Category Archives: Eight Decades of Insights

by Barry Kelly | April 8, 2013 · 7:30 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 44

benghazi_sandstorm (Photo credit: an agent)

WORSE IS GOOD

Everything President Obama touches he makes worse. He and his entourage don’t make mistakes 100 percent of the time. They are not that dumb. I believe worse is their goal. Now why would that be? Because this president and his minders believe their goal is to win the House in 2014; nothing else matters. It is okay if the Obama touch snatches defeat from the jaws of victory as long as his position on the specific issue furthers the progressive crusade to transform America. If you haven’t seen the ugly face of his transformation yet, take off your blinders. Stop giving him a pass every time he makes something worse.

What has he made worse? Let’s look at a few examples. Start with sequestration. The idea came from the president. He threatened to veto any bill coming to him that would lessen the impact. When sequestration was imminent, he refused a Republican offer to give him flexibility in deciding the 2 percent cuts. Then to make sequestration seem worse, the president and his legion of lemming Cabinet members rushed to the nearest camera to paint pictures of disasters the Republican sequestration would cause. When sequestration became the law of the land the gutless Cabinet resorted to pettiness. Closing White House tours, national parks, air control towers, Blue Angels, and furloughing hardworking federal employees. But no cuts in the campaigner-in-chief’s agenda. Just months into his second term and he is out raising money instead of dealing with our monstrous debt, antiquated tax policy, and unsustainable social programs. Unlike all our other presidents who tried to work out solutions to critical issues, this president works to make the issue worse and blame it on the Republicans. He is very good at the blame game.

Is immigration a good example? Yes, one of the best. The president doesn’t want a solution. He wants an issue he can use to pound the hapless Republicans if the group of eight senators working on an immigration bill reach agreement. President Obama will find a way to wreck any bi-partisan solution. What good is a solution to him? He already owns the Hispanic vote. But he will make it look like the bill failed because of the Republican position on border security. Janet Napolitano, the bewildered head of Homeland Security, is out telling all she has worked with border issues for more than 20 years and the border is now more secure than it ever was. Really not what the professionals working the issue say. Maybe someone should tell her, she is entitled to her own opinion but not her own facts. Rest assured the president will work to make any immigration solution worse so he has a stronger issue to use in the 2014 election for the House of Representatives. Having Nancy Pelosi re-instated as the Speaker of the House is really scary.

How about another issue? Sometimes the way to use an issue to transform America into a socialist elite nation is to take the issue away from the opposition, in this case the Republicans. There are times in our history when the president’s lack of action and leadership over the killing of Americans at Ben Ghazi would have destroyed the president’s effectiveness as a commander-in-chief. President Reagan bombed Libya into submission over the killing of American servicemen by a Libyan terrorist in a German cafe. There are always other things but the cafe bombing was the trigger. President Obama did not want the Ben Ghazi attack on our consulate to show that after all his talk, al Qaeda was still alive and well. So it all had to be downplayed. One meeting with his National Security Team. No follow up even though the fighting was still going on. No attempt to help the beleaguered Americans fighting for their lives. The next morning with the consulate and annex still smoking, President Obama goes off to Las Vegas for a fundraiser. (That he knows how to do.) But that is not the end. For two weeks his administration avoided putting the terrorist label on Ben Ghazi. Even arrest some poor film maker who made an anti-Muslim film. A despicable act but not a felony offense. For weeks the White House refused to identify any survivors and make them available to the Congress. I don’t think his handling of Ben Ghazi was a winning strategy but it shows how in his mind the issue is never the issue. He doesn’t play the near term game, only the long strategic one of presiding over a one-party government.

