We are family: I guess a lot of long-time DUers are still here

[WilliamPitt]

Upon the passing of one of our saints, Kef, the guy who got us through 9/11 and so many other moments, the guy who dedicated himself to making sure the rest of us knew what was happening in the world, on this dark awful night, I see one bright thread.

In the threads started to honor our fallen brother...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2924776&mesg_id=2924776

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=2382509&mesg_id=2382509

...I see a lot of names I have not seen here for a long, long time.

We get lost in the angry maze of politics here sometimes. We go after each other as if our picayune arguments are the alpha and the omega. A lot of people drift away, fed up or bored or annoyed.

But everyone seems to be coming home to honor a man who was the best of us all, a man whose tireless efforts kept us sharp, a man whose simple decency was so rare that its worth was and remains immesurable.

Welcome back, friends. I've missed you, and I am sorry that so sad a day is the reason I see your beloved names here again. But if Kef's passing has shown us anything it is that like it or not, there is a bond forged here. We are stronger together than apart, and our differences are small when held up to that which brings us together.

Kef would be very pleased.

[Dr Fate]

1. Lordy- I'm very sad...

He was old-school as a mo-fo. Ill miss him.

Say hello to the cosmos for me Keph!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aquart]

2. I yell at my relatives all the time. And hug them, too.

That's what they're for.

[Swamp Rat]

3. snif!

:cry:

[0rganism]

4. Whoa! I had no idea until now

Kef was one of the brightest spots on this forum. The world becomes darker with his passing. :(

Why are the best among us leaving now, when we need them most?

The lesson of the last two weeks is becoming clear to me now: treat the people you meet in life, real or online, as if it could be the last time you will ever see them, friends and family especially. Leave no apology unsaid, leave no slight unforgiven. We have little enough time on this biosphere bus as it is, no one knows when and where their stop will be. It would be sad indeed to linger in great regret for things unsaid, and equally sad to be a cause of regret in others.

[tavalon]

16. Those are very good ideas

Very good and very true.

[stevedeshazer]

25. Well said.

I try to live that way, not always successfully.

[TahitiNut]

28. "Today is a good day to die."

This Sioux maxim encapsulates the wisdom of your words. Wise indeed are those who leave no apology unsaid, no love unexpressed, and no debt unforgiven. We call it "closing the loop" - the softest pillow upon which to rest our head at the end of each day. There is no loss greater than encountering the regret we're forever unable to "close that loop."

[Wilms]

5. I'm reading through the threads and I am so very touched.

The condolences, the sadness, the love...

I'm new here. But looking at all this it seems to me that you are all very lucky to feel this deeply, albeit sad. I hope you realize what I mean.

Kef's work is complete. O8)

Be at peace.

[Pachamama]

6. I don't know what to say....I'm stunned at reading this post & the news...

:cry:

To see that this happened to a man so young....to think that this person is someone I never met in person or even knew his name, yet exchanged posts with or came to "expect" to see each day posting away and helping the good fight against the crazed world we find ourselves in, and to now know that person is gone.

I'm so sad for his family's loss and this is a big loss in the fight here on DU....If all DUers could have been so dedicated and with passion and love for his country...

How did he die? Is there any more information?

Maybe he died of a broken heart....there are so many of those around here these days...

Rest in peace brother Scott....Namaste....

[Maple]

7. Kef was a gentle soul

and a good one.

He'll be missed.

[pa28]

8. Still can't believe it.

RIP - you did well.

[Piperay]

9. World is a much darker place

without Kef in it. :cry:

[AntiFascist]

10. I have seen so many of Kef's posts since I have been at DU....

that I started taking them for granted. Now that he is gone it seems like an important part of DU has come to an end. I didn't know much about him, but after reading through these threads I have come to know him much better. It seems, if there was anyone who represented the heart, soul and the drive of the true democrats at DU it would have been him. I think I will stop posting for 24 hours out of respect.

