Category Archives: Barry Kelly

by Barry Kelly | August 1, 2015 · 7:31 am

INSIGHTS 220 The Advisor and the President discuss the civil service

The President was back just two days after he had to leave in the middle of The Advisor’s question about the politicization of the Civil Service. The President lit his secret cigarette and said, “This is the only place in the White House I can smoke without getting hard looks or worse. And this is so far underground I’m not sure I’m still in the White House. Okay, you were asking me about my use of the Civil Service. Right?”

“Yes. I was wondering if you see how much you have politicized the Civil Service?”

“Of course. It is my Civil Service. Why should they not do what I want them to do? Notice I said want them to do, not what I tell them to do. That is the difference.”

“You make it sound as if by some magic all members of the service know what you would like them to do and they do it.”

“No magic involved. All Civil Service members take direction from appointed officials. I appoint them and I only appoint those who I know will follow my progressive ideology. Most Civil Service employees like their jobs and want to keep them. They also work hard to get good evaluations, earn promotions and bonuses, and to justify the size and scope of their unit. Their loyalty is to their units and to the Civil Service Union. No one has to tell them to follow the president’s lead. They have always acted the same way. I just have been more careful to make sure the leaders I appointed are doing their jobs.”

“You sound as if you have studied organizational structure and the behavior of workers in large organizations.”

“What’s to study? That’s the way I think. For example, I don’t have to tell civil employees to grow their organizations or to expand. The government doesn’t grow because some president wants it to. It grows unless some president works hard to control or stop the growth. In my case, I want the government to continue to grow. I need it to really transform the country.”

“Why then are you cutting the size of our military forces?”

“Even as the commander-in-chief, I don’t have the same power over the military as I do over the civilian workforce. I cannot put my people all through the uniformed military. Also their command structure is very tight. I have strategic influence but people loyal to me and my transformation goals are not in the day-to-day operational decision making. The military forces are not supporting my progressive goals. I am growing the power of the Civil Service for they are a willing ally in transforming America. I am cutting the size and power of the military because they are and have been an evil force used to project American power into less fortunate and smaller nations. To bring the military under control, I must reduce their size.”

“Then you say you are not breaking any laws by the way the IRS, the EPA, Justice, HHS, Veterans Affairs or Homeland Security have conducted their activities?”

“Right. There is no evidence of any wrongdoing; therefore, no crime.”

“What about the failure or unwillingness of the FBI to investigate the wrongdoing of the IRS and the failure of the Immigration Service to enforce the law?”

“You don’t seem to understand. The FBI has no charter or legal standing to investigate when there is no evidence a crime has been committed. Under my Justice Department, the FBI is not going out looking for things to investigate. They do work for the attorney general, and she works for the president.”

“What about the precedent of the Watergate affair and the erased tapes in the Nixon administration that led to his resignation?”

“Wouldn’t have happened under me. Nixon failed to understand how to use the law without being directly involved and the media did the investigating, not the FBI. Nixon and most Republicans have never understood how to use the media.”

Mr. President, I’m afraid I have exceeded my time.”

“No problem. I’m enjoying these sessions and I really think you are trying to understand me. Also, I want my record in your journal to be clear. See you next week but I don’t know when.”

With that, the President left with Chris who was patiently waiting in the dim passageway, and they retraced his steps to the above ground White House.

The Advisor opened his journal and began to record the last session. As he was writing in his journal, he thought, this man is delusional but very clever and dangerous.

The above is a fictional account of a meeting that never took place, but it could have.

The author’s latest Jack Brandon novel, ISIS Quiet Justice, is available at your local book store and in ebook format from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Follow the author on Twitter at @factsfictions80.

INSIGHTS 218 THE ADVISOR’S TURN

The Advisor thought back to the last time the ancient vault door had opened to the president’s touch. I was very hard on the president, he thought. I’m supposed to be his confidant and even his helper. I’ve failed in those regards. Perhaps more than any of my esteemed predecessors. They all had problems. Presidents are not easy to work with. But how can I help him if he listens but never takes my advice? I swear at times I think he comes here as if he was a Catholic going to confessional. It’s not something he likes but he believes he must do it. I feel for his above-ground advisors. He is not a happy president. I’ll step back today if I get the right opening.

