Reference:- International celebrity and self- anointed intellectual , Jordan Peterson , debated 20 atheists .

 Reference :-  Jordan Peterson's performance in a recent debate will certainly take the spotlight off Douglas Murray's recent annihilation on the Joe Rogan show . 

Dear Douglas , 

                          As a keen researcher and intellectual , I am sure you will have watched the recent Jordan Peterson debate .  I notice that the title of the debate was changed after the event  .  Originally it was promoted as " Christian vs 20 athiests "  , but after Mr Peterson took offense during the debate because a student had the temerity to assume he was a christian ,  the title was changed to " Jordan Peterson vs 20 atheists .   "   I guess that removed the need to define what is meant by " christian " .  Although , fundamentally it didn't address the chaos in the hierarchy of presuppositions people make when they claim to believe that such a person as Jordan Peterson actually exits .  Depending , of course , on what one means when one says '"actually exists " .

Anyway Douglas  , you must be thankful that you have been evicted from the corner of the media schoolroom , and your dunce cap passed to Mr Peterson .  Without wishing to say " I told you so " , I do feel obliged to say something .  

  Weeks ago , after your breathtaking humiliation by comedian Dave Smith on that Joe Rogan Show , I advised  that your best option was to lie low , say nothing , and wait for another conservative commentator to dig their own grave with their  mouth .   Instead , you panicked and arranged rushed interviews with your supporters .  These interviews served only to damage the reputations of gentleman like Sam Harris , Konstantin Kisin et al .  Sadly , your comrades' reputations sank along with yours. You seemed to be running your own media based " Hannibal Directive " .   

As it turns out , all that destructive flapping about was unnecessary .  Mr Peterson has just unwittingly sacrificed himself , which may not have totally saved your bacon , but sure has taken the heat off you for now .    He deserves your thanks .  Let's hope he is not taken to a lunatic asylum . 

Your comrade  , Ken 

PS   I told you so .  

 

  

Reference:- It's the annual poetry competition again here in Kooralya .

Reference:-   Sky Reply Assistant Editor , Gabbo , has entered  the Kooralya poetry competition . 

Gabbo is a talented musician who writes his own music and lyrics .  He has entered the annual poetry competition with the following poem . 

 

                                  "   Remember ,  We Were Warned " 

                                                                                                              by Gabbo . 

                                 Protests fill the world with noise ,  

                                 To warn of fascist bully boys .

 

                                 A caged canary in a mine , 

                                 Called genocide in Palestine ,

 

                                 Reveals to us the awful schism , 

                                 Forged by neoliberalism .  

 

                                 Remember as you watch the news , 

                                 Replete with facts it misconstrues , 

                                 When the flags of hate are all unfurled , 

                                 As goes Gaza , so goes the World .  

 

I was going to submit my own poem , titled  "  Why don't we drive a Monaro ? "  but after reading Gabbo's I might not bother . 

Anyway , Ken junior said that the judges would say it plagiarised the style of Pam Ayres  ..... whoever she is . 

         Your comrade , Ken .

                                 

                                 

                                 

                                

Reference:- Mr Netanyahu is losing the sympathy of key influencers in the mainstream media .

 Reference:-   Is it possible for Mr Netanyahu to restore his influence over the western mainstream media ?

Dear Mr Netanyahu , 

                                    Ken junior has been researching the decline in support for your regime now evident in the mainstream media . The fortunate coincidental murder of two young Jews in Washington has moved the media spotlight from the diplomatic mission in the West Bank that the IDF had fired upon the day before .  That awkward incident  , like many other awkward incidents in the past 75 years , has already vanished from the public arena like a weird dream . But although this might allow you a small sigh of relief , there remain many difficulties .

Ken junior offers , gratis , his research into the timeline of Israel's fall from favour . He offers no solution , but as a teenager he could not be expected to . Your decades of diplomatic experience will surely allow you to tease a solution from the data he provides .  

                         ...........................................................

"From Possessing the World's Most Moral Army to International Pariah in 600 days , Israel's Journey . "

                                                      Ken junior   ( copyright 24/5/2015)

Ten phases are identified as having occurred while the world moved towards labelling Israel a pariah state . 

Phase 1 . 

After the horrific Hamas attack of Oct 7 2023 ,  support for Israel was widespread  .   This phase is characterised by the statement.....

 " Israel has a right to defend itself . " 

Phase 2 

Unfortunately , as if the actual carnage of Oct 7 was not enough , exaggerated ( and false ) descriptions of 40 beheaded babies , mass rapes and the such , cast doubt on the integrity of the Israeli government . Laughably amateurish attempts to circulate fake videos justifying the destruction of a hospital by the IDF made matters worse . Simultaneously , credible reports by Israeli citizens and members of the IDF started to appear which revealed that the IDF had deliberately killed a number of it's own citizens on Oct 7 .     Many did not believe these reports .  This phase is characterised by the statement .....

 " Israel has the most moral army in the world . " . 

