Fracking Is A Key Issue That Could Propel Bernie Sanders To Victory In New York

We've learned some terrifying facts about the state of our environment in recent days.

In Antarctica, a new study shows that the gigantic West Ice Sheet is melting twice as fast as previously thought. This would cause three feet of sea level rise alone, which, added to sea level rise across the globe, could total six feet or more by the year 2100.

Off the coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is experiencing the worst coral bleaching ever seen. This is disastrous news because coral provides critically important habitat for millions of species of fish and marine life. It is the canary in the ocean coal mine. Once the coral starts dying off, everything else dies too.

If that wasn't bad enough, we also learned of a bombshell report written by Harvard researchers about the horrific effects of fracking.

Fracking, short for "hydraulic fracturing," is the process by which natural gas is manufactured. It was once billed as a great step forward in energy extraction. It was thought to be cleaner than traditional fossil fuels. Years ago, it was heralded as a silver bullet that could help us combat Climate Change.

Unfortunately, none of that is true.

The fracking boom has exacerbated Climate Change because it leaks extraordinary amounts of toxic methane gas into the air. As Bill McKibben explains, methane is actually worse than carbon dioxide.

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have many differences, but none more stark than their positions on fracking.

Bernie is 100% against fracking. He wants to ban in nationwide. Meanwhile, Hillary sold fracking to the world as Secretary of State, touting it as "the cleanest fossil fuel available for power generation today."

When asked at a recent debate if she supports fracking, Clinton danced around the issue without ever providing an honest answer. When it came time for Bernie's rebuttal, he gave a much shorter, direct response: "no."

Which brings us to the pivotal New York primary coming up on April 19th.

The latest polls have Hillary up by 20 points or more in the Empire State, which makes sense because it's her home turf. She represented the state for two terms as a Senator. She has decades of experience in New York politics and has forged countless connections with party bosses and establishment elites throughout the state.

However, the same polls showed a similar point spread in Michigan just a few weeks before Bernie ended up pulling off a monumental upset. Yes, Bernie is the underdog in New York, but he's riding a wave of incredible momentum. In recent weeks, he's posted an impressive string of massive, blow-out victories in Utah, Idaho, Hawaii, Alaska and Washington. His campaign also announced that they've raised more than $43 million in grassroots donations for the second consecutive month.

So how can Bernie keep the momentum going and pull off the upset in New York?

By focusing on fracking.

It wasn't until early 2010 that fracking really became a national issue. This was thanks in large part to Josh Fox's brilliant documentary Gasland, which blew the cover on the fracking crisis plaguing our country. Fox's film was a wake-up call. It illustrated how fracking was unsafe and completely unregulated. It showed how fracking is destroying our environment by polluting drinking water and causing illness and disease and, sadly, how no one in the government was being honest about its true effects.

Fox's clip of a man lighting the water coming out of his sink on fire became the "holy shit" moment that turned the tide against fracking.

While Fox's documentary was exposing the horrific effects of fracking, New York became ground zero for the anti-fracking movement. For years, farmers and regular working people protested against fracking and new natural gas pipelines. They held sit-ins, petitioned public officials and demanded that the state ban the practice outright.

The groundswell of grassroots opposition forced New York to conduct a massive study on fracking that took more than six years to complete. When the results came back that fracking was unsafe and exacerbated Climate Change, Governor Andrew Cuomo banned fracking state-wide in early 2015.

The fracking ban was a monumental victory for the planet and regular New Yorkers fighting to keep their water clean, their land free from earthquakes and their public spaces free from exploitation by the fossil fuel industry. The anti-fracking blueprint popularized in New York was then spread across the country. The same tactics helped stop the Keystone Pipeline and are helping to stop countless other natural gas pipelines across America.

On the campaign trail, Bernie has hammered Hillary on her support for fracking and the fact that she takes millions of dollars from the fossil fuel industry. It appears to be taking its toll on the Secretary of State. At a recent event in New York, Clinton lashed out a Greenpeace reporter who called her out for taking money from Big Oil.