The Advisor glanced up at one of his many screens and saw the President was approaching his door. He checked to make sure the coffee was ready and the ashtray was on the table, then walked over to the door as Chris, the President’s constant Secret Service companion, swung open the door for his commander-in-chief.

“Mr. President, come in please,” the Advisor said, smiling. “I look forward to your visits. I seldom get a chance to talk about important issues. When you’re here, that’s my only chance.” The two men sat down in their usual seats and the President lit a cigarette. “If you don’t mind, Mr. President, I’d like to ask you why you come to see me.”

The President smiled and took a drag. “Sometimes I ask myself the same question.” He blew out a puff of smoke before answering. “I come down here because among all the people I meet with, you’re the only one who tells me exactly what you believe. You have no political or personal agenda and frankly you are much smarter than the others and you never leak information that either helps or hurts me. So the time I spend with you is like playing political chess. You give me a safe opportunity to sharpen my messaging skills. Now please, continue with your stream of criticism. I’m ready.” The President sat back in his chair, a sly grin on his face, and took another drag from his cigarette.

“Well, you must be feeling good. You’ve had a number of victories recently. So let me begin with you successful negotiations with Iran. Your citizens are nearly all bewildered. Some of the political lemmings take the sound bites and pass them on. I found it interesting that the conservative wing of America is comfortable debating substance while the further left you go, the less willing people are to debate issues. Instead, they attack the messengers and not the message they carry. So your Congressional power base, with a few exceptions, will not argue with the tenets of the Iranian agreement. They will focus on attacking the debaters. You have brilliantly given them the ideal message: ‘There was no other option. Either this agreement or war.’ As simplistic as that defense is, it is working and will continue to work. You know, as the intellectual you can be, that there were and are scores of different approaches. By going to the United Nations with the lifting of sanctions on nuclear activity as well as lifting embargoes on conventional weapons, you have made Congress irrelevant. Your progressive message in the election period can now paint the Republicans as being anxious to go to war with Iran rather than giving diplomacy a chance.

“Here again the left will be attacking the anti-Iran agreement people and not debating the agreement issues. Therefore you have already used the issue and now have a winning strategy.”

The President smiled, ground out his cigarette and said, ” You are too smart. I’m thankful you’re buried in this underground chamber with your unique political insights. I don’t mind this. I’ll give you more time. It’s like being in a safe time warp.”

The above is a fictional account of a meeting that never took place, but it could have.

The author’s latest Jack Brandon novel, ISIS Quiet Justice, is available at your local book store and in ebook format from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Follow the author on Twitter at @factsfictions80.

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Iran, Obama, political solutions, Progressives

by Barry Kelly | July 3, 2015 · 7:38 am

INSIGHTS 216 –ADVISOR/ NOT THE ADVICE THE PRESIDENT WANTED

The Advisor picked up where he was the last time the president came down to his underground chambers. He was surprised the president was back and wanted him to continue with his discussion of the advice he would offer to the person who succeeded him next year. He had to give the man full credit for coming back for more. They were settled at the conference table. The Advisor said, “Should I continue?”

“Yes. You’ve listened to my defense of my policies over the years, I can put up with some more of your ideas, however outdated and inappropriate for the modern era of internationalism and governments who serve to give the people what they want and deserve. It’s time the ‘haves’ paid their fair share. But go on, please; this is your time.”

“When you were elected, you inherited a very bad economic problem largely brought on by the so-called housing bubble. The housing bubble was directly caused by government intervention in the housing financial market in the form of government loan guarantee agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These two government agencies pushed bad loans into the housing loan business that eventually caused a recession. This was not totally a Democrat Party error. The Republican president lost or misplaced his veto pen. The resulting response was a financial policy that inhibited economic growth. Current federal regulations, the closing of local banks, and taxation levels are preventing the growth of small businesses. Dodd Frank is a terrible bill and needs to be phased out. It is causing local banks to close and leaving no place for small businesses to get loans. The Federal Reserve system has seen its time. It should be in an advisory role, not an executive role.

