*** Help a DUer *** Sunday, 8/4/13

[OneGrassRoot]

Last edited Fri Aug 16, 2013, 11:11 AM - Edit history (9)

[font color="brown"](I was previously given permission by Skinner to post periodically about http://www.wishadoo.org, especially when it involves DUers, with this required disclaimer: "The administrators of Democratic Underground have given permission for one discussion thread on this topic. The administrators of Democratic Underground make no claims regarding the legitimacy or illegitimacy of this fundraising effort. Permission was granted by Skinner on 8/6/2010, and the moderators have been notified.&quot [/font]

If you're not familiar with Wishadoo, please see my journal for previous posts.


* * * * *


There are several Wishlist posts by DUers I'd like to bring to your attention this Sunday morning. As always, if you know of existing resources -- nationally or locally -- that could be of help in any of these situations, please let us know. You may contact these DUers here or at Wishadoo! Some of the posts are able to make use of a handy-dandy widget that shows the progress of a fundraisers.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read.


[font size="3"][font color="green"]1.[/font size][/font color] Duffyduff is hoping to raise $300 to get through the month of August, when she hopes to find more work as a substitute teacher.

http://www.wishadoo.org/wishlist/188/help-with-temporary-cash-flow-issue/


[font color="red"]Friday 8/9 - update: stalled at $193 raised thus far. Thank you! [/font color]

[font size="3"][font color="green"]2.[/font size][/font color] Berlin Expat may be the first international post! He's trying to raise funds to get used appliances.

http://www.wishadoo.org/wishlist/186/refrigerator-and-washing-machine-used/



[font size="3"][font color="green"]3.[/font size][/font color] This post was removed, see subthread below. Edit to add that while I personally did not take offense with the post in question resulting in this person being banned -- though I don't agree either -- I choose to go ahead and remove a link to his Wishlist post since others are taking exception to it since he is indeed banned, and I don't want to invite more animosity into this thread. Please see my post #62.


[font size="3"][font color="green"]4.[/font size][/font color] sunwyn (whom you have helped before and really made a difference in her life!), has an ongoing fundraiser to help her get a vehicle. She cares for her mother, who recently broke her ankle, and they live in a fairly remote area of SW Ohio.

If you have any tips re: a used vehicle, let us know. $150 of the $1500 goal has been raised thus far. Thank you!

http://www.wishadoo.org/wishlist/182/working-automobile-or-truck/



Finally, if you would please read an OP I created the other day and offer your thoughts, I'd appreciate it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023385076


* * * * *


[font color="blue"][font size="3"]PLEASE ALSO: [/font size]

* Recommend this thread and keep it kicked for visibility;[/font color]

* Please scan the Wishlist in general on a regular basis; some posts are simply asking for information. It's not always about money.

* ACKNOWLEDGE these courageous people who have made themselves vulnerable by asking for help. Please offer whatever support you can (information, advice, well wishes, financial or other support, etc.)

* Share Wishadoo! with others (online and in person)...your friends, loved ones, neighbors, co-workers, other networks and organizations; after all, the more who gather...[/font color]




[center][font color=green]* * * * *

ABOUT WISHADOO!: Anyone is welcome to use the tools at Wishadoo, so long as the Terms of Service are adhered to (basically "play nice" and don't lie). Wishadoo! is a comprehensive portal providing tools, resources and inspiration to connect, help/be helped, and cultivate compassion, cooperation and authentic community in myriad ways, online and in our own "backyards." Wishadoo!'s tools have been designed to integrate and be of service to all sectors of community: individuals, neighborhoods, schools, organizations and businesses.

Any contributions to Wishadoo! itself go toward the cost of maintaining the site, NOT toward any Wishlist posts. That takes place one on one, between Wishadoo! members. If you are able to help with costs to keep the site going, I'd appreciate your generosity tremendously and will be forever indebted.
http://www.wishadoo.org/support-wishadoo/

MANY, MANY thanks to those who have already
helped support Wishadoo! in various ways!




