September 28, 2010

“Topless Mountains Are Obscene”

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I wrote yesterday about the Appalachia Rising events taking place in Washington, DC this week to call for federal action to stop mountaintop-removal coal mining. On Monday, approximately 2,000 Appalachians and supporters marched from the Environmental Protection Agency to the White House, demanding an end to the practice.

The group also stopped at a branch of PNC Bank, which has come under fire for providing loans to the coal companies that engage in this destructive type of mining. More than 100 activists were later arrested at the White House for occupying the sidewalk outside in an act of civil disobedience.

Here are some photos from the march:

Photos by Kate Sheppard.

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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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