises, and maybe even a few uncomfortable questions.

What will happen when two of America’s sharpest voices collide under the spotlight? Will Glenn finally reveal the major announcement he’s been teasing on the radio for weeks? You’ll have to be there to find out.

This promises to be more than just an interview — it’s a live showdown packed with wit, honesty, and the kind of energy you can only feel if you are in the room. Tickets are selling fast, so don’t miss your chance to see Glenn like you’ve never seen him before.

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What our response to Israel reveals about us

JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Contributor | Getty Images

I have been honored to receive the Defender of Israel Award from Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The Jerusalem Post recently named me one of the strongest Christian voices in support of Israel.

And yet, my support is not blind loyalty. It’s not a rubber stamp for any government or policy. I support Israel because I believe it is my duty — first as a Christian, but even if I weren’t a believer, I would still support her as a man of reason, morality, and common sense.

Because faith isn’t required to understand this: Israel’s existence is not just about one nation’s survival — it is about the survival of Western civilization itself.

It is a lone beacon of shared values in the Middle East. It is a bulwark standing against radical Islam — the same evil that seeks to dismantle our own nation from within.

And my support is not rooted in politics. It is rooted in something simpler and older than politics: a people’s moral and historical right to their homeland, and their right to live in peace.

Israel has that right — and the right to defend herself against those who openly, repeatedly vow her destruction.

Let’s make it personal: if someone told me again and again that they wanted to kill me and my entire family — and then acted on that threat — would I not defend myself? Wouldn’t you? If Hamas were Canada, and we were Israel, and they did to us what Hamas has done to them, there wouldn’t be a single building left standing north of our border. That’s not a question of morality.

That’s just the truth. All people — every people — have a God-given right to protect themselves. And Israel is doing exactly that.

My support for Israel’s right to finish the fight against Hamas comes after eighty years of rejected peace offers and failed two-state solutions. Hamas has never hidden its mission — the eradication of Israel. That’s not a political disagreement.

That’s not a land dispute. That is an annihilationist ideology. And while I do not believe this is America’s war to fight, I do believe — with every fiber of my being — that it is Israel’s right, and moral duty, to defend her people.

Criticism of military tactics is fair. That’s not antisemitism. But denying Israel’s right to exist, or excusing — even celebrating — the barbarity of Hamas? That’s something far darker.

We saw it on October 7th — the face of evil itself. Women and children slaughtered. Babies burned alive. Innocent people raped and dragged through the streets. And now, to see our own fellow citizens march in defense of that evil… that is nothing short of a moral collapse.

If the chants in our streets were, “Hamas, return the hostages — Israel, stop the bombing,” we could have a conversation.

But that’s not what we hear.

What we hear is open sympathy for genocidal hatred. And that is a chasm — not just from decency, but from humanity itself. And here lies the danger: that same hatred is taking root here — in Dearborn, in London, in Paris — not as horror, but as heroism. If we are not vigilant, the enemy Israel faces today will be the enemy the free world faces tomorrow.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about truth. It’s about the courage to call evil by its name and to say “Never again” — and mean it.

And you don’t have to open a Bible to understand this. But if you do — if you are a believer — then this issue cuts even deeper. Because the question becomes: what did God promise, and does He keep His word?

He told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.” He promised to make Abraham the father of many nations and to give him “the whole land of Canaan.” And though Abraham had other sons, God reaffirmed that promise through Isaac. And then again through Isaac’s son, Jacob — Israel — saying: “The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I give to you and to your descendants after you.”

That’s an everlasting promise.

And from those descendants came a child — born in Bethlehem — who claimed to be the Savior of the world. Jesus never rejected His title as “son of David,” the great King of Israel.

He said plainly that He came “for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And when He returns, Scripture says He will return as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” And where do you think He will go? Back to His homeland — Israel.

Tamir Kalifa / Stringer | Getty Images

And what will He find when He gets there? His brothers — or his brothers’ enemies? Will the roads where He once walked be preserved? Or will they lie in rubble, as Gaza does today? If what He finds looks like the aftermath of October 7th, then tell me — what will be my defense as a Christian?

Some Christians argue that God’s promises to Israel have been transferred exclusively to the Church. I don’t believe that. But even if you do, then ask yourself this: if we’ve inherited the promises, do we not also inherit the land? Can we claim the birthright and then, like Esau, treat it as worthless when the world tries to steal it?

