Reference:- Three empty buses mysteriously exploded near Tel Aviv .

Reference :-  There is nothing like mysterious explosions to get us talking at The Sky Reply . 

  We seem to be enjoying the arrival of an early Autumn here in Kooralya .   Ken junior reckoned it was perfect weather to cook porridge for breakfast , much to the disappointment of Dog , who prefers the smell of bacon frying which means he can cadge a few rinds . 

Anyway , the news was playing on the wireless , and we heard about those 3 empty buses that mysteriously exploded near Tel Aviv .    

" Lucky nobody was hurt.  ", I said . 

" They say Hamas did it . " , Monte said . 

"  Why would they do that right now? It will only stir more anger against them . " , Gabbo said . 

"  Maybe Mr Netanyahu's side did it ?  You know, that Mossad agency might have done it . Or maybe some of those aggressive Zionist settlers in the West Bank who don't want the war to end  ? " , Ken junior said . 

"  It would give Mr Netanyahu a perfect excuse to break the ceasefire . " , Monte said . 

" He doesn't need an excuse , he has already broken it hundreds of times , killed dozens  and wounded hundreds ....then again an excuse does soften world opinion somewhat . " , Gabbo said . 

 " Maybe that Israeli Finance Minister , Beelzebub Smotrich , did it ?  He has been jailed in the past for acts of terrorism . " , Ken junior said . 

" His name is Bezalel , you idiot . " , I said 

" Whatever . " , Ken junior said . 

 There were a few moments of silence .

 " Bring on the Empty Buses ! " ,  Gabbo  suddenly shouted . And laughed . 

" What ? " , I said . 

"  I am referencing David Niven's book about Hollywood  which he titled  ' Bring on the Empty Horses' . " Gabbo said . 

 " That's just silly . Everybody calm down and eat their porridge before it goes cold . " , I said 

"  I reckon Mr Netanyahu is directing his show using more smoke and mirrors than the most outlandish Hollywood fantasies from David Niven's era .  Haha ....... Bring on the Empty Buses ! " ,  Gabbo said . 

 Sometimes I wonder what on earth Gabbo is banging on about . 

Your comrade ,  Ken 

 

 

 

 

Reference :- Sometimes one hears a clever remark , but not often .

 Reference :-   Clever remarks are becoming uncommon , for some reason. 

What with all the political correctness , and the cancelling and the doxing ( whatever that is ) and the de-platforming  that goes on these days , folk are becoming less willing to risk making a clever remark .

Anyway , I decided to tell  Ken junior and the lads about a clever remark I heard in the pub last eve .....  just to remind them that the art of conversation is not quite dead yet . 

" Hey,  I heard a clever remark in the pub last eve . " , I said .  

The lads were playing poker again , which  they have been doing every night since the tele fritzed out days ago .  By fritzed out I mean that Monte reckoned the speakers  needed adjusting , so he pulled the back off the set to see if he could fix it , and it hasn't worked since .  

Ken junior looked up from his hand of cards . 

" Let's hear it then ." Ken junior said . 

Monte and Gabbo , seriously contemplating their cards , nodded in agreement . 

   So I told the guys that last night there was a young Israeli chap at the pub who is touring Australia by himself ... possibly to avoid being drafted into the IDF .  Trevor , the barman , mentioned something about Palestine , and the Israeli chap immediately took umbrage , and tried to set Trevor straight .

" Palestine doesn't exist . It is just a made up country . " is what the Israeli said .

"  That isn't a very clever remark . " , Gabbo said . 

"  Hang on . Hang on . I know that , it is Trevor's reply that I think was clever . " , I said . 

Ken junior chucked out two cards and drew two more from the deck . 

" So tell us what Trevor's reply was . " , Ken junior said . 

" Trevor's reply was  ' Can you name me a country that isn't made up ? ' " , I said . 

The lads all laughed loudly .....  then Ken junior revealed  his hand . 

" Full house . Aces over Jacks !  " , Ken junior said . 

Chuckling , Ken junior raked in his winnings , fifty match sticks at least by the look of the pile . 

The cards were quickly gathered and it was Gabbo's turn to deal .

 Thinking about it , maybe I won't get a new tele quite yet   . 

Your comrade , Ken .

 

 

Reference :- President Donald Trump of the USA claims he will buy Gaza.

Reference :-  Mr Trump wants to buy Gaza , and evict all the Palestinians allowing them no right of return . 

Dear Mr Trump , 

                              When you say that you will buy Gaza do you  mean that the American taxpayer will buy Gaza ?  Or will you be buying it personally ?  Or will it be private investors ?  And who will be getting paid for all that real estate ?    Will the Palestinians who own the destroyed houses and businesses be getting paid ?  And how do you value a once valuable asset that  has been reduced to rubble ? This deal clearly has a lot of complications attached  . 

As a real estate developer I am sure you have lots of experience with regard to the cost of clearing rubble and demolishing condemned buildings . In this instance there is an enormous amount of rubble to be cleared , but don't just assume that you can calculate the cost in the same way that you have done in the past . There will be costs associated with this real estate deal that you have not encountered before . 

Ken junior has been doing his research , and although I daresay it is incomplete ( he spends too much time on the phone  talking with his girlfriend ) it does throw light on several cost blow outs you might encounter .  

Anyway Mr Trump , here is what Ken junior reckons your additional costs will include , for what it is worth . 

1 . You will have to bribe other countries to take 2 million refugees , many of whom are physically and mentally unwell , including children with dead  parents .  And many of whom have become radicalised by the trauma they have suffered . 

2.  The clearing of rubble will involve the removal of huge amounts of unexploded ordinance .  Workers will demand to be well paid for this , and insurance for workers and equipment like bulldozers will be very expensive or impossible .   Special equipment will be needed , also costly . 

3.  There will be thousands of corpses uncovered , and folk might wish to identify their relatives and have them respectfully laid to rest . A man of your sensitivity would not be willing to simply bury them unidentified in mass graves Nazi style .  Funerals cost a small fortune , believe me . We are still paying for uncle Stanley's cremation two years after he passed .

4.   Those Hamas resistance fighters .....I mean terrorists ....  still lurk in tunnels everywhere . They have recently recruited another 35,000 men who are prepared to die defending their land .  The Israeli Defense Force ( the greatest and most moral army in the world ) has not succeeded in eliminating Hamas in more than 14 months of furious fighting .  Eradicating Hamas will be expensive ...or impossible . 

5.  You can expect legal action against you by various agencies within the United Nations when you break various inconvenient international laws . You know , ethnic cleansing , that sort of thing.   Defense lawyers don't come cheap , as I am sure you know . 

6.   There are 146  countries around the world that recognise the Palestinian state .  Many of these countries have natural resources that are vital to the American economy . It is likely that many of them will put pressure on the USA through trade embargos and the like in support of the Palestinians . 

7.  What of the World Heritage historic sites in Gaza ?    They will cost a packet to restore and preserve ....  surely you would not bulldoze them to the ground ... would you ? 

8. Transporting 2 million refugees will be a logistical nightmare . And what of the very sick and severely wounded who need ambulances  and expensive medical care ?   Remember that 300 million dollar pier that American engineers built in the middle of last year to allow ships into Gaza?  It washed away in just a few days . Clearly a pier that won't wash away will cost a great deal  more .

I reckon these are valid concerns , and will greatly impact your bottom line in this deal .  

The whole  situation reminds me of the time somebody gave me an old Holden ute for free because it had to be removed from his backyard when the house was sold .  By the time I had paid for a tow truck and spent a fortune getting it to run I didn't even get my money back when I sold it . 

So what to do ?   Maybe this might work .  Stop giving Israel money . Their economy is falling off a cliff and they will have to adhere to a ceasefire if they can't buy weaponry .   Let UNRWA   and the other aid organisations remain fully funded and allow the Palestinians to rebuild their country slowly by themselves . They are a remarkably resilient people , as 75 years of occupation and ethnic cleansing has revealed . But this time , don't restrict their access to the rest of the world . Let them have a harbour and an airport .  

Nobody has tried this approach before , and it might just work .  

