Thank you, Mo...that really means a lot. The fact that people choose to pass this along...is what makes any of it matter. I’m deeply grateful for that...and for YOU.
Joan...thank YOU. Seeing you frame it as "leadership" is a BIG deal to me. The responsibility I feel...to lead effectively and responsibly...is serious business. I don't read that as just a random comment.
Thank you each for being on here tonight! I’m trying to catch up after a long, busy day, and it means so much to read your comments.
I also appreciate seeing how concise ideas can be expressed after I have similar feelings or thoughts and have taken the long way around to express them!
I’ve been following you for years.. Twitter…Instagram… Threads… BlueSky and here. I stayed on Twitter/X for much longer than many did. Why? You were there and I needed your insight. I only logged on for a few minutes a day to check your posts and a couple of others and to repost to try to help you spread awareness. You were being throttled back. I also reposted many of your posts to Threads and then BlueSky. Many who had left were grateful I did. But here? This is different. I’m gone from Twitter/X now but follow you on Threads but this is where I NEED to be. I’ve learned so much from you and from this community of subscribers. The numbers are impressive and they should be. On my darkest days you bring clarity and truth. We all need that, especially on days like today.
Congratulations to you as well!
#HOLDFAST
~Susan
PS. I really want to run some thoughts by you on the Venezuela situation but I’m reluctant to do it here just yet. I’m seeing some new information remembering some past events and I guess, trying to connect the dots to see if any of them make sense. I would really love your feedback. I know you must get a zillion messages a day so I wondered what would be the best way to share some thoughts and see if I’m just way off base on all or some of them. Best way to contact you? or do you even have time? Thanks!
Susan, thank you for this. I don’t take lightly the time...effort...or care...you’ve put into carrying the work across platforms...especially when it felt like fewer and fewer people were willing to do that. That MATTERED... more than you know.
And...you put your finger on something important: this space is different. It’s slower, steadier...and built for clarity when things feel darkest.
I’m really glad this is where YOU feel you need to be...and I’m grateful for what you bring to the community as well. I really am, Susan.
As for Venezuela...you’re not off base to pause and think it through carefully. The best way to share thoughts like that is to leave them here when you’re ready...or to condense them into a focused question. I do read far more than I can always respond to immediately...but...I do my very best to make sure I prioritize...and get back quickly to paid subscribers.
You can message me via private messaging here...it should land both in my DMs and in my personal email. If you don’t hear back within 24 hours...feel free to shake my tree hard with a public comment like, “Jack...you awake?” or something similar.
I will see it..and I WILL get back to you.
And...thoughtful pattern-spotting like you’re describing...is exactly what this space is for.
Jack, thank you for sharing ways that we help make a difference. If only everybody would read and understand the truth, it would help so much. I see evidence by some, very few comments in some places that truth only sets up a ridge, a highly arched, gigantic porcupine back, if I had to describe the mental image it gives me. In such cases, I did not have the ability to explain or to reach a person. I am very sorry for anyone who does not realize the truth and who talks about other aspects that are not the problem, yet throws out blame. It would be a gift if such a person could understand.
Your descriptions help, especially when you show the numbers of exposure and explain reactions! This article means so much! It helps so much! When I think I have very little opportunity to share. or I am told that a person already has their own sources of information, I feel that my commenting mainly helps me, and I am thankful if anything helps anyone else in a discussion. We can widen the scope for each other or provide confirmation or a different perspective at times. When you mention the numbers of exposures to readers, I feel relieved because stacking is reaching more people who will reach more people!
Thank you for all you do that adds up to the opportunity to help spread your wonderful ideas and explanations! We all care!
Thank you for this, JP...I FEEL the care and the frustration in it. I damn sure do.
You’re right...truth doesn’t always open minds. Sometimes (far too often) it hardens them. That’s not a failure on your part.
What does matter...is exactly what YOU named...widening the scope where possible... offering clarity...and knowing that reach compounds even when we can’t see it directly.
That’s why the numbers matter to me too...they’re proof the stacking works...quietly...over time.
I’m grateful you’re here...and I share that sense of hold fast. It counts...more than it feels like in the moment.
