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A Little Fundraising Of Our Own

Update (TL): What a great surprise. I just got back from taking the TL kid to dinner (to celebrate his taking the Colorado bar exam Tues and Weds) and there are contributions from so many of you -- big and small -- all are very appreciated. More people donated today than ever before. Even the $5.00 donations are appreciated. All of you have been a huge help given our traffic surge the past week which has overwhelmed our server. Our second server should now be in place. Thanks to all of you.

By Big Tent Democrat

Congrats to Hillary and very likely to Obama for their record fundraising. Now how about a little bit for TalkLeft?

Site traffic has boomed raising costs significantly. The links are available on the right hand side.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Update, snail mail and anonymous donation details below:

Update (TL): Thanks to Big Tent Democrat for putting this up. We're having a second server installed and making some other changes to accomodate the traffic. Your help is greatly appreciated. If you don't like Paypal, (which takes credit cards if you don't have a paypal account) feel free to pull a few dollars out of your pocket and send it snail mail.

If you'd like to donate anonymously, here's the Amazon link.

Thanks to all of you for reading TalkLeft. You are all appreciated, including those who disagree with us.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Hey everyone this is the best site (5.00 / 3) (#1)
    by athyrio on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 04:18:10 PM EST
    as it represents honest reporting vs manipulation so give all you can!!! This site is growing from their honest reporting...and there is nothing more important right now for all of us...

    I just made a contribution (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by flyerhawk on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 04:23:52 PM EST
    Call it my bribe to moderate the tone here. :)

    Donate to TL - YES! (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 04:59:10 PM EST
    ******************
    BTD and Jeralyn,

    Yes this is, hands down, the best site out there thanks to your integrity and oversight.

    Flyerhawk, you don't need to "bribe" the editors, even in jest. You do more than your share to "moderate the tone" of this site :)


    Parent

    I couldn't have sd. that quite (none / 0) (#9)
    by oculus on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:03:05 PM EST
    so nicely.

    Parent
    Commonality (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:08:43 PM EST
    ******************
    To Oculus: thanks. It took me a while (remember that rocky start) but now I get you.

    Be well.

    Parent

    I'm trying to avoid the temptation (none / 0) (#21)
    by oculus on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:32:43 PM EST
    to check.

    Parent
    done. (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by kangeroo on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 04:39:43 PM EST
    i don't have much but i sent a little something.  thank you so much, jeralyn & btd!!!!

    All you ever have to do is ask... (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by Camorrista on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 04:44:18 PM EST
    As we say around my house on certain nights, I'm in.

    Ditto (5.00 / 2) (#5)
    by plf1953 on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 04:48:13 PM EST
    You are the calm in the storm.

    Gladly (5.00 / 2) (#6)
    by vicsan on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 04:54:21 PM EST
    I'm new here and enjoy TalkLeft very much. I am more than happy to contribute....

    GO, Hillary!

     

    I made a donation (5.00 / 2) (#7)
    by Kathy on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 04:56:07 PM EST
    for both Tano and Halstoon.

    Keep up the good work, my friends!  

    KS

    Check J's comment. (none / 0) (#16)
    by oculus on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:27:28 PM EST
    The sockpuppet wasn't Tano.

    Parent
    It was HALSTOON?! (none / 0) (#20)
    by Kathy on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:30:55 PM EST
    Say it ain't so!

    Parent
    hehehe :) (none / 0) (#17)
    by kangeroo on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:27:55 PM EST
    waitaminute (none / 0) (#22)
    by Kathy on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:35:11 PM EST
    I've been out all day and haven't kept up--was it revealed that Tano was not, in fact, Halstoon?  If so, I apologize.  If not, it's still freakin' funny.

    Parent
    Hey. I am still here. (1.00 / 1) (#64)
    by halstoon on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 10:57:15 PM EST
    I adopted the Obamamania monicker and did not post as Halstoon once I did so. People refused to look past the name, so I dropped it. Check my comment history and you will see that between 2/11 and 2/27 "Halstoon" did not post here, at all. And thanks for saying halstoon  is clever, though you have no clue what it means.

