A Message To New DU Members - Who Joined This Week (And To Those Thinking Of Leaving):

[Hissyspit]

IT ISN'T ALWAYS LIKE THIS HERE!

:7

The DU zeitgeist changes week to week.
A few weeks ago it was boring as hell overall. Crickets chirping-like.

Sometimes it is franticly exciting.

Sometimes it is commiseration.

Sometimes the dominant paradigm is unidentifiable.

Sometimes it is the most efficient analytical location on the Internet.

And sometimes it is pure collective joy.


Stick around.


:patriot:

:toast:

[ixion]

1. I'll give that a kick

there's been some times when I've been pretty frustrated with DU, but all in all, it's good people! :toast:

[SeattleGirl]

2. What Hissy said!

:toast:

[cui bono]

63. Yeah! And sometimes it's just slap happy and hilarious!

:rofl:

:hi:

[SeattleGirl]

72. Absolutely!

Got some very clever people on DU! :rofl:

[annabanana]

3. You have to know.. This place is a

and also

a real pain in the butt!

[davidwparker]

4. absolutely. sometimes 'they' agree with 'us' and there's harmony here. n/t

[blondie58]

5. You are absolutely right, Hissyspit!!

It is a little bit like my union- I don't agree with everything that goes on, but looking at the big picture.........

And I would go crazy without my Nance Rants!

[Swamp Rat]

6. Actually DU is quite peaceful... beautiful flowers, children playing... happy happy joy joy!!

O8)

[bobbolink]

77. perspiring minds need to know.... did you take that photo of the butterfly and puccoon?

That is so gorgeous! Love the peace sign on it!

:applause:

[Speck Tater]

7. Will Rogers said it best...

I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'ma Democrat!

[H2O Man]

8. Right.

Well said.

[applegrove]

9. We have good days and bad. But most often after a fight we come together again

and renew our commitment to the fight.

[TheBaldyMan]

10. K&r - just like big family really,

We have our squabbles but we go back to being friends after a while.

[leveymg]

11. And sometimes we're at each others throats, but, most of the regulars

are still around. And, man, what a great group it is.

Time for a 100,000 user group trip. Never mind the occasional rain storm.

[Snotcicles]

16. Then just before the slittin is to commence, the crew updates the

phuckwad filters. Once again the whole congregation is in tune.

[NanceGreggs]

12. An absolutely brilliant post!

:kick: and REC'D!

:patriot:

[cynatnite]

13. The last couple of days had me considering leaving...

until last night.

I've been here almost three years while this place has it's moments, there is still far more good.

K&R!

[BeatleBoot]

14. Quit crying, wipe your nose with your shirt sleeve and get back in there...

Politics isn't for the thin-skinned.

No sissies allowed, see.

[Maat]

15. What BeatleBoot said!

What Hissyspit said!

[mentalsolstice]

17. Sometimes it's a real party 'round here!

But prolly not again 'til August or Sept. of 2008 when we all accept our fate. Me? I'm jazzed about the talent we currently have out there, and possible latecomers. Some of our candidates aren't likely to survive and become the Dem. nominee, however they're an important voice in the process.

[troubleinwinter]

18. I KNOW!

We should have a Human Be-In!!! I haven't been to one in 40 years.

[orleans]

36. great idea! it could be a DU-be-in or a human DU-in

(but we'd probably have to go to the lounge!)
:hippie:

[troubleinwinter]

39. or a DU-drop-in?

DU-BE-in is sorta cool.

:smoke:

[FloridaJudy]

87. Just don't take the brown Viagra!

[troubleinwinter]

93. I'm tellin' the DUzy guy on you.

[JuniperLea]

19. It's nearly a full moon!

It's this way all over the Internets right now...

http://stardate.org/nightsky/moon/index.php?month=7&year=2007&css=moon.css&Submit=Go

Things will get better after the 1st... mark my words!

I've been here a while, and lurked for a long, long time before I signed up. Trust me, and the others here... shit happens, and it tends to settle in dynamic places... such as DU.

Have a cool one, kick back and ride it out!

[DemBones DemBones]

27. When the moon is full, there are flame wars at Garden Web,

especially in the Cactus Forum. No joke!

[JuniperLea]

29. I believe you!

I have an old friend who was an xray tech at the local county hospital. They used to make sure they had a phases of the moon calendar in their area, and they circled the full moons in red! The last time I talked to her, she told me of a guy who came in with a table leg shoved up his, well, you know. *blush!* The story goes that the guy and his roomie were putting together an Ikea table... blame Ikea! That stuff drives me crazy! Well, there was some threat about shoving the leg up, well you know... and the other guy, being a big brawny dude, did it! I'm betting they are no longer roomies:)

Yeperino! Full moon fever strikes again!

