August 5, 2008

And Volvos Sound Like Oppressive Islamic Extremism

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John McCain is at the 68th annual Sturgis Rally at Buffalo Chip campground in South Dakota today. It’s got beer, semi-naked gals, and bikers — lots and lots of bikers. When those bikers showed their appreciation for John McCain by revving their engines, he reportedly responded:

“I recognize that sound. It’s the sound of freedom.”

What? Either he meant the freedom of the open road or John McCain is completely incapable of understanding anything (or even hearing sounds) outside the prism of our transcendental struggle against radical Islam.

Which may be what some Americans are looking for in a president. I dunno.

By the way, McCain also encouraged his wife to participate in Buffalo Chip’s beauty pageant, which, according to CNN, is “an infamously debauched event that’s been known to feature topless women.” Classy.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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