DONATION POST: A Year Ago On The PP Blog . . .

Dear Readers,

A year ago this week, the PP Blog suffered the first of a series of vicious electronic attacks that knocked it offline. The attacks continued into November of 2010 — and then followed the Blog into the new year.

The attacks coincided with the Great (And Continuing) Publishing Slump, bringing on higher costs during a period in which publishers are struggling to survive. For the past three months, the Blog’s readers have kept it online. This will be the fourth month in which we’ve turned to our readers for help.

Each day, readers from all over the world visit the PP Blog. Ponzi schemes and online fraud schemes are international plagues. That the schemes actually have defenders is one of the stranger stories of our times — perhaps of all times. Rarely does one observe such twisted and tortured constructions and rationalizations.

The image that appears in my mind when I contemplate the dangers of the HYIP, autosurf and cycler spheres is one of thousands of loosely connected Pac-Men whose aim is to gorge themselves on ill-gotten riches while they poke holes in the world’s financial infrastructure and taunt law enforcement.

Some of them — more than a few of them — cannot stand this Blog. One year ago this week, some of them caused our server to die a death of 6 million cuts in three hours. One of the great ironies is that it’s not unusual for the criminals to describe themselves as great champions of freedom, great defenders of the Constitution.

It has not been easy — not with the attacks, not with the maintenance issues, not with the sideshows and the efforts to dilute the value of this Blog, not with the lack of money.

But we are still standing, thanks to our readers. And we are asking readers again today to help us stand another month and beyond.

Patrick