Thank you Jason. The degree to which mainstream media and high-profile content creators continue to be the 'This is Fine' dog is stunning.

The more that folks with a larger-than-individual voice follow your model, the sooner we can all stop feeling gaslit (lighted?) and dive back in to what is good and possible when we do democracy with a passing grade.

Upping my membership amount now.

Keep it up! You are doing a good and necessary job.

Thank you for your commitment Jason. I've been reading the site for some time now, but this post convinced me it was time to become a member. What you are doing is important work and I want to express my gratitude.

This shit is hard and thank you for doing it. I miss "regular" KDO posts, of course, but agree this is capital-I Important. My membership isn't going anywhere (I wish I was in a position to increase it but that's going to have to wait a few months). 💗

As a fellow indie online publisher person—though on the small potatoes scale—who doesn't feel the available mental stability to take on this coup with similar courage, I greatly appreciate you and all you do.

Hey, Jason. This post just inspired me to finally sign up at the Patron level, because I want to financially support what you're trying to do. Hopefully more financial support will help with the emotional toll you're going to go through.

I'd like to have given you more, but I have to care for my money right now. I resigned from a 17-year career in the federal government rather than serve under these a$$holes a second time, and we're still figuring out where our money is going to come from. (Date of resignation effective January 18.)

Thank you for taking this on. I've trusted your writing and posting for years, and I know you're doing the good work.

K

Hey Jason,
we are observing this mess from Europe. And reading your post just now I realized that much of the info I have came from you.

Thanks a lot and please keep on writing. 😍

Hey,

Thanks.

Also here to say thank you. I have friends and loved ones who work for the federal government, and what they are being subject to is beyond disheartening.

These are some of the brightest, fairest, most hardworking people I know, and they deserve better. We all deserve better.

I don’t think there has ever been a moment within my lifetime when independent media has been more needed.

I concur 100%.
9/11 in NYC was overwhelming.
Covid was (is) overwhelming.
This coup is overwhelming.
But it's because they are real and true things, not just drama & noise. These things need to be witnessed, documented, and acted upon.
Keep up the good work Jason.

Been meaning to become a member for a long time. I just did.

Thanks for everything you’re doing to raise awareness. Please do continue to be just as proactive (or moreso!) about taking care of yourself. We’re mere weeks into this, we can’t burn ourselves out too early.

Thank you for your service.

I do believe this is the greatest threat to our nation since the civil war

I hope that we all find ways to rise to the occasion and contribute to wrestling our republic and constitutional bulwark back to a stable state.

Thanks for doing this, Jason. I have an incredible amount of respect for the perspective you bring into your work and I'm grateful to have you and your site as a source of reliable, often actionable updates. In some ways, it makes staying "turned towards" this moment and staying engaged much easier to do.

Thank you for this! It's been a relief to have somewhere to get this information that isn't having to dig (if they cover it at all) on the regular news sites.

Take care of yourself! That's my advice for everyone. This shit is a marathon, not a sprint.

I've been a follower of the site since... gosh. Before 9/11.

This is post that finally reminded me to put my money where my eyes are. You've got another patron.

🤗

Lunch on me if you want to drive up to Montpelier to break from the screen.

"I felt very much like I did back in March 2020, before things shut down here in the US"

This is exactly how I've been feeling the last week or two. I'm really glad to hear someone else saying this, and I support the shift in focus here on KDO. I'll be reading and engaging as much as I can

I've been trying hard to not look at the coup news. It's hard. I care deeply about our country and our democracy, as flawed as it always has been, but I also care about my own mental health and my ability to support the folks around me. I’ve been working hard since the election to make big changes in my life that keep me away from the news and get me in a better head space so I can be the father, partner, friend, and community member that I know the people around me in meatspace need me to be. (That was the first time I've ever used the word 'meatspace' in a sentence, and though I feel kind of icky, it's staying in!)

I will absolutely continue being a paying member of this site because I value the work that you do. I might eventually lose the muscle memory of command-t, k, enter, that I go through several times a day, but maybe that’s a good thing. I sometimes open up a new tab and load Kottke when I was already on the site, that’s how automatic it is!

