Blog
LatestArticlesVideos
Radio
LivePodcastSerialsStations
TV
Podcasts
The Glenn Beck ProgramThe Glenn Beck PodcastThe Beck Story
Fine Art
Real Estate
More
AboutCharityBooksSponsorsShopContact
SEARCH
Live Radio

©2024 MERCURY RADIO ARTS.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

Live

Glenn's Show Prep

Expert: Tropical Storm Harvey Is Headed to These Areas Next

August 31, 2017
Staff

WRITER

Tropical Storm Harvey has devastated Houston, flooded tens of thousands of homes and peaked as a Category 4 hurricane – and it’s not done yet.

“What we’re dealing with here is a storm that has plenty of time over warm water that appears to me is heading for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico,” Joe Bastardi of WeatherBELL.com said on radio Thursday.

He predicted the path of Tropical Storm Harvey, advising officials in those areas to stock up by airlifting in supplies and otherwise to prepare in case the storm hits the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

“We just saw a tremendous response in Texas, a reactive response, which was great,” Bastardi said. “But a proactive situation … would really be a way that you can show how good government can work with the right preparation.”

At least 31 people have died in the flood waters of Tropical Storm Harvey, according to local officials. Houston was drenched with more than 50 inches of rain, displacing people by the thousands as their homes flooded; a FEMA administrator told Fox News that at least 30,000 people are living in emergency shelters until the waters recede.

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

GLENN: We welcome to the program, Joe Bastardi. He's from WeatherBELL.com. If you don't know Joe, he's been on with us several times over, you know, the last -- seems like couple of decades. Maybe three decades, Joe.

But Joe is one of the best weather guys out there, meteorologists. He is -- when it comes to hurricanes, this guy nails it. He has said recently that the -- the drought of hurricanes, if you will, these giant storms, this is the year they're going to come to an end. He is also -- his tracking of this hurricane was almost 100 percent correct, or close enough for people in my business at least.

And unfortunately, he is also calling for another hurricane that is now starting to form as a tropical storm. And he's here to tell us a little bit about that.

But first, Joe, welcome to the program. How are you, sir?

JOE: Well, I'm pretty good. I just want to call in for a couple reasons on Irma, okay? It's not a done deal that's hitting the United States.

GLENN: Sure.

JOE: It's Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands I'm very, very worried about. In fact, in looking at what I'm seeing, it has a classic look for a hurricane that should go to a major hurricane. But we look at these analogues of past patterns. For instance, Ike and Andrew. Where the path -- you see the path come up and bend. And when it bends off to the left like that, the hurricane starts intensifying. Because it means that the upper air ridge of high pressure to the north of it is backing west with it, to sort of escort it westward like that.

By the way, and I just want folks to understand, I learned that methodology in 1976 at Penn State University from Dr. John Lee, my tropical professor, who would point out countless storms, countless major storms. Because we did have major hurricanes back then. In fact, quite a few of them in the '30s, '40s, and '50, that when they came up and bent to the left, there would be rapid intensification that would follow over the next few days.

And so what we're dealing with here is a storm that has plenty of time over warm water that appears to me is heading for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. This is very important. It's going to move slow. If we get a good handle on this by Sunday, if it's me and I'm the administration, I would start looking at this as to try to preemptively airlift supplies and get people ready. Because it may not come until Wednesday or Thursday, but if you're coming in Saturday or Sunday, even if it's a near-miss, it's a bad storm. If it's a direct hit, where the Category 4 or 5 hurricane coming through the Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico, look what you go did, right?

And we just saw a tremendous response in Texas, a reactive response which was great. A proactive situation, especially with Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Both US territories. We have to understand that. Would really be a way that -- you can show how good government can work with the right -- with the right preparation.

GLENN: Joe, what are the odds that that -- that comes a little farther up north.

JOE: What do you mean?

GLENN: And hits -- you know, it -- it slams into -- it misses Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and it slams into the Carolinas. I guess it's not really north.

JOE: That's certainly in the realm of possibility. But what I do is I make a forecast. I think what this is going to do --

GLENN: Okay.

JOE: -- is come very close to Puerto Rico, just north of Hispaniola. And because -- I've got, you know, clients all in there.

GLENN: Yeah.

JOE: And, you know, we're getting the Bahamas sort of war footing. Getting them prepared. And then you have the southeast United States.

If this thing takes a further cell track over Puerto Rica and Hispaniola, it will not be able to rebuild major intensity before Florida.