Clinton says "I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me." Unfortunately for Hillary, facts do not lie. Her campaign and Super Pacs have taken more than $4.5 million from lobbyists, donors and bundlers connected to the fossil fuel industry.

By responding so defensively, it's obvious that the issue is getting under Clinton's skin.

New Yorkers, more than anyone else in country, know how important it is to elect a leader that will act boldly to address Climate Change.

Rising sea levels are at New York City's door. During Super-Storm Sandy, they were nearly washed away. In the rural parts of the state, New Yorkers saw their water and land being polluted by fracking and they fought a war to stop it. Climate is not some side-issue for the people of the Empire State, it is a major issue that affects them and their future directly.

As they head to the polls on April 19th, New Yorkers can elect someone who takes money from the fossil fuel industry or someone who doesn't. They can elect someone who championed fracking worldwide or someone who wants to ban it completely.

If you're a New Yorker who cares about climate, it should be an easy choice to make.

The Revolution Has Begun. Where is Elizabeth Warren?

If Bernie Sanders's stunning upset in Michigan proved one thing, it's this: the Revolution is real.

At first, the corporate media and the political establishment laughed at Bernie. They called him a protest candidate. Sure, he might be popular at the moment, but he's just a flash in the pan. In the meantime, at least he gives Hillary Clinton a Democratic opponent to campaign against so she won't be totally unprepared for the general election.

Oh how things have changed.

Since February, Bernie has won nine state primaries and caucuses, many of which he won in a landslide behind record turnout (Colorado, Kansas and Maine). He's also raised more than $40 million last month alone, which means he has plenty of money to mount a strong campaign that can go the distance.

Now, with his incredible upset victory in Michigan, Bernie has proven that no matter how hard the pundits try to spin it, the race is far from over. This isn't a protest campaign. It's a people's movement. And its growing stronger each day.

For nearly 50 years, Bernie has been preaching the same exact message, yet no one listened. As a young activist in Chicago, he got arrested for protesting against segregated schools. As a mayor, he revitalized Burlington through New Deal-style improvements that benefited the community, not the super-rich. As a member of the House, he took on homophobic colleagues and fought against disastrous trade deals, the de-regulation of Wall Street and the Iraq War. As a Senator, he has taken on climate deniers, income inequality and a corrupt campaign finance system.

In almost every case, Bernie did so without fanfare, without any notoriety. He didn't do these things because they were popular. Or because it would score him political points or make him famous or earn him money. He did it because it was the right thing to do. Period.

Now, all of a sudden, millions of Americans are listening to Bernie's message. And they're loving what they hear.

Bernie is succeeding because he is tailor-made for the times. It's almost as if the moment was pre-ordained for Bernie, like some divine power told him to bide his time and continue toiling in obscurity, with the promise that one day, far in the future, his message would eventually break through.

That time is now.

Bernie's message isn't just resonating, it's dominating and transforming our political discourse. We have the energy and the momentum, but we can't rest on our laurels. Everyday that Bernie grows stronger, Wall Street and corporate America funnel millions more into Hillary's Super Pac to stop him. The assault will only get more intense the more Bernie succeeds.

To combat this onslaught, we need all hands on deck.

Iraq War Vet and Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has stepped up to the plate in a big way, campaigning hard for Bernie at deafening rallies all across the country. Other vocal supporters include Congressmen Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Raul Grijalva of Arizona, along with Robert Reich and celebrities Mark Ruffalo, Spike Lee and Sarah Silverman.

With a wide variety of progressives uniting behind Bernie, many supporters are left to wonder: Where is Elizabeth Warren?

As much as this moment is made for Bernie, it's made for Warren as well.

While Bernie has been preaching the same message for a half century with very little notoriety, Warren popularized the message on a mass scale just a few short years ago. Seemingly overnight, she went from an unknown college professor to a liberal rock star thanks to her stinging critique of Wall Street in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse.

