I pay for perspective, something that is laking in many independent journalist sites. I can get new anywhere, but your take on the stories and the recognition of the patterns that are taking place makes you perspective invaluable to me. I read every newsletter though not always on the day they are sent. I search for anything I can add or, sometimes, take issue with and comment accordingly. Kept perspective coming. It keeps me grounded.
Steven...this means a lot, and I don't take it lightly.
You've put your finger on the thing I most want to get right: news is a commodity now...it's everywhere, it's free, it's instant... so the only thing worth charging for is the part a feed can't give you. The pattern. The "here's why this connects to that." If I ever stop earning that...you should STOP paying.
And the part where you go looking for what to add or push back on? That's not a small thing. That's the difference between an audience and a readership!
The disagreements SHARPEN the work MORE than the agreement does...so...when you take issue...take issue LOUDLY.
I'd rather be corrected by someone paying close attention...than praised by someone skimming.
Read them whenever they reach you.
The perspective will keep coming. Glad it keeps you grounded...you do the same for this.
I have found myself unsubscribing to some newsletters and scrolling passed many because I want the clarity you provide. I have grown in perspective and analysis without becoming frantic or giving up. Thank you for providing the thoughtful and articles that help me stay in the game.
That's the whole goal, and it's harder than it sounds.
The frantic take and the give-up shrug are actually the same move: both are ways of checking out. Panic burns you out...despair lets you off the hook.
Staying clear-eyed and still engaged is the difficult middle path...and the fact that you've grown into it says more about you than about anything I've written.
That you trimmed the noise...to make room for this is a real compliment...and I'll treat it like one...by not wasting the space.
I am glad I found your substack. There are only 4 or 5 that I follow and will be dropping I started reading but found they were more entertainment that factual info I could use. I trust those who are not just spewing grievances about what is going on. I also follow a couple of people that have prior military and are doing trips to Ukraine to get the real truth about Ukraine ..Ken Harbaugh and Jacob Karasbo. Each of you has given a great education about your specific areas.
High compliment, Teri...and you're making exactly the right distinction.
There's a whole economy built on KEEPING people angry...because grievance pays.
BUT... anger you can't use just burns you out. Trimming your list down to the people offering something you can actually DO something with...means you're reading like a citizen...not a consumer.
The Ukrainian reporters are the same instinct...people who go to the thing...beat people narrating it from a studio. That's why Pelley's worth trusting too: he was IN the room.
I am deeply grateful for the content of your newsletters. I appreciate the straightforward no BS approach, the clarity, & the useful information. I’m on a fixed income. I’m selective in who I subscribe to. Your newsletters are the best. Thank you for all you do for us. 🩷
As always you nailed it. When I thought about subscribing to your newsletter I found that you present things in an entirely different way than other newsletters. I appreciate Jeff Tiedrich, he is hilarious and the Meidas Network is amazing with their on the ground reporting. Your letter provides a different clarity that touches on human emotion and it helps me get through this
And...I like that you read widely...because it means you're choosing this on PURPOSE...not by default.
Tiedrich's fury is cathartic...the Meidas crews do the legwork most won't...those serve a real need.
What you're describing as the difference...is something I've been trying to do without quite naming it: facts tell you what happened...but they don't tell you how to carry it.
The emotional throughline isn't decoration...it's the part that keeps the information from just becoming more weight on your chest.
If that's landing for you...then it's working the way I hoped.
Get through the bullshit. That's the assignment for ALL of us right now...and you're doing it with your eyes OPEN.
Jack, I saw value in your tweets and content way back on Twitter when there was no newsletter. I stayed there far longer than most I know because of that. I took a fair amount of heat for it but I knew why I was there. I wouldn’t do anything differently. I have since left. Inauguration Day was a bridge too far for me but I followed you on Threads and anywhere else you were and then finally to SubStack.
Every word you said is true. I know where to find news and I support independent media. I find facts there but I need more. I need perspective.. I need to stay grounded.. I need to stay sane. These things and more are why I became a paid subscriber. Also, to support your important work. I find so much value and even peace in knowing I have you and this community to turn to.
Thank you, Jack. I’ll always be grateful to have found you early in this and that you made the decision to create your SubStack and this community. I don’t think I’d be handling all this very well without it.
Susan...you've been here since before there was a "here"...and I haven't forgotten it.
Following someone across Twitter...then Threads...then anywhere else...and taking heat for it along the way...isn't loyalty to a writer. It's clarity about your own reasons...and you said it yourself: you KNEW why you were there. That kind of steadiness is rarer than ANY newsletter.
