Author: Vic Socotra

Arrias: As Long As It Takes

15 years or so ago Robert Redford made a movie – Lions for Lambs – which attempted to ask some hard questions about the War onTerror. It received mixed reviews, wasn’t seen by a lot of folks, and arguably missed the mark – the difficult mark – of entertaining while getting people to think about […]

When the Front Comes Though

You may have noticed that the summer of this strange year has reached a peak. We are about to cast aside the warmth of July and trade it for the Dog Days of August. Congress is going on break, and the dearth of news that is actually new has left us to swelter with endless […]

It’s a Girl!

As faithful readers well know, we are careful here in the Writer’s Section to attune ourselves to the fickle winds of social change. It is a challenging world out there these days, and all participants must be protected. Accordingly, we ran this brief announcement through the Socotra House Legal Section to ensure our rigorous compliance […]

Gazing Fore and Aft

The Chief of Something Or Other at the United Nations told us to get ready for something really scary from the skies: “It is,” he said in precise but heavily accented English, “Global Boiling.” Apparently the report that alarmed him indicated the triple-digit temperatures we have experienced lately is the warmest in history. He was […]

Arrias and His Muse: Dismal Swamp Summer

Author’s Note: My Muse reminds me, amidst all the frenetic handwringing – it’s summer in the Dismal Swamp, which means it’s hot and wet… – Arrias Dismal Swamp Summer The air is warm, thick and wet, In a soggy blanket all is cloaked, Just a minute outside the door And my shirt is completely soaked. […]

Slowly, Then All At Once

This is going to be a short edition of The Daily that started out about one thing and wound up being about something else altogether. We were going to comment on an article by a fellow named Joshua Emery that appeared in the Naval Institute’s Proceedings magazine. It was about career development for technical specialists […]

Symphony For Whom?

We were startled this morning with some good news. As you know, we inflict the weekly Weather Report on the gentle readership to nudge us forward in a changing world. It is an intent to capture the swirling global events in a non-partisan fashion so we are aware not so much of what is happening […]

A Morning of Portents

We struggled to find something a little up-and-offbeat this morning, and Mick Jagger’s 80th hit the mood and the message. The reality is something a bit different. Or at least a little more convoluted. We all have ridden the shifting tides of our national interest. Most of us are now a generation out from those […]

Heck No!

If you skimmed the morning traffic yesterday with the semi-lethargy that accompanies most Mondays, you may have confused one of the agendas of change with another. It is a regular occurrence these days. Everyone on The Patio wishes success to the newly nominated Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Franchetti. There is some controversy about her […]

Smoking Hot

President Biden has nominated Adm. Lisa Franchetti, current Vice Chief of Naval Operations, to be the next Chief. If it happens, she will be the first woman to serve in that role, along with the seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That is supposed to set up a conflict in the Senate about confirmation, […]