“Ned Kelly : Death of a Legend” Blog has now been on-line for just over 7 months, having started in May 2014. It started slowly, with only 426 visits in June, but interest in the Blog has increased every month, and quite quickly, so December was the busiest, with over 2700 visits, over 700 more than November, and nearly 60 comments. I had made a dozen Posts before someone finally decided to contribute a Comment , but more recently there have been many comments on every Post, and some interesting debates conducted via the Comments pages. I hope they will continue, and become an important part of this site in 2015. To date there have been over 9800 visitors and 175 comments, and the fanatics who wrecked my earlier Forums and boasted they would do the same to this one have been outsmarted. While the Forums and Facebook Pages dedicated to Kelly fanaticism have been limping along, and looking terminal in terms of reader participation, “Ned Kelly : Death of a Legend” has been going from strength to strength.
I owe at least some thanks for our survival to Blogger, who have a more mature policy than do the hosts of Proboards and Forumjar regarding losers who fabricate claims of copyright infringement and manufactured “offense” as a tactic to have arguments they cant refute removed from the internet. This cowardly behavior, abetted by gutless administrators at those places, wrecked my first few attempts at providing a space for alternative Kelly discussions to take place on the Internet. Fortunately this same tactic has not been successful with Blogger, though numerous attempts were made early on, as well as what proved to be empty threats of more to come. If you look at the Blog Posts in June one is listed as “Unavailable”. I could delete that notice altogether, placed there by Blogger but I have left it so anyone who wants can click on the link provided to Chilling Effects.org and read the pathetic complaint that was made about this Blog, a complaint that illustrates that its author has no idea about what constitutes copyright – anything at all that is in the “Public domain” can be quoted or commented on, subject to “fair use” and various other qualifications. Comment is not an infringement of copyright, or defamatory just because you don’t like it.
The following is a summary of the Posts, and Links to most of what has been discussed on the Blog in 2014; Clicking will take you to the Post:
Kelly Websites :
- Iron Icon Bill Denhelds amazing site
- 11 Mile Creek Sharon and Brians site I described as almost perfect
- Ned Kelly Forum has potential but paralysed by paranoia
- Ironoutlaw vast, extremely “pro kelly” and at times nasty but can be usefully informative, now dying.
- Ned Kelly on You Tube A Debate about Ned with Derryn Hinch, the Human Headline.
Kelly Books
- The Kelly Hunters by Frank Clune Published 1954. 3 stars.
- Ned Kelly Under the Microscope Edited by Craig Cormick, the very latest Kelly book, published 2014, really
- Ned Kelly: Australian Son by Max Brown; Syrupy over-the-top hero worship beloved of Kelly fanatics. 2 stars.
- The Jerilderie Letter (6 parts) My own Line by line analysis. Brillliant!
- The Kelly Gang Unmasked by Ian MacFarlane : a MUST READ! Excellent modern exhaustive research, a long overdue book, hated with a passion by Kelly
Kelly Myths and Misconceptions
- The “Body straps” question And a great discussion afterwards
- Robin Hood This central myth about Kelly gets dismantled
- Good man/bad man and here too: A false dichotomy
- Helping the Poor Another myth about Ned Kelly exploded
- Kelly Propaganda (4 parts) Exposes their tricky writing techniques as they spin the whole story from start to finish
- Glenrowan The confronting truth about what was planned, that Kelly sympathisers don’t like to talk about
Kelly Sympathiser Behaviour
- Religious fanaticism I point out the similarities between the behaviour and attitudes of some Kelly sympathisers and Religious
- Dee is not Ian Kelly
- “Neducation” Their made up word for made up Kelly history
- Stepping into the Kelly world My first
- Fake debate Pretending nobody can decide if Ned was good or bad, as a way of preventing the Myth from being buried for good
- Fanatics in retreat Pointing out
Ned Kelly
- Reflections on the crown jewels Neds juvenile behaviour that he bragged about even as an adult
- The Making of Ned Kelly and here and here too. A start on trying to understand better the influences that produced Ned Kelly
- Self defence I propose Neds case ought to have been successful, because the “self defence” argument should be based on what he BELIEVED to be true, not on whether or not what he believed was ACTUALLY true ( and it wasn’t )
- Psychopath Discussion of the controversial but well supported opinion of a Forensic Psychiatrist, who shows Ned Kellys behaviour fits the pattern of a Psychopath.
