Author: Vic Socotra

Nine Eleven

(The way things used to be. Photo Wikipedia) The usual suspects are pretty wound up this morning. We have been back and forth about the President’s Speech last night, the media coverage of it, the Million Muslim March that is supposed to happen later this afternoon on Pennsylvania Avenue, and the successful recall of the […]

Ad Hoc

It has been a wild week here in Washington as our elected fools return to determine the Fate of the West, or at least the fate of the Administration. It has been high drama throughout the legislative break as we have lurched from coalition to unilateral action by the Commander-in-Chief, to a sudden reversal to […]

Long Time Coming

It is almost the anniversary of the day that changed American life, and not for the better. I will be busy that day, so I took the opportunity to visit my shipmates who were murdered by the Saudi jihadis at the Pentagon. The groundskeepers were watering the 9/11 memorial and the graves adjacent to them, […]

Big Casino

(The defaced Great Seal of the United States at the gate to the former US Embassy in Tehran. Photo Wikipedia). I have been all over the map this morning with the usual suspects. There’s all kinds of interesting stuff going on. The number one thing was the result of the Big Game in The Big […]

The Land of OZ

Nope. Not going to do job numbers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics can put the rosiest smile on things, but the fact remains that more people left the work force than got new jobs, and those that did get work got it part-time. I am not going to deal with the G20 conference in St. […]

Breaking Point

Mr. C.J. Box can write a hell of a western yarn. When I was stuck in bed for a couple months last year, I read the whole series of his mysteries featuring Wyoming Game Warden, Joe Pickett. Pickett is an awesome character. He is human and frail, and he gets mad and sad by turns, […]

Buzzing Refuge Farm

(Secretary of State Kerry explains to the Senate how a pencil works yesterday. Photo AP) It is not that I don’t have enough weighing on my mind- I mean, did you see how Secretary Kerry looked yesterday? This has not been a great week for anyone. I could not dwell overlong on the prospect of […]

The Devil You Know

(Secretary of State John Kerry.) I had to look away from the train wreck in the Middle East yesterday and appreciate the bizarre, subtle and ultimately sort of comforting antics of the North Koreans. The current basketball diplomacy with goofy Dennis Rodman, following immediately on the heels of a stern rejection of a visit by […]

Encore Performance

(NBA Hall of-Famer Dennis Rodman (right) and the Outstanding Leader (far left). The translator in the back is the same one who helped me when I lunched with the DRPK’s General Secretary years ago. Job Security. Photo KCNA via Reuters). Well, put away the white shoes. Summer is over. The pool is shuttered today; Milos […]

EastMed OPINTEL

OK- sorry. I am a little distracted this morning. As you know, I have been sort of agitated of late. Change of circumstance and all that- new digs, new situation, pool closing, LTJG Socotra getting ready to ship out for the Fleet. There is a feeling of change in the air, the seasons doing their […]