The True History Of The Democratic Underground. My Thousandth Post.

[byronius]

I am a knee-jerk, loud-mouthed, hard-core Lover Of the Magnificent Democratic Underground. I believe that the history and archived content of THIS WEBSITE is IMPORTANT TO THE AFFAIRS OF PLANET EARTH.

I HONOR ALL POSTERS. I honor all content. I honor this process. This is my thousandth post, and I would like to say something very rambly and true.


TRUTHISALL WOULD ALWAYS POST IN CAPS. HE WOULD POST GARGANTUAN SPREADSHEET ANALYSES OF THE 2004 ELECTION, AND THEN FIGHT WITH FEBBLE AND ONTHEOTHERHAND OVER THE MATH AND THE VALIDITY OF THE DATA. WORDS WOULD FLY, AND MORE SPREADSHEETS WOULD BE POSTED, AND AUTORANK WAS ALWAYS THERE, AND THIS BECAME MY LIFE AFTER THE TERRIBLE NATIONAL DISASTER THAT WAS THE STOLEN 2004 ELECTION.


The Impeachment of Bill Clinton, as Orchestrated by Richard Mellon Scaife, and Other Quite Evil Types.

December 11th, 2000. One Of the darkest days in American History. Easy to see what was coming, for anyone with eyes open.

9/11. Bloody, reeling, maddened, entertainment culture with a touch of national suicide-wish and a deeply-ingrained sado-masochistic streak gets poked into the Get Back. And They Use It So Well.

Air America launches in early 2004.

Al Franken, Sam Seder, Janeane Garofalo and then -- slowly but surely -- the Goddess.

The Incredible Randi Rhodes. Never before in my life have I heard hard information delivered in such a fashion, out loud, just -- like -- that. Goddamn. Pardon my language. She Just Rocks.

She talks about a website called the Democratic Underground. A news and informed-opinion source, apparently, a fountain of raw data and human brain power that she uses. Let's check it out.

Kinda scary at first. So big. I didn't understand how to use it at first, what to look for, how to contribute -- but I found the Election Forum (back when it was Front and Center), and I so I read TruthIsAll every day, and all the comments, and everything Autorank wrote. And I Learned.


sfexpat2000. Helderheid. WilliamPitt. H2OMan. kpete. DeepModemMom. babylonsister. Khepra. Famous names, to me. Bleever. SwampRat. N2doc! CorpGovActivist. GuvWurld. The Plaid Adder.


Like the Rock Stars of Reality. I will love you all forever.


Something happened: I wrote this post -- "On Randi Rhodes" (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x24502) -- and I received one hundred fifty-five recommendations for it. It rode the top of the front page for a day, and I do believe this is the single most famous moment of my entire life. If I am someday elected President, or make a hit movie, or make it to Mars before anyone else -- that post will still represent the day the Democratic Underground Lifted Me Up to the Five Star Column, which is the Top Of The World To Me, Baby. The Top Of The Democratic Underground. I am not worthy. 'My God -- It's Full Of Stars'.

To me -- that's just It.

By the way -- it just happened to be her birthday, and she was feeling down. Her producer emailed her the link -- she read it on her show the next day. She said that we had made her birthday, and that she had cried when she read the comments. So -- this turns out to be The Ultra-Pinnacle Of My Very Existence -- Randi Rhodes talking on her show about my five-star post on the Magnificent Democratic Underground, holy cow, I can die now, except I have kids, so I'll just Squirm With Glee Forever About It.


Here's what I wanted to say. These guys:



are heroes to me. I'm here, everyday, until the day I die -- or until The Feds Shut Us Down.


THE DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND LIVES FOREVER.


Thanks for reading this. PLEASE post personal Democratic Underground histories, troll stories, and any other historical knowledge you have or war stories that don't still hurt too much. I beg of any old-timer -- crack wise. Expound. I'm writing the book. Pitch in and help out a Newbie.


PS: I also once cracked the four-star column with "My Own Personal War Against The Arabs". (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2883328)


More Squirming With Glee. It's like a drug, That Democratic Underground Fame. Wow. Head Rush.

[The Straight Story]

1. Congrats on making it to1k

and a kick!

[Patsy Stone]

2. K&R

:thumbsup:

[porphyrian]

3. My memory is selectively shit, so I can't say I'll be of any help.

I do certainly appreciate this site, though.

[regnaD kciN]

4. Quite a tribute...!

One small point, though...

