May/June 2006 Issue

The Fools on the Hill

Congress joins the iPod generation

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The Intellectual Porperty Action Committee, a fair-use advocacy organization that lobbies against industry-friendly copyright legislation, is raising funds to give every member of Congress an iPod so they might better appreciate the value of stol—uh, easily accessible—music. Here are a few of the songs we’d like to download for our favorite legislators.

SONG ARTIST DEDICATED TO
Been Caught Stealing

 Jane’s Addiction Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.)
Hammer to Fall Queen Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas)
Girlfriend in a Coma The Smiths Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn)
Road to Nowhere Talking Heads Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska)
Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)
Queen Bitch David Bowie Rep. “Mean” Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio)
Bad Medicine Bon Jovi Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
Don’t Fence Me In Cole Porter Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.)
God is a Real Estate Developer Michelle Shocked Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.)
Talk Talk Talk Talk Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.)
Carolina on My Mind James Taylor Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
Stuck in the Middle With You Stealers Wheel Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.)
Lost Cause Beck Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)
If I Were the Man You Wanted Lyle Lovett Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Kickstart My Heart Mötley Crüe Senate President Dick Cheney

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.

payment methods

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.

payment methods

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