It has been another one of those weeks- this dizzying pace of events sweeps all before it. The House Intelligence Panel issued a memorandum claiming to line out exactly what was provided to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to justify a secret warrant to monitor the communications of Mr. Carter Page, who had left his […]

Copyright 2018 Vic Socotra www.vicsocotra.com

Heck of a week So, the guys who are going to rip out my 1964 vintage kitchen were here this morning and some of it is gone, leaving gaping scars on the wall-board. Maybe it will be OK. I have been all over NOVA trying to figure out how this mass of stuff gets resolved- […]

Japan-gazer Update — January 26, 2018 平成30年1月26日 = (30th Year of HEISEI Era, 1st Month, 26th Day) – – – – – = This week’s poem: Some Wisdom If, for what you strive, Is so distant and far, Across a life’s desert, Like an unreachable star, Then don’t walk, take a car… { From my […]

Editor’s Note: This is not an intelligence passing, but it is one that represents something extraordinary in American history. The pressures of the war demonstrated the ability of women to perform in many formerly all-male industries. Rosie and her sisters changed everything about how our society worked. It is worth some reflection on just how […]

(Elizabeth Jane Cochran, from Pittsburgh). Thursday is what passes for my biggest business day of the week, and to my mild surprise, I got through it again. Then I ran a couple errands that had been nagging since the weekend, and took myself off the clock sometime after three. I unloaded the groceries and bundled […]

I had a case of the flu or something that came on hard just as we thought we had a deal on the Budget. As it turned out, there was some petulance expressed on both sides about promises made and ignored. There was bluster and a member of the President’s party on the floor of […]

Here is the second part of the story about my experiences in dealing with the Russians, this time the return trip in 1995. In the true sense of contrasting the difference between two cities, Part One was more centered on Moscow; the highlights of Part Two center more on St. Petersburg. In that regard, allow […]

Editor’s Note: We lurch into the second day of the Federal Government Shutdown. Days ago, we wondered if anyone would notice if the Feds were not working. It suddenly comes to a dramatic revelation: the Commonwealth of Virginia maintains it historic blue laws on the commercial sale of bonded spirits on Sundays.Naturally, this does not […]

What If A North Korean Missile Hit Something In or Around Japan? Editor’s Note: I got a call on Saturday from Honolulu from my son saying it might be his last call, since missiles were inbound. It brought back memories of the calls from the jets and the towers on 9/11. Hard stuff. – Vic […]