December 11th, 2000. One Of the darkest days in American History.

...the SCOTUS (s)election was actually on December 12th.

[The Straight Story]

5. Steve Irwin's Death and Edward's house, oh and anna nicole smith

Had some hot threads on those topics :)

[mzmolly]

6. Very nice post byronius.

:hi:

[Gregorian]

7. This is like a post of introspection that was needed.

I love that picture! And like it, a snapshot of us. Man, do I feel the same way you do. Who we were. Who we have become. And how it was done through this great website.

All I can say is I am so thankful to have been even a minute part of it. Merely the slightest acceptance. Even just not being rejected is an honor.

The post about DFW's weekend dinner with Helen Thomas. Fantastic.

The humor. The serious empathy and support. Like best of friends, we are.

Sometimes we just let something good happen. But you have taken a snapshot. Step back and look at it. That hair! OMG.

[EFerrari]

10. THE HAIR!

:rofl:

[HughMoran]

8. Heh, I love this post

Makes me feel some of what I have experienced over the past few years here. I love the reference to the battles of TIA & co. - that made me chuckle remembering those days. I wish I had something I could add to this discussion, but I'll never be a famous DU poster - just a commentator. A color person if you will - lol.

[EFerrari]

9. Myself, I just want Elad's shirt.

:toast: to you! And to DU.

lol

[Gregorian]

13. I'm wearing a version of that shirt right now.

We are not a rag tag group! Nah uh.

I am so glad to not be a republican. It's just so much more comfortable. And airy. :)

[live love laugh]

11. DU has been an oasis in a desert of apathy for me. It provided sanity when there was none

to be found. Whatever happens, I know that you (all 100,000) of you, are here and feel like I do about the state of this nation. DU is a monument.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

12. Well, if you have been here long enouh to remember Carlos

then I salute you!

Carlos thought that Ralph Nader was the only reason Al didn't win in 2000. All you had to do was mention Ralph in a thread and Carlos would find it and come unglued! I used to post threads with no information at all but I would include Ralph's name just to see how long it took Carlos to find and flame them.

Apparently, Carlos obtained the status of "persona non Grata" many years ago for some unforgivible offence but I never figured out what exactly it was that he did. The mods are pretty good at keeping that stuff secret and I respect them for that.

Then, there was the great "Civil War" where some of the all inclusive Democrats tried to throw all of us independent and third party members out of here, claiming, like the Drunk Cowboy President that dissent is blasphamy. Uhhh, that didn't work. It seems that, as much as the Democrats dislike it, dissent is still respected here. Actually, we (Me being a Green Party member) and the forces who think that you should submit to your party, right or wrong, just like the republics, have had this discussion many times in the history of DU but, in the end, neither Skinner nor Earl, have seen fit to ban me.

All in all, being here since pretty much the begining, I find DU to be my fastest source of news on the planet and am proud to have been associated with, for the most part, some of the most aware people in the United States.

[LibDemAlways]

14. I think Plaid Adder's description of Khephera's

memorial service was a DU highlight, emphasizing that DU is a very real place, a home built over time and nurtured by family. Brought tears to my jaded, cynical eyes.

For anyone too new to have heard of Khephera, I suggest going back to the archives of January 2005. A DU giant, gone too soon.

[DeepModem Mom]

15. Oh, what a wonderful post! Thank you, THANK YOU!

Would you believe I LURKED here, almost from the beginning, and didn't get up the courage to overcome my shyness, register and start posting until 2003? I signed on as a Clarkie, and made some newbie attempts to make peace in the primary wars. A news junkie, I posted news articles (in the shadow of Khephra, the master).

I just read somewhere that we don't remember days, we remember moments. I remember the confirmation of John Ashcroft: this takeover was really going to happen. If it could have been stopped with keyboards and conviction, it would have been. I remember the first all-cap OMG post that signaled 9/11. I remember the unbridled hope that accompanied posted photos of two beautiful families on a green lawn in Pennsylvania, with Jack Edwards the center of attention. I remember pre-debate prayer (or other incantations of choice) threads calling on spirits to help John Kerry win (and he did win the debates). I remember the posted leaked exit polls on Election Day. We won, but then we didn't. I remember photos of war protests around the world; I remember Fitz, and Stephanie's photos documenting his Courthouse comings and goings. I remember Webb winning Virginia. I remember waking up, finally, to Rove resigns, and Gonzo resigns.

