July 3, 2020

Stuff

Mom has always loved cats. Where do you think I got it from, after all?

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I’m going out of my mind. In addition to three years of Donald Trump; my own energy-sucking dex problems; the COVID-19 pandemic; and some annoying work stuff, my mother has suddenly become extremely ill. Two weeks ago she was her usual self: gardening, painting, swimming 50 laps, and cursing our president. Then she suddenly started getting weak. Within three days she could barely move herself to an upright position—which is when I called 911 and had her taken to the hospital. Three days after that she was entirely immobile, able to move her arms to her head and nothing more. Her voice is so weak and slurry that it’s basically gone, so we can’t communicate with her. She won’t eat more than a few bites a day, and doesn’t drink much either.

And nobody knows what caused this. Not even a guess. Her lungs are OK, her heart is OK, and her brain seems to be OK. What on earth could do this in the space of six days?

Anyway, this is the “family business” I mentioned a few days ago, and it’s why the blog is moving a little slower than usual these days.

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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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.

payment methods

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