[SIZE=-1]I received the following from Drug War Chronicle. It's just as important to donate money to The[/size][size=-1] Drug Reform Coordination Network[/size][size=-1] as it is to NORML.. Wanted to share it with all of you: Dear Drug War Chronicle devotee:[/size] [size=-1] Thanks to your enthusiasm, Drug War Chronicle has completed 7 ½ years of publishing -- 372 issues, nearly 4,800 articles -- and we now move into 2005 and another year of hopeful, distressing, interesting, ridiculous and dangerous developments in drug policy and its impact on our communities and world. From mandatory minimum sentencing, to pain doctor prosecutions, police ignoring state medical marijuana laws, Afghanistan's drug war, major court rulings, ongoing chronicling of the consequences of prohibition, the latest hair-brained drug warrior idea, David Borden's editorials, This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories, coverage of the drug policy reform movement, to leading drug warriors like drug czar John Walters and congressman Mark Souder and the usually bad things they say and do, Drug War Chronicle will be there to provide you with the detailed story behind the story. [/size][size=-1]This year's Chronicle coverage owes much thanks to a generous $40,000 grant provided l[/size][size=-1]ate last year by the Educational Foundation of America. However, the Chronicle's total expenses last year came to approximately $67,000, and we're anticipating a similar budget for it this year. With a sixth of the grant having gone to 2004, that leaves us needing to generate roughly half of that amount, or $33,500, from other sources. We had hoped to be able to raise and set this money aside last year. But frankly, the presidential election campaigns, which were the most expensive in history, hit our fundraising like a ton of bricks. The numbers tell the story: During the first half of 2004, donations under $500 in size to DRCNet totaled $40,374. During the second half of 2004, they came to only $21,095, slightly over half as much. Additional member donations for the Chronicle so far have come to about $1,500, which brings the need down to $32,000, and other donations have come in to support our lobbying work, an excellent start in 2005, but only a start. [/size][size=-1]If we don't raise that $32,000 from members like you... to be honest, we'll squeak by, but the money will then have to come out of our other programs. And since DRCNet is not just a reporting organization, but an activist one as well, that will mean less work done for drug policy reform on Capitol Hill and out in the grassroots trenches. To make 2005 an activist year fostering change, we are asking you to donate to support Drug War Chronicle or to make a pledge to donate at some specified time this year. Please click here to make a one-time donation to Drug War Chronicle, or click here to donate monthly. Or, send us an e-mail to let us know how much you are pledging and for when.[/size] [size=-1]As a special encouragement, we are offering a special new incentive: Donate $40 or more once, or $10 or more per month, and receive a complimentary copy of "Under The Influence: The Disinformation Guide to Drugs," edited by Preston Peet, an engaging collection of 49 essays about the drug war, including two by Drug War Chronicle's own Phil Smith. Click here to read the Drug War Chronicle review of "Under The Influence." [/size] <center> [size=-1]Contributions to DRCNet Foundation to support Drug War Chronicle are tax-deductible. (If you select a gift item, the portion of your donation that you can deduct is reduced by the item's retail price.) Contributions to the Drug Reform Coordination Network supporting our lobbying work are not-deductible. If you want to make a donation in this category, please visit our main donation page instead. The address for checks or money orders is P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036; contact us for information if you wish to make a donation of stock.[/size] [size=-1]Again, please click here to support Drug War Chronicle, and thank you. As the book title suggests, the drug war is sustained in part by a torrent of disinformation. And disinformation can only be countered by... valid information... hence Drug War Chronicle. Please feel free to write or call if you have any questions, and stay tuned for a challenging but hopefully successful year in drug policy reform![/size] </center> [size=-1] [/SIZE]