Author: Vic Socotra

Emerald City Stroll

I was feeing pretty good for a Sunday morning. A little sunburned from the afternoon at the pool, but I had to be downtown fairly early, since I was meeting a group from Oz to give a waking tour of the landmarks near the White House and along Pennsylvania Avenue. It is only appropriate, since […]

Life & Island Times: War is Over

Author’s note: Breaking news on the back pages of today’s morning newspapers says the US House of Representatives Appropriations Committee voted in a bipartisan fashion yesterday to rescind the 2001 authorization for the use of military force that underlays much of the past 16 years of American warring. The ostensible reason for this was reported […]

Postcard From the Swamp #4

Considering the pace of breaking news over the last six months, things seem to be cooling a bit as we head into the Congressional recess and the 4th of July holiday. Dribbling out this weekend include a raft of Supreme Court interim decisions, some questions about what the current (and previous) Administration knew about the […]

Life & Island Times: Hellhound Blues

Author’s note: Just when I didn’t think it could get any weirder, voters have started telling their representatives to stop with all the Russian stuff and start legislating and our imperial city’s newspaper details a long story on the Russian’s two year campaign to hack the 2016 American presidential election in which one prior administration […]

Arrias on Politics: Whither Syria? Whither the US?

Since 2015 Senators McCain and Graham have called for more US troops in Syria. First they called for 10,000 troops, then 20,000 and then 50,000. Now, the numbers have climbed to 150,000. To be clear, this isn’t about the additional troops Secretary Mattis sent into Iraq and Syria (or into Afghanistan); Secretary Mattis has clear, […]

Life & Island Times: Failure to Communicate

Editor’s Note: Yep. it is getting this nuts. – Vic Failure to Communicate Author’s note: I was bemused yesterday when I heard the former DHS Director remark in an aside that the FBI Director (and those of National Intelligence, the CIA and the NSA) didn’t share with him or his intelligence folks for months during […]

Postcard From the Swamp #3

It is hot, muggy and finally it is really Summer. That happened shortly after midnight, concluding the longest day of the year, which Jim Champagne at Willow’s famed Amen Corner always maintained was exactly the same length as every other day- some just have more daylight than others. I have always been a bit of […]

Midway Commemoration on Midway

Gentle Readers, You noted our commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the great conflict off Midway Atoll 75 years ago. It was at the beginning of the month of June, on the actual days that defined history. Today, the last remnants of the battle were being resolved though the memories will never fade. The Japanese […]

Arrias on Politics: Bumper Stickers and the Constitution

I saw a sign the other day that said something along the lines of: “I don’t know where you came from, but I’m glad you’re my neighbor.” ‘Glad’ means happy, delighted. It is more than simply neutral, it’s a positive thing; in this case it would be that: “it’s good (for me) that you’re my […]

Living in UFR-Land

I don’t do these hybrid tales very well. I used to think these “inside baseball” accounts were useful excursions for those who can mostly ignore the daily follies of the central government, but it occurs to me that it is not quite worth the time. I do have to remark at this juncture that things […]