In any event, they wanted to do a piece on direct-mail fund raising and asked Marty to put together two letters; one to raise money for mass murderer and gourmand Jeffery Dahlmer, one for multi-B as in billion fraud artist and Reagan administration lovely Kenneth Keating.

Marty wanted me to remind you that he himself is not in favor of contributing money to Jeffery Dahlmer or Kenneth Keating. But if you feel you must contribute to them, may I suggest you send your checks made out to cash, and send them to Salasin, RealPoetik, 206 Lilly Rd NE Apt K-8, Olympia, WA 98506.

Knowing Marty's work, I was pretty sure the letters were master- pieces of the genre, and since TV Nation didn't devote nearly the time I knew they deserved, I reprint them herewith. But first, some comments from Marty.

Marty Gallanter says:

The idea was sort of an intellectual exercise... what approach could be used to raise money for genuine villains. I approached Dahmer with focusing on the traditional (knee-jerk?) liberal reaction of a threat to civil liberties. Of course, I actually find this posture to be credible. With Keating I decided to appeal to the type of personality who was worshiped in the eighties... free enterprise, money making, greed-is-good types.

In both cases only 4,000 pieces were sent out and there were disadvantages. We couldn't get the best lists because you have to supply samples of what you are mailing to those who own the lists and we couldn't ask for money because we weren't a real charity and the lawyers were concerned about mail fraud. However, we did well. Dahmer got almost a 1.5% response (55 pieces) with an average pledge of $60. He also got lots of hate mail. Keating did better with 75 pieces and an average pledge of $68. As would be expected, there were several gifts of $200 or more. He too had hate mail but not as much as Dahmer. However, what he did get was very heavy.

Dear Fellow Friend of Civil Liberties,

Are you shocked by our letterhead? Are you asking yourself "why would anyone be a friend of Jeffrey Dahmer? It's a good question. The answer is simple. If Jeffrey Dahmer remains friendless, the civil liberties of each and every one of us are in grave danger. And this includes you!

Yes, Jeffrey was convicted of serious and multiple offenses against society. But the nature of his crimes did not alarm us nearly as much as the process of his trial and conviction. Jeffrey Dahmer was not found guilty by the weight of evidence and law but by an out-of-control news media bent on sensationalizing this case beyond all reason. They literally frightened our society into convicting this man.

For a moment, let us separate our emotions from the facts of this case. And, just for the sake of argument, let us also assume that every single allegation made against Jeffrey was absolutely true. That being the case, we have all witnessed one of the great miscarriages of justice in American history and a threat to the very foundation of our constitutional democracy.

If all of the charges are true, then, by any reasonable standard, Jeffrey Dahmer must be completely insane. And, if insane, under our legal system he is not responsible for his actions and must be declared not guilty by reason of insanity.

Instead of following the law and the testimony of multiple medical witnesses, the Milwaukee judge permitted the jury to be swayed by the media outcry and to declare this man capable of telling right from wrong.

Maybe this twisting of the legal system does not disturb you. Maybe you are so appalled by Jeffrey's crimes that you couldn't care less if he was treated fairly. If so, you are placing you and your family in serious danger.

In our country, courtroom arguments are based on prior legal decisions, called precedents. The Dahmer case has a set a alarming precedent that endangers us all. If Jeffrey Dahmer cannot be declared insane, what chance do the rest of us have should we be unfortunate enough to break the law while suffering from an emotional disorder?

A group of citizens concerned with the continued protection of civil liberties has recently formed the Friends of Jeffrey Dahmer. Our ranks include lawyers, journalists, business people and homemakers.

We need your help!

Your contribution will help us to protect the civil liberties of you and your loved ones. Won't you take a moment today to sit down and write a check for $10, $25, $100, or whatever you can afford. Remember, you're doing it for your own security.

Sincerely, Kent Alterman Chairman Friends of Jeffrey Dahmer

PS - Please consider using the attached response form to send a message to Jeffrey. He feels so alone and we know he would enjoy hearing from you directly.

PPS - The help you give Jeffrey today protects your freedom tomorrow. Please use today to write a check... for any amount.

Dear Friend of Free Enterprise,

You're not truly surprised that Charles Keating has friends, are you? Throughout the media circus otherwise known as the trial of Charles Keating, you might have secretly wondered if this man had really done anything wrong. You may not have shared your thoughts with anyone because, at that time, they didn't seem politically correct. You questioned if Charles Keating was really just a victim... someone singled out by the government and scapegoated by the press to pay for big government banking policies that were an abject failure.

If those are the things you thought back then, let me tell you my friend... you were right!

Charles Keating was far from the demon that government lawyers and media hacks made him out to be. In many ways, Charles was not too different from you or from me. He shared with us the great American dream of wealth and of helping his community. .. practiced great American values by trying to help create wealth... for his investors and for his community.

No one complained about those values when they were embodied by Jimmy Stewart's character in the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life." In fact, Stewart had an angel sent from heaven to help him through his troubles. Unfortunately, no angel has arrived for Charles Keating, and he is totally destitute.

We're not angels, but we are a group of concerned business people who believe that Charles Keating's only crimes were an unfortunate combination of bad choices and bad luck.

We do not believe that Charles Keating did anything wrong. And we are very concerned that his case will become an example for big government regulators and big-mouth media types... when something goes wrong, find someone else to blame and put him in jail. Is this the American way?

Well, Charles is in jail and we are organizing to help him fight back. We do it because we think a great injustice has been done and we do it to protect our right, as business people, to make investments without government interference.... yes, even when they are bad investments. In the history of American business, many a so-called bad investment has been turned into a multi-billion dollar corporation.

Each of us in the Friends of Charles Keating is doing all we can too keep the government off our collective backs but, we need your help. Won't you sit down at your desk, right now, and write a check to the Friends of Charles Keating? We know that Charles will appreciate whatever you can spare. In doing so you will not only be helping a fine man but will also be contributing to the future and the right to conduct business in a true free market economy.

Sincerely, Michael Moore Chairman Friends of Charles Keating

PS - Please consider using the attached response form to send a message to Charles. He would enjoy hearing from you directly.

PS - He does need your help. Please write that check today... for any amount.