General News Thread

[Sly]

16 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Those who espouse the right to bear arms must imagine they will be on the side of the protector, defending their family, or that the collateral damage is not them or their families. It's easy to justify the cost of allowing guns when you don't expect to have to bear that cost personally.  It turns out the fact that a lot of gun crime is gang / poverty related doesn't mean a white middle class conservative cannot also be a victim.

I think we can all acknowledge in the UK, we have an issue with knife crime.

 

You can run away from someone who’s trying to stab you realistically. 
 

The reality is, you can’t outrun a bullet. 
 

Can you imagine what it would be like in the UK if we had the same gun laws as the US? it would be carnage. 
 

Unfortunately the rabbit is out of the box in the states and it is such a big issue in terms of how do we deal with removing all weapons, that no one will oppose it. The secondary issue is that they feel they need the guns, to protect  against others with guns. 
 

In reality, with the current political uncertainty, if you own a gun, would you want to give that up, knowing that crazy Dave (or Gill) might not give up the one they own?

I’m anti gun, anti violence, however putting yourself in that persons shoes and seeing it from the perspective they stand in, I don’t see a quick and easy way back from the madness. 

 

 

[Jattdogg]

World would be better off without the likes of  Trump and his bosses (putin and benny) to name a few. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

50 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Those who espouse the right to bear arms must imagine they will be on the side of the protector, defending their family, or that the collateral damage is not them or their families. It's easy to justify the cost of allowing guns when you don't expect to have to bear that cost personally.  It turns out the fact that a lot of gun crime is gang / poverty related doesn't mean a white middle class conservative cannot also be a victim.

He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword.

[ACF]

32 minutes ago, Sly said:

The world is turning back on itself.

 

We’re edging closer and closer to the longest relatively war free time in European history (WW2 to now), coming to an end.

 

This week alone; we’ve had:

 

Russia strike Poland. 

Israel strike Qatar. 

Charlie Kirk assassinated at a speech.

Vigilant attacks on migrants in Belfast.

School stabbing in Antibes, France.

Upcoming clashes in Melbournes CBD. 
Roadside bombing in Cameroon.

Ongoing gang warfare in public in Limerick.

 

Alone these are isolated incidents and some have largely gone unreported.
 

Compound these with ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza, large portions of Africa, Myanmar, Mexico, then other situations like Thailand and even rising tensions in the UK, which continue to turn up the pressure in a melting pot of an area.

The fact we’ve actively got people going around using flags as a symbolic reason of hate, painting roundabouts, then finding time to go and shout at a hotel (which conveniently holds  people who have come here for a better life), is insane if you take a step back. Why hasn’t this been stamped out? Like why are people procrastinating on this and letting it escalate? 

 

The butterfly effect from this entire situation worldwide could be phenomenal in terms of pushing everything off the cliffs edge.

 

Violence and aggression are never the answer in a logical, forward thinking society, However unfortunately it’s a primal state that all living beings resort to, asserting dominance over others. 
 

We are going to hit a point when the other side stands up and that’s where the lid comes off the pressure can and all hell brakes lose. 

 

 

Just speaking on the Melbourne stuff, tensions with police are pretty high as:

1. ‘Sovereign Citizen’ shot and killed two police officers and is still in hiding in the bush 16 days later 

2. Nazi’s organised/co-opted a protest under the March for Australia/‘end immigration’ banner, then essentially fought everyone they saw, including attacked “Camp Sovereignty”, an indigenous protest site, highlighting indigenous civil rights issues. Naturally they have an affiliation to Palestinian movements.

3. Up in Sydney, violence between Zionists and Pro-Palestinian protests at Bondi Beach.

The second “March for Australia” demonstration is this weekend,  where they’re being joined “Australians march against government corruption”.

This is countered by “Rally against Racism” and a “Sovereignty never ceded”, a day of protest in response to the attack on the indigenous protest site.
 

Going to be good fun in Melbourne this weekend, but hopefully a more few Nazi pricks get arrested.

[Jattdogg]

Jesus, did you hear trumps night time response blaming the left for this assassination.

 

The fact he is blaming the left is the reason why he is the actual problem. All the other living presidents left proper messages of togetherness.

[OntarioFox]

2 hours ago, foxfanazer said:

Yeah agreed. Not even hidden to give you the option of seeing it

The fact that I have to give Elon Musk my personal ID to see a boob, yet have a man's grisly death thrust in my face as soon as I open up the app, sums up the state of the internet and Xitter in particular, in 2025.

[Jattdogg]

2 minutes ago, OntarioFox said:

The fact that I have to give Elon Musk my personal ID to see a boob, yet have a man's grisly death thrust in my face as soon as I open up the app, sums up the state of the internet and Xitter in particular, in 2025.