[lazarus]

11. Amen

I do hope our old friends stay around. I've been fading some, but I hope to use Scott's example to find new strength to keep up his fight.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

12. Yeah and I see some names I've seen every friggin day for the past

4 years....we are a community.

[juajen]

15. Yeah, a very saddened community

It reminds me of when my mom died; all my siblings (6 of them) were at her funeral. We were then, as now, scattered throughout the country. We promised each other that we would get together every two years in memory of her, but it became too difficult. I guess that's what happens when families divide and go their separate ways.

It doesn't have to be that way here. We all visit daily, weekly, whatever. In his memory we can pledge courtesy to those we don't even like that much, as well as our favorites.

As I mentioned in another thread, I would like to see some of his writing from DU used in my signature line, just so his writing and name (DU name and real name) goes down in DU history, as it should. He was our spine, and we cannot let the rest of the body collapse. I would appreciate someone informing me how this can be done. I am no computer expert. Some things are out of my realm.

LBN just won't be the same. How did he do it, Will? Also, maybe we could use his DU name as an avatar. I'm shy. Could someone, maybe you Will, if you like the idea, take this up with Skinner so we do it right?

[Vadem]

13. Oh Will.....I am so saddened to hear this. Scott (Khephra) was so

kind and welcoming to me when I first came out of lurkdom and started posting. I always went to LBN first to see what Kheph had found for us overnight in the many articles from around the world that he posted; he kept us so informed (unlike the mainstream media that we have now), so that we could fight the good fight for our causes. I read your eulogy on the other post and I was so moved by your words of love and friendship to Scott.

My deepest condolences to Mama Kheph and his family, as well as to Scott's "family" here on DU. We will miss him so much.

Judy

[Az]

14. See or read the play Our Town

Times like these remind me of the importance of the message in that story. Take time to appreciate those around you. Notice just how special they are. Let them know how you feel. Always.

[buddhamama]

32. I have been

thinking/doing just that since i found out yesterday. the passing of our dear Kef... a "reminder" of how precious our time is here on this plane of existence, and how precious those I love are to me.

I hope he know how much I admired and respected him. How much he taught me about the world but also, the kind of person I should, wish to be.

[benburch]

17. Khephra will be missed.

II,41: A feast for fire and a feast for water; a feast for life and a greater feast for death!

-Liber AL vel Legis (http://oto-usa.org/l220.html)

http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/greater_feast.htm

[Enraged_Ape]

18. Very rarely have I wept at the death of someone I never met

John Lennon, maybe. Christopher Reeve.

And now Scott Lowery. Scott was absolutely, without a doubt, one of DU's finest. His intelligence, wit, and concern for others shined through in every one of his tens of thousands of posts.

In the wee hours of the morning, when everyone else was sawing logs and chasing bunnies, the Latest Breaking News forum was fed mostly by Scott. I could NEVER find an article that hadn't already been posted, but he managed to do it dozens of times every single day.

I am probably the worst thread killer in all of DU. Maybe it's because most of the time, I really don't have anything to say; I just like to come here and be with friends. Or maybe I just don't make any sense at all. But so many times, when no one else would respond to one of my posts, "Khephra" would be there, and HE'd have something witty or useful to add.

I don't know if the good really do die young, but one thing's for sure: we miss them a whole lot more.

Farewell, my friend. Godspeed.

[Syncronaut Seven]

19. I'm a little worried about you Will.

Rough news, don't neglect your need for sleep & food.

We need you too.

:cry:

[joanski01]

20. I am just so shocked and saddened

by this news. When I logged on to DU this morning, Will, your post was the first thing that hit me in the face. I just can't believe this. I loved Kef and I just want to cry. :cry:

[Speed8098]

21. Very Sad

It's always sad when we lose someone like Kef.

I will miss reading his insightful posts.

We are stronger together than apart, and our differences are small when held up to that which brings us together.

Truer words have not been spoken.