I just can’t though. I still am not recovered from the pandemic. That experience challenged me in a way that I’m still trying to repair. I find a bit of solace in the recent Ezra Klein podcasts that reiterate the notion that Trump and his cronies are inept and will ultimately fail, though I am acutely aware of how much damage they will be able to do along the way.

You do you, but please try to make sure you take care of yourself. Thanks.

Thank you so much for all that you do, Jason.

Last night, I posted this on Bluesky:

What the events of the last few weeks and people’s personal and professional reactions to them show, to me, is that very, very few of us know how to do anything besides what we’ve always done

Posters post

Organizers organize

Normalizers normalize

We all just go on

Because change is so, so hard

We all have to do what we can, change what we can, and refuse to normalize what isn't normal. Thanks for doing this your way. And if you need any support (text/phone call, comment brigade, funny meme, etc.), you know where to find me.

Thank you so much. Like others, I have to regularly step away from the news because it's so horrific -- when I'm crying at my laptop, I know it's time to watch more Star Trek. How many times can I write and call my representatives and senators (who are IDIOTS)? What you're doing is so, so important, and even though some days I can only skim your posts, I'm very grateful for all the hard work you're doing. Thank you, and please take care of yourself.

Thank you, Jason.
And thank you to all the readers that are paying attention, and talking about this, and contributing and doing even the littlest things to bring light to the situation.

It's jarring to find legacy media so distractible, pinging from one dumb thing to the next dumb thing, so I've really gravitated to your site lately, as an aggregator of what's necessary to know. Thanks for that.
I went to graduate school for public policy, and thus I have some friends in the world of USAID. One described the current situation there as "total chaos and destruction." Another said that it's "worse than anyone can imagine." A third pointed out, "The White House created a page with stories vilifying USAID and its staff"; links to their examples of the agency's "waste and abuse" are mostly from "sources" like The Daily Mail, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, etc. One example listed is "$6 million to fund tourism in Egypt," but the link—to a USAID press release—doesn't include the word 'tourism' at all; the money went to providing potable drinking water and wastewater services to hundreds of thousands of people in North Sinai.
This is all to say that the work you're doing is essential to our understanding of the level of crisis we're experiencing right now, and I appreciate it.

Bravo Jason, bravo! I commend your commitment to adding your voice and platform to this struggle.

Thank you Jason - I'm sure that this is not an easy undertaking. You provide a valuable service to your readers, and by extension those we share and tell about what we learn here.

My subscription isn't going anywhere and I'll try to increase it if I can.

We're here for you, just let us know what you need

Thank you for doing the hard work.

You have been, and continue to be, a good one. Keep it up.

Excellent work, Jason. I'm shocked at how many other media outlets seem... almost unalarmed? I even phoned my Representative earlier this week and the aide answering the phone seemed genuinely confused about why I was ringing him up in the middle of the day.

This coup didn't come as a battle... the caller was inside the house the whole time. I honestly cannot predict what is coming next for this country. Farce? Domination? Upheaval? Thanks for rising to the task of navigating this. We are grateful!

I have enjoyed your posts for some time, but your recent coverage is what finally spurred me to membership. As a Canadian, my influence on your country is limited, but I can put money where it can do some good. Take care of youself!

Thank you, Jason. I'm like so many - I'm trying to keep away from the news, as it makes it hard to sleep. But I'll continue to come here because, well, at least this is a friendly and intelligent place.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jason, for all this work and for your honesty. The site has really helped me as a place to fine sane commentary that I can easily come back to. FWIW comments turned off has been a real bonus to the experience here — plenty of that on BlueSky etc. But please put yourself first and take good care. I recomment buying a road bike, something steel and European, from the 80s. :wink:

This sums up my thoughts: 👏🏼❤️

I realized this morning that I’ll only be able to check in once a day for the headlines and not read any further. I need to know what’s going on, but I feel like I’m shutting down. But that’s what the jerks are counting on, so I’m going to figure out how to stay above water.

