Portside

A Message from the Moderators at Portside

November 24, 2013

Dear Portside reader,

A drama is unfolding before our eyes. One major party has disgraced itself with ultra-right antics that would make Reagan blush. The other is trying to come to terms with the deepest drop in public trust since Watergate. Can the left get it together to respond?

We do our part at Portside. As a subscriber, you have had access to the news, analysis, criticism and discussion that every vital movement needs. You are kept informed about fast food strikes, Moral Mondays in North Carolina, the threatened bombing of Syria, the rise of resistance in Greece and the fight to defend democratic rights in numerous states. You hear the voices of progressive pundits, artists and social movement activists, old and young.

All for free. We don't charge, we don't sell advertising space, and we don't work for pay. We're a collective of movement grunts who do it for love... and our conviction that social media can be a tool for interconnection and shared information on the left.

We search for some of the most interesting and useful material on the net from analysts, journalists and grassroots activists, and share our discoveries with you, every day. We know this meets with general approval, because you tell us so. And we appreciate every submission, criticism and note of encouragement.

Once a year we make a pitch. Portside is designed to operate with minimal overhead. But there are some expenses - including website maintenance, and multiple emails 365 days a year. And so we turn to you for a little help. Contributions not only keep us going, they allow us to expand our offerings, to meet the needs of people in a country where even the mainstream media now portrays public education as a "special interest" issue.

Your contributions pay off. Last year we launched a professional, user-friendly webpage, complete with graphics and archives. We've also improved our Facebook and email components. This has greatly increased the number of Portside posts appearing in other media. We are also getting more unsolicited submissions from readers and professional writers.

In the coming year we have new plans aimed at meeting the info needs of activists. In addition to Portside and Portside Labor, we plan to give special attention to cultural features, both in daily email dispatches and on the web. We will also provide new features focusing on political developments in this time of Congressional roadblocks and pendulum swings.

If you find Portside a valuable resource, please make a contribution using our secure donation page at https://portside.org/donate. You can make a one-time contribution or become a regular sustainer in whatever amount you can afford. If you would prefer to mail a contribution, please send to the address at the bottom of this email.

We also urge you to invite friends, co-workers, neighbors and family to subscribe via the Web: https://www.portside.org/subscribe or by email: portside@portside.org.

We have kept this going for more than a decade, because it brings together the scattered, but important news and insights circulating in the left media. We'll keep going, with your help.

Yours in the struggle,

The Portside and Portside Labor crew -
Judy Atkins, Marc Beallor, Carl Bloice, Mark Brenner, Barry Cohen, David Cohen, Ira Cohen, Marti Garza, Greg Heires, Will Jones, Stephanie Luce, Ray Markey, Carol Pittman, John P. Pittman, Nan Rubin, Meredith Schaffer, Jay Schaffner, Ethan Young

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