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 | May 3, 2015 · 7:04 am

INSIGHTS 202 — THE ADVISOR AND WHAT’S WITH THE IRAN THING?

The Advisor had worked all week in getting ready for tonight’s discussions with the president. There was a lot to cover.

The entire negotiation process with Iran was filled with false starts, new beginnings, and endless private discussions by various participants.This was going to be a hard session. The Advisor had serious reservations about negotiating with Iran, but he knew the president was dead set on doing some kind of a deal with Iran. But the president had told him he wanted to hear his candid appraisal of the Iran initiative.

A soft bell rang and the Advisor glanced at his hall monitor screen. Sure enough the President and Chris were on their way to the old iron door to his chambers and only 25 minutes late. The president gave his usual murmured greeting and sat down at the conference table in his usual seat. The Advisor poured him a cup of fresh cup of dark roast while the president was lighting a cigarette.

“I know I’m not going to like what you’re going to tell me, but you’re the smartest person I get advice from and you don’t have an agenda. Of all the things I’ve told you over the years, nothing has leaked. You and I have opposing political beliefs but no one hears them except me.”

The Advisor thought, No one hears them but my successors for as long as this nation endures will be able to read them. The president nodded and said, I’ve got 45 minutes, so let’s get started.”

“Mr. President, the Iranians or Persians are a great and proud people. They’ve slipped over the centuries from the pinnacle of being a dominant world power. They want to reclaim their heritage. They don’t have the population or the economic base to be even a regional power. They have correctly analyzed their position and have concluded that becoming a nuclear power is the quickest way to improve their status. Under their religious leadership they will not be redirected. No matter the price, they will pay it. Keeping economic sanctions on will only delay their journey to nuclear status.

“Nothing they say or promise will change their push for nuclear weapons. So you cannot trust them to keep their word. Short of changing the Iranian leadership or very heavy military strikes at their nuclear facilities and military centers nothing you or others can do will stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power.

“Now for the downside of negotiating with the Iranian leadership. You know better than your White House staff, the political ramifications of the Sunni/Shiite division. Our traditional Middle Eastern allies have been the Sunnis. Our dealings with the Iranians have driven a stake of mistrust between us and the Sunnis that may never be removed. In addition, the Israelis believe America has deceived them. Their trust in America has been seriously eroded.

“The other downside of a deal with the Iranians is that until now we have successfully kept the Russians out of the Middle East. You have already seen the Russians move to sell first line air defense hardware to Iran. More weapon sales will follow. Your European friends will not agree to reimpose economic sanctions. They want Iranian treasure for their goods more than they worry about Iran becoming a nuclear power. They have always been appeasers when faced with a choice between future dangers and the promise of prosperity now.

“One last point. when Iranians get the bomb, they will use it. My time is up.”

“Good. I’ll tell you now, while I agree to some of your analysis, I do not agree with your overall conclusions. My plan is to use Iran to change the world order in a way that will ensure a more peaceful world based on a partnership between nations in a playing field I have leveled. At our next meeting, it will be my turn to talk.”

The president ground out his last cigarette and left.

The above is a fictional account of a president meeting with a legendary but fictional advisor.

“ISIS Quiet Justice,” a new Jack Brandon novel dealing with ISIS in America, is now available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble in print form and nook and kindle formats. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.

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Filed under Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, Iran, Israel, political solutions, Russia, Shiite, Sunni

Tagged as advisor, America, Barack Obama, Iran, negotiations, President Obama

by Barry Kelly | May 1, 2015 · 8:37 am

INSIGHTS 201 — THE RETURN OF THE ADVISOR

A few years ago I enlisted the aid of a fictional person I called the Advisor, to help me chronicle President Obama’s transformation of America. The resulting blogs were, of course, fictional, but I do think they added a dimension of clarity to my musing and scribbling about the exploits of this incredible period of our history. And besides, they were fun to write. As readers of my Jack Brandon novels know, I’m a storyteller.

First, the setting of the stage:

– – – – – –

Fighting loneliness in his subterranean office suite was the Advisor’s hardest problem. When he was approached a few years ago by the Keepers of the Book to become the next secret presidential advisor, he had had no idea how hard it would be to maintain perspective without face-to-face human contact. After his wife died, the Advisor had moved to an isolated cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains where he could write and think in peace and quiet. When the Keepers of the Book approached him, he had thought “How hard could it be to go from my ridge-line cabin to an underground existence? “Turns out it was very hard. He even looked forward to the twice a month delivery of food and supplies even though no conversation was permitted.

