> And yet, out of those 25,000 visitors who immensily enjoyed The BRAD BLOG, only one of them made a donation. And that was a good day!

Like I have said over and over again, average liberals do not give!!!!!!!!

Ah, but BRAD BLOG readers are not "average liberals", Paul.

Though, as I've noted, you --- an average fake conservative --- have similarly not given despite the fact that you read this website everyday!

So be like the Hollywood Liberals who gave *real* money to the Tsunami efforts, instead of your hero and Fake Conservative George Bush who could barely muster up a few dimes!

Give liberally today!

You're right. You're right. I donated. I donated. Now you keep on working right here, Brad. I know we crack the whip a bit much, and appreciation does not pay the rent or fill the belly. 25,000 viewers x $1 = $25,000 Gosh, if enough of us donated a little, you might be able to make a living doing this. Thank you for your enthusiasm and your boot aimed at all rear ends that need a jolt in the right direction.

Paul, you are an ass. These liberals contributed over half their monthly income to the doomed effort to remove the W from the White House. These liberals staked their lives and livelihoods on a prayer for peace and justice. These liberals would die for those things.

Many of these liberals don't have an extra two pennies to rub together. But we do have commitment, intelligence and intellectual honesty. Go to hell...where you belong.

Sorry, Paul. I think I detected a bit of cynical support for the new Progressive project. You may remain in purgatory until further notice.

Paul, Liberals tend to be independent people. We move out of the house as soon as we can. We don't get married for financial reasons. Despite what you may think, we don't usually take handouts either. And often, we live in the city. It costs more money to live in the city, but many of us think it's worth it. And that statistic that says conservatives give more? How many of those donations are church related? I'm not making this into a liberal vs. conservative issue, but sometimes statistics only tell the partial truth. I've given to Brad and I'll continue to give. You should also thank Brad for not shutting you out of comments the way right wing blogs censor anyone with a dissenting arguement.

BRAD, A detractor's aim is NOT to tell the truth. It is simply to DETRACT. Seems you've got one here.

And I bet he's a dickhead.

Brad - I think I have a bit I can spare, left over from the electoral push. It's not very much.

And we should all yell at Brad for not shutting him down, but then we would be just like them. Let's just go to Paul's house, I'm sure Brad knows where he lives, and ask for a handout. If we don't think he is appropriately generous, we can leave anti-Bush slogans and signs all over the property. Then his own neighbors will run him out of town. Won't they, Paul?

Brad - I entered everything as I have done for all causes in the past, but PayPal, which is my pal, has refused me because of "incomplete information." Heck.. I've given them everything but my genome! What is going on here? I've used PayPal without trouble many times before.

Hmmm...not sure, Peg. Try again in the morning after a fresh reboot of the computer and see if that makes a diff.

Very troubling!

Brad, I wish I could, and I won't go into the sob story. I link your blog to most of my posts and comments around the web. That's the best I can do right now. Hopefully that will change soon. As a suggestion, there must be some way for the left blogs as a group or consortium, to convince a George Soros or someone like him of the need to sprinkle a little water on these new grass roots.

Brad, I do have lots of free time. I would be willing to do any kind of thing that may assist on a strictly volunteer basis as long as I can do it from here at home. The drearier the better.

LGM - Exactly right! They want grassroots, they have to see their way clear to paying for the message. Neither grass nor roots has a trust fund.

HI PEG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peg C #4

Your above post makes me proud to be a liberal, and proud to know you

Brad, I emailed you asking for alternative (traditional) ways of making donations. I want to give, just need another way. Thanks for all that you do, this blog is an oasis for me.

HEY PAUL, ATTY JIMMO,
Go ahead, I dare you, I double dare you!

I've been meaning to donate for a while now, but hadn't actually gotten around to it. Then I realised that I didn't want to be the sort of person who uses the facilities without paying for the upkeep, so I have made the commitment.

Wish I could give more, wish I could do more. I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic for the former, I'm going to try the latter more often - this is important for all of us.

You all rock, Brad even more so for giving us a place to rock in.

Keep the faith, brothers and sisters. Whatever happens, we will be able to look our descendants in the eye and say "I did what I could." If Edmund Burke was right (and I believe that he was) then evil shall not flourish as long as we do SOMETHING.

Peg C #11 ... I finally got thru!

Right on, LGM (#13)! "...convince a George Soros or someone like him of the need to sprinkle a little water on these new grass roots."

Exactly my thought. This, and other blogs like it, are something the Soros-like "successful people" need to be giving their support to. I hope a benefactor appears. They're out there, we just need to make them aware of you!

Do you have any other way to receive donations?

