Dear Portside Labor Reader,
The threat to the survival of our democracy is clear: a would-be dictator and a cultist political party. A revenge mythology. A rabid propaganda apparatus. A growing violent and racist extra-legal movement. They aim to eviscerate the house of democracy from within while assaulting it from without.
We’re sounding an alarm, but we are not alarmist. These times call for steadfastness, mobilization and vision, not panic. At Portside, we remain convinced that a truly multiracial, inclusive, radical democratic movement that has a vision beyond capitalism is the key to defeating the forces of reaction and racism and to moving forward.
As someone who subscribes to a Portside list or visits the Portside website, you know that we walk the walk ... day in and day out. We know that actions large and small can add up to a mighty wave. Every day we aim to provide you and other readers real world evidence of struggles, in our country and globally, to secure our future and ways to join the struggle. Once a year we ask you to help us do that.
:We work to sustain our souls in these trying times. To put the pandemic behind us. To help knit together the movement that will secure our future. Every day we search the Internet for useful and truthful reporting, incisive argument, uplifting humor. We side with science and reality against the forces of unreason, with humanism against cruelty and hate. We look for every action that leads us toward disarmament and away from Armageddon. Every demand for protection of the earth and a sustainable future. Every day, we share the best that we find with you.
As you probably know, we moderators of Portside work on an entirely volunteer basis. We are motivated by a vision of a better future, of a just social order. The kind of vision that powers the grassroots movements demanding radical, systemic change that have swept the country this year. We're a movement project, with no ties to corporate money - or any party or organization, for that matter. It’s you and us.
We pledge to keep doing what we've been doing. We ask you to help us by donating to keep our servers running and our website current.
We hope you keep up with our posts every day, covering news, politics, culture, labor and other material of interest to people on the left.
Last year we celebrated 20 years of Portside. Twenty years! Day after day, without missing a beat. But to be honest, we are not complaining of exhaustion because we are invigorated by our work and inspired by the movements that have grown. In fact, our crew of volunteer moderators has grown. We’ve added new features to our coverage. We’ve incorporated new media technologies. We are delighted how the Portside family has been reinforced by thousands of new readers. More people who recommend or comment on material and more authors who submit their writings for consideration. Together we are dedicated to serving as your eyes and ears in the digital universe. Keep sending your input to either portside@portside.org or reader comments.)
And please make a contribution to keep this project going. We promise to make every donation go a long way toward the future we seek together. We don’t ask our readers for financial support often. If you want to be a part of this project and to keep it going strong, this is the time to support Portside.
Yours in struggle,
The entire Portside crew
Judy Atkins, Mark Brody, Peter N. Carroll, Barry Cohen, David Cohen, Ira Cohen, Jeannette Ferrary, Marti Garza, Greg Heires, Michael Hirsch, Geoffrey Jacques, Timothy Johnson, Will Jones, Maureen LaMar, Stephanie Luce, Ray Markey, Leanna Noble, John P. Pittman, Natalie Reuss, Nan Rubin, Meredith Schafer, Jay Schaffner, Kurt Stand, Ethan Young
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