Category Archives: Politics

by Barry Kelly | May 6, 2013 · 7:30 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 49

MODERN TERRORISM

THIS ANALYSIS OF MODERN TERRORISM WILL APPEAR IN MY FOURTH NOVEL, THE PREQUEL TO THE JACK BRANDON JUSTICE SERIES. I’M GIVING MY READERS A PREVIEW. I WROTE THIS SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN DRAFTING MY FIRST NOVEL, JUSTICE BEYOND LAW.

“The goal of terrorism is to create in the target state an atmosphere of chaos that will cause the state’s reaction to result in an even higher level of chaos. The target state will lose its internal cohesiveness and will gradually move toward vulnerability to either external military action or political attacks from within. Carefully managed terrorism could successfully destroy an enemy, an enemy that was previously thought to be invincible. It isn’t as most terrorists and their supporters think that the individual terrorist acts had to be sensational in order to be successful.

Banner used by the FBI since inception on October 10, 2001 as the main title for the web site pages of both the group of wanted terrorists, and also on the wanted poster of each terrorist fugitive. The three overlapping seals on the left are the seal of the U.S. Department of State (similar to the Great Seal of the United States), the seal of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In fact, many isolated sensational terrorist operations ended up by making the target state’s resolve stronger and its internal security procedures more effective. Average citizens expect that important people and large landmark structures are the targets of terrorists from time to time. What is far more effective is to have people from all classes lose confidence in the ability of the government to protect their lives and property. The western media will act as the carrier of this political disease and focus on the failure of the security services to protect people from terrorists.

“In the past, terrorism has been limited to attacks against targets with high political impacts. After a time, the terrorist incident will disappear from the front page only to reappear if someone is caught and put on trial. It is too hard for terrorists to continually hit high-profile targets. The detailed planning and logistical effort required to hit high-impact targets cannot be sustained. If, however, the new terrorists concentrate on soft or unprotected targets, they can continue a drum beat of assassinations and sabotage.

“Then local governments are unable to cope and begin to break down. The media demands action. Citizens lose confidence and no longer trust the authorities to protect them, proving once again that the greatest freedom is freedom from fear. It is in the actions taken by states to protect themselves from terrorism that the real payoff for terrorism occurs. As states put into effect more and more protective measures, the very nature of democracies like the United States begin to change from a government that emphasized individual freedom and initiative to one that seeks to control and track its citizens with a growing security apparatus. A security apparatus that can easily, if unchecked, form the core of an emerging police state that will eventually enrage the populace.

“Small forces should not attack high-impact targets that by their very nature will be protected. The terrorist leader of today must count upon the media to frighten the nation much in the way media focus on a serial killer can paralyze a local area. Timing and selection of targets must be carefully managed to develop and maintain momentum.”

By the Author of the Jack Brandon Thriller Series http://www.fasctsandfictions.com

The Changing Faces of Terrorists (pleventhinkers.wordpress.com)
Shocker : 96% Most Wanted Terrorists Are Muslim … Who Knew ? (youviewed.com)

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

Tagged as Police state, terrorism, Warfare and Conflict

by Barry Kelly | May 1, 2013 · 7:30 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 48

ENOUGH?

Whether Republican, Democrat, or Progressive, the facts don’t change. You are entitled to your interpretation of the facts but lets agree on the facts. In the bullet list of what I believe are facts, I’ll try to keep my conservative views on the sidelines. Since the mainstream media does not cover most of the items in this list, many citizens will not be familiar with these facts.

FACTS:

* President Obama has appointed more czars than any other president. Maybe more than all others combined.

English: Barack Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* President Obama’s administration has not followed the Constitutional requirement to forward a budget to Congress every year.

* President Obama’s landmark legislation (Obamacare) was passed without either the people or Congress given a chance to read it.

*President Obama has bypassed Congressional rules and precedents to appoint officials without the advice and consent of the Senate.

* President Obama has spent trillions more than the government takes in.

* President Obama has expanded the role and size of the executive departments and agencies.

* President Obama has used executive power to bypass Congressional authority.

* President Obama refused the Republican offer to give him the authority to select where the sequestration cuts would be made to lessen the impact on the people.

* President Obama has stonewalled Congressional rights to information in the case of the death of the American ambassador in the terrorist attack on Ben Ghazi and in the case of ‘fast and furious’ supplying guns to Mexico’s drug cartels. On the Ben Ghazi issue he refused to call it a terrorist attack for two weeks, insisting more facts were needed. The Justice Department arrested a filmmaker accused of inciting the attack on Ben Ghazi. The president vowed to bring the attackers to justice. So far, we have no evidence of the effort to apprehend them. Evidence is now surfacing that no attempt was made to rescue the embattled personnel at the consulate and annex.

* President Obama has supported the Arab position in issues with Israel.

* President Obama refuses to use the term “War on Terror.” The killing of several soldiers at Fort Hood by an Army major and follower of Islam shouting Islamic slogans is called “workplace violence.”

* The President and his Attorney General consistently opt to give Islamic terrorists the protection and rights usually reserved for U.S. citizens.