Thank you for treating the recent events in the US government and the attitude of the fourth estate with the urgency they demand.

I’ve been a reader and fan of KDO for over 25 years. Today I am finally a paying subscriber. Thank you, Jason.

Thank you, Jason for sharing your decision and perspective on why you've chosen this path. I, for one, will continue to read and patronize your work and wish you a better go of it this time than during Covid.

Although I don't believe that this will happen on this site, I do have one suggestion/comment/thought that I'll leave you with.

Part of this administration's strategy is to overwhelm with information velocity. To create a whiplash of sorts where we are left trying to whack-a-mole yesterday's news while dealing with the horror of today.

You're thoughtful and measured. I know you want to inform your readers and you will.

While I stay on top of the news, I'm one of your readers who come here for a "break from the horrible news of the world." Nonetheless, your focused coverage of COVID was part of what helped me prepare my family and keep them safe for the first two years before we could all get vaccinated.

You are providing an essential service for our society, and at personal sacrifice -- I am tremendously grateful and (far too belatedly) became a member today. We've all got to figure out what we're called to do in this moment.

I know it is hard, and thank you. It has actually been calming in a way to follow the people who are paying attention to see my concerns reflected in places I respect by people whose work I value. To see existential threats to our country ignored by mainstream press has been much harder for me. Take care of yourself.

Agree with the historic importance and that a blog like one this is the best format to collect information from trusted sources, in order to process it vs try to drink from a firehose. That said - there’s a quote that goes something like: “if you look around and you see no art or artists, you are in hell.” These people want us to be in their hell and the liberal arts you are a master curator of is the glass of water, the reminder that we aren’t.

How about one day a week that is a sort of rest day/palate cleanser? I think we all could still use that in our lives. Good stuff is still happening, despite *gestures wildly*

Nothing fancy. Just a few links and short descriptions? If we're going in the tunnel together, we need a light in front of us.

I've been reading your site loooong past the point I should have become a member and this post finally got me off my ass. Thank you, Jason.

I just wanted to say that I’m here for it. Totally agree with your assessment.

I'm adding to the chorus of thank yous. If I can be helpful in keeping this one from affecting you the way Covid coverage did, you know how to reach me. If we're in the same place at some point we should definitely hang out, too. Thank you.

New member here to say a huge thank you and you’re doing the right thing. Please share thoughts or ideas on what the readers can do. I’m not a fan of hyperbole, please understand this is truth. This is not reform this is revenge and destruction. Act now.

I appreciate your thoughtful take on the situation, as always. And I applaud you being true to yourself, no matter how you decide to handle this.

As my level of concern about this situation mirrors your own I'm all in.

Thank you.

I am so thankful for my therapist today and every day.

You have my full support and appreciation.
I don’t know if I can stay fully hair on fire for the entirety of this run. I hope to play the long game and still be here to help when things start to go really wrong in a few years. I hope you will still be here too, take care.

Thanks for doing this, Jason. We need as many people like you as we can find.

Just signed up for a paid subscription, prompted by your focus on the revolutionary coup now happening.

Just in case others who would prefer to stick to the usual calmer content need to bail out.

Stay strong!

Thanks for your leadership and example, Jason.

And do what you need to do to take care of yourself.

As a "content creator" (I hate that term), it's been hard to know what is mine to do. I'm glad you are doing what's yours.

As my Quaker friends say, I'm holding you and yours in the light.

Thank you, Jason ❤️

Long time listener, first time subscriber here. Your decision shows courage, conviction and dedication and that is worth supporting. I – and many more in Europe – believe in and are thinking of you and others in these tough times.

Take care, stay strong.

Thank you, Jason. This is madness and how we respond to it makes a tremendous difference.

Thanks Jason. This is important work you're doing so please keep it up. Happy to financially support here and other news sources that are reporting which seems to be one of the few things (other than calling House and Senate reps) that I can think of to do right now

thank you, jason! we are here for you and each other through this.

Thank you, we all appreciate what you are doing.

I’m upping my membership. Keep going.

