Today is the day they bury Charlie Kirk, a man who was martyred in the cause of free speech. The assassin's act will define this period in our politics. US politics has become fratricidal, driven in large part by the Democrat Party which has demonised their opponents as "domestic terrorists" and redirected benefits, awards and positions to favour their supporters and subverting institutions to try to cement in their view of life.

I can see a lot of those trends here. We have a Senate inquiry into the funding of climate misinformation and disinformation going on at the moment which is a transparent attempt by the Greens to shut down any criticism of their favoured climate policies. There is even talk of criminalising climate dissent or preventing fossil fuel companies from having a say in public debate.

Where the US goes, so goes Australia, in a world where many of our people get their news from YouTube and "entertainers" like Jimmy Kimmel. During the last US elections Anthony Albanese repeated the absurd claim made by US Democrats that "Democracy was on the ballot paper", as though a Trump vote was a vote for a dictatorship.

A shocking thing about the Kirk death has been the number of people on the left prepared to either celebrate it, or to try to disclaim it by making out a case that really it is the Republicans that have raised the temperature, and by extension the right of centre in Australia.

The US seems to be in an undeclared Civil War that has gone from cold to hot and we can't be far behind. It can only end when those left-fascist elements in our society in the Greens and the Labor Party come to the conclusion that you have to live and let live and that having a difference of opinion does not make you a bad person.

This site was established on a basis of free speech and engagement. It was obvious 26 years ago where things were heading. Seems to me regretfully the need is even greater than it was.

I don't know that we will follow America. I think that we are already worse than America. Our lunatic Left might not have got around to murdering its opponents yet, but what sort of people reinstate a government like the Albanese regime with an increased majority! Americans had the intelligence and patriotism to get rid of their equivalent of Albanese. Things might be have been different with a sensible voting system.

They way things are now in benighted Australia, we should be applying to America to liberate us from our increasingly Communist government.

The 28th June 2025 was the day they buried Melisa Hortman, a woman who was martyred in the cause of free speech. The assassin's act will define this period in our politics. US politics has become fratricidal, driven in large part by the Republican Party which has demonised their opponents as "domestic terrorists" and redirected benefits, awards and positions to favour their supporters and subverting institutions to try to cement in their view of life.

I can see a lot of those trends here. We have a Senate inquiry into the funding of climate misinformation and disinformation going on at the moment which is a transparent attempt by the Liberals to shut down any criticism of their favoured climate policies. There is even talk of criminalising climate dissent or preventing renewable energy companies from having a say in public debate.

Where the US goes, so goes Australia, in a world where many of our people get their news from YouTube and "entertainers" like Tucker Carlson. During the last US elections Anthony Albanese repeated the astute claim made by US Democrats that "Democracy was on the ballot paper", as though a Trump vote was a vote for a dictatorship.

A shocking thing about the Hortman death has been the number of people on the right prepared to either celebrate it, or to try to disclaim it by making out a case that really it is the Democrats that have raised the temperature, and by extension the left of centre in Australia.

The US seems to be in an undeclared Civil War that has gone from cold to hot and we can't be far behind. It can only end when those right-fascist elements in our society in the Liberals and the One Nation Party come to the conclusion that you have to live and let live and that having a difference of opinion does not make you a bad person.

I have to agree with the youtube comment. Look how many posters put in some weird link to that site. I doubt anyone bothers to follow those links.

What a load of nonsense GY, elevating last weeks unknown to Australians, Charlie Kirk, to the lofty heights of martyrdom, next you will want the Pope to declare poor old Charlie a saint! There is no excuse for a nut job murdering Charlie, I believe there were 60 or so other homicides in America on that day, many involving firearms, how many were martyrs? How many of the hundreds of journalists murdered in Gaze by the Zionist-Nazi's do you consider to be martyrs to free speech? Since they don't conform to your political mantra, none I suppose.

"left-fascist elements in our society in the Greens and the Labor Party" You can claim what you like, but left-fascist's really. Who's in the Liberal Party, right-fascist, humm? I don't think so.

It was right for Republicans to deem Democrats to be domestic terrorists. Many Democrats are now ex-Democrats, emptying the party out, agreeing that it is the Left that they used to believe in that is now the source of violence, not the mythical “far right”. The Leftist are already demons: they don't need “demonising”. And yes, similar resistance is popping up here, in Australia, now that sane people are finally stirring their stumps against leftist maniacs in government, and in the general community.

Graham,

When I read both yours and ttbn's posts back-to-back with WTF’s parody, the problem becomes obvious: we’re drowning in mirror-image hyperbole.

Charlie Kirk hasn’t been confirmed to be a “martyr for free speech” any more than Melisa Hortman would be in WTF’s inversion. At this stage, there’s no confirmed motive. Declaring martyrdom without evidence is just weaponising a murder to score political points.

The “undeclared Civil War” language from both sides is just as unhelpful. The US is deeply polarised, yes, but it is not “at war.” Exaggerating it only raises the temperature further, and importing that language here makes us look more like culture warriors chasing drama than citizens debating policy.

And free speech?

Let’s be honest. The loudest voices demanding it for Kirk are the same ones cheering Jimmy Kimmel’s cancellation after he mocked Trump’s response. Trump himself called Kirk a “martyr for truth,” blamed “radical left lunatics” before any motive was known, and even said “we have to beat the hell out of radical-left lunatics.” That isn’t protecting free speech, it’s exploiting a death to punish critics.

If free speech only covers the views you like, it isn’t free speech, it’s privilege.

Closer to home, inquiries into climate misinformation are not about criminalising dissent any more than truth-in-advertising laws are about criminalising opinion. They’re about preventing corporations from pumping out deliberate falsehoods while profiting from the damage. That’s the same principle that stopped tobacco companies from claiming cigarettes were healthy.

So yes, defend free speech by all means, ,ut don’t confuse free speech with freedom from criticism, and don’t mistake political spin for martyrdom.

he fact we’re all here posting without fear is proof enough that Australia is not under “Communist” occupation, nor on the verge of civil war.