I stopped by
The Huffington Post tonight and noticed a recent
featured entry by Paul Rieckhoff.
From Rieckhoff's post:
But here's the good news. While Washington has failed our Troops and Veterans, the public has stepped up to the plate. Over the past three years, we've reshaped the national conversation about this war, its consequences, and the nation's military policy. A couple years back I started telling people that they don't need to be Veterans to be part of the Veterans' movement. That is true now more than ever, and more than 50,000 civilians have realized it, signing on to be the grassroots support for organizations like IAVA. In the next 12 months we aim to make that number 50 million, and we hope you'll take part, because really supporting the Troops is about so much more than just putting a magnetic yellow ribbon on the bumper of your car. It means getting involved.
It seems that Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (formerly Operation Truth) could use some help in meeting a fairly ambitious fundraising goal.
It seemed like a perfect match for those of us here that enjoy a challenge and also want to put some pressure on Washington to treat our troops and veterans with dignity and fairness.
Personally, I think IAVA's 'Follow the Money Project' alone is worth a donation:
The Follow the Money Project is investigating where the money appropriated for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is going -- especially money that should be going to the Troops.
But there are a whole host of terrific reasons to step up and help this group out. IAVA takes on many other issues that face our troops and veterans because Washington DC either didn't or won't.
For those of you that may be wondering, I am in no way associated with IAVA. I merely support its interest in doing right by those that serve in our armed forces.
My fiance and I decided to make a recurring monthly donation tonight:
Date:2006-03-10 00:28:15
Gift Amount:$50.00
Recurring Transaction ID: 1504
And we'll probably add another one time gift of $100.00, in time to help IAVA meet its goal.
Then again, between us we have family, friends and many acquaintances that either have deployed, or continue to serve in Afghanistan or Iraq. Many of us here, civilians, active duty troops and veterans alike, have also enjoyed the virtual company of quite a few dKos users that have been deployed to both places.
Your gift may be different, but I'm sure every little bit helps.
In any event, I think it's a worthy enough cause to support. Hopefully some of you will agree and join us.
IAVA hopes to bring in $18,310 by March 20th; that's a lot of money but I'll bet we could do a lot to help them out.
So what do you say, are you game for doing a good deed?
Donate to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.