Phase 3 

Images started to appear on social media that showed IDF soldiers committing egregious war crimes and unthinkable atrocities .  Many folk were reluctant to acknowledge these , especially politicians who rely on Israel's support to stay in power .   This phase is characterised by the statement .....

 "  These claims, if true , are concerning , however Israeli authorities have promised a full investigation ."

Phase 4 .

International aid agencies started to report upon the huge number of innocents , mostly women and children who were being slaughtered by the IDF .   The general public was , by phase 4 , awake to the crimes of the IDF . Folk were being arrested , beaten , jailed , fired from their jobs and worse if they protested against IDF actions  .  Student protests in particular became widespread .  Despite the fact that Jewish students often helped stage these protests , this phase is characterised by the statement ....

"   Jewish students no longer feel safe on university campuses . "

Phase 5 

Demonstrations in support of Palestine continued to spread around the world , in spite of the arrests .  In many countries draconian laws were enacted that limited free speech and criminalised antisemetism . The definition of antisemetism became so broad  that the slightest objection to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza and the West Bank was tantamount to Holocaust denial . Protests by Jews who supported the Palestinian cause were given little media coverage , and the term " self -hating Jew "  began to regularly  appear . This phase is characterised by the statement ....

  "   There can be no tolerance for antisemitism ." 

 

Phase 6 

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and former Israeli  Defense Minister , Mr Gallant .   The general public applauded this move , and demanded that the arrests be made without delay .  The mainstream media treated this as a side show , and western politicians largely ignored the warrants.  This phase is characterised by the statement ....

"  Israel has our complete support . " 

Phase 7 

Ambulance workers are filmed being murdered by the IDF , and attempts to conceal  the crime by burying the bodies along with the vehicles shock the mainstream media .  Subsequently much of the mainstream media withdraws unconditional support for Israel.  Nonetheless , politicians in the west continue to justify the actions of Mr Netanyahu's regime .  Mr Netanyahu makes empty promises of a full investigation .  The media are now unmoved by such empty promises .  The culmination of phase 7 occurred when a diplomatic mission to the West Bank was fired upon by the IDF and terrified diplomats were filmed running for their lives .  This phase is characterised by the statement ....

 " We demand a full explanation. " 

Phase 8 

The day after the appalling West Bank incident , cautiously described by western politicians as " unacceptable " , two young Jews were brutally murdered in Washington  by a lone gunman  who shouted " Free Palestine " This opened an opportunity to label the familiar chant of protestors as incitement to murder .  Attempts to apply such a label fell flat with the general public . Sickened by images of children starving to death in Gaza , the general public appeared to view the crime as inevitable under the circumstances .  This phase is characterised by the statement ...

" This tragedy did not occur in a vacuum . " 

Phase  9

Mr Netanyahu's  propaganda speech following the tragic murders in Washington enjoyed a lukewarm reception as reports and images of thousands of starving babies in Gaza continued to appear in the mainstream media .   In an attempt to quell public outrage , Mr Netanyahu allowed a ludicrously small trickle of humanitarian aid into Gaza , but this had the opposite effect ,  fueling the outrage further .    Politicians and media commentators around the world , realising that the public was turning away from them in disgust , and fearing that they could soon face a reckoning for complicity in war crimes , started winding back their support for Mr Netanyahu .  Noteworthy was the admission by popular  broadcaster Piers Morgan , once one of Israel's strongest supporters ,  who declared on air that he had been wrong all along , and that the destruction of Gaza must end .  Western leaders and media commentators started to build portfolios of evidence for use should they face indictment for abetting war crimes .  Many leaders announced that they were applying sanctions and cancelling trade deals with Israel .  Journalists who investigated these claims  found that the sanctions were of similar magnitude and efficacy to that of Mr Netanyahu's humanitarian aid effort .  This phase is characterised by the statement . 

"  Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid must end  " 

Phase 10 .    

 Western politicians continue to inform the public that after 600 days of carnage they are shocked to see images of children starving .   Nothing changes  . The world has only just entered phase 10 , and therefore it is not yet possible to choose a statement that characterises this phase .  

                                                    .........................................

I reckon Ken junior has done a pretty good job with all this .  The team at the Sky Reply  couldn't help wondering what statement might eventually characterise phase 10 .   A few predictions were made , and nobody could agree .    We did , however , agree that one statement will be impossible for anybody to make , especially under oath in court .

"  I did not know . " 

Good luck with everything Mr Netanyahu .  Forward our regards to Mr Smotrich and Mr Ben-Gvir. , if you guys haven't dusted each other yet .  As we all know , once the arrests start happening " every man for himself " is de rigueur .

Your comrade , Ken . 

PS  Ken junior wants to know why some folk don't mind children being blown to pieces with bombs , but consider that starving them to death is unacceptable .   

Any ideas ?

Reference:- Some more about language .

Reference :-  Israel's leader , Mr Netanyahu , is not quite as skillful with  the English language as he needs to be . 

Dear Mr Netanyahu ,   

                                     Despite growing up in the USA , you nonetheless lack a certain finesse when it comes to the use of the English language .   Certainly you appear to know that calling the ethnic cleansing of Gaza a " final solution " is unwise , what with all the connections to Nazis and the Holocaust and all .  But calling it , as you do ,  " the final phase " does still conjure Holocausty images in folk's minds . 

