The virtue signaling reached a crescendo at the Grammy Awards last weekend, especially when singer-songwriter Billie Eilish accepted the "Song of the Year" Grammy for "Wildflower."

"As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything," she began, "but, no one is illegal on stolen land."

It was a double-whammy. In seven short words she covered both illegal immigration and "stolen land," and, as intended, her remarks drew the obligatory raucous cheers and deafening applause.

It also prompted someone claiming to be a descendant of the Tongva tribe of indigenous people to reach out to Eilish through social media.

"As a descendant of the Tongva people, I am here to reclaim my land that you have stolen. Please advise how we can move ahead with this process," the person said, adding, "Thank you."

The Tongva migrated into the Los Angeles basin approximately 3,500 to 4,000 years ago, and Eilish’s multi-million dollar L.A. home sirs right in the middle of it.

Political commentator Eric Daugherty agreed that she should hand the property over "to the Tongva tribe after she claimed, 'no one is illegal on stolen land,'" and that "She could also graciously host illegal aliens in her mansion. After all, she has the moral high ground."

The whole idea of "stolen land" was taken to its extreme two months ago by Brett Chapman, who self-describes as a "Native American attorney continuing the legacy of my relative Standing Bear who was the first Native American to win civil rights in the United States."

In early December he posted two photographs of Mount Rushmore, one from 1929 depicting it in its natural state, and the second as it stands today, with the images of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and (Theodore) Roosevelt carved into it.

Chapman said, "This photo is very sad because the Lakota people never wanted their mountain defaced like that — especially not with reminders of 4 presidents who were bad for Native Americans, all pushing policies that caused every needless problem facing their tribe spread over generations!"

One person replied that "It's even sadder for the Kiowa, who the Lakota slaughtered to get that mountain in the first place," and therein lies the rub.

The fact is that everyone stands on "stolen land," or more correctly, "conquered land," and in this case, while the Lakota may have taken it from the Kiowa, that’s not the end of the story.

Historical and archaeological records indicate that other tribes occupied or passed through the Black Hills area before the 18th century, beginning with the Arikara, who arrived around AD 1500.

They were followed by the Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, Arapaho, and Pawnee, among others, according to Grok, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence platform.

And as far as that goes, although the Tongva occupied the Los Angeles basin for up to 4,000 years, evidence exists of human occupation in the area dating back at least 10,000 years.

Prior to the Tongva's arrival, the basin was inhabited by earlier peoples, likely speaking Hokan languages, who may have been absorbed, displaced, or integrated as the Uto-Aztecan groups expanded.

In his book, "Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World," historian and Professor Jeff Fynn-Paul explains that "The narrative of the 'stolen country' … is simplistic, anti-historic thinking that has gained currency only because most practicing historians and history teachers have either given into groupthink or else have been cowed into silence by fear of losing their jobs."

He added, "There is hardly a single civilization on Earth which did not displace natives or which did not engage in nasty wars or ethnic cleansings at many points during its history.  . . . "

In short, everyone stands on "stolen land," except it wasn't really stolen. In some cases it was abandoned, in others it was conquered by a superior force.

And in most cases the population was better off for it.

The self-righteous drivel we hear from leftist celebrities like Billie Eilish that we stand on "stolen land," or that enforcing the law is "racist," shoplifting is a "victimless crime," or healthcare should be "free" are becoming tiresome.

It all amounts to virtue signaling — an attempt to display morally superiority — and I, for one, am tired of it.

And the rest of us should be also.

(A related op-ed may be gound here.)

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He's also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read more Michael Dorstewitz Insider articles — Click Here Now.