Charlie Kirk

[Delphi]

He believed empathy was a bad thing, and he publicly stated that a few gun deaths a year were worth it for the right to bear arms. So respecting his own beliefs I will not give a shit about his passing.

Feel for his wife and kids but basically 1000% this.

Of course there'll be a billion and one conspiracy theories doing the rounds like how this was all a plot by the woke mind virus, George Soros and the WEF and therefore Trump needs to stay in power in perpetuity as he's the only one who can save the Free World.

[Explosive Newt]

Apparently the shooter is still at large.. what were all those good guys with guns doing!??

This was my first thought too

If all these open carry, 2nd amendment, assault rifle owning, MAGA loons can't protect one of their own, then it rather makes a mockery oh the whole "good guy with a gun" justification...

There was someone they interviewed on Today about this - how the campus was an open carry one and more people bearing arms deterred actions like this. I'm not sure how some guys strutting around with pistols stops a sniper on a rooftop?

[DeskJockey]

Apparently the shooter is still at large.. what were all those good guys with guns doing!??

This was my first thought too

If all these open carry, 2nd amendment, assault rifle owning, MAGA loons can't protect one of their own, then it rather makes a mockery oh the whole "good guy with a gun" justification...

There was someone they interviewed on Today about this - how the campus was an open carry one and more people bearing arms deterred actions like this. I'm not sure how some guys strutting around with pistols stops a sniper on a rooftop?

Good point. The only solution is to build an ever taller structure that only "good guys with guns" can access, and that way they have a good vantage point for sniping the bad guys with guns lower down. A sternly worded sign on the door to the taller structure should ensure that no baddies go up it.

[Mito Man]

I read something pretty hilarious from an American which I quite respect “the only way to combat violence like this is with greater violence” - pretty much sums up their mentality.

It’s sad what a cesspit politics has turned into, but I don’t think we’re that far behind it all over here. We just don’t have guns and naturally a smaller population = fewer nutcases. But worrying none the less and people are so stupid that the only way politicians can appeal is by encouraging division. Can’t see it getting better.

[IanF]

IMG_1857.jpeg (33.32 KiB) Viewed 335 times

Jesus Christ!

ETA - from Sky News

[Beany]

LOL, free speech, eh?

[Mito Man]

I remember this being a thing pre-Trump even as people were being denied entry for saying something silly like joking about the President on Facebook. Had a quick look and it even predates the Obama administration, who did it in secret then Obama made it public
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/ ... dia-232930

[Beany]

Yeah it's always been a fucking joke, honestly.

The current administration are terrible for saying the quiet part out loud though.

[Mito Man]

The whole land of the free is a joke. Their concept of freedom is a joke. You drill down into it and aside from their right to bear arms everything is legislated to the nth degree. The poor fuckers can’t even freely walk across a road in most states without being fined or shot by an overzealous cop.

[integrale_evo]

Always thought it weird that guns are everywhere yet for decades they mandated the specific size and shape all car headlights had to conform to and stuck huge diving board bumpers on them for safety.

[Jobbo]

I remember this being a thing pre-Trump even as people were being denied entry for saying something silly like joking about the President on Facebook. Had a quick look and it even predates the Obama administration, who did it in secret then Obama made it public
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/ ... dia-232930

Did they take your phone off you at customs and demand to have your social media passwords?

[IanF]

[Jobbo]

Interesting ‘facts’ about the U.K. he’s picked on there - many incorrect or no different to the US (protesting near abortion clinics - our laws are basically the same). In a venue like that I’d expect him to have been thoroughly debunked within minutes.

[Mito Man]

I remember this being a thing pre-Trump even as people were being denied entry for saying something silly like joking about the President on Facebook. Had a quick look and it even predates the Obama administration, who did it in secret then Obama made it public
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/ ... dia-232930

Did they take your phone off you at customs and demand to have your social media passwords?

Yes, been happening for years. Generally recommended to delete all your social media apps so they can quickly comb through it.

[RobYob]

Always thought it weird that guns are everywhere yet for decades they mandated the specific size and shape all car headlights had to conform to and stuck huge diving board bumpers on them for safety.

And banning Kinder Surprise, absolutely mental.

[Beany]

Now, don't be silly everyone, it's not like the highest court in the US just gave a big thumbs up to racially profiling people or anything. So you know, being detained for the crime of driving while looking a bit swarthy.



Oh. Right. Carry on, I guess.

[Jobbo]

I remember this being a thing pre-Trump even as people were being denied entry for saying something silly like joking about the President on Facebook. Had a quick look and it even predates the Obama administration, who did it in secret then Obama made it public
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/ ... dia-232930

Did they take your phone off you at customs and demand to have your social media passwords?

Yes, been happening for years. Generally recommended to delete all your social media apps so they can quickly comb through it.

It hasn’t been heard of before Trump’s second term so I genuinely don’t believe you.

[RobYob]

Did they take your phone off you at customs and demand to have your social media passwords?

Yes, been happening for years. Generally recommended to delete all your social media apps so they can quickly comb through it.

It hasn’t been heard of before Trump’s second term so I genuinely don’t believe you.

2018 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... ic-flights
2017 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... to-protect

And probably earlier than that.

[Beany]

It was happening before, there was talk about it in infosec circles - IE having a burner phone to take to the US so that there's no social media footprint to search - since, I wanna say, Trumps first term, possibly earlier but less commonly.

IIRC - and I'm fucking scraping the old grey matter here - I think it was related to post 9/11 shit, and Trumps lot started ramping up the use of it and making examples of searching journalists, humanitarian groups, you know the sort of people Trump administration didn't like, etc - basically state sponsored harassment.

Edit: Yeah, done a bit of searching and for example, the journalists debunking the 'migrant caravan' story that Trump was putting out were targeted for this treatment when they returned to the US, as an example, in 2018/19.

[Jobbo]

That 2018 article has one experience of one person who didn’t unlock her devices. And the other one is more general than that. No stories of being refused entry due to social media posts commenting negatively on Trump; what they’re referring to look like routine searches.

The policy expressly changed this year: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrxyx0qr7eo