Bob, what other ways did you have in mind?

LGM (and others) - I thought I mentioned it in another comment (may have been in another thread), but first things first: Take care of yourselves. No need to apologize if you can't afford to donate. We need you, and everyone else to take of yourselves. We need ya.

If you can give, then we could use it. If you can't that's completely understandable!

Brad,

I still can't get through. PayPal keeps telling me my info is "incomplete." I've tried three or four times today, after reboots. Do they need hair and eye color, weight, date of last dental appointment? It's not as if I haven't done this before.

Peg C #26. Someone mentioned that if you are using pay pal you should not put spaces between the numbers.

Anyway nah nah nah ... mine worked ...

Just dropped my last dollar too, but it wasn't nearly enough. In fact, it was chump-change and you all deserve much more.

I intend to support The Brad Blog and it's fine netizens, so I'm digging through my stuff for something to sell on eBay immediately. It's my quick fix to a long-term obligation but... maybe we can all come up with similar fund-raising plans?

Hi, Dredd - I've tried it both ways, and upsidedown and sideways. I've even stood on my head and entered my info with my toes. No go.

I'm so happy for you, Dredd. It must make you feel so accomplished and in control.

It is absolutely imperative that we fund this alternative journalistic force. I believe we are going to be powerful fast. Money must flow. Even if it's five bucks, no one should be shy about the amount. It all ads up and now is the time. Five or ten bucks on a regular basis should be within everyone's budget, and of course, more if possible.
We live in an affluent society, but maybe not much longer if we don't act. If a tiny sacrifice is necessary, it will pay off soon.

It's easy. Just click on the donation box. I paid by credit card, and it was fast and simple. The page acted up a bit, but just keep clicking back on.

Let's show this administration that we mean business!

Torqued and all - Blessed be the peace-keepers, for they shall inherit the earth.

Teresa - Hi there! We haven't met synchronously in a long time. We have to keep BradBlog (and OUR message) front and center.

Peg, maybe the universe doesn't want your money. It's like those money eating machines that spit out your dollar bill repeatedly. You pull it, try to take out the creases and folds, do a magic incantation, and still back out comes that bill.

BTW, Goerge Soros just plunked down a big chunk of money for shares of Time Warner. They are in the process (Warren Buffet,too) of creating a powerful liberal media. I woudn't be surprised if some of the billionaires come up with sole liberal ownership of some sort.
That's why all donations are significant.
The more money we contribute, the more say we have.

One more little thing... Air America has astounded the country by moving into 50 cities. A growth of 5000% in one year.

Teresa #29 -

That thought had occurred to me. The universe is rejecting me and my offerings. I am but a dust speck and the celestial housekeeper has swept me into her dust-pan for disposal at the nearest black hole.

Hi Teresa!
I guess Air America is saying something that a lot of Americans want to hear. Keep the faith, the message is spreading a little bit more each day!

Peg C,
Do you suppose that it has something to do with those smilies?

Peg C,

Actually, we are going to hit the intergalactic center of our galaxy soon. Maybe you will be deposited there.

Or maybe the big ol' universe wants your beautiful words, not your money. Money is an illusion anyway.

Oh and yes, absolutely, you Canadian sweetheart, Cheryl. You bet your sweet bippy(?).....Americans are starving, even lusting after our message. Let's prepare a beautiful plate, artistically decorated, and serve it to them with finesse.

Peg, et al,

Has anybody looked into the possibility that Paypal is being run by Diebold and doesn't want us to donate to Brad?

Okay, so Diebold must also be manipulating the Smilies - the at the end of my last post was supposed to be the Smiley with the tongue stuck out!

Brad-

I donated to your blog last night. I'm sorry I haven't contributed sooner. I've been reading your blog since shortly after the disastrous 11/04 elections and it has really opened my eyes. I was an avid newspaper reader, usually reading the LA Times and the on-line versions of the NY Times and WaPo every day, but I realized more and more, especially after getting into the blogosphere, that they were not giving me the full story. Now, I get most of my news from your blog and a few other blogs and also from the links provided by those blogs and their readers- especially the Canny Canadian, Cheryl (if only more Americans were so interested and tuned into our "democracy").

I am seriously considering cancelling my subscription to the LA Times, except, possibly, for the Sunday Edition. I would be more than willing to contribute my savings to your blog. Actually, I would be willing (and wondered if others would be willing) to have a certain amount automatically contributed to your blog from my credit card on a monthly or quarterly basis. I pay for the LA Times in that fashion on a quarterly basis. Are you able to set such a process up. If so, I would suggest it be set up with an annual need for renewal and with the option to cancel whenever the subscriber desires or, god forbid, you decide to stop blogging and go on to bigger and better things.