Think how much we have shared! Hope and despair. The collective wisdom, the wit, the encyclopedic gathering of information -- that we should be very proud of. But when differences are mostly forgotten, and we go through those moments of hope and despair with others who care just as much as we do, about pretty much the same things -- I think that's when this place is at its best.

Congratulations on a GREAT 1,000th post!

[orleans]

16. very nice post. (where'd ya get the picture of the trio?)

du has been my solace, my playground, my information, my venting/raging place

it's been a wonderful experience for me.

it still is.

and this is my 10,001 post. (i just checked)

[byronius]

29. They made the mistake of posting it.

Sort of a 'get to know your admin' post.

It will haunt them forever.

Great avatar.

[mimitabby]

57. omigoodness, they're young and cute!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

17. Congratulations and beautifully said.

I loved My Own Personal War Against The Arabs.

:)

[Peace Patriot]

18. Throw Diebold/ES&S election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' NOW! TIA rules! nt

[byronius]

30. You, of all people, would remember those days.

[yewberry]

19. Ups and downs at DU

I guess I remember the really funny stuff and the really sad stuff.

Ups:
Oscar
ATTention DU XULTAR IS DRUnk @ the airport
yvrgirl's ATA Redux thread (in which Skinner posts a 'shopped version of Romeo). Read the whole thing; it's worth the time.
I am the Son of God. Ask me anything!

Downs:
Khephra, the workhorse and backbone of LBN
nostamj, underappreciated king of TOONS (with great appreciation for the folks who took on the work after Jeff died)
Hurricane Katrina: the 'who's missing' threads (but those were 'Ups' too)
Nov 2004
Andy (and my thread about the service).


I lurked for some time before signing up, then lurked even more before posting.
I still read far more than I post.
Sorry this is more a list than a personal statement; I'll look at it again tomorrow when I'm less pooped.

[jeff30997]

55. "I am the Son of God. Ask me anything!"

Someone posed a link to that thread about a year ago.
Funniest thread ever!:rofl:

[Hekate]

20. Good posts here, and good OP. Congrats on 1000. Tonight I'm at 5788...

...but about to fall into bed, so I can't think of anything to contribute except my thanks to all for making DU what it is.
:hi:

Hekate

[rox63]

21. This place has helped me stay sane

while the rest of the world is pitching back and forth between chaos and misery. Congrats on your 1,000th post, Byronius. :applause:

My first personal high-five goes to the ever-faithful DU Kerrycrats, without whom I would never have met and spoken to our most-recently-elected president (and my own Taller Senator), John Kerry. I love how this place is always the first to post the real dirt on the rethugs that have hijacked our country and trampled the constitution. I love how DU comes together to help fellow DUers in trouble; How we honor and remember those who have passed on too young, and comfort each other in our greif; And to show our thanks to fellow liberals that stand up to the right-wing hate machine. (Helen Thomas and Barbara Boxer immediately come to mind)

This is a fantastic place, and I love it to death.

:D :toast: :bounce: :hi: :kick: :loveya: :grouphug: :yourock: :patriot:

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

22. I really love this place.

I picked up and drove 2000 miles, round trip, in Aug 05, after reading the posts here and watching Cindy Sheehan in the ditch near Bush's vacation spot.

Will Pitt's harrowing description of their first couple of nights camping out while having vehicles "buzz" the campsite were masterpieces of blogging. Then I got to meet him there, too, very cool.

I stood at the side of that road, with Cindy and her supporters in Crawford, as King George drove by, then chatted with local law enforcement who were fully prepared to arrest the lot of us if we made a wrong move, not to mention the sniper who had us sighted.

A couple of wonderful DU angels sent me some money to help with finances, which were pretty sparse at the time. (my friends and family still can't quite come to grips with my jaunt to TX).

I blogged my trip here at DU, of course. I can honestly say that I would never have done any of that if it weren't for this place.

So, that's my personal DU story.

I :loveya: DU, even when the posts go crazy about silly stuff.

MKJ

[NoFederales]

23. Congratulations. And thanks to Skinner, Elad, and EarlG. eom

NoFederales

[librechik]

24. congrats and welcome to the elite executive asshat society at DU

you are now an official Grassy Knoll-er.

(Boy are you screwn)

Seriously, thanks for the great post, byronius. Good times!

[SaveAmerica]

25. Is that Mary, Mother of Jesus, behind Elad? Someone call the Enquirer!!

Or it could be one of the spirits of DU looking over their shoulders, or a chalked outline of some crime committed on the wall?