GLENN: Okay.

JOE: If you look at the tracks of storms into Hispaniola, what happens is this, if there are major hurricanes and they're hit, the inside of them get hallowed out. And they can't get their core back together for two, three, four days.

You saw that with Ike. When Ike hit in there, it had to get back over the gulf for a while. So you have to understand that there is a way out here for the United States, or it recurves to the east of the United States.

But what we do is, look, we tell people options. And we say, this is our most likely forecast. And right now, the first place I'm worried about and the reason I called in was because Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and the idea that, you know, if you're seeing something four or five days in advance, you would be able to get ready for it.

What happened with Harvey was, everybody was staring at the eclipse on Monday. I mean, I was amazed at the lack of attention to what was going on. It wasn't named. But it was -- and, you know, we were warning our clients saying, "You know, this is going to be a big deal." And we warned them -- that's not hind-sighting. It's what we were doing.

And as far as the preseason goes, I tell you, I put something on Twitter this morning that showed the pressure patterns when major hurricanes are going to hit the United States and the computer models. And what has happened over the last 12 years -- and it might be due to the fact that the globe is warmer. Okay?

Might argue over what causes that, but I don't argue that the globe is a bit warmer. Is it distorts the barometric pressure patterns during the hurricane season, which may make it less likely for hurricanes to hit. Now, what do we jump on this year? We knew this year would be different. Look at how cool it is across the eastern and central United States.

And when it's cool in the month of August and the ocean -- and you're in a warm cycle in the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, we are. Okay? Bang. It lights up the tropics. You saw that happen in 2004.

GLENN: Okay. So, Joe, you just brought up global warming. And all of Al Gore's nonsense of, you know, the world is going to all be underwater, you know, by 2016. And he talked about these great buildup of storms. We have just gone through an amazing quiet period of storms. And I would like to get your view. I don't know where you stand on global warming.

I am on record saying, I will look at the temperatures. And if the temperatures are up. That's great.

What you do about it, is what we need to actually be discussing. But for the people to start coming in and saying, "These storms are global warming. See, we told you." No, this is a cycle that has been quiet for a while and might come roaring to life.

JOE: Well, here's the thing, you know, I believe, first of all in Ecclesiastes 1:9: There's nothing new under the sun. You know, as man gets smarter, he observes things more and more.

The cycles in the ocean, what we call the meridional overturning circulation, centuries in the making. The way you see the oceans now is a product of back and forth for such a long time.

GLENN: Yeah.

JOE: So I believe that the cycle is largely warming. CO2's contribution is minute. It's only .04 percent of the atmosphere.

But, look, here's what starts happening: Let's say this becomes a big hurricane, but it stays out at sea. Well, that's weather. If it happens to come 100 miles further west and hits the United States, well, there's climate change right there. And that's what you see going on.

You take -- see, this is the thing about me -- I should probably be like a spy for the other side. I can give them examples where they could push their point. For instance, suppose this comes into the Bahamas as a major hurricane. That will be three major hurricanes in three years, right? Which is almost unprecedented in the Bahamas. Three major hurricanes in three years. My counter, then, to myself would be: Well, look at what happened '63, '64, '65, '66, around there, where you had major hurricanes. You had Anez (phonetic), Cleo, Betsy, Flora, all coming into the same spot.

And where was that? And that's the big thing. Why -- today is the anniversary of Hurricane Carol, folks, on the northeast coast. 1954. The wind gusted to 135 miles an hour at Block Island, Rhode Island. That happens to be stronger than the wind gusts at Aransas Pass with this past storm, which was 132 miles an hour. Now, one could argue, well, there were stronger winds with Harvey. But then again, with Carol, there may have been stronger winds too because they push 15 feet of water into Providence, Rhode Island.

GLENN: So, Joe --

JOE: So my point is this: That you are seeing an agenda. And they come out after the fact. It's Monday morning quarterbacking, and that's what I get all upset about. That, oh, these people didn't even know what was going on to happen in the preseason. They didn't get out there and hang their tail out to dry, like we did at our company. And then they tell me after the fact? That, oh, this is because of CO2.

GLENN: So, Joe, I have to ask you this question. And I know you have to run. You're a very busy man. And I appreciate your time.

JOE: Not really. I can hang out.

(laughter)

GLENN: I want to ask you this one question: And that is this. I have such respect for you because you really know your science. You know your craft. You know it.

