Dear Friends,
If you are anything at all like me, you are in the habit of looking for the bright places in the gloom. They are, all too often, damnably few and far between, but when I come across them, it feels like a skyrocket going off in my chest. One piece of good news can buoy me for a week, like hearing a snatch of song I love and haven't heard for a long time. Yesterday, for me, it was the news that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was on hand to watch her husband ride the shuttle Endeavor into the firmament for that craft's final flight. I read about that and started grinning like an idiot, because it is a marvel that she is with us at all.
Rep. Paul Ryan and his “bold” right-wing pals in the House are preparing to repackage their plan to annihilate Medicare. The Mississippi River is rising, and those waters threaten to wash away homes and lives and livelihoods. Tuscaloosa has been ravaged by tornadoes. The unemployment rate remains stubbornly high. The Wall Street wizards, mortgage thieves and bank brigands remain stubbornly un-prosecuted. The war in Afghanistan goes on. The war in Iraq goes on. The war in Libya goes on … and so, it seems, do I. It is a hard hustle, knowing just how bad it is out there, so I cling to those bright spots like a man with a life preserver lost at sea, hoping the top of the next wave will bring into view a friendly ship, a safe harbor or even just a tiny patch of sand to stand on.
I suppose it would be easier to float through life deliberately unaware, or better yet, happily misinformed by the likes of Fox News and the rest of the “mainstream” media, but I am my father's son, and my mother's son, and I am an American who gives a towering damn about who we are and where we've been and where we are to go. I am not wired for indifference, and as you are reading this, then neither, I suspect, are you. If you help Truthout, we will help you, and together we will enjoy the moments of brightness as we find them. Together, perhaps, we can find a way to make them a more common occurrence. The effort, in the end, is its own reward.
Truthout must meet its monthly budget so that, through tough times and bright times, we can keep this effort going strong. Right now, we must raise about $38,000 more to meet our fundraising goal. Can you make a contribution tonight and help us continue doing this work?
(Truthout is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 20-0031641)
Or donate by check, made payable to:
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To all of our readers who have already donated, thank you so much!
Send your thoughts to [email protected].
Sincerely,
William Rivers Pitt
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy