I'm Gabrielle Price, founder and editor of The Refreshment Center blog.

Last spring, I was honored to be asked to act as an administrator for Michael C. Ruppert's official fan page and as archivist at the official book page for Crossing the Rubicon. The second honor bestowed as a consequence of actually reading the book and having permission from Mike to use any excerpt from it in 2012, after I interviewed him at his then home in Sebastopol, California.  

As transparency is of utmost importance moving forward, I share the email below [w/personal info redacted] that Mike sent to me on 1/2/2012, with his blessing to excerpt Rubicon. 

You may also remember last spring, I started a different Fundrazr here to keep Mike's archives at  From The Wilderness  online for posterity and research for other investigative journalists. [Big thanks to all who gave, as it is now hosted for the next five years!] The URL however, had to be changed as the cost of keeping the original was too high and other solutions were not presented.

Three of Mike's administrators: the copyright holder, Ali Thomas and myself, made the decision to go with the .net instead of the .com. [Please spread the word.] It took some time to make this happen and at an additional cost, after the hosting fees were already raised and paid in full, thanks to your generosity.

The frustration was real for myself and Ali, as the archival project had to be placed on hold until these issues were corrected. After consideration by the copyright holder in charge of Mike's estate, Ali and I are the two administrators of the host site and URL renewal. It will take a great deal of time to fix and update code on top of the archival work for Rubicon. Video/audio excerpts are also planned and equipment required for professional recording is needed as well.

Nothing on the From The Wilderness site that was originally written by Mike will ever be changed, only fixing the search function [a sorely missing tool which aids in navigating the site], researching and replacing old/broken links and the ability to find the site in web searches.

All of this work is a sobering honor. I viewed Mike as a mentor who later became a friend that encouraged and applauded the work I was doing at TRC as an indie outlet during and after Occupy. This is not a project we can do on a purely volunteer basis. It is both hard drive and time consuming.

We all have other responsibilities as well -- but we feel too much has been left undone that could properly honor Mike's early sacrifices and contributions before Collapsenet. We need your help to see it through. The project team includes the book's copyright holder [unnamed, but who has final say], Ali Thomas and myself. With Mike's permission given in 2012, each of us would like to work together to honor his works through this project by updating them for a new generation of researchers and journalists -- and of course -- his fans and friends.

We're certainly not alone in feeling he deserves that. Our hope is that you will assist in making this project one that Mike would be proud of. Thank you for your continued support, sharing, and for passing the hat! ~ Gabrielle for Team MCR

***UPDATE***

ABOUT CROSSING THE RUBICON ARCHIVES

These are the excerpts that have been completed since Michael gave permission to use any excerpts from the book in 2012. I'm listing them here in order of the date they were posted. I've noted earlier posts' footnotes have broken links in them now, so I'll work to fix those today. Some things just 'disappear' from the net these days, so keeping up-to-date and backing up or downloading data is crucial.

In the event that Mike's blog or mine get 'scrubbed' or blocked, I'm taking the added precaution of backing both up on an external HD. This is another example of how Team MCR helps this project with obtaining necessary equipment to insure Mike's legacy and that this data is protected. [Especially the From The Wilderness website.] I have my copy of Rubicon, though, so I'd type it all by hand if I had to! Please consider purchasing a copy to give back to Mike's loved one in charge of his estate. We wouldn't have a green light for this project without them! Having a copy will also help you follow along as we share updated footnotes moving forward. ~ G

About the book: Published in 2004, Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil by Michael C. Ruppert, remains a book of great historic significance. Close to 700 pages long with over 900 footnotes, it is a testament to Ruppert's years of exemplary service as an LAPD narcotics detective and investigative journalist. Crossing the Rubicon's findings remain unchallenged, not a single word was ever redacted, and Michael was never sued. It sits in the Harvard Law Library.

Let's work to insure that isn't the only place where people can access it.

Excerpts presented in chronological order by date posted. In an effort to share the most relevant data, TRC chooses excerpts based on current or trending names, themes, institutions or ongoing investigations in the news to help researchers connect dots.

All footnoted source material will be linked below any future audio where it is hosted. [On Patreon and TRC.]

Jan. 8, 2012: Petroleum Man
Jan. 9, 2012: A Simple Exercise
Jan. 20, 2012: Unholy Trinity / Part One
Jan. 21, 2012: Unholy Trinity / Part Two
Jan. 22, 2012: Unholy Trinity / Part Three
Nov. 13, 2017: Why Is US So Russiaphobic? Inconvenient Truths About Foreign Policy
Dec. 14, 2017: Business With The Bin Ladens: The Real Saudi Arabia || Part One
Dec. 20, 2017: Business With The Bin Ladens: The Real Saudi Arabia || Part Two
Jan. 1, 2018: Define Bombshells : What Happens When FBI Agents Blow The Whistle
Latest: Jan. 5, 2018: Chapter 15 : Israel

It takes a great deal of time to reproduce excerpts like these, as many original links in the book and on the FTW website are broken/missing and must be carefully researched and archived to maintain the integrity of Mike's source material. There is no shortage of work to be done. That is why we need funding to see it through. 

A big thank you to the first three team members who helped reach and surpass our first milestone in less than 48 hours!  [Go #TeamMCR!]