For him there is nothing to be gained by bi-partisan solutions of our big issues. For he believes we do not have a spending problem. How can you work with a president who thinks his talk is more important than his actions? Guess again we are a nation where we judge people and presidents by their actions. Then, there is Obamacare and growing unemployment!

by the author of the Jack Brandon thriller series. www.factsandfictions.com

Eight Decades of Insights 34 (factsandfictions.com)

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Filed under Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, Obama, political solutions, Progressives, Terrorism

by Barry Kelly | April 3, 2013 · 8:39 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 43

Border Patrol (Photo credit: Brian Auer)

NEW CITIZENS

We need immigration from south of the border, even with the unemployment figures being more than 12 percent (if we do an honest count of the unemployed). The men, women, and children who have risked crossing our porous border bring a freshness to our work force. Their work ethic is like ours used to be. All the immigrants I’ve met are super workers. They work hard, don’t whine or complain, and are enterprising entrepreneurs. They are strong family people, most are Christians and fit in with our Christian heritage. The young men and women are serving well in the armed forces. What’s not to like about them? Sure, they may be here illegally. We can deal with that. What we can’t deal with is a border no administration has been willing to close. Not so that no one will be able to get through. But so hundreds and thousands cannot cross illegally into America. Borders can be controlled. And with that we can find a way for the many law-abiding illegal immigrants (I recognize the oxymoron) to become citizens.

Unfortunately, President Obama does not want an immigration bill that has bi-partisan support. There is no benefit in that for his transformation of American into a one-party socialist country run by the Progressive elite. If you don’t believe that just wait and watch what happens. Obama knows the Hispanic vote is his no matter what he does. They can wait until he uses the immigration issue along with several other issues to destroy the Republican Party and seize control of the House of Representatives, which is the last legal obstacle in his drive for power. President Obama will not sign nor support a bipartisan immigration bill. He will keep moving the bar until the Republicans can no longer get over the Obama barrier. The saddest part of this scenario is that very few Republican politicians understand what is happening.

The lack of employment in the United States is responsible for the drop in border crossing statistics. Not the administration’s border security actions. Why cross if there are no jobs? Except that the path to citizenship is a stronger magnet to attract mass crossings. Get here before the immigration legislation is passed. I hope that is right and we have real border security and a reasonable path to citizenship.

Rubio: Reports of immigration deal ‘premature’ (miamiherald.com)
Immigration deal at hand, focus turns to details (crainsnewyork.com)
US Senator says President Obama is not serious about immigration reform, it’s only a ploy (ConservativeActionAlerts.com)
Eight Decades of Insights 38 (factsandfictions.com)

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Tagged as Border control, House of Representatives, Immigration, politics, Republican

by Barry Kelly | March 25, 2013 · 7:30 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 41

Duty, Honor, Country (Photo credit: Roger Smith)

LYING IS THE ISSUE

I’ m positive President Obama is a disciple of Saul Alinsky. Mr Alinsky published his guidelines for Progressives. He put forth several rules but the essence of his teaching is that the issue is never the issue. The practical effect of that simple statement is Progressive politicians and supporting radicals should never get bogged down in political battles over any issue. They should remain focused on using all issues to destroy the existing government structure and all opposition. The pragmatic advantage of Mr. Alinsky’s theory is that radicals are free to take any side of any issue at any time. How can you debate against a team using Alinsky’s rules? The answer is you can not.

But there is a serious weakness in Alinksy’s dictum that radicals can change their positions at anytime. It is not a pragmatic flaw. It is one derived from generations of codes of honor. There is a reason why parents tell their children not to lie. Parents look their sons and daughters right in the eye and with all the seriousness they can muster tell them, “You are only as good as your word, if you have nothing but your word you will be respected, don’t say things if you don’t mean it, and people must be able to count on your word.” Did President Obama never hear those words? Maybe not if we judge him by what he says.

Let’s look at some examples. I realize that those of you who are emotionally tied to the Progressive Movement or left wing of the Democratic Party will not believe the president’s shifting positions damage the trust Americans give to their leader. My definition of lying is when a person knowingly makes a statement they know is untrue. Mistakes or errors are not lies. The following are all summarized statements or positions of Candidate Obama, President Obama, or those of senior staff members who were speaking with his approval. You judge if the president was lying or not.

*Under Obamacare you will be able to keep your doctor and your current insurance plan.

*Obamacare will save money.

*President Bush’s spending that increased the National Debt and saddled our children with paying our bills was unpatriotic.

*Sequestration was a Republican idea. I’ll veto any attempt to change it. Terrible things will happen if sequestration is not stopped: Air flights delayed, teachers, policemen and firemen laid off. Thousands of jobs lost.

