Reference:- The Sky Reply issues a public notice

 Reference :-     A protest march in support of Palestine has been cancelled . 

To  those who intended to travel to Brisbane on Sunday and join the planned march across the Story Bridge in support of Palestine , we advise that the protest has been cancelled . 

Concerns for the safety of pedestrians , and possible restriction of access by ambulances , patients , doctors and nurses to hospitals in Brisbane prompted this decision by police .   Speculations about other reasons are merely ......speculation . 

Assistant editor at the Sky Reply  , Ken junior , made an interesting point . 

" In Gaza 92% of the hospitals have been destroyed .  Hundreds of doctors and nurses have been killed , patients have been killed in their hospital beds , ambulances have been blown to pieces killing those inside , and countless thousands of pedestrians have been shot by snipers or killed by bombs .  Makes you think , doesn't it ?  " , Ken junior said . 

" Sure does . It highlights how important it is to look after our own hospitals , and ambulances , and doctors , and nurses  and pedestrians . We wouldn't want to end up like Gaza . " , I said . 

"  I have to change the kitty litter now . " , Ken junior said .  And walked off . 

I wonder what's making him so tetchy this morning ? 

Your comrade , Ken .  

PS Anybody planning to attend the fireworks display on September 6th ( Brisbane's famous "Riverfire " event ) should be aware that for last year's event the Story Bridge was closed for many hours over three days , and there were also closures of the Captain Cook Bridge , the Neville Bonner Bridge  , the Goodwill Bridge , and the Victoria Bridge .  The Brisbane City Council website should have details for this year's closures so folk can plan their route to hospital should they injure themselves while intoxicated ..... or if they are a health worker who needs to get to work at a hospital .   ( This has been another pro bono announcement by the community service department of The Sky Reply . )  

 

 

 

 

 

Reference :- One encounters a great many lies being spread by the media these days.

 Reference :-  The most damaging consequences of lying are seldom explored . 

Here at The Sky Reply the lads have decided to investigate the consequences of spreading  huge lies , otherwise known as " Whoppers  " .   I have perused their preliminary report , in which they have divided Whoppers into two categories , as below . 

"Type 1 Whoppers " 

These are obvious lies that nobody believes from the outset .

"Type 2 Whoppers "

These are lies that successfully deceive folk . 

Generally speaking  , "Type 1 Whoppers " greatly damage the credibility and reputation of the liar . They are , therefore , counterproductive . 

Speaking generally again , "Type 2  Whoppers " can stir popular support for the liar's cause in the short term .  However , often such Whoppers are eventually uncovered , at which time they become similar to "Type 1 Whoppers " . But  a great deal of anger at being deliberately deceived is usually fomented .  

The lads decided to label these exposed lies "Type 1A Whoppers " .  These Whoppers are far more damaging than the standard "Type 1 Whoppers " .

It is not unusual for a successful liar to eventually believe their own Whoppers .   These Whoppers fit the "Type 2 " category , but the lads have decide to label these self-deceiving lies as " Type 2A ,Whoppers " , since they have additional ramifications .    They explain it like this . 

  A charlatan could be enriching himself  by selling a snake oil remedy for diabetes that was killing people . If said charlatan comes to believe his own sales pitch , subsequently  develops diabetes , and then treats himself with his snake oil remedy , he will die .    Entire nations and empires have often fallen because they believed their own propaganda .   According to the lads at The Sky Reply , the " Type 2A Whopper " is the most dangerous of  all.  It is often found in statements like " we stand for democracy , equality of opportunity , free speech and the rule of law " .....that sort of thing . 

Anyway , enough of that , the lads' project is still in it's infancy . 

I see in the news today that Mr Netanyahu has declared to the world that there is no starvation in Gaza .  

The lads have not yet invented a label for that particular Whopper .  But it's definition might include ....... pretending to believe your own lies in order to stay out of prison .  Or perhaps ...pretending to believe your own lies in order to facilitate genocide .   Since everybody knows that he knows he is lying , and Mr Netanyahu also knows that everybody knows that he knows he is lying , perhaps the lads might label that a "Type 2B. Whopper ". 

How would I know ? 

Your comrade , 

Ken .  

 

 

 

  

 

Reference :- The lads at the Sky Reply have become obsessed with one topic .

 Reference :-  After this post , I have made the Sky Reply team promise to change the topic of our fireside chats . 

 Last night's conversation went like this , almost verbatim . 

" I see that the Palestinians are now being herded into a concentration camp . " , Gabbo said . 

" Don't call it that . It is called a " humanitarian city " . Calling it a concentration camp has Nazi connotations , which is antisemitic . " , I said . 