    I will still be here to offend you by offering the kind of cutting honesty you dislike so much.

    Looking forward to it.

    Your humble adversary,

    Halstoon

    Parent

    yes it turned out (none / 0) (#24)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:37:47 PM EST
    Tano is just Tano, that was my mistake and I apologized in another thread. But, Halstoon is also Obamamania --  Obamamania has been banned. One name per user is the rule, so readers know the sentiments in any users' comments come from a single individual.

    Parent
    Jeralyn, maybe you should (none / 0) (#29)
    by oculus on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:53:16 PM EST
    have waited until both made donations!

    Parent
    ooooh! (none / 0) (#30)
    by Kathy on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:54:44 PM EST
    Well, that's what I get for not reading every single post on here, I guess.  Apologies to Tano!

    Parent
    we should have a contest (none / 0) (#41)
    by Kathy on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:50:49 PM EST
    New name for Obamamania and Halstoon

    "Obamoon"?

    Parent

    I know (none / 0) (#48)
    by Kathy on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 07:53:03 PM EST
    Tanoon would've been so much easier.  

    Parent
    Tano et al (none / 0) (#50)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 08:08:49 PM EST
    ******************
    Ahh, that's the good stuff. What a relief to have Halstoon/Obamania squared away. As for confusing them with Tano, I feel the onus is on Tano to make a concerted effort to distinguish himself from them.

    Last night, Tano actually asked me to "go offline" (step outside) to discuss his dislike of my posts - I declined - didn't know if I was gonna get kissed or mugged. Tano later dropped out of sight after a couple of us asked him to account for his wholesale lowball  ratings of comments s/he found disagreeable.

    To be clear, the low rating, in and of itself, is a non-issue; the issue is intent. On the subject of determining  intent, one of the Supreme Court Justices said something like: "even a dog knows the difference between being tripped over and being kicked". Isn't that just so homey and spot-on.

    Hoping for the best with 'keeping 'em honest'.

    Parent

    FYI (5.00 / 1) (#76)
    by flyerhawk on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 08:15:48 AM EST
    when people say take it offline on a blog they generally mean to take it to email rather than to continue to pester the general population with the 2 person discussion.

    Parent
    Glad to oblige! (none / 0) (#57)
    by Kathy on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 09:19:39 PM EST
    I'm here all week, folks.  Put tips in the TL jar.  Give early and give often!

    Parent
    Done and Thanks (5.00 / 2) (#11)
    by Marvin42 on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:04:02 PM EST
    For a great site, one of the last refuges of sanity and adulthood...

    Done! (5.00 / 2) (#12)
    by hollyfromca on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:05:32 PM EST
    Thanks to all of you for your sanity and for encouraging civil debate.

    You got it (5.00 / 2) (#14)
    by sonya on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:18:19 PM EST
    I love coming to this site because it's intelligent, informative and fun.  Keep doing what you're doing!

    Yeah, (5.00 / 2) (#15)
    by andgarden on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:21:31 PM EST
    the fact that you guys don't go overboard with ads and text that pops up for no reason makes some change every now and then worth it.

    Oh, and the content is good too. ;-)

    I just checked to see if you were (none / 0) (#19)
    by oculus on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:28:55 PM EST
    commenting at DK on Obama's ad buy.  Look like it!

    Parent
    Thank heavens, no orange type (none / 0) (#37)
    by oculus on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:31:47 PM EST
    face here.  Quite difficult to read, irrespective of content.

    Parent
    Thanks TL and BTD (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by AF on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:35:48 PM EST
    And to all your commenters for all your hard work and good conversation.  

    An effective cure for Obamania is well worth the 20 bucks, even with health insurance.

    Thanks everyone (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:38:42 PM EST
    Your donations are arriving. I'll be sending out individual thank you emails through the weekend. It's been a great response so far, I'm really flattered.

