Author Archives: Barry Kelly

About Barry Kelly

Author of "Justice Beyond Law," "Justice Without Mercy," "Shades of Justice," "Justice Without Mercy," and "Run to Freedom," as well as two ,"nonfiction books ,"INSIGHTS-The Transforming of America," and "INSIGHTS-Stepping Stones to Tyranny. He also is the author of the blog "8 Decades of Insights." Barry Kelly is no stranger to the world of espionage, counter-terrorism, weapons, deep cover, and the inner workings of the governmental security apparatus. His immersion in the Cold War began with enlistment in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Following his discharge, he earned a BA from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree from Duke. His career in the CIA included deep cover operations and overseas experience, primarily in South and Southeast Asia. He has been awarded the Certificate of Merit with Distinction, the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal and the Intelligence Officer of the Year Award. After retiring from the CIA, Kelly served as a special assistant to President Reagan. He holds a first dan black belt in hap-ki-do. Visit www.factsandfictions.com or find the author on Facebook.

by Barry Kelly | March 20, 2016 · 7:19 pm

INSIGHTS 256 The Real Choice

Do you believe the FBI has the political courage to recommend Hillary Clinton be brought up on criminal charges for her exposure of classified information and the use of her political office for financial gain via the Clinton Foundation? Remember such a charge would seriously harm the Democratic Party’s pursuit of the Presidency. Bringing charges against Hillary when it is only months away from the election would probably make it impossible for the Democratic Party to mount an effective campaign. Each passing day is critical to their campaign. I think the FBI may have the courage to recommend a Grand Jury but the Justice Department will not act to pursue the FBI’s recommendation. They will find someway to bury or nullify the charges. Remember the Justice Department is the Presidents. Attorney Generals do not indict Presidents or their primary advisors. Did President Nixon’s Justice Department seriously investigate the Watergate affair? No, it was the media and the Congress.

So who would head up the Democratic Party’s campaign for the Presidency if Hillary has to drop out, Bernie Sanders? That would be great. A real choice between Socialism and Capitalism. Trump against Sanders. America needs to have this political battle. The creeping socialism of the last few decades is more dangerous than giving people the clear choice between Capitalism and Socialism. Our entire educational system leans hard to the side of Socialism. Just ask the Teachers Union a series of questions about their treatment of free enterprise and big government in the class room. Almost everyone under 30 years of age believes in the beautiful words socialists use to describe redistribution of wealth, a fair shot for everyone, and very high taxes on the wealthy and corporations. They haven’t lived long enough or read enough history to see that the promises of Socialism lead to the ugly repression of elite government where all of life’s important choices are made for all people, except the elites. They may love Bernie but they won’t like where he is leading them. But Trump also has a problem.

While Hillary is threatened by a criminal indictment, Donald Trump is being attacked by people who should be supporting him. The Republican establishment composed of career politicians and self-appointed keepers of the purity of conservatism has failed to keep faith with the people who sent them to Washington. They are far more interested in perpetuating their own positions than in solving the nation’s problems. Just look at how they have taken care of themselves. Incredible life-long pensions for very short periods of service, ability to vote themselves raises, exemption from the onerous provisions of the laws they pass but that don’t apply to members of Congress. Now these pampered members of the political class are doing all they can to end Donald Trump’s journey to winning the Republican Party’s nomination. They are frightened because they know his success will endanger their elite existence. They will not be able to control him and he owes nothing to the lobbyists who fund so many members of the Republican and Democratic career politicians. So far he has been doing a very strange thing. He has been listening to the American People and they have not. Only a very small handful of Senators or Representatives have been doing the work of the people. None of them are in positions of power, including the Speaker and the Senate Majority leader. They claim to be dedicated to the traditional principles of the conservative movement. Maybe, but I don’t believe it. They are champions of the go alone, get along group that have aided President Obama’s socialist transformation of America policies. Just look at the last budget Speaker Ryan put forward. Exciting times! Stay tuned. Stay informed.

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Capitalism, Clinton, Conservative views, democrats, Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, political solutions

Tagged as Capitalism, education, socialism

by Barry Kelly | March 14, 2016 · 3:10 pm

INSIGHTS 255 FIRST AMENDMENT SPIN

Candidates for the Republicans and Democrats are all showing what they really feel about the Ist Amendment to the Constitution. When they think it benefits their campaigns, they are quite willing to claim it is Donald Trump’s fault demonstrators are disrupting his political rallies.