" Senior Israeli officials in the IDF and the Knesset call it a concentration camp . ", Monte said .  

" That is just loose language , gentiles can't say that . " , I said . 

" Israel's oldest newspaper , Haaretz which is printed in Hebrew,  ran an editorial yesterday under the deliberately ironic heading  "  The Most Moral Concentration Camp in the World " , Ken junior said . 

" Well if one of our newspaper editors did that , they would face being arrested for violating  antisemitism laws . They would have to say " The Most Moral Humanitarian City in the World. " , I said . 

" They like to call the IDF the most moral army in the world , yet over the past two weeks four soldiers have committed suicide because of what they saw or did in Gaza .  IDF soldiers are killing themselves  in record numbers  and thousands have been hospitalised suffering from PTSD . " ,  Gabbo said . 

" Just goes to show how hard it is maintaining the standards of the world's most moral army . " , I said . 

" So will a couple of soldiers kill themselves each week due to the stress of maintaining the most moral concentration camp in the world ? " , Ken junior said . 

" Humanitarian city you mean ? " , I said . 

" Whatever . " , Ken junior said . 

" A mob called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,  or GHF , will run the camp ... I mean city , so IDF soldiers will be less involved .  " , I said . 

" So maybe GHF soldiers might start committing suicide ? " , Gabbo said . 

" Nah , those guys are all hard men and mercenaries , not like those 18 year old kids in the IDF . ", I said . 

" Sort of like Nazis you mean ?  I guess that explains why they have already been gassing refugees to death at food distribution sites  . " ,  Gabbo said . 

" There you go again with the antisemitism . You will find yourself in big trouble if you don't watch yourself . " , I said .  

Anyway , I have told the lads that Gaza is now a verboten topic . It's time we ran a human interest story based in Kooralya , so I am sending all three of the lads to interview a chap who has just opened a wood turning workshop in the main street .  I told the lads to concentrate on his occupation , which should drive all thoughts of Gaza from their minds .  

Your comrade , 

Ken  

 

 

 

 

Reference :- Here at The Sky Reply we have been having a quiet time .

Reference :-  It is hard to stay motivated when the days here in Kooralya are so cold and wet . 

 Lately the Sky Reply team has been huddled by the fire doing very little .  Ken junior found a copy of a book by some chap called Arthur Koestler. It was in a dusty box of books we inherited from the estate of a strange relative we called cousin Ivan , who we think was a Hungarian refugee . 

The book is called " The Roots of Coincidence " , and as you might expect it describes the mechanisms by which coincidences might come about .  The lads , being impressionable youths , found it mesmerising . Personally I was unimpressed .  Monte pointed out that the book is exactly 149 pages long , which is the capacity in cubic inches of the motor in the Holden ute that we used to bring cousin Ivan's stuff home . 

Although this is factually true , is it a coincidence ?  It is my view that coincidences are something we manufacture . We can find them anywhere if we look . The lads and I launched ourselves into a great debate regarding the definition of a coincidence .  But enough about that . It goes without saying that my arguments were the more persuasive , and I won the debate , which was like the icing on the cake , since today happens to be my birthday . 

Anyway , I see on the tele that Mr Netanyahu recently had to cut short being questioned during his trial for corruption because the IDF had just bombed Damascus without warning .  That sure was a lucky break .  Mr Netanyahu has enjoyed a lot of lucky breaks lately .   Like the sudden discovery by Mossad that Iran was weeks away from building an atomic bomb , just as the world was becoming outraged  by the bombing of a child's birthday party in Gaza .  Those chaps in Mossad are a canny crew .   The International Atomic Energy Agency and the CIA were adamant that no such program existed..the idiots . 

In further news , we saw that one of those IDF soldiers from the most moral army in the world had accidentally fired a shell from a tank into a Catholic church in Gaza , killing three people and wounding ten , including the parish priest who has strong connections with the Vatican .    The shell missed the cross atop the church by about a three feet .  That sure was lucky , because a smashed Christian cross would make a powerful image that the media could exploit .   Ken junior reckons the gunner was aiming at the cross and missed .  Personally I reckon that since the average age of an IDF soldier is 19 years , the inexperienced gunner pulled the trigger by mistake while he was trying to find one of those Hamas terrorists who hide behind human shields . 

The Pope is very techy about the incident , which means 1.4 billion Catholics around the world probably feel the same .    Some might try to weaponise the unfortunate accident , labeling it  " anti-christian " , but nobody with two neurons to rub together would fall for such cynical propaganda . 