In many ways, Bernie and Warren are two sides of the same political coin. They both preach progressive populism. They both know that the game is rigged. They are both vehemently anti-Wall Street and want to break up the big banks. Their entire careers have been built on fighting for the the regular, average American, doing everything they can to tip the scale back in favor of the 99%, away from the rich and powerful.

As a result, it makes perfect sense for Warren to team up with Bernie at this crucial point in time. Simply put, she is the Robin to his Batman. By combining forces, they can rid Gotham of the oligarchic villains that have hijacked our democracy.

Yet, for whatever reason, Warren is reluctant to endorse Bernie. She has stayed on the sidelines for the entire campaign, choosing not to add her powerful voice to the passionate debate among Democrats over which candidate has a better vision for the country.

Some argue that since Warren is the only female Senator not to endorse Hillary, that equates to a tacit endorsement of Bernie. Others believe that her reluctance to endorse Bernie means that she secretly supports Hillary. Or maybe she is just being politically savvy by not endorsing either candidate.

Whatever the case may be, one fact cannot be argued: Warren has enormous influence, and she is forfeiting that influence by remaining silent. She is leaving her progressive comrades in the lurch at a time when they need her the most.

The battle lines have been drawn. Progressives all across the country are energized in a way they haven't been in generations. From coast to coast, they are standing up to say enough is enough, it's time our democracy works for everyone, not just the rich and powerful. Warren should be leading the battle alongside Bernie, but instead she is nowhere to be found.

This could be the last stand for the middle class. Either we reclaim our democracy from the plutocrats now or we lose it forever.

It's time to stop playing politics. It's time to get off the sideline. The Revolution is underway and we need all hands on deck.

It's time for Elizabeth Warren, the biggest rock star on the left, to put down her pen and pick up her sword.

Don't Believe The Corporate Media: Bernie Sanders Is Very Much Alive

Following Super Tuesday, the corporate media machine has been working overtime to hijack the Democratic Primary narrative.

The race is over, they say. Hillary Clinton has the nomination wrapped up. Bernie Sanders is done. The Revolution is dead. It's time for him to drop out and fall in line behind Hillary.

To make their case, they use bogus math. On CNN, MSNBC and Google, they bombard us with lopsided charts and graphs that say Hillary is dominating the race. They claim that she leads by an insurmountable margin of 1,052 to 427.

These numbers are incredibly misleading because they include both regular delegates and super delegates.

CNN, MSNBC, Google & countless others fail to mention one very important fact: super delegates do not matter one bit at this point. They do not vote until the Convention in July. They are free to change their vote based upon how the race unfolds. For example, Hillary also had a big super delegate lead in 2008, but a vast majority of them ended up switching their vote to Barack Obama when it became clear he was the better candidate.

It's also important to remember that super delegates are not chosen by the people, only the regular delegates are. Super delegates are Establishment insiders. Many of them are lobbyists and donors. They are the powerful party elites and they're rigging the game to make sure Hillary get elected.

Simply put, the corporate media is using these crooked numbers to brainwash the American people into thinking the race is over. They want to demoralize and silence the Political Revolution by making it seem like Hillary is a shoo-in. Stop organizing. Stop going to rallies. You lost. It's over. Time to put away childish things and come support Hillary.

Why is the corporate media pushing this narrative? Because it's in their best interest that Hillary wins. She represents the establishment. She defends the status quo, which keeps them in power and makes them billions of dollars every single year.

As Lee Fang of The Intercept reported recently, many TV pundits you see on cable news are tied to the Hilary campaign, yet the networks never disclose this to the viewers. They trot them out as "independent" or "neutral" analysts, then they proceed to bash Bernie and sing Hillary's praises.

And it's not just the on-air pundits who are in the bag for Hillary. As Fang pointed out on Twitter, many TV executives have contributed maximum donations to her campaign.

The truth is that, in terms of pledged delegates, the race is very close. The score is not 1052-427.

It's 596-407.

Only 15 states have voted. 35 more remain and many of them are very favorable to Bernie, including Michigan, Ohio, Maine, West Virginia, Alaska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Oregon and California, the grandaddy of them all with over 400 delegates up for grabs.