So, when terrorists come to slaughter Israelis simply for living in the land promised to Abraham, will we stand by? Or will we step forward — into the line of fire — and say,

“Take me instead”?

Because this is not just about Israel’s right to exist.

It’s about whether we still know the difference between good and evil.

It’s about whether we still have the courage to stand where God stands.

And if we cannot — if we will not — then maybe the question isn’t whether Israel will survive. Maybe the question is whether we will.

When did Americans start cheering for chaos?

MATHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND / Contributor | Getty Images

Every time we look away from lawlessness, we tell the next mob it can go a little further.

Chicago, Portland, and other American cities are showing us what happens when the rule of law breaks down. These cities have become openly lawless — and that’s not hyperbole.

When a governor declares she doesn’t believe federal agents about a credible threat to their lives, when Chicago orders its police not to assist federal officers, and when cartels print wanted posters offering bounties for the deaths of U.S. immigration agents, you’re looking at a country flirting with anarchy.

Two dangers face us now: the intimidation of federal officers and the normalization of soldiers as street police. Accept either, and we lose the republic.

This isn’t a matter of partisan politics. The struggle we’re watching now is not between Democrats and Republicans. It’s between good and evil, right and wrong, self‑government and chaos.

Moral erosion

For generations, Americans have inherited a republic based on law, liberty, and moral responsibility. That legacy is now under assault by extremists who openly seek to collapse the system and replace it with something darker.

Antifa, well‑financed by the left, isn’t an isolated fringe any more than Occupy Wall Street was. As with Occupy, big money and global interests are quietly aligned with “anti‑establishment” radicals. The goal is disruption, not reform.

And they’ve learned how to condition us. Twenty‑five years ago, few Americans would have supported drag shows in elementary schools, biological males in women’s sports, forced vaccinations, or government partnerships with mega‑corporations to decide which businesses live or die. Few would have tolerated cartels threatening federal agents or tolerated mobs doxxing political opponents. Yet today, many shrug — or cheer.

How did we get here? What evidence convinced so many people to reverse themselves on fundamental questions of morality, liberty, and law? Those long laboring to disrupt our republic have sought to condition people to believe that the ends justify the means.

Promoting “tolerance” justifies women losing to biological men in sports. “Compassion” justifies harboring illegal immigrants, even violent criminals. Whatever deluded ideals Antifa espouses is supposed to somehow justify targeting federal agents and overturning the rule of law. Our culture has been conditioned for this moment.

The buck stops with us

That’s why the debate over using troops to restore order in American cities matters so much. I’ve never supported soldiers executing civilian law, and I still don’t. But we need to speak honestly about what the Constitution allows and why. The Posse Comitatus Act sharply limits the use of the military for domestic policing. The Insurrection Act, however, exists for rare emergencies — when federal law truly can’t be enforced by ordinary means and when mobs, cartels, or coordinated violence block the courts.

Even then, the Constitution demands limits: a public proclamation ordering offenders to disperse, transparency about the mission, a narrow scope, temporary duration, and judicial oversight.

Soldiers fight wars. Cops enforce laws. We blur that line at our peril.

But we also cannot allow intimidation of federal officers or tolerate local officials who openly obstruct federal enforcement. Both extremes — lawlessness on one side and militarization on the other — endanger the republic.

The only way out is the Constitution itself. Protect civil liberty. Enforce the rule of law. Demand transparency. Reject the temptation to justify any tactic because “our side” is winning. We’ve already seen how fear after 9/11 led to the Patriot Act and years of surveillance.

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor | Getty Images

Two dangers face us now: the intimidation of federal officers and the normalization of soldiers as street police. Accept either, and we lose the republic. The left cannot be allowed to shut down enforcement, and the right cannot be allowed to abandon constitutional restraint.

The real threat to the republic isn’t just the mobs or the cartels. It’s us — citizens who stop caring about truth and constitutional limits. Anything can be justified when fear takes over. Everything collapses when enough people decide “the ends justify the means.”

We must choose differently. Uphold the rule of law. Guard civil liberties. And remember that the only way to preserve a government of, by, and for the people is to act like the people still want it.