Note

The app for independent voices

Hallo

Today I start using Substack

I used to like Twitter but always felt very constrained by the 144 limit

This brought problems for the irony-challenged, who misunderstood a lot of what I was trying to say

This is a particular problem for me because I seem to be regarded as ‘on the left’ by people on the right, and' ‘on the right’ by people on the left

Apparently this makes me controversial, and therefore box office poison

Disappointing news yesterday. I invited Stephen Colbert to come on the Dishcast to talk about Catholicism six weeks ago. Knowing his workload, I proposed any date or time this year. His agents didn’t respond for a month. So I emailed again. They said they’d get back to me. They didn’t, so I emailed again and they told me no. He’s too busy - and of course no one has any obligation to do a podcast.

But I reminded his agent that I held the record for appearances on the old Colbert Report, traveling…

Thanks Carlos. I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to come up with a way to add vices as well, but haven’t found anything I like yet. I also think, though, that focusing on the good might be preferable and sufficient.

The Anatomy of Virtue

You made it, you own it

You always own your intellectual property, mailing list, and subscriber payments. With full editorial control and no gatekeepers, you can do the work you most believe in.

This is Trump Derangement Syndrome

Sometime in the last day or so a free subscriber upgraded to paid. I’d like to send them a quick thank-you note—but, unlike with brand-new subscribers, Substack offers no quick and easy way to identify new paid subscribers if they were previously free subscribers. I would need to compare a report of all paid subscribers now with a recent report. Substack, fix this!

And thank you to all my paid subscribers, recent and otherwise!

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I’m very familiar, I grew up covering that stuff, but I think people don’t understand how different this is - we’re not talking about local book bannings or even yanking of art grants for atheists or anything like that. There may be an equivalent instinct to censor in some circles but the sheer scale of laws like the DSA or NetzDG ot the…

CBS Loses Its Mind