[/center]

[OneGrassRoot]

1. Sharing something a dear friend, and fellow DUer, wrote about Wishadoo years ago:

"Each of us is an expression of hope in the world. And we all have within us the power to move our world forward. Each small action we take is a determination in the direction of humanity. There is no need to wait for someone else to save us. Wishadoo! provides tools to help build the communities we want. Together, we have an abundance of abilities, an abundance of ideas, and an abundance of solutions.

By sharing the vision of a compassionate, caring community, we take humanity to the next level; where we share from our abundance. Wishadoo! is about meeting in community to meet the needs of humanity. Transforming the way we conduct ourselves in community, in business, in life, because the business of community is life. Wishadoo! supports strategies that support life. We are longing for the connection that comes from real community action; meeting our needs and the needs of others. This is our heritage as humans. From our hope for a bright future, springs the change we bring to the world.

Our future is in our hands. I invite everyone to join the hand of friendship, community, vision, that is offered to you now, in this space. Come join us at Wishadoo!, where we bring community to life."

~ Wishadoo! Founding Member, BanzaiBonnie

[Berlin Expat]

2. Hello, fellow DU'ers

this is Berlin Expat.

I'm trying to raise funds to purchase a used fridge and washing machine. I'm working as a freelancer currently, and making about €400 per month. That's enough to pay the rent/utilities/food but insufficient to purchase the two appliances I need. Therefore, donations would be enormously appreciated. I'm looking to raise a total of $300 to $400, which would be enough to buy the two appliances I need. Any donations are automatically converted into the local currency here.

I deeply appreciate any donations. And I thank you deeply in my advance.

Sincerely,
Berlin Expat.

[OneGrassRoot]

3. Kicking for visibility. n/t

[Sweet Freedom]

4. K&R /nt

[90-percent]

5. I donated

Means I can afford one less lapdance but it's nice to give to a good cause besides strippers for a change.

90% Jimmy

[OneGrassRoot]

6. LOL! That may be...

the most interesting reply I've ever gotten on one of these OPs!

[libodem]

7. .

[magical thyme]

8. k&r nt

[NewThinkingChance40]

9. K&R with more to come :)

Lets continue to keep these posts visible each week. Wishadoo is an awesome organization and it is on each of us to keep it going and make it thrive. I for one plan to kick this post at least every day to keep it toward the top, as well as any and all Wishadoo centered posts.

[OneGrassRoot]

10. Thank you...

I don't know if it's because there's less traffic today or maybe people have what I call compassion fatigue -- or a combination of both -- but it's hard keeping this on the front page today for visibility.

Thanks again.

[freemay20]

11. k&r eom

[OneGrassRoot]

12. sad kick n/t

[Mojorabbit]

13. Made a donation and can do more at end of month nt

Last edited Sun Aug 4, 2013, 09:38 PM - Edit history (1)

[roody]

14. Knr

[emsimon33]

15. K&R

[RandiFan1290]

16. #3 "Josh" already has his PPR for misogyny

He was NewThinkingChance40

Be very careful who you send $$ to on DU.


They are everywhere

[OneGrassRoot]

17. I'm not one to use "alert" on DU...

So instead I'll just speak my mind here and let others decide how this should play out.

I don't interact in threads on DU very much these days because it has become -- even more so than during previous primaries -- like the Sharks and Jets. The thing is, I don't pay enough to attention to know who is in the Sharks and who is in the Jets.

There are long-held animosities between members that repeatedly derail and destroy otherwise thoughtful threads.

So long as someone is a member of DU and/or is related to a longstanding (which is subjective, I realize) member of DU, I figure it's not up to me to judge whether or not they deserve to be part of these "Help a DUer" posts. (If someone has abused others' kindness and generosity in any way, it's up to the community to make me aware of this. That's part of the TOS at Wishadoo. I do my best to make sure no one is a spammer or scammer, but I do rely on others.)

There have been instances in which people prefer that their DU names not be revealed in these posts, for a variety of reasons, but people are always welcome to contact me by PM and I will tell them privately (that's always the agreement to be part of me posting these OPs).

So, for you to inject your personal distaste for this person in this thread seems quite inappropriate.

Within a community -- and DU is a community -- are we going to judge each person as worthy or unworthy of assistance when they need help, based on their posts and/or interactions here at DU? That seems to be contrary to progressive ideals.