I want to be honest about one thing, though...because I'd be doing you a disservice otherwise. I'm glad...truly...that this space helps you stay grounded and sane. But...I'd never want to be the load-bearing wall.
Perspective from a writer should be one of the things keeping you steady...alongside people you can touch...rest...and a life off the screen. You sound like someone who has those instincts ALREADY...I just want to say it out loud...because you matter BEYOND your value as a reader.
The community you keep pointing to is real...and...you helped build it by showing up...the way you do.
Thank you for being here from the early days, and for trusting this work with something as serious as your peace of mind.
That degree in psychology is really paying off for all of us now. I don’t imagine even he knew just how much his education and experience would mean at the time. I’m just grateful for it and for his passion and willingness to share his wisdom with us.
Thank you from Australia. Although we are not so immersed in the chaos of an authoritarian regime here and now, the foul tendrils of Trumpism are starting to infect our politics (example: One Nation). I read your posts daily and consequently feel more clarity for what may yet come. Very appreciated.
Jack, it feels to me like you are creating a foundation for people…. One that can and does serve as the basis from which to look at all the rest. You’re teaching us pattern recognition and some high level thinking.
There is SO much out there as you have stated and unless someone wants to treat it like a full time job, it’s hard to get to all of it, let alone make sense of much of it. About a year ago, I signed up for a bunch of substacks…. all freebies until I could figure out which were just yammering (noise), which were trustworthy, which were merely interesting, etc. Now I’m in the process of winnowing (my inbox is ridiculous).
So yes…. I do believe people are to the point where they want good info that helps them understand, see and process. Best I can tell, there are a lot of people that really do love democracy and are desperately doing their best to figure out just what the heck. The old world (pre-covid) is gone, not coming back. The new one hasn’t quite emerged yet and here we are stuck in the middle. You are providing an invaluable service and I hope you continue to have new subscribers daily! I always look forward to your emails. I always learn something.
I stumbled on this newsletter by accident last year. I was reading as just a follower for awhile. I really felt (and still do) that this newsletter gets to the core of the most important issues we're facing. You do it in a way that focuses not only on facts, but where the issue sits on an emotional level as well. That's something I don't see in many of the other newsletters here on Substack. I'm convinced that I made the right decision to be a paid subscriber. Thank you, Jack, for bringing so much value to the Substack community.
The reason why I continue to be a paid subscriber is because I have found that on numerous occasions I have gotten clarity, support and a sense of community that I (Old Lady) from drive me crazy red North Dakota needs. I find time after time what I need to weather whatever is going on in the world and what will show up in my own life. I thank you for perspective and articles that navigate the times we are living through. I am grateful that I found your substack and all that it encompasses. Thank You Jack!
I'm here because there is no TV news network providing anything but disgusting platitudes and ass-kissing to the administration. I can see very well on my own the pseudo-info they're trying to spoon-feed me, thankyouverymuch; what I'm looking for here is the synthesis of information you share with your readers. I appreciate your razor-sharp POV which often emerges as a result of that synthesis--it's sometimes different from my own but more often than not it's the "AHA moment" I have often been needing to put it all together in my own head. You're a master of (correct, accurate) dot connecting. I look forward to that with every post.
Now, I could be wrong (I *was* wrong once--when I thought I was wrong but I wasn't) but I see you writing from a position of respect toward your readers. No down talk, no gotcha stuff. Instead you're assuming enough critical thinking skills on the part of your readers that you provide solid information *from a viewpoint* and figure they'll put it together in the best ways possible for themselves. That's a unique challenge; you have a gift for it.
I read way too much these days and you help me know when to kind of slow that roll enough to get some meaning from what's happening.
I pay for perspective, something that is laking in many independent journalist sites. I can get new anywhere, but your take on the stories and the recognition of the patterns that are taking place makes you perspective invaluable to me. I read every newsletter though not always on the day they are sent. I search for anything I can add or, sometimes, take issue with and comment accordingly. Kept perspective coming. It keeps me grounded.
Steven...this means a lot, and I don't take it lightly.
You've put your finger on the thing I most want to get right: news is a commodity now...it's everywhere, it's free, it's instant... so the only thing worth charging for is the part a feed can't give you. The pattern. The "here's why this connects to that." If I ever stop earning that...you should STOP paying.
And the part where you go looking for what to add or push back on? That's not a small thing. That's the difference between an audience and a readership!
The disagreements SHARPEN the work MORE than the agreement does...so...when you take issue...take issue LOUDLY.
I'd rather be corrected by someone paying close attention...than praised by someone skimming.
