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I'm clearly doing something right and something wrong. I'm sure, anyway, most would say I'm crazy to even do this thing called opednews. But people do tell me we're doing something important, making a difference. Some say we're their favorite site.
But we've only heard from about 40 people this month, responding to our call for donations, so far, out of about 400,000 visits to our site last month,
We have just shy of 30,000 daily newsletter subscribers, but we can't raise $4400 this month or last month. We did it once this year so far. I spoke to an expert on fundraising and she told me that 1 percent, one out of a hundred contributors is decent. We're seeing 1 out of ten thousand site visitors. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong. Not surprising. I'm no fundraising expert. But we do need help.
In terms of doing something right, I think we offer something special, something different-- great leading voices, but also the voices of the every day Janes and Joes of the left. You don't get that elsewhere.
We offer unique perspectives, interviews with leaders in different worlds.
We offer news ahead of the crowd. We were among the first to carry the reports from Yemen by Jeb Boone. Now, the Washington Post is publishing his reporting.
So tell me, is Opednews worth anything to you? If it is, we really need to see it by the end of this month. It's not a threat. It's an eventuality. I know we have many readers who value, even love our work. But you can't pay bills with that. Please help.
thank you so much,
rob kall 
 Latest Headlines
By Kevin Gosztola
New York Times, NPR Collude with Pentagon on Release of Gitmo Files  Michael Calderone reports "representatives from NPR and the Times visited the White House and spoke with Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell and members of Joint Task Force Guantanamo." And, "The news organizations agreed to some redactions requested by government officials but not all of them." By Rob Kall
Dennis Kucinich Interview Transcript III: GLobalization, Wikileaks and Bradley Manning  he transcript of my interview with Dennis Kucinich continues, covering wikileaks, Bradley Manning and his treatment, and, separately, the broader issue of globalization and tariff and trade agreements By Danny Schechter
WHY WALL STREET IS WINNING
How Wall Street is raking in the big bucks while the Administration remains complicit and teh left silent. By Robert S. Becker
Needed: A Disruptive Donald On the Left  What Trump does to the right -- force some issues -- is what a challenger on the left must do to 1) keep the Dems from more capitulation, and 2) shake up this White House so it doesn't blow its chances as the Dems got overwhelmed in 2010. By Sherwood Ross
Obama "Compromise" With Republicans Is "Rotten Deal" For Most Americans
President Obama, the latest in a long line of imperial presidents, is allowing Americans to suffer from want and neglect while he spreads suffering around the world with his expanded Pentagon budgets and illegal new wars, wars launched without Congressional approval. By David Swanson
How Americans Can Get Up and Stand Up
In December 2009, psychologist Bruce Levine published an article at Alternet called "Are Americans a Broken People?" His timing couldn't have been better. By Chris Hedges
The Corporate State Wins Again
We live in a fragmented society. We are ignorant of what is being done to us. We are diverted by the absurd and political theater. We are afraid of terrorism, of losing our job and of carrying out acts of dissent. We are politically demobilized and paralyzed. The citizen's highest hope finally becomes to be secure and left alone. By Walter Uhler
America's Historical Illiteracy: A Review of The Future of History, by John Lukacs
In an unfortunaely disorganized new book, the esteemd historian, John Lukacs looks at the sad state of historical understanding in the United States and offers prescriptions for its improvement, if not its very salvation. Trump: Karl Rove Is a "Loser" Who Should Retire  Donald Trump clearly has no intention of buddying up with the Republican establishment. With his popularity ranking the highest among Republican presidential hopefuls in a recent Gallup poll, the New York real estate tycoon on Friday took a big swipe at GOP political mastermind Karl Rove, calling Rove "a loser" and suggesting he "go into retirement where he belongs." WikiLeaks Revelations: A View Deep Inside Guantanamo  The documents, obtained by SPIEGEL and other international media, underscore the shortcomings of the Guantanamo system. Very little information trickled out of the Guantanamo prison camp -- the facility in Cuba is sealed to the public. These classified documents provide the first comprehensive view inside the prison. They also show that many prisoners were injustly imprisoned. By Donald Maass
Quotation: What will make you successful is your stories, nothing else
Keith Olbermann Announces Details of His New TV Show  Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann took to his blog, FOK News, this morning to announce (some of) the details of his new television show. The live show will premier at 8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific, on Monday, June 20. The show will be called... wait for it... Countdown With Keith Olbermann. By John Nichols
Paul Ryan's 'Spinal Tap' Tour  Ryan's a rock star in Washington. But he's not playing so well at home, in southeast Wisconsin's 1st district. His spring recess tour on the towns was supposed to be a triumphal return of a hometown hero turned sudden celebrity. Instead, the tour has the feel of those dismal dates played by the aging rockers in the movie Spinal Tap. It's Not Just Medicare: GOP Wants to Privatize Food Stamps, Too
The Republican plan for SNAP looks an awful lot like the Republican plan for Medicaid: end the guaranteed benefit for low-income families, scrap the automatic raises during economic down times, and send the states a block grant -- which would, of course, include a big cut to the program itself. By Press Release
Obama Declaring Manning Guilty Before Trial; Can Military Officers Judge Him Impartially And Contradict their Commander-
President Barack Obama said on April 21 that PFC Bradley Manning "broke the law." This statement casts serious doubt on whether Manning can receive a fair trial from officers subordinate to Obama, their Commander-in-Chief. More voters in GOP districts angry over Ryan's Medicare proposal