On edit: fixed typo

[rppper]

22. we will all miss him.....

i am still down about it this morning as i prepare to go to work, but i know he is in a better place now...out of pain, out of the mess we have here on earth...i'll take comfort in that.

good to see you too mr. pitt....i miss your posts here as well...maybe i've been in the wrong forums or something...just have'nt seen your name a lot as of late...welcome back to all the old-timers

[matcom]

23. Kef would be pleased indeed

[Pepperbelly]

24. I never met Kep but will miss him greatly.

Once, he and I got temporarily sideways in a communication within a thread. It took one exchange for us to realize that we had no argument, no acrimony and only respect. He was one of the good guys.

We are poorer as a community for his passing.

[hunter]

58. When I was sideways, Kef was always straight up.

I trust he's in a place better than any religion, any science fiction novel, any comic book has ever imagined...

God Bless you Kef, you've earned your perfect new teeth. Whenever you smile this Universe will be a better place.

[catmandu57]

26. We will miss him

Kef was such a big part of our family here, it's not going to be the same, RIP Khephra.

[M155Y_A1CH]

27. LBN will never be the same again

I was so shocked to hear about Khephra's passing last night.
He was a very important part of the LBN forum and I don't know how we will ever fill his shoes. With Scott at the computer, DU was always up to date with important events from the major media. If he posted it, the story was quotable. I never sensed any agenda at work in his mind other than the free sharing of important news with all of us.

Thanks Khephra, for your service to your fellows.

edit spelling

[dbt]

29. Rejoice for Brother Khephra. He is free now.

An intellect the size of his belongs to the Universe. DU was just a staging area for his real mission.

Fly on, Kef. You done good!

:loveya:
dbt

[Jawja]

30. Rest in peace,

Khephra. O8)

Thank you for you for sharing a part of your life with us in a just cause. :loveya:


You will be missed. :cry:

[Q]

31. This brings us that much closer to our own mortality...

...and even more reason to keep on fighting.

[nostamj]

33. absolutely right....

tsunami/scott (khephra)

We are shocked by the suddenness.

Can I boil today's rice
With more joy,
Respecting that it may be
The last bowl?

Most of us will not be warned
Before we are swept out
Of this life.

Will we hold to hope
And spit the bitter out?

That's the daily test.

Most of us will not be warned.
We should not be shocked by the suddenness.

Warning or challenge,
We should not be shocked.

January 8, 2005

[hlthe2b]

36. yes and feeling regret for time lost,, apologies not rendered quickly

enough or accepted with sufficient grace, gratitude and love not expressed.

The loss of those we hold dear so unexpectedly really is the metaphorical tsunami in our lives. Time is fleeting. Let's not waste it.

[Nite Owl]

34. I'm still in shock reading all this

Condolences to Mamma Keph and all who know him. Maybe it's a belief that comes from need but I think Kep is looking down down on us all from a better place right now. He is free of this world, I do not grieve for him but for all that are left without him.

[hlthe2b]

35. So many churning emotions.....

Hearing about Scott, our dear Khefra, came late last night and that cloud of sadness was the first thing I felt upon awakening. But, while I'm not especially religious I still have to think there is something beyond the "void," and that Scott's wise spirit will be able to guide us and watch over our efforts to reach the goals he embraced so completely.

For dear Scott, the ultimate truth must surely be his reward. Please be at peace, my friend.

[bleedingheart]

37. I am just so shaken by this

I never met him but I feel like a member of my family has died...

[Pathwalker]

38. Vaya Con Dios, Kephra.

You will be sorely missed by so many.

[judy]

39. I will not forget Kef...

And a post he wrote long time ago, about how Smirk's selection had somehow inspired him to fight and become active...
I always read his posts, and he was an inspiration to me.
I never met him, but I will always keep him in a corner of my DU heart.

My thoughts are with Momma K...

[kainah]

40. Kef will work through all of us

I've noticed the same, Will, as re: seeing lots of names of old-timers in these threads honoring Kef. My name is probably among those you haven't seen much in the last year or so. I drop in periodically but, with so many people, things here move too fast for me. Funny that Kef is the one who kept me from feeling overwhelmed for a long time because I could just stay in LBN and know that the dialogue would be civil and well-informed.