On Super Tuesday, Hillary won in Southern states that will vote overwhelmingly Republican in the general election. Meanwhile, Bernie won by 20 points in a crucially important swing state (Colorado), and also scored big wins in Minnesota and Oklahoma, a landslide victory in Vermont and a virtual tie in Massachusetts, a Democratic establishment stronghold.

Bernie raised over $40 million in the month of February, so money is not an issue. We have plenty of cash to compete until the end. Time is on our side as well. Bernie's message resonates once people get a chance to meet him and hear him speak. In some places in America he is still relatively unknown. The more he campaigns, the more recruits the Revolution receives.

We cannot let the corporate media manipulate us. We cannot let it get us down. We must stay positive, stay the course, continue to organize, phone-bank and canvass.

If Bernie had lost Colorado or Minnesota, the Revolution may have ended Tuesday night.

But it didn't.

We're still in the game. And we're growing stronger each day.

We're taking it all the way to the Convention.

#FeelTheBern

Why Won't Hillary Clinton Release Her Goldman Sachs Speeches?

At the height of the 2012 presidential race, a secret video emerged showing Republican Nominee Mitt Romney disparaging the 47% of Americans who are "dependent upon government" and "unwilling to take personal responsibility for their lives."

The video changed the entire race. It destroyed Romney's candidacy because it exposed the multi-millionaire as out of touch, arrogant and unsympathetic to the middle class and the poor. If the 47% video never emerged, who knows if Barack Obama gets re-elected. That's how much of a game-changer it was.

Four years later, there's an outside chance that we could see history repeat itself. Except this time, the bombshell secret video will torpedo the would-be Democratic nominee, not Republican.


DUCKING THE ISSUE

Over the past two years, Hillary Clinton has received $2.5 million in paid speeches from Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street firms. In total, Bill and Hillary have made an astounding $125 million from paid speeches since 2001.

When a reporter from The Intercept dared to ask Clinton about the paid speeches, she laughed and turned away.

Because the speeches are made in complete private and are not available to the public, the American people are left to wonder: Why is Hillary so reluctant to talk about them? More closely, what exactly does Clinton say to the oligarchs and plutocrats when she thinks no one is listening?

Maybe this is why: according to Goldman Sachs executives who have attended these $200,000 speeches, Clinton often "reassures" them and "boosts their morale" by repudiating the Occupy Wall Street movement and denouncing Elizabeth Warren-Liberals.

"Ordinarily these masters of the universe might have groaned at the idea of a politician taking the microphone... But Clinton offered a message that the collected plutocrats found reassuring, according to accounts offered by several attendees, declaring that the banker-bashing so popular within both political parties was unproductive and indeed foolish... Certainly, Clinton offered the money men -- and yes, they are mostly men -- at Goldman's HQ a bit of a morale boost... [Clintons's remarks] did register as a repudiation of some of the angry anti-Wall Street rhetoric emanating from liberals rallying behind the likes of Senss. Elizabeth Warren..."

SHE JUST DOESN'T GET IT

Last week, at a Democratic town hall hosted by CNN, Hillary was asked about her decision to accept $675,000 from Goldman Sachs. "That's what they offered," she replied.

Then, at the last debate before the New Hampshire Primary, Hillary was asked whether she would release the transcripts of her Goldman speeches. Her response? "We'll look into it."

Hillary's ultra-casual handling of the Goldman issue is incredibly symbolic, not only of her closeness to Wall Street but also her cluelessness about what the American people actually think and feel in their heads and in their hearts.

Simply put, Hillary does not understand why this issue is so important to the American people. She is genuinely surprised that her speaking fees are garnering so much attention. This speaks volumes to how out of touch she is with regular Americans.

Nearly a decade ago, the greed and recklessness of Wall Street caused the biggest financial collapse since the Great Depression, costing us millions of jobs and destroying the economic security of countless Americans.

