Category Archives: Eight Decades of Insights

by Barry Kelly | August 5, 2016 · 8:35 pm

INSIGHTS 273: Donald Trump and the politically correct world

America faces several critical problems. The national debt; stagnant wages; a real unemployment rate of plus 12 percent; an administration that cannot be trusted to tell the people the truth; terrorism that has reached our shores and shows no signs of being defeated; cash payments of 400 million dollars to Iran in the form of ransom for hostages; territorial aggression on the part of Russia and China; class warfare in America; a crumbling infrastructure network of roads, bridges, airports and utility distribution systems; a military that has to salvage parts from museums and junk yards to keep ancient warplanes flying; military manpower approaching pre-World War II levels; a war against terrorism our commander-in-chief refuses to recognize or to develop a strategy to deny ISIS safe havens in the Middle East; anti-American regimes in Iran and North Korea whose main national objectives is to develop and use nuclear armed ballistic missiles against the homeland; a tax and regulation load that kills existing business and prevents new start-ups; health care for the people, especially our vets … the list could go on.

And what is playing endlessly on our news media? Certainly not anything from the above list. No, we have become a nation of petty politically correct issues. Not just from the liberal media but also from conservative news outlets. The polls swing on the impact of politically correct trivia and not on a discussion of important issues that threaten America. The tyranny of the novel “1984” has been replaced by the politically correct dominated modern world of 2016. The progressives of the Hillary Clinton party know they cannot win a debate on real issues so have skillfully made the election about the real or contrived statements attributed to Mr. Donald Trump.

A few examples: The furor over Trump’s statements that some of the immigrants coming unopposed across the southern border were criminals, murders, and rapists. The PC spin is that Trump said all immigrants were criminals. Or his statement that Muslims should be temporarily banned from coming into the United States until they could be vetted. Sounds reasonable to me. But the PC version is that he is opposed to all Muslims entering the country. Or all nations in NATO should pay their required yearly proportion of their annual national budget. Reasonable, I think, but the PC spin version is Trump intends to withdraw from NATO. On the tax issue. Mr. Trump has said he would lower taxes on corporations and individuals. Not a bad idea. The PC spin version is that Trump’s tax plan will only benefit the richest Americans.

The Khan family dust-up. The Khans were recruited by the Progressives to attack Mr. Trump at the Democratic Convention over his stand on Muslims by doubting he ever read the Constitution and that he dishonored their son, an American soldier who was killed in Iraq. Again the motive of the PC spin was to attack Trump’s position on Muslim immigration. A long stretch, but the Progressives turned this into an attack on ‘Gold Star’ mothers when Mr. Trump unwisely questioned why Mrs. Khan had not spoken up at the DNC. His record shows Donald Trump is very pro veterans and military families. His stance on the Veteran’s Administration is far ahead of any past or present candidate.

Candidate Trump is not a politician. He often isn’t careful enough about what the progressive spin doctors can and will do with his imprecise words. The political world of dialogue about new thoughts and possible actions is very different from initial discussion of ideas and proposals in the world of commercial projects where the first mention of an idea is just the beginning of the negotiating process. In the high offices of government. Ideas are most often discussed, debated, and scrubbed before they see the light of day. Mr. Trump needs to recognize this difference and we need to reject the PC responses of the progressives and turn the debate to the real problems facing America. If not, four more years of the same. We need change before it is too late.

INSIGHTS 272 IRAQ: WHAT’S HAPPENING?

At best Iraq, is a small Shiite nation with a port on the Persian Gulf and with a rich heritage of Shiite sites and some oil fields. Its past history of being a Middle Eastern military power capable of challenging Iran is gone. Its military was largely made up of Sunni tribes and Kurds; it is now almost purely Shiite. The United States moved from being Iraq’s most powerful enemy to being its primary supporter.