Pardon me for bringing it up , but you have been bankrupt before , six times I believe .   You don't need to go through that again at your age .  And if it's the American taxpayer that you anticipate footing the bill , your government is already 35 trillion quid in debt , and can't even afford to fund schools .  Now is not the time to borrow more . 

Hope you find this advice useful .  It may be presumptuous of my 17 year old son to offer advice to a man of your stature . But equally , a man of your stature would know that sound advice often comes from unexpected quarters . 

Take care , 

Your comrade , Ken 

PS .  Don't let that young Elon Musk weirdo or your son -in -law Jared Kushner get involved in any Gaza real estate deals .... it will be a bad look . Also , Ken junior says letting British Petroleum exploit the gas reserves off the coast of Gaza would be a bad look too,  especially since the former Prime Minister of the UK stands to line his pockets more than somewhat if that deal goes ahead .  It's always wise to keep the citizenry on your side .

 

Reference :- Photos of Gaza reveal a level of destruction that is hard to comprehend .

Reference :-   Photographs revealing the thoroughness of the destruction of Gaza  make it impossible to imagine what was there a couple of years ago . 

This morning we were all tired and emotional at The Sky Reply .  Dog was in a frisky mood last night , and kept us awake all night with his constant demand for a playmate .  He even tried to drag Ken junior out of bed with his teeth at 2.00 am .  You could almost translate his growls as something like  " Come on ! Get up ! What's the matter with you ? Lets go outside and play ! " 

Anyway , this morning while dog slept on the verandah , we gloomily ate our porridge and watched the morning news on the tele . Some images of Gaza appeared . 

" Holy cow !  That place is well and truly trashed ! " , Ken junior said . 

" It didn't always look like that . "  Gabbo said . 

"  I hear it was never very good . They say the Palestinians used all their money to build tunnels and rockets . " ,  Monte said . 

  Gabbo , always quick to defend the plight of folk who are suffering at the hands of violent colonialists , spoke up . 

"  They didn't spend all their money on their military . Just like us they spent some on their military and some on infrastructure for the welfare of their citizens . " , Gabbo said . 

" Like what , for example  ? ", Monte said . 

" Lets see.... 796 schools , 12 universities , 35 hospitals , 4 major cultural museums , 18 major libraries , 9 major mosques and hundreds of gardens including a public park for children in Khan Younis  six times the size of our equivalent one in Melbourne's Royal Botanical Gardens . ' . Gabbo said . 

" That does sound like a lot. " , Monte said . 

" It is impressive considering the circumstances . On a population basis they had twice as many universities as Australia , and about the same number of schools .  They seem to have greatly valued access to education .  " Gabbo said . 

" A shame . Do you think all those facilities are rubble now ? " , Monte said . 

 Ken junior broke in . 

" Yeah , I think so .  Those Palestinians didn't stand a chance against the might of the American Empire " , Ken junior said . 

 " Everybody is so glass half empty this morning .  Can't somebody be a bit more cheery ? " ,  I said . 

Gabbo stood up and dramatically recited his favourite poem about empires , which coincidentally references the  Middle East . 

            "   The jackals prowl , the serpents hiss , in what was once Persepolis

                Proud Babylon is but a trace , upon the desert's dusty face , 

                The topless towers of Ilium , 

                Are ashes , Judah's harp is dumb , 

                The fleets of Nineveh and Tyre , 

               Are down with Davy Jones esquire , 

               And all the oligarchies , kings ,

               And potentates who ruled these things , 

               Are gone . But cheer up , don't be sad , 

               Think what a lovely time they had .   " 

   " For the love of God Gabbo , sit down before you wake up Dog  ." , I said . 

I guess it is consoling to think that every great empire eventually falls . Especially the evil ones . 

Your comrade 

Ken

 

               

             

 

Reference:- The Australian Federal Police have suggested that "overseas actors " may be paying criminals in Australia .

Reference :-  Criminals for hire may be threatening Jewish communities in Australia . 

 Soon after the Australian Government started to express solid support for a Palestinian State  in the Middle East , antisemitic attacks dramatically  increased .   Why would that happen ?  I asked Ken junior for his opinion . 

