(When I first began this webpage, vitrolic criticism by e-mail from a small minority of readers shocked me. But I have long since resolved myself to the fact that there exist in the world vicious people who go for the jugular by nature. Look at the below message! Now I read my hate mail with mirth and curiosity, as I know 99.9% of it badly misses the mark and everyone has an opinion, etc. etc. etc. I am long past getting upset because someone I don't know says something mean to me. I hate to admit it, but when I get bored with reader response I almost hope for a real, live hate e-mail to arrive at my electronic mailbox!

To read one's hate mail is good training for any writer: Just because someone accuses you of God knows what does not mean it is true. And there are plenty of strange and truculent people out there. I post the below as evidence. --- Rich)

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"I do not know, nor do I care to. I am only writing this to purge my brain, hopefully to rinse the sour taste from my mouth, and get on with my day."

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Date: 29 Sep 98 12:36:35 PDT
From: Eli Stringer (e_stringer@usa.net)
To: cybrgbl@deltanet.com
Subject: I'm not sure yet...

Dear Sir,

I have no idea of where to begin. I was searching the web for things about Robert Heinlein that somehow might have escaped my attention in all of the reading I have done. My journey was cut short by finding out that people like you read what he wrote, and not liking one book feel it necessary to go on and on about it.

I took some time to peruse a few of your pages, looking for some saving fact about you, something that would change my opinion. But alas, that was not to happen.

I can only assume that somewhere in your past there occurred an event that makes you feel that people do not like you or want to hear what you have to say. And so, being completely full of yourself, because no one else will be, you say that which you (correctly) assume no one wishes to hear...loudly.

Perhaps you were the product of intolerance and apathy.

Perhaps your upbringing was managed by so called 'intellectuals' or hippies turned corprate lackies who inevitably poison the minds of their young with distorted visions of self importance. Or worse, with philosophies like 'violence never solved anything', and 'peace'.

Perhaps knowing that your narrow views on life will be attacked you thrive on the anger that these confrontations evoke.

Perhaps this is no one's fault but your own, perhaps you are just an asshole.

I do not know, nor do I care to. I am only writing this to purge my brain, hopefully to rinse the sour taste from my mouth, and get on with my day.

Although I am sure that you have cleverly surrounded yourself with a tight group of people who pretend to like you, and say that they like what you have to say, I want you to know that they are lying to you.

In closing, I can only say that it is my most sincere wish that you do not reproduce, or in any other way infect any more of the minds of our nations future than you already have. Thank god for free will, as I will freely never return to the cyber alter dedicated to the ego of richard.

Best wishes in therapy,

Eli Stringer

p.s. as you seem to be fond of these…
How is it that you have so much time on your hands?