When my sister (remfan) told me last night that Scott had died, I lost a little piece of my heart. This morning, when I awoke, the hole was throbbing. It'll be really hard to get used to a DU -- and a world -- without Kef.

My signature line seemed to take on new significance with his death. Certainly, Kef had nothing to be ashamed of.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

41. Saw your name last night on a thread

realized I had really missed seeing you post..

[kainah]

43. how sweet of you, nsma

I'm still out here fighting, I promise. :hi:

[xxqqqzme]

42. 1/10 - Just got home from DC; read some emails;

answered my friends; came 2 DU 2 catch up on the news and I learn of Khephra's passing instead. Damn, this is so incredibly sad. I simply cannot believe we won't B seeing his name again. The cosmos got a good one. It's not fair, we still need him.

[Shakespeare]

44. Oh, he'd be very pleased, indeed....I can almost FEEL him smiling.

One of the things that made him most endearing was his utter lack of ego and self-consciousness. He was at all times sincere and well-intentioned. And I think he'd be the only one of us amazed at this coming together in his honor.

Even in passing he does a good, good thing for this community.

[Misunderestimator]

46. I just wanted to say that every post I have read about Khephra

like this one of yours, has brought him to life for me. What an amazing accomplishment for him to have made such a mark on so many as only one of thousands of members of an online community, that he becomes real, and his death becomes more poignant for those of us who only knew him superficially. And with all these shared memories, he becomes someone we all should emulate.

Thank you.

[NYYFan]

45. I'm still around, and I should have been more

to talk to Kef, and the rest of you guys. I miss him, but this only makes me remember the good times, and all of my DU friends.

I will try harder to post more often.

:grouphug:

[Room101]

47. I have been here since the DU 1 days

I remember meeting you (William) at the 2004 VFP national convention in SF. Nice speech! As of late I have been playing the role of a lurker.

AKA "BEFOREATHOUGHT"

[sweetheart]

48. Tomb of the unknown DU'er

With total committment, we read the most profound
insights of someone who is now dead,
and that person is us.
Eventually, every voice in this thread will
be dead, buried or burned, and some archeologist
will read the memorials of the dead for the dead.

Will we ever know every time one of 10's of thousands
dies, and with each of us kicking off, will there be
the repeated RIP sentiments.... the enemies of said person
speaking in silence out of respect, and the friends
gushing forth with canonization and deification for
a once living person, warts, farts and all.

The all seeing eye that kephra used, thousands
of years old, seeing the deaths of billions over
its legacy, and still it is all seeing.
We, the invisible fingers, are that all seeing eye
keeping watch with many bodies, involved much as a
church community, as DU has become.

And i hope our church has no great statues to administrators
or great kings, but merely a memorial for us who will one
day be dead and forgotten by all but archives trawlers,
historians, and cultural anthropologists.

And what words are inscribed around the apex of our
temple. I can only hope that one of america's founders
has already written them: "I have sworn upon the alter of God,
eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

Kephra has gone back in to the light.
Oh unknown DU'er, where will you go?

[kskiska]

49. Kef was the soul of DU

He's the first DUer I remember who stood apart from the rest. We both posted in LBN late at night and I received a number of e-mails from him on one thing or another. I'm just sorry I never had a chance to meet him. R.I.P., Kef.

[Pobeka]

50. Khephra was one I always paid attention to.

First, it was that really cool screen name that caught my eye.

Then I found immediately his posts were always worth reading.

I wish I had some words worthy of his passing. But I know I'll come up short.

For the record, I love this place called DU. I love people who agree with me. I love the people who disagree, and help me see the error of my ways, or give me knew ideas.

Here's to Khephra, :toast:, may a little of him live in us all!

[Scout]

51. I've been around since almost the beginning...

mostly in lurk mode.

Lots of familiar names in those threads.

