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 | September 28, 2015 · 9:26 am

INSIGHTS 233 — WHO SHUTS DOWN THE GOVERNMENT?

The President went down to talk with the Advisor the day after the Speaker of the House announced his resignation. The Advisor asked, “Mr. President, do you believe the next speaker will be willing to shut the government down over the ‘Planned Parenthood’ issue?”

“That’s my decision, not the speaker’s. The Constitution gives the House the sole right to appropriate funds for the government. Early in my administration, the House forgot it had that power and did not use it. Power not used is power lost.

“For example, no one should blame the president for the current budget deficit. I can’t spend anything unless the bill originates in the House, is passed by the House and Senate, and sent to my desk. If the Republicans believe the budget should be balanced and the deficit reduced, why don’t they do it? The answer is simple, they just don’t have the political courage to make the hard choices. In the vacuum they created, I stepped in and am now governing as if I could appropriate funds.

“My base doesn’t want them to defund ‘Planned Parenthood’ so I said I would veto any bill that defunds ‘Planned Parenthood.’ Since they were planning to send the defunding issue up to me in the major budgeting bill, my veto of the bill would shut the government down. They are too dumb to change the messaging. It is not their fault I vetoed the budget bill. I vetoed the bill because it contained something neither I nor my base wanted. Ever since Speaker Newt Gingrich’s battle with President Clinton over spending issues resulted in a presidential veto and the shutdown of the government, all professional Republican politicians are in mortal fear of a presidential veto that results in a political shutdown of the government in the most painful way possible. I guarantee the pain part.

“Now I can control the legislature simply by threatening to shut the government down. In reality, taking $500 million out of a trillion-dollar budget would hardly be noticed. In this case they weren’t even cutting the funds, merely spreading the funds to other women’s health clinics. The government could go on as normal. The Republican Party members who fought so hard and successfully to win the House and Senate, now wonder what is the difference? The people we sent to Washington to represent us are not listening to us. In political fact, I now decide what to fund and the funding levels. I am Appropriator-in-Chief.”

“Will a new speaker be able to regain the Constitutional power to appropriate funds?”

“I doubt it. Maybe if the majority of the media supported the Republican Party, but I don’t think any of the contenders will have the courage to confront both me and the media. Rest assured, if I shut the government down over some funding bill I don’t like the media will blame it on the Republicans. Their own members and the conservative media will also automatically blame the Republican radicals for any shutdown. That is a strange but accurate view of the political scene in America. Senate and House leaders are playing the power game by traditionally cherished rules and procedures. I make my own rules and procedures. Therefore I win.”

Seeing the President check his watch, the Advisor said, “Mr. President, I fear you are needed back in the above-ground world. Thank you for the education. I don’t agree with your goals but you must be one of the most astute and aggressive presidents ever to play in the biggest of all power games.”

“I think that is a compliment. So thank you.”

This is an account written by a fictional advisor who doesn’t exist but should.

Check out the latest Jack Brandon mystery suspense novel at your local bookstore. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, financial policies, Intelligence & Politics, management theory, Obama, political solutions, Progressives

Tagged as Barack Obama, Congress, Conservatives, current-events, government

by Barry Kelly | September 24, 2015 · 6:53 am

INSIGHTS 232 — CREATING CLASS WARFARE

The President had been so forthcoming during their last session, the Advisor thought, I’ve often wondered what the President knows about financial policies. Maybe, if he seems in a good mood, I’ll ask him to help me understand what he is trying to accomplish.

The soft buzzing of the warning the President is on his way sounded and the Advisor hurried to get prepared. Fresh coffee, a clean ashtray, and a freshly polished gleaming table top all set the stage for another of the unbelievable sessions he had been having with the President.

When the President was ready to begin, the Advisor asked, “Mr. President, with your permission, I would like to devote some time to understanding your financial policy.”

“Please go ahead. Financial policy is critical in the transformation process.”

“The basic principle of your transformation process seems to be the re-distribution of wealth from the haves to the have-nots. Yet, just the opposite is occurring. The people who have the money to invest in the stock market have done well while those who cannot participate in the buying and selling of stocks, commodities, and other securities are falling farther behind.”