Since I'm writing, I'll communicate another thought I have been mulling over. I was wondering if you, along with other blogs, perhaps through VELVET REVOLUTION, had thought of trying to organize a giant demonstration or march in Washington, D.C. to protest the War in Iraq- some kind of "million person march". If it was planned for the right time of year, (eg- later Spring or early Fall) when there weren't a lot of tourists or some other big thing going on in D.C. it seems to me it could be a big success and send a huge message. Perhaps, it could also provide an opportunity for all of us BRAD BLOGaholics to get together and meet each other. Just a thought and, hopefully not too wild-eyed and impractical.

Anyway, thanks for what you are doing. Keep up the good fight and the inspiration needed to (hopefully) awaken the slumbering masses as well!

Steve

Hi, Steve - If you cancel your newspaper subscription, let them know why.

Your vision of a million marchers, consisting of bradbloggers, suddenly had me envisioning the police rounding us all up at one time and sending us to Cuba - and not for winter vacation, either.

How untrusting have I become of DUMYA's administration! Sad, but true.

Peg - Don't listen to Teresa! The universe *wants* your money!!! Your problem sounds very strange though, particularly since you've used PayPal before. Have you tried to drop them a note (or called their tech support) to ask what could be wrong? There must be *something* you are leaving out!?

Steve - Thanks for your very kind words and vote of support. Yes, I had thought about suggesting that folks send what they now save in newspaper subscriptions as well!

Yes, there is a way to set up a subscription via PayPal and I was looking at offering that as an option, but didn't know what sounded like a useful dollar amount per month. Anyone here have any thoughts on that?

Finally, re: a DC March on Iraq, we've got a major action that we've been trying to get launched at VR concerning Electoral Reform that should be pretty exciting. Largest holdup is me getting sidetracked with so many stories here! But there are also some legal and technical issues we're getting squared away.

After that action is up and rolling and/or finished, we'll be adding some new Issues over at VR. Leading candidates right now are "Media Reform" and "Out of Iraq". Once we're fully on that "Out of Iraq" bandwagon over there, it might indeed be time for a million citizen march on DC!

Unfortunately, there's only so much time and so many resources to do everything so I'm *trying* (and not succeeding very well --- to set some priorities and take care of only 4 or 5 things at a time before adding another 4 or 5!

But it's all a great idea! And by all means, if you haven't already, please toss out the idea over in the VR Watch Discussion forum over there! Hopefully others will take that ball and run with it, and of course VR is behind ya all the way!

Brad - I'll keep trying. I'm one STUBBORN dust speck.

I just posted a note I received from Code Pink on the Open Thread you so thoughtfully provided. They are planning a march. Maybe LOTS of groups are planning marches. Our joined forces could be quite impressive!

OMG!! OMG!!! What a thought!! I am so excited!

Steve #38...

The idea of meeting you all makes me leap with joy. I was thinking we could bring sleeping bags and camp out in some place, some quaint hotel(probably some fleabag), a la hippie days. We could "talk"(ha ha), make music, laugh , of course, and have an all around fantastic time bringing down this government.

Like Brad says, "Making the TRUTH fun again."

Oh, Teresa - Love ya!

BTW, on another thread, some relevant meanderings about tolerance.

Morning Peg C #41,
I think that our biggest problem right now is that we aren't coordinated. Everyone is going off half-cocked and doing their own thing. Action always speaks louder if we are all doing the same. Ideas, anyone.

Brad #40,
I could afford $25 per month. It's not much, but it could be regular.

Morning everyone else!

Brad - I sent $5 buckaroonies your way via paypal. Thanks for making me feel guilty! It worked. ;-P

Great idea. Brad premium service for those who make a modest contribution. New York Times limits access if you do not pay. Even your friend ORielly has a premium service. Why not the Brad Blog. I don't know what it might be. Perhaps wiser minds than mine could fill in that gap.

Harvey

I know how Harvey. You could read, but not talk. That would kill me!

Or Brad you could do a couple of fundraising weeks with a set target, like lots of other blogs do.

Dear Mr.Brad,

I am finally having fun, making big colorful posters on the front of my big victorian house downtown on a corner. People stop by, ask questions , tell me thanks for the caring, or once to f*ck off and die.

I just spread truth around to clean up the crap the right wing spreads.

I am very proud of you, you have taught me a lot
I am grateful that you risk yourself, to find truth for me.

I want to donate to your cause , but will not send anything thru the web. To scary for me.....do you have a way of excepting plain old checks from plain old folks who want to help? I have never communicated with anyone on the web, only read , until I sent you thanks for your work.

