Author: Vic Socotra

Arrias: Perfect Knowledge

A number of years ago I testified at a murder trial. As with the Rittenhouse trial, there was no question as to whether the defendant had committed the physical act, rather the issue was why, what was his mental state, etc. Without getting into specifics, the striking thing was the work-a-day nature of it all. […]

Day of Rest

There was controversy to start the day, and predictably it started on the other side of the bed. Which, having a certain rhyming imperative, Splash wanted to celebrate with the Mexican holiday, Día de Muertos. Of course, that doesn’t actually rhyme with our night-time resting place, unless you do it in English. As usual, he […]

Life & Island Times: TYFYS

As in previous years, the just past Veterans Day week saw this year’s cresting of TYFYS expressions. You know, the Thank you for your service ones. Most speakers, I am sure, say it with sincerity, since they are patriotic folks who want to express a sentiment of gratitude. But they’re not saying it for me, […]

Where This is Going

Splash is not at his best on Saturday mornings, which is to say, when he is actually at his best it is better to just let him go where he is going, follow with mild interest, and let him blaze a path into the sort of reality he prefers. Some of us were up early. […]

The Biggest Bill

We do not know if you are keeping track of the days. At Refuge Farm we are, mostly out of a sort of morbid curiosity about the biggest bill in the history of the United States Congress. It is supposed to be voted on this morning. A Friday. Rocket looked a little stunned. “If it […]

Trial by Justice

We ran a short piece about “Build Back Better” this morning. Chairman Socotra sent a note down from the Big House, saying he was pleased we did not pick up on the still-hanging jury in the Karl Rittenhouse case in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He prefers to let the wheels of justice spin their merry way and […]

Inundation

Thursday is a big morning at The Farm. The Writer’s Section is responsible for showing up- in person- to defend past production, defer erroneous predictions, and justify ones not yet proven to be false. The meeting is right before lunch, not after, since Management knows what is likely to happen after that. Increasingly, it is […]

Weather report: Potholes in the Road?

Remember the Burma Shave signs? I know, I know. Only oldsters remember them in fact. Most folks do have a passing acquaintance with parodies from modern information campaigns, and naturally we pile on like everyone else. We had a talk about that in the pre-production meetings. It started, naturally enough, with the topic of “shaving,” […]