This is a post for "family" -- readers of this blog, and especially longtime readers of this blog, who will be able to hearken back to The Disinformation Wars on American Betrayal. 

As some will have noticed, I have not been publishing much of late in the Epoch Times. Until quite recently, this was due to the fact that I have not been writing much of late either, having been consumed by private matters for some months. My April 12 column, "When Grand Juries Are Not So Grand," was my first contribition since February 3, which was my first contribution since December 22, 2019. I think it was probably also my last.

On April 21, I received an email from the op-ed editor slugged "Please hold all submissions until further notice." I was told that due to hard corona times, the paper's freelance budget had dwindled and, well, there it was, and there we were. How sad! I expressed my concern for the health of the paper and hope for better times to come. A week or so later, however, I noticed a goodly number of freelancers were still appearing on the op-ed page and inquired. These freelance pieces, I was told, were from a backlog, or the writers were operating on reduced rates or even gratis. OK. When I didn't get an invitation to contribute on such terms, I did wonder if something else might be going on. If you check the queue today, about a month later, freelancers abound. I have not, however, been invited to resume submissions. 

Also around that same time in April, several readers flagged for me a dreary, messed-up paeon to FDR in the Epoch Times, of all places, by the egregious Conrad Black. Black, I discovered, had become a contributor to the paper at the beginning of the year, which coincided with my own inactive period. Egad. Could it be that once again I was subject to the malign influence of Planet X? 

I did inquire about this, after a fashion, but have received no reply to date. So it goes -- which is simply what I wanted readers to know.

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In early June, I received an email from the Epoch Times. Bottom line from editorial: There is no Black effect ("but I also understand where you’re coming from"), and "it's possible we will carry submissions from you soon but the budget is still very tight." 

I'm thinking this isn't one to file under "Please come back, we miss you terribly."