You can imagine the blank looks around the picnic table at the morning Production Meeting. The Debate is tonight, and a modicum of suspense wafted from the steaming mugs of Chock Full O’ Nuts. There had been two topics under discussion. The “Debate” thing has been a matter of some extended duration since the surprising announcement that the two incumbents were going to talk on the same stage.

What followed was not a discussion of the issues confronting the major world power’s apparent decline, nor the security or well-being of its people. It was about something else, like who was going to set the stage, and who would ask the questions. And what those questions would be. There was little comment about the extraordinary messaging that the individual with the busiest job in the world would take a full week at the secluded Camp David surrounded by more than a dozen experts- the ones who helped produce our current maelstrom of malaise.

If this was tomorrow, we could talk about results. But on this morning, our Section Leader told us to set the stage as we can decrypt it, and invite all to watch. The results of medical science, extensive preparation by the moderators and physiology of two somewhat elderly fellows may determine the fate of what we knew as our world.

There were some sighs. We had seen one of the messaging streams beginning to discuss alternative strategies in case this do not go well this evening. Other streams were filled with a tentative optimism that they might be permitted to resume power. Strange stuff, and we will know much more about it tomorrow.

Which is what we thought about the Court. The culmination of the SCOTUS Decision Season was supposed to happen yesterday on a watershed legal day when the last, and most significant ones of this season were to be announced. Only one was formally released: Murthy v. Missouri was a case regarding the role of government agencies like the FBI and DHS to collude with social media companies to restrict postings they viewed as mis-and-dis information.

There were squeals about it, since it was a limited verdict that did not address the alleged issue at stake, which was whether “emergency” declarations by the government could surpass First Amendment protects traditionally afforded the old print press.

There had been some animated discussion about that, and why the Court had ducked the real issue at stake.

Then came second legal surprise in a day filled with others. Moyle v. United States was a case challenging the State of Idaho’s near-total abortion ban, passed after the Court made itself the central player in the social wars by overturning Roe v. Wade. Reports are that the Moyle decision was accidentally uploaded to the court’s website and quickly removed. We have no way to know if that is true, since a caution was quickly issued about the “error,” and the fact that it was premature and might not actually be a final decision.

Like the Social Media decision, this one showed a reluctance to engage on the basic issues at the heart of the suits. Instead, the rulings relied on ephemeral concepts like “the standing” of the parties involved, and whether they had a right to bring them. It was like the hearings about previous election matters, not decided on facts but other factors.

Vic laughed. “It looks like self defense by the Chief Justice. The decision on social media leaves open the ability of a new administration to use the tools being disputed by the old one. The decision on Moyle takes the Court out of hte same sort of blinding light they invited with their last two forays into regulating human reproduction and a woman’s right to choose.”

There was some general nodding, some up and down and some left and right. Rocket grimaced under his pencil-thing mustache. “It looks like a matter of self defense for the court, regardless of what you think about it. They would like to have a few sessions in the future to sort things out. And the little chat tomight may have a direct impact on that.”

DeMille smiled and took a sip from his mug. “We will have talk about that after the chat tonight.”

Splash gave a chortle. “Only with alcohol instead of caffeine.”

“Or both,” said Vic, lighting up a Marlboro.

Copyright 2024 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com