I confess to being in a mild state of alert shock- I was barely over the Hurricane Hysteria.

But what an interesting week. I was going to try to salvage something witty and acerbic out of the loss of 50% of Saudi Arabia’s oil export capability, the uncertainty about the loss of what amounts to 5% of global capacity.

And the Supreme Court thing and presidential tax records and the candidates of a major party are threatening Fundamental Change for this somewhat tattered but still vigorous Republic. Not that anyone asked, but I think we are doing pretty well. I am sure someone will send me a news alert if that changes.

I am not going to address the smaller and more sordid aspects of Supreme Court politics. This has become rule by character assassination, and I have no idea why anyone would endure this trial-by-reputation and guilty-until-proven-innocent inversion of what used to be our justice system.

But of course that is not at all what this is about. I am a fan of the indomitable spirt of the Notorious RBG, and long may she wave. But this is about Constitutional hardball and the power of three theoretically co-equal branches of government. We have moaned about several crises in my working life, but I think we are looking at the wild ride of a life around the political merry-go-round.

That will all work itself out, or not, but the balance of power on the High Court, depending on personal health issues, is not the wolf nearest the sled.

Like a lot of folks who went through previous oil disruptions, I am not interested in another one, though thank goodness I am driving less than I used to. I had an agent out this morning to check for lines or panic at the local filling stations. So far, doing fine, though that was true in Detroit in the summer of 1967. Dad still made us cycle all the cars through the gas station in case unexpected travel requirements arose.

That occurs to me with the current triangulation of events in the Middle East. We knew the Israelis were steaming to hit the Mullahs over the nuclear issues that Iran is issuing as their last chip to play. The previous Administration announced that no re-supply of US munitions would be forthcoming to protect the negotiations with Tehran.

Did the Iranians provide the rockets, drones and technicians to assist the Houthis rebels of Yemen and seriously disrupt oil distributions in the formerly largest oil exporter? Make their own oil more valuable, hoping it will beat social collapse due to American sanctions on Tehran.

Saudis and Israelis united against the Shia foe? Sunnis have been scuffling with their co-religionists for 1,300 years. Seems like it could be serious or something.

Like the Iranian shoot-down of the US drone, I thought the situation might provoke reaction. The powers that be seem to be taking a slow response, including dragging the UN to the scene of the crime and pointing an international finger at Tehran, who will of course say they had nothing to do with it. I was with USS Midway when the US Embassy was seized, and sometimes I forget what decade in which some outrage occurred. Frankly, they are getting a little tiresome for my tastes.

I guess the next step is finding out just how angry our good friends the Saudis really are.

Copyright 2019 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com