Category Archives: Barry Kelly

by Barry Kelly | December 27, 2014 · 7:37 am

INSIGHTS 181 — WHAT’S WRONG WITH AMERICA?

All of us can find things that need improvement. But there is nothing fundamentally wrong with America that cannot be corrected by breaking the hold progressivism has on segments of our nation.

Progressivism, as an ideology, has no place in America. The very word itself was used by Mr. Saul Alinsky, a communist community organized in Chicago who wrote the book, “Rules for Radicals,” used by President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and many other left-wing university professors and very left-wing politicians. Alinsky chose the name progressive because he realized the terms socialism and communism were deeply unpopular in America.

Adherents of this ideology believe no matter what problems are facing the nation, do not try to solve them. Instead, use the issue they present to attack your opponents. Since the issue is never the issue in progressive ideology you may say anything and take any action that in the end helps secure political power. In other terms, this end, seizing power, always justifies the means. Seizing power means establishing a one-party political system run by a progressive elite.

For the first time in American history we have a president who talks and acts as if he truly wants to destroy America, past, present, and future, in order to establish a far better place for all citizens. He has said many times he intends to transform America. Believe him. He means it. I cannot think of any other reason for what he says and does what he does.

Remember, this president packed up a bust of Winston Churchill and sent it back to Great Britain during his first few days in office. Anything Churchill stood for, President Obama and his progressives are against. Not only was Churchill a British hero, many Americans from the WWII and Cold War eras also saw Churchill as a hero of the free world. That single act should have told us how deeply this president hates the Western world and its colonial past, real and imagined.

The progressives truly hate the history of America and our role as the super power. I don’t care what problem area you select, you will not find our president working to solve the problem for the good of the nation and its citizens. Take energy, the economy, the free market system, the role of the entrepreneur, anti-terrorism actions, dealings with Islamic radicalism, the Armed Forces (force levels and equipment), relations with Israel, Iran, Russia, Cuba, and our allies, and race relations in America.

We are not a racist nation. Yet President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, Mayor De Blasio of New York and the black racism champions whose positions depend on throwing the race card in all directions, say we are. What kind of a White House would have Rev. Al Sharpton as their primary advisor on race issues in America? ( I write fiction but that is too far out even for a fictional story.) I don’t see how the president can be working toward national unity with the statements that come from him, Al Sharpton, Eric Holder and Mayor De Blasio. The only answer is that the president is following his ideology and using the race issue to cause chaos and anarchy in America to further the establishment of a one-party progressive government.

The progressives are masters of misdirection to control the message and the media agenda. Otherwise, why focus the nation’s attention on closing Guantanamo Bay’s detention facility for hard core terrorists or recognizing Cuba at this time? The creation of chaos on the national level by using race-based politics may be necessary before the American people might accept one-party rule. Not you, not the country, only the progressive transformation plans are benefiting from the Obama administration.

Written by the author of the Jack Brandon thriller/mystery novels and “Insights: Transforming America — Is This What We Fought For?” available now as an ebook, in paperback or hardcover on Amazon.com or BN.com. Another analytical book on the transforming process, “Insights: Stepping Stones to Tyranny,” is now published and available in paperback at $9.95 and on nook and kindle at $6.99. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.

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Filed under Alinsky, Barry Kelly, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, Obama, Progressives, Terrorism

Tagged as issues, Obama, Progressives, socialism

by Barry Kelly | December 22, 2014 · 7:45 am

INSIGHTS 180 — BEHIND THE WHITE HOUSE DOOR

Somewhere along the road, most power players recognize that controlling the agenda is more than half the battle. Controlling the agenda requires aggressive messaging that can capture the news media’s and the nation’s attention. Obama has this.

The Republicans, including the tea parties, do not. They let President Obama control the discussion. The president understands the use of issues to attack the opposition. He is very good at waving a different red flag anytime he wants to change the subject or make himself the center of attention.

He has the Republicans falling all over themselves to be on the front lines to debate, criticize, or attack his administrative memorandums on immigration. The correct response would be to ignore the president and put forth a real immigration bill with as much bi-partisan support as possible in a measured response. President Obama does not want to see a bipartisan immigration bill. He does not care about a solution for the nation. He only wants to use the issue of immigration to attack his opposition.

Obama also does not want real discussion, debate, or action on regulation of industry, tax code, energy production and export, or foreign policy featuring Iran, Israel, Russia, China, or ISIS. A Republican Congress with some bi-partisian support may solve these problems, but Obama doesn’t want those items on the agenda. He can control neither the outcome nor the messaging in these areas.

