Just realized I haven't done one of these in a while...

[WilliamPitt]

...and it's long overdue and monumentally deserved.

(and no, I'm not announcing that I'm leaving DU)

(assholes)

( ;) ;) ;) )

I came to DU in May of 2001, which means I will be celebrating my 9-year anniversary as a member of this forum in six months. Insane, right?

Like every long-time poster here, I've seen it all. I've been part of the problem sometimes, part of the solution sometimes, and an increasingly informed and motivated bystander in between. This place motivated me to begin the first real, serious political action of my life. I'd worked on campaigns here and there before, stayed as informed as possible, always voted, and gone to the occasional protest, but it wasn't until I met Matcom and several others in the aftermath of 9/11 here that I really rolled up my sleeves and pitched in. I will go to my grave believing we made a difference, and our reports of the actions we took spawned other groups of DUers from all over the country to go out and do the same.

I researched three books and countless articles here. I've met some of the best people I've ever known, and have gotten involved and informed in more ways than ever could have been possible had I not come to this place in May of 2001. DU changed my life, made me a better person, and more importantly, a better citizen of this country and the world.

I'm sure pretty much of you, long-timers and newbies and everyone in between, could share a similar story about this place.

And that is entirely entirely entirely due to the tireless efforts of Skinner, EarlG, Elad, and all the Moderators past and present. Beginning with that dark January day in 2001 when they first unfurled that DemocraticUnderground.com banner along George W. Bush's inaugural route, the Admins and Moderators have worked so hard to make this place what it is. I am sure they feel like schoolmarms locked into a giant classroom with 50,000 demented children sometimes, but they've always been there for this place and for us. Yeah, this joint is batshit crazy, but it's our batshit crazy, and that is all because of them.

Given the mood and mayhem of this place lately, I think it is safe to assume none of the Admins or Mods are having a festive time of it holding this place together. So if you have a story about what DU means to and for you, share it here as a well-deserved thanks to the ones who are always here, making this place better, and keeping the lid on.

Thank you, folks. From my heart.

:toast:

:hug:

[kentuck]

1. Hey! Weren't you part of the Kucinich campaign?

:-)

[WilliamPitt]

2. Why do you think

I'm keeping my mouth shut?

:P

[kentuck]

4. Some of us have long memories.

Why do we stay?? :-)

[havocmom]

22. Memo to everyone: Diplomacy CAN be learned. There's proof.

Been thinkin' bout ya, Will, and the whirling emotions that might be churning at this time ;)

[wtmusic]

3. Hey weren't you the guy who spent $650 on a dinner date?

Teasing, WP. Your presence helped make DU what it is. :toast: Now get out of here.

[WilliamPitt]

5. At the Olive Garden

With Nader.

Jerk.

;););)

[stevedeshazer]

83. I spent hours here defending Nader against J Carlos Jiacinto.

I'd like those hours back, but I ain't gonna get 'em.

j c j : "He should be punished."

[SoCalDem]

84. wow.. a blast from the past.. I felt sorry for Jcarlos too

sometimes I thought he was a naive young thing.. until he was unmasked :)

remember the Canadian girl who always said vis a vis.. like 30 threads a night:)...wonder what ever happened to her:rofl:

[barbtries]

6. i can't remember the dates

or the threads or even the specific posters. i was in an extended state of shock due to the tragedy of my daughter's murder. but after 911 - the run up to war - the wars - the BASTARD bushies! - here was this island, this forum, where people shared my horror and my outrage. and so it is.

heartfelt thanks to Skinner, EarlG, Elad, and all the Moderators past and present - and the entire community of DU'ers. this is why i love the internet.

[BeFree]

7. These are the good old days, er daze?

Thanks to you Pitt for coming back after quitting and being tombstoned so very many times. <grin>

DU has made a difference, and we are all a part. Gawd how mushy is that?

But it's true.

[WilliamPitt]

9. I was only tombstoned once

And I did it to myself by posting too quickly in the Lounge and tripping the spam-killer.

As for the quits? Did those to myself, too.

