The Server That Wasn't Meant to Exist

Author’s note: Many readers, understandably struck by the severity of the events, have speculated about the involvement of organized crime. I want to clarify that, while the situation was extremely problematic and dishonest, that wasn’t the case. The “worst parts” I alluded to referred to other internal dynamics, abuses of trust, and improprieties that I prefer not to detail further for privacy reasons and to avoid weighing down the narrative.

You can’t help everyone. Some things only they can help themselves with. You can help them do that, but they have to make the decision to want it.

In the 80s a friend of my parents had a small business and an accounting system on PCs. He needed some technical help and I was the techy guy so I went over. I looked through his system he had payroll, payables, receivables, but no general ledger. I asked about the GL. He said “It’s not the government’s business how much money I make.” He also told me he paved his new home driveway and ran that through the company expenses. At the time I was just a kid. I couldn’t help him anyway so I just left. But today, with a few more decades of experience I would say “Sorry I won’t help you steal from America.”