MSI Press Blog

Jerry Aveta and Irit Schaffer in San Juan Bautista Before the month of September passes into the rearview mirror and out of sight, we should share a magical moment on the first Saturday of the month in San Juan Bautista, California. Jerry Aveta (author of When Liberty Enslaves ) and Irit Schaffer (author of Good Blood ), both authors of award-winning books, joined MSI Press editor for a stroll through history, which comes alive in SJB on the first Saturday of each month.  The stroll was followed by dinner at Jardines de San Juan, a beloved local restaurant whose reputation spreads well beyond the local hills. The next day, Jerry conducted a book signing at the local VFW. Vets and townies came out to talk to him. For more posts about MSI Press staff life, click HERE . Order any book's print edition at 25% discount with coupon code FF25 at  MSI Press webstore ! Want to read our books and not have to pay for them? Ask your local library to acq uire  the ones you are interest...

Democracy isn’t just a set of ideals—it’s a structure. Courts, legislatures, elections, and agencies form the scaffolding that holds liberty aloft. But when extremist movements reject the legitimacy of these institutions, the scaffolding begins to crack. 🧨 Undermining from Within Extremist rhetoric often targets the very institutions that make constitutional rights enforceable: Courts  are dismissed as “activist” when rulings challenge ideological views. Elections  are declared fraudulent without evidence, eroding public trust. Federal agencies  are portrayed as enemies of freedom, rather than guardians of public welfare. This isn’t healthy skepticism—it’s strategic sabotage. And it creates a feedback loop: distrust leads to disengagement, which leads to institutional decay. 🕳️ The Myth of Self-Correction Some argue that democracy will “self-correct”—that institutions will bounce back once extremism fades. But history suggests otherwise: Democracies can and do collapse ...

  In the winding journey of foreign language acquisition, one deceptively simple skill can make the difference between a stalled conversation and a confident flow:  Shifting Gears . Originally outlined by Boris Shekhtman in  How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately , this tool allows learners to maintain fluency—even when they encounter unfamiliar vocabulary or complex topics—by artfully pivoting to terrain they know well. 🎯 What Is “Shifting Gears”? Imagine you’re driving through a foreign language conversation and hit a hill too steep: maybe it’s a political debate you’re not prepared for, or a scientific concept you don’t know the words for. Instead of grinding to a halt, you  downshift —you transition, smoothly and purposefully, to a topic you  can  discuss. And when done well, this move isn’t evasive—it’s strategic. It gives the impression (rightfully!) that you’re in control of the conversation, equipped with tools to communicate effectively ...

Today's publisher's pride is  Travels with Elly  by Larry MacDonald, which reached #238   in travel with pets books. Book description: Discover Canada like never before -- from a personal perspective, similar to John Steinbeck's view of America in his 1960 book  Travels with Charley . The author travels from coast to coast in a trailer with his wife and pets, including their Standard Poodle, Elly, in order to gain a better understanding of his adopted country. Interspersed between descriptions of history, cultures, places, and icons are the author's reflections on various things such as Elly's antics, signage, ferries, political injustice, environmental issues, and animal instincts. To provide a canine's perspective, Elly reflects on things of interest to her, including cats, cows, and other critters...but especially cats! Where was Canada's first settlement? What is its prettiest town? When and where was its most devastating shipwreck? And who was its greatest...