Dear Reader,

You've probably noticed that the current presidential campaign has
become as wretched as any in our memory. Some campaign advertisements
are so unfair, there is little precedent in our country's long history
of dirty tricks and sleazy politics. Don't just take our word for it.
Josh Marshall, the highly respected editor of "Talking Points Memo,"
with readers from virtually every corner of the political spectrum,
had this to say:

"All politicians stretch the truth, massage it into the best fit with
their message. But, let's face it, John McCain is running a campaign
almost entirely based on straight up lies. Not just exaggerations or
half truths but the sort of straight up, up-is-down mind-blowers we've
become so accustomed to from the current occupants of the White House.
And today McCain comes out with this rancid, race-baiting ad based on
another lie. Willie Horton looks mild by comparison."
Josh Marshall is not known for hyperbole... The McCain ad he's talking
about states that Obama favors sex education for kindergartners.
Ridiculous lies.

Simultaneously, in the past two weeks AlterNet has had a huge numbers
of visitors -- the most in AlterNet history! In one week more than
half a million people have read our series of exposés on Sara Palin.

These two facts -- high traffic on AlterNet, and the campaign's lies
and distortions -- are related. Why? The corporate media is doing a
horrible job by not blowing the whistle on the lies, and by reporting
the distortions as news. In stark contrast AlterNet does blow the
whistle. That is why a huge number of readers come to AlterNet to find
the truth. And that is why we hope you will support AlterNet with your
donation today.

Donate: https://www.alternet.org/donate/08KIHE01A

It just so happens that the garbage stage of the presidential campaign
coincides with our fall fund raising plans. We reach out to you every
quarter because we need the dough. We need to raise $175,000 from our
readers over the year. Not a huge deal when you consider that hundreds
of millions of dollars will be spent on this campaign -- a lot of it
on falsehoods spread through ads and commercials. And, we're halfway
to our goal.

Help us with a little investment to keep things honest!

Now keep in mind, we are not endorsing candidates here. As a
non-profit, that is not our legal role. But as journalists we must
tell the truth, point out the lies, publish the facts, and hold the
corporate media accountable. That is our job. And based on how many
and how frequently our readers visit, we figure we're doing it right.
So help us keep up the good work!

Thanks for all you do,

Don Hazen
Executive Editor, AlterNet.org