Letter from the Publisher

Dear Reader,

I have a bad habit of not leaving my work at the office. The first thing I do each day—before stretching, breakfast and kissing my husband good morning—is open my laptop to www.inthesetimes.com.

Even after a year as publisher, I still get excited every time I see the latest article online, available for our readers to discuss on the message boards and to send on to friends, coworkers and family. Throughout the day, I check to see who’s blogging about our stories and which Web sites are linking to them.  And by the time I’m ready for bed, I always check one last time to see how many thousands of people have visited the Web site that day.  It’s a bad habit—but for a great cause.  Because I know the more people seek out information from places like In These Times, the more we can all influence the direction of this country.

In These Times is a clear voice among the din of 24/7 news.  We produce stories that are provocative, surprising and contain some of the best reporting in the independent media today.  From the events inside the beltway to the strategies developing on the ground to counter the right, In These Times is bringing news and analysis straight to you. Our writers:

1. Report the untold stories from inside D.C, like how the Defense Department is refusing to deliver letters written by Guantanamo inmates to U.S. senators.
2. Examine the collateral damage of the Iraq war, such as the high incidence of psychoactive pharmaceuticals prescribed to soldiers in Iraq.
3. Tackle complex debates ranging from the morality of sanctions to why exiting Iraq won’t be easy.
4. Investigate the people and the movements shaping today’s society from up and coming progressive Democrats to the hidden influence of the evangelical Character Training Institute on city and state governments.

We want to keep publishing more and more stories like these.  And to do it, we need you. All non-profit publications, on the right and the left, rely on financial support to survive.  Some, like Rupert Murdoch’s Weekly Standard, depend on one rich person.  As an independent, non-profit publication, we rely on donations from readers like you.  About 40 percent of In These Times’ general operating revenue is provided by donations.

Become a conscientious reader and make a tax-deductible donation today. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Tracy Van Slyke

ps - With a donation of $50 or more, we will send you an autographed copy of Was the 2004 Presidential Election Stolen? Exit polls, Election Fraud, and the Official Count by In These Times Editor Joel Bleifuss and Steven Freeman. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has praised the book saying, “Freeman and Bleifuss document the final proof of the most monumental theft in American history.”

pps - With a $75 donation, you will get a copy of Bleifuss’ book and In These Times’ founder Jimmy Weinstein’s The Long Detour: The History and Future of the American Left.