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Well, part of this Daily is now a pristine segment of the Past, as demonstrated in the chart above. We were suitably tense about it, since this is not a thing called ‘TENNIS,’ but one we clll ‘LIFE.’ Our Congress, that body of esteemed solons, managed to come to a budget agreement before midnight last night. Accordingly, Democracy in America has been saved! That had been another matter of higher than usual anxiety, since many- most, actually- of the people who live on both sides of the broad brown river to our East are either working for our Government or serving those who do.
There is a slight problem, of course, which is both ‘PAST’ and “FUTURE,” Both of them a little tense. The Federal Budget passed yesterday is only good for 20 days, and is also only a partial budget good until March 22nd. The muted coverage of the bold legislative initiqtive relfects the official press release, which is that all the 12 regular Appropriations bills will be debated, amended and passed to the President for signature in a rational and concerned manner, only six months into a year that has been running since last October.
Splash looked blankly around the circle and asked if there were still a dozen months in the annual total, or whether Congress was going to pass an amended calendar to fix things.
We were following that (and other) matters with interest through the day. Section Leader DeMille noticed we were a little edgy- even tense- as the clear blue heavens filled with fluffy gray skies that became angrier in color through the afternoon. This morning, Democracy may have been saved, but it appears the sun is passing us by. You all look a little tense. Relax!
We dunnno about you, but we may have watched too much reality TV this week. Splash had rigged the smaller of the big screens on a shopping cart with an extension cord and wireless connection to the FIOS box inside.
Apparently they wrapped something yesterday. We are former government officials of one sort or another and confess we are bewildered. None of this would have been permitted in our time, and corruption must have existed, but all concerned were encouraged to report even the appearance of inappropriate behavior. And when discovered, it was usually followed by some sort of punishment.
The laws about that are harsh, since the Framers of the Republic took this all.a little more seriously than we do these days. Now, it is much more common for malefactors to look wistfully into the video cameras in everyone’s hands and announce that they really need to spend more time with their families, if the shackles do not keep them on whatever side of the Potomac their office is on.
We have to insert the mandated disclaimer here on counsel from the Socotra House Legal Team: “Opinions expressed by independent contract scribblers do not necessarily reflect corporate positions so don’t try to drag us into expensive, time-consuming court proceedings.” We sent a note back to Legal, saying that we had already moved far beyond partisan opinions.
Of course, there are still Salts in the Section who hold on to their traditional party affiliations, mostly out of an inability to find anyone, left or right, who is making any sense. A growing segment of the Writer’s Section has taken a relaxed, unstressed approach and abandoned them both, declaring ourselves “Independent” in orientation.
That means we are not obligated to answer any of the torrent of email solicitations from the two big parties. We intend to wait to see what the system will deliver in terms of candidates this Fall. We are generally opposed to everything sliding down The Hill at the moment, which suggests something profound in terms of change is well underway. We will wait to see who the Primary elections deliver as the least damaging alternatives to our past (and future) ways of life.
Splash and Rocket were talking about that in the context of their business segments. Their views do not reflect the rest of our aggregation, but we listen to them with a certain caution in case our simple proximity is confused with potential threats. There are a bunch of those these days, some of which are outre in nature nd unfamiliar. we re not familiarand Section Leader DeMille us. If that is misconstrued, some may be compelled to use the “I don’t recall” defense in sworn testimony two or three hundred times in a single sworn appearance.
Which is the point Splash kept yammering about. He threw a cigarette butt over the brickwork toward the asphalt of the parking lot. He has established his folding chair as a makeshift defensive position. The crime thing, even in Arlington, is causing some general anxiety. The surge in offenses against people and privacy has us all concerned. How did we get in this mess?
Our pals at PBS ran a fascinating documentary on the magical year of 1964. As a group we remember it. Seeing the B&W images brought back the turmoil of those times in a visceral way. JFK, LBJ and Goldwater? Civil Rights? The Fab Four? We had riots in that decade all over. They say some of them, like Detroit, might recover one of these days if the Canadian refugees stop being so many Newcomers up there.
The events of yesterday naturally inform our now. But if you add the digital mass communications we join you in marveling at the change. It could make you tense if you thought about it. We now- all of us- have the equivalent of the whole Library of Congress and Paramount pictures in our purses or pockets. We are fully prepared for the unknown!
So many things have been yanked abruptly from old slow ways to high-speed new ones that confound our old parchment-based legal process. The collision is palpable: the legal carnival being played out now should suffice to remind us we are no longer in a “partisan” discussion. This is not about the future election. That result appears to have been determined long ago by who? The Wilson Administration?
Whoever it was, they were clever people untrammeled by any loyalty to tradition.
Watching the show about 1964 was a jolt. We watched LBJ sign a bill into Law that began the destruction of the family structure in a now significant portion of our population. We hear about the “Second Civil War” as something coming in the future. We realize this morning it already happened.
But Past or Future, we suspect it is not going to be a pretty process in getting to wherever it is we are going.
Copyright 2024 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com