So there.

:hug:

[BeFree]

16. Yeah, but

If I remember correctly, IIRC, you were the reason they invented the Tombstone? You helped bury a lot of freepers in those days, eh?

[WilliamPitt]

32. I have my share of scalps.

:)

[annabanana]

8. I've only been here since January of '04

I slid over from the Gen. Clark forum and never left. I had spent several years wondering where the America I grew up in had gone. Were all the 60's hippies and radicals so thouroughly compromised that they were completely assimilated into the borg?

DU was a revelation, and has become the place that I go to when the "headlines" seem fishy, and things aren't adding up properly.

[davidswanson]

10. hear hear

support DU!

[bertman]

11. Insane? I don't know because I haven't read the post yet. But mathematically impossible?

Yes. In May you will be celebrating nine years as a member, and beginning your tenth year.

I find that your posts are usually educational and though-provoking.

[WilliamPitt]

14. Jesus, you're right.

Fixed.

Wow, it's a stupid morning here in Chez Pitt.

Thanks. :)

[bertman]

53. Don't mention it. Glad to be of assistance.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

12. Didn't I see your name

on the White House visitors list Mr. Pitt? :P



btw thanks for all of your great essays here, and for some of your blather.

[cynatnite]

13. Right back at you, Will...

:hug:

[msongs]

15. has anyone told you how much you look like abraham Lincoln? nt

[Cleita]

17. When I first came to DU I just read the articles on the front page. Only a

few have still survived like the ten top stupid conservatives. But when I finally did dip my foot into the forums, yours is the first post I read cause it was on the top page at the top of the page. I'm glad you have stuck around all these years. So many other good posters from the past are gone forever. And yes I have much gratitude for the administrators for hanging in there. They really are appreciated by this old timer and I don't say it often enough.

[KittyWampus]

18. I learned that if you really want dialog and/or in-depth discussions on DU, visiting subforums

outside GD is a good idea.

[asjr]

19. I can't remember exactly when I came

to DU but so glad I did. They will probably have to take my mouse out of my cold dead hands to get me away from my computer. So many people here from all walks of life and with so many different (as well as like) opinions. I have learned more about politics here than at any time in my life. And since politics invariably change with the seasons it is always interesting.

[havocmom]

20. So many good people met here. So many helpful, educational tales to tell

But what mattered to me personally was a place to discuss issues with thinking, caring people. Yeah, learned a lot, taught some, broadened my perspective which made me a better person.

Friendships. Yep. Too many are no longer posting here and I miss them. Some keep in contact via other means.

We helped others through some real tragedies. We celebrated small and large victories, personal and political. We became a family, of sorts, complete with crazy uncles and dysfunctional aunties. Spoiled kids ran through this big living room from time to time and we have chased off more than a couple door-to-door cultists who kept pounding on the door to disrupt our family.

Living in a VERY, small VERY RW community, this place probably saved my life, literally. Don't know that I would have stayed in the fight if not for this safe house Skinner and the lads provid.

One night, unable to sleep for worrying about whether a fire near here would bust loose from all the folks fighting it and roar through this remote outpost, I stayed on DU trying to distract myself from the threat of panic. There were few in town but us and some older, more infirm folks. All the able bodies were fighting fires. The wind was up. If the fire made a run at town, would I have enough warning to wake them all, get them all out and into vehicles in time to run from the flames? It was a rough night, spent in silent terror for myself and my older, oft infirm neighbors. Had to stay awake, calm, alert.

Vehicle was packed with water, some food stuffs, the precious box of family pictures. Cat carriers were waiting by the door in case we had to toss them in and flee. The phone was beside me, for the good it might do, so many lines were down due to poles burned. I didn't have a clue how to sound the town emergency siren and anyone who could tell me was out on the fire lines. Bad planning on my part, for sure; if the town survives the night, I would remedy that ignorance in the morning!

One DUer who I always found helpful and enlightening was online. She commented that it was odd seeing me on at such an hour. I PMed back and gave a brief (hey, it could happen ;) ) description of why I was awake. She talked me down, without belittling my righteous concern. She stayed on with me all night, PM-ing and posting chit chat in the lounge. She kept me sane through that long, scary night.