[DemBones DemBones]

30. Those cactus growers are really prickly guys,

which always amused me. I grow some succulents (no spines for me, thanks) and used to subscribe to a mailing list for cactus and succulent growers but the cactus people made it really unpleasant.

I hope it was a round table leg at least. Maybe Ikea needs to put a warning on that product. We have windows that came with a warning not to let small children get too near them. I thought that was a no brainer but I guess they've been sued because nobody told them kids could get hurt falling out windows. It's a strange world.

[blondeatlast]

52. Arighty then--I luvz me sum cactus, so expect to see me there next

full moon! :rofl:

(BTW: I really do love cactus, my landscaping is a testament to that!)

[beltanefauve]

61. Ever been

in a veterinary hospital waiting room in the dead of night during a full moon? I have, several times. Busy and crowded, mostly with cats. It affects our four-legged friends, too.

That said, what is it that's been said about trying to get Dems to agree, something about herding cats?

[StClone]

20. What hissy said and enjoy

[bdamomma]

21. kick

[Chico Man]

22. I'd have to agree

I've been here 7 years and your assessment of the situation is quite spot on.

[marions ghost]

23. Yep

:thumbsup:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

24. Well Said, And Welcome To All.

[lonestarnot]

25. DU yeaya baby.

[SammyWinstonJack]

26. LOL! As someone who has been here since the beginning, it is usually this way.

:rofl: But that is no reason to run away.

[mzmolly]

28. LOL

I like! :hi:

[Lifelong Protester]

31. I have noticed a few newer folks...

and I hope they stay. All sites have ups and downs, and you will not agree with every rant or rave, but it is still the place where people are actually talking about the issues... it is all about the issues man, and keeping the dialogue going.

It is only by arguing that we get to the truth (That's not me, it's a paraphrase of Tolstoy)

[SammyWinstonJack]

33. Well said!

[razors edge]

32. Looks like I picked the wrong week

to give up sniffing glue. (Airplane, the movie)

[Fly by night]

34. Where did all y'all new DUers come from, anyway?

Is our home address plastered on progressive bathrooms nationwide all of a sudden? Just askin'

[nadine_mn]

68. what the heck is a progressive bathroom

does the water flush to left? Oh wait they must have bidets - cuz thats french and we know how the right feel about the french...I guess it wouldn't be a bidet but Freedom Arse washer? speaking of bidets and central vacuum systems, I heard about DU from some elderly shut-in who drinks box wine and works with a couple of mooks

[Fly by night]

73. Bookstores, coffee shops, tinfoil haberdasheries. moonbat sporting goods, etc.

Welcome to DU, nadine_mn. Tell your shut-in friend to be kind to those mooks (whatever they are). You're in the right (left?) neighborhood.

[Mz Pip]

35. I've been here since 2001

when there were just a handful of people. A lot of them are gone, or maybe they've come back with different screen names. Most of the names I don't recognize most of the time. It is what it is.

Now this place is huge, like a city. Some people you like, some you don't. Some you hang out with. Some you ignore.

If nothing else this is the best place to get links to what is happening around the country. If for nithing else, I'd stay for that.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[MrPrax]

37. Actually it isn't...

I figure DU needs an new ignore feature that strains out KnR crowd pleasers...

Still looking for a righteous thread that HAD umpteen hundred recommends only two hours ago!...but 'hot damn' if some wheezy calm down 'spin', with 20 or so gets to be the poster Queen status.

Junk 'community' bonds like the Clinton 90s..where the motto was "work harder...or we'll lose"

Eyes ahead worker!!

[pingzing58]

38. I'm addicted. I really enjoy the thought provoking discussions here. No corporate execs to please.

[LSK]

40. ALSO, PLEASE USE TOPIC FORUMS

GD is not all that there is to DU.

[HughMoran]

41. DU is like the weather in New England

Just wait 5 minutes, it will change :D

Good point.

[NanceGreggs]

42. "Collective joy" ...

... it's that feeling that has kept me here more than any other.

Thanks for a GREAT post, HS - and allow me to join you in welcoming all of our DUbies (new DUers)!


K&R, natch!

[JTG of the PRB]

43. Dominant paradigm?! Them's fightin' words!

HAVE AT YOU!!!

:evilgrin:

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

44. Welcome newbies. What a time to come on board!

:toast: MKJ


edited for too much punctuation, second time tonight. :-)

[PatSeg]

45. We could be more like REPUBLICANS!!!!

They're supposed to be united and organized, whereas Democrats tend to disagree a lot. Well, to my mind that is why I'm NOT a republican. It is our differences that make us progressives. Republicans stick together, right or wrong and look where that has gotten them and the country. There is no integrity in that mode of thinking.

