Category Archives: Barry Kelly

by Barry Kelly | April 24, 2017 · 2:13 pm

The Professor: Freedom and Two-Party Government

The class was halfway over and the momentum of the discussion was slowing when Alison asked, “Professor, if everything is political, how much does the viability of our system of government depend on the existence of two or more political parties?”

“Good question and one that is outside the ‘box.’ People create and join with a group of like-minded citizens to be able to push their political and social beliefs. Without such ‘parties’ it is hard to see how a democracy could exist. The alternative is clearly an autocratic dictatorship or single party led by an elite group. Recent and current communist and socialist governments fit this template. The other possibility is a utopian plan such as the utopian agrarian parties common in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The utopian parties, with their roots in European socialist philosophy, all failed for the same reason, the lack of an authority to motivate members to follow the rules, written or unwritten.

“The Socialist and Communist governments fixed this problem by establishing a one party ruling elite with strong coercive powers. They all failed due to over centralization and harsh penalties for those who have the courage to dissent. The combination of centralized control leading to a falling standard of living and increasing political repression eventually bring the people to revolt.

“Enough background. American democracy needs a political arena of more than one party. A one-party system has always led to a loss of freedom regardless of the political ideology of the ruling party. During your lifetime, you will face a continued struggle between the Progressive Party and its conservative opposition. It sounds theoretical, but it is very real. The Progressive Party has swallowed the Democratic Party. It exists only in name. In the last national election, more than 50% of the voters voted for the Progressive Party. Only the Electoral College system established in the Constitution kept the Progressives under Hillary Clinton from winning the White House.

“The Progressives owe their name and political program ideology to Saul Alinsky, a brilliant American Socialist, who had a defining impact on both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. He, too, was a Community Organizer in Chicago. The Progressive ideology is to use any means available to destroy the opposition and seize power to redistribute individual and national wealth using the power of a single party government. In the process of destroying the opposition political party, it was first necessary to destroy American economic and military power. President Obama, I believe, made an impressive start to destroying American uniqueness and the faith the citizens have in their government. The entire Civil Service now has a questionable first and second tier leadership.

“The next four to eight years of leadership is critical. We were close to the tipping point and unless the media reverts to reporting all the news and the conservative leadership becomes far better at getting its message to all Americans, freedom of choice of the individual will be lost. Pick your side. There can be no fence siting.”

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Filed under Alinsky, Barry Kelly, centralization, Clinton, Conservative views, democrats, Intelligence & Politics, Obama, Progressives

by Barry Kelly | April 17, 2017 · 4:53 pm

The Professor and White House Information Flow

The Professor thought teaching political science at the honors level in the first 100 days of the Trump Administration is more demanding than I remember at any period in the past. Foreign policy, military operations, domestic legislative crisis with healthcare and tax reform. Now we have critics clamoring for more information regarding the President’s plans and intentions in Syria, North Korea and Afghanistan. In addition, the political talking heads are ranting about control of information in the White House. They are all showing they know not what they are mumbling about. But I must write a short note to my students. It will be three days before the next class.

Not to worry class this is only a few thoughts on the by-play of people who should know better. Recently former officials and socialist critics of the current Administration have been raving about the need to have one person in charge of information in the White House. Unless they mean the President and, they don’t, this is an exceedingly dumb and dangerous idea. President Trump maintains personal contact with the outside world, both foreign and domestic, better than any other president in my life time. The office of the President can be and very often is a very isolated position. While it may be difficult to get to the President, it is hard for him to develop and maintain multiple points of access.

If one person controls information flow in the White House, he or she can control the President and have an undue influence on presidential actions. The gate-keeper of the Oval Office can be a very powerful position. So, when you find yourself as a player in presidential politics in a few years, resist the efforts of the former players to control the flow of information in the White House. If the people have elected the right person, that person will be in charge.

My second concern is also directly related to information flow. The President’s opponents in both parties believe they are entitled to a complete plan on everything he has done or is planning to do. ‘Why doesn’t he give us his complete plans for dealing with North Korea, Syria, Russia and others? We in Congress or in the party of opposition deserve to know. It is our right!

No! It isn’t. You do not have the right. Only those with a legal need-to-know the information on a case-by-case basis have that right. While Obama ranted on about his military and foreign policy objectives, he never seemed to realize, or more likely to care, that you cannot tell most of the nation without telling the enemy in the process. For example, a far left socialist Senator demanded to know what foreign policy objective the President was trying to achieve with the cruise missile attack on a Syrian military airfield. How about the message, ‘if you use chemical weapons, again bad things will happen to you?’ Or to ISIS and the Taliban in Afghanistan. ‘You are no longer safe in caves or tunnels.’ Talking heads, journalist, media anchors on the left and right, senators and congressmen, repress your constant whining about being briefed in greater detail. It won’t make you any smarter or help you serve the people. The only measurable result will be giving our enemies a better chance of getting our secrets.

