The next time you’re looking for a gas station to fill up the tank (and pay nearly $4 / gallon for the privilege) , consider that Exxon Mobil is in rough times, and needs your support. In the first quarter of 2008, the company only made an $11 billion profit, which was apparently below expectations. In an age of $120/barrel oil, a 17% increase in net corporate income apparently just isn’t enough, particularly when the competitors are seeing bumps to the corporate bottom line on the the order of 25%.

We at ASZ feel Lee Raymond’s pain (or actually, more correctly, the pain of Lee Raymond), and that’s why we’ve decided to kick off an Exxon-a-thon beginning today and running through next Friday (5/9/08).

Now, please - don’t misunderstand - we’re not actually asking you to support Exxon Mobil. We’re asking ASZ’s loyal readers to step up to the plate and support ASZ by kicking a few bucks into the kitty. Exxon-a-thon just had a nice ring to it, particularly since they made $11 billion last quarter and ASZ didn’t really even make a quarter.

How can you help? We’re glad you asked, because there’s swag in it for you (more on that below)! Just hit the PayPal button in the right hand column, or clicking on this link. You can also initiate a monthly subscription for just $5 / mo. A pledge to ASZ’s Exxon-a-thon ensures that we’ll be able to continue to bring you cutting edge online commentary, rather than having to use our spare time singing for nickels on street corners.

In turn, we promise to take bicycles or mass transit or walk whenever possible, and continue to avoid Exxon Mobil gas stations at all costs.

We’re also offering some nice premiums for your generosity, at least for as long as they last: for a one time $50 pledge or $5 recurring monthly subscription via the PayPal links during ASZ’s Exxon-a-thon, we’ll email you a list of fine books (political and non-political) that we’ve accumulated, and let you choose a great summer read. Trust me, the library is chock full of wonderful titles, such as The Brotherhood of the Disappearing Pants, among others. And for a small pledge, we’ll drop the book of your choice in the mail to you almost immediately. It’s first come, first served, so we expect the popular titles to disappear quickly, and there are some real gems on the list. However, if $50 is a bit too rich for your blood in this wonderful economy - please don’t feel bad! We’ll try to put together a progressive swag package for any level of support that you can offer.

In all seriousness, maintaining ASZ is like a second full time job, with a lot of hard and soft costs involved. It’s been a long time since we’ve run a fundraiser, and we’d sincerely appreciate your support.

Make Lee Raymond cry.