I would rather come to a group where people express their opinions openly and are comfortable with disagreement. It might take longer to achieve our goals, but at least it is done honestly and with real thought. Conservatives are followers, not leaders. They think their strength lies in unity and conformity, but the results aren't constructive or lasting. If we start agreeing for the sake of agreeing, then we become THEM.

[Mme. Defarge]

46. From one who has tried to leave and

is thinking of leaving now, I have to admit that this pretty much nails it. Well said!

[Hekate]

47. What you said, Hissy.

:kick:

Hekate

[Lochloosa]

48. Ditto...

Did I just say that?:evilgrin:

[RandomKoolzip]

49. Yeah, but on the whole it used to be much cooler around here.

As someone who's been around since 2003, I have to say that I used to find DU a much more intersesting, inviting, and intelligent place. I used to be in awe at the scads of rational, super-intelligent posters who had all gathered here to create such a vital community.

Nowadays, it's much less rational on the whole. The rabid, the extremist, the proudly ignorant - these groups seem to write 70-75% of the posts I read here, especially since Cindy Sheehan began going nuts. People consistently mistaking opinions for facts, the bizarre misuse of the term "strawman," and a spiky-for-no-reason approach to discourse are just some of the reasons I stay away from DU these days. And don't get me started on GD:P; the bickering over candidiates I see there reads to me like a tiny taste of what hell must be like.

I dunno - it's probably me, though. I rarely post; I mostly stick to reading. But I can't imagine feeling compelled to post with every screaming cell in my person like I did back in 2003.

[asthmaticeog]

69. Well put.

I think you speak for a lot of old-timers who still haven't left, but sometimes find themselves wondering why.

[racaulk]

50. Ditto! Very well said!

Sometimes it can get very hectic around here, but overall this is a great place to be!

K&R

:toast:

[Subdivisions]

51. And those just happen to be

all the reasons I love it so much here!

Thanks hissyspit!

[DutchLiberal]

53. What's wrong with DU as it is now?

Heavy discussions, debating, disagreeing. It's all part of democracy.

[spanone]

54. the truth be told....

go HS

[blondeatlast]

55. Exciting times--and if you've never been accused of being some sort of troll,

you aren't playing hard enough!

Welcome, nubes!!!

[blayne]

56. I've been here for a few months now,

and I'm not going anywhere. Sure, I have been frustrated a few times, but I realized that wouldn't happen if this administration wasn't tearing this country apart. This post and the one titled "You're NOT a Real DUer If ..." helped reinforce that realization. The next time someone or something pisses me off I will just remember we are all here for pretty much the same reason-to advance the interests of the Democratic party.

[CabalPowered]

58. Welcome to DU

:toast:

[Bread and Circus]

57. I've been here for three years, it used to be a lot better.

[LibDemAlways]

59. I'm enjoying DU less these days because rather than

taking the high road and sticking to the issues, some posters feel the need to make it personal. Yesterday alone, I was called "idiotic" for suggesting that Clinton/Obama is not a sure winner and had my intelligence questioned on a thread discussing impeachment.

If I wanted to be personally criticised and attacked online, I'd go over to freeperville and announce my party affiliation.

The content of another person's post should always be fair game, but name calling is, well, idiotic.

Not giving up on this place. Just wish everyone would make a conscious effort to keep the tone more civil.

[Jed Dilligan]

60. When I consider leaving,

it is only because I wonder when in good conscience I will have to stop supporting the party.

[PatSeg]

65. You support them when they are right

and give them hell when they mess up. The party will evolve or devolve according to our expectations. Republicans support their representatives "right or wrong", hence they're praised for being more organized and unified. We don't need the kind of unity that requires putting your blinders on.

[Voice for Peace]

62. a locked thread with no courteous explanation

Had a thread locked with the message "flamebait" but no explanation.
I wrote to the moderator to ask what that means, and to understand
why the thread was locked, but have received no response.
So I have no idea what I'm supposed to learn from that.
I don't know if I've been accused of something, and if so, what, or
if not, what what.

[AnExtremist]

70. Don't take it seriously

The mods are overworked. Not everything they do is agreeable, but I don't think they mean it in spite. Atleast I hope they don't...:yoiks:

[zeemike]

82. Don't let it bother you

I have been here sense 2001 and when you have a low post count the mods pay attention to everything you say to try to spot a freeper mole. And there are plenty of them wanting to cause mischief.
I got locked out with a low post count for using the phrase "Freak Out" (an old hippie tactic to get attention) that was not understood as I intended it to be.
So welcome all and contribute often.