It most definitely is contrary to the ideals imbued in the foundation of Wishadoo.

Edit to add: Josh didn't have a DU account when he initially created the Wishlist post, featured on my previous OP, and I didn't think about it when I created this OP yesterday and just went with his name at Wishadoo.

[RandiFan1290]

18. Just giving people info

I didn't make anything up. If Duers want to help a misogynist that is up to them.

[OneGrassRoot]

19. I'm not quite sure how to handle this, to be honest...

because this is a first and has the potential to set a precedent.

If when I post these OPs -- which take a lot of time on my part, with a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff to get it ready and keep it going -- people are going to start publicly posting their reasons for disliking any of the people listed, that is a problem.

I'm not doing a background check on DUers. I don't really care what their particular ideology or interests are here on DU.

The only thing I care about is whether or not someone may be a scammer, so I do my due diligence to ensure that's not the case.

Otherwise, the only thing I care about is trying to find help for people who find their way to Wishadoo because they feel they have nowhere else to turn. The DU Community as a whole agreed a few years ago that they want to know when others here can use our help, so I create these OPs accordingly.

The Wishlist links are posted and each DUer reading can discern whether or not they want to help. They can ask questions of the people all they want before offering anything. These interactions are direct, one-on-one. That's the whole point with Wishadoo, to get rid of the middleman.

I will not be that middleman, judging others' worthiness.

And to judge someone's worthiness publicly within these "Help a DUer" threads -- based on the their views as shared here on DU -- feels very, very, very wrong.

What if someone in need has conflicted with others in the myriad "woo/skeptic" threads? "Beware, so-and-so is a skeptic, so be careful who you give your money to" or "Beware, so-and-so is a woo, so be careful who you give your money to."

There are so many similar clashes here at DU where such divisiveness could be injected within these Help a DUer OPs.

I may go ahead and alert on your post so that others may chime in, or post in ATA.

[RandiFan1290]

20. Please alert and post in AtA

I think you and other kind DUers are being scammed. If the "community" doesn't like me pointing that out then I will agree with their decision.

[OneGrassRoot]

21. I did alert and will post to AtA. But what do you mean by "scammed"?

What is your interpretation of scamming?

I view it as people lying about who they are and/or their situation.


Edit to add link to AtA question:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/12592766

[CreekDog]

43. why would you alert to hide a post that was true and substantiated as such?

you make it sound as though this isn't subjective.

it is. it's a myth that these fundraisers aren't aimed at subjectively convincing people to donate.

or else you'd just post one need after another, with no biographical info nor stories to go along with them.

[OneGrassRoot]

44. No, no, no....

As I tried to explain (both at AtA and here in this thread), I didn't alert with the intention of hiding the post. (Edit to add that I've never alerted before...not that I recall...and I was trying to think of how to handle this. I freely admitted right off the bat that I didn't know how to best handle this, and was hoping others would chime in.)

I alerted to get more input, to see how others viewed this situation.

As for your claim as to how this is done, I post a link to any DUers who have an active Wishlist post.

End of story. I do try to give a lead-in rather than offer a blind link, but it's not selective.

In these OPs I only post DUers' (or family of DUers) posts, not all the posts on the Wishlist (because there are people there who are NOT on DU), and I include all active Wishlist posts for DUers at the time of the OP creation.

[OneGrassRoot]

51. The funds go directly to the person...

Last edited Mon Aug 5, 2013, 09:06 PM - Edit history (1)

Their PayPal account is the one to which donations are made. Directly. One-on-one. If they have a dispute, they can always ask the person and/or PayPal for a refund.

Who or what are you so suspicious of, CreekDog? You've posted several times in this sub-thread.

I don't make any money off of this. (A few DUers have kindly contributed toward the website expenses at Wishadoo before, which I greatly appreciate, but I don't keep a fee or anything.)

As I said, when people contribute, they see the recipient's PayPal account's email address when they contribute.

Any DUer is at risk of being banned at any time, quite frankly. I have dear, dear friends who have banned. It doesn't make them demon spawn.