    It is my great pleasure (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by jen on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:39:49 PM EST
    to support you. I used to donate to TPM, but those days are over. You are an island of sanity in a sea of madness. Thank you.

    I'm in, what a great investment (5.00 / 2) (#31)
    by Dr Molly on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:59:13 PM EST
    I've become very reliant on this island of sanity, and am very appreciative.

    Thanks for the great site (5.00 / 1) (#32)
    by RalphB on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:17:43 PM EST
    made a small donation.  Would have been more but have to feed the Clinton campaign. :-)

    Just donated (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by Coldblue on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:17:58 PM EST
    wish I could do more.

    This site is fast becoming the only home for reality based commentary.

    My first payment to a blog. (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by oldpro on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:19:15 PM EST
    Sorry I can't do more, Jeralyn.  Maybe in a couple of months.  

    Thanks...and...keep on keeping on.

    Hey Jeralyn (5.00 / 1) (#35)
    by PlayInPeoria on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:21:59 PM EST
    Instead of sending a check... I used my husband's paypal account. He! He! He is just glad I have some one else to argue with!!!

    Congrades on your site's growth. It's great.

    I'm but a poor college student... (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by reynwrap582 on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:29:21 PM EST
    but I've been on this site a few weeks and have finally found the last bastion of sensibility in the blogosphere.  I gave what I could.

    As an added bonus, I'm a criminal justice major, so the crime-related topics are also very interesting to me.  The immigration & crime report you guys posted was perfectly timed for a discussion we had in class regarding immigrant stereotypes.

    <3 4 TL

    I just (5.00 / 2) (#54)
    by PlayInPeoria on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 09:02:34 PM EST
    donated $15 for you (on top of my donation).

    I consider this an investment in our future.

    Keep up the studies.

    Parent

    Nice! (5.00 / 1) (#56)
    by squeaky on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 09:12:17 PM EST
    You are tops.

    Parent
    Thank you! (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by reynwrap582 on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 09:39:54 PM EST
    You've made my day.

    <3 4 TL, and <3 4 you as well!

    Parent

    Would if I could (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by spit on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:37:28 PM EST
    but it's the end of the month. I'll try to hit y'all for the wee bit that I can manage after payday.

    Y'all have done a good job keeping this place attached to reality, which I appreciate hugely.

    First donation ..... (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by Annie M on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:55:44 PM EST
    Thanks for the sanity.....I'm enjoying lurking...

    Long time reader (5.00 / 1) (#43)
    by Lil on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 06:57:00 PM EST
    I've been checking in everyday for years, but just started commenting this week. I appreciate your work. A few bucks is definitely worth it.

    Hope it helps (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by BarnBabe on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 07:07:02 PM EST
    Thanks for having us at your table.

    Thanks Jeralyn and BTD (5.00 / 1) (#46)
    by john horse on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 07:18:48 PM EST
    Except for BTD's annoying cheerleading for the Gators, this is a great site.  Hope my small contribution helps.

     

    That cheerleading is quite annoying, (none / 0) (#60)
    by oculus on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 09:49:04 PM EST
    until U of M actually won the Capital One Bowl.  

    Parent
    x (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by Mary Mary on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 07:24:47 PM EST
    $$ sent. Thanks for all your hard work.

    Gave a tiny bit (5.00 / 2) (#49)
    by trishb on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 07:59:14 PM EST
    Wish it could've been more, but my finances took a huge downturn today.  I was thrilled to find this site after feeling unwelcome at most of my old haunts.  I don't post much, but for the last few months, many places aren't enjoyable or enlightening for a good old lurker.  This blog still is.  Thanks!

    Let's ALL Donate Tonight: According to Our Means (5.00 / 1) (#52)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 08:21:40 PM EST
    ******************
    Just a suggestion:

    Let's all donate something tonight, no matter how big or small - according to our individual means. That feels right.

    Jeralyn, do you have a way of doing an in-progress update? That might provide an incentive, telethon-style.