Pronhub mate!

 

X boobs are like the equivalent to 1990s bbs boards where you could DL a pic over a 14.4k modem on dialup internet lol.

[Guest Bilo]

6 hours ago, Blue-fox said:

What other motive would there possibly be? 

Before we start pointing our fingers at 'the left,' as though it's some kind of homogeneous blob, it's worth remembering that the extreme right hated him with a passion because of his support for Zionism. 

[ARTY_FOX]

The people on here who think they hold the moral high ground spouting some of the stuff they are is really sad. Really take a close look at yourselves. 

[Guest Bilo]

Jeeeeesus.

 

 

[Dr The Singh]

6 minutes ago, Bilo said:

Jeeeeesus.

 

 

My child, this was not my doing, it was the 

[Guest Bilo]

6 hours ago, MPH said:

 

come on now. He’s right no matter how unlikely it is.  And even if it is a ‘Lettie’ that doesn’t mean we should tarnish  the whole of ‘ the left’ with the same brush.

 

now isnt the time for pitchforks.

There will, unfortunately, be some who are absolutely determined to demonise 'the left' over this tragedy and pretend everyone who opposes Trump, Reform and any other right-wing movement shares collective responsibility. 

[ClaphamFox]

3 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword.

That aphorism might be an appropriate if Charlie Kirk had been a gang leader or professional hit man and went around shooting people in public, but as far as I’m aware he wasn’t. 
 

I’m as anti-gun as they come, but the implication that someone who was brutally assassinated had it coming because they were in favour of gun ownership strikes even me as a pretty wild take. 

[Guest Bilo]

2 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

That aphorism might be an appropriate if Charlie Kirk had been a gang leader or professional hit man and went around shooting people in public, but as far as I’m aware he wasn’t. 
 

I’m as anti-gun as they come, but the implication that someone who was brutally assassinated had it coming because they were in favour of gun ownership strikes even me as a pretty wild take. 

I condemn the assassination absolutely, but would say that Kirk's stance was a little more extreme than 'in favour of gun ownership.'

 

 

 

 

[ClaphamFox]

13 minutes ago, Bilo said:

I condemn the assassination absolutely, but would say that Kirk's stance was a little more extreme than 'in favour of gun ownership.'

 

 

 

 

Very ugly sentiments indeed, but ultimately just words expressed. I’m still not convinced that there is a moral equivalence between someone expressing abhorrent views and somebody else killing them for it. 

[st albans fox]

14 minutes ago, Bilo said:

I condemn the assassination absolutely, but would say that Kirk's stance was a little more extreme than 'in favour of gun ownership.'

 

 

 

 

I think his point is that the right to bear arms means that  innocent people will die. He considered that a price worth paying for the safety aspect he believed that provided plus its free speech connections (which I don’t get).  The irony in that is obvious but having seen a few of his videos (I get a very wide algorithmic delivery before you ask) I’d be pretty sure that if you could ask him today at the pearly gates, he wouldn’t change his view. 

[st albans fox]

1 minute ago, ClaphamFox said:

Very ugly sentiments indeed, but ultimately just words expressed. I’m still not convinced that there is a moral equivalence between someone expressing abhorrent views and somebody else killing them for it. 

Of course there isn’t 

but in the modern world, SM delivers a lot of ‘sick’ people to do more than talk on the back of what they’ve read or heard. 

[Guest Bilo]

Just now, ClaphamFox said:

Very ugly sentiments indeed, but ultimately just words expressed. I’m still not convinced that there is a moral equivalence between someone expressing abhorrent views and somebody else killing them for it. 

It absolutely doesn't warrant his murder and I'm not suggesting anything of the sort. I can understand why people see it as ironic that he explicitly said some deaths were worth it so the Second Amendment could be kept and he now becomes one of those deaths. It's abstract when it's other people dying, but I doubt his family or anyone else close to him would be saying his death is 'worth it' now. 

[CosbehFox]

Worth pointing out Kirk’s stronger opinions disnt stop at Gun ownership. Comments about Ukraine should give over land to Russia and pro Israeli in their stance on Gaza. Personally why I find the all he did is debate comments quite selective 
 

The nature of his murder looks like it’s a very well trained assassin. Incredibly calculated aim. 
 

As a couple of others have said, the insane amount of noise about pointing towards thing whilst division is further sown and benefits the ‘darker’ sources of the world 

Edited 11 September 2025 by CosbehFox

[Brizzle Fox]

Absolutely shocking crime and whatever you think of the victim and his statements re second amendment rights etc, should make no difference from a humane perspective.  You debate you don't kill.