The ICC might try to call it a war crime , but nobody listens to them these days .  Clearly it was just a coincidence that a stray shell hit a Catholic church .  Besides , the Catholics are no friends of Zionism , you only need to listen to what the Popes have been saying for years .  Little wonder that Mr Netanyahu was four days late with his condolences when the last Pope passed away . 

Time to take Dog outside for a wee. 

Your comrade, 

Ken  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference:- Sky News Australia has developed a penchant for hyperbole .

 Reference:-  When hyperbole is overused, the power of language is diluted  . 

Dear fair-minded Sky News broadcasters , 

 Far be it from me to claim expertise in the field of " news you can trust , opinions you can't ignore " , but I must say that your banner headlines and hyperbolic language are damaging your credibility . 

Most folk are not stupid , and can recognise when somebody is " crying wolf " , as they say.  It is disappointing for viewers to click on a banner headline featuring words like  " Crazy lefty wants to destroy Australia " only to find a short video that shows a professor of economics gently suggesting  that multinational companies should pay their fair share of tax . 

Anyway , it's probably easier for you to understand my point if I give an example ......there are many more of course .  Recently you described an unfortunate brawl at a restaurant in Melbourne as an " antisemitic horror attack  " .    We have brawls here at the Kooralya pub from time to time , and even  if somebody gets a black eye or a bloodied nose , we would never describe such a brawl as a " horror  attack "  And if it was an Aboriginal mate of Gabbo's who got a black eye , or Ahmed , who runs the Post Office , we would not call it an " anti-aboriginal or  anti-islamic horror attack " .  We would look to the cause of the brawl for an explanation . 

Gabbo's mate  might have tried to chat up somebody's sheila , for example .  Or Ahmed might have lost somebody's parcel .   

Flinging the word " horror " about  so liberally shrinks your vocabulary . 

Around the same day that people were shoving each other around at a fine dining establishment in Melbourne  , possibly spilling their Chardonnay , dozens of children in Gaza were blown to pieces by a 500 pound bomb that the Israeli military dropped on a 6 year old child's birthday party .  Limbs and other body parts were collected in bags , but it was impossible to identify all the bodies .    Obviously if shouting and shoving and spilling chardonnay are " horrors " , then you need to find another word to describe blowing children to smithereens .  But what word would suffice ?

Clearly if you had described the scuffle at the eatery as " an ugly scene  " , that would leave you the option to use the word " horror " when describing brutal infanticide  .  As it happened , you apparently decided to skip over reporting the massacre of children , since , like the end of a game of Scrabble , you were running out of useful words .  I mean , with the word " horror " already taken , and by inference it's synonyms ,   you could hardly describe bombing a child's birthday party as " an ugly scene " .   Could you ? 

There are around 600,000 words in the English language , and it is important for journalists to use them accurately .    

Anyway , if you have found this helpful , please like and subscribe . 

Your comrade , 

Ken .  

PS.    Arabic contains around 12 million words .  This is why much Sufi poetry, considered by many to be the most sublime poetry ever written , is impossible to accurately translate into English . Sure makes me wonder if we are underestimating the richness of an entire culture .  Just saying . 

 

Reference:- The adjective " antisemitic " has lost it's mojo .

Reference :-  It's time for Mr Netanyahu to introduce a new label with which to demonise those who oppose his Zionist project . 

Dear Mr Netanyahu , Sir , 

That was quite a setback you suffered when Justice Angus Stewart of the Federal Court of Australia  ruled that anti-zionism cannot be conflated with antisemitism .  To make matters worse , Amnesty International has made the same declaration ( those leftist cry-babies ). 

Clearly there is now no point in playing the antisemitism card each time protests against your final solution to the Palestinian question erupt...and those protests are becoming quite a feature in the media these days . 

I see that the British have introduced a new law proscribing Palestine Action as a " terrorist group " .  This is a step in the right direction for your plan . However you must proceed cautiously , as I will explain . 

But first , you appear to have encountered a timely opportunity in Australia , where soon after the Federal Court ruling  distancing anti-zionism from antisemitism was made public  (on about  page 30 of our newspapers ) some mentally unwell chap from Sydney inexplicably flew to Melbourne to scorch the paint on the door of a Synagogue .  You must make the most of this , and label it as a hideous terrorist attack .  Sure , it's not exactly the same as dozens of kids being blown to smithereens in Gaza by a 500 pound bomb , but it does give you something to work with .  You would be surprised at how Sky News and their comrades can beat up a story and create nationwide outrage .   