Through the history of this small office each incumbent advisor picks his successor. The successor takes over only on the death or incapacity of the incumbent. There is no training. The advisor is picked solely because of his experience and service. Also they must be at least 80 years of age. In reading of the Advisor Journals from pre-Civil War times to the present, he could sense the isolation and loneliness that plagued his predecessors. He searched the journals for ways to cope but found none, only just to endure day by day. The Advisor realized his loneliness and isolation wasn’t much different than that which presidents endured. They, at least, had that in common.

Part way through his first term during a period when nothing was going right or fast enough, the president thought back to his brief meeting with his predecessor just after he was sworn in. He called in the head of his Secret Service detail for a private talk. When Chris Hammond showed up a few minutes later, the president said, “Chris, sit down and have a cup of coffee with me. You remember the last meeting I had with George Bush before I was sworn in?”

“Yes, Mr. President, I do.”

“You were there. Tell me what you heard him say.”

“President Bush said when he had his last talk with President Clinton, President Clinton told him that when he really needed advice from someone whose only agenda was to serve the president and protect the nation there was only one place to go for advice. Presidents starting with Lincoln had gone there for advice.”

“Can you take me there now?”

“Yes, Mr. President. Give me just a few minutes.” Chris searched his phone’s memory, selected an obscure number and said, “Sir, I’m bringing the president down now,” and ended the call.

Chris led the president down into the tunnel running from the White House to the Treasury Department. He stopped at door that said “NO ADMITTANCE” by order of the Secret Service. Chris swiped his card and at the faint click pushed the door open for the president. They were now in a dimly lit passage. Chris stopped at the second door. The president studied the faint copper plate on the door. He could barely make out the words. Chris said, Mr. President, “I’ve been told that copper sign has been in use since President Lincoln’s time.” The words said “Eight Decades of Insights.” Chris said, “Mr. President, put your right palm in the center of the sign.” He did and the door swung open into a small, modestly furnished room. An elderly black man was sitting behind a desk, the wall behind him was covered with full bookshelves. The old man, in a very well-tailored suit, got up and extended his hand to the president, saying, “Mr. President, welcome. Please have a seat. I’ve just brewed some fresh Sumatra Roast coffee.”

The Advisor, looking like a clothing store ad with his stark white shirt and charcoal suit, red tie, and gleaming black shoes led the President over to the small conference table.

The president asked, “Who are you?”

“You can know my name but it is not important. I’m merely one in a long unbroken line of men and women who have occupied this room waiting to serve the man sitting in the Oval Office.”

“How can I trust your advice if I know nothing about you?”

“Mr. President, it is your decision. I’m only here to respond to your questions. Some presidents have used us, others not so much.”

“What do you know about me? Living in this subterranean room is not a very impressive setting for a presidential advisor.”

“I’ve read all your speeches and watched you deliver many of them, actually too many. I have your records as a senator, both of the United States and Illinois, as well as all your academic records and papers. I know about the development of your progressive ideology and the influential people in your growth, such as Saul Alinsky, Reverend Wright, and others we both know from your early life. I have access to the Internet, including many databases. Some restricted. Mr. President, the person sitting behind this door waiting to help does not approve or disapprove of the president or his agenda. We are only here to help you govern and protect the United States. Now how may I help you?”

– – – – – –

Now the stage is set. On his next visit, the Advisor will go over the President’s relationship with Iran.

INSIGHTS 200 — THE BIG LIE

In the late 1930s and early 1940s the Nazi propaganda chief, Goebbels, coined the phrase, “The Big Lie.” I’m sure the concept wasn’t original with him, but the Nazis used it consistently in their propaganda. The essence of the idea is that if you tell a big lie often enough, people will gradually come to believe it.

I can take the theory even further. If you tell the same lie often and with conviction, you will believe your own lie.

Conservatives and traditional Democrats have their image issues, but it is nothing like the progressive radical left that is now running the country. Progressives believe from deep in their DNA that the end justifies the means as long as the intent is to overthrow and replace the current political structure. Saul Alinsky, the brilliant guru of the progressives, explains this issue in his books. Reading his “Rules for Radical” is enlightening. Both President Obama and Hillary Clinton are Alinsky disciples. Hillary Clinton had a personal as well as an intellectual relationship with Alinsky. Conservatives tend to avoid the consistent use of lies as their core culture values the integrity of the spoken word.

A clear and recent example of the progressive use of the big lie by a leading progressive is Harry Reid’s statement as the Senate Majority Leader in which he charged presidential candidate Mitt Romney with not paying his taxes. When confronted with this big lie, Reid said, “He didn’t get elected, did he?”