    Parent

    Support (5.00 / 2) (#58)
    by Bourges on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 09:22:56 PM EST
    A pleasure to support a blog that represents and supports a civil yet spirited dialog.

    Giving a fraction of what (5.00 / 2) (#61)
    by Cream City on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 09:52:56 PM EST
    I gave to Clinton. But tomorrow is payday. :-) Thanks for a site that shows there still is "hope" for progressive blogs.

    I am new here at TL (5.00 / 2) (#63)
    by sara seattle on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 10:52:46 PM EST
    Happy to have found you - and happy to contribute

    Please post mailing address. (none / 0) (#18)
    by oculus on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:28:07 PM EST
    Pay Pal hates me.

    It's now in the main post (none / 0) (#26)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:39:29 PM EST
    I updated with a graphic of the address.

    Parent
    Thanks. Amazon likes me so (none / 0) (#28)
    by oculus on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 05:44:21 PM EST
    I've sent a donation via Amazon.  

    If more people get word of this nifty dual live-blogging deal, you'll need lots more servers.  Where else, I ask, can you enjoy Jeralyn and BTD live-blogging the Oscars?

    Parent

    Jeez, It's a Tic (none / 0) (#62)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 10:47:24 PM EST
    *******************
    Oculus, Are you razzing me? Can't we all get along?

    I gave a donation and offer an explanation. (none / 0) (#66)
    by halstoon on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 11:16:30 PM EST
    Okay, so I just donated to the site, so Jeralyn at least has my actual name, etc.

    First, I am touched that I have garnered such attention. Here I thought nobody paid attention to little ol' me. Second, I am not Tano, and don't know who (s)he is. I was, however, Obamamania, but I was Halstoon before I was Obamamania.

    Those who suspect me of using the two names to dominate discussions or puff up the ratings or to make Obamamania look like he actually had a friend are wrong. Check the comment history of Halstoon and you will see that between 2/11 and 2/27 'hal' was dormant.

    I made the switch to obamamania b/c I was already being called a shill and a plant and every other name to deflect attention from my arguments, so I decided to have a little fun. So I switched names to a blatantly Obamamaniac name and continued to post, ceasing to come here as myself. Halstoon is a handle I've had for years, and it's unique to me.

    After a couple of weeks, it became clear that the name Obamamania meant that whatever I said, whether it was inflammatory or benign, would not be taken seriously. Wishing to have my arguments critiqued rather than my name, I chose to go back to Halstoon, my own original ID. Jeralyn, somehow, noticed that Obamamania had an IP that looked familiar, even though she hadn't seen me in over 2 weeks. She wrongly--and she is wrong at times--accused me of being Tano b/c I complimented one of his arguments. Kathy--my fellow Georgian and a worthy adversary--had a decent amount of fun with. Frankly, I'm sad that Cream City did not get in on the act. I have so enjoyed debating her here as well.

    So, now that I have had my 15 minutes of TL fame, I will continue to post as me and only me, defending Obama when he's being attacked unfairly, offering criticism when I think he's messed up (like not reading the NYT story about Medvedev), and generally irritating those Hillary supporters who don't like to hear anything that does not present her in the best light.

    Thanks so much for including me; I feel like part of the crew now. Again, what I did was not intended to obscure the debate in any way, and I was not being halstoon and mania on the same threads or days.

    I do not rate comments, so I have no interest in whether somebody gets all 5s or all 1s. You can also check who's rated you and see that neither of the me's gave you any rating at all.

    Now, I hope that the Halmania controversy can end, though I do expect plenty of ribbing if not outright tomato throwing from some of you.

    That's okay. I can take it. I hope you can.

    -Halstoon aka Obamamania2008

    Thank you Halstoon (none / 0) (#67)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 11:42:17 PM EST
    That was very gracious of you. I accept your explanation. It makes total sense. As I said, I was wrong that you were Tano and apologized for that. IP checks are the only method I use (not linguistic comparisons or hunches) so how I saw Tano when the word in front of me was Obamamania, I don't know. Thanks for not being furious. And for agreeing that Obamamania is now history here. And thanks for your donation! Peace.