Maybe a po box or????

Again thank you, You are my NEW Nightline in the daytime. To bad for my old nightly pal Ted Kopple.

Later , and give me more to read.......................

Rhonda from San Franciso-you are a true American hero!

Brad-

In regard to your reponse (#40) to my comment (#38): Would you have to set up regular payments at the same amount for everyone who wanted to make such payments? Couldn't I contribute a certain set amount each period (month, quarter, etc.) and someone else contribute a different set amount for each similar period, depending on what they were comfortable having debited on a regular basis? It seems likely that you'd get more "subscribers" if it was set up according to what an individual thought he/she could regularly afford.

If you're looking for a suggested amount, I was surprised, upon reviewing my autodebits for the LA Times, that I currently pay $36.00 every 8 weeks to have the the paper delivered daily to my house. That works out to $234.00/year or about $19.50/month. I have to admit, I haven't paid enough attention as the cost has slowly gone up (while the quality has gone down at least as quickly!).

Steve

Brad...what I meant, basically, was some place to send a check or money order.

Steve - As far as I can tell, I'd need to select an amount and a pay period (monthly, quarterly, annaully, etc.) to offer to folks. If time allows --- and surely that will happen someday I'll see if I'm wrong about that, and may be able to offer more options. Thanks for the encouragment, and to everyone else as well.

Rhonda in San Francisco - Wow, really appreciate your kind words! So glad to hear what you are doing! Only wish you were in Canton, OH or Dallas (though that would likely cost you a bunch of broken windows!)... Keep up the good work!

And to you and Bob Bilse both, drop me an email and I'll give you a snail mail address to send a good old fashioned paper check to.

(Though PayPal actually takes those paper checks! But you'd still have to do it online, and I appreciate the reticence that anyone may have about that).

Much "more to read" coming!

Premium service: BAD idea, Harvey #47!
What if someone (like me) couldn't get PayPal to cooperate; or what if someone, like plenty of folks, couldn't afford to pay immediately but really needed to communicate, vent, get in touch. That's what makes makes blogs, but this one especially, so great. They feed a hunger, not only for truth but for companionship in ideas.

Thanks, Brad.

Hey! Hurray!! I got through!!! Brad, you are $10 + $10 richer. Sorry it couldn't be more. Might I suggest $5 as a monthly minimum for auto-pay? Most people could handle that, the price of (I only gather) a cup of coffee. Or is it more?

Dredd -

Nyah, nyah...I have now joined the ranks of the blog-elite in spite of exclusionary principles built into the very fabric of democratic society. I have prevailed over PayPal prejudice (or something). I have succeeded in convincing the establishment to allow me to be bled. I have prevailed in my battle to support intelligent truth-mongering.

Brad - love this site. Please keep it going!

With inspired comments like that, Peg C, how could I not?!

I'll do my best. And thanks to all of you who have helped! With donations and/or participating in many various ways over this past year!

And don't worry, I think the Premium Service idea stinks to.

I'd love to give a donaton, but I wasted all my money at the DNC.

Thanks left kook fringe for spending your hard-earned $5 to the Brad Blog. I am glad I got something started even if it is only a handful of kooks. Thanks again for proving my point that average liberals do not give.

Like I have said in the past, I cannot give to something that I do not believe in. But I can promote it to the kooks who do.

Peg C, you are the #1 kook. You can't even use PayPal correctly. I doubt you would really die for anything. More likely to do what Teresa suggested with the sleeping bag while smoking dope.

> to protest the War in Iraq-some kind of "million person march"

Steve, just change the name to "million kook march." You can get NAMBLA to march with you!

By the way, liberalism is dying - see the NEW REPUBLIC: 'Liberalism is dying' article.

> I'd love to give a donaton, but I wasted all my money at the DNC

That's OK Terri in S. FL, Dean is running it now. Please waste the rest of your money.

Again, thanks and please continue giving to Brad's Blog.

Brad,
The idiot at #59 is getting down right offensive. He doesn't have anything positive to contribute. The idiot remarks can be tolerated, but must we listen to him insult people?

#59..."Thanks again for proving my point that average liberals do not give".

Thanks for proving my point that your a dickhead.

> The idiot at #59 is getting down right offensive. He doesn't have anything positive to contribute

Everything you left fringe kooks say on this blog is offensive. The hate America crowd!

I am creating "positive" cash flow for Brad!

Annrice, you are obsessed with DH!