Anywho, when I first found this beautiful place, I really only hung out in the election forum, which eventually became the stolen country forum. The residuals of a freeper who had been undercover as a Kerry supporter but came out of his smarmy closet to gloat about W 'winning' were everywhere. I hope that idiot is enjoying what his hero has done to our country.

Democratic Underground is every wild part of a roller coaster in one place, twists, turns, corkscrews, sometimes ancient wooden track with flavor and grace, sometimes 4 loopty loops in a row. It's addictive and I always have to go on one more ride. Forget E-tickets, we've got DU-tickets.

[TNOE]

26. Beautiful.

And so true.

[mmonk]

27. Congratulations and great sentiments.

DU is a reservoir. Thanks for being a part of it.

[New Earth]

28. :o

I remember when I first found DU right after the 2004 election...I found the right place at the perfect time, other people who knew something was wrong with that election...

This is where I get all my news since then...I *never* watch it on TV (except for Keith Olbermann once in a while). This is also the site I refer people to as much as possible, to get news.

My favorite times here are (definately #1) the Election Results & Discussion Forum, when DU'er OjaiPerson sent me money so I could go to D.C. for the January 6th march (where I also first met Andy, Will, and lots of other DU'ers), and the Inauguration Protest...and stopping in the Lounge every once in a while, all drunk :D

This place got me more actively involved in politics than I had ever been. I love it here, even the flame threads, fighting, and everything :o

[OnTheOtherHand]

31. I'm flattered

Sincerely, I noticed that you were nearing 1000 posts, and it's fun to have been part of the Big 1K.

[redqueen]

32. What a great post...

Kudos on your milestone, and thanks for helping to make this place what it is.

:thumbsup:

[MethuenProgressive]

33. R #40 something :O)

:applause:

[Canuckistanian]

34. Congratulations!

My 1,000th is but a memory, but I remember your Randi Rhodes post and her mentioning it on the air.

And you're right, being up there in the multi-star area is a rush.

Carry on!

:thumbsup:

[riona]

35. This post is so refreshing

I get a bit tired of seeing those "why I'm leaving DU" posts. Thanks.

[GenDem]

36. This post made me cry.....

...and I saved "My Own Personal War Against The Arabs" in my favorites, because that post made me cry.

You said just what I think, but can't put into words the way that you did.

I lurked in awe during the post 2004 stolen election period. So many brilliant statistic postings that used to make my pitiful right brain hurt.

No stories to tell just a happy 1000th to you, and thank God for this website!

:toast:

[DeeDeeNY]

37. My defining moment was the Alito hearings

Finding DU at that time, along with AAR, saved my sanity. This is a community I can definitely relate to and take comfort in. My work and family keep me too busy to post much, but I make sure to check in every day. I agree with you about Randi! I love her too, and her voice is now music to my ears. I remember her speaking about your post that day and how much it cheered her up. Congratulations!

[The M Double]

38. Man..

I've lurked for years & only recently signed in to post... What lost time!
I coulda been a contender...

Congrats byronius!

[zonkers]

40. Hi, super lurker. Glad you are here.

[roguevalley]

39. it cured my despair. this place is my home away from home. when

my parents died, this is the first place I came for solace. i knew it would be here and it was. I love this place too.

[ProudDad]

41. Congratulations on 1000

Way to go!!

May you have many thousands more. :bounce: :hi:


(although you, like me, should really get a life :evilgrin: )

[NanceGreggs]

42. Great post, and great line ...

"The Rock Stars of Reality."

K & R, and CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[byronius]

49. Uh, so sorry to have forgotten to mention the Great NanceGreggs.

Oversight. It was all off the cuff. You're so excellent.

[NanceGreggs]

53. Thanks, but not necessary ...

I am so NOT in the same league as the people you've named!

Congratulations again on your milestone!

[Lochloosa]

43. ...

:toast:

[LSK]

44. K&R and the Goddess is now on the air

:thumbsup:

PS: My claim to fame here: http://journals.democraticunderground.com/LSK/64

[Mr. Brown of MD]

45. Friend, I accept your challenge.

Once, I was someone on this website. Not a big somebody, but I was still somebody. Some people knew me and I knew some people.

I had another name then: after the 2004 election the DU admins offered a one-time name change to anyone, so those with candidates or years in their names could change to something else if they so desired. I did not have a candidate or a year in my screen name. I changed anyway.

