Help out a fellow DUer

[BobcatJH]

Sad, isn't it, that I can distinctly remember reading posts titled "I lost my job yesterday" on numerous occasions and on numerous sites? Until now, I've read each, helped when needed and lamented the sorry state of affairs under the Bush economy. And until now, I've counted myself thankful that I was able to maintain steady employment. But this week I lost my job.

President Bush once called having three jobs "uniquely American." I wonder what he would call having no jobs? Probably just "American," since being unemployed is a fairly common thing under the Bush administration. Joblessness is up and so is the hopelessness that things won't be getting better anytime soon under current leadership. But what gives me hope for the future - mine and everyone else's - is what I've seen at places like this. At meetings with other progressives. At the sight of us saying to each other, "We are the people we've been waiting for," and working toward a better tomorrow.

Downsizing, they said. Funny, however, I'm still over six feet tall and don't seem to have lost any weight. Hair maybe, but not weight. Maybe stand-up comedy is in my future, but I doubt it. From now on, I'll refer to my situation as being FUNemployed, if that's alright. Because if we can't have fun, who would we be? Republicans, that's who. And that's no way to be.

Having never lost a job before - and I felt lucky for that - it was a complete shock when they told me that that moment, that afternoon, that day was my last in the office. I can honestly say that it was the first time in my life that I couldn't find words for the situation. That's rare, too, because if you've read my ten or so Democratic Underground articles (the most recent being "Power and Powerlessness") or visited my site, you know how verbose I can be.

Going back and forth between despair, anger, panic and hope, I settled on determination. Determination that things will get better with hard work. Determination to remain a strong voice for those less fortunate than me. Determination that friends like you would help me cope with an uncertain future.

We in the blogosphere are fond of creating new buzzwords. It's what we do. Until now, a word I never used personally was "blegging," a wonderfully apt mix of "blogging" and "begging." The emphasis, I'm sure, placed on the latter. But now that I'm against the wall, so to speak, I figured it wouldn't hurt to bleg. As we learned at Camp Wellstone, you never know what people are capable of until you ask them.

So I'm asking you for your help. I'm hosting a fundraiser at my site - in the hopes that I can help keep my household afloat until better news arrives. Being young and having a girlfriend in school is hard enough, but getting by in Bush's America is an even more daunting task. Like many of you, I'm not good at asking others for help. I'm one of those people who refuse to ask for directions. I never read the manual. I'm stubborn to a fault.

If you're one of my readers and you appreciate the product I deliver, I would ask you to consider making a donation to my site. Now, if you don't have a lot of money, please don't donate. There are people far worse off than me, and I still hope to be a voice for them as well. Your generosity, however, will help a great deal while I work hard to find my next stop. I plan on putting donations toward my monthly ISP bills, the costs associated with hosting the site and helping make a down payment on the laptop I plan on purchasing to replace my aging iMac. So, as you can tell, it's not just spending money. It will be money well spent.

I've seen the blogosphere do great things when asked. Written contributions, news tips and e-mails to me through my site have consistently proven that you are among the nicest, most well-informed, active individuals I've ever met. Though this president hasn't asked Americans to make sacrifices or to help lift everyone up, I've seen progressives lend a helping hand whenever it is needed. Well, I need you, and if you're willing to lend your support - emotional or financial - I very much appreciate it.

If you can help, please visit the First (and hopefully last) Hughes for America FUNemployement Pledge Drive. I can't thank you enough; I'd run out of bandwidth if I could. So your support at this time would be much appreciated. Thank you!

NOTE: If you have any questions about donating or wish to inquire about very affordable, very competitive freelance writing or graphic design, please e-mail me through my site.

Required disclaimer: The administrators of Democratic Underground have given permission for one discussion thread on this topic. The administrators of Democratic Underground make no claims regarding the legitimacy or illegitimacy of this fundraising effort. Permission was granted by EarlG on March 17, 2006, and the moderators have been notified.

[SOteric]

1. I can send good Karma your way, and

I'm more than happy to :kick: your thread. :hi: