"Disappointed" Reader Cancels Subscription

I get letters...

A reader writes:

“I became a fan a couple of years ago, because of your open-mindedness. Subsequently, I’ve recommended you to numerous friends. However, I am so disappointed that your writing has become so divisive. I expected more...

I’ve been a Tucker Carlson fan for many years, and your attacks against him are shortsighted and mean. He’s a truth seeker like you, and I will always respect his courage to push against President Trump because he broke his promise and launched an unnecessary war with Iran. (Which the U.S. is losing.)

I am canceling my subscription, but hope to rejoin if/when your eyes are opened, because of the truth you saw, like they were several years ago.”

I always knew that criticizing Tucker or even Candace or even Megyn or anyone else in the MAGA world would mean I took a hit. I’ve probably lost more over Israel than I lost over posting Tucker’s videos for as long as I did. I never thought I’d be in the middle of this kind of war.

I call my site “Free Thinking” because of the way my mind works. Most of what I write is attacks against the Left, and that’s perfectly fine with this reader, even if it would never be described as “open-minded” by anyone on the Left.

The truth is that this reader disagrees with my disagreeing with blaming Israel for the war in Iran, for Trump’s decision to bomb Iran, etc. Tucker also believes, by the way, that Israel killed Charlie Kirk, as Candace Owens also believes. If you think calling that out is an attack against them, I don’t know what to tell you. There is a right and a wrong here, and they are on the wrong side.

I do not think Tucker is a truth seeker. I think he is forever looking for someone to blame. I think he is living an unfulfilled life, and what drives him is bitterness toward someone or something. What that something becomes changes. But it is always the thing oppressing him somehow - a guy who has everything.

I can’t understand the pathological hatred of Israel. I was never particularly supportive of Zionism or anything like that. You can’t find many pieces I’ve ever posted about the subject. It has somehow become the most important thing to many on the Left and the Right, and it happened all of a sudden.

Faced with this, I had a choice. I could remain silent, knowing what I was seeing was wrong (at least to me), or risk losing subscribers, even income. I guess I would not be in the mess I’m in now if staying silent were something I could do. I’m not good at it, and that gets me into trouble, especially when I’m on the side of an unpopular issue.

I don’t agree that Trump’s bombing of Iran was a betrayal of his supporters because I’ve watched all of Trump’s speeches, and he’s always said he would not allow Iran to gain a nuke and that he would have them in check. If the USA is losing the war, that’s because Trump is trying to appease people like this reader here and Tucker. But going to war halfway doesn’t work.

So if there was a mistake here, it was assuming there wouldn’t have to be a regime change once the war began. Playing nice with monsters who are akin to Nazis isn’t going to cut it.

He didn’t want or promise a forever war with boots on the ground, and as of now, that’s not happening. Should that happen, I would still support Trump, and I would be grateful that the people of Iran have a chance to live free. Tucker is angry because of his own personal paranoia and rage at Israel. So much so that he’s become sympathetic to radical Islam.

I don’t want boots on the ground. I don’t want our soldiers to die in foreign lands. I hope it doesn’t come to that. But I’ll support Trump 100X over before I’ll support people who think Israel killed Charlie Kirk.

Substack is a work in progress. I expect over time I will gain and lose followers for a variety of reasons. To those who have stuck around all of this time, thank you.

Hope you have a nice weekend.