 

Feels however that Maga will now politicise this killing for their own ends (see Trump's comments over night) which is just as evil, throwing further fuel on what is already an absolute powder keg in the US at this time.

 

So sad.

[leicsmac]

46 minutes ago, Bilo said:

There will, unfortunately, be some who are absolutely determined to demonise 'the left' over this tragedy and pretend everyone who opposes Trump, Reform and any other right-wing movement shares collective responsibility. 

 

59 minutes ago, ARTY_FOX said:

The people on here who think they hold the moral high ground spouting some of the stuff they are is really sad. Really take a close look at yourselves. 

 

8 hours ago, Tommy G said:

Some very disturbing views from some people on here - reactions to stuff, we see you and will remember. 
 

The bloke had a wife and kids, let’s hope nobody celebrates your death when it comes around like that, honestly some fruitcakes about. 
 

 

I'm kind of curious as to where all of this morally injured outrage towards apparent indifference (as opposed to condonement) regarding the violent shooting death of a human being was the last time there was a school shooting in the US. Or the time before that, and so on. 

 

I'll say again: the death of this man was tragic and in all likelihood pointless violence. But it is also simply the latest death in a litany of such violence, the names of which everyone on here (including me) and Kirk himself likely never even heard of, let alone brought themselves to care about. They aren't any less special because they occupy less rarefied political air than he did. 

 

So please, the self righteous pontificating (and I know what that is and if I need a reminder I'll look in a mirror) rings hollow. It's grim that Kirk is dead, but such violence is just another day in that country. 

 

NB. The two posts I picked above are examples of a theme, rather than singling out, for the record. 

Edited 11 September 2025 by leicsmac

[Tommy G]

5 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

 

 

I'm kind of curious as to where all of this morally injured outrage towards apparent indifference (as opposed to condonement) regarding the violent shooting death of a human being was the last time there was a school shooting in the US. Or the time before that, and so on. 

 

I'll say again: the death of this man was tragic and in all likelihood pointless violence. But it is also simply the latest death in a litany of such violence, the names of which everyone on here (including me) and Kirk himself likely never even heard of, let alone brought themselves to care about. They aren't any less special because they occupy less rarefied political air than he did. 

 

So please, the self righteous pontificating (and I know what that is and if I need a reminder I'll look in a mirror) rings hollow. It's grim that Kirk is dead, but such violence is just another day in that country. 

 

NB. The two posts I picked above are examples of a theme, rather than singling out, for the record. 

I can’t reply properly as I’ll just get banned, it’s not worth it. 

[ClaphamFox]

4 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Of course there isn’t 

but in the modern world, SM delivers a lot of ‘sick’ people to do more than talk on the back of what they’ve read or heard. 

I certainly agree that social media has acted as an accelerant to extremist views. But at this stage none of us knows whether social media played a role in Kirk’s assassination (politicians were being murdered thousand of years before twitter). And we don’t even know whether it was politically motivated, or if it was, from which side (political assassinations have been conducted by people on the same side as their victims).

 

10 minutes ago, Bilo said:

It absolutely doesn't warrant his murder and I'm not suggesting anything of the sort. I can understand why people see it as ironic that he explicitly said some deaths were worth it so the Second Amendment could be kept and he now becomes one of those deaths. It's abstract when it's other people dying, but I doubt his family or anyone else close to him would be saying his death is 'worth it' now. 

Thanks for clarifying. In which case I’d suggest that ‘live by the sword, die by the sword’ probably wasn’t a great choice of phrase to express your view as it suggests something far more brutal than the opinion you outline above.

 

[leicsmac]

4 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

I can’t reply properly as I’ll just get banned, it’s not worth it. 

Fair enough. 

[Guest Bilo]

2 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

I certainly agree that social media has acted as an accelerant to extremist views. But at this stage none of us knows whether social media played a role in Kirk’s assassination (politicians were being murdered thousand of years before twitter). And we don’t even know whether it was politically motivated, or if it was, from which side (political assassinations have been conducted by people on the same side as their victims).

 

Thanks for clarifying. In which case I’d suggest that ‘live by the sword, die by the sword’ probably wasn’t a great choice of phrase to express your view as it suggests something far more brutal than the opinion you outline above.

 

Being honest, the far-right in the US hated him. If anyone thinks Kirk was the far-right, I'd suggest they look at the likes of 4chan, the Groyper movement, Nick Fuentes, the Proud Boys and some of those who were at Charlottesville. Kirk was a pretty mainstream conservative by American standards because their Overton Window is some way to the right of ours; in being so vocal about this, he'd made dangerous enemies on the left but just as many further right. Very premature and frankly dangerous to blame Democrats or 'the left' until we're in full possession of the facts.