My Letter to a Friend Who is Unhappy with Me

Expressing my sadness that I have lost all faith in the U.S. government, regardless of who occupies the White House

When Dr. McCullough and I started this medical freedom and public affairs newsletter, we vowed to try as hard as we can to investigate the reality of the world and tell the truth about it as best as we can ascertain it, even if doing so makes us unpopular.

I have long lived a Bohemian life as a freelance writer. While being a freelancer provides almost no security, there is a certain freedom in it. Many people fear that if they speak their conscience, they could lose their jobs. I don’t have that problem because I’ve never had a full time job apart from being a windsurfing instructor.

At the risk of flattering myself, I always loved the Puccini aria “Che Gelida Manina” from La Boheme because I saw something of myself in the character of Rodolfo.

Chi son? Sono un poeta.
Che cosa faccio? Scrivo.
E come vivo? Vivo.
In povertà mia lieta
scialo da gran signore
rime ed inni damore.
Per sogni e per chimere
e per castelli in aria,
l’anima ho milionaria.

Who am I? I am a poet.
What do I do? I write.
And how do I live? I live.
In my carefree poverty
I squander rhymes
and love songs like a lord.
When it comes to dreams and visions
and castles in the air,
I've the soul of a millionaire.

The one aspect of this business that is painful for me is when speaking my conscience makes my friends unhappy with me. Today I received emails from two people who are very unhappy with me. One of them is a man I admire and consider a dear friend.

I got to know him when when hydroxychloroquine and other early treatment modalities for COVID-19 were being viciously suppressed by federal public health authorities and their lackeys in the mainstream media.

The following is what I wrote to him.

Why on earth would whoever was calling the shots in 2020-21 deliberately smear a safe and effective old drug like hydroxychloroquine that could have helped people?

I once hosted Zev Zelenko for a two-day visit in Dallas, and he expressed high conviction that the only plausible explanation is that godless and evil people are in charge of our country.

Frankly astounded is how I have consistently felt about public affairs since President George W. Bush invaded Iraq in 2003 to great rid of Saddam Hussein -- the erstwhile mortal enemy of Iran, who invaded Iran in 1980 and fought the Islamic Republic for eight years.

Bush’s father was a pal of my grandfather and other members of Dallas and Midland society, and when I criticized Bush’s Iraq War back then, I was ostracized from these circles.

Since 2016, President Trump has passionately stated on at least 100 occasions that he will not drag this country into another destructive war abroad, but will figure out a way to persuade our adversaries to give us what we want through negotiations.

I believed him and consistently defended him since 2016, at the cost of considerable ostracism in my social circles in Maui, Los Angeles, and Vienna.

And yet, when it came to negotiating with Iran in Geneva and Muscat, Trump didn’t attend the meetings, but sent Kushner and Witkoff, who are known cronies of Netanyahu, who has made it clear for decades that he seeks military confrontation with Iran.

How could the Iranians possibly perceive this to be a good faith effort at negotiation?

I sympathize with your attachment to the ancestral homeland of your ancient people. I know that Netanyahu has a long history of putting himself in harm’s way for his country, and I admire the derring do he displayed in his special forces operations. However, the fact remains that he is a fallible man who may have badly misjudged the situation.

I have terrible misgivings that this war could spiral completely out of control and have terrible consequences for all of mankind, including Israel.

I am overwhelmed by the perception that the strikes on Khamenei, the girls’ school, and the unconditional surrender proclamation have ensured that the Iranians will fight “till the last cartridge is fired” to quote an old Waffen SS motto.

I am not saying that my perception is correct -- only that I am overwhelmed by it and see no evidence to challenge it. God only knows how long this war will drag on and at what cost to everyone.