Read them whenever they reach you.
The perspective will keep coming. Glad it keeps you grounded...you do the same for this.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Thank you for the feedback. It means a lot. Let's keep this going, truthful and unafraid!
I have found myself unsubscribing to some newsletters and scrolling passed many because I want the clarity you provide. I have grown in perspective and analysis without becoming frantic or giving up. Thank you for providing the thoughtful and articles that help me stay in the game.
BG..."In the game" is exactly it!
That's the whole goal, and it's harder than it sounds.
The frantic take and the give-up shrug are actually the same move: both are ways of checking out. Panic burns you out...despair lets you off the hook.
Staying clear-eyed and still engaged is the difficult middle path...and the fact that you've grown into it says more about you than about anything I've written.
That you trimmed the noise...to make room for this is a real compliment...and I'll treat it like one...by not wasting the space.
Thank you for staying in it with me.
#HoldFast
-Jack
I am glad I found your substack. There are only 4 or 5 that I follow and will be dropping I started reading but found they were more entertainment that factual info I could use. I trust those who are not just spewing grievances about what is going on. I also follow a couple of people that have prior military and are doing trips to Ukraine to get the real truth about Ukraine ..Ken Harbaugh and Jacob Karasbo. Each of you has given a great education about your specific areas.
#HOLDFAST
Teri
High compliment, Teri...and you're making exactly the right distinction.
There's a whole economy built on KEEPING people angry...because grievance pays.
BUT... anger you can't use just burns you out. Trimming your list down to the people offering something you can actually DO something with...means you're reading like a citizen...not a consumer.
The Ukrainian reporters are the same instinct...people who go to the thing...beat people narrating it from a studio. That's why Pelley's worth trusting too: he was IN the room.
Grateful you found your way here.
#HoldFast
-Jack
I am deeply grateful for the content of your newsletters. I appreciate the straightforward no BS approach, the clarity, & the useful information. I’m on a fixed income. I’m selective in who I subscribe to. Your newsletters are the best. Thank you for all you do for us. 🩷
Lori...this means a great deal...and coming from someone on a fixed income...it lands even harder...because...it means you didn't subscribe casually.
You WEIGHED IT. The best way I know to honor that...is to keep the bar exactly where you put it: clear...useful...no BS...worth the cost.
Thank you for trusting me with part of a budget that doesn't have much room in it. I won't waste it.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Thanks Jack. You're an oasis in this dessert.
Gary...Thank you...that's a generous thing to say, and it lands.
Though I'd argue you're not wandering the desert so much as helping keep the oasis stocked.
Readers who think hard and show up...are what make this worth doing.
Grateful you're here.
#HoldFast
-Jack
As always you nailed it. When I thought about subscribing to your newsletter I found that you present things in an entirely different way than other newsletters. I appreciate Jeff Tiedrich, he is hilarious and the Meidas Network is amazing with their on the ground reporting. Your letter provides a different clarity that touches on human emotion and it helps me get through this
bulls _ _ t. Thank you.
Anna...thank you.
And...I like that you read widely...because it means you're choosing this on PURPOSE...not by default.
Tiedrich's fury is cathartic...the Meidas crews do the legwork most won't...those serve a real need.
What you're describing as the difference...is something I've been trying to do without quite naming it: facts tell you what happened...but they don't tell you how to carry it.
The emotional throughline isn't decoration...it's the part that keeps the information from just becoming more weight on your chest.
If that's landing for you...then it's working the way I hoped.
Get through the bullshit. That's the assignment for ALL of us right now...and you're doing it with your eyes OPEN.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Jack, I saw value in your tweets and content way back on Twitter when there was no newsletter. I stayed there far longer than most I know because of that. I took a fair amount of heat for it but I knew why I was there. I wouldn’t do anything differently. I have since left. Inauguration Day was a bridge too far for me but I followed you on Threads and anywhere else you were and then finally to SubStack.
Every word you said is true. I know where to find news and I support independent media. I find facts there but I need more. I need perspective.. I need to stay grounded.. I need to stay sane. These things and more are why I became a paid subscriber. Also, to support your important work. I find so much value and even peace in knowing I have you and this community to turn to.
Thank you, Jack. I’ll always be grateful to have found you early in this and that you made the decision to create your SubStack and this community. I don’t think I’d be handling all this very well without it.
#Holdfast
~Susan
Susan...you've been here since before there was a "here"...and I haven't forgotten it.
Following someone across Twitter...then Threads...then anywhere else...and taking heat for it along the way...isn't loyalty to a writer. It's clarity about your own reasons...and you said it yourself: you KNEW why you were there. That kind of steadiness is rarer than ANY newsletter.