You do what you need (and feel is right) to do, I'll always support you. Personally I'll need to mark-all-as-read for a while, somewhat ironically due to post-Covid chronic fatigue meaning I need to take care of my media inputs, but will be back - a 25 year habit is hard to break!

Thank you and please keep going. What you are doing is important. Watching all this unfold from Europe is certainly not the same as being in the thick of it. But it would be unwise to ignore the ripple effects from all that is happening. Here or indeed the rest of the world.

Also, do take care of yourself. Thank you again!

I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said in this comment thread, but I wanted to add my voice anyway b/c you deserve every compliment you can get.

I can't express just how much I appreciate all you are doing to keep the rest of us informed, and how truly valuable that work is.

It would be completely understandable if you took a "we need a distraction from the horribleness" approach and continued with the fun ol' kottke.org we've all come to know and love. That you decided to take the path you're taking -- knowing all too well the personal costs of walking that path -- is nothing short of heroic (I word I do not use lightly).

If we make it through the current crisis, it will be due in no small part to folks like you who truly rose to meet the moment.

Just adding myself to the list of long time readers but first time members. Appreciate the work you are doing here!

More than happy to contribute to your efforts to cover this issue as a member. Thanks for giving it careful consideration and explaining your reasoning here. I also personally would not mind if you left the comments off your coverage of it.

Sending full on support and deep appreciation for taking this necessary path at this critical time. Big hearts to you.

Thank you Jason !!! Please continue. I am proud to be a new member as of now.

Thank you. Most of the newsletters I now read on this came from your posts. Thoughtful voices, all, but some days the news cycle is too overwhelming and I can't bring myself to read them in my inbox. I appreciate that you do, and bring out the most relevant bits. (Also, thank you for highlighting Jamelle Bouie; NYT has gotten so lightweight these days that I don't stay long there and miss his posts sometimes.)

I go back and forth on what to do. I understand the people who don't want to read the news, but I also understand that this is exactly what the coup wants. They want people to be so desensitized by the last go around that they will focus on self-care through not reading the news. I find myself in the "want to look away from the train going off the bridge but can't do it" crowd. But I have the luxury of some remove as an expat.

Hi Jason, I've been a reader of Kottke.org for decades. Like others on this thread, I have also just become a patron of yours for the first time. Thank you for amplifying the crisis that is happening right now in our country and which is shockingly underreported. I deeply appreciate the part you are playing now in resisting the coup, and the part you have played in my life in educating me, entertaining me, and enlightening me.

Best post (and comments) of the year. We are in the fight for our country with you. You are so appreciated.

I've just become a member as well. I've been visiting this site almost daily for many years. Thanks for what you are and have been doing here. Please take care of yourself when you need to.

Thanks Jason. I appreciate the posts. As a Canadian, I'd like to say to all Americans that we have and always will be your friends. https://devdilettante.com/@roland/113934848325623230

Thank you Jason!

Jason->

Thanks, I'm OK with focusing on the Trump/Musk coup. You filter all this bad news succinctly.

Hi Jason, I‘m watching all of this from Europe and it feels like watching a car crash in slomo. I also fear it’s like taking a deep look into the palantir, seeing what’s going to happen here too in the future. But we all know a palantir is a treacherous thing. It might show the truth, or it might just scare us to make this bleak future happen.
But your site has helped me for years now to find and appreciate the beautifully weird parts of the web and life in general. That’s why I am not going anywhere. Please keep up posting whatever feels appropriate to you: be it something weird and beautiful thing, be it some trustworthy information or reasonable thought about the current situation. Both is much needed and appreciated. Thank you and don’t forget to take care for yourself!

You’re doing the right thing and I appreciate it.

Long time member and well to the left of you, but this is really not what I came to love this site for - there are just so many better, less sources for daily US political news, and you had something much more unique. I’ll check back in a few years, be well.

I’m struggling with how to respond in this moment, but I like the idea of building up people who have the strength to distill the news and share the critical elements with their audience. To that end, if you ever need a hand keeping the site alive — CSS, coding, moderation, whatever — while focusing on the coup, I am here and ready to help.