You don't need to concern yourself with these OPs any longer. They're done. I refuse to go through this BS every time, and a precedent has now been set. Nor do I want to have a DUer who has created a Wishlist post worry that something they posted here at DU will cause someone to judge their Wishadoo request harshly and call them out, publicly -- rather than contact me or the DUer directly, privately -- as being someone "others might want to think twice about helping."

That's pure bullshit. It's hard enough for people to ask for help without the brutality of personality conflicts here at DU coming into play to muddy the waters.

Yes, this situation was unique and may never be replicated, but the animosity that is so pervasive throughout DU has infected this process now, and I have zero doubt that it will happen in some form every single time from now on.

If someone else wants to take over these OPs, they're welcome to, assuming Skinner gives them approval to do so.

[OneGrassRoot]

54. Neither I nor Wishadoo is a charity...

I believe in justice and equality over charity. I believe in providing a safe space for people to ask for help, without being judged and dehumanized and without having to prove themselves and their worth as a human being to yet another agency or organization.

There's no guarantee they will find help. Others use their discernment in that regard. My first step is to try to find help via existing resources when possible. If people have questions about a Wishlist post, they contact the individual directly or sometimes people pose their questions to me, privately.

Questioning someone's character publicly and suggesting they are not worthy of assistance for any reason is not an approach I am okay with, but this is not my site and I respect Skinner's opinion and the fact that others want the freedom to dissect one another publicly that way, derailing OPs in the process.

I have answered questions, repeatedly, here. How you perceive my answers is your business.

[OneGrassRoot]

57. You didn't. Another DUer did...

the exchange you read...above...which is what started the entire process today.

[OneGrassRoot]

26. True. And while this is an unusual situation...

in that I chose to include this person (Josh) as the child of a long-time DUer, since he wasn't a DUer at the time he created the Wishlist post to begin with, a door has now been swung open to allow public critique as to a DUer's worthiness based on any number of factors, stemming from the plethora of interpersonal conflicts between DUers.

It's time consuming enough for me to do these posts (a lot goes on behind the scenes). Add the kind of bickering and thread diversions that are prevalent these days, and it's just not something I'm willing to do any longer.

I'd be willing to deal with it privately, and post publicly if I feel it's pertinent, but I'm not willing for these Help a DUer OPs to become a magnet for conflict and nastiness.

Skinner agrees with you, as per his reply:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12592766


And I respect that. Hopefully people will understand why I'm not going to do this any more. This one incident, as rare as it may be in the future, has changed things tremendously. I've been here long enough to realize when something is a recipe for disaster, and I'm not going to willingly subject others, who are already struggling, to public nastiness and judgment in this way, nor am I willing to play referee about the same.

That's not the intention of these OPs.

[boston bean]

27. I can certainly sympathize with your issue here, but

in this case the poster was banned, and longtime Duer dad was used,I believe, to justify the request being made on DU.

I can see your point, but possibly updating this thread, and removing the request from DU, not wishadoo, would be the best path forward.

He posted some pretty nasty stuff against women on DU. He holds some pretty twisted views about women as well. You can still promote him through wishadoo, if you choose, but perhaps DU isn't the place to ask for additional money, when he personally posted some very sick thing here. It was him moreso that made this happen, not the duer alerting.

[OneGrassRoot]

29. Good point, and I just edited to do that.

Edit to add: Thanks for the recommendation to do that; I do think that's best in this situation.

I'm not promoting anyone. I provide the space for people to connect to help one another, if they so choose.

Is what he wrote that was so objectionable available to be viewed anywhere? I often disagree with DUers and find some things offensive whereas others don't, and vice versa.

Plus, being kicked off of DU doesn't a bad person make...lol. We all know many people who have been banned over the years who are good friends...decent people...DU just wasn't the place for them any more.

I'm not blaming anyone. I try to avoid the nastiness here -- which takes some effort, let me tell ya -- but when it can enter into the most well-meaning of posts, and that is precisely what is likely to happen henceforth, I'm done providing this service in this way.

[boston bean]

30. check out his transparency and follow any links he provided.

I really feel bad for you here. I don't want to stoke anything by even posting.

I think for sure you do so much good, and I really sympathize with this situation. I would hate to see you stop posting them on DU. You do good things.

If people give, they should give freely. I understand completely.

