Dear MoJo Reader:

In The Clash’s great anthem, “Clampdown,” Joe Strummer sings, “Let fury have the hour, anger can be power.” 

I’ve been thinking about that line a lot these days. Like you, I’m pissed off. At the war, at the ICE raids, at the brazen corruption of Trump and his cronies, at the increasing influence of billionaire oligarchs, at the march toward autocracy, and, yes, at that stupid ballroom.

Fortunately, I have a job that lets me put that anger to good use. With my journalism, I can expose the extremism, barbarity, and craziness of the Trump gang, challenging the voices cheerleading for war, and reporting stories no other media have touched.

And, my friend, I’m asking for your help—for you to join me in the effort to beat back authoritarianism and warmongering with the power of truth. (Maybe we should call it the power of angry truth.)

It’s been tough for many of us to watch what’s happening in our country and the world: continuing brutality mounted by Donald Trump’s secret police (even after the murders of Alex Pretti and Renée Good in Minneapolis) and a war launched on impulse with little, if any, strategic foresight and no planning for the aftermath. Even as recent elections and nationwide protests provide reasons for hope and optimism, we see what’s at stake: more chaos and more threats to the future of the United States. And perhaps more peril as you-know-who becomes more desperate to retain power as the midterm elections approach.  

A Mad King is wreaking havoc at home and abroad.

For more than a year, Trump, his Republican lackeys, and MAGA have been waging a war on the rule of law, democracy, and decency. We’re far beyond the usual Republican effort to lower taxes for the wealthy, cut regulations for their corporate funders, and give polluters a free rein. It’s a crusade to fundamentally reshape the nation and turn the US into a dystopian mix of oligarchy, autocracy, and kleptocracy—even a police state. More power for the plutocrats, rising prices for food, housing, education, and health care for most Americans. 

With this battle at hand, I’ve been fighting back the best way I can: by pursuing kickass journalism. And I’m writing to ask for your help. Not money—but what’s just as important: your support.

As some of you might know, twice a week (most weeks), I write the Our Land newsletter. It contains news, reports, and analysis you won’t find anywhere else, much of which is often linked to my journalistic scoops—as well as cultural coverage of books, films, television shows, music, podcasts, and more.

My message here is simple: To keep Our Land going, I need YOU. That’s why I’m pestering you now to sign up here for a FREE trial subscription. And I do mean free. This no gimmick. You don’t need to offer up a credit card number. Signing up puts you under no obligation down the road.

I know you get a lot of irritating solicitations—I sure do—but please do me a favor and give this one a read. After all, I try not to bother you too often.

While many news outlets keep covering Trump in a conventional manner, I’ve consistently insisted that what he and his MAGA comrades are doing requires unconventional coverage and an unconventional response from the Democrats.

Trump and the GOP are running extensive disinformation operations to win support for Trump’s ill-conceived war, for their vicious attacks on migrants, federal workers, public health experts, universities, the press, political foes and critics, and NATO, and for their attempt to impose a libertarian order on America that will allow billionaires, oligarchs, and Big Tech robber barons to run wild (and screw the rest of us). This transcends the usual lies and spins of politicians. Yet most media reporting totally misses that big picture, even as journalists try valiantly to keep up with the firehose of falsehoods and chaos from Trump that never turns off.

I’m trying to fill a big hole. That’s why every issue of Our Land brings you unique and crucial reporting about what’s in the news and, more important, what’s missing. It includes behind-the-scenes stories about politics and about the media—sometimes with a dash of history so you get the full view of what’s going on. Plus, the (low-cost!) premium version of Our Land contains a boatload of additional features: the Dumbass Comment of the Week contest; the interactive Mailbag (you ask questions, I answer); the Inspiration of the Week; reviews of books, movies, television shows, and music and other cultural contemplations; and MoxieCam™ (because some days we all need to hear what a dog has to say).

You can sign up for a FREE trial subscription right now. (You knew I had to say that.)

In recent issues of Our Land, I’ve reported Trump’s plan to become king of the world, his effort to revive his deranged conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, the ongoing bizarre and head-spinning crackup in MAGA land, Tucker Carlson’s grand (satanic) conspiracy theory, Tulsi Gabbard’s dangerous weaponization and politicization of secret intelligence, and the odd case of Trump’s Justice Department trying to free from prison a former FBI informant who was tied to Russian intelligence and part of a smear campaign against Joe Biden. I’ve challenged a pro-war New York Times columnist and exposed JD Vance’s racist populism.

