For thousands of years, there has been a struggle between individual freedom and dictatorial power. Plato, the ancient philosopher, proposed a utopian state that included a totalitarian central planning system that would abolish free enterprise, individual rights, private ownership, families, and control nearly all aspects of life. Down through the ages, many authoritarian governments based […] The post Marx and Kamala or Locke and Trump appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

The oft-advertised “JOY!” — which defined the early days of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign — appears to have left the building in the wake of some of the latest swing state polls. One Emerson College poll in particular showed former President Donald Trump leading the Democratic Party’s candidate-by-default in four of seven key “swing” states: Arizona (49-47), Pennsylvania (49-48), Georgia (49-48), and North Carolina (49-48). In two other states — Michigan and Wisconsin — the candidates were tied at 49. Nevada showed just a one-point advantage for Harris, 48 to Trump’s 47. ?? Swing States Polling by Emerson ARIZONA ? Trump: 49% (+2)? Harris: 47%—PENNSYLVANIA ? Trump: 49% (+1)? Harris: 48% —GEORGIA ? Trump: 49% (+1)? Harris: 48%—NORTH CAROLINA ? Trump: 49% (+1)? Harris: 48%—MICHIGAN ? Harris: 49% (=)? Trump: 49%—… — InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) October 10, 2024 All seven states’ results were well within the margin of error, meaning that the race was still likely to be a nail-biter right up to the very last minute — but other indicators are starting to suggest a shift away from Harris. An Axios report published on Thursday laid out the cracks Harris still has to repair — with less than one month to go — in what was once the solidly Democrat “blue wall” if she wants to eke out a victory on November 5. Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here! “Harris is depending on that Blue Wall to win the White House, even if she struggles in the Sunbelt,” Axios’ Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei wrote. “On private calls, some top Harris allies are saying they believe the race will come down to Pennsylvania and Michigan.” Both candidates have made their presence felt in Pennsylvania in recent weeks, with Trump returning last Saturday to the exact spot where a gunman attempted to take his life just three months prior. GOP activist Scott Presler — who has been on the ground in Pennsylvania registering voters for weeks — and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk joined the former president at a rally that was said to reach a six-figure attendance. Meanwhile, Harris has planned rallies and her surrogates have been knocking on doors, but as her planned media blitz has thus far only delivered an abundance of unforced errors — and the contributions from running mate Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) have not translated to a much-needed bump in polls — critics continue to second guess her decision to pass over Pennsylvania’s popular Governor Josh Shapiro for the VP slot.  

CBS vetted questions for woke activist Ta-Nehisi Coates through its Race and Culture unit, which was created in the summer of 2020 during the George Floyd riots. “CBS Mornings” anchor Tony Dokoupil, however, went off script, asking Coates tough questions about his new book “The Message,” which portrays Israel as the aggressor in the Israel-Gaza conflict and Palestinians as perpetual victims, The Daily Wire previously reported. Dokoupil was reprimanded for his questioning. The Race and Culture unit reviewed the interview and determined that while “Dokoupil’s questions and intentions were acceptable, his tone was not,” Puck News reported. Further, the network’s Standards and Practices division “determined that Dokoupil had not followed the preproduction process where questions are run through Race and Culture and Standards and Practice.” CBS News and Stations president and CEO Wendy McMahon told Dokoupil about the violations and said they would be addressed with staff. McMahon and her top deputy Adrienne Roark then spent three days figuring out how to do that before telling staff on October 7. At that staff meeting, CBS News’ chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford criticized the determination. “I don’t even understand how Tony’s interview failed to meet our editorial standards,” Crawford said, Dylan Byers reported. “I thought our commitment was to truth. When someone comes on our air with a one-sided account of a very complex situation—which Coates himself acknowledges that he has—it’s my understanding that as a journalist we are obligated to challenge that worldview, so that our viewers can have access to the truth and can have a more balanced account…” “… And that is what Tony did,” Crawford continued, according to Byers. “He challenged Coates’ one-sided worldview, Coates got to respond. It was civil… I don’t see how we can say that it failed to meet our editorial standards…. Tony prevented a one-sided account from being broadcast on our network about a deeply complex situation that completely was devoid of history or fact. As journalists, that’s what we have an obligation to do.” Media reporter Justin Baragona reported that Dokoupil admitted to going off script when it came to his questioning of Coates, but defended his tone and questions. At one point during the staff meeting, a staffer asked Dokoupil how he would interview a Palestinian guest, and Dokoupil said he would ask the guest about their politics and whether Israel has a right to exist. This apparently prompted “groans” in the room, Baragona reported. Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here! An unnamed insider told Baragona, “If Tony would just shut the f*** up, none of this would be happening.” Dokoupil has pressed Coates on the framing of his book, which compares the Israel-Gaza conflict to slavery in America. “I have to say, when I read the book, I imagine if I took your name out of it, took away the awards, the acclaim, took the cover off the book, publishing house goes away, the content of that section would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist,” Dokoupil said in the interview, according to CNN. Dokoupil also pushed Coates to answer why he left out so many facts in the book that are beneficial to Israel. “Why leave out that Israel is surrounded by countries that want to eliminate it? Why leave out that Israel deals with terror groups that want to eliminate it?” Dokoupil asked. Coates didn’t get upset or hostile toward Dokoupil’s questioning and responded by saying his book was not supposed to be an exact history of the conflict but about a different perspective, even though the perspective he put forth is the dominating one in academic and media circles. Amid the reprimand of Dokoupil, it has been reported that CBS News told staff not to refer to Jerusalem “as being in Israel,” even though it has been recognized as Israel’s capital since 1995. “Yes, the U.S. embassy is there and the Trump administration recognized it as being Israel’s capital. But its status is disputed,” CBS News Senior Director of Standards Mark Memmott said in an email to staff. “The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel regards Jerusalem as its ‘eternal and undivided’ capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem—occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war—as the capital of a future state.” Israel exists now, while Memmott’s phrasing suggests Jerusalem can’t be referred to as the capital because of a potential future change, which may never happen. Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro called the demand to staff “literally fake news.”

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy and mother of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., died on Thursday after suffering a stroke a week ago. She was 96 years old. Former Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) announced his grandmother’s passing in a post on X, saying, “It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week.” “Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly,” he continued. “She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary; her grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie. Please keep her in your hearts and prayers.” It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week. Along with a lifetime's work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind… — Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) October 10, 2024 Cheryl Hines, Kennedy Jr’s wife, shared a tribute and a photo remembering her mother-in-law: “It has been my great honor to have shared laughter and love with Ethel. Her charisma, wisdom and strength will live on with me in every memory of her. Bobby and I spent many warm nights in Hyannis Port having dinner with her and hearing stories from her extraordinary life. She always made me laugh. She was never too serious except when she needed to be. She dressed to nines with bare feet. She will be missed. My love is with the family.” Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here! My mother in law, Ethel Kennedy, Bobby's mother, passed this morning. It has been my great honor to have shared laughter and love with Ethel. Her charisma, wisdom and strength will live on with me in every memory of her. Bobby and I spent many warm nights in Hyannis Port having… pic.twitter.com/j7faAcU1Bm — Cheryl Hines (@CherylHines) October 10, 2024 Maria Shriver remembered her aunt in a touching tribute with several photos, saying, “My aunt, Ethel Kennedy passed this morning. What a life she led. What a huge family she created and leaves behind. I’m so glad I was able to laugh with her this summer, to share memories with her. She was a devoted sister-in-law to my mother, a one of a kind aunt to me and my cousins.” “She was fearless, funny, smart, incredible athlete, patriot, madly in love with my Uncle Bobby, and devoted to making our country better in every way,” Shriver continued. “She was a woman of deep faith. When it got tough, and there were a lot of tough times, she dug in. She relied on her faith like my own mother. They were a pair of strong, determined women. What lives, what examples. It’s impossible to put her life in a caption. I love you, Ethel. Godspeed, and to all my cousins, I send my love to you on this day and on all days.” My aunt, Ethel Kennedy passed this morning. What a life she led. What a huge family she created and leaves behind. I’m so glad I was able to laugh with her this summer, to share memories with her. She was a devoted sister-in-law to my mother, a one of a kind aunt to me and my… pic.twitter.com/u5ruoc4vye — Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) October 10, 2024 As pointed out on social media, The New York Times wasted no time in using the Kennedy matriarch’s obituary to take potshots at RFK Jr. over his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race and endorse Trump. Paragraphs three and four read as follows: Her death came a little more than six weeks after her third eldest child, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ended his long-shot independent presidential campaign and endorsed former President Donald J. Trump in his bid for re-election. Mr. Kennedy’s decision to support the Republican nominee and his earlier choice to challenge Mr. Trump’s Democratic rivals, initially President Biden and then Vice President Kamala Harris, caused a painful breach in the Kennedy family, compelling some of his many siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews — heirs to a staunchly Democratic lineage — to speak out in dismay and anger and originally endorse the president, a friend of the family, over Mr. Kennedy. Kennedy will be remembered for her work to champion many of the same environmental and human rights-related causes her late husband valued, beginning with the founding of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, a non-profit organization. Former President Barack Obama presented Ethel Kennedy with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2014.