Just know this: whatever strength you see here...was born from weakness.
I was one of those kids all through school (K–12) who never quite got the explanations teachers gave...that seemed to land instantly for everyone else. I struggled. A lot.
Over time, through a long...and sometimes frustrating process of learning how I learn...how people absorb things...what sticks...what doesn’t, I got good at spotting patterns. At learning sideways.
And...eventually...at helping others understand things...that once confused me.
When I was younger...I wanted badly to be one of the “whiz kids” I went to school with. I was pissed that I wasn’t.
Now, I’m grateful it turned out the way it did. I don’t think I’d be here...doing this work... without having gone through that journey...first.
Jack thank you for sharing and explaining your especially admirably developed skill of “learning sideways”! It takes a special talent to do that and to pick up on or to apply patterns. Because you can and do see and study patterns, your sharing helps a lot of us!
Right brain vs. left brain learning comes to mind. (That statement was not intended as a pun, but in proofreading, it just struck me funny.) Some people who seemingly are not catching on to a concept or situation are simply having a debate with themselves as they use each side of the brain to analyze the topic at hand. Comprehension is based on. background experiences, and it can take time to process ideas. Sometimes the private reflection a person is making is mistaken as lack of comprehension. Examples and culminating experiences make such a helpful difference, along with opportunities to apply the learning later in life, or to learn by doing and grasping a deeper understanding along the way, or by sharing the experience to anchor the idea. You have anchored so much and expanded beautifully. I expect that any teacher you ever had is especially proud of you and the wise, caring, and helpful adult you have become.
Life is more than grades. Everyone has some skill and possibly an area where they have little skill, comparatively. Those categories can change as we grow older and have new experiences, certainly.
Learning is retroactive, and thank goodness it is! I know of people who struggled in early years yet became especially successful in various fine ways. When I think of something I used to misunderstand or overlook altogether, I have tried to help other people understand much sooner than I did. It is a joy to see the light come on and to share the experience!
Your learning is commendable, Jack, and it far exceeds the depths many people achieve or ever apply. Now you use it to make such a difference for so many people. What a gift, and again, thank you!
Thank you ! Jack 💕That is good perspective setting
Sometimes it feels like nothing is going to ever be right again. ( I wrote another comment, but when someone enters it disappears.). I'll keep them shorter.🌼🦋🌼
NK, you’re welcome...and I’m glad it helped. That feeling you describe is very real...and you’re NOT alone in it.
Things don’t snap back all at once. They settle...slowly...unevenly...and perspective is part of how we get through that stretch. I’m really glad YOU'RE here!
Thank you for delving deeply, analyzing knowledgeably, and writing clearly about what matters. And yes, the...drive me...crazy....but your explanation makes sense, and I'd kinda sorta figured it out anyway. A few people going quietly insane over syntax is fair trade for reaching more people. I'm culling publications because the fire hose no longer serves me but JHN stays. Again, thank you.
Christine, thank YOU...that really means a lot. I don’t take that kind of trust lightly.
And yes… I know the syntax can drive a few people quietly insane. That tradeoff wasn’t accidental...and I’m glad the reasoning landed the way you’d already suspected. If it helps the work reach farther without losing its spine...it’s worth it.
I’m genuinely honored JHN STAYS...as you’re culling the fire hose. Thank you for sticking with it...and with me. That's NOT something I just read...and then brush off. It is not.
Wow, I did not realize your numbers were that good. Noticed you changed your avatar, I guess the apparently numerous complaints about the cig sort of compelled the move, but tbh it’s why I found and followed you. Well, anyway, congrats. ❤️
And yeah, the avatar change wasn’t about erasing the edge...so much as evolving the signal. We’ll see how it goes. It’s a test as much as anything.
If the cigarette is quietly limiting how far the work can travel...I want to know. And...if a “smokeless” version can welcome people who might otherwise bounce...while still resonating with no-BS readers like you...then the change probably sticks.
If it doesn’t actually change anything...I may go back at some point. Truth is...I’ve always liked the cig version. It was tongue-in-cheek...a little mischievous...and had that playful contradiction of signaling something I’ve never actually done in real life. (I’m easily entertained.)
