If you haven’t already noticed, this is the third day of our quarterly fundraising drive, spring edition. I don’t think I have to impress upon those who have been following the news lately the continuing relevance of Antiwar.com. Every day brings more indications of an imminent attack on Iran by the U.S., and the widening chaos in Lebanon makes it another likely site for U.S. intervention.
This fundraising drive is going to be a real obstacle course; I can feel it in my bones – and see it coming in the headlines about the declining economy. People are having a hard time just getting by these days, and it’s too much to expect that this won’t affect our fundraising.
We’re also competing with a number of political campaigns in this election year. Yet if the antiwar movement is to have an effect on policymaking, it’s going to have to maintain its independence, apart from any political parties or special interest groups. And that’s what Antiwar.com represents: the solid core of the anti-interventionist forces in this country, not just Democrats or Republicans, not Left or Right, but all those who pine for a much-needed change in our foreign policy, a turn away from perpetual war and toward a more reasonable, realistic stance that actually serves our interests.
For over 10 years, we’ve stood guard, warning of impending crises and debunking the War Party’s lies. We’ve been proven right again and again, yet we take no satisfaction in this: the only thing that will satisfy us is when we have mobilized the American people and effected lasting change.
With an economy as bad as this one, I fear the worst, but we have no choice but to throw ourselves on the mercy of our readers and ask them to come through yet again. Because, you see, we don’t get subsidized by the big foundations, nor do we accept big corporate donations, which usually come with strings attached: this is no-strings, no-holds-barred activism, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Yet we pay a price for our independence. Because we don’t depend on a few large contributors, we must turn to a myriad of perennial donors and new supporters to pay our bills and stay afloat. That means we must turn to you, four times a year, to continue our work.
Your tax-deductible donation goes a long way. We run a very tight ship, with no frills and no nonsense, just the basics. Unlike the War Party, we don’t have billions to throw around: our budget compared to the pro-war Washington think-tanks, for example, is like David’s slingshot compared to Goliath’s broadsword – but look who won that contest.
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Slingshots still cost money, however; they must be maintained, and they’re useless without the right sort of stones… In short, we need your contribution, and we need it now. You can deduct it from your taxes – so what more needs to be said? You can give less to the War Machine and donate the difference to the cause of peace. What are you waiting for?
P.S. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that donations of $200 and up get you an autographed copy of my recently reissued book, Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement, which tells the story of how the non-interventionist, small-government Old Right was displaced by the “ex”-leftist, pro-war neoconservatives who dominate the GOP today. Contributions of $500 and over merit a personally inscribed copy.