Free speech rights end when people with opposing beliefs attempt to prevent a candidate from speaking to people who want to hear the candidate speak in an open forum. What you are seeing is the ugly hand of the progressive party’s supporters. How else do demonstrators coordinate their actions and show up with professional signs? I expect this kind of biased PC from the liberal left, but not from competing Republican candidates. A number of FOX commentators have joined the progressive media in the spinning of the blame for these disruptions that endanger the First Amendment, the people and the police.

Where does the establishment of the political class end? Has the political class established roots throughout our government? Do they even care who governs as long as they can control the political process to protect their positions?

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Conservative views, democrats, Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, Politics, Presidential Debate, Progressives

by Barry Kelly | March 12, 2016 · 4:12 pm

INSIGHTS 254 FORGET THE LABELS-GET IT DONE

Are you as tired as I am of hearing politicians say I’m a true conservative or I hold strong liberal views or I’m a fiscal libertarian, or I vote for progressive candidates? Enough of the ideological purists. We’ve had one for the last 7 plus years. How has that worked out? Well, we elected twice, the worst president in living memory, if not in our total political history. So, over half of us must be attracted to candidates claiming to be ideological purists. Enough of this madness. Whatever their beliefs, it is what they do that counts. Can the candidate of our choice, protect Americans and the American nation? Can they govern within our economic realities? Do they understand how wealth is created? Will they surround themselves with smart people and listen to them and the American people?

We understand the difference between verbal claims and performance in the world of sports. If you don’t produce, you’re out. The coaches and managers don’t care about your political ideology. In each contest you have to prove you can do your job. Imagine a professional sports coach starting their interview for the head coaching job by saying, I’m a conservative, or a liberal, or a Presbyterian, or a Buddhist or a Muslim. Think the team’s owner would be impressed? The whole infatuation with purist titles is not relevant when it comes to solving problems and managing something as vast and complicated as our government.

President Obama got his job by speaking eloquently about his vision of transforming America. He had no experience managing anything. College instructors, community organizers and state or federal senators don’t manage anything. In President Obama’s case his ideology, was influenced, if not formed, by the writings of Mr. Saul Alinsky. Mr. Alinsky’s central premise is, “The Issue is never The Issue.” By that he meant issues don’t matter. Don’t even try to solve problems or fix things. Just use each issue to destroy the opposition. Take any side of any issue and change sides whenever it is to your advantage to do so. The end always justifies the means when your purpose is to take power away from those who have it and give it to those who don’t. Progressives, following Mr. Alinsky’s teaching, believe lying is not a bad thing. Hillary Clinton has also been influenced by Mr. Alinsky, whom she knew personally. Lying to accomplish goals is a part of her drive to win the highest office in the land.

I don’t care if the coaches of the professional sports teams I follow, share my personal beliefs or a political label with me. I just want them to build the team and win games. Let’s get over voting for ideological purity and elect someone who can solve problems and fix what’s wrong with the nation and put American back it is proper place in the world. Both our people and the world will benefit.

INSIGHTS 253 THE TRUMP PLAN

In a few hours we will see the Republican debate from Detroit. But what have we learned so far? Perhaps the most important thing we have learned is that the GOP establishment, that makes up the political class, does not trust the electorate to choose a candidate. Now that Donald Trump has convincingly won the title of the ‘front runner,’ the old guard is pulling out frantic efforts to stop him.

The latest offensive was a pathetic speech in Salt Lake City by Mitt Romney. It seems in the four years since he effusively thanked Trump for his endorsement, he has changed dramatically his view of Mr. Trump. Would he have made such a speech without support from the old line Republican establishment that gave us two losing candidates in the last eight years. This same group also pleaded with the Republican base to elected a Republican Senate and House in order to stop the Obama progressive program. They did absolutely nothing with the majorities we gave them but make excuses and cave into everything the President wanted. They failed to show the courage and resolve that was needed.

Trump has won all but a few state-wide contests and has energized huge across the board voter turnout. But a great number of these people voting for Trump are not conservatives or traditional members of the Republican Party. That is a good thing. The Republican political class did not listen to the old membership. Maybe they will finally figure out the people are angry and want real change from the last eight years of Obama progressivism. It is too late for them. This new movement of working people, men, women, Hispanics, evangelicals, young and old, middle class and professionals are in such vast numbers, it dwarfs the Tea Party that has now joined the stop Trump campaign.

