I Give Thanks to the Readers

Thank you to all the readers of this newsletter. To show my appreciation, it is now free to all.

I am very grateful that you take a few minutes out of your busy week to read this newsletter. As you can see, I am still developing its focus, tempo and style. I am trying to make fewer typos. I would like to be more regular in my writings. I appreciate your putting up with me in this process.

One thing I am certain of is that I want this newsletter to be free. So I am turning off the payment system today. That means that all of you who have generously signed up as paid subscribers will no longer have to pay. If you made an annual subscription, you should get a refund for the remaining months since you signed up.

I never intended to charge for the newsletter. But the good folks at Substack who asked me to write here, encouraged me to link the newsletter to Stripe, the payment system that funnels money from your bank account to mine. I was very surprised at how many of you signed up as paid subscribers. But now, I have figured out how to turn off the Stripe system (and those prompts to become a paid subscriber). Even better, I figured out how to send the money from my bank account back to yours.

I strongly support the Substack model. It allows journalists, investigators, columnists and, well, just about anybody, to make a living doing what they love. Writers should be paid for their work.

But I don’t need to be. I have been fortunate in my career to do well while doing good. My wife and I have saved enough to live comfortably. I would like to write what I want, when I want. Substack allows me to do that…as long as you continue to find value in it. I don’t need to be paid. The pleasure of writing and satisfaction of knowing that you are reading is all the payment I desire.

So, thank you very much. I intend to write quite a bit over the next few weeks about the Middle East, Ukraine, US national security policy and nuclear policy. I hope you continue to follow this newsletter and share it with others you think might enjoy it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

— Joe