Below follows a message from Cindy Sheehan that I'd like to share with you.
 
I'd first like to mention that I've been following the work of this awesome
woman over the years and have never seen anyone work harder to end these
illegal, amoral wars. Nor have I been so impressed with anyone for speaking out 
adamantly and passionately for racial, economic, and social justice.
 
Talk about a brave, relentless, and un-compromised human being!
 
Cindy has also demanded the clean up of toxic and radioactive contaminated
sites, has spoken out about our need to find out the actual truth about 9-11,
has championed to stop the use of illegal radiological weapons, has embraced the
need for environmental stewardship, and has advocated for an end to new nuclear
power.
 
The list of the issues and things Cindy Sheehan has courageously spoken publicly
about is truly phenomenal!
 
As Cindy describes below, her efforts have hit a (financial) wall and she
desperately now needs our support! If we can dig down deep and scrape
together even a few dollars, these monies will allow Cindy Sheehan to keep on
working for us. And next time around, with more support, we can hopefully get
Cindy Sheehan elected into Congress!
 
Please forward this and do what you can to help keep Cindy Sheehan speaking up
and out for peace on earth and for the rights, health, and welfare of all the
good people of our country!
 
With warm wishes and thanks,
 
Cathy Garger
 
--- On Thu, 12/18/08, Cindy for Congress <contact@...> wrote:

From: Cindy for Congress <contact@...>
Subject: Last Ditch Effort...
To: savorsuccesslady3@...
Date: Thursday, December 18, 2008, 6:42 PM











Dear Friend,
On Monday, I sent an e-mail announcing that the Cindy for Congress campaign
organization was closing its doors. In response, I received a flood or replies
begging me not to give up.

Believe me, I do not want to give up. As noted in that e-mail, I will continue
to do what I can, while also trying to keep life and limb together. I've lived
in tents and on couches before because my commitment to the cause is greater
than my financial resources. And, yes, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to
stay in the game if you, my supporters, are able to help provide some of the
necessary resources.

Given that we literally are within days of losing our office space, having the
electricity turned off and so on, if we're going to save the Cindy for Congress
campaign, we need to act now.

Of course, this plea comes at the worst time of year. Thanks to the failed
economic policies of this and past administrations, we're all financially
strapped. Yet holiday traditions call for spending more money than usual.  Now,
here I am, hat-in-hand, literally begging for money and other resources.

Before you delete this message, let me give you a breakdown of what it costs to
keep the Cindy for Congress campaign running. If you'll read the next few
paragraphs, you'll see that even little donations have a huge impact on our
ability to keep the doors open.

We spent roughly $600,000 last year while my opponent raised $2.3 million to
ensure her re-election and to elect more status-quo supporting Democrats around
the country.

Next year, 2009, we'll need approximately $240,000 to maintain even a minimal
level of visibility and momentum. This will be critical going into 2010 when
we'll need even more money to mount an aggressive campaign that has a more
significant impact.

If we divide $240,000 by 12, that means about $20,000 per month in donations to
keep the campaign afloat. If we take the monthly figure and divide it by 5000
supporters, we'd need EVERYONE receiving this to donate $4.00 per month.

But the bottom line is, we need you to click the donate button at the top of
this message and donate something. Anything. If we can get thru the next month
or two, we'll have time to work on building a more stable financial foundation.

True Grassroots Movement

IF we're to keep the Cindy for Congress campaign alive and growing between now
and the next election in 2010, we need every individual who supports us to be
actively involved. We need to focus on convincing thousands upon thousands of
people that our efforts are worth supporting.

If I can win a seat in the US House of Representatives, my official duty will be
to represent the people of the 8th Congressional district in San Francisco but
you know I can't - and won't - stop there.

No matter how well or successfully (or failing) Obama is in addressing the ills
plaguing this country right now, both the House and Senate need more members who
believe they answer to the people. Currently, most members of both houses are
beholden to corporate contributors and the super-rich. Together, these two often
overlapping groups control a disproportionate amount of the country's resources
and political power.  

Our founders believed in one person, one vote (if you were a white, male
property owner; but movements have achieved universal suffrage), but we've seen
this principle erode over the years. Now we're seeing the results: An economic
meltdown; No public healthcare; One environmental disaster after another; Our
Constitution lies in shreds; Less security at our ports and borders than before
9-11; A full brigade of the US Army trained and poised to turn on the American
public should the president deem it advisable;  A public education system rated
at the bottom of all such systems in the industrialized world. The list goes on
and on and on.

The ONLY answer lies with us … with "We, the People." Until we stand up for our
rights, the deck will continue to be stacked against us. Again, not because of
anything the incoming administration does or doesn't do. The entire system is
full of weeds. We need to ferret out those weeds and replace them with healthy
green grass.

I apologize for being so long-winded and brazen in my request for support.
However, as I said at the beginning of this note, the response to my
announcement about suspending the Cindy for Congress campaign was overwhelming.
As such, I thought it was worth a last-ditch effort to scrape together enough
funds and new volunteers to re-energize the campaign while we figure out how to
keep the organization solvent, going and growing.

My most heartfelt thanks for any help and support you can offer. You'll hear
from me at least one more time with an update on the success (or failure) of our
efforts.

Best,

Cindy


PS: If it's impossible for you to make a financial contribution at this time -
and I know about financial hardship - continue reading. There are a whole host
of things you can do that would help the Cindy for Congress campaign greatly.
Remember, the more of you who get involved, the more likely we are to win the
next election!

Can't donate money?

While money is critical at this point - and I do mean critical - we can use help
in a number of other areas. Here's just a partial list of things we need donated
that perhaps you or someone you know can help out with:

•    Fundraising - house parties, spreading the word, more

•    Graphic design

•    Hook-ups - If you're involved in a group of political or human rights
activists we can reach out to, let us know.

•    Mailing Lists - we need to expand our base of supporters. If you have a
mailing list we can use for solicitation and outreach, let us know.

•    Media Relations - We desperately need someone to focus on getting the
campaign exposure in print, broadcast and electronic media.

•    Premiums / sale items - t-shirts, key chains, umbrellas, coffee mugs, etc.
Anything that we can put a logo on and sell via the Web site to help produce
income.

•    Printing (offset)

•    Reciprocal Links - put a link to Cindy for Congress on your Web site and
we'll return the favor.

•    Spread the Word - send this e-mail to ten of your friends. Ask them to do
the same.

•    Transportation - In order to run a successful campaign, I'm going to need
to travel the country, spreading my message, raising funds, giving interviews,
attending events, etc. Anyone with a private plane … unused "bonus miles" or
working for an airline who can get tickets at low or no cost, let us know!

•    Volunteers - In San Francisco for community activism, distributing
pamphlets, gathering signatures, answering phones, replying to requests for
information, and participating in other events designed to increase the
campaign's visibility.

•    Web site maintenance and development

•    Web-hosting service

•    Other - If you have any other ideas on how to help build exposure, generate
income or access goods and services that would help the campaign, let us know!
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