She offered some practical suggestions, went over my preparations for the possibility that I would have to bug out. She even helped come up with ways to wake and move the old ladies who lived alone in my town.

And she made me LOL. That probably kept my blood pressure in the nearly-safe zone.

She isn't here anymore, or perhaps here but under a name I don't know. Causality to some of those horrible primary gang wars here last year.

I miss her. Did thank her, but can't do it enough.

She got me through the night. DU got me through nearly a decade of national madness. It still does, though some days, it IS the madness and I just have to back away for a spell.

The Admins here most likely saved me from giving in politically, personally, spiritually. I know they did much to help solidify sane opposition to the neocon threat to our beloved nation, and the world. Much is left to be done, it will always be so. But DU has been a major player in the move to restore America. I am so grateful for the efforts of DUers and the incredible generosity of time, resources, and personal strength of the Admins who created this place and kept making it possible for so many to utilize and build from it.

The long dark night spent listening for any roar of fire or fleeing fire crews was a small thing, but it was real and it was a threat. Glad DU was here to help me get through it.

The long dark night of our nation's peril is over, but most recognize the threats remain and more dark nights can come if we drop our guard or relax our efforts.

Thank you, guys. Please know we thank you. And thanks to the many DUers (some still here, some gone) who got the place humming, and made it into the educational, spirit-protecting haven it has been.

[johnnie]

21. I got here about 7 years ago...yikes

I came here when they were pushing us to war with Iraq and it seemed that everybody I talked to was all for it and I was feeling like I was the only one who thought it was bullshit. I did a search with something like "iraq war bullshit" and found DU. I was relieved that I wasn't the only one who knew it was crap.

I think it is the best place on the internets to get breaking news and answers for just about anything. Sure it seems like a huge dysfunctional family at times, but like you said...it's "ours".

How Skinner, EarlG and Elad deal with it all on a day to day basis is beyond me, but they do a hell of a job. It can't be easy to please this many people, but they seem to do a damn good job at coming close.

[mopinko]

23. christine cegelis can thank du for my work on her campaign.

if only the results hadn't been so close, i might have had a beer with a couple of other du'ers that were there on election night. but the battle continues.

glad to be here, even tho i have so many other things waiting for me to do them. (the dogs are especially sick of du.)

and i can tell ya, being a mod sucks. they deserve so many thanks.

[zeemike]

24. Wow has it really been 9 years?

I guess it has....but I was one of the first to come here I think....Was watching the anti-inauguration protest on Cspan and saw a young man holding up a sign saying Democraticunderground.com, so I typed it in my browser and did not find much but I liked the "underground" idea and book marked it.

Why is it that it seems just like yesterday to me....It seems the older you get the faster time goes.

But thinking about it, the experiences I have had here are enormous, and what I have learned from it is too.
For me it has been the best of times and the worst of times, and DU has probably sane. And in large part it is because of the writers like you and many others who know how to turn a word....so thank you and all and mostly thank the DU trinity....Skinner, Elad, and EarlG.

[jaksavage]

25. Thanks Will

You are a star.

[Skinner]

26. Democratic Underground: It's the worst political discussion forum on the Internet...

...except for all the other ones. (Apologies to Winston Churchill.)

It's a pleasant surprise to see a navel-gazing DU meta-discussion thread that isn't complaining about this place. I suppose being the one in charge here makes me predisposed to believe that DU is doing just fine, but let me just say: DU is doing just fine. The mild feeling of discomfort and confusion that many people have been feeling lately is fairly easily explained: We run the country now. It is only natural that DU would have a vocal "Dems aren't doing enough" group, and a vocal "They're doing the best they can under the circumstances" group, and plenty of other people who don't fall into neat little categories. This is a discussion forum. People need not be alarmed when actual discussion breaks out.

And for those who are, there's always the Ignore function.

[bridgit]

27. heh-heh, that's funny

:) But I don't use the ignore feature :cry: I prolly should, huh? :thumbsup:

[chill_wind]

28. "People need not be alarmed when actual discussion breaks out".

:-) I like that. Best quote of the day. And one for the ages.

[havocmom]

31. One feature that would be helpful: An Ignore Me function

Those who probably should put more people on Ignore don't (me included) do it often enough. Maybe there is a button that I could push to make someone else put me on ignore*? Lord knows I try to push a lot of buttons, but that one eludes.

*Tongue only partly in cheek. It would be sorta cool to be invisible to some who constantly just bicker for bickering's sake ;)

Thanks for the comfy living room and smaller rooms, Skinner. The place needs sweeping now and then, but the foundations are solid, and the air temp is fine.

[Bernard Weiner]

43. Bernard Weiner (Crisis Papers) on DU experience

From 2001 on, DU posted every political analysis I sent them and, in doing so, helped keep me somewhat sane, and our movement pushing forward. In late-2002, Ernest Partridge and I founded CrisisPapers.org, and DU later published our essays on a regular basis every Tuesday under our own Crisis Papers logo. The DU/Crisis Papers meld has worked well for both websites. We so admire what the two Davids (Skinner, EarlG) and Elad have created: a lively, bustling forum for news, commentary and video. The effective, professional level achieved by DU is unlike what passes for a political marketplace elsewhere on the internet. The fact that William Pitt, one of our movement's most passionate and felicitous writers, is a (mostly) regular here is a testament to the caliber of activist journalism DU attracts.

As some of you have noticed, Ernie and I have taken a hiatus from CP/DU writing. After nearly seven years of pounding out political essays -- more than 500 combined -- we desperately needed a break. But we'll be back, at intervals, and maybe will return to regular contributing somewhere down the line.

[conscious evolution]

49. Glad to see you are still around

I always loved the crises papers.Always very,very informative.
Nice to know y'all have your own site.

[mmonk]

75. Your analysis Skinner has merit.

And everyone has their part to play I guess.

[bobbolink]

76. Discussion is fine. Ugliness is not.

[PVnRT]

29. *cough*

[bridgit]

30. My experience is different

[LSK]

33. 6 years later and I am still coming back

Wow, its been 6 years now?? This place has definitely change me in many ways.

Thanks Skinner and thanks Will!!

:hi:



ps: How many is a brazilian!

[madinmaryland]

34. Welcome to DU!!

:D

BTW, can you explain this??

[WilliamPitt]

35. Yeah.

It's a word she can spell, so she digs the sweatshirt.

:P

[Atticus]

77. Well, the photo is taken from a bad angle.

The roach clip looks way out of proportion unless you can see the whole joint, which is mostly hidden by the paper plate.

You should see the Oreos!

[hfojvt]

36. thanks for mentioning me, albeit indirectly

"I've met some of the best people I've ever known,"

But speaking of M.A.T.C.O.M. Where the heck is he?

[Duval]

38. WRP, you are one of the reasons I started coming to DU, my favorite,btw.

My husband and I came to Chapel Hill, NC to hear you years ago, and been a fan of yours since. As for DU, it's where I go when I need to see what's really going on and it's where I get the most satisfaction. Heartfelt thanks to all the administrators as well as members.:toast: :loveya:

[WilliamPitt]

39. He got fed up with the mayhem a while ago.

I'm almost positive he lurks, and he does pop up from time to time.

[hfojvt]

54. I was afraid they had disappeared him

and that's not even proper English.

[blm]

58. for what? having a butt that smiled too much? ;)

.

[hfojvt]

62. well it could have been Homeland Security that did it

rather than the Admins here.

Somebody should get him for not following up on his offer to help me with my website. :argh:

[Generic Other]

95. He was spying on the lobster fishermen and they got crabby

Ever seen what THOSE pinchers can do to a BIG YELLOW BUTT?

