Islamist Threat Remains
 
It has been several months since the last major terrorist attack in the United States, and President Trump has made tremendous progress in the war against the Islamic State.  Nevertheless, the threat from radical Islamic supremacism clearly remains.
 
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj was arrested last week after New Mexico authorities raided a "makeshift compound" where he was living with four other adults and 11 children.  Court documents indicate that Wahhaj was training the children to commit school shootings. 
 
He is also a suspect in the death of his 4 year-old son.
 
Wahhaj's father is a Brooklyn imam who was an unindicted co-conspirator in the trial of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, known as the "Blind Sheik."  Rahman was convicted for plotting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and for "planning a 'war of urban terrorism' in the United States."
 
According to CBS News, "The elder Wahhaj heads Masjid At-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, New York, which has attracted radical speakers over the years."
 
Here's something to consider:  Wahhaj was taken down not by the feds, but by Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe.  After receiving a tip, the sheriff led the raid to rescue the children.  Incredibly, the FBI couldn't find probable cause to search the compound even after several weeks of surveillance. 
 
But the same FBI, with little more than unverified partisan opposition research (the Steele dossier), did find probable cause to spy on the Trump campaign! 
 
 
 
Trump Gets Tough
 
The Trump Administration is imposing new sanctions against Russia for using chemical weapons to assassinate Sergei Skripal, an ex-spy, in Britain.  Russian financial markets tanked as a result.
 
The ruble fell to a two-year low against the dollar.  The Russian stock market lost three percent of its value.  Shares of Russia's main airline, Aeroflot, fell four percent.  And Moscow fell way short in a government bond sale as interest rates spiked.
 
Not too shabby results for a guy who is supposedly "soft on Russia." 
 
By the way, this is not the first time Trump has sanctioned Russia, as you can read here, here, here and here.
 
 
 
Faith Under Fire
 
California evangelist Greg Laurie recently purchased some billboards to advertise his upcoming crusade, SoCal Harvest.  The ads were fairly simple.  They featured the date, the location, some of the performers and a picture of Laurie holding up a book, presumably a Bible.  (Honestly, you can't tell what the book is.  It could be day planner.)
 
Incredibly, the ads proved to be too controversial for the billboard company.  After numerous complaints, including at least one "serious threat," the company canceled the contract and refunded Laurie's money.
 
John Collins, executive director of Harvest, said:
 
"There was nothing overtly religious about [the ad]. . . It's sad that our culture is at this degree of intolerance. . . There's such intolerance against Christianity that we aren't allowed to publicly advertise this event. That's amazing."
 
It is disgraceful that the billboard company couldn't stand up to the anti-Christian bigots who were complaining. 
 
Imagine if the situation were different:  What if a mosque paid for a billboard showing an imam holding a Koran.  I suspect few people would bother to complain.  And if they did, I guarantee they would be accused of being bigots.
 
 
 
Freedom vs. Free
 
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had trouble last night explaining how she will pay for her socialist "Medicare for All" scheme, which will cost at least $30 trillion.  Here's what she said: 
 
"Americans have the sticker shock of health care as it is. And what we're also not talking about is why aren't we incorporating the cost of all the funeral expenses of those who die because they can't afford access to health care? 
 
Seriously?
 
Access to health care will not prevent the cost of funerals.  Only two things in life are certain -- death and taxes.  Funerals will happen at some point, whether or not people have health care. 
 
But what about all the funerals of those who die in socialist countries because they can't see a doctor in time?  What about all the people who die from subpar healthcare because socialist countries stop innovating?
 
When I was driving into work today I saw a sign at a dealership that said, "Win a free car."  I would love a free car, but it may shock you to learn that I did not pull over.  I knew there was no chance that I was going to win a free car.  I'm sure it was some kind of drawing that was part of a sales pitch, a gimmick to get customers in the door.
 
I bring this up because these so-called "Democratic Socialists" are the political equivalent of the car dealer offering a free car.  But they are offering free healthcare, free college educations, guaranteed incomes and jobs -- none of which is "free."
 
If car dealerships could just give away free cars, why don't more of them do it?  Well, they would go bankrupt and there wouldn't be any car dealers. 
 
This would be laughable except for one frightening detail:  Polling that shows many young people prefer socialism over capitalism.  Have they checked out Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea lately?  
 
My friends, there is a lot at stake in our cultural debates today, including whether we will remain a free country.  The left wants to "fundamentally transform" America.  But freedom doesn't mean getting a lot of free stuff. 
 
As the saying goes, a government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have.