My advice is that you call the escalation of your ethnic cleansing project  the " end phase " of your effort to defeat Hamas and establish peace  .  I know that it sticks in your craw if you suggest that you want to save the Palestinians from further suffering , that is all too obvious . But you should practice saying that in front of a mirror until it looks sincere , it will be time well spent .

Language is important , as you well know . And speaking of language , have you noticed the change in rhetoric that is suddenly occurring in the mainstream western media ?   This is something that you must address quickly .   Luckily for you some madman ( not a Palestinian , unfortunately ) has murdered two innocent Jews in the USA  .  Just as the conflict in Gaza has largely distracted the media from what you are doing in the West bank , the murders in the USA will keep the media busy with outrage for awhile and give you breathing space to press on with the "end phase " of your project .  

Mind you , a Mangione style response to the tragedy in the USA could unfold in some quarters ,  and various nutjobs and conspiracy theorists could loudly shout " false flag " , so be prepared to play your antisemitism card ..... it's even stronger than the joker in your particular pack .

Anyway , that's enough for now .  Ken junior is working on a list of statements that illustrate the change of media sentiment towards your final .... I mean " end phase" project  .  He has even offered his opinion regarding the reason for the change .  Unfortunately he reveals that it will be a difficult change to reverse .  But one must always face a challenge with a full understanding of its complexity .  

Doubtless you are a busy man , but keep your eye out for Ken junior's post in the next Sky Reply . 

Your comrade, 

Ken  

Reference:- Ummmm. What can one say about this ?

Reference:-  I guess one can simply report what happened . 

In a Senate hearing in the United States , Secretary of Home Security ,  Kristi Noem , was asked to define Habeas corpus.   Young Kristi holds a degree in political science from South Dakota State University .

Kristi replied that Habeas corpus is the constitutional right that the President has to remove people from the country and suspend their rights .  

Kristi is mistaken . Habeas corpus is the opposite . It exists to prevent a country from becoming a dictatorship . 

Just saying . 

Your comrade , Ken .

Reference:- The ancient Roman philosopher , Cicero, believed that corruption of a culture's language presaged it's decline .

 Reference:-   Is the standard of our language declining  ?  Are we drowning in a gross sea of meaningless cliches and tired metaphors ?

Pro-active woke lefties are speaking to the elephant in the room , which , fundamentally, they actually believe is the literal decline in the optics of our public discourse going forward . 

Without wishing to open a can of worms  , maybe the writing is not on the wall quite yet , and if the jury is still out on that score  , those in the mainstream media can leverage their positions to foment meaningful change .  

Perhaps the media and the self-motivated within the silent majority could basically synergise their energy to spark a change in rhetoric , without it necessitating government interference .  That last thing we need is politicians who don't live in the real world hamstringing us with idiotic rules and regulations about speech.

After a robust conversation,  Ken junior says he is on board with this . He says we are on the same page . Furthermore,  he says we need to use language with greater care and foster precise definitions for words , so as to avoid ambiguity and the cynical inclusion of presuppositions in questions or remarks .   I asked him to fill me in on  this . 

"  Sometimes definitions of words are deliberately morphed so they become  hazy and ambiguous . ", Ken junior said . 

"  What utter garbage . I can precisely define any word , as it is now commonly used . " , I said . 

"  Ten dollars says you can't ." , Ken junior said . 

"  I am not brain dead you know . Go your hardest . " , I said . 

"  Define  'antisemitism ' . " , Ken junior said . 

To be honest , I thought my definition , although as long as a country mile , was right on the money . But Ken junior and the rest of the lads at The Sky Reply didn't , so at the end of the day I reckon the reality is that I lost this particular bet and blew my dough .  

Well , that's a tenner down the drain . I guess it's all swings and roundabouts  . Justice always prevails , and I will recoup my loss in the fullness of time , or my name isn't Ken senior .

Your comrade , Ken . 

 

 

 

Reference:- Ken junior asked a question .

 Reference:-   Ken junior is becoming curious about the outside  world . 

Last evening , the washing up done and the fire lit  , I flicked on the wireless and started listening to what now passes as the evening news . Ken junior started listening too , which was surprising . After a few minutes Ken junior spoke . 

" Why is Israel committing genocide ? " , Ken junior said . 

" Many folk in Israel are not pleased to see that happening .  Unfortunately Israel is being governed  by criminal maniacs with no regard for the lives of ordinary people .  Those criminals don't care how many die , as they relentlessly pursue their ghoulish agenda .  They will do anything to remain in power , otherwise they face the prospect of being jailed for their crimes . " , I said . 

" So that is why Israel is committing genocide ? , Ken junior said . 

" Oh ... sorry , I thought you said ' suicide ' . "  , I said . 

" That's OK , I wanted to know why Israel is committing suicide too . " , Ken junior said . 

It is pleasing to watch Ken junior's growing interest in world affairs .

Your comrade , Ken .