Before the immigration issue fades, he deals from the bottom and flashes the Cuban card. Why now? Because he again wants to redirect attention to another issue he can use to attack the opposition. He doesn’t care about helping the Cuban people or increasing American influence in the Caribbean. He just wants to control the agenda and he is doing that very very well.

The next grab at controlling the news may be the closure of Guantanamo Bay. Just this weekend he sent four Afghans back to their home country from Gitmo.

The Republican congressional leadership will leap into the Obama net ready for war on the wrong battlefield at the wrong time. Let’s focus on the economy, a new tax code, limits on regulation, reduction in the size and scope of the government bureaucracy, strengthening the military, securing the border, and then a real immigration policy, piecemeal Obamacare to oblivion, and burying cap and trade (climate change).

INSIGHTS 178 — INTERROGATION, THE REAL STORY

Enhanced interrogation! Torture! A rogue CIA! Illegal activities!

No matter what newspapers you read, what TV channels you listen to, or what comes to you online, these terms have been flooding the media market. The case for enhanced interrogation is a strong one unless you fear the power of the United States more than you fear Islamic terrorists who have a known track record of killing Americans. Other than the progressives of President Obama’s party, most Americans disagree with Obama’s approach to defending them from terrorism.

This blog is addressed to mainstream Americans who believe in the rule of law, the Constitution, and are proud of our history.

First, a few general observations about interrogation and the line between enhanced interrogation and torture. You can talk to those people who have been interrogated in the CIA’s program. They are alive and well either at Guantanamo or some place where they have been transferred. They are still alive and not crippled physically or mentally deranged. Many have gone back to the battlefield to try and kill more Americans and our allied supporters.

The deaths from enhanced interrogations are reported as one. On the other hand there is the drone program where the terrorists targeted are all dead, along with any friends, family or bystanders who happened to be nearby and all the intelligence they had died with them. At least one terrorist of those killed by a drone strike was an American citizen. I generally support the drone program but don’t understand the American left’s hatred of the CIA program while they accept reports of drone strikes with their morning coffee.

Very few people know anything about interrogation techniques. I do. A skilled interrogator will be successful. He or she will get the subject of interrogation to give up useful information. A skillful use of rewards and punishment (not torture) and a deep knowledge of the subject area gets results. Torture of the Inquisitio Dianne_Feinstein,_official_Senate_photo_2 n type or that used by our enemies in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam was so severe that the subjects would tell their captors anything just to stop the pain. The experience of being tortured does not make you an expert on interrogation, only on being a courageous survivor.

Now the politics of the Democratic senators’ report on terror. That is the right title for the report. Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence did not contribute to nor agree with the report’s content. It is strictly a left-wing progressive report to attack the CIA. Why was the report released now years after the program ended? Simple: After the Republicans assume control of the Senate, Senator Feinstein will lose her chairmanship position and will not be able to carry on her vendetta against the CIA by publishing a remarkably unprofessional report similar to those self-serving reports we have seen come out from our enemies. No one actually a part of or associated with the Enhanced Interrogation program was interviewed or allowed to contribute to the report.

The CIA deserves a nation’s gratitude for keeping our homeland safe.

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Conservative views, Intelligence & Politics, Politics, Progressives, Terrorism

Tagged as CIA, feinsten, interrogation, politics, report, Senate, torture

by Barry Kelly | December 5, 2014 · 7:35 am

INSIGHTS 176 — WHO IS TO BLAME?

Pulling the lever at the polling place for your party or candidate is a citizen’s duty. But it doesn’t begin or end there. When you vote for a winning candidate, you own a share of the candidate’s successes and failures. After all, you helped put them in office.

Being president of the United States is the most difficult job in our world. The decisions or lack of decisions the president makes affects the very existence of our nation and the continuation of life on planet Earth. How do you select a man or woman to move into the White House?

It is your responsibility to make an effort to size up the candidates, separate facts from fictions, and understand the difference between your emotional inclinations and the actual observable facts. You may believe your candidate would make a great president but recognize your candidate does not have the experience to be a president. You also know no one, no matter how cool or smart, can learn enough after taking office to be a good president. This is not a position for basic leadership nor ‘on the job’ training. Even highly qualified candidates have much to learn. The good ones have had years of management experience, are natural leaders, and realize their limitations require them to surround themselves with very good people who know how to do their jobs. A good staff makes a good president even better.