*We do not have a spending problem.

* The White House was not aware of the dangers to the Ben Ghazi Consulate.

* I told our security officials to do everything possible to help the Americans fighting in Ben Ghazi.

* My energy policy includes all of the above, both green and fossil fuel resources to make America energy self-sufficient.

*Taxes should not be increased in a struggling economy.

*My plan is to reach out to Republicans to bring our finances under control.

* (An open mike slip in a comment last year to President Medvedev of Russia): “Tell Putin I will have more flexibility after the election.”

I believe there are enough lies associated with the issues above to cause many of our citizens to lose trust and confidence in President Obama’s word and, therefore, in his presidency. Alinsky followers may believe the issue is never the issue but a lie is always a lie. Alinsky’s morality is not ours.

By the author of the Jack Brandon thriller series.

http://www.factsandfictions.com

Eight Decades of Insights 36 (factsandfictions.com)
Eight Decades of Insights 33 (factsandfictions.com)
Obama Quotes Radical Socialist Saul Alinsky In Speech To Young Israelis (patdollard.com)

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Filed under Alinsky, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, General, Medvedev, Obama, Progressives, Putin

by Barry Kelly | March 14, 2013 · 8:14 pm

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 40

TRIBUTE TO PAT BOONE

Last night as I was watching Fox Business news, a rarity, anchor Neil Cavuto was interviewing Pat Boone, a famous singer and successful entertainer. During the interview when Cavuto was musing about what President Obama is doing, Mr. Boone pulled out the red-covered book by Mr. Saul Alinsky titled Rules for Radicals and commented that the president is following the guidance contained in this book. Cavuto, following a long line of intellectuals, scoffed at the idea the president was using Rules for Radicals to govern the country and, murmuring pleasantries, politely blew off Mr. Boone. Even worse, Cavuto said he had read the book but didn’t believe President Obama was following Alinsky’s rules.

speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on February 12, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Where has he been? We depend upon our media and especially those wearing the mantle of an economic guru to recognize that conservative intellectuals similarly blew off Das Kapital by Karl Marx, the writings of Lenin, Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler, and Chairman Mao’s Red Book. How different the world might have been if only enough of our opinion leaders had paid attention. These men and their followers meant to carry out the logic and guidance put forth by their writings. All fought their way into power.

Once in power, they transformed their societies and governments. Freedom fell to centralized control by the elite. There were not anymore votes. Millions perished in the name of differing ideologies. Economies were destroyed. Are we so special that our nation cannot be transformed and freedom lost? I don’t think so. The Republican party, the opposition party, is in disarray struggling to understand what is happening. They, too, do not understand Alinsky. The essence of Alinsky’s teaching is: the issue is never the issue. What is hard to understand about that? Take any of President Obama’s points engraved on his teleprompter. He uses whatever side of any issue to destroy the opposition, the Republican party. After they are marginalized he will have total power to transform America just as he promised.

Listen to that promise, America.

Take something as straightforward as closing the White House to tours. His first position is that the “Republican-caused” sequestration will cause economic havoc. Streets and airways will be unsafe. Thousands will lose their jobs. All his lackeys preached the sky is falling. Closing the White House to tours was just another cheap dig to show up Republicans as monsters, locking school children out of their planned visit to the White House. That backfired and Obama’s narcissistic mirror showed falling ratings. So change sides. It was the Secret Service who closed the White House tours, not the president, “who has never made a mistake.” I served President Reagan in the White House and know a Secret Service director would not ever close the White House for tours without being positive he was carrying out the president’s wishes.

President Obama is following Alinsky’s guidance right down the line. I wish he wasn’t. Wake up, you intellectual gurus of America. Show the courage and insight Pat Boone showed last night.