As its enemy, America destroyed Hussein’s military and political infrastructure. As its supporter, we presided over Iraq’s demise and the rise of ISIS. The White House, the State Department and the Pentagon still call the area that Saddam Hussein controlled Iraq. But it no longer exists. It evaporated with the withdrawal of American presence years ago. When the Pentagon and the State Department speak of the progress of the Iraqi Army they support, they are talking about the Shiite Army under Baghdad control. Any success of the Iraqi army on the battlefield is dependent solely on American and Iranian forces.

The Iraqi Army could not take Fallujah and hold it without American and Iranian support. The same is true for Mosel. Iranian militias will continue to provide the Iraqi Army with thousands of Shiite ground troops. The only winner in what used to be Iraq will be Iran. When very weak but rich nations border powerful nations, they often end up being absorbed. The term Iraq may continue to refer to Baghdad and areas South, but it will most likely be a province of Iran. I believe the White House is totally prepared for Iran to absorb Iraq.

When America and its allies defeat ISIS, they must be careful not to let the entire area of Sunni Tribes and Kurds also be absorbed by Iran. You can draw up a scenario which shows an American led coalition victory over ISIS could end up adding territory, people and oil wealth to Iran. Neither the Kurds or the Sunnis, alone or together, can withstand Iran. Only U.S. forces can do that. Under this administration or a Clinton progressive follow on, American forces will not be deployed against Iran. The transformation strategy of the Obama era for the Middle East will have taken a giant step forward.

My latest novel, The Sub Rosa Manuscript, gives, I believe, a clear understandable account of the steady erosion of the personal and economic freedom we inherited from the sacrifices of those who went before us. It is now our turn to protect our inheritance by rejecting the empty promises of progressivism.

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Iran, ISIS, Kurds, Middle East, Obama, oil, Shiite, Sunni

Tagged as Clinton, hillary, Iran, iraq, Middle East, Obama, politics

by Barry Kelly | July 18, 2016 · 8:19 pm

INSIGHTS 271 Letter From A Citizen To A President

President Obama, photo by the New York Daily News.

Dear Mr. President:

I am a Korean War Veteran with 27 years of Cold War service, including two years in Vietnam and two years as a special assistant to President Reagan in the fields of intelligence, covert action and counter-terrorism. When you were elected, I had serious reservations about your ability to lead our nation, but I was pleased that America had elected a black president.

After your first month in office, I could see my fears about your capability to lead and protect America were not unfounded. I am now 85 and am determined to live long enough to see the damage you have done being repaired. That is a big job for I cannot point to anything you have done well as our President. The country is more divided now than at any time since the war in Vietnam. Russia and China are expanding. Our economy is a shadow of its past power. Our military forces are below the readiness levels prior to the WWII. Foreign leaders have no respect for you or America’s current world role. Former allies are mystified by both your actions and failures to act.

Our veterans and our workers are suffering under your leadership. Unemployment seems to be something you try to fix with bogus figures, much like our GNP annual rate. The middle class is vanishing and your constant speeches seldom fail to encourage class warfare. At least they did before I stopped listening to anything you say. The illegal and unchecked immigration you favor, while creating support for your progressive political base, puts additional obstacles in the path of American workers seeking employment.

As a direct result of your inaction and ‘leading from behind’ (which is not leading at all), the Middle East is in turmoil, millions of people have been displaced or killed. You have wasted the blood of our warriors and the nation’s treasury on your appeasement theories of foreign policy and warfare that have never worked and never will. Your anti-colonial infatuation with ‘One World Rule,’ the evils of American power, anti-capitalism, and support of Iran and Shiite Islam have no place in our past or future.

You are a true Socialist revolutionary who hasn’t realized yet that he has failed to transform America and that his time is now past. Please go quietly into history’s dust bin of failed leaders who never learned the difference between preaching about issues and actually working to fix national problems.

–BK

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Filed under Barry Kelly, Capitalism, class warfare, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, Iran, Middle East, Obama, Progressives, Shiite

by Barry Kelly | July 13, 2016 · 3:13 pm

INSIGHTS 270: The Rule of Law is Broken in America

The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, Our Founders, The Separations of Powers, and the blood and sweat of our ancestors all combine to make America a very special place. All of these elements rest on the “Rule of Law.” When an Administration like President Obama’s, disregards the Rule of Law they are trashing the very core of America’s existence.