[cate94]

33. My .02

It is too bad this happened. In the past I have always tried to check out the DUer in need to make sure it was someone I would want to help. This time I didn't. Most likely I would have given to someone else instead. But I take full responsibility for NOT checking this person out.

Being in need sometimes changes a person. I hope in this case it does and for the better. Maybe it will, maybe it won't but I can't expect Wishadoo to do anymore than try to keep scammers out- as it is done already. Let's face it, anytime we contribute to anything be it the Red Cross or the American Cancer Society or anywhere else, we have no idea who is getting the advantage of our money. We can bet that at some point a complete dick-head has received help from our donations to some cause.

Because OGR has always been responsive to questions I've had about this or that and she has always answered promptly it seems more appropriate to contact OGR by PM if someone is questionable. Perhaps something to that effect could be added to the "help a DUer" requests. Hopefully this incident won't change Wishadoo posts too much. Some "mistakes" are bound to happen in any thing that you do.

[OneGrassRoot]

34. I've never checked out DUers' posts before including them in the OPs...

Never, even though there have been quite a few I had never heard of before they came to me for help.

That isn't part of the process for me; how/what they post isn't applicable. I check to verify that they ARE indeed members and do what I always do to try to prevent scamming (which did happen in the early years of Wishadoo, so I'm always on alert for it).

If how/what someone posts here is applicable to others, that is certainly their right and, as you said, cate94, people can ask/investigate.

There is too much animosity here at DU as it is, and the way this has occurred -- and the resultant decision concerning it -- has left the door wide open for this type of thing to happen with each and every "Help A DUer" thread.

I'm not willing to put people through that, nor do I choose to offer myself as a referee or judge. The other things I do behind the scenes concerning these OPs take up enough time and energy as it is.

The tools will still be available for anyone to use at Wishadoo, of course, but I won't be creating these OPs any more. As I've posted repeatedly, I need to expand beyond DU anyway, to build the Wishadoo Community itself, as there are more DUers in need than those who have the ability to help.

I need to grow Wishadoo and will focus on doing that.

Thank you for all of your support and assistance. I'll contact the "DU Angel" circle to let them know.

[cate94]

35. I'm sure you haven't

and I really don't think it is - or should be- a function of Wishadoo. I do think it is up to the individual contributor to check if he or she thinks it matters.

Please don't stop posting the Wishadoo posts. I think they are important. I understand why you are concerned but I think this is an unusual circumstance.

[boston bean]

36. I'm sorry this is the avenue you feel you need to take. May I offer a suggestion.

Maybe only post on DU those that wish to have their DU name used. I know this isn't the optimum, but for Wishadoo, it would probably be best. Also, state in your OP that these Duers are in need, and that is all Wishadoo is concerned with. And that any help to keep the doors of open to help others in need is appreciated.

For users who do not wish to use their DU name, maybe only post it on wishadoo.

Now that this has happened, this might be the only way.

Like I say, am sorry this has happened, but I think if the DUers handle is part of the post, people can make decisions for themselves. And this will be less likely to happen. I would hate to see your posts missing from DU.

Maybe.....

ETA: for example:

DU username.... their story
Others who wish to remain anonymous, you can find their stories here at wishadoo...

[OneGrassRoot]

38. I appreciate your suggestion, boston bean...

and your concern. Truly.

But I don't think this was as much about one of the people being anonymous as it is personality conflicts.

Had I thought about including his DU name with this OP (remembering that when he first created the Wishlist post he wasn't a member at DU, so the previous OP I created -- from which I copy and paste -- had his name as Josh), this still would have happened. He did not ask me to NOT include his DU name, once he became a member in the interim.

It was an oversight on my part but, from my perspective, wasn't an egregious error. As we've said here, people could have PM'd me to ask (or PM'd to tell me he was banned overnight), and that would have likely prompted me to edit to include his DU name for people or remove the link.

Still, if the OP had his name, the exact same thing likely would have happened. Again, I want to stress that his DU name was not intentionally left out.

I have zero confidence that such "Help a DUer" OPs done in the future won't be subjected to the DUers' posts being examined and judged, and it being discussed publicly in the thread as to whether or not they are worthy.