JHN trivia: that image started as a silly Facebook app years ago. I messed around with it one day...and it sat quietly in my phone for a couple of years with the rest of my photos.
When I started my X account (2018)...and later...the JHN newsletter...I used it without much thought.
By the time JHN came along...the X account was already north of 280K followers...and the image had… accidentally become a brand. People saw it and instantly knew...that’s Jack. So it made sense to carry it over.
I hear you, though. That original image...definitely found its people...and I don’t forget that.
Grateful you’re here, Randy Eisenberg. And...thanks for the kind words.
Thank you Jack - I’ve contacted my House Rep & both senators multiple times in the past 4-months thanks to your articles! I’ve quoted you countless times to my family & friends. THANK YOU.
James, I just said, "YES!" as I read your comment. That's good work. It looks like you and I...are a great team! I think I speak for many people...when I say, thank you, James. You care enough to act. That...from enough people...is what sees us through this thing. And...you're welcome.
Thank you, Jack. You have become a touchstone for me particularly when I am struggling with feelings o of inadequacy. You remind me that every action though small is a step forward to making democracy thrive. You make it easy for this old lady to #HOLDFAST.
Jack, so grateful to have your expert input and be part of this community! REVenezuela - the pushback is broadly consistent: (1) Maduro is bad, (2) but THIS action violates US & International law, (3) and is clearly a "wag the dog" attempt to deflect from Epstein files (and the power of Jack Smith's recent testimony!) and (4) also clearly an oil-grab that green-lights Russian and Chinese military actions.
But no one that I've heard or read is talking about how this "war-like" action can now be used by Trump to justify sending THE US MILITARY (not the National Guard) into cities by spuriously claiming authority under the war-powers act. It's so transparent that they are going to use this argument in the coming weeks. We should be calling them on it now in a widely pre-emptive "WE SEE THROUGH YOU" discussion that blankets the airwaves. Is this a ground-fire you could ignite and cause to spread?
Stephanie Nugent, this is a sharp catch...and you’re right...that it’s largely missing from mainstream discussion.
The shift from foreign action to domestic authority justification...is EXACTLY how these moves tend to metastasize..and having been the Senior Hospital Corpsman (Navy) on an oncology floor many years ago..."metastasize," is not a word I use recklessly.
You’re also right about timing: once that framing is normalized...pushback gets much harder. Calling it out EARLY...is often the only way to blunt it.
I’m actively thinking about how to surface this pre-emptively...in a way that’s grounded and hard to wave off.
Really appreciate you flagging this so clearly, Stephanie; this is the kind of pattern-spotting...that matters!
I have been here since jump. It is the first "following" tab I go to when logging on Substack. Jack gets to the point...and makes me think rationally and clearly so that I am armed with information.
Michelle, that truly means a great deal. You’ve been here for over two years now..wow.
That kind of continuity is NOT something I take lightly.
Knowing you’ve been here that long...genuinely fuels me to keep showing up and doing this work for years to come. I’m honored. Thank you for being here!
That’s an incredible # of people reading you Jack!
Congratulations. They wouldn’t be passing your info on, if it wasn’t so absolutely spot on.
What a difference you have made. Thank you 🙏
Thank you, Mo...that really means a lot. The fact that people choose to pass this along...is what makes any of it matter. I’m deeply grateful for that...and for YOU.
-Jack
Thank you Mo Robinson, I agree 100% with you. Thank you Jack for your leadership 👏
Joan...thank YOU. Seeing you frame it as "leadership" is a BIG deal to me. The responsibility I feel...to lead effectively and responsibly...is serious business. I don't read that as just a random comment.
Thank you.
-Jack
Ditto 🥳
Thank you each for being on here tonight! I’m trying to catch up after a long, busy day, and it means so much to read your comments.
I also appreciate seeing how concise ideas can be expressed after I have similar feelings or thoughts and have taken the long way around to express them!
#HOLDFAST!
Almost every article you create - goes over to a shared Political board of 19 people on Pinterest/ 514 Followers. And I
Also forward them to a friend.
Wow. Thank you, Lillian...truly. That kind of quiet sharing matters more than most people realize.