Paul

{ed. note: Comment deleted as it was not written by Paul. Whoever did it, please knock it off.}

Paul

Paul

{ed. note: Comment deleted as it was not written by Paul. Whoever did it, please knock it off.}

Problem is.... wingnuts, I believe, have an inability to experience pleasure. It's in their chemistry. So they turn to hate and sadism for a perverted form of this sensation.

Love your little animated smilies, Cheryl. Did they come with all that extra stuff, though, like web-search, etc.? I read the legal notice that came with it, and I wasn't sure it would be entirely secure to use. Cute though!

Paul, worry not. Being a homo is perfectly OK. We accept that as a personal choice, and it represents no threat whatsoever.

Dredd, are you fooling with Paul's posts?

Hey Peg C,
I'm living dangerously!!!

{Ed Note: Comment deleted as it was not written by Paul. Whoever did it, please knock it off.}

Hi, Cheryl -

Yes, I too detect the fine underhand of the dread Dredd.

Paul-
Please don't leave. It's a big tent and, besides, we all need comic relief.

Or maybe the bad Brad?

Comment #64 and #72
That was a good one! You really had me going there. There's one thing neocon righties can do better than anything, and that's to kiss their own ass. Just cause we don't like to kiss our own ass, they call us anti-American.

And Paul, I don't think you had any bearing on how much was donated to Brad. I think Brad's plea for donations served itself. I'm sure he had to swallow a big chunk of his pride to do it. Your Rush Limbow and Bill O'Reilly influences really show through. No facts or logic in the arguement, just name calling quasi-logical opinions.

Where to post these lovely links? I hope I will be forgiven for putting them here, where they might be seen.

Manuel Valenzuela on real loyalties and priorities.

And John Dear on the beatitudes and our brainwashed nation.

Thanks a ton, Peg C, for the links (and I haven't even gotten through the first one yet, and I can't wait to get back to it, but I had to jump in)! When will it finally become common knowledge that "growth" cannot be the answer forever? Seems our beloved Mother Earth already has plenty of kids. Redistribution of what wealth and resources there are and capping population growth now would be a much saner idea. Only a mad ship captain would take on more passengers than her ship could safely accomodate. "All politics is local." Sure, and I might add, "All living is local."
Then everyone could live a life of enough, without fear of the future, in fact with hope of a rosier future. Oops! I just gave myself away as a commie, or a Jesus Freak, or something. Oh well... Boy! We've got the World Bank, the IMF, NATO, the US plunderment, the... I could go on, but the point is we have a bunch of really heavy adversaries and would-be opressors. If we want to end the war and stuff, we have to sing loud...
Earlier today I couldn't access Bradville, and I was really bummed out. Thank goodness for such a fine place to congregate! Peace and Love, All!

I couldn't get on for hours last night. The traffic must have been super-heavy.

For Sale:
blameitonbush.com
gannonguckert.com

Email me at newsom101@yahoo.com

Hey Brad- I just gave....keep up the great work- this is the only Blog I read & wade through. DID any one see the Bill Maher (sp?) season premier on HBO last night? It'll air all week- great little piece on the bogus White Housereporter with Leslie Stahl and interesting comments from Senator Biden.

Thanks again for all your hard work.

Just sent you $10 brad... i know it's not much but I'll donate more again next month!!

Keep up the good work m8!!

Peace!!

Many hands make light work. The first time I sent $5 to Brad, I decided that if 10,000 people (out of 300,000,000) were doing the same, it would be enough. Not having bought into the society that Corporate America has prepared for us, I don't have much, but giving a little bit on a consistent basis can add up. (Anyone who has ever gone through a "yard sale phase" can attest to this!) Too many of us are so used to being poor that we don't realize that our money still has power. I used to think that my $5 or $10 doesn't make any difference, but along with that money we are sending "prana", our life energy. It matters.

This appeared in my local paper today concerning newspaper journalism:

>Times have changed.
Today questions abound about our credibility and our future. Let's take the question of our future first. It will bring us back to credibility. Some see the Internet as a threat to our business. They fear that if advertising migrates online, newspapers will lose the income necessary to pay for the expensive task of gathering the news.
I recognize that the Web is changing our business and will change it much, much more over the next few years. Where we'll end up I don't know.

I think this is important. It may be the biggest challenge the blogosphere will have to face and we should be prepared. That is the attempt at corporate takeover through advertising. It will be tempting if not irresistible.
That is why I believe this type of grass roots funding is vital. If we want to maintain journalistic freedom we will have to be vigilant. If dreams come true, this will remain the people's product. It will be a test of our sincerity and commitment to truth.

The article egoes on to say:

>Newspapers have to stand for something. And that something is truth. That is what journalism is about. If we try to stick to that goal, journalism will thrive, no matter what the format.