Eight years later, millions of Americans are still hurting. Their lifetime savings are gone. They are working longer hours for lower wages. They see all the new wealth going to the top 1%. They see Wall Street CEOs making ungodly sums of money while the rest of us are struggling to get by.

Now they see Hillary personally profiting off the illegal behavior of Wall Street, getting paid more in one-hour than many of us make in five or six years. These dollars are tainted by greed, yet Hillary accepts them anyway. Then she has the audacity to act like it's no big deal, like regular Americans are stupid for even asking about it. That's what makes it so infuriating and upsetting.


IT'S TIME TO COME CLEAN

It's been confirmed that every one of Hillary's speeches have, in fact, been transcribed. (All of her speaking contracts include a $1,250 fee to pay for the stenographer).

As a result, Hillary can only hide behind the "we'll look into it" cop-out for so long. The transcripts exist. It's up to her whether or not they see the light of day.

This puts Hillary in an exceedingly difficult position. If she fails to release the speeches, it will be widely assumed that they are so politically damaging that she would rather deal with the firestorm of speculation than the fallout of what they actually say.

On the other hand, if she does release them and they show her gushing over Wall Street, bashing Elizabeth Warren and defending the plutocrats who tanked our economy, it will all but destroy her campaign, handing Bernie Sanders not only the nomination, but likely the White House as well.

I don't envy Hillary's position. In many ways it's a lose-lose. She made a deal with the devil after leaving the State Department. Yes, the speeches made her rich. But now she is forced to deal with the radioactive fallout that surrounds them.

If I were Hillary, I would release the speeches. If they incriminate her as an out of touch, Wall Street-loving elitist, I would publicly apologize and return the money to Goldman Sachs. This is the only way for her to put the issue to bed and regain the trust of regular Americans.

Or she can continue to obfuscate and risk the emergence of a 47%-type video showing her bowing down to Wall Street executives in the cozy confines of Manhattan boardroom.

The first option could very well save her campaign. The second option would end up destroying her candidacy entirely.

The choice is hers.

Confessions Of A Liberal Democrat: Why I'm Voting For Bernie Over Hillary

For the first time in my life, I am learning what it truly means to be a Democrat.

Growing up in the Bush Era and then spending my 20s in the Age of Obama, it all seemed pretty black and white to me, politically speaking.

Bush was the bad one. So were all the Republicans. All they cared about was invading countries and giving tax breaks to millionaires. They loved guns, hated gay people and didn't believe in Climate Change.

The Democrats were the good guys- and I was proud to be one of them. We fought for the middle class, not the super-rich. We believed in science, protecting the environment, providing health care and social security and education to every American. We were anti-War and pro-peace. We were hippies and children of hippies.

Obama was our savior. He was going to fix Bush's mess and bring us back from the abyss. He was going to fundamentally change the country, transforming America into a more open, inclusive, liberal society.

Call it naive, but this was my perspective growing up.

Now that I'm older, I see things differently.

For the first time in my life, I now realize that there are two kinds of Democrats.

One kind is personified by Hillary Clinton. She represents the mainstream, middle of the road Democrat. By and large, the centrist, moderate Democrat is more hawkish on foreign policy, more willing to intervene in places like Iraq, Syria and Libya. They are friendlier to Wall Street and the big banks, often accepting millions from them in the form of paid speeches and campaign contributions. Simply put, they are the status quo. They are the establishment. They are in the business of ensuring that the train keeps moving. No stops. No turns. No changes.

The other kind of Democrat is embodied by Bernie Sanders. He is not a centrist. He is not a moderate. He is a proud progressive, stoic and statuesque in his positions.

He's been preaching the same gospel for nearly 50-years. He does not flip-flop or change his opinion based on poll numbers. He is authentic in a way no other contemporary politician is. He gets his campaign contributions from middle class Americans donating thirty bucks a pop, not million dollar checks from Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Bernie wants to keep us out of costly, never-ending MidEast wars. He wants to expand social security. He wants Single Payer health care for all. He wants to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour. He wants free college tuition. And he wants to pay for all of these things by enacting a tax on Wall Street speculation and closing tax loopholes that only benefit the super wealthy. All of these positions are considered "radical" by the media and partisan pundits, but they are wildly popular with the American people.