It’s exactly how this work travels beyond bubbles...and KEEPS finding new eyes.
I’m really grateful YOU do that...and I do NOT take it for granted for a second.
-Jack
I’ve been following you for years.. Twitter…Instagram… Threads… BlueSky and here. I stayed on Twitter/X for much longer than many did. Why? You were there and I needed your insight. I only logged on for a few minutes a day to check your posts and a couple of others and to repost to try to help you spread awareness. You were being throttled back. I also reposted many of your posts to Threads and then BlueSky. Many who had left were grateful I did. But here? This is different. I’m gone from Twitter/X now but follow you on Threads but this is where I NEED to be. I’ve learned so much from you and from this community of subscribers. The numbers are impressive and they should be. On my darkest days you bring clarity and truth. We all need that, especially on days like today.
Congratulations to you as well!
#HOLDFAST
~Susan
PS. I really want to run some thoughts by you on the Venezuela situation but I’m reluctant to do it here just yet. I’m seeing some new information remembering some past events and I guess, trying to connect the dots to see if any of them make sense. I would really love your feedback. I know you must get a zillion messages a day so I wondered what would be the best way to share some thoughts and see if I’m just way off base on all or some of them. Best way to contact you? or do you even have time? Thanks!
Susan, thank you for this. I don’t take lightly the time...effort...or care...you’ve put into carrying the work across platforms...especially when it felt like fewer and fewer people were willing to do that. That MATTERED... more than you know.
And...you put your finger on something important: this space is different. It’s slower, steadier...and built for clarity when things feel darkest.
I’m really glad this is where YOU feel you need to be...and I’m grateful for what you bring to the community as well. I really am, Susan.
As for Venezuela...you’re not off base to pause and think it through carefully. The best way to share thoughts like that is to leave them here when you’re ready...or to condense them into a focused question. I do read far more than I can always respond to immediately...but...I do my very best to make sure I prioritize...and get back quickly to paid subscribers.
You can message me via private messaging here...it should land both in my DMs and in my personal email. If you don’t hear back within 24 hours...feel free to shake my tree hard with a public comment like, “Jack...you awake?” or something similar.
I will see it..and I WILL get back to you.
And...thoughtful pattern-spotting like you’re describing...is exactly what this space is for.
Thank you for being here...and for holding fast.
-Jack
Thank you Jack and I’ll do what you suggested if it still feels relevant.
You can leave a message in Chat and he will reply if possible.
Now why didn’t I think of that? 🤔 Thank you! 😊
Jack, thank you for sharing ways that we help make a difference. If only everybody would read and understand the truth, it would help so much. I see evidence by some, very few comments in some places that truth only sets up a ridge, a highly arched, gigantic porcupine back, if I had to describe the mental image it gives me. In such cases, I did not have the ability to explain or to reach a person. I am very sorry for anyone who does not realize the truth and who talks about other aspects that are not the problem, yet throws out blame. It would be a gift if such a person could understand.
Your descriptions help, especially when you show the numbers of exposure and explain reactions! This article means so much! It helps so much! When I think I have very little opportunity to share. or I am told that a person already has their own sources of information, I feel that my commenting mainly helps me, and I am thankful if anything helps anyone else in a discussion. We can widen the scope for each other or provide confirmation or a different perspective at times. When you mention the numbers of exposures to readers, I feel relieved because stacking is reaching more people who will reach more people!
Thank you for all you do that adds up to the opportunity to help spread your wonderful ideas and explanations! We all care!
#Holdfast!
Thank you for this, JP...I FEEL the care and the frustration in it. I damn sure do.
You’re right...truth doesn’t always open minds. Sometimes (far too often) it hardens them. That’s not a failure on your part.
What does matter...is exactly what YOU named...widening the scope where possible... offering clarity...and knowing that reach compounds even when we can’t see it directly.
That’s why the numbers matter to me too...they’re proof the stacking works...quietly...over time.
I’m grateful you’re here...and I share that sense of hold fast. It counts...more than it feels like in the moment.
Just know this: whatever strength you see here...was born from weakness.
I was one of those kids all through school (K–12) who never quite got the explanations teachers gave...that seemed to land instantly for everyone else. I struggled. A lot.