The woo/skeptic example I gave upthread is the best example I can give. I can TOTALLY imagine people jumping in if they see someone they've disagreed with in any of the many woo/skeptic threads, saying, "Hey, so and so is a woo/skeptic, so you may want to be aware of that before helping them."

A simple thing with straightforward intentions now becomes a playground for witch hunts and judgment.

It's been harder and harder for these OPs to get attention anyway. It may be compassion fatigue...who knows.

If someone else wants to take over, they can. I choose to avoid the interpersonal conflicts here as much as possible, so this is the best choice for me, selfishly. I just won't jump into that minefield willingly now that the okay has been given to post publicly in the thread rather than contact me privately.

(Please also remember that I still have Glenn Beck-ites who stalk me here...and from the other sites as well...so I have NO doubt trolls would join with the express intent to derail these OPs.)

for you and your thoughtfulness, boston bean.

[boston bean]

40. I hear where you are coming from.

Can't say I can't see it happening again. Maybe general stories with a link?

I think you should continue and if it becomes common place, I can see you taking another path.

I understand you did not leave off anything intentionally. I want you to know that never meant to imply that. I was just throwing out some suggestions to try and help.

Hopefully, you'll give it another try. I would hate to see it go away over this one incident.

[OneGrassRoot]

41. I know you weren't implying that...

No worries. I just wanted to make it clear to others.

(I'm fading fast here, so I apologize to anyone reading this if I disappear from this thread for the rest of the day. I got really bad news this morning about the sudden death of someone dear to me, and I'm rather shaken to be honest. Not thinking straight, though I do feel strongly about what I've posted about this issue. )

[boston bean]

42. Understood. Take care.

Take some time to think things over and a new day might bring a new perspective.

My best to you.

[Mojorabbit]

64. I am really sorry this has happened

It would never occur to me to judge whether someone was deserving of a donation. It has always been enough for me that they need assistance. I have had some lovely notes from those I have sent donations to and I think you are awesome for doing what you do.

[narnian60]

67. +1000 nt

[Gormy Cuss]

37. With due respect, when you highlight wishes here because of a DU connection

you are promoting the wisher here. It makes sense to do so because DUers who might not otherwise donate to wishers will do so when they feel a connection. That obviously helps leverage more $$ for the wisher and that's a good thing. However, it cuts both ways. In this case you posted a wish for someone who was a n00b DUer who managed to have three posts hidden in a week before being PPR'ed.
That some DUers wouldn't want to support someone who had just made a mess here is understandable.

If you're willing to throw away the added fundraising potential for all other DUers because of this troll, that's sad.

[OneGrassRoot]

39. Please see my post #38. n/t

[CreekDog]

32. if people later found out they'd donated to this, some would be upset if it were kept in PMs

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3392807

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=profile&uid=306385&sub=trans

While i think you admirably think that this should be somewhat unconditional, it is not unconditional. It's based on the story, the need described and the status of the relative as a DUer. It's better than people donate knowing this, and yes, imperfect people have legitimate needs too, we get that.

I think the point you make that it should be handled via PM is where it becomes a problem.

[Agschmid]

25. This was classless.

Some of us can afford to have empathy for everyone.

[CreekDog]

60. it wasn't classless. the poster's status was part of the story urging donations

if the poster's status changed, that is, the poster was banned, then that is very relevant.

also, are you saying there is something wrong with people not donating because they hear that someone is banned? you clearly still support the donation despite the ban, so it didn't hurt your generosity.

do you think it should be kept a secret so that people who wouldn't donate if they knew will donate because they are kept in the dark?

[OneGrassRoot]

62. Creekdog, keep this in mind as you continue to hammer this issue in this thread...

Last edited Tue Aug 6, 2013, 06:40 AM - Edit history (2)

In this OP, the poster in question -- Josh -- was not even a DU member when his Wishlist post was created. He was introduced here as the son of a long-time DUer, which is true. As has been mentioned elsewhere here now, he is the son of The Straight Story, who seems to have his fair share of people who have no love for him, shall we say. That is VERY much a factor here if people care to be honest.