Cannot say it enough: thank you for being you and for creating this supportive and stimulating environment.

Keep it up, Jason. Take care of yourself and your family, first.

Thank you for using your platform for the cause of democracy.

Thank you and please keep doing what you feel is best for yourself. Part of that I hope is taking care of yourself. Self-care is a revolutionary act. We'll need you – and people like you – for the next fight.

Thank-you, J. I also encourage people to sever all ties with friends and family, anyone, (tactfully, non-violently, perhaps silently) who you know voted for Trump in 2024. I’ll give those people the benefit of the doubt in 2016, but he told us what he was going to do and they now have no excuse. Ask yourself, would you still associate with these people if they voted for Hitler as Chancellor Pre-WWII? If you don’t think these times are similar please study up on your European history. The likeness is uncanny.

HI Jason, like many others I've been a reader of yours since before electricity. Or at least it feels this way. Perhaps it was before things like infinite scroll and hash tagging had entered the online vernacular, at the very least. After reading this post, I decided it was well past due to pony up the change and become a paying member. I can't say I'll read every post about the looming catastrophe (the past year has been heavy in the loss and therapy department; this choice represents a certain degree of self-preservation), but I will certainly keep tabs, and I feel as though your writing has been an invaluable resource in that regard. So, thanks, and I hope my contribution helps you both keep your writing going, and your sanity intact.

Thank you for all you do, Jason. Just became a paid subscriber.

Thanks, Jason, for the light & the candor. Yet another decades-long reader subscribing for the first time here! Speaking as a writing instructor working hard to model healthy discourse in the classroom, what you do here means a whole lot--

Just adding my note of thanks — definitely relying on you as a major news curator in this mirror-world where the major news sources seem to be extremely head-in-sand. (Even when I’m highly confident making the stakes clear would sell subscriptions! Just look at this thread!)

Re: keeping comments off, I think that’s a good idea for most “news items”… but I wonder if a weekly check-in thread like this one wouldn’t help folks feel less alone. I’d read it!

Hi Jason, thanks for going all- in on the coup. Here in The Netherlands we try to monitor the US situation as closely as possible. Maybe it’s comforting to know that many people over here are as worried as you are. At the same time I wonder where are the mass protests? The walk-outs? The strikes? What is keeping you, me, us from taking it to the streets? Non-violent, of course.

Even as a Canadian, i almost can't imagine any other choice. If this space is about art, curiosity, innovation, beauty, humans being human, (etc) it is clear that the current coup is about, and affecting, all of those things. I hope you keep doing what you're doing, for as long as your nervous system will tolerate it.

Thank you, Jason. This is important. As disconcerted and disoriented as I feel after reading your coverage of this crisis, and as much as I'd like to bury my head in the sand, we can't look away. I bumped up my membership level. I hope that the new and increased memberships more than outweigh any cancellations.

I have been a long time reader and really appreciate your posts. I usually start my day with you !
I’m a Canadian and am horrified at what is going on every day now - totally understand that this is your focus.
This post made me realize it is important to become a member.
Thank you for all you do.

A must-see Ezra Klein podcast episode: https://youtu.be/K8QLgLfqh6s “Don’t Believe Him”

Thank you so much for this post and for paying attention to the rising dictatorship.

I am in Canada and we are feeling some of the effects differently, but we share so much across this border, often family, definitely sentiment.

I have renewed my subscription which was expired these last couple of years. Please take care of your self. ❤️

Thank you for doing this. Another long-time reader, first-time member here.

Thank you so much, Jason. I deeply appreciate hearing from you about the news of this American moment, and I appreciate this backstory/reasoning. What a treasure you are, for us all. 🙇❤️

For what it's worth, this is the statement that convinced me to become a patron. Appreciate your voice and grateful to read what you've written, even as I've been stepping ever further away from the vast majority of what's constituted my online media consumption for the last 15 years. It's notable and valuable that you've made your intention clear here.

Thanks so much for the support, everyone. 🙏

Keep it up. I'm frustrated that the major news organizations are so weak. They're posting some stories, but they're missing the larger picture.