“The redistribution of wealth is a complicated process. You have described only one step in the process. Yes, the income gap is widening. And it will continue to do so. I cannot move the United States from capitalism to socialism and state ownership of the means of production without first creating a large angry group of people. I am doing that by deliberately stimulating the stock market while depressing the capitalistic economy through taxation and constant regulations. The majority of Americans are not investors and depend on a growing economy to prosper. As this majority loses wealth in an economy that is far weaker than the numbers we release indicate, they will become more and more strident. ‘Occupy Wall Street’ was just the warmup. When the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, the country is ripe for a Progressive take over.

” You and 99 percent of the people are focused on the issue of growing the economy. I have used financial policies to create a large majority of Americans who see no downside in changing a failing capitalistic system for a socialist system that will greatly reduce the income gap. You see, ‘the issue is never the issue.’ I talk about doing everything I can to help the middle class. In fact, I’m destroying the middle class. They are an obstacle in the creation of a progressive system of government. I want only two classes, the growing class of have-nots and the rich who are the enemy.

“No party can overthrow a strong government with a historical belief in the power of capitalism and the free market. Progressive change depends on class warfare. There is no other way. We may need two more terms of progressive leadership of the American government before progressive socialism will be a welcome change. The more the Republican Party identifies with capitalism and the free market, the more they provide us with a perfect enemy. In my government there will be no place for people who resist socialism. It may be a good thing that I never closed Guantanamo Bay.”

“So, Mr. President, you do not believe the stock market is a true indicator of the economy?”

“No. And it has been a very long time since you could evaluate economic growth by the success of the Wall Street game. I hope that helps you understand how transformation works. If you’re still alive you may be the first person I send to Gitmo. You are just too intelligent and crafty to be running around in the world above this cave. Goodnight.”

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Filed under Alinsky, Capitalism, class warfare, complexity, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, financial policies, Intelligence & Politics, political solutions, Progressives

Tagged as class warfare, Conservatives, Republican, socialism, transformation

by Barry Kelly | September 17, 2015 · 3:33 pm

INSIGHTS 231 LEADING FROM BEHIND STRATEGY

While the President and the Advisor were engaging in a few moments of chatting about things that don’t matter, the Advisor wondered if he should ask the President a question he had had for a long time but was reluctant to bring it up. Finally he decided to be bold and ask. “Mr. President, you have used the term, ‘leading from behind’ in talking about foreign affairs. Just what does that mean and how do you use it?”

The President looked at the Advisor and said, “It is the core principle behind all my decisions. Under other Presidents this nation and the world has not fared well by the use of American military and economic power. How much better things might have been if they had been willing to exercise patience and let others advance their policy positions? You know the term came from Saul Alinsky. He used that strategy constantly when he was a community organizer in Chicago. I think it is a brilliant strategy. He would pick a subject he felt was important and work slowly behind the scenes to encourage others to adopt his ideas and take action to accomplish what needed to be done. If things didn’t go well, it wasn’t his fault, and he could quietly work to put his issues back on track. Often a breakthrough would occur that he hadn’t foreseen. And that was good. It indicated the value of harnessing the minds and energies of others to accomplish your objectives. At times he would pick the other side of the issue if the Progressives could use it to damage the opposition and clear the way for more ‘leading from behind’ probing.”

“What happens if the policy fails due to lack to leadership and direction?”

“If the strategy of leading from behind on an issue fails to advance Progressive goals it is because the people failed to understand the issue or were not adaptable enough in picking the tactics. It is difficult for the opposition to defeat Progressive ideology and actions because it appears as if the movement has no single leader. And that is correct. Leading from the front often results in failure and the loss of leaders. In my way the leadership cadre is very broad and if the leaders among the people are adaptable enough to change messages and positions, the deep leadership ranks are protected even when the effort seems to fail. Failure is rare because even if an effort is defeated by our opponents, we have been able to dictate the agenda and make some small gains and that is all we need to do to complete our transformation process.”

