So, here we are in a world at war. At least one in Europe, with the tangible thought that the Chinese may be studying the lessons of Ukraine with an eye to Taiwan, and some sort of incomprehensible accommodation to the Iranian Mullahs in a desperate effort that will shave a few pennies from the cost of oil and provide them with an atomic capability.

Some of the thoughts on pivot points in world affairs stirred up the local crowd yesterday, with the street address on the County farm road provided to some pals who may need to flee the capital should one of the several unpleasant possibilities come to pass. We feel the name of the place- “Refuge Farm”- may be appropriate, and should it be necessary, we will need help with gardening and hunting should it come to that.

So that is a Wednesday in the country. Arrias sparked some controversy in his commentary on a divided Ukraine earlier in the week. For a crowd of old warriors, an unpleasant division of a sovereign state might be an unpalatable solution along the lines of the Armistice in Korea that has lingered the better part of a century. At least no artillery has been fired across the DMZ in a while, and the ROK has thrived even as the DPRK remains in darkness.

Such a solution lacks much support in our nation, and a Europe with an uneasy EU and NATO coexistence lacks it as well. And yet the old nuclear saber-rattling of years past is alive again, rattling anew. The feeling down here is that Putin is the problem, and he must go. But it cannot be with our fingers, lest a nuclear ‘demonstration’ turn into a global exchange of the fires of Hell.

So, there is Wednesday. Where from here? The Writer’s Section has no answers, except peace is preferred. Should it go in a different direction, we need to stock up on a few things. Splash suggested a modest distilling capability for our equestrian property is a good start.

Melissa reminded him that “seeds” and a horse-drawn plow might be good as well. DeMille just frowned. He has had to make complex machines work in times of stress. Those complex engines rely on a network of others, each required to accommodate the needs of others, all in an elegant ballet of interaction. When a single one of them fails, there can be dramatic consequences. In his professional experience, sometimes they don’t work at all.

The Writer’s Section is hoping for peace, and also remembering the title of Gordon Sullivan’s famous War College text: “Hope Is Not a Method.”

Copyright 2022 Vic Socotra
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