Those interviewed either explicitly agree that the GOP plan ends Medicare, or suggest that the plan transforms the program's mission so fundamentally that it will no longer play its intended role. Also: Given how vociferously Republicans deny that the Ryan plan is a voucher program, it's interesting to see the word being used by voters so freely. By Dr Stuart Jeanne Bramhall
How Nonviolence Protects the State  As a long time activist, I have always been troubled by the militant nonviolent perspective that dominates the progressive movement in the US . In some circles, the taboo is so absolute that activists are systematically demonized for even raising the subject. This is why I'm extremely pleased to see Peter Gederloo, Ward Churchill, Derrick Jensen and even the culture jamming group Adbusters revive the debate. By Press Release
U.S. Boat to Sail to Gaza Despite Israeli Threats  The Israeli media recently reported that that country's UN ambassador, Meron Reuben, asked the international organization to stop the flotilla, which is expected to include some 12 boats carrying a thousand nonviolent civilians from dozens of countries. Reuben characterized the activists as "terrorists" with ties to Hamas, the Islamist party that rules Gaza, who are "willing to become martyrs." The Right-Wing Network Behind the War on Unions  From New Hampshire to Alaska, Republican lawmakers are waging war on organized labor. They're pushing bills to curb, if not eliminate, collective bargaining for public workers; make it harder for unions to collect member dues; and, in some states, allow workers to opt out of joining unions entirely but still enjoy union-won benefits. All told, it's one of the largest assaults on American unions in recent history. By Robert Parry
Republicans Embrace 'Greedy Geezers'
Though polls show overwhelming numbers favoring raising taxes on the rich, that is the one option that Official Washington considers unthinkable. Far more admiring news coverage has been devoted to Ryan's "bold," "courageous" and "serious" plan to destroy Medicare than to progressive proposals to hike taxes on the well-to-do. Latest Articles
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The GOP's 2012 Campaign Plan: Disqualify Eligible Voters
Republican lawmakers are resurrecting one of their party's favorite but most cowardly tactics to quote, win elections. They are seeking to create new barriers to voting by passing stricter voter ID laws intended to prevent the very electoral segments who helped to elect President Obama in 2008 from receiving ballots in 2012, particularly the young, poor and elderly, according to voting rights groups. A Guide for Global Leadership
You may have seen this before, but it is a good reminder of the course we should be on. I recalled it while working on a series of applying classroom teaching principles to world behavior; Robert's condensed version really is all we need, if we would but practice it. Explaining Barbour's no-go  There were signs that the Mississippian wasn't all in. As he traveled the country testing the waters over the last few months he had begun privately using the same phrase to describe his intense exploratory schedule: he called it his 'death march,' a Republican who heard Barbour use the term recalled." David Corn: White House to Franklin Graham: You're "Preposterous"  Obama has been quite kind to Graham's ailing father and has prayed with the elder and younger Graham. Despite that, Franklin Graham spreads conspiratorial swill about the president--without much challenge from the media. And the White House obviously calculates it can only go so far in publicly denouncing Graham. Consequently, there's not much disincentive for Graham to change his ways. Gabrielle Giffords' doctors, husband share details on her progress  Gabrielle Giffords is beginning week 16, which brings her husband's shuttle launch, which brings its own set of questions. Will she go? Yes, Kelly says, pending doctors' OK. Is it safe? Yes to that, too, doctors say - even though a piece of her skull is still missing. She won't need a specially pressurized plane, and the hospital will send nurse Poteet and any other necessary staff along with her, says Dr. Dong Kim, the neurosurgeon at Memorial Hermann who oversees Giffords' care. "We're very comfortable with her traveling." Obama paints Rep. Ryan as the GOP face for 2012
In increasingly personal and pointed terms, Obama is attacking Paul Ryan as the face of the Republican Party. Obama wants to frame the election as a choice between two very different visions of America: The Republican one he calls a dark place for the poor and middle class, and the other his own view of a friendly, more utopian place. Dan Froomkin: Maryland To Require Companies To Post Election Spending Online
A bill awaiting the Maryland governor's signature could serve as a template for national campaign finance reform laws, in light of last year's Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates to unlimited spending. Full disclosure of who is paying for what is the main focus these days for reformers who worry that massive, secret spending inevitably leads to corruption and scandal. Brett Arends: IMF bombshell: Age of America nears end
For the first time, the international organization has set a date for the moment when the "Age of America" will end and the U.S. economy will be overtaken by that of China. According to the latest IMF official forecasts published two weeks ago, China's economy will surpass that of America in real terms in 2016 -- just five years from now. Put that in your calendar. Rachel Maddow: 'I'm definitely not an autocutie'  Many have tried to explain Maddow's popularity and most have homed in on what she is not -- namely, one of the interchangeable blustering, middle-aged white guys who host American news programs. She is, instead, a youthful, easy-tempered, gay, 38-year-old woman who prefers sly jokes to spittle-flecked anger. Libya: western leaders call for Nato to target Gaddafi  On Sunday, there was growing pressure on Coalition forces to directly target Col Gaddafi with military strikes. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican member of the Senate Armed Services committee, said that the quickest way to end the emerging stalemate was to "cut the head of the snake off."
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