I was briefly stunned into waking consciousness by a news blast yesterday afternoon. I know, I had almost dozed off in peace, but sadly that is how we get our news these days. I was reviewing some of the more amazing claims about the recent election- you may have heard them- that involved alleged casualties in a firefight between the CIA and US Army Special Forces. I have seen budget wars involving some of these players, but usually the weapons were checked at the door.

There are other seemingly plausible explanations for the casualties, placing the soldiers in an unrelated helicopter crash in the Sinai desert, and the CIA operative killed in a tragic but not unprecedented incident in Somalia.

You can imagine that caught my attention, but since everything I know these days is based on narratives spun by people with something to gain, I have to insist on something factual before endorsing wild stories. This far, I have nothing to back up the stories, pro or con. I confess I was distracted by the sworn testimony from the USPS truck driver who claims he drove a couple hundred thousand ballots across state lines.

I thought the Attorney General might have heard about that, and it was interesting and briefly compelling enough to keep me awake. At least it did until Mr. Barr announced that the Department he heads (at the moment) had no evidence of massive vote fraud. As presented, it appeared he was directly taking on the current President’s legal claims, but of course there was more to that particular puzzle.

It took several minutes to get something more about what he actually said. The first part was the key omission of the two words “as yet” about the evidence part, and that he had appointed Mr. Durham as a Special Counsel, a position that will carry over for some amount of time into the Biden Administration. Sort of like Mr. Mueller served just a few years ago.

I barely made it to dinner. This week, and the coverage about it, is making up in repressed hysteria for the somewhat muted holiday just past. The dominant tales of the news cycle now appear to be devoted to wild tales preceding the selection of the Electoral College, and that body’s vote on who would be crazy enough to want to be elected President.

There will be more, I am sure. It will be at high volume, and there will be plenty to go around. The facts will be stretched to fit the narrative we prefer. Over it all fits the continuing story of the COVID Crisis, which forced the electric blackouts in California just when the turkeys were in the oven. Or the unfortunate cancellation of Christmas. But perhaps cooler heads will prevail. You never can tell. There are many more stories on the way to that.

Life is good at the farm. Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here!

Copyright 2020 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com