“America’s educational system is getting worse, not better. The people to blame are those people who have run our educational system for the last several decades. The national government has no business controlling education. They have made a mess out of the system that is in the hands of an entrenched union that no longer puts our children first. Their first priority is the growth and power of the union and the well-being of all teachers regardless of their ability. Let the states and local governments be responsible for educating their citizens and make school choice a reality for all parents.

“Civilian control of the military is a cherished part of our Republic but no president should be permitted to destroy the force that defends us all without a strong national debate. Cutting back our military to fit some anti-colonialist ideology and putting White House staff in control of the details of military operations is dangerous and has failed every administration that has tried it. Civilian control does not mean civilian management of military tactics.

“The conduct of foreign affairs requires a strong national negotiating team, led by a strong, respected president. Today, we don’t have negotiations. We have a system of gradual appeasement. Serious national security issues from the Middle East to Russia to China are being ignored. Foreign nations, including our allies, have no respect for our word. Our Iranian policy is understandable only from the Iranian side. They get everything they want, including Iraq, and all we get are empty promises. Only a strong, involved president working for American interests can deliver foreign policy agreements that provide security to the nation.”

The president stared hard at the Advisor. “Are you going to send me a strong letter as well?”

“Not yet, I haven’t finished.”

“Never mind. Enough! I’m grateful you are kept down here in this hole. You would be a helluva critic if allowed out. Goodnight. I will be back to allow you to finish.”

The above is a fictional account of the writing of a legendary but fictional advisor.

“ISIS: Quiet Justice,” a new Jack Brandon novel by Barry Kelly dealing with ISIS in America, is now available nationwide from your local book store. This is the fifth novel in the “Justice”series. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.

INSIGHTS 215 — THE ADVISOR’S TURN

As soon as the president came in, the Advisor could tell he had a surprise planned. Seated at the table with his customary cigarette, the president said, “The last time I was here, I told you my behind-the-scenes plan for America. I could tell it bothered you. Today, I’m going to give you the floor. I want to hear what you think the next president should do.”

The Advisor smiled a knowing smile. He had suspected that eventually the president would give him the floor. The president is a man who likes to talk, and to hear himself talk, but politics over time had taught him the importance of listening, too. The Advisor folded his hands together and placed them on the table in front of him and took a breath before speaking.

“If the next president is from the progressive wing of the Democratic party, he or she will basically follow in your footsteps no matter what counsel I — or anyone else — provide. So let me talk about what I expect from a conservative president, should he win the next election.

“Firstly, I would not advise him or her to abandon health care. The nation’s citizens need affordable and excellent medical care and that means restoring the doctor/patient relationship without government control or constant regulation. Let the states be the government that intrudes, if necessary, into the doctor/patient relationship. If the motive for health care regulation is to improve care and reduce costs instead of bringing one-seventh of the economy under government control, popular bi-partisan pieces of legislation are possible. Nothing comprehensive. One piece at a time. When that piece starts working, add another piece. Allow insurance companies to compete across state lines. Limit tort proceedings. Patients and physicians are more important to national health than trial lawyers.

“Then onto energy. A broad energy policy can come from the government. But not management or the selection of what kind of energy is developed. This is a clear case for letting the free market decide. Large parts of the EPA and the Department of Energy need to be abolished. They are the enemies of energy self-sufficiency. We now have the energy resources and reserves to be the world’s primary producer of oil, natural gas, and gasoline. The development of these resources is clearly in our national interest and will allow America to use its resources to ensure world peace. With the support of both parties, America can have economic growth and prosperity for its citizens without endangering the environment.

“Immigration policy emanating from the federal government should be broad and general in nature. A couple of decades of presidential promises to secure our southern border have only been rhetoric. It is time the border is secured. After that we can have incremental legislation to establish a fair process for everyone who desires to come here. I feel strongly that they must learn English and American history. Let the legislature debate the process for dealing with illegal residents who are here now and have been for some years. Whatever the outcome it must be the result of bipartisan legislation. Not the court which is acting like a non-elected legislature of nine people or a presidential directive using executive powers not granted to the executive by the Constitution.