Our democracy is broken. We face enormous problems that cannot be ignored. Income inequality, the disappearance of the Middle Class, Climate Change, big money in politics, a broken immigration system, a corrupt criminal justice system, crippling student debt, crumbling infrastructure as far as the eye can see.

If we elect another moderate, centrist Democrat, nothing will change. After all, establishment politics got us into this mess in the first place. The game is rigged, and they're the ones that rigged it.

We need to chart a new course. We need to elect a leader in the mold of FDR, someone who welcomes the hatred of Wall Street. Someone who is unwavering in their convictions. Someone who tilts the axis away from the rich and powerful and back to the common man.

I do not hate Hillary. I respect her long record of service to the country. She is by far the most qualified candidate in the field. In all honesty, I would love to cast my ballot for the first female President. If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, I will absolutely vote for her in the general election.

But until she wins the nomination, I am fighting like hell for Bernie. And as a Liberal Democrat, you should too.

After all, who knows if we'll ever see another political revolution like this again.

Donald Trump's Dangerous Game

At first, I must admit, I enjoyed the rise of Trump.

As a Democrat, I loved seeing him skewer his fellow Republicans and cause chaos in his party. Yes, his behavior was grotesque and absurd, but I could laugh it off because, after all, there was absolutely no way he could actually win. So sit back and enjoy the ride, I thought. It won't last long.

A part of me also respected the fact that Trump spoke his mind. In a world where almost every politician is corrupt and lies through their teeth, Trump's brash honesty felt refreshing. Sure, his words are racist and hateful and divisive, but at least he's telling you what he really believes.

As summer turned to fall, it became increasingly clear that Trump was here to stay. And amazingly, the more outrageous his rhetoric grew, the more popular he became. Mexicans are rapists. John McCain isn't a war hero. Megyn Kelly had blood coming out of her whatever. It didn't matter. Trump was defying political convention, rising higher in the polls with every controversial statement. It was almost too surreal to comprehend, too unbelievable to grasp.

Soon, every interview and campaign rally became must-see TV. You felt compelled to tune in just to see what Trump would say next. It quickly became a game of "how far can he go?"

This week, we may have finally found the answer to that question.

With his proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the country, it's now clear that Trump has gone off the deep end.

All of a sudden, his act is no longer funny. It is shameful, sad and dangerous.

Normally, I cringe at Hitler comparisons. But with the rise of Trump I fully believe we are witnessing a Hitler-like movement take hold in our country.

A highly nationalistic strongman is rising to power by stoking racist hatreds and paranoia. He speaks in apocalyptic terms and promises to restore the country to its past greatness. He uses minorities and immigrants as scapegoats. He vilifies large groups of people based on their religion. This is the playbook of a fascist.

Sadly, we are already starting to see the results of Trump's highly-inflammatory, anti-Muslim rhetoric. In Texas, heavily-armed citizen mobs are stalking mosque-goers. In Philadelphia, pigs heads are being thrown at mosques. And all across the country, Middle-Eastern-looking American citizens are being harassed in schools and on busses.

It's scary to think where this dangerous path will lead.

At first, Trump was just giving the GOP a bad name. But now, with his proposal to ban all Muslims, he is giving us all a bad name, Democrats and Republicans alike. He is tarnishing the image of America. He is making us look like ignorant, bigoted laughingstocks on the world stage.

If a bright side exists, it's that only 10-15% of the population supports Trump. And although he very well could win the nomination, Trump's Hitler-like antics have made him unelectable in a general election.

But between now and November, Democrats can't just continue to sit back and watch the show. We must turn off the TV entirely.

Thanksgiving, Syrian Refugees and What It Means To Be American

Following the Paris Attacks, a growing number of Americans have demanded that the United States reject Syrian refugees.