What’s is wrong with short policy statements like destroying ISIS, stopping North Korea and Iran from developing nuclear weapons they can deliver to America, pushing NATO members to pay their obligated military investments, reduce funding to the UN, protect our borders, renew our traditional relationships with Sunni Arabs, standby Israel, pressure Russia to stop its aggressive acquisition of territory from other sovereign nations, and get better foreign trade deals?

What was the George Kennan policy during the Cold War? A single word, Containment. How, is what was done in secret with a strict need-to-know.

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Filed under Afghanistan, Barry Kelly, Conservative views, foreign policy, General, Intelligence & Politics, Iran, ISIS

by Barry Kelly | April 15, 2017 · 2:39 pm

The Professor and the Art of Governing

Two more days of taking these damn pills, mused the professor as he waited for the students of his honors seminar to arrive and settle down. At least I’m feeling better. A lung infection at my age is not a good thing. Today I’ll give my students something to think about in the world of governing, political commentary, and the royal opposition.

“Good Morning class. Today, I’ll do the work. After all, you are paying outrageous tuition to attend this university. So, this over-paid professor will try to earn his paycheck. I’ve been encouraging you to learn how to identify, approach, and solve problems. But problem solving is not done in a vacuum. It plays out against a backdrop of the requirements of governing.

“We’ve elected a president who is not an ideologue. At his core, he is a pragmatist who is very much at home identifying and solving problems. In his world, past and present, wins are counted by the number of problems that were successful solved. By solved I mean problems where the primary parties walked away feeling they had gotten as much as they could from the negotiations. That doesn’t mean they won or lost. It means the solution to the problem is acceptable to their group, even if it was difficult for all of them to swallow the agreed upon solution.

“The process of governing demands the needs of the citizens be met as well as the resources available allow. At the center of nearly all solutions to problem solving in the national arena is the question of the existence and allocation of resources. A solution without the required resources, is no solution. That is why the big problems of health care and tax reform have, so far, proved to be elusive. President Trump is probably one of the best problem solvers in the country with decades of experience. But he is now working on problems that are far beyond the scale of problems that he has worked on outside the process of national governing.

“What his critics call ‘flip-flopping’ should be labeled reconsidering based on new facts and/or failed approaches. The President calls this flexibility and I can accept that terminology. Only ideologues stick with the same solution even when it has not worked or revealed several flaws in application. Changing your mind in the face of failure or new data is a very rational approach. His liberal critics don’t accept a conservative leader changing his mind. After all he said very different things on the campaign trail and now he is flip-flopping. Pragmatists look at such comments and can’t believe what they are hearing. The art of governing depends on leaders who can react to new information or the changing nature of the problem. Only hard over ideologues, of the left or right, and members of the media who need to find provocative comments to improve the size of their audience believe in raising alarm over leaders who react rationally to changing facts and environments.

“The Art of Governing requires leaders who can quickly adapt to changes and who do not feel they are bound by comments and positions they have taken in the past.”

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by Barry Kelly | February 17, 2017 · 1:25 pm

The Professor: Political Opposition or Domestic Enemies?

.So much was happening in the early days of the Trump Administration, the Professor thought, Teaching this class takes almost no preparation. The daily news provides more material than any teacher could produce on their own, and there are so many interpretations. This morning, Alison told me she had a question she wanted me to answer. She is one of the brightest students and should go far after she leaves here. Time to get started.

“Alison, you have a question for us this morning?”

“Yes, I’m concerned with the degree of violence in the anti-President Trump street demonstrations and the incredible opposition the Progressives are putting up against the most mundane of the Administration’s actions in the first month of the Trump Presidency. Everything the Republicans put forward is viciously attacked. First by spinning false messages to alarm the people and followed by using the traditional Senate processing of Presidential appointments to hinder actions of the new administration. My concern is that this official opposition plus the widespread violent street protests are too closely coordinated to be the spontaneous actions of concerned citizens. I’ve read Saul Alinsky’s book, Rules for Radicals. His political blueprint fits what I see happening. Am I reading too much conspiracy into what is happening?”

The Professor stopped his pacing and said, “That question shows you are learning how to think outside the traditional box. The basic belief of those who follow Alinsky is that the struggle to transform America into a socialist society under the direction of an elite group of Progressives is more important than protecting our nation or solving the economic problems we have. The Progressives were startled they lost the election. They expected to win big and continue with President Obama’s destruction of America’s military, economic, and moral leadership in the world. How else can you evaluate his eight years in office? Our military manpower is equal to what it was before WWII, the number of naval warships is well below what most strategists believe is necessary, our warplanes that are capable of actual combat missions depend upon finding spare parts from plane graveyards and museums. Our economic growth is stagnant and the real unemployment rate is well above ten percent. Double or triple that rate in our inner cities. We are no longer the major player in the Middle East or the Far East. Is that a record for any President to be proud of?