But I'm listening to you, and I'm hearing the memorization of the dates and the storms and everything else. Did you -- like a lot of kids grew up, they memorized the names of the presidents. Did you grow up knowing you wanted to do this and memorizing the names of storms? When did you decide, my gosh, I'm passionate about this?

JOE: Well, at the age of three, my mom and dad had to keep an eye on me because I would lie on my back and stare at the sun and the cumulus clouds going in front of the sun because I would like to look at the outline of the clouds. My dad is a meteorologist. He's 88 now. He graduated out of A&M in '65, and he put me to bed, not with the three little bears, but the three big storms of '54. Carol --

(laughter)

JOE: No, listen, I've been through it. My son's like this. My great grandfather was a town weatherman in Bisignano, which is a town in Sicily. And it's in the blood. And it's in the passion.

You know what, we're probably a lot alike in our spiritual beliefs. God -- God gives you something, a passion like that, he's doing it for a reason.

GLENN: Yeah, he is.

JOE: Many people -- you know, I see the majesty, I see the majesty of the creation of God's hand in the weather every day. I simply marvel at it. I'm looking at it right now out my window. There's a cloud in one place. No cloud in the other. There has to be something different going on over that short period, that short area. How does that happen?

So you got to understand something, that this is all I've ever wanted to do since I was a little kid. I've been a geek all my life. I'm still a geek now. I can't help it.

And I'll tell you what's bad, it's a blessing and a curse, folks. Because you will see things quite far away, and then you can't sleep because you keep going over it. You keep looking at maps. Looking at maps.

And then what happens when they don't happen? You learn about being wrong, okay? And that's the problem I think that climatologists have: They should be made to forecast the weather for a year so they can see how the models go wrong and how they can be wrong. Because when you're just looking at stuff from behind and you get to come out and say, "Well, see, it's what we told you," it's a very, very different situation from being an operational forecaster, where your life is on the line.

GLENN: Joe Bastardi from WeatherBELL.com. WeatherBELL.com. Chief meteorologist, and really one of the most accurate guys when it comes to long-range forecasting and a friend of the program for a very long time. Joe, I appreciate it. God bless.

JOE: Hey, before I go, just remember, calm down. Everyone enjoy the weather. Because it's the only weather you've got. Most of the weather is nice across most of the world. Okay?

STU: Optimistic take.

GLENN: God bless you. Thanks, Joe. Yeah.

Is the U.N. plotting to control 30% of U.S. land by 2030?

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

A reliable conservative senator faces cancellation for listening to voters. But the real threat to public lands comes from the last president’s backdoor globalist agenda.

Something ugly is unfolding on social media, and most people aren’t seeing it clearly. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) — one of the most constitutionally grounded conservatives in Washington — is under fire for a housing provision he first proposed in 2022.

You wouldn’t know that from scrolling through X. According to the latest online frenzy, Lee wants to sell off national parks, bulldoze public lands, gut hunting and fishing rights, and hand America’s wilderness to Amazon, BlackRock, and the Chinese Communist Party. None of that is true.

Lee’s bill would have protected against the massive land-grab that’s already under way — courtesy of the Biden administration.

I covered this last month. Since then, the backlash has grown into something like a political witch hunt — not just from the left but from the right. Even Donald Trump Jr., someone I typically agree with, has attacked Lee’s proposal. He’s not alone.

Time to look at the facts the media refuses to cover about Lee’s federal land plan.

What Lee actually proposed

Over the weekend, Lee announced that he would withdraw the federal land sale provision from his housing bill. He said the decision was in response to “a tremendous amount of misinformation — and in some cases, outright lies,” but also acknowledged that many Americans brought forward sincere, thoughtful concerns.

Because of the strict rules surrounding the budget reconciliation process, Lee couldn’t secure legally enforceable protections to ensure that the land would be made available “only to American families — not to China, not to BlackRock, and not to any foreign interests.” Without those safeguards, he chose to walk it back.

That’s not selling out. That’s leadership.

It's what the legislative process is supposed to look like: A senator proposes a bill, the people respond, and the lawmaker listens. That was once known as representative democracy. These days, it gets you labeled a globalist sellout.

The Biden land-grab

To many Americans, “public land” brings to mind open spaces for hunting, fishing, hiking, and recreation. But that’s not what Sen. Mike Lee’s bill targeted.

His proposal would have protected against the real land-grab already under way — the one pushed by the Biden administration.

