Well, here is a week that I have difficulty in understanding. I mean, I might have seen something like the hearing yesterday, but if so, I can’t remember it. We appear to be on the verge of something that is so vast that it (almost) defies my comprehension. I read a note from a progressive […]

(Dr. Fauci is honored by President Bush for his role in locking down SARS) Since everything is political in these last three months before the election, it is interesting to look back at this remarkable year. It is equally interesting that simply remarking on this tumultuous six months is fraught with controversy. It is a […]

We have all been spending a lot of time at home, and judging from the amount of notes in the email string, we are spending too much time in cyberspace. I am not going to launch into another satyric account of our current national disorganization. It is fun to watch and quite spectacular. Since I […]

(Judge Bork, in the old days) I enjoyed our recent dance through the current campaign to overthrow the Government of the United States. It has been great fun to see the drama unfold, and to follow the plays and players in the drama. It took me a while to get in synch with the operational […]

This has been great- a year that will stand forever as a triumph of what uncontrolled money and fervent ideology can do to the most prosperous society our species has produced. I have to stand in honor of the strategy that has brought us to this amazing time in America. I speak as a one-time […]

I am a lucky man with a lot of good friends. I have pals who have experienced all sorts of amazing things. Some common, though still extraordinary. Miracles, really, like the creation and bearing of children. Relationships that worked extraordinarily well, and a testament to the human experience. And relationships that did not work, another […]

Socotra in Print Gentle Readers, I wrote a Socotra this morning, but went a little more hysterical than I chose to be these days. At least in public. If you care for that, it is posted at http://www.vicsocotra.com under the title “The Election.” I would rather highlight the good news that some crazy people have […]

I was going to call this “midway,” since it is just halfway through this summer of stress and lunacy, and it seems like a good nautical term to mark this point on the calendar. I was about to type the words when I realized a lot of acquaintances and occasional readers might think I was […]

(Former Representative John Lewis, RIP) John Lewis passed from this earth last night. He has been a part of my conscious life for a long time, and a man I admire even if he is no longer with us in being. With Dr. King, one of my heroes, Lewis was one of the “Big Six” […]

Thought you’d escaped, eh? I found the rest of Great Grandfather’s notes of his tour of Europe for April, 1903. I would inflict them on you this morning, but no chance, Buckaroos. The world that existed in the early days of a new century are interesting, as we all know from experiencing our lurch into […]