- Liar Modern writers conceal their knowledge that Ned Kelly was a notorious liar.
Note that at top left of the Home page is a search engine that will search the blog for Posts that contain any words you care to enter.
I have heaps of ideas for Posts next year, and am looking forward to continuing the debate, and uncovering and learning more about the history of Ned Kelly and the Kelly story. I am exploring the “Forum” option again, as I think the Blog format is not particularly conducive to open and free flowing debate, and I am also vaguely wondering about a Book at some time in the future, as suggested in a number of comments.
All in all, after some false starts and disappointments, 2014 has been a good year for the rollback of myths and for the uncovering of the truth about Ned Kelly. Long may it continue.
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That is a great index to links in your site, Dee. Congratulations on your site.
Forumjar is not a well-regarded provider of forums. I have noticed in relation to threads there on Kelly subjects that posts can suddenly disappear overnight. Since Forumjar does not respond to complaints sometimes for days or weeks (if at all) it seems that a certain person either has a pal in the Forumjar Support Team or has a means for removing posts himself. He has boasted on his own FB page of having had 20-30 Forumjar Forums (complete threads) deleted. But now individual posts are disappearing.
My point in raising the above points is that I now regard Forumjar as being no longer safe to post to.
Is that the bloke who keeps lecturing people about using fake names, but uses them all the time? Several people on Forumjar threads about Ned have drawn attention to the recent sudden 'edits'.
Definitely lots of 'funny business' on Ned Forumjars these days. Avoid.
Dee, forums are all very well, but your blogs have brought important new insights, rigorous analysis and interrogation of the 'facts', and first-hand knowledge of the few (but dangerous) Kelly standover men.
You have raised key, new questions about the Kelly legend and its myths, the accepted detail of certain incidents, and the modern Kelly websites. Much of this is unique and should be preserved in a longer-lasting format. The internet is transient and increasingly prone to censorship and malicious internet pests.
Worst of all, the Australian media seems to regard Ned Kelly as 'their' own sacrosanct plaything, and dislike criticism of the national totem. Ned Kelly is a figure of ridicule in the UK, but revered by Aussies. As you have said, the statistics about support for Ned are rubbery and questionable. The media does not want to spoil good stories with pesky facts.
Copyright should be referring to a creator’s exclusive legal right to his or her work.
Copywrite refers to a writer of copy, especially in advertising.
Bill
Oh dear me Bill, I hadn't noticed that blunder on NKF. its a bit sad they don't understand what it is or even how to spell it! I bet it will be changed in the very near future, once they've read this!
My issue with Forumjar is not that its an important site or that anything worthwhile ever happens there – it never does – but the illiterates who cant spell copyright have them closed down because people there discuss things they don't want discussed – in other words the same bullying and censorship that was used against me. People who support democracy should support the right of people to believe and write or speak or publish whatever they like, even things they don't agree with. This anti-democratic behaviour of Kelly fanatics has to be resisted.
But Forumjar itself is no great loss.
Congratulations, Dee, on this most interesting blog, and on your persistence in keeping things going in the face of a great deal of negativity and discouragement. My best wishes to you and the blog for a most insightful 2015.
Bill you've been warned numerous times that you do not have permission to copy and paste or add links to NKF. You know what you do is illegal and immoral but it doesn't surprise anyone about your underhanded tactics and so do you Dee as some of your blog was previously deleted by Blogger. 2015 is going to be a massive wake up call to you both. Tsk Tsk Tsk Brian Stevenson now you know why you are not taken seriously anymore giving best wishes to a blog that continually has defaming comments by Trolls and idiots that use pseudonyms.
"Anonymous" you ought to be thanking Bill for drawing your attention to the dumb and embarrassing spelling mistake on your site which you have now hastily corrected, as I predicted you would three hours ago.
