| Dear NR Friend, Pretty, no? This bright blue-green beauty harkens from 1943 and is called "The Four Freedoms" — that's Liberty holding the lighted Torch of Freedom. It was essentially designed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, POTUS, true, but also a champion philatelist renowned for his hands-on role in overseeing U.S. postage stamps during his four terms. (Let's insert the obvious whatabout: Imagine the media reaction if Donald Trump weighed in on the design of a stamp. Get the defibrillator!) Anyway . . . this popular penny piece of postage payment presented one of many examples of America's longstanding, unabashed proclamation of and love affair with its First Amendment liberties. The stamp's initial words — FREEDOM OF SPEECH — were particularly worth attention as the right was under threat and duress around the globe. But not here! Not here then or ever, right? Wrong. We recommend you familiarize yourself with National Review v. Mann. You'll learn this troubling fact: your assumed free-speech right is indeed under threat. Since this action commenced in 2012, NR has been engaged in legal hand-to-hand combat. This is America's most consequential free-speech court battle: a fight for not only NR's rights, but yours. Imagine if a liberal jury is empowered to rule on what can and can't be said with regards to a pressing or controversial policy issue. What do you think the ramifications would be, not only for media institutions such as NR, but for people? People such as . . . you, who might at some point express a "wrong" opinion (or fact)? Pay heed: this very well could happen if the United States Supreme Court does not take up our case (we petitioned SCOTUS in May to do that, and are still awaiting the Justices' decision). A penny for your thoughts about all that. I'm thinking you're thinking – what the heeeeecK?! Maybe you're even thinking — I want in. The fight to protect our freedom of speech costs a lot of pennies. Millions of them. Much of the cost for this case has been borne by NR's insurer, but much isn't. Defraying those costs is part of the reason we launched our Fall 2019 Webathon. We seek to raise $325,000 from our friends and readers. As of today, as we embark on the drive's final days, some 2,300 people have donated a little more than $285,000. That's a lot, and for every penny of it — and all the selflessness and concern behind every red cent — we are deeply appreciative. But our goal remains. Imagine if 400 NR readers contributed $100 or if 800 sent $50 — there are all sorts of plausible scenarios I can contrive that add up to $40,000 and a target hit. At least they would be plausible scenarios. Which means your contribution, right now, would really be meaningful and would truly matter. For over six decades, NR has been blessed by a special partnership with its readers. They — you? — have kept this boat floating and these guns firing, all in the name of the conservative principles we share, all in the passion of a mutual effort to stand athwart progressives and leftists, communists and socialists, multiculturalists and social-justice warriors, yelling "Stop." A penny for our thoughts? More if you can. Donate here. You will have our abiding appreciation for your selflessness. Truly,
Jack Fowler | 
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