I want to be honest about one thing, though...because I'd be doing you a disservice otherwise. I'm glad...truly...that this space helps you stay grounded and sane. But...I'd never want to be the load-bearing wall.
Perspective from a writer should be one of the things keeping you steady...alongside people you can touch...rest...and a life off the screen. You sound like someone who has those instincts ALREADY...I just want to say it out loud...because you matter BEYOND your value as a reader.
The community you keep pointing to is real...and...you helped build it by showing up...the way you do.
Thank you for being here from the early days, and for trusting this work with something as serious as your peace of mind.
I don't take that lightly.
#HoldFast
-Jack
I agree Susan! He’s like a great therapist!
That degree in psychology is really paying off for all of us now. I don’t imagine even he knew just how much his education and experience would mean at the time. I’m just grateful for it and for his passion and willingness to share his wisdom with us.
I appreciate that, Susan.:)
-Jack
Me too!
Thank you, Elizabeth.:)
-Jack
Thank you from Australia. Although we are not so immersed in the chaos of an authoritarian regime here and now, the foul tendrils of Trumpism are starting to infect our politics (example: One Nation). I read your posts daily and consequently feel more clarity for what may yet come. Very appreciated.
Boy, you knocked that one right out of the park! Clarity! Thank you.
#HoldFast
If push comes to shove (and this year, boy is the shove getting harder) I'll stick with you. Hate dropping the others but ya gotta do what ya gotta do
Jack, it feels to me like you are creating a foundation for people…. One that can and does serve as the basis from which to look at all the rest. You’re teaching us pattern recognition and some high level thinking.
There is SO much out there as you have stated and unless someone wants to treat it like a full time job, it’s hard to get to all of it, let alone make sense of much of it. About a year ago, I signed up for a bunch of substacks…. all freebies until I could figure out which were just yammering (noise), which were trustworthy, which were merely interesting, etc. Now I’m in the process of winnowing (my inbox is ridiculous).
So yes…. I do believe people are to the point where they want good info that helps them understand, see and process. Best I can tell, there are a lot of people that really do love democracy and are desperately doing their best to figure out just what the heck. The old world (pre-covid) is gone, not coming back. The new one hasn’t quite emerged yet and here we are stuck in the middle. You are providing an invaluable service and I hope you continue to have new subscribers daily! I always look forward to your emails. I always learn something.
Thank you for all you do, Jack!
I stumbled on this newsletter by accident last year. I was reading as just a follower for awhile. I really felt (and still do) that this newsletter gets to the core of the most important issues we're facing. You do it in a way that focuses not only on facts, but where the issue sits on an emotional level as well. That's something I don't see in many of the other newsletters here on Substack. I'm convinced that I made the right decision to be a paid subscriber. Thank you, Jack, for bringing so much value to the Substack community.
If I ever have to narrow it to one subscription, I’ll
plant my li’l size 6s firmly in this community. I know quality and value when I see and feel it.
For all the reasons stated above and in your writing and interactions I’m here and intend to stay.
Thank you for everything, Jack.
#HoldFast
The reason why I continue to be a paid subscriber is because I have found that on numerous occasions I have gotten clarity, support and a sense of community that I (Old Lady) from drive me crazy red North Dakota needs. I find time after time what I need to weather whatever is going on in the world and what will show up in my own life. I thank you for perspective and articles that navigate the times we are living through. I am grateful that I found your substack and all that it encompasses. Thank You Jack!
You’re doing great Jack. I couldn’t imagine my life without this subscription, a true necessity and life-saver. Thank you!!
I'm here because there is no TV news network providing anything but disgusting platitudes and ass-kissing to the administration. I can see very well on my own the pseudo-info they're trying to spoon-feed me, thankyouverymuch; what I'm looking for here is the synthesis of information you share with your readers. I appreciate your razor-sharp POV which often emerges as a result of that synthesis--it's sometimes different from my own but more often than not it's the "AHA moment" I have often been needing to put it all together in my own head. You're a master of (correct, accurate) dot connecting. I look forward to that with every post.
Now, I could be wrong (I *was* wrong once--when I thought I was wrong but I wasn't) but I see you writing from a position of respect toward your readers. No down talk, no gotcha stuff. Instead you're assuming enough critical thinking skills on the part of your readers that you provide solid information *from a viewpoint* and figure they'll put it together in the best ways possible for themselves. That's a unique challenge; you have a gift for it.
I read way too much these days and you help me know when to kind of slow that roll enough to get some meaning from what's happening.