Asking For a Friend ... Nah, Me

I'd be honored if you'd support my column

I have been a professional journalist and writer and a historian and scholar for neatly half a century, and have been writing on Substack for exactly half a year. I’ve been gratified by the hundreds of you who have signed up to read my columns, and even more by the often very intelligent comments and questions you give me.

I try daily to shed some light on what’s going on in these extremely depressing times for democracy and decency in government, and wherever possible provide a little hope. Along with a bit of knowledge, I like to think I provide a little useful perspective. I have traveled widely, and have reported from countries which no longer exist, including the Soviet Union, and have done a few things no one will ever do again, such as cover a convention of World War I veterans.

(Me, a decade and a half ago. The gray now is near-universal)

This is important and very useful work, I believe, and I am honored by those of you who have become paying subscribers. I think the suggested price for what I provide is quite modest — $5 a month or $50 a year — and especially appreciate those of you who have become founding members at $150. I also recognize that not everyone can afford to pay. That’s why I offer virtually all my copy (an old word for content) free.

But I do need more revenue to keep doing this, and I would humbly ask those of you who can and appreciate my work to become paying subscribers. I intend to soon begin sharing some different work, profiles and just good stories, with paying customers only.

In any case, however, thanks for reading me, and thanks for following and supporting me, in some cases for decades.

I would be very honored if you kept doing so, and hope earnestly that we can all stick together and get through this madness, and then begin to build something new and better.

Jack