V3: Letter to a Friend

Yes, I just looked this up. Not disgraced like my own alma mater.

David Hawbaker. Never forgot you. Always admired you. Knew you could have gone where you wanted, that smart and worthy, but you ignored our stampede in favor of home and place, which matter, as it took me years to rediscover. I should have made a friend of you then, but I was raised as a kind of freak. I ultimately did what I was raised to do, though everyone wound up hating me for it. So I’m thinking it might be time for you and me to become acquainted. Both old. Both wiser than the ones we find ourselves with. Tell me when I’m off base.

Mercersburg. I’ve probably written a book’s worth about the place. One is actually in my book [P]articles of Instapunk. Don’t know if you’ve seen it. Or all my other books at Amazon.

Culture Shock

Others at my websites Deerhound Diary and Instapunk Rules. Most notably perhaps…

How Old Am I? (Suddenly gone from a huge website that’s gone)[Recovered]

David, they’re shutting me down. I’m trying to keep some of my writing alive. 

Forget that. I attacked the dragon, now the dragon is devouring me, they’ve just killed rflaird.com.

Thinking we might have a private conversation, I could tell you what life was “like as a freak, and you could tell me the affirmations of life as a good man.” 

This thing.

It’s not all over, you know. They came after me in my 50th anniversary. Gathered together apologists for the Chapel Walkout. I didn’t go with their narrative, and they wanted me to attend, but they got mad when I said no.

i also came to the defense of Paul Suerken, who they extinguished from Mercersburg history with nasty libels. I went toe to toe with their lawyer, who admitted on the phone they had no case against him but Mercersburg had more money than I did. I got her to agree she had no ethical standing in the case. Paul Suerken was a good man. I am still waiting for his day.

I have it all in writing, including their lame explanations. 

You and I should talk. I’m not in good health anymore. But I still admire you.