The fact that Josh became a DUer, and then was subsequently banned, was not known as it concerns this Help a DUer OP. That happened very fast. (I don't keep track of DUers as others do; any DUer who is part of the Help a DUer OP could be banned after I post, and I likely wouldn't know unless someone tells me. RandiFan could have messaged to tell me rather than take the approach he/she did, which has now set a precedent.)

Because he is a known entity with a connection to a long-time DUer (his father, who has written about Josh and his deployment many times over the years), and even though he was of low post count and got banned, I do not consider such a person a troll whatsoever, unlike others.

I see him as having different viewpoints, some fairly extreme for some members here. The same could be said of his father.

Yet I would not judge either of them as unworthy of assistance from those who choose to do so. (Edit to add: That feels like a distinctly right-wing approach to community and being of service to others, imho).

I do not see it as my place to judge their ideology. To me, they are community members (and family of a community member) first and foremost. I also recognize how very, very hard it is to ask for help and the fact that, by the time people get to Wishadoo, they've usually exhausted all other resources and are feeling beaten down.

It has now been determined that these disagreements and questions regarding how someone posts within DU are permitted take place publicly in these Help a DUer OPs. I strongly disagree with this approach, so much so that I will refrain from doing these posts henceforth.

I realize you disagree with my view on this, and that's fine.

You seem to have tremendous concern about this issue, which is now most likely a moot point. You and others most likely won't have to be concerned about these requests for help as it concerns others' member status, worthiness, etc. in the future.

Is there anything else left unsaid? Do you have further questions?

[Fire Walk With Me]

66. Nevermind the speed bumps, keep moving forward doing the good work.

[narnian60]

68. Yes, yes, yes! nt

[Agschmid]

65. The poster was banned... and as it turns out probably should not have been.

That's all you are getting out of me... but sometimes DU has a funny way of working to welcome and educate others.

[The Straight Story]

22. K&R n-c

[cate94]

23. K & R

[Lifelong Protester]

28. Giving you a K & R

Visibility is important

[Ricochet21]

31. KR

[panader0]

45. While I appreciate the work you do and Wisha doo

I cannot imagine coming to DU to ask for money to buy kitchen appliances. Or anything else for that matter.
Hell's bells, I need a new fridge too--I'll save and buy my own. Good grief.

[OneGrassRoot]

46. Wishadoo!'s Wishlist was created to ask for ANYTHING (that is legal...lol)...

Everything from critical needs to wishes, hopes and dreams.

Nothing is out of bounds. People can use their discernment as to if, or who, they want to help. Personal responsibility.

And it was never intended to have such a focus on fundraisers, as there are so many other ways we can come together to help one another.

Given the state of the economy, it has evolved to be primarily about critical needs -- i.e., money. I wish people would post more seemingly frivolous requests that don't require money -- something like, "Hey, I just wrote a children's book but am looking for an illustrator to partner with, do you know anyone?" -- to balance out the misery. There are MANY categories there, as you can see.

There is room for it all, literally and figuratively. Again, others may judge the posts but I don't. I encourage all sincere requests and tell people that everyone's wishes (if truthful) are worthy.

Who are we to judge?

That's my intention anyway.

Just sayin'.

[Digit]

47. K&R for all you do!

You continue to make such a difference in so many lives while you struggle yourself to stay afloat.

What an inspiration you are!

[nenagh]

48. I agree, K&R for all OneGrassRoot accomplishes for others...

I'm sorry you lost someone dear to you...

[Liberal_in_LA]

50. k&r

[Texasgal]

53. Kick and REC

because I think you are awesome!

[darkangel218]

55. Im going to donate Tuesday, Aug 13.

that's whewn I get paid. please count on me

[Mnemosyne]

58. K&R for more eyes!

[duffyduff]

59. Thank you all for your generosity

I have tried to personally thank each donor by email. I think everybody but one person I was able to do it.

I appreciate this more than I can say during this tight time.

[rrneck]

61. Kick.

I don't like the idea of an ideological litmus test for charitable donations.

[mntleo2]

63. Kick!

[freemay20]

69. kick for duffyduff. eom

[Duer 157099]

70. KnR! n/t

[demgrrrll]

71. kick

[solara]

72. Kick-a-rooni

I love and support what you do

[duffyduff]

73. Another kick. n/t