“Believers in the Alinsky plan do not abandon it simply because they lost an election. They will continue the fight to bring their brand of socialism to America by attacking the Trump Presidency at every point. Civil Service members of the Obama Administration who believe in Alinsky’s principles will try to remain embedded in the Trump Administration and conduct open and covert opposition to all his policies. I believe President Obama is and continues to be a firm believer in Alinsky’s ‘community organizer’ model to bring about social change.

“For example, take the current uproar over General Flynn’s resignation over his pre-inauguration talks with the Russians and his failure to fully brief the Vice President. This is all part of the Progressive spin to discredit the Trump Presidency by tying his victory to Russian intervention. The Progressives’ end game is to bring about impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Even some Republican Senators are supporting the Progressive agenda.

“Reportedly, this is all based upon highly classified documents some members of the Progressive media have seen that detail General Flynn’s conversations with the Russians. Ask yourself where such documents could have come from? Let’s assume the reports of such documents in the hands of the media unfriendly to the Trump Administration are true. Now where could have they come from? I submit they only could have come from loyal Progressive members of the Obama Administration who have remained embedded in the bureaucracy of one or more of the intelligence agencies. Leaking of these documents is a serious crime and the Sessions Justice Department must find and stop this illegal process. All men and women who are employed to serve the nation take the same oath that includes “protecting the Nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Right now, I believe the greatest danger is from domestic enemies.

“The next class will be devoted to more discussion of Alison’s question. Remember, I am not saying President Trump’s policies should not be questioned by both the media and concerned citizens. Only that activities funded, organized and coordinated by the Progressives must not be allowed to break our laws and covertly attempt to overthrow a duly elected President.”

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Filed under Alinsky, Barry Kelly, Conservative views, Intelligence & Politics, Middle East, Obama, Progressives, Republicans, Russia

by Barry Kelly | February 7, 2017 · 6:08 pm

The Professor’s Random Thoughts

The professor felt the intensity in his honors class had dropped after the election. As he sat in his favorite reclining chair and looked out over the bay, he admitted it was his fault his students didn’t seem to have any passion for their choice of study. They all were very intelligent but seemed to be unwilling to show any passion in defending their beliefs and opinions. His gaze fell on the brown spiral notebook he kept beside his chair to jot down his thoughts before he lost them. No question at 86 his short-term memory was becoming very short-term. He idly flipped through the pages. Suddenly he sat up. Why not? The pages of random thoughts he had jotted down might just be the thing to put some more passion into his class room. A couple of times a month he would select several of these cryptic entries and email them to his students. Maybe he could encourage them to jot their raw musings down and exchange them with their peers. Before he left his office, he had emailed his first batch.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Pick one of the thoughts and be prepared to discuss your choice in the next few classes.

President never had a quarrel with the workers of the intelligence agencies, only with their politicized and corrupt leaders who gave us Ben Ghazi, the ‘talking points’ and false intel reports on ISIS. Good riddance.

Unless the moderate Democrats weed out their socialist/progressive members, America will end up with a one-party system. Not a good thing for the long-term.

It is difficult to see any bi-partisan cooperation between the Progressives and the Republicans, now or in the near future. The Progressives know this may be their last chance in a longtime to push America into the socialist fold with them in charge. They will do anything, legal or not, to destroy the Trump movement. The uproar on the part of the Progressives over a temporary ban on unvetted immigrants from areas mostly or partially controlled by ISIS or its affiliated groups is a perfect example.

The power to control the flow of immigrants is and has been under the powers of the President. But a liberal judge from Washington State has ruled that Washington and Minnesota have standing to bring a lawsuit against the Federal Government, a very long stretch. This Judge has no access to classified national security reports and is in no position, Constitutionally or otherwise, to make a ruling on immigration that endangers the safety of people living in America. It is all about destroying the Trump Presidency.

President Trump ran on a program of ending UNVETTED immigrants from the areas of the world that are hotbeds of terrorism . (Incidentally the same countries the Obama Administration identified.) Now President Trump is carrying out his campaign promise. HIs order is legal, timely and will help protect American citizens. It is not a ban of Muslims nor is it a permanent order. The socialists, progressives and the political correct champions are up in arms against a needed legal order. They are still fighting the results of the ballot box. Guantanamo Bay was never a recruitment aid for terrorists and this Executive Order, temporarily stopping immigration from terrorist controlled areas, is not either. Jihadists are as angry with America as they can get already. Our actions do not control their drive to kill us regardless of what the RINOS like Senators McCain and Graham are trying to spread. These are the same Republican Senators that supported Obama in his effort to close Guantanamo Bay. America first is not an immoral slogan.

Water boarding and most other enhanced interrogation methods are not torture and are not repeat not illegal. Regardless of the whining by Senators Graham and McCain and members of the ‘cupcake’ generation, captured enemies of America do not volunteer information for free beer and cigarettes. The war against terrorism and radical Islamic jihadists cannot be won with law and order methods.

Don’t pay much attention to polls for a while. They have not recovered from their failures in the US election and Brexit and are still selling their old models. President Trump’s low approval ratings are probably due to the pollster’s failure to reach the audiences they missed so badly.

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