Well, sort of. We thought we might run out of money this coming Friday at midnight, leaving us dry for the holiday. Panic was setting in, both at the HQ at Big Pink and virtual until DeMille reminded us the whole thing was imaginary, since if they shut down the printing presses in that building across the River there was still going to be plenty even if the Continuing Resolution runs out.

So, Splash has been seeing a new crowd upstairs at the 151 Havana Lounge where he gets away from the Conference Room at Socotra House. They claim they are visiting from New Jersey or something, just here temporarily, and Ambassador Ork says that once things settle down everything is going to be fine.

Unless those things in the sky make it shut down, which isn’t his problem. In fact, it makes him squeeze his brows together, and look up at the sky. The Boomers have been doing that, too.

Melissa has learned how to flip the Boomer perspective and experience into something useful. Today was a good day, since with Ambassador Ork, she solved the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAP) problem right here on the Patio.

She closed up her notebook after speaking to the Ambassador who has a busy day after his discussions with Secretary Mayorkas here in town and stops at Betelgeuse and Sirius to clear up some of the presentation issues with the center belt of Orion’s constellation. He is sensitive about it .

We are staying here to try to keep track of the re-authorization of the 2018 FAA Act coming up for review. It was another of those mini-monsters to govern the conduct of all sorts of things up in the air, and was overshadowed by the possibility we would just shut the whole thing down. Now, we can pay some attention.

Which is part of Melissa’s solution. She talked to Vapor, who had (at one point) been NAVAIR’s rep to the Congressional Liaison staff in the Pentagon. It was long enough ago that he only smiles when they talk about the new F-35 program and was sitting on the Patio with Kristina, who was unloading her backpack after returning from the 40th annual Jingle Bell Run for the Arthritis over at West Post, which used to be called Pentagon Row. The event is just a set of short running events for kids and adults with nothing longer in distance than 5K, so just fun.

She had walked over to the Orange Line, took the train over to the Pentagon and soaked up the fun while cutting off at the turn-around to continue back to HQ. After a croissant, brie and some caffeine, it was her intention to get back on the bike trail to Seven Corners and eventually back to her dorm at George Mason.

“It’s a jurisdictional issue,” Melissa said firmly. “I saw the Secretary of Homeland Security on the flatscreen yesterday and he radiating good will about thousands of unidentified things flying around US air space with no explanation of who is operating them or for what purpose.”

That is what got things rolling, since Socotra House has a lot of aviation and aviation-related activity, and the current confusion is troubling. We don’t recall the air space of North America being open to a whole spectrum of uncoordinated activity. We find the prim assurance that there is “no threat to public safety” a little surreal.

Melissa shook her long tawny hair back from the comfortable cashmere she liked in rich colors. She wore silver to externally show her view of the week. She put her device down on the conference table and pointed down at the glowing screen to tell us to look at our own devices.

“It’s all in the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R.8610)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8610
that will solve everything by renewing and reforming current counter-UAS legal authorities. The bill would extend existing DHS and DoJ counter-UAS authorities through the start of Fiscal ’29. Unless there is a CR.”

H.R.8610 – 118th Congress (2023-2024): Counter-UAS Authority Security, S…

Summary of H.R.8610 – 118th Congress (2023-2024): Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act

There was some laughter around the table inside loud enough that it attracted attention on the Patio. Splash put down his cigarillo and came in to slump in one of the rolling chairs. “So, what is going on now? More activity in Syria?”

Melissa shook her head and cocked a shoulder. “No, we have a situation that requires a response like what we remember from alert centers filled with excited Air Force Junior Officers shouting, waving their hands and launching jets and aircraft to defend us. ”

Rocket nodded solemnly. “With consultation with Ambassador Ork, we have done the only right thing. We are taking responsibility for UAPs away from DHS when no one noticed the four airliners flying into things a while back. We are turning it over to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.”

There was palpable relief at the table. Waiting in line for the right language to become available should sort things out nicely for response to an unknown and possibly global threat by turning it over to the DMV in Richmond.”

Vic said that will have to wait until after next weekend. “Secretary Mayorkas said he was in close coordination with close coordination with state and local authorities, so apparently it will be OK at least until then,” The Scavenger Hunt out at S even Corners sounded more fun, and Ireland’s four Corners is out that way, so it is entirely possible that is where some of the rest of the afternoon is going to go.

But we will try to keep it sort of low-level, you know?

Copyright 2024 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com