Over time, through a long...and sometimes frustrating process of learning how I learn...how people absorb things...what sticks...what doesn’t, I got good at spotting patterns. At learning sideways.
And...eventually...at helping others understand things...that once confused me.
When I was younger...I wanted badly to be one of the “whiz kids” I went to school with. I was pissed that I wasn’t.
Now, I’m grateful it turned out the way it did. I don’t think I’d be here...doing this work... without having gone through that journey...first.
Once again, JP ...thank you.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Jack thank you for sharing and explaining your especially admirably developed skill of “learning sideways”! It takes a special talent to do that and to pick up on or to apply patterns. Because you can and do see and study patterns, your sharing helps a lot of us!
Right brain vs. left brain learning comes to mind. (That statement was not intended as a pun, but in proofreading, it just struck me funny.) Some people who seemingly are not catching on to a concept or situation are simply having a debate with themselves as they use each side of the brain to analyze the topic at hand. Comprehension is based on. background experiences, and it can take time to process ideas. Sometimes the private reflection a person is making is mistaken as lack of comprehension. Examples and culminating experiences make such a helpful difference, along with opportunities to apply the learning later in life, or to learn by doing and grasping a deeper understanding along the way, or by sharing the experience to anchor the idea. You have anchored so much and expanded beautifully. I expect that any teacher you ever had is especially proud of you and the wise, caring, and helpful adult you have become.
Life is more than grades. Everyone has some skill and possibly an area where they have little skill, comparatively. Those categories can change as we grow older and have new experiences, certainly.
Learning is retroactive, and thank goodness it is! I know of people who struggled in early years yet became especially successful in various fine ways. When I think of something I used to misunderstand or overlook altogether, I have tried to help other people understand much sooner than I did. It is a joy to see the light come on and to share the experience!
Your learning is commendable, Jack, and it far exceeds the depths many people achieve or ever apply. Now you use it to make such a difference for so many people. What a gift, and again, thank you!
Thank you ! Jack 💕That is good perspective setting
Sometimes it feels like nothing is going to ever be right again. ( I wrote another comment, but when someone enters it disappears.). I'll keep them shorter.🌼🦋🌼
🗽🇺🇲🇺🇦 #Holdingfast
NK, you’re welcome...and I’m glad it helped. That feeling you describe is very real...and you’re NOT alone in it.
Things don’t snap back all at once. They settle...slowly...unevenly...and perspective is part of how we get through that stretch. I’m really glad YOU'RE here!
#Holdingfast...indeed.
-Jack
Good morning, and dayum!!!
#HoldFast
Good...well...now...afternoon lol. Cherae Stone...I'm always happy to see your name and face pop up. I am.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Well, thank you.
Day = made
Thank you for delving deeply, analyzing knowledgeably, and writing clearly about what matters. And yes, the...drive me...crazy....but your explanation makes sense, and I'd kinda sorta figured it out anyway. A few people going quietly insane over syntax is fair trade for reaching more people. I'm culling publications because the fire hose no longer serves me but JHN stays. Again, thank you.
Christine, thank YOU...that really means a lot. I don’t take that kind of trust lightly.
And yes… I know the syntax can drive a few people quietly insane. That tradeoff wasn’t accidental...and I’m glad the reasoning landed the way you’d already suspected. If it helps the work reach farther without losing its spine...it’s worth it.
I’m genuinely honored JHN STAYS...as you’re culling the fire hose. Thank you for sticking with it...and with me. That's NOT something I just read...and then brush off. It is not.
-Jack
Wow, I did not realize your numbers were that good. Noticed you changed your avatar, I guess the apparently numerous complaints about the cig sort of compelled the move, but tbh it’s why I found and followed you. Well, anyway, congrats. ❤️
Randy...thank you. I really appreciate that.
And yeah, the avatar change wasn’t about erasing the edge...so much as evolving the signal. We’ll see how it goes. It’s a test as much as anything.
If the cigarette is quietly limiting how far the work can travel...I want to know. And...if a “smokeless” version can welcome people who might otherwise bounce...while still resonating with no-BS readers like you...then the change probably sticks.