The Rule of Law doesn’t provide total equality for all people. Slogans spouting sound bites such as “a fair shot for everyone,” “equal opportunity for all” “everyone deserves a fair share” are the false promises that permeate socialist speeches. The Rule of Law does, however, provide equal protection under the law from the arbitrary excesses of government and the protection of life and property by the government. This protection must be provided equally to all citizens, all the time, regardless of wealth, economic stature, race, religion or political position. Justice must be blind in its application to all. When it is not, our society will begin to unravel, for the Rule of Law is what holds our nation together. It is what finally triumphed over evils like slavery, racial and religious discrimination and inequality of opportunity to be all you can be. This is unique to America. It did not arrive here with our waves of immigrants. Instead it is what brought them to take the risks of moving to a new land.

You would think the Director of the FBI and the Attorney-General of the United States would base all their finding on the firm belief that the same law is applied equally to all people. Apparently not. They are united in, perhaps the worst example of ignoring the equal application of the law to all since the Jim Crow Laws. They have decided that some higher principle led them to decide members of political dynasties with wealth and powerful political positions are above the law. Whatever they have done in the past to earn their current positions is now lost in the shame of not having the courage to provide their fellow citizens with the equal protection and application of the law. How can we be assured they will not ignore the Rule of Law in some other case? We cannot, and that is the real tragedy of their failure to apply the law equally to all citizens.

My latest novel, The Sub Rosa Manuscript by Barry Kelly gives, I believe, a clear understandable account of the steady erosion of the personal and economic freedom we inherited from the sacrifices of those who went before us. It is now our turn to protect our inheritance by rejecting the empty promises of progressivism.

INSIGHTS 269:HILLARY LAND

cbsnews.com

Let’s fast forward to January 2017. The election is over, the Inauguration is over and the process of a new president taking over the running of America has begun. Enough Republicans stayed home during the November voting period and too many independents decided no change was better than a wholesale turnover of the Obama government to Donald Trump. The election was close but the Obama electoral coalition held together and the voters gave the Progressives four more years to transform America.

President Clinton staffed her cabinet with proven left-wing Progressives. Her coattails were strong enough to pull in a majority of Senate Members and produce a nearly equal number of Progressive Democrats in the House. In short order Obamacare, now called Hillary care by the media, became the law of the land. A “single payer” system removed all doubt that America now had a true socialized medicine system. Some tenets of her medical care plan that she proposed under her husband’s presidency such as making it a felony for a doctor or patient to participate in providing or receiving medical treatment outside the government medical system were included. Cost savings were introduced by severely limiting medical treatment for all Americans over 72 years of age.

Taxes on wealthy Americans with incomes in excess of $100,000 and corporations were increased. The minimum hourly wage was increased to $20.00 and unemployment benefits were extended to four years. The resulting loss of income due to falling tax revenues and rising unemployment was offset by further drastic cuts in military spending. An easy path to citizenship was extended to all illegal or “undocumented” immigrants. The nation’s borders were virtually open, both to the South and the North. The nation’s health care and unemployment benefits as well as the food stamp program were expanded and extended to everyone residing in the United States. Residents and voters not contributing to the national revenue greatly outnumbered the tax payers.

Large infra structure programs were being pushed through Congress to provide jobs for the unemployed. Over runs of the budget were predicted. To manage the economy, various bills were proposed that would nationalize the large banks and credit institutions. A minority of Americans spoke and wrote of the dangers of a one-party system of government. The White House was lobbying for small changes to the Constitution that would allow national gun control, limit media outlets, including the internet, from political criticism of the government and provide more Government control over the curriculum of both public and private educational institutions. Many of these measures carried felony penalties for individuals and institutions that met the criteria defining prosecutable violations of the limits of free speech.

Pay attention! We cannot let this happen!