I have no doubt you're learning lots of other useful things by coming to read my Blog, so you're very welcome to continue to visit.
Actually Dee you are the one who is dumb because if you go back to the pathetic comments about your site review of NKF you will see that it's actually spelt right back then. Keep trolling NKF you actually might learn something like being a respectful human being something none of us believe you are capable of.
'Anonymous's' unrelentingly depressing opinions are a Neverending Story of whinging, stalking, site removals, censorship, character assassination, constant lying, time-wasting disruptions and diversions, mistaken 'facts' about Ned Kelly, misidentifications of posters, ludicrous claims about books, authors, academics and respected bloggers. You are a really creepy internet serial pest.
Go Away!
Dear Readers, I don't think we should concern ourselves with the identity of anonymous contributors, and allow this blog to descend into a witch hunt, something which sympathisers pre-occupy themselves with on a regular basis. Not only that, knowing their inclination for underhand and devious approaches to silencing us all, I won't allow anything to be posted that might give them an opportunity to shut us down. Believe me Snoopy I understand your frustrations, but frankly I think the best response to idiocy is not to encourage it by responding in kind.
Their stupid comments are perfect testimony to their creepy stupidity, so I mostly leave them there for everyone to observe for themselves.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Dee, why are you, Simon Lydon and ‘anonymous’ Charlie crying over Forum Jar supposedly removing posts, which they are not? You should be the last person to lecture anyone on spelling, as your writing shows you cannot spell or punctuate properly. Names both Christian and surnames start with a capitol and as in this instance repeatedly (Ned Kellys behaviour), it should read ‘Ned Kelly’s behaviour’ and you consistently write ‘ned’ or ‘Neds’ instead of Ned or Ned’s. It all goes to prove that the Forum Jar Trolls are all here. You also praise the repugnant posts of your followers which I find abominable. I have to agree with Anonymous that Brian Stevenson has lost all credibility blowing kisses here!
Thanks for another Kelly fanatic comment that will stay for the interested reader to ponder! Thanks also for puling us up on punctuation and spelling – I really must try harder- but I am not sure how I am supposed to start every christian name with a "capitol"
(duh!)
Keep an eye out for my next Post, a beauty to get the New Year off to a flying start!
Dee, notwithstanding your advice to 'Snoopy' and deletion of his/her post, I draw your attention to this site which now contains a wacky post from the person under discussion:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16155401-the-kelly-gang-unmasked
I hail Brian Stevenson for his brilliant Ned Kelly bibliography.
What have you contributed, 'Anonymouse'?
Charlie I wonder did you miss my very early post on this "subject" http://kellylegend.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/on-hating-truth.html
The mad campaign against The Kelly Gang Unmasked has fizzled out completely. He manages barely one post a month on his FB Page, they are just attacks on people and idiotic ravings, and nothing at all in the way of attempts at "unmasking" the book. His early embarrassing attempts to do that failed so comprehensively that he gave up on that task months ago.
As Bruce J implies, he has contributed nothing ( other than bile and ignorant prejudice) We should ignore him, though I know he won't go away, which is what one expects from pests.
Thanks, Bruce J, for the kind words regarding my compilation of a bibliography, but I think you mean the fine publication, What They Said About Ned, compiled by Brian MacDonald.
Sorry Dee, I hadn't read your earlier blog before. Even so, that man has certainly stalked the author of that book, placing foolish remarks on the OUP blog page about the book, Goodreads and several other sites, as well as commentts to newspapers. Noone can say he doesn't have a massive obsession.
As you say about his derelict fb page, it's dried up and nothing happens there anymore. Even so, he is one, strange blind Lone Vulture that doesn't fly with the other birds.
Best Wishes for 2015!
Pardon me Brian S. Yes, I must have been thinking of Brian MacDonald's published biblio.
'Anonymouse' hasn't made any worthwhile contribution to the Kelly debate, umless you include his commonplace observation several years ago that Ned, being Australian born and raised, spoke with an Aussie accent rather than a Mick Jagger exaggerated Irish brogue.
Thanks for telling us the obvious.
Anything new in Trove?