In retrospect it was quite the mistake. That old member is long forgotten, and I suppose my old name is no longer important anyway. A long-ago DU forum glitch changed my join date to April 20th 2004 even though it was in fact some time in late 2001. This new name has never been known.

I was 17 years old in the summer of 2001. The DU front page then consisted only of articles sent in by its members. William Rivers Pitt sent in an article from time to time. Each week we were treated to the mad ramblings of Bob Boudelang (Alberto Gonzales just Wanted Some Time to be With His Family, he did not resign in disgrace, so stop saying that!) Skinner or Earl, I forget sure which, would whip up a little image to post with the "lead" piece each day. From the first time I saw one of those little images I thought, man, it would be awesome to write something and get my own image.

A friend of mine sent an article to me. I forget who exactly wrote it, though I want to say TygrBright. It was very long, an article laying out why progressives need to do a grass-roots takeover of the Democratic Party in the same way that the fundamentalist wackjobs did of the Republican Party starting in the 70s. I have been in love with this website from that day forward. It is the only place I have ever been able to go to where people see through the bullshit.

The first place I came to when I found out about the WTC/Pentagon attacks was this one. To this day I could not say why I did that. I have two enduring memories of that day. This is the first: how quiet it was outside. I lived in a dorm near an airport and planes were always flying over. There were no planes that day. This is the second: I saw, on TV, at the Changing of the Guard ceremony in London, the band instead played the Star-Spangled Banner. There was hope for just a little while, that perhaps we might all be able to come together.

That hope was quickly destroyed - boy, was it! - by the Bush administration and the Republican Congress, who got everything they wanted and still demanded more. "Bipartisanship" meant "Fuck you, support our bill or we call you a terrorist". It still does.

I wrote my little article a few months later. It was actually a letter to President Bush, in which I thanked him for making it easy for me to register to vote and vote Democratic, and I listed all of the things that I hated about him at that time. The list would be much longer now. I sent my little article in to the old e-mail address and I had my own Top Of The World To Me, Baby moment: not only did they run my "letter", I got my own graphic and everything! For that one day, I was the #1 attraction on the DU front page, and boy, was it exciting.

I posted here and there on the forums. You may see I was once quite active. I have 2000+ posts and 97% of them took place before 2004. I was somebody. Not Somebody, but still somebody. I was a Lounge Lizard before the nickname was created, before there were sex threads to be banned, and long before M.A.T.C.O.M. . There was a small pack of us DUers around my age who chased one another from thread to thread - older DUers just called us "the young'ins". We had our own little DU chatroom on our favorite IM program. Sometimes WillPitt would join us in there - so would khephra. We sat in there and talked about current political events - as they were happening, all of us tuned to C-SPAN watching whatever we could (often Iraq War Resolution debate) - and went through all the downs of that election year together. Election Night 2002 was a long night, and all of us found ourselves wishing we were old enough to go out and get some beer to drink.

athos1126, youngred, among some others - these were my friends. I was always fascinated by the energy and interest that John Kleeb had to bring to bear on any given topic. I had huge e-crushes on a couple of the young women of the bunch. Hey, they were cute and Democratic!

I achieved My Own Front Page Graphic one other time: I penned a joke "first draft" of a Bush State of the Union speech, wherein the bumbling Bush put in all of his true feelings. This was thrilling, but not quite as fun as the first time it caught me by surprise. I wish I could find those old articles on DU now.

I remember the Iraq War Resolution debate well. I watched C-SPAN all day, every day while the Senate was in session. I typed the words of Senator Byrd as he spoke them - typing so fast that you might have thought I was responsible for the initial transcript. Why, oh why, did his colleagues - did the American people - not listen to him? Why do they still not listen?

For one term, the moderator icon resided next to my name. This was a long, long time ago, back when the Moderator Hot-tub was quite newly installed. For three months I tirelessly tracked down freepers on the board, tombstoning whatever ones came to my attention. Latest Breaking News was my main stomping ground - back before GD was split in multiple parts, before the original GD was even the biggest forum - LBN was the hot stuff in those days. This was the first time we really had "rules" for LBN. It was kind of tiring. Everyone should be a moderator here at least once. You will gain great appreciation for the stuff that goes on behind the curtains.