    Parent
    Your welcome Jeralyn. (5.00 / 1) (#70)
    by halstoon on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 12:13:49 AM EST
    I really like this site, and I have sincerely enjoyed the back and forth. I fully support what you and BTD do here. Though we have chosen different Democratic candidates, I do find your legal postings to be fascinating and your opinions concurrent with mine in large part.

    I accept your apology, though it is really Tano who was wrongly brought into the fray. No need to apologize to me. I should have just told you what I had done up front.

    Best of luck with the update. Keep up the good work.

    -H

    Parent

    Different Topic (none / 0) (#68)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 11:52:52 PM EST
    ******************
    Did you delete a comment Oculus made to me a few minutes ago? Just curious.

    Parent
    She did indeed. I've been (none / 0) (#69)
    by oculus on Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 11:56:42 PM EST
    disappeared.

    Parent
    As Obamamania (none / 0) (#75)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 07:58:57 AM EST
    I think you have been a fine commenter.

    Halstoon only popped up every once in a while. HE seemed more combative. Perhaps just my impression.

    Parent

    Yes, it's all in perspective. (none / 0) (#80)
    by halstoon on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 01:44:55 PM EST
    That's in the past now. At this point, my choice for the nominee has only to not blow it, so I have no desire to blast Hillary for no good reason. I simply hope Obama can avoid blowing it all this weekend. We will certainly see all the stops pulled out, starting with the phone ad today and then Rezko wall-to-wall this weekend.

    I'm nervous that he'll hang on in TX, but I'm not going to fight it out here. There are no minds to be changed, so I'll not try.

    I will be interested to see how things shake out after Tuesday. Any predictions from you? Will HC suspend her race if she loses TX, or is OH enough to fight on? I think the faster this ends, the better. McCain is now free to coast, and Obama is having to wage battles on two fronts. If he wins, it will be impressive, no?

    I'm really a nice guy. I swear.

    Parent

    Secondary Server is up and running (none / 0) (#71)
    by Jeralyn on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 12:39:55 AM EST
    Just got this from Colin, our webmaster:

    The secondary server is now in place. It seems to be operating as expected. I did rush it into service so there are probably a few things that will require adjustment over the next two days. I'll be keeping a
    close eye on things over the weekend but things are looking pretty good. so far.

    Thanks again to all of you for your contributions and praise for TalkLeft. It means a lot.

    Jeralyn, how do you know how big we are? (none / 0) (#72)
    by cymro on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 12:55:35 AM EST
    I know you can see our IP addresses, and maybe even our street addresses depending on how we sent in our donation. But you also say that you received contributions from ...

    ... so many of you -- big and small -- ...

    I'm kind of medium-sized myself, but how would you know that?

    ;-)

    I was referring to the size of the donations (none / 0) (#73)
    by Jeralyn on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 01:04:25 AM EST
    Some people sent $5.00, some more, all are appreciated.

    Parent
    I know you were! (none / 0) (#74)
    by cymro on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 01:35:44 AM EST
    I was joking of course. I was indulging my inner punctuation police, who insist on editing everything I read, regardless of whether it's appropriate for them to do so. They were implanted in my brain long ago by strict English teachers, and have taken up permanent residence. I usually keep them under control unless they are parsing my own compositions, but they sometimes sneak out at other times if I relax my guard.

    I could say that I want you to TalkRight at TalkLeft, but that would be problematic. Isn't the English language fun?!

    Parent

    Best wishes for continued success (none / 0) (#77)
    by A DC Wonk on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 08:23:08 AM EST
    Best wishes for continued success at the site.

    Which is why I've made my second donation in the last five months.

    (and, I hope I'm not out of line by asking, as a few others have, to see just a bit more balanced coverage)

    No money (none / 0) (#78)
    by David in NY on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 01:33:29 PM EST
    until after the

    Democratic convention. (none / 0) (#79)
    by David in NY on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 01:34:10 PM EST
    Just to finish the thought.

    Parent