The observant among you will have noticed that today I upped the goal on the LD Love Train fundraising thermometer.  That’s because we met the $5,000 goal last week, just under a month after we started.  And now, with a little over two weeks to go, the need is only stronger.

So I am going to redouble my efforts to spread the fundraising word as far as I possibly can, and I’m going to try to find new ways to help you to, as well (such as, for instance: want to post that fundraising thermometer on your blog?  WRITE ME AND I’LL SEND YOU THE CODE FOR IT).  

A lot can happen in two weeks.  Need convincing?  Just look at the past two weeks.

The No on 8 campaign is working very efficiently to turn donations into ads in critical areas, with a turnaround of just a few days.  They can make very practical use of donations all the way through November 1. 

For Californians who want to help but don’t know how beyond donating money (which, given how fiercely this is being fought with ads, is very important), I can immediately direct you here: volunteer, and spread the word.  Phone banks are happening up and down the state (big ole list here, click on the city nearest you to get further details).  Everyone who does calls is trained & oriented, and  you have moral support all around  you.  Can’t get out of the house but want to help on the phone?  Phone from home.  And house parties are hugely effective: you can raise funds, awareness, and work together on personal phone calls.  

Meanwhile, I want to thank everyone who has so brightened our own corner of the No on 8 fundraising.  Below, I’ve listed your names, what you said you did, and where you were from.  (Each is in alpha order; I culled the repeated names, locales, and occupations).

You are an amazing, inspiring bunch of people.  As Jake Goad said on Daily Kos today, 

 Have you ever wondered, if I had been an adult during the early days of the struggle for civil rights regardless of race, & of women’s rights/suffrage, would I have taken action or sat on the sidelines? Well this civil rights struggle is going on right now, this vote in CA is the battleground it is going to be fought on, & this is your last chance to move off the sidelines.

Well, over a hundred of you have, and I thank you for it.  Thank you Alex, Alicia, Alison, Amanda, Angelina, Ann, Ann Lyn, Anne, Bebhinn, Brian, Cari, Carolina, Carolyn, Carrie, Catherine, Chelsea, Cheyenna, Cheyenne, Crystal, Curtis, David, Deborah, Diana, Diandra, Dodie, Dorothy, Elisabeth, Eliza, Eliza E., Elizabeth, Ellen, Ericka, Erin, Harmony, Heather, Jacqueline, Janet, Jennifer, Jessica, Jody, Jonathan (Jojo), Julia, Karen, Kate, Katherine, Kathleen, Kellie, Kelly, Kelsey, Kimberley, Kimberly, Kristin, Laura, Laurie, Lea, Leslie, Linda, Lucy, Luisa, Lynn, M.E., Marcey, Mary, Megan , Megin, Melissa, Moira, Nancy, Nicole, Paul, Polly, Rachel, Robert, Ryann, Sandy, Sarah, Skye, Stephanie, Susan, Susannah, Sybil, Tamara, Tanyia, Tara, Taylor, Teal, Tracy, Valerie, Wendy, and Zach.

You are Actor/Composers, Administrative Assistants, Advertisers, Artists, Artist/Art Teachers, Assisstant Professors, Assistant Editors, Asst. Professors Of Microbiology, Bookkeepers, Chefs, Computer Technicians, Consultants, Directors, Directors Of Pricing, Directors, Student Publications people, Editors, Editorial Assistants, Education Consultants, Educators, Educator & Facilitators, Engineers, Epidemiologists, Extension Specialists, Public Health Initiative people, Finance Directors, Forensic Accountants, Freelance Videographer/Editors, Full-Time Grad Students, Part-Time Non-Profit Development Assistants, Graduate Students, Graduate Teaching Assistants, Graphic Designers, Homemakers, Instructors, Investment Operations people, IT people, Lawyers, Legal Secretarys, Librarians, Managers, Marketings, Marketing and Communications Coordinators, Mothers, Musicians, unemployed people, Nursery Mgr/Buyers, Paralegals, Paramedics, Pharmacy Technicians, Prs, Product Complaints Specialists, Professors, Professors of Mathematics, Program Directors, Psychologists, Research Administrators, Research Assistants, Research Managers, SAHMs, Senior Financial Analysts, Social Services people, Social Workers, Software Developers, Sound Editors, Speech-Language Pathologists, Students, Student/Librarians, Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Television Host/Reporters, Voice-Over Actors, Web Developers, Web Masters, Writers, Writers and Teachers, Writer/Editors, Writer/Tutors, and Yoga Instructors.

And you come from coast to coast, north to south: Agoura Hills, CA; Alameda, CA; Alexandria, VA; Anaheim, CA; Annandale, VA; Attleboro, MA; Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Berkeley, CA; Boise, ID; Boonton, NJ; Brockon, MA; Brookline, MA; Brooklyn, NY; Burlington, VT; Burnaby, ; Cambridge, MA; Castro Valley, CA; Champaign, IL; Chapel Hill, NC; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Danville, CA; Denver, CO; Douglaston, NY; Emeryville, CA; Everett, MA; Felton, CA; Glen Ridge, NJ; Greeley, CO; Higginsville, MO; Highland Village, TX; Houston, TX; Idaho Falls, ID; Iowa City, IA; Kansas City, MO; La Crescenta, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Lees Summit, MO; Lenexa, KS; Lexington, KY; Los Angeles, CA; Malden, MA; Minneapolis, MN; Nashville, TN; Natick, MA; Nevada City, CA; New Haven, CT; New York, NY; Normal, IL; Oakland, CA; Oceanside, CA; Olympia, WA; Omaha, NE; Pasadena, CA; Pine Grove, CA; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Portland, ME; Prairie Village, KS; Princeton, NJ; Raleigh, NC; Reno, NV; Rockville, MD; Royal Oak, MI; San Anselmo, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Sarasota, FL; Saratoga, CA; Scotts Valley, CA; Sharon, MA; Sherman Oaks, CA; Silver Spring, MD; Smyrna, GA; Smyrna, GA; Somerville, MA; Sonora, CA; South Pasadena, CA; St. Louis, MO; Studio City, CA; Vancouver, BC; Watertown, MA; Whittier, CA; Worthington, MA.

Between the lot of you, you’ve brought over $6,000 of resources to this fight for love and against hate.  I can guarantee you that money is being put to very good use, to use my daughter’s most oft-used time frame, “right this very instant.”