Two things: My faithful Gateway is dead. And, I need some help replacing it.

My faithful Gateway is dead, aged 7 years, two months. May it go it IT heaven in reward for its faithful exertions on our behalf.

Unfortunately, I lack the resources to replace it. Fortunately I have a good friend who has offered to do so.

However, this man has already done too much. He would say not, but he has, and that's the truth. (His contribution in time, effort and money to the cause of the Three Percent is incalcuable. For example, because he believed it important, he fronted the money necessary for plane tickets to fly some other folks to the 12 September march, paying for the hotel room as well. Not because it helped him, but because it was needed. I quit trying to keep track of his monetary contributions to the cause some thousands ago.) In a sane world, he would have a statue raised to commemorate his contributions to the restoration of the Republic. But this is not a sane world and all he expects is a quicklime bed in some anonymous ditch. He may not deserve it, but that's the way to bet.

I have also been the embarrassed but grateful benficiary of other Threeper's generosity over the years (for example, the Gateway was a gift that enabled me to begin writing again because another friend thought it important.) Most recently, a Threeper arranged the repair of my Blazer's starter without solicitation on my part.

I cannot tell you how humbled I am by folks' generosity when they have understood a need. I have never solicited funds before and frankly am ashamed that I am now. But, I am on diasability and though my wife works, she previously was required to take a cut in pay so our means barely make our needs and not at all when there is a sudden expense.

And, unless Absolved is successful beyond my expectations, I will be unable to pay anybody back. In anycase, I will finish the book on a donated laptop, but it too has reliability issues and I'm holding my breath.

My friend says it is a matter of splitting the last MRE in the foxhole, and if I had the means I would do it for him. Which is true, but beside the point.

So, I'm asking. I know it is terrible timing, with Christmas and in the middle of a depression that bodes only to get worse, but if anybody has a couple of bucks they can forward to me so I can give to him to make up part of the expense of the new computer I would be ever grateful.

Mike
III

PS: Any donations should be sent directly to me, at PO Box 926, Pinson, AL 35126, and I will see that he gets it in person. If there is an overage, it will be applied to the cause in some other way, and not to anyone's personal benefit. This I swear before God. -- MBV