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Originally posted by Andrea:
I rarely get angry mail unless it's from manufacturers who get HairFacts warnings, but here's a lovely one I got just two days after Christmas. Apparently Triese@aol.com has a problem with my donation page:

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I could understand a $1.00 or $2.00, but $50,$100,$250???? What the hell is on your mind???? YOu are just as bad or even more so than the companies and people you are fighting against..That is really sad...If you want to help people help them, but don't put a fucking price on your help!!!!! I have a saying...What goes around comes around..If you do good and it's from the heart, good things will follow you...If you do bad then you will get fucked sooner or later...If you claim to do good but want money in return that is call stealing and nothing good will come out of this for you..If you can't take care of your kitties then give them to someone that can.....When u look in the mirror do you like what you see????????????????

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Here's my response:

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Hi Trisie--

I am truly sorry I offended you so deeply with my request for donations on my free website. Please allow me to explain, in hopes that I will have your understanding and approval by the end of this letter.

Some readers save over $10,000 visiting my site and avoiding the more expensive scams. After a few of them asked how they could send me money, I set up ways for people to help cover my costs if they wished. This is the way I make my living. If it were in book form, it would be OK to sell my research and writing for money, right? Well, my site is like a free book, and I make my living from people who send money because they were helped. It’s a lot like shareware software, except that it’s a website. Some people feel they get $1 worth of help from my site, and others feel they get $500 worth of help. If someone stopped me from wasting $10,000, I would give them a very generous reward.

You have a rather bizarre idea of what stealing is. My site is set up like a museum or public television station. All the information is completely free for those who can’t afford to pay, but those who found it helpful and have the means are encouraged to support projects like mine. Donations are voluntary, and you have access to the same information whether you are one of my generous readers who donates $20 or more, or someone like you who donates $0 and still has the nerve to whine about how I make a living. By your half-baked definition, PBS is stealing every time they show Sesame Street or NOVA during a pledge drive.

We are in complete agreement that what goes around comes around. I especially believe this is true about unprovoked nastiness from clueless little jerks like yourself. People like you make the world a little less pleasant, spreading your pathetic bitterness.

See? You’re right! What goes around comes around! I hope I have your understanding and approval now. It’s oh so very important to me.

Merry belated Christmas! I hope you wake up in a better mood tomorrow.

Sincerely,
Andrea

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I encourage all readers to send the author a reply at:

trisie@aol.com

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