March/April 2003 Issue

Teeing Off on Terrorism

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How much will the war on terrorism cost? If past experience is any indication, there are bound to be a few hidden expenses. As it takes on the axis of evil, the Pentagon is running up what it refers to as “incremental costs” — expenses over and above the cost of training and deploying troops overseas. But when the General Accounting Office took a look at $2.2 billion the Defense Department spent enforcing no-fly zones in Iraq and keeping peace in the Balkans in 2000 and 2001, it found at least $101 million in what it calls “questionable expenditures.” Here are a few of the iffier expenses racked up at air bases in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Cappuccino machine $16,758 Golf-club set with bag $1,478
Corporate golf membership $16,000 White beach sand $4,638
Genie lamp with Riyadh stone $432 “The Intelligent Investor” software $2,987
Cowboy hats $4,896 Deocrative river rock $18,980
Nacho cheese warmer $1,039 Love seat and armchair $23,989
Remote-control cars $3,766 Sumo wrestling suit $3,395

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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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