[loudsue]

37. Good post, Mr. Pitt.

Back when DU started, there were SO FEW places to go and commiserate with other liberals, and none as close-knit as DU.

kickin' & rec'n

[RetroLounge]

40. Tainted Love

:hi:

RL

[WilliamPitt]

41. I just peed.

:rofl:

:hi:

[RetroLounge]

56. ...

:hi:

RL

[FightingIrish]

42. I had several articles on the DU home page before I actually joined.

That was under the old format. Since I have become more involved in discussions, I have been amazed at how often DU is a source of truth that is way out ahead of the media. A DUer who was tracking aircraft flights, posted the story of Sarah Palin pick as Mc Cain’s running mate hours before it broke. On the night of the terrible earthquake in Abruzzo, I was able to keep posting a running update on the disaster that I got from Italian sources that was hours ahead of CNN. We have a great resource of knowledgeable people and skillful news ferrets. If Google is a search engine, DU is often a truth engine.

[bain_sidhe]

44. Beat you by a month! Ha!

I joined in April of 2001.

Ok, now that the upsmanship has been taken care of, I couldn't agree more with everything you said. Which, IIRC, was pretty much the norm, when you were posting more "article-type" items in the early days, before you abandoned us :cry: (or at least your more serious articles abandoned us) for truthout and book-writing. I miss your (and a few others) more thoughtful posts here. But hey, DU evolves, just like every living organism must. What it is now is very different than what it was when it started - and of course, with growth comes trolls - but it still has a major hold on my attention. I rarely post, but always read. A large part of that is because of Skinner, EarlG and Elad's efforts (with the able assistance of many, many moderators) to keep this fractious community functioning as a reliable source of comfort and information for all of us on the left side of the political spectrum.

[H2O Man]

45. Recommended.

I came to DU in December of 2003. It was an interesting day: Patrick Fitzgerald was assigned the Plame investigation, and you (Will Pitt) wrote what I still consider one of the absolute best essays on the case. I was involved with a small, informal group of friends who enjoy being able to impact the news media, and our goal was to expose VP Cheney's role in the scandal. As one of the "long-term" avenues to accomplish this, one friend suggested that I join DU, become acquainted with folks, then focus on the Plame scandal. He knew that other people read DU -- not in its entirety, of course, but select contributors.

My intitial goal was to stay until 7-14-04. "Old-timers" here will remember why that date stuck out. However, I found that many of the people on this forum were becoming my friends, and that the quality of conversation on this site was second to none. For many years, I believe that DU was far and away the best internet site for political discussion.

Just as there have been strange days here in the past, there are now. In my opinion, the strangeness is a result of a combination of factors, including but not limited to old grudges and hard feelings. Yet, there are other factors, and I suspect that unless the core participants here re-focus on keeping up the quality of discussion, there will be a continued slide downward.

This is, of course, just my opinion.

[lyonn]

67. I blame this on Post Traumatic Stress - 8 years of bush

We have either become flinchy or take the attitude that anything happening in govt. now is better than before.

This is still a great place to inform or be informed.

[HughMoran]

79. I'm more aligned with your 3rd paragraph

I believe the slide is real and that some realignment will be required.

[Vincardog]

46. Will I was with you at Camp Casey. Have a nice vacation, and I hope to see you back. nt

[WilliamPitt]

50. Vacation?

[Vincardog]

51. Vacation from DU

[WilliamPitt]

52. Don't have one planned

but I'll be sure to enjoy it when I do. :)

[Vincardog]

55. and no, I'm not announcing that I'm leaving DU) NOT Miss one damn word and the whole meaning changes

:shrug:

[WilliamPitt]

63. Your confusion is understandable

given the circumstances. :)

[jus_the_facts]

47. In Remembrance for the DU'ers who passed away.... We'll never forget you...

[mmonk]

72. Yep.

I'll second that.

[EFerrari]

48. Nicely done, Will Pitt.

I love you guys, I've just been in a very bad mood for two years. Who knew not working was so much work.

