X-Message-Number: 1412
Date: 05 Dec 92 04:37:13 EST
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: Re: cryonics: #1395 - #1396

Dear Mike:
I personally was sorry to see you go, but never thought of your leaving
as due to "instability". I suspect I speak for many others.

As for volunteers, one major problem with any volunteer, and independent
(almost) of personal motivations, is that volunteers receive no or very
little pay for their activities and therefore remain beholden to their
employers etc. for enough money to survive. A 9 to 5 job curtails most
people. Ultimately, of course, cryonicists (if not Alcor itself) will
solve this problem by paying professional suspension teams --- but I
feel skeptical that anything short of that will solve it in the short
term. As we both know, a certain PhD supporter does not participate in
suspensions nor help out in any other than indirect ways... an example
of the problem.

At the same time Alcor staff and board might think carefully about just
how to use the efforts of volunteers despite their (collective, not
individual) instability. Local teams are an important idea; and if 
it's easy for someone to get the necessary training, it may become 
easier to produce the needed volunteers on shorter notice. Speaking for
myself, I would be glad to become more involved in suspensions; I have
asked about reactivating my old attempt to become an EMT (interrupted by
a brain tumor!). I was told that would not be necessary ... correctly or
not. 
				Best and long life
					Thomas Donaldson

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