[Voice for Peace]

94. thank you. but an explanation would have been helpful from the moderator

I would rather not make excuses for people disrespecting each other and that's how it has seemed. It's only bothering me to the extent that I believe human beings do best when they treat each other the way they want to be treated. When it's not happening I prefer to speak up. Big wars can start with the smallest of misunderstandings.

[zeemike]

95. it is wise to speak up

To keep those misunderstandings from fermenting.

[Highway61]

64. I'm new here

Gotta say when I came on board, I felt a sense of coming home. Normal people....connected and most of all caring about what is REALLY going on. I am an activist from the 60's and I am soooooooo tired of engaging in conversations where most folks eyes "glaze over" when you talk about anything other than what was on Entertainment Tonight. WTF...

P.S. The only time I get annoyed is when the "spelling nazi" visits. I mean, we have a president that can't put a sentence together without butchering the english language...jeez Remember your mom telling you "it isn't the gift, it's the thought that counts."
That being said...your a great bunch! :)

[SaveAmerica]

66. And every once in a while someone will throw a Hissyspit!!

[Hissyspit]

89. Hissyspit...

[Uncle Joe]

67. D. U. has been great therapy for me,

I don't go to the grocery story wearing just my underwear anymore, and I was able to give up my finger nail collection, at this rate, I should be normal in a few years.

Thank you D.U. and thank you for the thread Hissyspit.

:toast:

[peacetalksforall]

71. DU's greatest value for me are the fact finders and sharers. I love

the lawyers and anyone in the know who can provide just the right insider fact that eliminates all the speculation and jumping to conclusions. I like to be set on the right path.

I just hope the lawyers, government employees, professionals who help me understand don't leave.

I hope those who make me laugh don't leave.

I hope those who write my thoughts don't leave.

This forum could be called the 'revelations' bacause of the fast pathes to understanding and providing interpretations.

One of the things I dislike about the Republican Party as it is now is the lock-step words comping out of their mouths.

The Dems provide the total opposite. Let it be. Let it be.

[The Wizard]

74. It's the place to get the news

and vent; a place where trolls get hammered like flat head nails; a place a step ahead of the Zeitgeist; and most of all a place where smart people exchange thoughts. One more thing, no morans.

[Hatchling]

75. Even the fights.....educate me.

I appreciate hearing both sides argue vehemently, even getting down to the "straw man" arguments. I love to see how those are countered because those are more likely the ones I face in RL and I get my ammunition that way.

I have found my opinions altered, educated, vindicated and scorned here. What a refreshing place, where debate is not stifled!
:yourock:

[libodem]

76. It's like herding cats

we are more like cats than dogs around here. We don't do lock-step very well. Sorry. Ever google herding cats? It's good.

[Stuckinthebush]

78. It was like this in March of 2001

when we had about 100 members! It's all good!

[KitchenWitch]

79. K&R

:patriot:

[Pab Sungenis]

80. Will I be allowed to stay?

A couple of days ago I was told I was not a real Democrat (gee, maybe I ought to tell our County Chairman I can't serve as committee secretary any more) because I dared to question the effectiveness and suitability of one of our Great Leaders®.

The "party right or wrong" crowd wants to push me and people like me out, and I won't stand for it.

[tandot]

81. Great thread. Thanks, Hissyspit. K & R.

[barbtries]

83. be it ever so humble

there's no place like home.

DU is home, basically. virtually speaking of course

[camusrebel]

84. Being a newbie, I just have one question,

Why isn't everyone clamoring, strategizing, working for a few more Reps to sign on to H.R. 333?
We have the power. We can start to end the madness today.

Please don't wait for the mainstream media to tell you Kucinich has 15 signed on to impeach cheney and only needs a few more. Demand your Rep. sign on now.

Overall I enjoy the site, just not sure what is "underground" about it.

[DemExpat]

85. Love this post! And I agree with all you said.

It's what has kept me here for years now - the only Internet forum I visit day in, day out.

Welcome to all! :toast: :toast: :toast:

:D :hi:

DemEx

[onewholaughsatfools]

86. thank you hissy, beherenow and david

Thanks for the warm welcome, I do think I will hang here for a while.....blessings to all of you

[Kokonoe]

88. I'll stay, Just stop deleting my posts.

I might just might have something to say before I die.

[SoCalDem]

91. computer say "no"..

:rofl:



to DU :hi:

[Kokonoe]

92. ty

:grouphug:

[SoCalDem]

90. But.. eating fried chicken at Olive Garden, while wearing a diaper is always dangerous

especially if you are breastfeeding :rofl: