From GM re my posts on election fraud and voter interference: 

“Over the past year or so, when I am engaged in discussions about this very subject and its impact on the 2020 election, I find people very quick to dismiss voter fraud as small in number and insignificant. I no longer play that game since, no matter what you present (as you have), it is always pooh-poohed. So, instead, I point to the largest case of election interference I believe history has ever seen. That being the concealment of Hunter Biden’s laptop by the FBI! Poll after poll has shown that upwards of 17% of voters would have voted differently had they known of the legitimacy of the laptop contents and its damning evidence of wrongdoing by the Biden family. Now we know that the FBI had the laptop info in their sweaty hands for at least two years before the election but STILL warned the social-media companies to ignore it and cancel all posts about it since ‘it had all the signs’ of Russian interference in our sacred election process. Yep, they threw the 2020 election… full stop.”

Re the thoughts I’ve been sharing about my trip to Japan:

“Regarding your speech in Tokyo, thanks for being humble and showing vulnerability. Many years ago, I thought that having anxiety for public speaking only happened to me. I remember when Tony Robbins made a difference between those who are paralyzed by anxiety and those who are not paralyzed. The first  say to themselves ‘I can’t’ and the second say ‘I’m ready.’ Good luck Mark, you are more than ready.” – CS

“I really enjoyed your piece about the many ways Japanese culture is superior to ours. You will alienate quite a few people because you wrote it so convincingly. Jingoism is a trait of many Americans.

“It’s true, Japanese are more consistent in their behavior. And it’s not a wealth or class thing. Those habits are practiced by families of all incomes. In many ways they are more civilized than Americans, but of course I’ll never forget how they treated the Allies in prison camps during WWII.” – AS

From GB: “Thought you’d find this interesting.”

“Illustrated Hints for Health and Strength for Busy People – an old-time strongman’s 15-minute morning routine – published by the author in 1901. Check it out here.”

My Response: Thanks, GB! I thought it was great. I normally work out hard for at least an hour a day, six days a week. But whenever possible, I like to add a second, 15-minute routine to complement the main workout and to restore my energy. Interestingly, my routine has many of the same elements as his. I’m going to give it a try.

From SL re the cover band for The Grateful Dead playing at Sphere in Las Vegas: 

“Tangential to today’s update,” SL wrote (referring to the music videos mentioned in the June 3 issue), “but thought you might like this piece from Bob Lefsetz.”

It certainly was tangential. In fact, it had nothing to do with the issue. But I’ve heard of Sphere and found the article interesting. Click here.

From AS re my weight-loss exploits:

“Reading about this was so painful. Probably because I have my own experiences, which are also filled with failure.

“It’s an everyday, every moment attack on our self-image. I’m eating a piece of cheese right now and I feel as guilty as I would if I robbed a man.”

From BO: “I Challenge You!” 

“Tying your column about people with habits who rarely change and your most recent regarding weight gain, might I suggest looking into keto/carnivore? It might be the change you need. On paper, it’s simple: Forgo all carbs, sugars, and alcohol; eat meat. Reality is sometimes tougher. Well, it’s about as tough as you make your mind up it’ll be.

“The results of carnivore converts, influencers, and doctors on the web are stunning. But start learning with Mikhaila Peterson and see her story. Truly inspiring. I (M, 58 yrs, 5’10”) lost 25 pounds in two months. And when I lose five more, I’ll be the weight I clocked in when I married 30 years ago. I challenge you to change your eating and drinking habits. You’re strong-willed. I am confident you can do it.”

My Response: Thanks for the suggestion. Thirty years ago, I became familiar with the keto thesis when I was publishing Dr Atkins’ newsletter. He was excoriated for his ideas then (particularly by Oprah who lost weight on it but then gained it back after going off it and then blamed it on him), but I think he was fundamentally right. It’s definitely on my list.

From CA: “How a simple fix could double the size of the US electricity grid” 

“This looks like an important article,” writes CA, “and maybe the kind of subject you sometimes like to include in your blogs. It’s another example of how government and subsidized industries somehow figure out how to approach problems in the least efficient way. But at least this article explains the easy solution.”

From BW, FD, & MM re “Learning How to Forgive Yourself” in the May 28 issue: 

* “Your ideas on forgiving yourself were very good and came at a perfect time in my life. Thank you!” – FD

* “What a great message!” – BW

* “I’m pretty sure you got those ideas from me – from what I’ve been telling you about my experience with meditation.” – MM

On COVID Lies and Failures 

GM sent in an essay by Alex Berenson titled “Team Apocalypse will not quit.” It starts like this:

“The fact that public health bureaucrats and their pet science reporters are still lying about their COVID failures is maddening. But the fact they keep pressing for more ‘pandemic preparedness’ and risky and hyper-fast vaccine development is not merely maddening. It’s dangerous.”

Read more here.

Conspiracy Theory? 

From BW re my speculations in the May 3 issue about Taylor Swift’s remarkable success: 

“She sold her soul to the devil. She is a demon, possibly reptilian. Heard this a while back along with a couple other pop/rap artists that seemed to come out of nowhere. Rumor has it these others have straight-up claimed it.