"Soon after the Australian Government started to express solid support for a Palestinian state in the Middle East , antisemitic attacks in Australia dramatically increased . Why would that happen ? " , I said . 

" Just a coincidence , I guess . " , Ken junior said . 

Gabbo spoke up . 

 " These attacks help the Israeli cause . " , Gabbo said . 

" Howso ?  " ,  I said . 

"  The only reason the state of Israel exists is because Jewish folk claim they need a safe haven from antisemitism throughout the world .  Alarming displays of antisemitism , make it easier to justify a Jewish state . " , Gabbo said . 

 " That sounds like a conspiracy theory to me . " , I said . 

"The Federal Police have been investigating the possibility that overseas actors may be paying criminals   in Australia to stage antisemitic attacks . " , Gabbo said . 

" What have they found ? " , I said . 

" Well , they investigated Russia and Iran as possible sources , but found nothing . " , I said . 

" Have they investigated anybody else ? " , I said . 

" They are not saying much now . " , Gabbo said . 

" Surely you are not suggesting it could be Israel ? ", I said . 

 " In 2016 /17 a young Jew in Israel called Michael Kadar sent over 2000 hoax emails threatening to bomb Synagogues and Jewish schools and so on to the USA and Australia .  He was convicted and sentenced to ten years prison ......just saying .  "  , Gabbo said . 

"  Did the Israeli police find him ? ",  I said . 

" Mostly it was the work of the Victorian police here in Australia " , Gabbo said . 

I get the feeling that Gabbo is overly suspicious of the Israeli government . But I don't mind cutting him some slack . As an Aborigine , he has been traumatised by the genocide of his race at the hands of white colonial racial supremacists .   That has given him a warped sense of perspective , though through no fault of his own . 

Your comrade , Ken 

 

Reference :- Australian Foreign Minister , Ms Penny Wong , has been condemned by Sky News .

 Reference :-  Strongly opinionated Sky News anchor , Sharri Markson , considers Ms Penny Wong to be the worst Foreign Minister in Australian history . 

Dear Sharri , 

It is indeed no surprise to me that you disapprove of Ms Wong's support for funding the humanitarian organisation UNRWA .  I mean , one can hardly allow humanitarian aid to be distributed by an organisation which only has  99.97% of it's members fully vetted by the Israeli government and declared kosher.  And although around half of those .03% suspected of wrong doing have already been exonerated , who can say what the other half ( perhaps 9 or 10 folk in all ) might have done ? 

I like the way you pointed out that there are other humanitarian organisations that can pick up the slack and look after starving and injured women and children ( men too , if you don't mind my presumption ) should  UNRWA go to the wall financially .  These other organisations may be  quick to claim that they don't have the manpower or resources to provide the necessary aid to a couple of million desperate Palestinians , but I daresay that is simply an indication of their laziness . ( You know what they are like in that part of the world , say no more . )

Now Sharri , have you thought of this ?  Each year in Australia we de-register about 60 of our  GP Doctors out of around 30,000 because they have done the wrong thing .   Things like malpractice , breaking the law , breaching ethical standards and so on .  This represents a far greater percentage of our cohort than the suspected UNRWA miscreants represent of theirs .  Clearly , by your logic , we should defund Medicare , since only 99.8% of our Doctors are kosher , far worse  than UNRWA's very unacceptable 99.97% . 

Somebody should run a story about this , and I reckon you are the one to do it .  Mind you , please hold off for a few weeks until my five year old niece has finished her treatment for leukemia .  She has to travel from Kooralya to Brisbane each week for chemo , which she finds tiring . But I remind her that at least she is not at the Rafah Border Crossing being told by the IDF that she is not allowed to travel to Cairo for treatment , even if she is dying . 

Anway Sharri , despite what some might say , in my opinion you can sleep tight knowing that you would never jeopardise  the lives of innocent woman and children ( men too , if you don't mind the presumption ) to score points in a transparent display of political gamesmanship . 

Your comrade , Ken . 

PS .  To silence any critics , maybe you should send a few quid to the Palestinian chapter of the Red Cross . There are still quite a few Red Cross volunteers left alive in Gaza ,  so I hear .