This is bigger than 9/11 and bigger than the pandemic, though both of those were forerunners. This is the death of the United States that I grew up with and love. It wasn't perfect, but this is an amplification of all of the bad parts of the US and a destruction of all of the good.

I almost never comment on this site, or anywhere, but I'm commenting here.

Jason, I hope you know what a shining light you are to so many people. Finally signed up as a member after years of being a dedicated reader. Only have apologies that it took so long.

Thank you Jason. I support your work here 100%, and I also support you.

Thank you, Jason. I for one come here for your view on the world. While I enjoy the beauty and joy of human experience that you regularly share here, I also value honest and factual information on humanity's warts and wrinkles.

Keep up the good work, but take care of yourself as you do.

I doubled my membership level, nuff said

Hey Jason, thank you.

I've been a longtime reader and admirer. I recently started writing more regular on my blog and have been visiting kottke.org more often for inspiration and interesting links to share.

I'm glad you're doing this. I can empathize with how hard it'll be to cover. For me, I've had to go on a news embargo since the election and am only now starting to pay attention again.

Good luck. Oh and I just joined as a member.

Thank you, Jason.

We're with you 100%.

You've brought so much light to us over the years, and helping us navigate these dark times is a comfort for many of us.

Thank you Jason!

Thanks Jason.

Thank you Jason, I'm grateful for the work you are doing and disillusioned with how the MSM is not shouting this same message from the rooftops! I also appreciate your reflections on self-care and how to survive this all. Take care of yourself and godspeed.

Thank you, Jason! The work you do matters and is important, and I appreciate you. ❤️

Since you made changes to the site and added comments, I have felt like this is another one of my (few) sane online communities. I appreciate what you’re doing.

Long time reader, first time poster, new member, new contributor, chiming in to say thanks and take care. You're not alone.

Thank you!

My mom and I decided to start writing thank you notes to people who show bravery and integrity during this new administration. So far, this has included letters to the Bishop who talked about showing mercy in her sermon, my town's superintendent of public schools who sent an email about her commitment to protecting immigrant families, and Quaker organizers who are leading efforts to push back against policy changes that would allow ICE to enter worship houses. If you have ideas for future letters, please post them.

Please also post encouragement to keep going. I am reminded of adrienne maree brown's principles of emergent strategy:

Small is good, small is all. (The large is a reflection of the small.)
Change is constant. (Be like water.)
There is always enough time for the right work.
There is a conversation in the room that only these people at this moment can have. Find it.
Never a failure, always a lesson.
Trust the people. (If you trust the people, they become trustworthy.)
Move at the speed of trust. Focus on critical connections more than critical mass—build the resilience by building the relationships.
Less prep, more presence.
What you pay attention to grows.

100% with you. Keep on doing you. It's enormously valuable. If you haven't (and you probably have) check out Nathan Tankus' newsletter not on a crisis. He's on the bleeding edge of all this nonsense.

I appreciate what you're doing, as always. Thanks for doing the difficult work. Take care!

Hi Jason, please stay true to yourself and keep posting on this important topic. Please continue to post/update/educate!

I have noticed that the kottke.org community is amazing. Is there a way to have a community "post" once a week where members do their best kottke.org post "impression" in the the comments? (possibly a prize to the best entry?)

Jason, you have an entire community with you!

This is very much outside the realm of normal — and I think it is essential to pay attention and stay engaged with curious and smart people. Thank you!

Evidently I'm one of the many who got tipped today and opted to pay to support what Jason is doing. Substack?! He don't need no steenking Substack! Sorry, I live in a semi-constant state of free association...

Long time subscriber, first time commenter. I just wanted to say thank you for posting about our country’s self inflicted disaster. It is important and while I also find it overwhelming, terrifying and hard to deal with… we have to deal with it. ❤️

My only suggestion is curating some examples of people fighting back... messaging our representatives but it’s also finding or forming collective action groups. For me that’s getting involved with my local DSA group. For others maybe that’s volunteering with refuge or immigrant rights groups or LGBTQ support orgs in their community. We always lose when we are disorganized.