Anyway ,  here is some advice , if you will pardon my presumption .  In the UK , hugely popular personalities , including Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame ,  have come forward in support of Palestine Action , defying the draconian  new UK law . It is unhelpful when the lawmakers you lobbied make comments like  "  we accept that (the law)  is draconian , it's meant to be  . "    This angers the great unwashed .  Far better to say " This is a regrettable decision we were forced to make in the interest of law and order " .  Something like that .  As it stands ,  protests against the draconian law are already erupting throughout the UK , with damaging implications for your cause .  

Here down under, the situation is less dramatic . However, you should not have  " demanded " that the Australian Government take similar draconian actions .    Aussies don't appreciate being ordered around by their own authorities , let alone some fat soulless foreigner with warrants out for his arrest . 

In the future , instead of making demands , you should use polite language .  " We earnestly hope " would be better received in the Antipodes than " we demand " .  

I do hope that you take this feedback in the same spirit in which it has been offered .  It's  understandable  that immersed as you are , in a quagmire of war and genocide ,  while facing punishing legal challenges both international and domestic  , you might find little time to research the cultural sensitivities of the lesser nations , and thus commit an unintended faux pas . 

On a happier note , I think you still have a chance to succeed in your plan to replace the now mojoless word "antisemite " with " terrorist " in the media discourse about humanitarian  protest movements .  The Sky News anchors are probably already on board with that .   Just don't go too hard too early .  

Your comrade , 

Ken  

PS   If anybody in authority is monitoring these posts , I would like to state that I categorically do not support the protest group...I mean terrorist group .... Palestine Action at all , despite agreeing with almost everything they say .  I mean , what is anybody going to achieve by spraying paint about in deliberate acts of vandalism ?  How is that going to draw attention to a cause ?   

 

 

Reference:- The UK High Court has made an historic ruling .

Reference :-  Non -violent protest group Palestine Action is now banned after being declared a proscribed terrorist group .   Mr Netanyahu must be pleased . 

 Dear Mr Netanyahu , Sir , 

  It must warm the cockles of your heart to see those Palestine Action group rabble-rousers  declared a terrorist group under UK law .   Palestine Action has a minimum of 750,000 supporters , who risk a 14 year jail sentence if they don't zip their lips about your solution to the " Palestinian question " .  Of course , the outcome of this historic ruling remains to be seen . 

Some folk think that the great unwashed will back down , allowing you to press on with your final solution unhindered  . Others think that even more protests will erupt .  The team at The Sky Reply are too distant from the centre of the controversy to judge the situation .   Although here down under we have thus far eschewed the introduction of sweeping laws criminalising opposition to horrendous war crimes , one never knows when this might change .   Accordingly , the Kooralya chapter of the Free Palestine movement has decided to call itself  "  Palestine Inaction "  .    Obviously this is the grammatic opposite of " Palestine Action " , which means they could not be accused of supporting the newly proscribed terrorist group . 

The manifesto of Palestine Inaction is quite straightforward .  They use their right to peaceful protest to express their disgust at the inaction of governments who fail to support international law , and turn a blind eye to war crimes against Palestinian civilians .   

It's all very complex , Mr Netanyahu , is it not ?  Since you grew up in Philadelphia , and are almost my age , I imagine you would have seen Stanley Kubrick's great sword and sandal epic  " Spartacus " . 

Remember the penultimate scene ?    Spartacus steps forward to identify himself before Crassus , in the hope of sparing his comrades .  " I am Spartacus " , he says . 

But then , one by one , others come forward shouting " I am Spartacus ! " , in a courageous and moving  display of solidarity  . 

What if 750,000 come forward in support of Palestine Action ?   It costs 40,000 sterling each annum to keep one prisoner in jail .  That is 560,000 quid over a 14 year sentence .  Multiply that by 750,000 and  the figure starts to approach half a billion quid . And that is just the flagfall .  Half a billion quid is the equivalent of ten years of military aid to Israel supplied by the UK .  See the problem ? 

It makes no sense to waste 10 years of military aid cha-ching by incarcerating enough folk to seriously deplete the workforce and cripple the GDP of the UK .  Far better to simply tolerate the peaceful protests until they fade away due to the inclement weather occasioned by the inevitable onset of British winter . 

It may be annoying , but as everybody knows , you never hesitate to " turn the other cheek " for the sake of diplomacy and your long term goal of peace . 

Your comrade , 

Ken .  

 PS  Ken junior objected to this dispatch . 

" It was the British Government's decision to criminalise the protests, not Netanyahu  and the Israel lobby " , Ken junior said . 

" Was it ? " , I said .   

( Ken junior is at an awkward age , so I felt it best to humour him . )