On the surface, this sentiment seems to make sense. With hundreds of thousands of refugees pouring out of Syria, many Americans are fearful that ISIS could exploit the greatest mass migration since WWII by posing as migrants in order to gain passage into Western countries, where they could then commit acts of terror.

Amidst the backdrop of Paris, it sounds like a legitimate fear to have. However, when you really dig deep, this collective anxiety does not hold up to scrutiny.

First off, Syrian refugees are not terrorists. They are victims of terror. They are predominantly women and children whose lives have been destroyed by Assad barrel bombs and ISIS barbarism. 

Secondly, America has one of the most thorough and extensive refugee screening processes in the world. As Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson recently explained, refugees must pass multiple levels of background checks, medical tests and interviews in order to gain entrance into the United States. The entire process takes two years to complete.

Thirdly, why would ISIS waste two-years trying to pass the screening process when they already have thousands of foreign fighters with European passports who are ready to commit acts of terror right now? After all, none of the Paris attackers were refugees from Syria. They were all native Frenchmen and Belgians. They weren't foreigners, they were homegrown. 

When thinking about the refugee crisis, we must remember that one of ISIS's main goals is to "eliminate the gray-zone of co-existence between Muslims and the West." They hope that by terrorizing the West with Paris-style attacks it will cause backlash against Western Muslims as a whole, forcing them to abandon the West and join the Caliphate, which ultimately strengthens ISIS.

Muslims living in the West would soon no longer be welcome in their own societies. Treated with increased suspicion, distrust and hostility by their fellow citizens as a result of the deadly shooting, Western Muslims would soon be forced to "either apostatize... or migrate to the Islamic State, and thereby escape persecution from the crusader governments and citizens."

Sadly, we are seeing this ugly trend take shape in America. Since the Paris Attacks, anti-Muslim sentiment is on the rise. Donald Trump has led the charge nationally, catapulting even higher in the polls thanks to his inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric. Ben Carson even compared Syrian refugees to rabid dogs. In Texas, armed gunmen are now "hunting for terrorists" by stalking worshippers who enter mosques. This anti-Muslim backlash is exactly what ISIS.

Every time Trump calls for mass surveillance of Muslims or Chris Christie refuses to accept 3-year-old refugee orphans, ISIS jumps for joy on the streets of Raqqa. It strengthen's their apocalyptic narrative that the East is at war with the West, and that the West is hostile toward Islam. It allows ISIS to say to the refugees "Look, the West is evil. They don't want you. They don't respect you. You must stay in Syria. Your only true home is the Caliphate."

Bombs and bullets can only accomplish so much in the fight against ISIS. In order to fully destroy the Islamic State, we must decimate their ideology. Simply put, we can kill a thousand ISIS jhadists every day, but as long as the ideology that motivates them lives on, more and more fighters will take their place. The only way to end this revolving door of horror is to expose the ISIS ideology as barbaric and bankrupt and un-Islamic. 

We all have a role to play in this fight. As everyday Americans, our job is to condemn anti-Muslim rhetoric. In doing so, we prove that America is not at war with Islam. We prove that Western values like tolerance and pluralism are the ultimate antidote to extremism. Nothing would infuriate ISIS more.

As Americans, we have a moral obligation to accept refugees fleeing Syria. To turn our backs on them in their time of need would go against everything our country stands for. After all, the Statue of Liberty says "give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." It doesn't say "sorry, not our problem."

History has taught us that when it comes to refugees, our actions have real consequences. In 1939, the SS St Louis was carrying over 900 Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust. It was forced to turn around before it reached Florida. More than 250 people on that ship ended up being killed by the Nazis. All because we turned them away. Most Americans look back on this episode with disgust and shame. Why, with the benefit of hindsight, are we willing to make the same mistake by closing the door on today's refugees fleeing Syria?

Finally, as we sit around the table this Thanksgiving, surrounded by family, delicious food and the sound of football in the background, we should also remember that many of our earliest ancestors, including the ones who celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621, were themselves immigrants and refugees.

We must honor that legacy by showing compassion to today's Syrian refugees. 

Anything less would be un-American.