“Are you using the leading from behind strategy in the Middle East and primarily in Syria?”

“Of course. My objective is to change or transform the world order. How could I do that if I was openly leading the action? I’m leading from behind. Iran, ISIS, and Russia are doing exactly what I want. If Russia ends up being a power in the Middle East with warm water ports for their warships and control of oil from the region won’t that end the strife and lead to a world society where the people will be much better off and the world’s wealth and resources will be more equitably distributed? Russia will have what they have always wanted. They have no desire to occupy Europe. The balance of world power will be forever changed for the better. The need for vast military expenditures will be gone. Colonialism, Capitalism, and Imperialism will be history. Those are the real evil ‘isms’ of our world. Progressivism is the natural ideology for a world of equals.”

“Mr. President, I’m astounded at the breath of your response to my question. Do the leaders of your Administration share this view of the world?”

“Very, Very few. And that is good. Most of them would be more than astounded. They waste their time trying to either solve or pretend to solve the issues of governing. I only need a few people. The rest can mill about on trivial battlefields, as long as they do what they are told. Okay, I really have to go. Keep the questions coming. You help to keep me sharp. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Mr. President.”

The Advisor put his head down on the table and thought if you can’t handle the answer, don’t ask the question.

This is an account written by a fictional advisor who doesn’t exist but should.

Check out the latest Jack Brandon mystery suspense novel at your local bookstore. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80

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Filed under Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Iran, Middle East, Obama, political solutions

by Barry Kelly | September 11, 2015 · 7:36 am

INSIGHTS 230 — THE ADVISOR, THE PRESIDENT, AND THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES

“Mr. President, I was hoping you would return soon so we could talk about the Republican candidates. I’m very interested in your take on the front runners and what their election might mean to your accomplishments.”

“I’m addicted to three things you offer, superb coffee, smoking a few cigarettes in peace, and discussing politics with someone who will never use or leak a single comment of mine to further their own agenda. So believe it, or not, I’m beginning to enjoy these meetings. I wish you had been here for my first term. Of course, I may have benefited from talking with your predecessor, but never went down to see him. Okay, where should I start?”

“You are the professional politician. Start anywhere you want.”

“I’ll start with the interaction between the candidates and the electorate. The Republican Party voting core knows, correctly, that this is their last chance. Another eight or even four years of Progressive Party government will end the two-party system. And that will be a good thing. When the losing party only exists to prevent the winning party from implementing the programs the majority of the people voted for, how can that be a good thing?

“The Republican leaders in Congress have failed to do what the people want. They are professional politicians whose only motivation is to maintain their jobs. They are the most socialistic elite people in America. Their pensions, healthcare, pay, vacations, expense accounts, do not in any way resemble the way their constituents live. It is shameless, every bit of legislation they pass always excludes members of Congress. People are tired of that. They are so above the people they have lost the ability to talk to or listen to those who elected them. They think talking at the people is the same as talking to them. If they have a positive message the people could identify with, they have kept it well guarded. They are so easy to outmaneuver it is not even a challenge to me. Over half of the Americans polled are against the Iranian nuclear weapons deal, yet the Republican leadership can’t even muster the support to override my guaranteed veto.

“Among the current candidates, is it any wonder that those in the lead are not professional politicians? The leader, Mr. Trump, is very good at talking to the people, not at them. Dr. Carson and Ms. Fiorina also have that gift. None of them are politically correct. They offer the people real choices and direct their anger at their own leadership as well as my party. Anyone of them could defeat any of the possible Progressive candidates. I knew by the time my two terms were up, the politically aware people who do not want my brand of socialism would be a formidable force. I can’t see the senators or maybe even the governors who are running, harnessing the growing awareness and anger of the people. In many respects, they are part of the problem and do not have a solution.

“Senator Cruz is the best debater. But I don’t think he can carry a high enough percentage of the independents and centrist voters. Probably is viewed as too conservative. He is very smart and probably would make a good president. But not electable. Senator Rubio is the best candidate on the issue of foreign affairs. The immigration issue will hurt him as well as his inability to carry Florida. Trump is right about Jeb Bush. Not enough fire in the belly and his last name is a killer. Americans won’t go for either a Bush or a Clinton dynasty.