My fellow mods were, if I remember right - lazarus and khephra. What can I say about khephra? We have been around here a long time on this site. We all had our memories of khephra. I remember him well. I remember when he died. I had already receded from posting - already been forgotten, and taken on this new name that was never known. I wanted to mourn for him and had no one around to mourn with. That was a very sad day. I lived vicariously through all the eulogy threads that I read. I was there for the funeral in spirit if not in body.

Time blurs after that. I read DU every day but never post. Iraq is a bigger tragedy each new day than it was the one before. The Bush administration is worse than ever - there are only so many new things you can say about the same old bullshit press conferences and interviews, only so many "drunk Bush" jokes to be made (I was here for one of the originals - the night of the "choking on a pretzel"), only so many times that I can stand to watch some Republican talking tough for the media only to vote in lockstep with his party leaders - only so many times that I can stand to watch some Democrat talking tough for the media only to cross the aisle and vote with the Republicans.

Election Night 2004. A numb feeling. HOW THE FUCK COULD PEOPLE BE STUPID ENOUGH TO VOTE FOR HIM AGAIN?! That it was stolen that time was not so immediately obvious, like election night 2000, where shenanigans were clearly at play. (DU is the only website I can visit where it is accepted fact that Bush did not actually win in 2000.) I have since learned better. The fact that the election was close enough to steal remains a large strike against the collective intelligence of the American people.

The crusade against electronic voting machines finally has a better champion than Bev Harris. I remember one time that Ms. Harris had been posting for days about some "huge news" she had to reveal about Diebold. I expected hard proof that Diebold was responsible for, say, the defeat of Max Cleland in 2002 - something real big. The huge news was, in fact, that some Diebold executive had, a long time ago, been cited for possession of cocaine. Yawn.

Somewhere along the way, Kurt Vonnegut died. That does not have much relevance to my time on DU, but I feel it is important enough to mention. I wish I could write like him.

So many others. What can I say about them? newyawker99, the official greeting crew. SoCalDem. jiacinto and his grey eyes. WillPitt, back before Truthout even existed. khephra, the gatekeeper of all news that was fit to post on DU (RIP). The Plaid Adder. Bertha Venation. Modem Butterfly. MrBenchley. LynneSin. I've forgotten a lot of my old favorites and to them, I apologize.

It has been more than six years since I came to DU, almost six years since I started to post. I have seen a lot of shit go by in our world in that time. I am 23 now and I will hate Bush forever for how much he and his cronies have been responsible for fucking up the country and the world just in time for me to be old enough to do something out on my own.

If I live a hundred more years I will never understand why we just can't impeach him.

If it were not for DU I would have long ago gone insane.

Thank you for reading. Good night.

[byronius]

47. Now that's a cool story.

But I have to know the Old Name! Please, I beg of you.

That's the greatest encapsulization of Ancient DU I've ever seen. Thank you.

[n2doc]

46. Thank you!

I don't belong on that list, but nice post. I wish I had something unique to tell you for your storybook. Maybe something will come up. In any case, nice post and I agree, DU is a treasure!

[byronius]

48. Your Friday Night Eye Candy posts are legend.

I think I learned more from one of your posts than from years of reading SciAm. Pshaw, be modest; but I know people who think you're the coolest. Me included.

[H2O Man]

50. Very good.

I'm proud to be part of the DU team.

On the day that Will Pitt published one of the single best essays on the Plame scandal, and the day that Patrick Fitzgerald was assigned the Plame scandal investigation, I joined the Democratic Underground. A few months later, I was involved in a phenomenal series of discussions, known as the Plame Threads. Those threads got the attention of a lot more people than those who participate on DU.

I had assumed I'd be a DU member for about 6 months. Ha! I guess that changed.

[byronius]

51. The deepest of bows to you, eminent sir.

You Are The Water Man.

[libnnc]

52. Well, there's this little thread that I started way back...

Long story short...I hate bullies. The people in this little church were being bullied. I heard that it had been on the local news and I reacted. I shared this story with y'all and it went around the world in less than a week.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3604552

[blondeatlast]

63. One of the most interesting threads I've ever been part of.

I first saw a LW set-up, then a tad disbelieving, then the news story was confirmed, then I smelled a RW ser-up designed to fast track to SCOTUS.

By the 300th post, I was convinced of the SCOTUS set-up and mad as hell!

And, libnnc--you went to school with the crtinous pastor!

Don't forget--that wonderful thread continued here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3606871

That thread was everything DU is in a nutshell--a somewhat minor story that has a connection to one of us, skepticism, research, debate, speculation--and the smartest liberals on the planet!

blondeatlast (1000+ posts) Fri May-06-05 05:32 AM
Response to Reply #244
326. Excommunication based strictly on political party identification...
It's a well-orchestrated set-up on the fast track to SCOTUS.