The qualification of experience is easy to judge. A candidate either has had years of command experience in management of large organizations with thousands of people or not. They have either learned the importance of keeping their word and know their actions will define them or they don’t know it. They either realize they are not defined by their speeches or they believe their speeches make their presidency a good one.

As a rule, senators and representatives do not acquire leadership or management skills in the performance of their responsibilities. They manage by manipulating individuals and playing one group against the other. These are not the primary skills a president needs. In their world, words are the tools they use, not actions. They are used to saying one thing when later say they meant another. When a candidate uses the words “I” and “my” many times in every speech, you know this person is not a leader and does not understand how to manage large numbers of complicated missions.

In American political life, leaders come from being governors, high-ranking military officers, and captains of industry. You still need to be careful in selecting from these ranks, but at least you know they have had the required management and leadership experience.

One of the things I have learned from life is that no matter what a job requires, people do what they know how to do. If that happens to be giving speeches, fundraising, and playing one group against another, that’s what you get.

Written by the author of the Jack Brandon thriller/mystery novels and “Insights: Transforming America — Is This What We Fought For?” available now as an ebook, in paperback or hardcover on Amazon.com or BN.com. Another analytical book on the transforming process, “Stepping Stones to Tyranny,” will be published before Christmas. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Books, Conservative views, Intelligence & Politics, political solutions

Tagged as America, candidates, Obama, President, qualifications, speeches, voting

by Barry Kelly | December 3, 2014 · 7:30 am

INSIGHTS 175 — POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS A VIRUS

Most of the phenomenon of political correctness is rooted in liberalism. But it seems to be immune from messages from the ballot box. Common sense is a better antidote to political correctness than conservatism. Maybe there should be a common sense party. They would get my vote.

Political correctness is often wrapped in angry statements or charges of racism and the violation of minority rights. Let’s expose a few of the most common uses of political correctness:

Racial profiling is often mentioned when used by law and order authorities in fighting crime. This use of PC is used almost 100% of the time in discussions of police abusing black citizens, especially in high crime areas. In these areas, most of the crime is committed by blacks on blacks. If a local population has a very high percentage of one race, most of the crime will be performed by that racial group within the predominant racial group they share. It doesn’t matter what ratio of blacks or other races are on the police force. The police force will attack crime where it is and will be not be on the alert for racial groups that do not have a history or record of violent crime. If young black men are committing most of the violent crime who will the police, regardless of procedures or sensitivity training, profile?

This same anti-common sense thinking has worked its magic in a group that is supposed to protect us from all dangers, foreign or domestic. None of the people who try to manage an unmanageable Department of Homeland Security believe that elderly American men or women are likely terrorists. Yet they are treated as if they present the same profile as a Middle Eastern appearing traveler from Muslim countries. Why? Simply because they are afraid to say publicly that Arab Muslims are a much higher threat than any other group. A common sense approach would be to openly conduct security operations with the concept that all Muslims are not terrorists, but most terrorists have been Arab Muslims.

Moving beyond profiling, our local governments and all educational institutions should start applying common sense in the management of their respective responsibilities. Refusing to allow public displays of traditional Christmas scenes, religious or not, is not in keeping with our history, traditions, or freedoms. The common sense approach would be allow all religions to celebrate their traditions without local governments or schools having a say, yea or nay. As long as the government doesn’t discriminate among religions, what is the harm?

Displaying the American flag and maintaining English as the language of our educational system is another area where political correctness raises its loud, ugly head. This is America, the United States. The American flag should be at home wherever it is raised. Repeating the “oath of allegiance” in school and saluting the flag is a good thing. Unlike many other nations with enforced political correctness of a more ominous kind, people who don’t want to respect America’s flag and traditions are free to go elsewhere. English is the national language. Every citizen should know how to use it. Not teaching English in our schools handicaps non-English speaking children.

Lastly, if other religions want to respect their fallen with a different symbol than the cross, they should do so. But don’t object to the use of the cross to mark the resting place of our dead or of our monuments. After all, you are here by choice. The door swings both ways. We welcome those who want to come here and understand those who want to leave.

Let’s all forget about and ignore the rules of political correctness. They don’t belong. Common sense does. Forget the liberal leap to defend the criminal. Show more concern for the victim.

Written by the author of the Jack Brandon thriller/mystery novels and “Insights: Transforming America — Is This What We Fought For?” available now as an ebook, in paperback or hardcover on Amazon.com or BN.com. Another analytical book on the transforming process, “Stepping Stones to Tyranny,” will be published before Christmas. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80. Please forward this message to your Republican representatives.