The political pundits are chanting what is the Trump program. Tell us the plans. When he does tell them, they don’t recognize the genius and simplicity of his message. They are all looking for big government solutions where a centralized government plan must be laid out and debated. Perhaps the clearest example is Mr. Trumps version of a replacement for Obamacare. He told us that Obamacare will be replaced with private insurance that will be able to sell their plans across state lines. This is not a big government implement plan. Sure some regulation will be needed, but the essence of the plan is private companies who will put out hundreds of plans to meet the needs of the populace. Capitalism cannot exist without competition. Some government subsidies will be need to help the very poor to get quality medical care. Decentralization is the way to go. Centralization always is the plan of big government, especially those who practice socialism. Effective management comes from clear lines of command and reasonable spans of control unlike the Obamacare structure. Remember the Rollout for Obamacare?

The second important area where Mr. Trump’s plans are ridiculed by the political class is in the area of foreign trade. No plan is necessary unless you are a big government believer or a socialist. No plan could fit all trade negotiations. What does work is smart, tough, experience negotiators. The people who whine about plans for foreign trade have never really been involved in trade deals or arms negotiations. It takes smart people not plans. Please let’s stop expecting real leaders to lay out plans for every situation. Yes, the military has plans and needs them. But they are called contingency plans and there are several of them to meet a wide range of threats and they are not revealed to the general public or our adversaries.

Vote your conscience. Pay no attention to the wailings of the political class. I hope every day we will get ‘term limits’ to get rid of our professional politicians who for, too long, have stopped listening to the people.

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Capitalism, centralization, class warfare, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, Obamacare, political solutions, Presidential Debate, Progressives, Romney

by Barry Kelly | February 25, 2016 · 6:41 pm

INSIGHTS 252 Senator Sanders’ Big Lie

Why does Senator Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist, draw such crowds to his rallies? The answer is not complicated. The historical message of the far left socialists, progressives or communists is attractive. It always has solutions to fix all of the problems of society. More equal distribution of wealth. Social welfare programs that support citizens from ‘cradle to grave.’ It’s not your fault you are not rich. The deck is stacked against you by the rich and powerful. The only way to get your rightful share is to take it from the few rich people and corporations.

All societies have victims. Victimhood is a very comfortable cloak for many citizens. It gives them an excuse for their failure to climb the success ladder. The socialist answer is to take the ladder away and hide it from all except the elite who always emerge to rule the government-owned and managed economy. The great truth about socialism and communism is that it never has improved the lives of the people. Those who were the victims remain victims, only now there is no hope once the socialist/progressive elite is in total control. There is no dissent. The people have the freedom of never having to make a choice. There are no choices except those offered by the governing elite.

While Senator Sanders is not an evil person but what he is preaching hides a very ugly ending. You see he knows what is good for you and the nation. He doesn’t tell you his message has always required a strong repressive police and security force to enforce the guidance of the elite managers. Socialism, progressivism and communism cannot govern without repression. For when you take away the freedom of choice from the people there will be dissent. The ugliness of the Sander’s way always begins with the necessity to force people to follow the rules of their elite rulers. Besides losing the freedom of individual choice, the people soon see a mantle of economic stagnation settle over their once productive economy. President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Senator Sanders cannot tell you where their way of government has ever worked. Because it never has. Look at Cuba, Russia, East Germany, China and even the pseudo socialist states of Europe. On a large-scale or small, as some of cooperatives tried in America, collective/socialist schemes have all failed for the same reason. The management of collectives of any kind requires repression that eventually is rejected by the people. Reality never matches the socialist message.

This message is taught in very few colleges or universities. These institutions are run mostly by an intellectual elite that believes in the message and promise of the left-wing ‘isms.’ Very few of these professors have ever really worked for a living or lived in a socialist country. They believe the message because it’s kinder, gentler promise than the reality of the rough and tumble of free market and capitalism. Anyone who is rich, and not a member of the socialist elite or a revolutionary, is an enemy of the majority of social study curriculums in our colleges and universities. Since the real truth of the Sanders’ message will not be taught in our education system, it is up to the rest of use to expose the real truth behind the attractive message of socialism. Just ask where has it ever delivered what it so seductively promises?