If it doesn’t actually change anything...I may go back at some point. Truth is...I’ve always liked the cig version. It was tongue-in-cheek...a little mischievous...and had that playful contradiction of signaling something I’ve never actually done in real life. (I’m easily entertained.)
JHN trivia: that image started as a silly Facebook app years ago. I messed around with it one day...and it sat quietly in my phone for a couple of years with the rest of my photos.
When I started my X account (2018)...and later...the JHN newsletter...I used it without much thought.
By the time JHN came along...the X account was already north of 280K followers...and the image had… accidentally become a brand. People saw it and instantly knew...that’s Jack. So it made sense to carry it over.
I hear you, though. That original image...definitely found its people...and I don’t forget that.
Grateful you’re here, Randy Eisenberg. And...thanks for the kind words.
-Jack
Thank you, Jack! You help give clarity to the sh#$ that is evolving. We're protesting at noon today on Main Street!! Thank you, thank you! #Holdfast
Vicky...thank YOU. "Protesting at noon today on Main Street!!" The smile that just brought to my face is one that doesn't surface easily. Outstanding.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Thank you Jack - I’ve contacted my House Rep & both senators multiple times in the past 4-months thanks to your articles! I’ve quoted you countless times to my family & friends. THANK YOU.
James, I just said, "YES!" as I read your comment. That's good work. It looks like you and I...are a great team! I think I speak for many people...when I say, thank you, James. You care enough to act. That...from enough people...is what sees us through this thing. And...you're welcome.
-Jack
Those numbers are outta the PARK, man!! Impressive.
Thank you, Jack. You have become a touchstone for me particularly when I am struggling with feelings o of inadequacy. You remind me that every action though small is a step forward to making democracy thrive. You make it easy for this old lady to #HOLDFAST.
Deborah, thank you for trusting me with that. It truly means more than I can say.
Feelings of inadequacy can be heavy...especially when the problems feel so large...but you’re right about one thing: small, steady actions do matter.
They always have. Democracy has never been sustained by grand gestures alone...but by people who refuse to let go, even quietly.
I’m honored to be a touchstone for you...and...I’m grateful you’re here. You make it easier for all of us to #HOLDFAST!
-Jack
Jack, so grateful to have your expert input and be part of this community! REVenezuela - the pushback is broadly consistent: (1) Maduro is bad, (2) but THIS action violates US & International law, (3) and is clearly a "wag the dog" attempt to deflect from Epstein files (and the power of Jack Smith's recent testimony!) and (4) also clearly an oil-grab that green-lights Russian and Chinese military actions.
But no one that I've heard or read is talking about how this "war-like" action can now be used by Trump to justify sending THE US MILITARY (not the National Guard) into cities by spuriously claiming authority under the war-powers act. It's so transparent that they are going to use this argument in the coming weeks. We should be calling them on it now in a widely pre-emptive "WE SEE THROUGH YOU" discussion that blankets the airwaves. Is this a ground-fire you could ignite and cause to spread?
Stephanie Nugent, this is a sharp catch...and you’re right...that it’s largely missing from mainstream discussion.
The shift from foreign action to domestic authority justification...is EXACTLY how these moves tend to metastasize..and having been the Senior Hospital Corpsman (Navy) on an oncology floor many years ago..."metastasize," is not a word I use recklessly.
You’re also right about timing: once that framing is normalized...pushback gets much harder. Calling it out EARLY...is often the only way to blunt it.
I’m actively thinking about how to surface this pre-emptively...in a way that’s grounded and hard to wave off.
Really appreciate you flagging this so clearly, Stephanie; this is the kind of pattern-spotting...that matters!
-Jack
I have been here since jump. It is the first "following" tab I go to when logging on Substack. Jack gets to the point...and makes me think rationally and clearly so that I am armed with information.
Michelle, that truly means a great deal. You’ve been here for over two years now..wow.
That kind of continuity is NOT something I take lightly.
Knowing you’ve been here that long...genuinely fuels me to keep showing up and doing this work for years to come. I’m honored. Thank you for being here!
-Jack
Look forward to every article you post. Thank you
Thank you, Mary Lockhart. Thank YOU for being here.
-Jack