“Not sayin’ I believe this – but, hell, ya never know…”

Re my May 9 Special Issue on “Antisemitism vs. Free Speech and Peaceful Assembly” 

“Everything you said is right. Students and professors and non-students should not be able to shut down a public university by threats and intimidation. How do we protect the rights of the non-protestors? And what right does a university president have to negotiate with people calling for murder?” – BS

“I understand your point. Free speech doesn’t have to be the issue. Most of what’s going on can be responded to by the simple issue of property rights. You can say what you want, but you don’t have the right to take control of my property or inhibit my use of my property. When college campuses are the owners of the property, students are basically given an easement to use the campus property, but the easement has limits. Not blocking others’ ability to use the property is one of the limitations. Violating that limitation makes the user a trespasser. Colleges can feel free to remove trespassers, just as any property owner could. That being said, I think we should begin a national discussion on hate speech laws. The last I looked there were 29 countries that have enacted them, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, South Africa, Sweden, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

“These countries seem to operate just fine, despite some limitations on what their populations can say and do, to the benefit of all the members of these societies who are or would be the victims of hate speech. Have we in the US gone overboard in trying to protect the rights of our citizens to say nasty things? To what and whose benefit? And to whose detriment? What would the real risks vs. rewards be in adopting some hate speech laws in the US? Remember the Declaration of Independence and the right to the ‘pursuit of happiness.’ Would we have a better country if we put more emphasis on that pursuit and less on the right to speak hateful words?” – CA

“The problem with hate speech laws is in the interpretation of what constitutes ‘hate speech.’ In Germany in particular, dissenting opinions are being construed as hate speech and are being silenced. So much for Freedom of Speech! We have seen similar interpretations here in the USA.” – NW

From TM re my essay on Biden’s re-election strategy in the May 17  issue: 
“Why on earth are you suggesting how the Democrats could secure the White House in 2024? Is it because you think in pointing out this lunacy you feel it shows up the idiots they are?

“The only reason Trump lost in 2020 was because the SCOTUS put abortion on the ballot. Oh, and some minor election cheating, of course.

“Gavin Newsom is a fascist boob as proven by the total mess in California. How can you suggest that the man who helped destroy our largest state has any business in the White House. Sure, the sheep can be fooled into voting for him, but electability is not the main criteria of the job! Not only is he not qualified for the job, he is the most radical of leftists more interested in appearances and feelings than in fiscal policy and responsibility to protect our freedoms.

“You would really trust this [guy] to run any of your businesses? Elected by the same sheep that gave us Maxine, Kamala, Nadler, Boxer, Schiff, Pelosi, Feinstein, and perhaps 10 to 20 other clowns?

“I rest my case. The financial, political, and ethical values of the above and their cronies and backers will destroy this nation and possibly the world.”

From G re Big Pharma’s control of the market:

“Is there any doubt that Big Pharma controls many of the decisions made in this country? Total immunity from legal actions associated with faulty vaccines isn’t enough. The FDA approved a generic in 2019 for the drug Eliquis. An Eliquis three-month supply is over $1,800 and is one of the most common drugs prescribed to tens of millions of patients in the US. However, you can buy the generic in Canada for a mere fraction of the cost! And here you thought our government was looking out for you. Just pay your taxes, shut up and sit down.

“When will generic Eliquis be available in the US? According to the manufacturers, generics will not be able to hit the market any earlier than April 1, 2028. Watch it get extended. They won’t allow this cash cow to get away.

“In a normally functioning society this would not be tolerated. But then, this is not where we are today.

“End of rant.”

From Steve Leveen, following the publication of my piece on bilingual children in the May 1 issue: 

“Thanks for this story. I’m delighted that Nazario has his family here, as I thought they were still back in his country.

“You express an oft-told story of precocious children impressing adults with their linguistic powers. The stories are true, but they can also serve to discourage adults from attempting to learn another language themselves, believing that it’s too late for them. And that’s a pity since it’s based on an incorrect interpretation of what you’ve described.

“What these young children are displaying is not the power of children but the power of humans. We all are born with the ability to learn multiple languages and can continue to do this throughout our lives, until the onset of dementia.

“What children have over adults are two things. First, they have exceptional hearing, which begins to decline as early as our late teens or twenties. Second, they have time. Adults are busy doing adult things, whereas children are devoting all their waking hours to hearing and repeating languages. If adults spend comparable time in similar language immersion situations, they generally make faster progress than children.

“And finally, children talk like children. What often amazes adults is how children can communicate well with one another, and with adults on basic topics, often with refreshing and even clever language use, but they have nowhere near the language abilities of adults who have tens of thousands of hours of language use, so that they include idioms, quotations, literary references, evoking of popular culture, etc. They also talk with other adults about abstract concepts out of reach of children.

“So, let’s enjoy these little humans and marvel at their growing language skills, but instead of being discouraged, be reminded of the skills we all have.”

From RB re the April 24 issue on inflation: 

“Once again, your essay on yet another important and timely topic – this one, on inflation – is the best and clearest thinking I have read in recent memory on the subject.”

From JG re “My Escape Plan from America” in the April 27 issue: 

“After reading this, I have one thought: It isn’t what you don’t know that will get you in trouble, it’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so…. Most people don’t want to think that ‘Our Government’ has their best interest in mind and not ours! Sad reality for most who don’t see that they need to take care of their families b/c nobody is going to help you. Especially not the government.”

From BB re “Flukes, Fakes, and Statistical Uncertainties” in the April 17 issue: 

“For the opposing view, I highly recommend this book, which advocates listening to experts.”

From KI re the April 5 Special Issue on the COVID cover-up:

“Welcome to the rabbit hole. It is wide and deep, but the world needs to hear the truth.”