Childish Regime Shuts Down White House Tours to Punish You (rushlimbaugh.com)
House Republicans call on Obama to end vacations until White House tours resume – @thehill (thehill.com)
Eight Decades of Insights 36 (factsandfictions.com)
White House tours may resume for students, Obama says (cbsnews.com)

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Filed under Alinsky, Barry Kelly, class warfare, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, political solutions, Politics, totalitarianism

Tagged as Barack Obama, Hitler, Karl Marx, Lenin, Mao, Mein Kampf, Neil Cavuto, Obama, Pat Boone, Republicans, Saul Alinsky, White House

by Barry Kelly | February 19, 2013 · 4:09 pm

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 36

PLAYING THE ISSUES

If you have been following my recent blogs, you know I believe President Obama is following the guidance of Saul Alinsky, a brilliant radical tactician. The core of Alinky’s teaching is that “the issue is never the issue.” The only goal is the destruction of the existing order and replacing it with the Progressive (socialist/communist) blueprint for a new and better world where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone pays their fair share. Under this political social philosophy, even a discussion of ends justifying the means is meaningless. If you are striving for power, the means are always morally justified. This strategical approach gives anyone using it incredible flexibility. They can change sides at any time it appears advantageous. The first step in creating a new world is to destroy the current order.

English: Barack Obama delivering his electoral victory speech on Election Night ´08, in Grant Park, Chicago. (Wikipedia)

Now for some complexity. All issues are not the same and cannot be treated the same by the Progressives. For our purposes, I will put issues into three categories: The first category is issues that have been with us for several decades. Under this category live issues such as immigration, states rights, taxation, gun control, energy development, abortion, and solvency of our social programs. The second category are those that have been created recently. Here, I put climate control, sequestration, cabinet appointments, the role and size of the federal government, right to work issues, and government spending. Granted, some of these issues could fit under one of the two other categories. The third category contains those issues that appear to be spontaneous such as Benghazi, Syria, Muslim radicalism, international debt problems, unemployment, and job creation.

The flexibility Alinsky believers have somewhat depends on what category the issue is in. Take immigration as an issue. Obama cannot come out against immigration and he doesn’t have to put forward an effective bi-partisan solution. In fact he will not. Published plans, budgets, position papers are not part of Alinsky tactics as they limit changing sides or conditions abruptly. Instead, the immigration issue will be used to damage the Republican Party, the only party that stands in the way of the establishment of a Progressive dictatorship. This president does not want the Democrats and Republicans to come together to pass bipartisan immigration legislation. Instead, he will present obstacles and deal killers.

Since this is a blog and not a book, I’ll deal in this piece with only a few of the many possible issues. Energy policy is a perfect issue. Does any sane person believe America can be energy self-sufficient without the primary use of fossil fuels for several more decades? Yes. A constant search for alternative power sources is good as long as we are focused on creating an energy program in America that creates thousands of jobs and energy self-sufficiency. Windmills, algae, corn, solar panels just are not economically viable nor credible. How can any president not welcome the Canadian pipeline? It is a no-brainer unless your real objective is to create chaos, high unemployment, angry union workers, and blow off a good neighbor. Only Alinksy followers can applaud Obama’s lethargic non-action. Don’t fall for the Progressives blaming the increasing cost of gasoline on Big Oil. They aren’t boy scouts but the price goes up when the Federal Reserve, which is a private company, prints obscene billions of dollars each month that weaken the dollar. Arabs sell oil for dollars. The weaker the dollar, the more dollars it takes to buy a barrel of oil. Keep in mind few transformations ever occur in a country with an sound economy, near full employment, and a promising future.

One last issue, Benghazi. Could the president have anticipated this crisis? No. But his staff and Cabinet should have. This issue just popped up. The president didn’t know what to do. So he did nothing. Well, he did create confusion. To have this shameful crisis be centered around who created what “talking points” is a mark of Beltway mentally. Fix the blame. Not the problem. Not even Alinsky or Axelrod would have recommended he not call the Pentagon for action or fail to convene his National Security Council, or travel the next day to Las Vegas to attend a fundraiser, or throw Susan Rice under the bus, or the bumbling concealment of information. In keeping with Obama-type transparency he has even kept the names and whereabouts of the Benghazi survivors secret, in spite of requests from Congress. On the Benghazi issue, the president damaged himself as well as the nation. Using every issue as a means to attack your opposition often diminishes all of us. Just ask the surviving family members what they think about the issue is never the issue as a principle for presidential leadership.

By the author of the Jack Brandon thriller series. www.factsandfictions.com