I have been on DU for almost nine years now.

[MineralMan]

Not as long as some, of course, but longer than I've been on any other discussion forum. I'm a very active participant and have a very good memory. I love this discussion site, but not always everyone on it.

In those nine years or so, I've seen a number of people driven off this site, which has always made me cringe. I've even been a target a few times, but have always avoided "losing it" and am still here. I'm a veteran of discussion forums, beginning with the old Politics forum on CompuServe in the 80s.

I've seen people driven off from every forum I've been part of. It's a shame every time, except in a very few cases. On each forum, vulnerable people or people with minority viewpoints are ganged up on until they can no longer stay. Typically, they are provoked into exploding and then are banned.

After over 98,000+ posts here, I'm here to stay. I'm going nowhere. I'll probably see others driven off in the future, as I have in the past. With very few exceptions, I'll be sad when it happens. I wish such things would not happen. Truly I do. I remember each instance and what caused it.

My hope is to one day find a place where that does not occur. I'd like it to be this place.