Thanks Jason.

What’s happening is both sad and disturbing. I hope we can make it through, but really right now I just don’t know. And I wonder, what does life look like on the other side of this coup? And I’m really angry-why the hell do I even have to consider this insane question? And I’m at least a little afraid, and I’m definitely a lot sad. Right now some of the very best people I know are having their careers stolen from them, all so some babies can starve, or get HIV from their mothers.

Sharing this news is incredibly important and I’m glad to see so many commenters supporting you in this. As a non social media person I appreciate your aggregating and amplifying all of this. And with the larger news organizations screwing around, it’s good to have so many independents doing good work, and being highlighted.

Thank you Jason. I am grateful for what you are doing just as much as I am worried about what is happening - which is a lot. Keep it up, and don't forget to take care of yourself.

💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪

I experienced the pandemic and first Trump presidency while living abroad. I returned to the US because I was fearful about the election outcome and I could no longer “tsk tsk” from far away. “Be(ing) the change you want to see in the world…” and all that. Of course, I hoped for the best, but here we are in the worst. It has been a whirlwind, intensified by abruptly being forced to resign or dismantle my company’s DEI work and redirect those funds to “rapid automation expansion.” Amid packing to move and calling my Congressman and sending out resumes, I come here* to prove I’m not imagining how terrifying and cruel and ridiculous this all is. Even with the comment section turned off, I feel the community and gosh, we need that now.

I’m so grateful for your transparency and bravery in this moment, Jason. Please let this community hold you whenever you need it!

*”I come here” and talk to a therapist! I’m not expecting this parasocial relationship to do all the heavy mental health lifting!

Like many others, I signed up because of this post. I can't go back to the doomscrolling madness of the first Trump presidency but it feels important to stay in touch with what's happening. Here I can do that without being overwhelmed.

I expected that after four years of brooding that Trump would come back hitting hard, but I never expected that it would be a full-on dictatorship from day one. Scary as hell, even watching from Europe, and I'm amazed that even major independents like the Guardian aren't covering this more prominently. So I'm supporting you for doing what you can to get the message out there.

Thank you for that. Thanks also for the many delightful, whimsical and awe-inspiring posts that have brought me so many little moments of hope over the last couple of years.

Hey Jason, I think for many of us it almost feels strange to talk about anything other than this coup. I think that's normal when you are facing an existential threat. We certainly all need to look after ourselves and each other during this time. I like the idea of an occasional palate cleanser. I also really appreciate any of the practical/actionable things you can share (that link from Indivisible being a great example). Thank you for the work that you do.

Jason, you have my full support.
As you said, it's your site and taking care of yourself should be the priority.
Free tip: as we've seen, 47 skews to shock and awe as his primary acts. He says things, we get upset, then it turns out to be different from what he says. Or he gets blocked. Whatever. I'm just saying, hold off on the gratuitous panic because what one's responding to is not what's happening (for relatively better or worse).
Second gratuitous tip: Because of what can be called the nation's power structure, there's little we can do re the federal state. Try to see where you can help and what you can do and, well, do that it instead of being driven insane by the m*therf*cker we elected and the unfit POS with which he's surrounded himself.

Jason- Sadly, I understand. I read your blog every morning for the weird directions it takes me and takes me away. I understand what you are doing and commend you for it. Still. . .I'll miss your stuff! I'll still come to the site and read the occasional item. I can't stay as invested in the coup as you but I get it. Stay strong! and . . peace.
-Scott Welty (Chicago)

Thank you.
Upped my membership level.

Long time reader. First time subscriber. I 110% support your work and commitment at this time. You will help us get through this dumpster fire just like all of the other historically important events. Online communities like this wonderful group of members here give me a sense of connection that I don’t have in the real world. Can’t thank you enough, Jason.
-Will from Austin.

Just paid for a subscription after years as a loyal reader. Thank you for your service, it is more important than ever.

Really appreciate your (as always) thoughtful and sane work!

Thank you for what you're doing. This is important to record--and for me important to process what is happening.