Since the best way to convince you to subscribe probably is—forgive me—to brag a little, let me go on: 

I have detailed the new Trump doctrine (“violence is us”); covered the spread of the police-state mentality in this administration; reported on the “erasure of January 6”; explained how RFK Jr. escaped a personal scandal; examined the growing list of impeachable offenses; explored the right’s long history of association with Nazis; written about how the media downplayed a death threat from Trump; dived into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal; recounted a telling meeting I had with Stephen Miller; dissected the appointment of Bari Weiss to run CBS News; and pondered the subversive anti-Trump message of Wicked.

I’ve also reflected on what could be the positive message of the Artemis II mission.

As you can see, I’m kept busy by the multiple crises and outrages we confront each day. And I’m proud of the journalism in this newsletter. I have a hunch you’ll appreciate it.

Our in-house marketing experts tell me that in a note like this I must repeat the pitch over and over, no matter how annoying or counterproductive that seems. So here I go again: If this sounds like the sort of reporting you want to see right now, please support Our Land by signing up.

Did I mention this trial subscription is free? (Of course, I hope you quickly see the value of Our Land and sign up for the premium version. It’s those subscriptions that keep this operation afloat.)

In one edition of Our Land, I did a deep dive into what I called Big Tech’s “war on journalism.” At the Washington Post, billionaire owner Jeff Bezos is steering this important source of news in a MAGA direction and tragically downsizing it, as he bends the knee to Trump. Mark Zuckerberg has rejiggered Facebook’s algorithm to suppress the sharing of political news and significant exposés. (I’ve seen the impact on posts about my own work.) And, of course, there’s Elon Musk, who has turned X (formerly known as Twitter) into a cesspool of conspiracy theory, overt racism, alt-right extremism, and lies that boost Dear Leader and demonize liberals, Democrats, and the media. This is what I wrote:

The rise of the internet did a lot to screw up the news business, while also providing tremendous opportunities for journalists (like me) to reach wider audiences. At the same time, it allowed for fact-free alternative realities to easily take hold for millions of people. Overall, it has been a tough stretch for the industry and journalism (and reality-based politics). The Big Tech titans have made it worse. (And who knows what AI will do for—or to—serious journalism?) As Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg suck up to an autocrat to preserve and expand their own profits, they are imperiling journalism and helping democracy die, not in darkness, but in the clear light of day and within the glow of their oligarchic power.

There’s an obvious bottom-line here: Without readers like you supporting Our Land, the newsletter will cease to exist. That’s not hype. We need new subscribers to keep this newsletter alive. I’m hoping you’ll decide this is the kind of independent and fierce journalism you want to keep going in this dangerous stretch.

At this perilous time, I want to meet the moment. Our Land allows me to do this—and to, dare I say, have a bit of fun by interacting with readers and sharing my thoughts on a host of subjects that extend beyond politics. Also, about once a month I hold a Zoom get-together for premium subscribers to the newsletter. We gather online to vent, kvetch, trade ideas about what the hell is going on, and experience a much-needed dose of camaraderie. We laugh, we (might) cry, we carry on. 

You know me. When it comes to reporting the truths other reporters don’t see or don’t pursue, I don’t hold back. Because I’m free of the influence of corporate media, billionaire owners, and advertisers, I can play it both straight and hard. Too many outlets and too many voices in the media have accommodated Trump or covered him as a normal politician. That will only help him consolidate power and continue his reign of discord and demagoguery. I’m not here to be a partisan player. I am here to serve the truth, without fear and with fervor.

If you would like to be part of that—yes, you know what’s coming again—please join me by signing up for a FREE (did I mention “free”?) trial subscription to Our Land. I’m hoping that once you see what I’m doing, you’ll decide to support the newsletter by sending in a few of your hard-earned bucks each month to receive that premium edition. Once more, it’s because people like you decide to do so that Our Land continues to publish.

There is indeed a war for America underway now. And there are plenty of ways you can be part of the fight to preserve our liberties and protect our values. One way is to support independent journalists, and there are others beside me out there. But I’m hoping that you’ll find Our Land enlightening, fresh and essential, and that you’ll stick with me, as we all do what we can to safeguard our families, our communities, and…our land.

Thanks for hearing me out. I send you my best wishes in this difficult period. Hang in there. As bad as things have been, I believe we will prevail. Especially if we work together.

Onward,

P.S. You don’t have to take it from me. Others have said my newsletter is a valuable addition to their media diet. Here are a few endorsements (and no one was paid for them!):