There are 22,000 homeless kids, maybe more, on the streets of Orange County California and across the United States who are waiting on Apple to do the right thing. What’s the right thing? Replace my MacBook, a piece of technology even the Mac Genius’ have told me “is a lemon.” The problem, as I understand it, is Apple doesn’t make the black MacBook anymore because they had so many problems with it - including bad batteries - of which I’ve gone through three and am on my fourth….

13 homeless kids will die today. And 13 more will die tomorrow. They will die of suicide, drug overdose, murder and exposure. That’s the average - 13 homeless kids in America die EVERY DAY. The ebook I started on “street smarts for smart kids” with how to find food, shelter and how to avoid predators and what to do if you are raped, mugged or beaten or sick along with how-to-open a bank account, and how-to-get a job won’t be written because my MacBook is a piece of SH*T.

The fourth power cord in four years just melted and I am on an OLD and very slow, but VERY dependable PC. I’m rethinking my decision to put in the FOURTH hard drive in the MacBook since it crashes so much I know it really wants to be run over by my van and put out of its misery. The power cord I ordered is coming from CHINA and won’t be here for two weeks - sometime in October.

I’m now on a PC that I bought before XP came out. A very generous friend GAVE me her copy of CS3 (license transfer), for PCs when she purchased CS5, but I don’t have the memory or speed on my existing PC to run it. I can’t do my usual work to make the $$$ to pay bills so I have free time to give to the causes I do. I can’t do the book for the kids because everything takes 6 times longer on a PC and the programs I use on here aren’t as fast and don’t have the same look as Pages on a Mac.

For four years Apple employees have told me I “have a lemon” and yet Apple has refused to replace the laptop - opting instead to replace parts - which costs me downtown and travel time and time away from work. I think now they didn’t replace it because they don’t make it anymore.

On top of that, the damn thing still doesn’t work. It never has and never will. I’m so tired of it and I’m tired of hearing other Mac owners say, “But I NEVER have problems with my Mac.” I do. I have TONS of them. I USED to love Mac. But now I see they don’t deliver.

APPLE CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS. They say, “Yes you have a lemon, but let us replace it part by part with stuff we know is buggy until your Apple Care warranty expires and you’re screwed and go away and leave us alone. We don’t want to be associated with homeless kids.” (remember, Steve Jobs was homeless once. He couch surfed and depended on the kindness of friends when he was in college. Maybe he’s forgotten what that’s like?)

I think I’m at the point now where I believe no one else really cares. Or they care, but can’t help. My creative efforts with the Haircuts for Hope project have stopped because I can’t finish that ebook, or work on the website. Thanks Apple. I can get on the phone, make calls, but I can’t create the book, not do the work that allows me to work on my pro bono cases. I REALLY REALLY REALLY HATE THIS MACBOOK LEMON. I love the the software, but not the hardware - although I USED TO. My MacBook crashes constantly. I don’t understand. Apple is supposed to be so awesome but I get NOTHING from them. Any Apple folks out there willing to donate a WORKING Mac to this cause, or email or twitter Steve Jobs asking him to JUST fix mine? or to suggest someone who might fix it for free (I’ll buy the new hard drive)? I’m not asking for me. I’m asking for the kids.