“I see you are looking at your watch. It might be better to break now and continue later with the rest of my recommendations to your successor.”

“Yes, I agree. There is also a limit to how much of this traditional version of America’s role I can handle in one sitting.” The president huffed a puff of smoke from his last drag and smashed out his cigarette, not letting the door hit him on the way out.

The above is a fictional account of the writing of a legendary but fictional Advisor.

“ISIS: Quiet Justice,” a new Jack Brandon novel by Barry Kelly dealing with ISIS in America, is now available nationwide from your local book store, This is the fifth novel in the “Justice”series. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, Obama, oil, political solutions

by starediting | June 28, 2015 · 5:19 pm

INSIGHTS 214 – A REVIEW OF ‘ISIS: QUIET JUSTICE’

My latest novel, “ISIS: Quiet Justice,” was reviewed in the local daily newspaper this week, The Sun News. Read the review online here or read it below:

RETIRED CIA AGENT CHURNS OUT FIFTH NOVEL, THIS ONE FOCUSED ON ISIS

In his fifth novel featuring action hero Jack Brandon, author Barry Kelly takes his readers behind the latest news headlines. He uses his imagination, along with his years of experience working with the Central Intelligence Agency and in other government positions, to weave an intriguing story.

“ISIS: Quiet Justice” presents a leading man who finds answers to current questions the U.S. is facing today, such as what should be done with Americans who go off to train with ISIS and return to the U.S. with intentions of doing harm to its people?

Working with the CIA to try to stop some of those new terrorists from completing their missions, Jack Brandon does not always present solutions that comply with all the rules, but he and his team do provide solutions.

They take the reader into a world of spies, terrorism and terrorists inside the U.S. and at the headquarters of a terrorist known as “The Fist” near Fallujah, Iraq.

The characters are well developed, exhibiting a variety of traits that make them good at what they do, including killing the enemy.

Brandon’s team, as always, includes a highly trained canine member, a Bouvier des Flandres, the author’s favorite breed. A photo on the back cover of the book shows Kelly training his dog, Rip, the inspiration for Gideon in the latest book.

In the preface to “ISIS: Quiet Justice,” Kelly said that he enjoyed writing this book more than any of the others. He writes, “The subject is very current. The rapid pace with which ISIS captures territory, changes the map and alliances in the Middle East, and spreads the battlefield to our homeland provides the backdrop for many stories.”

For me, one of the most important facts behind Kelly’s stimulating stories, including all of the ones that are woven together to create “ISIS: Quiet Justice,” is his many years of experience that allows him to write without researching. Because of that experience, readers might find themselves wondering how much of it is truth and how much is fiction.

It was somewhat exhilarating to read about a team that is unleashed on the enemy and unrestricted by rules as they fight to overcome a ruthless terrorist and his anxious trainees returning to places such as Charleston to do harm.

Every book Kelly writes is reviewed by the Central Intelligence Agency to prevent the disclosure of classified information.

After serving in the Navy, Kelly earned degrees from two universities and then began his career with the CIA. He retired after serving in different positions and in locations around the world. He then accepted a position as special assistant to President Ronald Reagan on his National Security Staff. He received numerous awards for his work with those agencies, and enough varied experiences to keep him writing for a long time.

Other novels by Barry Kelly are “Justice Beyond Law,” “Justice without Mercy,” “Shades of Justice,” “The Justice Trilogy” and “Run to Freedom.” All of them, including “ISIS: Quiet Justice,” were published by Prose Press of Pawleys Island.

In addition to his five novels, Kelly has also written two non-fiction books. “Insights: Transforming America – Is This What We Fought For?” and “Insights: Stepping Stones to Tyranny” both deal with the strategy and tactics being used to change America.

Kelly also writes a blog titled “Eight Decades of Insights,” which can be found atwww.factsand fictions.com, on his author’s page at Amazon and on his Facebook page.

His books are available in print and digital formats at Amazon.com, bn.com and from the Barnes & Noble location at The Market Common, where Kelly recently held a book signing.

By Peggy Mishoe, For The Sun News