Welcome to my new Substack newsletter

Many of you are already familiar with my work as a columnist for CTNewsJunkie, while others know me principally from my years as a community journalist in Connecticut, Berkshire County, Mass. and New York’s Hudson Valley. Still others might know me from my days as a rabble-rousing blogger.

I plan to continue my work at CTNewsJunkie, where for more than 12 years my columns have focused on state politics and issues of concern to my fellow Nutmeggers. But now that I’m (partially) retired and have time to do more writing, I’m going to branch out a bit and weigh in on other topics of interest nationally and globally.

There are so many issues currently crying out for comment that I scarcely know where to begin. From the pending indictment of former President Trump, to the situation in Ukraine, to the dangerous and emerging alliance between China and Russia, to the culture wars dominating the body politic (especially in Florida), to the affordable housing crisis gripping much of the nation — and, in some cases, strangling economic growth — there is so much to weigh in on.

I’ll also take an occasional look at sports and culture. Go Huskies! Go Red Sox! Go Cowboys! (I’m originally from Dallas). On other occasions, you might see a series random thoughts on issues of the day. Substack even allows me to conduct unscientific polls among subscribers. Commenting will be enabled, though I suspect you will have to go through a brief free one-time registration process to weigh in.

In some ways, this newsletter will be an extension of many issues that I comment on in my Twitter feed. In this newsletter, there will be embedded links to relevant material, the tweets of others and related videos. Unlike many Substack email newsletters, this one will be free of charge, though I might eventually include a button — really a glorified tip jar — for those who want to support my work.

The title of the newsletter, “What’s Going On Here? Red Meat For Mushy Moderates,” is an amalgam of the unrelenting curiosity I’ve had since I was a kid, along with a self-effacing acknowledgment of my lack of rigid political ideology. I like to do what works — within the bounds of the law and the constitution, of course. Some people don’t care for that line of attack. Others see it as a common-sense approach. In a word, I take flak from both left and right, depending on the issue.

I plan to file at least once a week. To subscribe, hit the button below and enter your email. Few things in life are truly free, but this newsletter is.