In 2021, Biden launched a plan to “conserve” 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. This effort follows the United Nations-backed “30 by 30” initiative, which seeks to place one-third of all land and water under government control.

Ask yourself: Is the U.N. focused on preserving your right to hunt and fish? Or are radical environmentalists exploiting climate fears to restrict your access to American land?

  Smith Collection/Gado / Contributor | Getty Images

As it stands, the federal government already owns 640 million acres — nearly one-third of the entire country. At this rate, the government will hit that 30% benchmark with ease. But it doesn’t end there. The next phase is already in play: the “50 by 50” agenda.

That brings me to a piece of legislation most Americans haven’t even heard of: the Sustains Act.

Passed in 2023, the law allows the federal government to accept private funding from organizations, such as BlackRock or the Bill Gates Foundation, to support “conservation programs.” In practice, the law enables wealthy elites to buy influence over how American land is used and managed.

Moreover, the government doesn’t even need the landowner’s permission to declare that your property contributes to “pollination,” or “photosynthesis,” or “air quality” — and then regulate it accordingly. You could wake up one morning and find out that the land you own no longer belongs to you in any meaningful sense.

Where was the outrage then? Where were the online crusaders when private capital and federal bureaucrats teamed up to quietly erode private property rights across America?

American families pay the price

The real danger isn’t in Mike Lee’s attempt to offer more housing near population centers — land that would be limited, clarified, and safeguarded in the final bill. The real threat is the creeping partnership between unelected global elites and our own government, a partnership designed to consolidate land, control rural development, and keep Americans penned in so-called “15-minute cities.”

BlackRock buying entire neighborhoods and pricing out regular families isn’t by accident. It’s part of a larger strategy to centralize populations into manageable zones, where cars are unnecessary, rural living is unaffordable, and every facet of life is tracked, regulated, and optimized.

That’s the real agenda. And it’s already happening , and Mike Lee’s bill would have been an effort to ensure that you — not BlackRock, not China — get first dibs.

I live in a town of 451 people. Even here, in the middle of nowhere, housing is unaffordable. The American dream of owning a patch of land is slipping away, not because of one proposal from a constitutional conservative, but because global powers and their political allies are already devouring it.

Divide and conquer

This controversy isn’t really about Mike Lee. It’s about whether we, as a nation, are still capable of having honest debates about public policy — or whether the online mob now controls the narrative. It’s about whether conservatives will focus on facts or fall into the trap of friendly fire and circular firing squads.

More importantly, it’s about whether we’ll recognize the real land-grab happening in our country — and have the courage to fight back before it’s too late.


This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

URGENT: FIVE steps to CONTROL AI before it's too late!

MANAURE QUINTERO / Contributor | Getty Images

By now, many of us are familiar with AI and its potential benefits and threats. However, unless you're a tech tycoon, it can feel like you have little influence over the future of artificial intelligence.

For years, Glenn has warned about the dangers of rapidly developing AI technologies that have taken the world by storm.

He acknowledges their significant benefits but emphasizes the need to establish proper boundaries and ethics now, while we still have control. But since most people aren’t Silicon Valley tech leaders making the decisions, how can they help keep AI in check?

Recently, Glenn interviewed Tristan Harris, a tech ethicist deeply concerned about the potential harm of unchecked AI, to discuss its societal implications. Harris highlighted a concerning new piece of legislation proposed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz. This legislation proposes a state-level moratorium on AI regulation, meaning only the federal government could regulate AI. Harris noted that there’s currently no Federal plan for regulating AI. Until the federal government establishes a plan, tech companies would have nearly free rein with their AI. And we all know how slowly the federal government moves.

  

This is where you come in. Tristan Harris shared with Glenn the top five actions you should urge your representatives to take regarding AI, including opposing the moratorium until a concrete plan is in place. Now is your chance to influence the future of AI. Contact your senator and congressman today and share these five crucial steps they must take to keep AI in check:

Ban engagement-optimized AI companions for kids

Create legislation that will prevent AI from being designed to maximize addiction, sexualization, flattery, and attachment disorders, and to protect young people’s mental health and ability to form real-life friendships.

Establish basic liability laws

Companies need to be held accountable when their products cause real-world harm.

Pass increased whistleblower protections

Protect concerned technologists working inside the AI labs from facing untenable pressures and threats that prevent them from warning the public when the AI rollout is unsafe or crosses dangerous red lines.

