Two Investigative Projects on Hold
 
Resent-Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 10:52:44 -0500 (CDT)


Our spring fundraiser at Consortiumnews.com has stalled short of
its modest $25,000 goal. While that presents problems for our
long-term survival, it also has the immediate effect of keeping two
important investigative projects on hold.

One project ? dealing with the secret history of Republican ties
to Iran's Islamist regime ? requires an overseas trip that our
budget can't cover. The other ? relating to corrupt ties between
American neoconservatives and Turkish extremists ? calls for
additional spending on complex research.

We also understand why it sounds odd to many Americans when we ask
them to support investigative journalism. Traditionally, that's
been the role of big media companies with large budgets.

But the reality of modern America is that these old institutions
have failed. During my many years in mainstream Washington journalism,
I watched this sorry transformation from the inside.

So, when the country desperately needed an aggressive press corps
? as George W. Bush was claiming and consolidating power and then
misleading the nation into a catastrophic war ? the big media was
part of the problem, not part of any solution.

It fell to small, independent outlets like ours to challenge the
wrongdoing during Election 2000 and Bush's exploitation of the 9/11
tragedy as a means to stampede the country into the reckless invasion
of Iraq.

But we can only survive ? and take on the hard stories ? with your
help.

So, please put us over the top of our fund drive and give us the
means to press forward with these important investigative projects.

For those readers who have been able to send us contributions over
the past month, thank you.

You can make a secure and tax-deductible donation by credit card
online at
https://secure.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/consortiumnews/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2043

Or by mailing a check to Consortium for Independent Journalism
(CIJ); Suite 102-231; 2200 Wilson Blvd.; Arlington VA 22201. ( For
readers wanting to use PayPal, you can address contributions to our
account, which is named "consortnew@aol.com.").

With donations of $100, we'll send you an autographed gift copy of
our latest book, Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W.
Bush. (Or you can request that we substitute either Robert Parry's
Lost History or his book on the rise of the Bush dynasty, Secrecy
& Privilege.)

With donations of $150 or more, we'll send the hard cover version
of Neck Deep. (We also have a few copies left of Parry's Trick or
Treason, which we can substitute, if you wish, while supplies last.)

As always, thank you for your support!

Robert Parry, Editor

Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for
the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, Neck Deep: The
Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush, was written with two of
his sons, Sam and Nat, and can be ordered at neckdeepbook.com. His
two previous books, Secrecy & Privilege: The Rise of the Bush Dynasty
from Watergate to Iraq and Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press
& 'Project Truth' are also available there. Or go to Amazon.com.

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