* The President’s redline was crossed by Assad in Syria weeks ago when he used chemical weapons against the Syrian people. No comment or action so far.

* The President’s repeated attempts to engage the Iranian regime regarding their efforts to develop nuclear weapons have not worked.

* An open microphone caught the President whispering to President Medvedev of Russia to, “Tell Putin he (Obama) would have more flexibility after the election.”

* Despite the President’s words, unemployment is worse.

* Under President Obama, welfare recipients have risen dramatically.

* The President campaigned on the promise Obamacare would bring down medical costs. They have increased instead.

* The President stated he would support “all of the above” in discussing his energy plans. He and his administration have constantly taken positions to destroy our fossil fuel production. The coal industry is shutting down. The Keystone Pipeline from Canada is still pending another EPA ‘study.’ Billions have been spent in supporting marginal energy producers that haven’t worked.

* Stimulus One did not provide private sector jobs. The President remains committed to the belief government spending is the key to economic development.

* Obama’s administration has issued more regulations impacting economic development than either Presidents Carter or Clinton.

* President Obama has not focused on job development in the private sector.

* President Obama has not tried to find who leaked voluminous intelligence secrets to the press. All the leaks made the President look good.

I’m sure many Progressives can explain these facts in a favorable light. That is their right. At least some of the facts should concern even Progressives. Most of them should concern Democrats. Given a stronger Congress, President Obama would be flirting with impeachment proceedings.

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

Taking part in a Nov. 10, 2009, memorial service on Fort Hood, Texas, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama look at the photograph of one of the victims of the Nov. 5 shooting rampage that left 13 dead and 38 wounded. See more at http://www.army.mil (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Frank: I Don’t Know Why President Obama Will Not Define Boston Terror Attack As Jihad (freebeacon.com)
AP Scrubs ‘Muslim’ from Obama’s Self-Referential Joke (frontpagemag.com)
Eight Decades of Insights 44 (factsandfictions.com)

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Filed under Eight Decades of Insights, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Israel, Obama, Politics, Progressives, Putin, Terrorism

Tagged as Barack Obama, Benghazi, Congress, Dmitry Medvedev, Fort Hood, Keystone Pipeline, Obama, United States, United States Congress

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

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 47

IT IS WHAT IT IS

We are a great nation and we have the best law enforcement, intelligence collection, military, and counter-terrorist capabilities in the world. Unfortunately, we have a tentative president, who, for reasons no one who knows or is willing to talk about, thinks American influence in the world is too strong and America with the rest of Western world has much to be ashamed about. Only by diminishing our power through a socialist transformation can the world find equality and peace, he thinks.

The “black flag of jihad” as used by various Islamic terrorist organizations (since the late 1990s) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The president and his administration don’t want to acknowledge that Islamic Jihad in all its forms is a danger to our way of life. Islam and Christianity have a history. And it is not a peaceful one. The Crusades, the Muslim military sweep through North Africa, followed by the Muslim invasion of Western Europe, the fall of Cordoba, the last Islamic center in Spain are all part of this history. The war continues today and it is an Islamic war against Christian nations. All the Arabs who were dancing in the streets of Islamic countries when the twin towers fell were not all members of an organized terrorist group or active Jihadists but all were Muslims. It is what it is. Muslims do not like us. Moderate Muslims may not be active Jihadists but they condone it and support it. Billions of Saudi dollars have supported radical Islamic Wahabism schools throughout the world. Our president attended one.

He also attended a strident anti-American church for 20 years. He comes by his disapproval of America’s past history naturally. He has a right to hold those beliefs. Unfortunately, the attitude of the president permeates through the entire administration. How else can you explain their

View of Mosque 2 (Photo credit: TushyD)

efforts to cover up Jihadist actions like Ben Ghazi, the constant reluctance to use the word terrorism, or the term war on terror? This president who rushes to judgement at the drop of a hat on other issues, preaches the need to gather all the facts, wait until the investigation is complete, “there is no evidence a terrorist group was involved.” He often ends his preaching with “don’t blame an entire group of people.” Mr. President, Muslims have been involved in nearly all bombing terrorist acts for more than the last two decades. (Yes, I know about Oklahoma City.) Many, if not most, of the mosques in America and elsewhere preach a form of Jihadism. Directly or indirectly, Islamic mosques support radical Islamic fervor. What’s not to profile? Profiling is a common-sense approach to law enforcement and protection of citizens.

Like it or not, we are in a war that has deep Islamic roots. It is what it is.

“John Brennan did convert to Islam when he served in an official capacity on behalf of the United States in Saudi Arabia.” (itmakessenseblog.com)
US Imam Calls On Muslims In US To Wage Jihad (joemiller.us)
State Dept. Erases ‘Muslim,’ ‘Islam’ From 2,000 Page Terror Memo… (redflagnews.com)
Islam is the Ultimate Sleeper Cell (itmakessenseblog.com)
Boston bombers – media just doesn’t get it (culturaljihad.wordpress.com)

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Filed under Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Obama, Terrorism

Tagged as America, Benghazi, Islam, Jihadism, Muslim, terrorism

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.