:toast: to DU

[noiretextatique]

57. Tinoire, TahitiNut, WillyT, proudpatriot, HellHathNoFury, nothingshockmeanymore, jaysunb

are among the wonderful friends I've met in person because of DU. i signed on in 2001 too, and there were many times when DU was myonly solace during the horrible bushcon, inc years.
shout out to friends i haven't met in person:
Karenina, bliss_eternal, Number23 :loveya: and many, many others :loveya:

[nadinbrzezinski]

61. SeattleGilrl for me

:-)

[David Zephyr]

59. Needed to be said.

Thanks. K&R.

[nadinbrzezinski]

60. Found DU in 2002, while in Navy Housing

in Hawaii... long lonesome nights while hubby went on deployments.

I also discovered Malloy at the time, as well as Bernie Ward and Ray Taliafero... they were the one thing that told me I AM NOT ALONE.

And like Will I have seen all in this place...

Keep the faith Will, we shall not go quietly into that dark night without a damn fight.

[branders seine]

64. I first came here as a lurker back in 2001 (following a link to something Will Pitt wrote).

I lurked sporadically, but found comfort here in dark, dark times. Now, I have joined officially, and I post sporadically. I too have been educated beyond my reckoning over the years by what I've read at DU.

Lately though, I've seen this place start eating its own. Indeed, many of my favorite DU "personalities" have either left or been killed off over the last year or so. I think there is a war at the heart of DU right now, exemplified by the differences between the GD and GD-P forums, over whether this site is devoted to the progressive/liberal principles long associated with the Democratic Party or to unquestioning loyalty to the party itself, independent of principle (rah rah, go team, wear the team colors).

Despite all such, thanks to Skinner and the admins and the mods for keeping this place available. It has been a special place to me for the last 8 years or so.

[libodem]

65. You are a sharp young whipper-snapper

go get 'em, sonny.

[fishnfla]

66. I love it

the thread titles are always like: " DU has changed so much!"

(I've been here for over 7 years, and there is one of those threads a month.)

So, no nothing's changed

[EmeraldCityGrl]

68. I so wish I had discovered DU earlier.

[mmonk]

69. I don't know what to add except when I first arrived, I think

I was called a freeper on the first day. :) Anyway, I guess I've been both a church mouse and a problem like fingernails on a chalkboard sometimes. In the years since I came here in 2003, I've stirred the pot many times (because I'm an activist outside DU and that's what we do), threaten to leave on occasion and left before but nobody noticed :eyes: so I came back as I always do and I've apologized many times (but after awhile no one cares about that :P ). Anyway, this is a great place on the web run by the best people and I'm glad to be a part of it. So the next time I say I'm leaving, don't buy it.

That's about it.
:toast:
To everyone here past and present.

[Arugula Latte]

70. I found DU in Fall 2001.

DU, copious amounts of white wine, and plenty of cat snuggling breaks were what got me through eight years of hell.

:grouphug:

[byronius]

71. Right back atcha.

[Canuckistanian]

73. Joined in 2002, I think

Was a follower of Kos, Bartcop, Media Whores Online, Buzzflash and Atrios.

The progressive community was pretty thin and poorly coordinated back then, but I took heart that there was at least SOMEONE who thought the way I did.

Then, I noticed a link for "Conservative Idiot of the Week". I was hooked, but I ALSO noticed it was a message board, with expletive-laden thread titles. Hmmm, I thought, this must be a rockin' place. So I joined.

My first post was a rant on how electronic voting machines should be abolished. I was encouraged at the response.

Since then, I've been hooked.

And although I'm a Canadian, with no real "skin in the game", I feel a part of this community, And it IS a community that extends well beyond borders.

I'm proud to be a contributing member, however small that is.

[gkhouston]

74. Will, you are far too modest. You've been part of the problem more often than "sometimes".

:P

[existentialist]

78. Actually, the tone of this place reminds me of what I know of

Democratic conventions from times past. They were pretty much knock down drag out affairs(usually metaphorically speaking but not always). However, at least until 1968 the party pretty much healed up and supported its nominees. We've had some kicking and cussing and screaming here of late. So what else is new?

Disagreement and discussion of disagreement is healthy.

