Jonathan Turley On Birthright Citizenship: "We're A Ship Of Fools!"

Glenn Beck interviews Georgetown University law professor and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley about his book "Rage and the Republic" during America's 250th anniversary celebrations. The conversation centers on constitutional challenges facing the nation, particularly birthright citizenship and what Turley characterizes as an orchestrated campaign by legal academics to undermine foundational American institutions. Turley reveals that Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence in a recent 5-4 Supreme Court decision leaves open the possibility for Congressional limits on birthright citizenship, despite the narrow ruling upholding it. He advocates for both a 28th Amendment and legislation criminalizing birth tourism, noting the U.S. is an outlier among developed nations on this policy. Turley issues a stark warning about law professors and deans calling for abandoning the Constitution and packing the Supreme Court, describing it as conditioning Americans for radical change. The discussion pivots to the uniqueness of America's founding, with Turley highlighting Thomas Paine as the quintessential American—a repeated failure in England who became "the penman of the revolution" after Benjamin Franklin sponsored his emigration. Turley emphasizes that America's success as the world's first Enlightenment revolution stemmed from embracing faith and the principle that rights come from God, not government—contrasting sharply with France's Terror. Both Beck and Turley express concern about a "crisis of faith" in American principles but find hope in the 250th anniversary celebrations on the National Mall, which Turley describes as more grand than the 1976 bicentennial. The conversation concludes with Turley arguing that Americans must answer the question "who then is this American" or risk not surviving to the 500th anniversary.

• Justice Kavanaugh's Supreme Court concurrence suggests Congress may have authority to limit birthright citizenship despite the Court's 5-4 ruling upholding it, according to Jonathan Turley
• Law school professors and deans are advocating to abandon the Constitution and pack the Supreme Court on America's 250th anniversary, Turley warns
• Congress is moving to criminalize birth tourism as Turley calls the U.S. a "ship of fools" for maintaining birthright citizenship while allies have rescinded it
• Turley characterizes current efforts as conditioning Americans to accept radical institutional change that threatens the republic's survival to its 500th anniversary
• America succeeded as the world's first Enlightenment revolution by embracing faith and the principle that rights come from God, unlike France's anti-religious Terror
• The 250th anniversary celebrations on the National Mall are more grand than the 1976 bicentennial, with National Guardsmen and visitors enthusiastically participating despite extreme heat
• Thomas Paine exemplifies American opportunity as a complete failure in England who became the revolution's penman two years after Benjamin Franklin sponsored his emigration