Pro-life activists are warning about “deceptive” ballot initiatives that could pave the way for unlimited abortion in red states if approved by voters in November.  The ballot initiatives employ deceptive language, like saying a measure would allow abortion up to the point of “viability” — but lets pro-abortion doctors determine what “viability” means. Other ballots would permit abortions for “mental health” reasons, another broad category that could be interpreted to expand abortion. “A lot of deception on the side of the [abortion] proponents because they know that if they were honest about their ultimate goal, which is to repeal not just the gestational limit but all these other laws like no taxpayer funding for abortion, like parental consent, like informed consent, that voters would never support that,” SBA Pro-Life America policy director Katie Glenn Daniel told The Daily Wire.  Pro-life activists face a massive funding disadvantage in the 10 states where abortion is on the ballot, including New York, Florida, and Arizona. The language on the Florida ballot says that there can be no pro-life protections “before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”  In Montana, the language would block protections before “viability,” which is defined as “the point in pregnancy when, in the good faith judgment of a treating health care professional and based on the particular facts of the case.” Dr. Ingrid Skop, a researcher with the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute, said that allowing the doctor to define viability was dangerous. She said that since the abortionist’s goal is to end the life of the unborn baby, he will decide that the “baby will never be viable because I am going to end his life.”  “So we can see that this very ambiguous wording is going to lead to many abortions long after the time of viability for reasons most Americans would not consider to be a compelling reason for ending human life,” Skop told The Daily Wire. Other ballot initiatives de-emphasize abortion, to make voters think they’re only deciding on less controversial components. Missouri’s abortion ballot measure includes guarantees to things like miscarriage care and fertility treatments, which are not prohibited by any state law. This strategy paid off for pro-abortion activists in Ohio last year, where voters passed a ballot measure expanding abortion rights thanks in part to ambiguous language. “By making these ballot initiatives worded in such a deceptive way people think to themselves, ‘Oh I must have to vote for this in order to allow a mom to get emergency care,” Skop said.  Skop added that many of the ballot initiatives also include vague provisions on abortions that are necessary for “health of the mother,” once a defined medical category that has now grown to include mental, financial, social, and familial factors. Abortions measures in states including Missouri and and Nevada have “mental health” as a justification for an abortion.  “Many abortions way past the age of viability were performed with the excuse that this was needed for a woman’s health,” Skop said.  Abortion is on the ballot in Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, Nevada, Nebraska, Montana, South Dakota, New York, and Maryland. So far, the pro-abortion side has reportedly raised around $108 million, while the pro-life side has raked in just $14 million.  Daniel said it made sense that the pro-abortion side was spending so much money on the races, as they were essentially making a business investment.  “The abortion industry has no guard rails on how much money they will spend on this because it’s an investment in their ability to run their business without any limits,” she said. “So of course they are going to open the wallets to spend money to lie to voters.” The pro-abortion groups have also used language typically associated with more conservative voters, with many talking about limiting government and using names like “Missourians for Constitutional Freedom” and “Floridians Protecting Freedom.” But pro-life groups are working to make their voice heard as Election Day nears. Live Action announced on Thursday a six-figure digital ad campaign to urge voters in Missouri and Florida to vote “no” on the abortion amendments.  “Abortionists and their collaborators are pouring tens of millions of dollars into propaganda to try to mislead voters and conceal the fact that these amendments would legalize abortions on babies through all nine months of pregnancy,” Live Action founder Lila Rose said. “Lives are on the line in Florida and Missouri like never before in state history.” Pro-lifers have seen a number of setbacks at the ballot box from Kansas to Kentucky to Ohio, but believe they can be successful if more Americans knew the full extent of the abortion agenda being pushed by Democrats. For example, pro-abortion activists in Michigan are suing to force taxpayer funding for abortion, which has long been banned by state law.  “The other side knows they have to be deceptive to get this across the finish line,” Daniel said. “What we see is that when voters are informed they reject that extremism.”

