Vic Socotra – Page 256

November 9, 2018 Vic Socotra

Boondoggle

07 January 2001 Boondoggle Gentle Readers, The composition of Congress has been much on our minds this last several months. It made me think of gentler days up on The Hill, and we thought it was bare-knuckles way back when. Not so much any more. We who worked the political side of Department business traveled […]

November 7, 2018 Vic Socotra

Arrias: Leaving INF

Two weeks ago President Trump announced the US will withdraw from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Force Treaty (INF) – pursuant to Article XV, para 2 of the treaty. While the media paid little attention, this is a significant and important action. The INF, signed by President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev in December 1987, was […]

November 4, 2018 Vic Socotra

Life & Island Times:

My last piece was a rather long collection of unruly, electrical, mental impulses about riding motorcycles. I wrote this short one below with a riding buddy in mind since he has deferred writing down his road songs. We both have been running in front of a storm. It’s about to catch us. Time has come […]

October 31, 2018 Vic Socotra

Swamp Postcard: Halloween Horrors

Traditionally, Halloween was a big holiday here in The Swamp when the Willow was in it’s prime. It was a special place with special people, and costumes were de rigeur. Despite the two wars then in progress back then, there was mirth and merriness and costumes around the majestic bar. Dare I say there was […]

October 30, 2018 Vic Socotra

Arrias: Rights to Choose

Let me see if I have this right: the bulk of the media, and many of our politicians, tell me that: The US is not exceptional and in fact has much to answer for, But The US should spend more time and effort abroad because the global community is more important – rather than getting […]

October 29, 2018 Vic Socotra

Life & Island Times: Motorcycle Enthusiasm

Here are more thoughts on motorcycling that came to me in waves recently as I futzed around with my Harley’s balky electrical system. Please excuse their disorganization and untidiness of grammar. – Marlow Details of an early Harley Davidson motorcycle Scratch a motorcyclist and inside you will find a pilgrim. No enthusiast washes his motorbike […]

October 24, 2018 Vic Socotra

Swamp Postcard: UXB

So, what is the October Surprise? the Caravan behind the one in progress? The unexploded bombs in the mailboxes of prominent progressives? The Reichstag fire scenario is possible, since none of the devices went off, and only a novice would not understand what mail screening has happened since 9/11 and the anthrax attacks. I can’t […]

October 23, 2018 Vic Socotra

Life & Island Times: Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis October 15 – 28 1962 I awoke this morning a bit more bored than usual to read whatever was America’s crise du jour. 56 years ago the world almost blew itself up. Well, it was actually just the US and the USSR facing off over the secret emplacement of decapitating-strike capable, two […]

October 23, 2018 Vic Socotra

Arrias: Existential Debt

Several economists, opining on the 2019 federal budget, lambasted the President for spending too much. They concluded that Trump must be stopped, and that, in particular spending on national security needs to be reined in. If not, we’ll be overtaken by the deficit and face economic ruin. Their solution appeared to be to vote for […]

October 21, 2018 Vic Socotra

HAITI DAYS

25 July 1995 HAITI DAYS Prologue We roared around the corner, swerved around a pothole big enough to eat a bus and emergency lights flashing went hell for leather out of Port Au Prince towards the desolate country near the border. The Peugeot was spinning wheels on the soft gravel of the new road. The […]

Author: Vic Socotra