An even more famous example is President Obama saying repeatedly that, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.” He said the same thing regarding your health care insurance, i.e. “If you like your insurance you can keep your insurance.” He knew all the while that neither statement was true, but the end justified the means in his mind. He delivered these lies with such conviction, I believe he actually believed he was telling the truth.

Below is a partial list of current big lies being supported by our progressive president and his followers:

AL-QAEDA IS ON THE RUN;
THE ATTACK ON BENGHAZI WAS THE RESULT OF ANTI-ISLAM VIDEO PRODUCED IN AMERICA;
WE WILL TRACK THE ATTACKERS DOWN AND BRING THEM TO JUSTICE;
ISIS, AL-QAEDA, AND ALL THEIR OFFSHOOT TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS ARE NOT PART OF OR MOTIVATED BY ISLAM;
THE ECONOMY IS GOOD AND UNEMPLOYMENT IS DOWN;
COUNTER-TERRORIST POLICES IN YEMEN AND ETHIOPIA HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL;
PUTIN’S POLICIES WILL LEAD TO RUSSIA BEING ISOLATED BY THE CIVILIZED WORLD;
MY ADMINISTRATION WILL FOLLOW ALL POSSIBLE PATHS TO ENERGY SUFFICIENCY IN AMERICA;
BUILDING THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE WILL NOT CREATE MANY FULL-TIME JOBS;
CREATING NEW JOBS IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY;
OUR NEGOTIATED DEAL WITH IRAN IS THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT THEM FROM DEVELOPING NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND STOP THEIR SPONSORSHIP OF TERRORISM THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST;
CARE OF OUR VETERANS HAS IMPROVED;
POLICE PROFILING AND TARGETING OF BLACKS IS THE CAUSE OF URBAN RACIAL VIOLENCE;
INCREASED GOVERNMENT SPENDING ON INFRASTRUCTURE, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATION WILL CREATE ECONOMIC GROWTH;
THE COLD WAR POLICIES OF PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH NO LONGER WORK. WE NEED A NEW WORLD ORDER;
THE BIGGEST THREAT TO OUR CIVILIZATION IS GLOBAL WARMING;
THE ROOT CAUSE OF PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD IS THE RESULT OF AMERICAN MILITARY AND ECONOMIC POWER OF THE PAST.

This last big lie explains most of Obama’s policies and actions. He really is a man who is mentally and psychologically from a different era. He believes his legacy will be the progress he has made in the transformation of America and in changing the current world order. To accomplish this task he must first destroy the America he was elected to defend and protect and then, to destroy enough of the old world order to allow the ensuing chaos to give birth to the emergence of a fairer national and international society devoid of any super powers and replaced by a revitalized United Nations.

“ISIS Quiet Justice,” a new Jack Brandon novel dealing with ISIS in America, is now available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble in print form and nook and kindle formats.

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Filed under Alinsky, Barry Kelly, Clinton, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, ISIS, Obama

Tagged as big lie, Obama, Progressives, Saul Alinsky

by Barry Kelly | April 14, 2015 · 7:36 am

INSIGHTS 199 — A WORD TO LIBERALS

I think I know how to talk to a liberal because I once was one.

Of course, that was before the progressives took over the Democratic Party and moved it so far left it would be right at home in Russia, China, or Cuba. No, it is not repressive enough yet for those bastions of central planning and re-education camps. But unless the more centralist members of the party retake control, a one-party system with increasing repression is coming.

I left the Democratic Party because I saw their fixation on the application of Keynesian economics was just not working and it doesn’t take years of pondering to see that growing the size and scope of government beyond absolute needs doesn’t in itself solve problems. Many times it only makes things worse by drafting and implementing more and more regulations.

It is not only the Democrats that grow government. There are big government Republicans who are just as culpable in the increasing size and scope of government. Two of the worse examples occurred with a Republican White House.

After Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush created two large and, I believe, nearly useless bureaucracies: the Department Of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Everyone was in shock over 9/11 and were making frantic efforts to fix whatever problems prevented us from thwarting this historical terrorist event. It is in our DNA to centralize anything at the slightest opportunity. When things go wrong, “Put someone in charge.” Is the cry that echoes across the land. The fact is that someone was already in charge but didn’t make the right choices or put their own agency’s interests over that of the nation. Replacing these people and changing the bureaucratic nature of their organization was what should have been done. We should not have put many diverse organizations that were already on the edge of being nearly unmanageable due to size and complexity under a single new manager. Adding layers of management seldom has improved anything.

Big government and its sister, centralization, is at the core of all socialist systems. Republicans and Democrats are both at fault. I can’t blame the Progressives for growing and centralizing the size and scope of government. It is what they do. It is their mantra. Leaving the Saul Alinsky followers and other Progressives aside under leaders like President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Elizabeth Warren, it might be possible for traditional Democrats and Republicans to have real discussions.

