From the Editor  
Changes Afoot at Counter-Currents

somethingsafoot [1]920 words

Since mid-March, major changes have been afoot at Counter-Currents and in my life more broadly. I have been trying to keep these hidden to outside eyes, but our more perceptive readers have noticed certain signs, e.g., a slight decrease in the number of articles at Counter-Currents, a specific decrease in my own articles, a worsening of my already spotty correspondence skills, slower comment moderation, some site outages and glitches, and the like. 

These have prompted concerned inquiries, which I have had to put off until now. Specifically, some readers have expressed the fear that a “sabbatical” might be imminent. There has certainly been enough disgusting “movement drama” of late, but no, I am not taking a break from the battle — at least not until our enemies do. But there has been a temporary slowdown — which will last until June 1st — due to two unavoidable problems.

First, I have been dealing with a family health crisis that has consumed a great deal of time, money, and energy. That problem is now largely resolved. Second, I have been forced to move. This is time-consuming and expensive under any circumstances, but in my case, it was a Herculean task because of my large personal library as well as Counter-Currents’ stock of books. Moving, as well as serious injury or illness in the family, are two of the greatest causes of stress. Dealing with them back to back — and often simultaneously — has been overwhelming. But it is almost over, and I am quite pleased with how well I have handled everything so far.

I want to thank our faithful writers — particularly James O’Meara, Andrew Hamilton, and Gregory Hood — for keeping me well-supplied with high quality material during this time. I also want to ask the indulgence of my many correspondents, including authors, customers, and donors, for my tardiness and oversights. I receive hundreds of emails a day, and if I am distracted even briefly, it is easy for your communication to be lost in the shuffle. Feel free to send me gentle reminders.

I am now free to disclose what has happened so far because, as of Saturday, May 10th, I have shaken the dust of San Francisco off my feet, and I am now officially homeless (which is a good thing).

The main reason for leaving San Francisco is economic. Mike Polignano and I were both living in San Francisco when we founded Counter-Currents 4 years ago, and the city’s high cost of living was burdensome when starting up a new business — especially one peddling unpopular ideas — with virtually no capital during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

But despite compelling economic reasons, I never quite made the move. The long term benefits of moving were always outweighed by the short term costs and disruptions. I went from paying high rent in order to live in San Francisco to paying high rent in order to avoid moving somewhere else. I also hoped that if I simply focused on work, I would outgrow my money problems, and, indeed, each passing month was a little bit easier.

The deciding factor that finally precipitated the move was a campaign of “antifa” would-be terrorism that began in October of 2012. I will tell the full story another time.

I won’t pretend that it wasn’t unnerving at first, even though their efforts were sometimes buffoonish. And of course I took sensible precautions and counter-measures. But ultimately I took it all in stride. After all, did I really expect no opposition? Besides, better men than I have suffered far worse. And, although I probably should not admit it, the whole thing added an edge of excitement to my life.

But my former neighbors and landlord were genuinely frightened, and although my heart is cold, it is not made of stone. So in the end, I learned a valuable lesson: if the antifa can’t get to you directly, they are content to hurt innocent bystanders.

But now that San Francisco and the bulk of the work of moving are behind me, I can take solace in the fact that this move ultimately benefits Counter-Currents, the broader movement, and myself personally. (I am also, of course, aware that this will be just dismissed by some as brave talk.)

I have put most of my possessions in storage. I am now working on outsourcing and virtualizing Counter-Currents operations. I will maintain a PO Box and corporate home in California, but for the foreseeable future, I will be homeless. (Don’t worry: whether as a house-sitter or a house-guest, I will have a roof over my head for some time.)

My goal is to be able to run Counter-Currents from a laptop so that I can travel widely, speak at various conferences, meet our readers and writers, and organize community-building events. As I said, this process will be complete by June 1. Until then:

Once this process is complete, Counter-Currents will be transformed. We will be more engaged in the community-building aspects of metapolitics — without in any way curtailing our commitment to ideas.

Thank you for your loyal readership, patience, and support — now, more than ever. I want to thank our donors [2] in particular, since during this difficult and expensive time of transition, your support is indispensable [2].

Greg Johnson
Editor-in-Chief