[Bake]

52. I've been here since close to the beginning

And from the beginning, there were two DUers whom I knew I could trust, that what they wrote was going to be hefty, thoughtful, and most of the time, right on the mark. Those two were/are Kheph and Will Pitt. I've disagreed with both from time to time, mostly agreed though, I'd say. And now Kheph is gone. I've been away more lately, for a number of reasons -- political disagreements, disillusionment after the November debacle, career, my own resolution to become less emotionally invested in politics, whatever.

Scott's passing has brought me back to DU, for now. Will, you've been a lot "lower profile" here lately too, I've noticed. I've never been the prolific poster that Kheph was, or that Will has been. But I'm resolved to stick around. I've resolved to reverse my prior resolution to be "less emotionally invested in politics." I'm here to fight the good fight, win or lose. Will, I hope you stick around too, and post even more.

So now I come here, and I look for friends I know -- Will, Cat Woman, NSMA, Zomby Woof, Arwalden, Underpants, and others I'm too sad to list at the moment. And dammit, I still look for Kheph on the top page of LBN.

To Kheph: Godspeed, friend. May your pain be ended, and may you be in a better place than this world of sorrow. We, your friends, miss you. If anybody EVER "recognized the bell of truth when you hear it ring," it was you, our fallen friend.

Bake

[B Calm]

53. I also have been here quite awhile. My truck driving

limits me to how often I frequent DU, but I always enjoyed reading Kef's posts when I did.

[Bake]

54. This needs to be kicked.

:kick:

Especially at times like this, we need to remember who we are as a community.

Bake

[anarchy1999]

55. Salud. To you Will, and to Kephra/Scott and his family and to everyone

here at DU. A giant is gone and will be sorely missed amongst us all. There is no one that will and or can ever take his place. Please Scott/Kephra, stay with us, I know you will.

[Aristus]

56. Still here, Will.

Shocked, sad and missing keph most terribly. :cry:

[RBHam]

57. We're all in this together...

A more perfect union...

[anarchy1999]

60. RB, just look who follows you. Thank you all for stepping up, we need

to give our hearts and how we all feel to his mom.

The loss of "K" knows no bounds. I find myself amazed at the depth of my feelings. Why can't I quit crying?

[DrBB]

59. As one who hasn't checked in much lately

I wouldn't have known if you hadn't posted this. I thought Kef was a permanent fixture.
God this saddens me.

[Stephanie]

61. Thanks Will

I find myself looking for familiar names lately, DU has become so huge. I hope our old friends will stick around. DU has risen to the task at every opportunity. Khephra's work was put to the best purpose here. He has a legacy.

xx
S

[RainDog]

62. thank you, Will, for honoring Kephra

I wish he could have made it down to Bloomington when you were here.

Salin and I tried to get him out to an Indy meet up long ago, but his health wasn't the best at the time and he begged off our phone call.

I'm still in shock to think that he is gone.

I'm sure I'm not a "beloved name," but, at the same time, there are many here whose voices always feel like friends to me. Both you and Kephra, among others, are like that for me at DU.

[BrklynLiberal]

63. kick

[Desertrose]

64. A kick in honor of Kef.........

its hard to wrap my brain around this....
Back in the early days of Du I think everyone knew everyone else...had pm'd him a bit tehn....sweet man....loved his posts and centeredness and...well...it was different in the "early days"....

damn we'll miss ya Kef...you gave so much of yourself here....

:hi: nice to see everyone....
:grouphug:
DR

[shance]

65. How true.

"We are stronger together than apart"

[catzies]

66. Khephra brought me out of lurking after 9/11.

I had been lurking for 6 mos. but I saw how he handled the day and said, "I trust this place. I can live here."

Thanks, Khephra. Speed on your journey and you left us too soon.

[VolcanoJen]

67. A Kick, and A Thank You to Will.

We are stronger together than apart, my friends.

[The White Rose]

68. Just read the news. Can't believe it...

So young. So sad.