The problem was that the gear kept me from lacing a new spoke on the wheel, since it blocked the hole for the spoke head.
What finally worked was a hammer and an old MTB handle bar. A couple good wacks and the gear came right off. This then allowed me to see what the problem was. My chain had come off a while ago and did the chain suck, well this damgaed all eight(8) of the pulling spokes. So I had to relace the spokes and true the whole thing all over again. At least it wasn't some mysterious spoke breaking thing. These spokes were really damaged. Fortunately, I didn't loose more than the one.
I also putzed around with the hubs that have the old bearing sleeves stuck in them, and managed to salvage them as well. Had a very productive day. I now have four Surly flip/flop hubs to work with. Just need another set of bearings and I'll be ready for summer riding.