Rabbi Gabrielle's Defiance Read Online Free PDF Page A

uneaten
petit-fours en mass; Maryland Democrats at Table 27 followed on
their heels, leaving Gabby and a lone state senator working the
laptop.
    Lyle Carberri hugged the lectern with the air
of a man comfortable before a microphone. His eyes hovered over the
empty seats and glared at members bunching up to exit the banquet
room. A scowl of disapproval replaced his normally jocular smile to
convey that Kye Naah was not the only one being shunned.
    An aura of mystery surrounded the 40-year-old
guest speaker, about whom a battalion of investigative reporters
from the Wall Street Journal and Investors Daily News had failed to
uncover more than skeletal details of his private life. His family
had emigrated from Pusan, Korea when he was 14. He attended Johns
Hopkins University on a scholarship, then the graduate Computer
Science Department at the University of Maryland on a grant. Upon
earning a PhD, he launched Politicstoday with seed money provided by four Hopkins classmates, carving out a
significant online niche in politics before his competition
established a foothold. The original investors from Johns Hopkins,
more interested in making money than shifting the arena of American
politics into cyberspace, pressed Kye to take their company public.
In the end, he borrowed heavily to buy out their interests, then
mortgaged the website to loyal and enthusiastic employees
compensated with stock warrants that might never be issued and just
enough salary to pay grocery bills. When expenses exceeded income, Politicstoday stayed alive by seeking
federal bankruptcy protection. Kye's dedicated associates remained
fiercely loyal, operating their business more like a non-profit
commune than a for-profit corporation. No one accused him of
milking his company for personal gain, even his irate creditors. He
was known to live frugally and take almost no compensation. He
always traveled coach aboard commercial planes, lodged in cheap
motels and shied away from restaurants with white table
clothes.
    Gabby soon learned that not all of Kye Naah's
enemies boycotted his presentation. A vanguard remained behind to
register their opposition by pounding coffee cups against the
tabletops. At first, the noise merged into an ambient growl from
the air conditioners, but eventually rose to a level demanding a
response from Lyle.
    Off came the director's reading glasses to
brandish as a rapier. "All right, friends," he lifted his voice in
combat. "We know there are people who take a dim view of how Politicstoday steals our voters. I didn't
invite Kye Naah to talk about what cyberspace can do for the
independent candidates. He's already demonstrated his capability. I
invited him to tell us what the Internet can do for the Democratic
Party. Cyberspace presents a challenge I will not let this party
ignore. If we don't come to terms with online campaigning, the
Republicans will. Can we afford to ignore a technology destined to
bury us? I know you're worried how cyberspace will change the way
you currently do business. That's understandable. But the brute
fact is that without it, our candidates will be out on the street
with tin cups in their hands, begging for alms. The storm won't
blow over. Your program committee has considered who is the best
spokesman. Not a sycophant to tell us how wonderful we are, but a
master of information technology to kick us in the proverbial ass.
Therefore, I challenge you. If you know all the answers, then go
ahead and bang your cups. Or even better, leave now and protest in
the Chesapeake Room. But if you think there might be something to
learn, I suggest you wait until after Dr.
Naah has finished. I've asked him to answer questions at the end.
You'll get a chance to register your opinions then."
    Like a guest on a late-night TV talk show,
Kye materialized from behind a curtain and bounded up the six steps
to the elevated platform. In contrast with those at the head table
in sport jackets and open shirts, he wore informal calico