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Vic Socotra

Year: 2017

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November 5, 2017 Vic Socotra

Arrias: A Great Society?

Begin with two assumptions: 1) American society today is more liberal today than it was 75 years ago, and 2) that shift, which in some sense paralleled LBJ’s Great Society, stems from a deliberate effort to change society – ostensibly better. So, has society changed for the better? The thought occurred to me as I […]

November 4, 2017 Vic Socotra

Table of Contents

Just when we thought we had got the last of of the 2016 election scraped off our shoes, some other craziness comes up. Latest is the excerpt from former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee Donna Brazile’s new book that looks a lot like someone is being thrown under the wheels of the Scoopy […]

November 3, 2017 Vic Socotra

Order of the Rising Sun

By now, most reliable readers of the Daily Socotra have become acquainted with the writings of some other authors who write about things that matter. My small effort to ensure they are seen beyond their normal circles was prompted by a digital crisis experienced by Marlow a few years ago. He was attacked in cyber […]

November 2, 2017 Vic Socotra

Senators

(Senator Sam Nunn, D-GA) As you may have gathered, things are a little bit nuts here today. While dealing with the aftermath of a particularly savage terror attack in Manhattan’s Lower West Side, the GOP is going to roll out their tax reform program that will only add $1.5 Trillion to the national debt. No […]

November 1, 2017 Vic Socotra

Post Card from the Swamp #21

It has been a lovely few days here in the Swamp. Late Friday we got word from unbiased CNN that Special Prosecutor Bob Mueller was going to roll out some indictments against someone he has been investigating. No specific name, of course, since the anonymous leaker didn’t want to do something inappropriate. I thought it […]

October 31, 2017 Vic Socotra

A Coastie Responds to Arrias

(The lead ship of the Zumwalt class Guided missile destroyers, a death star that is light on the death part of the equation). Our pal Arrias stirred up some controversy in his essay “Lattes for Peace” over the weekend. The retired Naval community can actually say what they think, rather than cower at the feet […]

October 30, 2017 Vic Socotra

Cocktails With The Admiral

It was a great weekend for sports- if you ignored the kneeling thing, and Major League Baseball provided some amazing class in the Dodgers-Astors World Series. I didn’t pay much attention to football it was pelting chill rain here- except the poor bedraggled Deadskins- since I decided to get serious about completing a project I […]

October 29, 2017 Vic Socotra

Life & Island Times: Peace Train ’17

Jimmah Carter — 93 years old, tanned, rested, bags packed, new passport in hand and ready to head to Pyongyang. By the way, Rosalin thinks the Russians stole the election from Hillary, while Jimmah does not. (Image courtesy of Dustin Chambers of the NYT) Endless third-rate presidential political campaigning, growing need for better access to […]

October 29, 2017 Vic Socotra

Arrias on Politics: Lattes for Peace

Last week, the acting Under Secretary of the Navy suggested the nation’s fleet wouldn’t reach its target of 355 ships until after 2050, more than 30 years from now. Since our ships (except aircraft carriers) are designed to last about 35 years, that means, with the exception of just three aircraft carriers, all those ships […]