Prevent AI from having legal rights

Enact laws so AIs don’t have protected speech or have their own bank accounts, making sure our legal system works for human interests over AI interests.

Oppose the state moratorium on AI 

Call your congressman or Senator Cruz’s office, and demand they oppose the state moratorium on AI without a plan for how we will set guardrails for this technology.

Glenn: Only Trump dared to deliver on decades of empty promises

Tasos Katopodis / Stringer | Getty Images

The Islamic regime has been killing Americans since 1979. Now Trump’s response proves we’re no longer playing defense — we’re finally hitting back.

The United States has taken direct military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Whatever you think of the strike, it’s over. It’s happened. And now, we have to predict what happens next. I want to help you understand the gravity of this situation: what happened, what it means, and what might come next. To that end, we need to begin with a little history.

Since 1979, Iran has been at war with us — even if we refused to call it that.

We are either on the verge of a remarkable strategic victory or a devastating global escalation. Time will tell.

It began with the hostage crisis, when 66 Americans were seized and 52 were held for over a year by the radical Islamic regime. Four years later, 17 more Americans were murdered in the U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut, followed by 241 Marines in the Beirut barracks bombing.

Then came the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996, which killed 19 more U.S. airmen. Iran had its fingerprints all over it.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, Iranian-backed proxies killed hundreds of American soldiers. From 2001 to 2020 in Afghanistan and 2003 to 2011 in Iraq, Iran supplied IEDs and tactical support.

The Iranians have plotted assassinations and kidnappings on U.S. soil — in 2011, 2021, and again in 2024 — and yet we’ve never really responded.

The precedent for U.S. retaliation has always been present, but no president has chosen to pull the trigger until this past weekend. President Donald Trump struck decisively. And what our military pulled off this weekend was nothing short of extraordinary.

Operation Midnight Hammer

The strike was reportedly called Operation Midnight Hammer. It involved as many as 175 U.S. aircraft, including 12 B-2 stealth bombers — out of just 19 in our entire arsenal. Those bombers are among the most complex machines in the world, and they were kept mission-ready by some of the finest mechanics on the planet.

   USAF / Handout | Getty Images

To throw off Iranian radar and intelligence, some bombers flew west toward Guam — classic misdirection. The rest flew east, toward the real targets.

As the B-2s approached Iranian airspace, U.S. submarines launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles at Iran’s fortified nuclear facilities. Minutes later, the bombers dropped 14 MOPs — massive ordnance penetrators — each designed to drill deep into the earth and destroy underground bunkers. These bombs are the size of an F-16 and cost millions of dollars apiece. They are so accurate, I’ve been told they can hit the top of a soda can from 15,000 feet.

They were built for this mission — and we’ve been rehearsing this run for 15 years.

If the satellite imagery is accurate — and if what my sources tell me is true — the targeted nuclear sites were utterly destroyed. We’ll likely rely on the Israelis to confirm that on the ground.

This was a master class in strategy, execution, and deterrence. And it proved that only the United States could carry out a strike like this. I am very proud of our military, what we are capable of doing, and what we can accomplish.

What comes next

We don’t yet know how Iran will respond, but many of the possibilities are troubling. The Iranians could target U.S. forces across the Middle East. On Monday, Tehran launched 20 missiles at U.S. bases in Qatar, Syria, and Kuwait, to no effect. God forbid, they could also unleash Hezbollah or other terrorist proxies to strike here at home — and they just might.

Iran has also threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz — the artery through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil flows. On Sunday, Iran’s parliament voted to begin the process. If the Supreme Council and the ayatollah give the go-ahead, we could see oil prices spike to $150 or even $200 a barrel.

That would be catastrophic.

The 2008 financial collapse was pushed over the edge when oil hit $130. Western economies — including ours — simply cannot sustain oil above $120 for long. If this conflict escalates and the Strait is closed, the global economy could unravel.

The strike also raises questions about regime stability. Will it spark an uprising, or will the Islamic regime respond with a brutal crackdown on dissidents?

Early signs aren’t hopeful. Reports suggest hundreds of arrests over the weekend and at least one dissident executed on charges of spying for Israel. The regime’s infamous morality police, the Gasht-e Ershad, are back on the streets. Every phone, every vehicle — monitored. The U.S. embassy in Qatar issued a shelter-in-place warning for Americans.

Russia and China both condemned the strike. On Monday, a senior Iranian official flew to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin. That meeting should alarm anyone paying attention. Their alliance continues to deepen — and that’s a serious concern.

Now we pray

We are either on the verge of a remarkable strategic victory or a devastating global escalation. Time will tell. But either way, President Trump didn’t start this. He inherited it — and he took decisive action.

The difference is, he did what they all said they would do. He didn’t send pallets of cash in the dead of night. He didn’t sign another failed treaty.

He acted. Now, we pray. For peace, for wisdom, and for the strength to meet whatever comes next.


This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Globalize the Intifada? Why Mamdani’s plan spells DOOM for America

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

If New Yorkers hand City Hall to Zohran Mamdani, they’re not voting for change. They’re opening the door to an alliance of socialism, Islamism, and chaos.

It only took 25 years for New York City to go from the resilient, flag-waving pride following the 9/11 attacks to a political fever dream. To quote Michael Malice, “I'm old enough to remember when New Yorkers endured 9/11 instead of voting for it.”

Malice is talking about Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist assemblyman from Queens now eyeing the mayor’s office. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state representative emerging from relative political obscurity, is now receiving substantial funding for his mayoral campaign from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

CAIR has a long and concerning history, including being born out of the Muslim Brotherhood and named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror funding case. Why would the group have dropped $100,000 into a PAC backing Mamdani’s campaign?

Mamdani blends political Islam with Marxist economics — two ideologies that have left tens of millions dead in the 20th century alone.

Perhaps CAIR has a vested interest in Mamdani’s call to “globalize the intifada.” That’s not a call for peaceful protest. Intifada refers to historic uprisings of Muslims against what they call the “Israeli occupation of Palestine.” Suicide bombings and street violence are part of the playbook. So when Mamdani says he wants to “globalize” that, who exactly is the enemy in this global scenario? Because it sure sounds like he's saying America is the new Israel, and anyone who supports Western democracy is the new Zionist.

Mamdani tried to clean up his language by citing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, which once used “intifada” in an Arabic-language article to describe the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. So now he’s comparing Palestinians to Jewish victims of the Nazis? If that doesn’t twist your stomach into knots, you’re not paying attention.

If you’re “globalizing” an intifada, and positioning Israel — and now America — as the Nazis, that’s not a cry for human rights. That’s a call for chaos and violence.

Rising Islamism

But hey, this is New York. Faculty members at Columbia University — where Mamdani’s own father once worked — signed a letter defending students who supported Hamas after October 7. They also contributed to Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. And his father? He blamed Ronald Reagan and the religious right for inspiring Islamic terrorism, as if the roots of 9/11 grew in Washington, not the caves of Tora Bora.

   Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

 

This isn’t about Islam as a faith. We should distinguish between Islam and Islamism. Islam is a religion followed peacefully by millions. Islamism is something entirely different — an ideology that seeks to merge mosque and state, impose Sharia law, and destroy secular liberal democracies from within. Islamism isn’t about prayer and fasting. It’s about power.

Criticizing Islamism is not Islamophobia. It is not an attack on peaceful Muslims. In fact, Muslims are often its first victims.

Islamism is misogynistic, theocratic, violent, and supremacist. It’s hostile to free speech, religious pluralism, gay rights, secularism — even to moderate Muslims. Yet somehow, the progressive left — the same left that claims to fight for feminism, LGBTQ rights, and free expression — finds itself defending candidates like Mamdani. You can’t make this stuff up.

Blending the worst ideologies

And if that weren’t enough, Mamdani also identifies as a Democratic Socialist. He blends political Islam with Marxist economics — two ideologies that have left tens of millions dead in the 20th century alone. But don’t worry, New York. I’m sure this time socialism will totally work. Just like it always didn’t.

If you’re a business owner, a parent, a person who’s saved anything, or just someone who values sanity: Get out. I’m serious. If Mamdani becomes mayor, as seems likely, then New York City will become a case study in what happens when you marry ideological extremism with political power. And it won’t be pretty.

This is about more than one mayoral race. It’s about the future of Western liberalism. It’s about drawing a bright line between faith and fanaticism, between healthy pluralism and authoritarian dogma.

Call out radicalism

We must call out political Islam the same way we call out white nationalism or any other supremacist ideology. When someone chants “globalize the intifada,” that should send a chill down your spine — whether you’re Jewish, Christian, Muslim, atheist, or anything in between.

The left may try to shame you into silence with words like “Islamophobia,” but the record is worn out. The grooves are shallow. The American people see what’s happening. And we’re not buying it.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.