Contrast the Republicans and their 11th commandment. Everything stayed bottled up, and now they're in a civil war which seems only to be growing.

Here criticisms get heard. Loud, and early.

[proud2BlibKansan]

80. My favorite Will Pitt story

I went to Camp Casey in Crawford. First day I was there, I walked around taking pictures of the bumper stickers on cars. The best one was the car where someone had typed out a Will Pitt quote and taped it to the inside of the rear window of their car.

[druidity33]

91. which quote? nt.

[proud2BlibKansan]

92. I knew someone would ask

Can't find the picture and can't remember which quote. Sorry.

[proud patriot]

81. You had me at "and no, I'm not announcing that I'm leaving DU"

:loveya:

[hunter]

82. I pissed off your mom here once.

Feel free to piss off my mom.

Trouble is she won't tell me who she is here...

:toast:

[lupinella]

85. Thank you for making this my favourite political site!

I am a liberal-site-whore who spends time on other boards as well, but I always love DU.
Even when I don't agree with them.
Yes, I'm talking to you, Dennis Kucinich haters! :mad:
But I do love this site for its well-informed and passionate bloggers (:toast: to you, Madfloridian, HissySpit, Nancegreggs et. al.)
I am a better person for this site in terms of political education, humour (though dark) and the ability to empathize with others.
Here's to you, DU! :party:

[Enthusiast]

86. Thank you, William.

I'm a relative newbie compared to you.

[era veteran]

87. Lurker for years/ member for two

I found this site through a link at Liberal Oasis years ago. I thank Liberal Oasis for this. I liked DU from the start. I live in Lexington KY, while Lex is a progressive city, sort of a liberal oasis, most of the state is not. We must educate the people. DU has given me firepower for debating the freeper element. One thing I found was that if you have one bumper sticker that says veteran the rest of your stickers can say anything to piss off, I mean enlighten, the freepers, hence my name. Thank you and thanks to DU .Peace, Richard

[underpants]

88. Damn you'se an OLD timer

I think I joined in October of 2001 :-)

:hi: Will

[malaise]

89. I came here in 2004 and fell in love

with your posts.

[Uben]

90. Nine years?

Damn, has it been that long? And hey, we survived Bush!

Like so many of you, I, too, found this place an oasis in a desert of despair. The shock of 2000 would have been so much more devastating had this place not been here. I didn't post a lot in the beginning because I had my own politically explosive site to monitor and administer. Unlike Skinner and the guys, I burned out on that site and shut it down. I was too pissed to put up with the gloating of the right over their antics in Florida.

I'm a lifer here. I read every day, post a lot more these days, and I am not leaving. (and I haven't been tombstoned....yet!)

As someone who lives in a sea of red, it has been so nice to sneak in here and debase those on the right!

DU ROX!

[kentuck]

93. There is no other place like DU on the Net.

There are no sites where debates happen in paragraph form, that I have found. Some may be more popular and have more hits but they do not have the same substance, in my opinion. Most of the credit goes to the Admins but the people make the place.

[Generic Other]

94. been with ya the whole 9 yards!

Yay Will! You still have that damn earring stuck in your ear?

[WilliamPitt]

96. Yarr

[bigtree]

98. smokin'?

good a place as any to say I wish I'd seen this thread this morning . . .

Why I post here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7014233&mesg_id=7014233

smoking - bad.

[mulsh]

97. I also have been here since 2001.

I found DU at work one day when a co-worker linked me to FR. The people on that site kept bitching about DU so I knew there would be something good over here.

My first user name was davidm, which I lost either when I moved and switched ISP's or via the great user name change way back when. Under my former user name I think I may have posted a couple of times. Under my current name you can see how infrequently I post. I lurk here a couple of times a day. my post count is so low because I only post if I have something to say or add.

Like you I have learned much. DU has been a primary source of news and information for me. DU's members have a great ability to point me in directions I'd never considered.

I'm kind amused by the many posts about how DU had changed. What do people expect? A site like this and the people who tend to visit it is naturally a changing and developing environment. I look to this site to continue to change, educate, and entertain me.