I believe a starting point for dialogue to save our country is to use the following principles as a foundation for cooperation:

Honesty and openness in the conduct of government;
Peace comes through the prudent use and display of strength;
A foreign policy that is loyal to our allies and respected by our enemies;
A recognition that freedom is not free;
We are an exceptional nation based on the rule of law;
Tax rich more than others, but everyone pays something in some way;
Corruption has no place in our government or in our economy;
The civil service must not be political and public workers should not organize against the people;
We can be judged on how we treat our children, the sick, the poor, the elderly, and our veterans;
A nonpartisan and objective media is a necessary part of our democracy;
We are a nation of immigrants and will always welcome newcomers who obey our laws and learn our language, history, and culture.

“ISIS Quiet Justice,” a new Jack Brandon novel dealing with ISIS in America, is now available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble in print form and nook and kindle formats.

INSIGHTS 198 — BRANDON NOVELS ARE NOT JUST GOOD STORIES

Since the beginning of the craft of storytelling, fictional situations have been used to describe subjects that were forbidden, too sensitive for plain talk, extremely complex, or buried in boring detail. To explain the message, the story has to capture the audience with suspense, mystery, intrigue, romance, and exciting action by attractive characters. The listeners can imagine themselves acting out some of the story. The author works to develop a captivating story that people will want to read and talk about. That is my top priority. But I also want these stories to give the readers a deeper understanding of issues that may invade their world.

My first novel, Justice Beyond Law, shows how a renegade KGB officer uses an abandoned network of KGB agents that was infiltrated into America years ago. The methods, Yuri, the renegade KGB officer, uses to turn his network into a profit-making enterprise and to manage his diverse network with agents of different skills is more than plausible. The methods he uses strain the traditional law-and-order approach to terrorism.

The second novel, Justice Without Mercy, shows the process an extremist Muslim group like al-Qaeda might use to set up a series of terrorist acts in America to weaken the resolve of the people and lessen their trust in government to protect them. The plot in this novel is more probable than most people believe. Traditional law-and-order process is not capable of dealing with the fast-moving action of terrorism in the homeland. The law-and-order process pushed by the Obama administration, particularly by the attorney general, is more political than an effective counter-terrorist approach. There is a war brought by Islamic jihadists against us. It needs to be fought with a similar approach. Foreign jihadists don’t qualify for the protections of our constitution.

The third Brandon novel, Shades of Justice, deals with human trafficking that can be a profit-making business both for terrorist organizations and criminals. Readers of this novel will see how simple it is to set up a human trafficking business in nearly any large city. They will also come away with an understanding of how the traffickers operate their business from the spotting and selection of targets to the capture, movement, holding and marketing of the victims. The ‘good guys and gals’ in this novel understand and attack all aspects of the human trafficking process. As you read this, note the challenge human trafficking poses to traditional law-and-order forces.

The fourth Brandon novel, Run to Freedom, is the prequel to the Jack Brandon adventure series. In this story I rely heavily upon my knowledge of the old USSR and its KGB intelligence apparatus. The story starts in 1920 in Siberia, with a little-known deployment of American troops just as WWI was wrapping up. In this novel the readers will travel from Russia, to Poland, to Canada and several cities in America as Peter Brandon, Jack’s father, tries to escape the KGB in America. The forces the KGB deploys in America to capture or kill Peter were and are entirely within the capabilities of Russian intelligence in 1970s America, as are the methods Peter uses to escape the dragnet.

The fifth novel, ISIS Quiet Justice, is to my knowledge the first novel using ISIS attacks in America as the central plot. The story shows the difficulty law-and-order forces have in fighting terrorism.

The blurb on the back cover of ISIS Quiet Justice reads:

ISIS is here!

Jack Brandon is back in the nick of time!

Follow Jack and his growing team as they join with the CIA to take down ISIS terrorists in Jacksonville, Florida; Minneapolis; Charleston, South Carolina; and on the terrorists’ own turf in Fallujah.

This latest adventure in the Jack Brandon series pits Jack’s wits against those of a terrorist known as The Fist of Islam, who has been converting U.S. citizens into warriors for Islam. Can Jack’s knowledge, planning, and execution skills save the day — and the nation — once again?

All of the Jack Brandon novels have been reviewed by the CIA to prevent the disclosure of classified information.

ISIS Quiet Justice is available on Amazon now as a paperback or an ebook, as are the rest of the Jack Brandon novels. The first three are available as a trilogy.