“The governors of Ohio and Wisconsin have good local state records, but haven’t been able to excite the people. Governor Kaisch could probably deliver Ohio, but the conservative core doesn’t trust him. Governor Walker is the poster-boy for the anti-labor movement. That’s a lot of negative baggage. The other candidates don’t matter. Okay, that’s my run down. I have to go. I see by your body language that you agree with me. Right?”

“I agree with your overall analysis. You are a good political analyst. Maybe you can have my job someday.”

“No way. I haven’t seen a single golf course down here.”

This is an account written by a fictional advisor who doesn’t exist but should.

Check out the latest Jack Brandon mystery suspense novel at your local bookstore. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80

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by Barry Kelly | September 8, 2015 · 7:31 am

INSIGHTS 229 — WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?

The Advisor was all primed to ask the President about his understanding of Keynesian financial policies, when he suddenly changed direction. “Mr. President, we have talked extensively about your plan to transform America. I have a more limited question. What have you done to the Democratic Party?”

“So you’ve noticed. You’re the first person who ever asked me that question. It is the cornerstone of my entire transformation of America. I knew I didn’t have the tools I needed when I was elected. I needed to first transform the Democratic Party. The party of the past wouldn’t have cooperated with me. The old Southern Democrats, the Scoop Jacksons, the Tip O’Neills, the Lyndon Johnsons, and even the Hubert Humphries were all proud of America and its historic place in the world. I don’t share any of their pride in America. I couldn’t expect the Democrats I inherited who revered these prominent party members of the past to destroy present-day America.

“Fortunately, there has always been a strong populist movement in America. These people from the ‘rust belt’ area were ripe for a move to the left. The urban elites of the Northeast and West Coast who believe everything is subject to change for the good if directed and managed by an intelligent core of the faithful were anxious to be included in a move to more centralized government. They, too, hated much of the results of the presence of American economic and military power in the world. They actually feel guilty because the generations before them built such a powerful nation. Add to that the number of indoctrinated graduates pouring out of our leading universities where they were taught the evils of capitalism and conservative ideology. The revolutionary minded tools I needed were growing before I was even a Senator in the Illinois State House.

“We had the leadership necessary for a social revolution. Now, I needed a mass of angry disillusioned followers. Racism, Vietnam, Watergate, the growing gap of wealth and opportunity between the haves and have-nots, the Bush wars, immigration, and growing unemployment with the attendant accumulation of debt and dependence on welfare, provided the voters and the demonstrators. I should also point out that my candor about transforming America was never understood or resisted by the self-serving Republican leadership wedded to working within the imagined protection of traditional checks and balances. They still don’t understand. Power has always been there for those with the courage to take it.

“The Democratic Party is gone in everything except name. In certain states, thousands of people are turning up to hear an old do-nothing socialist speak about the utopia he will provide in America if he is elected. Under a true socialist one-party government under the control of my Progressive Party, nuts like the senator from a tiny state will only be preaching in the solitude of their cells. Don’t these people ever read history? The first decade or so of one-party leftist rule is not pretty. Some discipline can only be accomplished by using very harsh procedures.

“To answer your question. The Democratic Party is gone forever. I needed the Harry Reids and Nancy Pelosis in the Congress and my people in control of the civil service, especially the Department of Justice, to allow massive immigration and to control whatever Republican or conservative opposition that tried to stop me. The only problem is that I don’t have enough power to remain in office for a third term and the person who follows me must not allow American nationalism to turn back what I have accomplished. I don’t see a new leader I trust to carry the progressive banner further.”

“Mr. President, I suspected some of your answer but the scope and breath of your response has shaken me. You are a political genius but you know I do not share your vision.”

“It’s more than a vision. It is a reality. You are a very worthy adversary but there are too few of you and you are locked up in this cave. Thank God.”

This is an account written by a fictional advisor who doesn’t exist but should.

Check out the latest Jack Brandon mystery suspense novel at your local bookstore. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.