On October 7, 2023, the world didn’t just witness an attack; it saw the stark divide between good and pure evil. As the extent of the horrors unfolded, most people quickly united behind Israel, repulsed by the real-time videos that Hamas was posting of their own depravity. Some, however, including many in the legacy media and the despotic United Nations, would not budge from their decades-long anti-Israel bias. These reprobates refused to acknowledge that the atrocities were committed by stateless, Iran-backed terrorists who were, and continue to be, determined to wipe Israel off the map. Some in the press went so far as to suggest parallels between Israel and Hamas, even blaming the former for the tragedy it had just suffered. The Media Research Center has identified 195 times the media have spewed anti-Israel and anti-Semitic screeds since the Hamas attacks. Topping the list as the worst offender is CNN with 35 articles with anti-Israel bias. The Washington Post is next in line with 23 articles, but it should be noted that it won the top prize for the most number of writers with anti-Israel bias, employing ten who couldn’t resist exposing their troublesome hatred. The next is especially offensive since it uses taxpayer dollars to propagandize its views. NPR published no fewer than 19 biased articles against Israel. The remainder of the dozen worst outlets includes: ABC (15 articles), Reuters (14 articles), The Guardian (13 articles), The New York Times (11 articles ), BBC (11 articles ), CBS News (9 articles ), NBC News (8 articles), MSNBC (8 articles) and The Associated Press (7 articles). We also call out, with revulsion, the BBC, the AP and The Post for their refusal to acknowledge that Hamas is a terrorist organization, despite this designation by the U.S. State Department and most of the modern world. Instead, they refer to the sociopaths who committed these horrific acts as militants, fighters or even just gunmen. Unbelievably, the AP, Reuters, The Times and CNN even embedded photographers with the Hamas terrorists as they stormed across the border into Israel. The images created by these media outlets were indistinguishable from the pictures and videos created by Hamas for their propaganda purposes, begging the question whether they actually aided and abetted terrorism. The AP, like many other outlets, also minimized the barbaric attack, repeatedly referring to it as “the latest Gaza War.” It still prohibits their reporters from referring to Hamas as a terrorist organization, just like The Post characterizes Hamas as a militant group. George Achi of the Canadian Broadcast Company, instructed staff to avoid the term “terrorist” due to its “politicization,” showcasing a shocking moral cowardice. The distinction matters because terrorists are defined by their acts – those using unlawful violence targeted at civilians to kill, kidnap and intimidate. This isn’t just semantics; it’s a deliberate misrepresentation that undermines the very definition of terrorism and enables agenda-driven propaganda. CNN’s Fareed Zakaria provided an unchallenged platform for imprisoned murderer Mustafa Barghouti to justify genocide and blame Israel for Hamas’s brutal attack. Ali Velshi at MSNBC spun tales of collective punishment, crafting an alternate reality where Israel’s defense becomes a crime. Ostensibly, these media outlets want to maintain a patina of neutrality. But that neutrality evaporates as soon as they find a way to accuse Israel of war crimes, jumping to conclusions based on specious, and later rebutted, accounts from Al Jazeera, Hamas and the ever-inaccurate Gaza Ministry of Health. Recall the Oct. 11, 2023 bombing of a hospital in Gaza when the media breathlessly accused Israel of killing 500 innocent people, only to discover that an errant missile from within Gaza was the actual culprit. While a solid 80% of Americans stand with Israel, elements of the media are hijacking this narrative to push a Left-wing agenda. Tony Dokoupil of CBS Mornings faced ridicule for merely attempting a balanced discussion with a Palestinian advocate, revealing the media’s intolerance for objectivity. The media must rise above this tide of deception. The world deserves not just reports, but the truth. The atrocities committed by Hamas demand not just coverage but condemnation. It’s time for responsible journalism to reclaim its integrity, to tell the story of innocent lives shattered, not for political gain, but for the sake of history and humanity. * * * Dan Schneider is the vice president of Media Research Center’s Free Speech America.  Denise Cohen is an attorney and the founder of Bridge Post Communications, a member of the MRC-led Free Speech Alliance. The views expressed in this piece are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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