Thank you for this effort. Do what you need to take care of yourself. I live in DC, have close friends and family in many agencies, and this situation is a nightmare. I finally signed up as a member (overdue) to hopefully offset anybody who cancels.

I was a lapsed member, but this post made me decide to rejoin. So grateful to you for focusing on this right now. And so glad to see so many others in the comments feel the same.

Jason, I appreciate your push to provide information on Musk's forced access as it is maddening this is not top news daily in major organizations but they are biting on all the other unsustainable and planned chaos that Trump puts out there. Do what you feel is important for you as you also take care of yourself - it's already been helpful to see your sources focused on this specidic item so we can now go directly to them for updates. These comments and community are amazing - please come back to them for support in all the ways needed!

As you can no doubt see from the comments here, the love is deep and the support is vast. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for everything you do to bend the arc towards justice for all, now matter how hard that might feel on a daily basis.

Wow, so happy to see so many people had the same idea as me and became subscribers today too. Thank you from Australia, and honestly everywhere.

Thank you Jason. You are actions are inspiring to me!

A lot of people I know feel incredibly powerless right now. Thank you so much for being a strong light during a profoundly dark time. Have been a reader for ten years and I am happy to become a member for the first time today.

Thank you Jason.

Like many others here in our KDO community, I’d like to say ‘thank you’. These really ARE unprecedented times, and I hope you own… not just ‘know’… but ‘own’... that all of us are here with you, we’re here to prop you up, we’re here to support you, and we’re here because we appreciate the beauty, goodness, uniqueness, quirkiness, and weirdness of the world that you share with us and that, in turn, WE share with our family, friends, networks, etc, etc… the ripple effect must really be amazing. The ‘palate-cleansers’ are SO welcome, we all still need the reminders of the wonderful things we are fighting for.

Just spitballing… As much as I’d love to have comments with our like-minded community on political posts, I wouldn’t wish that amount of worry and upkeep on anyone. What about something on posts that lets community members ‘upvote’? Maybe a solidarity ribbon icon? 🎗️ Or a rebel fist?! ✊ Something that we can click on to show our solidarity with you, and our community? Maybe we could even button-mash it and keep upvoting and upvoting and upvoting to show that, of course we’re angry about the situation, but it’s a reinforcement of community. It’s SO important to know that others are ‘with’ you. That’s one of the biggest problems with today’s platforms. They separate more than they bring together, and KDO is a place where we all come together. Is there a way we can actually 'show' our support for each other? Sry for the long post!

My only response to this (and frankly, I think there is only one response); subscribed.

Came here to say similar things as other folks. I'm a long-time reader from Europe and your recent posts motivated me to finally become a member and support you. Thank you for stepping up to do this import work and for being mindful about your health at the same. 🙇

I just upgraded my subscription, please keep doing whatever feels right for you. Worried greetings from Germany...

Some months ago I emailed you to ask you to end my membership as of March 2025 because I anticipated retiring this year. You promptly did so with no issue. I've changed my mind about retiring because the future is too uncertain and have just changed my membership back to auto-renew. What you're doing is important and I'm grateful.

Thanks, Jason.

I've signed up for a membership specifically to support this work.

Thank you. I've been an occasional reader for years via random links. I've just become a paid supporter. Take good care.

Keep it up! What you’re doing matters. You’ve always had a knack for finding that *perfect* excerpt demonstrating why something is a Thing.

I've been reading you for 20+ years at this point (mostly through RSS) and I'm ashamed that it took this post to get my off my butt to support you with a membership. Thanks for what you're doing.

Another member coming here to say I'm upping my subscription. We need this, but we also need you not to burn out. We're all in it for the long haul.

What are more sites / independent voices we can support? What are the community's faves?

"“be kind, generous, & constructive, bring facts, and try to leave the place better than you found it” - this attitude is pervasive on your site, nearly every comment shows that your members want to do those things, and those reasons are partly why I am also a member. Thank you for the focus on the coup - and when you are overwhelmed know that we will understand if you _stop_ focusing for a while, too.

Also renewed Jason, Go Go GO!