Mark my words...
The Question Mark: A prophylactic protecting FOX News from anything it might contract during its extensive GOP c**ksucking?" Jon Stewart 2006
Add to my Journal Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top
blondeatlast (1000+ posts) Fri May-06-05 06:22 AM
Response to Reply #244
352. Read up on the Heritage Foundation or David Brock's "The Republican
Noise Machine." These are dastardly little effers.

Even if the pastor acted of his own volition, the HF will get its smarmy little hands in it soon.
The Question Mark: A prophylactic protecting FOX News from anything it might contract during its extensive GOP c**ksucking?" Jon Stewart 2006
Add to my Journal Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

[Febble]

54. Congratulations!

[colorado_ufo]

56. Congrats! Great post!

[immoderate]

58. To the top with this. K/R...

Good story. :)

Congratulations!

--IMM

[djjimz]

59. Congratulations

on reaching the milestone.
1000, I got quite a ways to go, but God willing and the creeks don't rise, I will.
Again Congrats byronius...
:headbang:

[flyarm]

60. ohhh congradulations on 1000!!!!!!!!! and a wonderful post!!

we are very happy to have you in this wonderful community..that brings many of us sanity ..in an insane world!

CONGRADULATIONS!!!:party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :party: :party: :party: :toast: :toast: :toast: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :applause: :applause: :applause:


FLY

[Madspirit]

61. k&r

I knew what Skinner looks like because I saw his picture when he posted pictures of his new baby but I didn't know what Elad and Earl look like. <g> Thanks.

Congrats on your 1000th post.
Lee

[onethatcares]

62. dis place ROCKS.

it's a island of sanity in an ocean of idiocracy, a mountain on the fruited plain. Most of all, if you don't like what you read, get over it and go to another post. I lub u gys.

[blondeatlast]

64. I can't wait to see what this place will be like when the Dems have power

AND spines.

See you there--and thanks for one of the best posts I've ever read.

:patriot:

[stlsaxman]

65. at the first ANSWER rally in DC i searched around for the DU booth rumored to be there...

and after about a half an hour of wandering i came across a hand painted banner that said "Democratic Underground". i had just begun posting a month or three before the rally was held. there were 4 people there. no table, no handbills, no nothin... i introduced myself to the four that were there as "stlsaxman" and i learned their nicknames were LynnSin, Skinner, Kephra and William Rivers-Pitt. i chatted with them for a few moments when suddenly it was time the march began.

I went back to the spot afterward but the banner was gone... i'll always remember that. very cool!

maybe it was the 2nd ANSWER rally... there is a post somewhere about the "beginning of DU"...

anyone?

[byronius]

66. Great Avatar.

[Zodiak]

67. Congrats!!

1000 posts and you have been in the bigtime twice!!! Awesome! I think I might have started 7 threads since I have been here, and three or four of them were about music.

For me, I came here from the SmirkingChimp and still took well over a year to get 1000 posts. THIS is the place to be for progressives on the internet, and I have no intention of leaving unless suddenly Bush is gone and this country is completely rstored and headed towards a bright future.

[xiamiam]

68. Bravo for reminding us all how integral DU is to our lives...I get info here first....long before it

appears on most other sites..I would have lost my mind a long time ago without DU....but I think DU has been instrumental in the changes happening right now...the truth on the table...thats what i like the most...that you can find enough information here with legitimate links...which keep us all informed...thank ALL of you...I am also very appreciative..

.I have lots of memories, watched tempers flare and Helen Thomas get roses and videos about the Carlyle Group and 911..and canofun would have whatever up in about a second. ..I think I was the last person here to believe that John Kerry would fight the election resurlts..I remember tha painstaking tallies, and posted polling abnormalities...i sent money to Black Box voting...I remember that everyday someone here was uncovering another piece of evidence re some criminal activity...and no one on msm was reporting anything..excepting Keith...here, I learned about two forces of nature within the same month...Cindy Sheehan and Katrina...I wrote John Kerry a letter and told him that my heart..many of our hearts.. had been badly broken but that a woman had just arrived in Crawford who was going to change the way people felt about this war..and that this mother was sitting in a ditch and she would help wake up people...I called the Crawford Peace House and sent money...and I longed to go..i remember the videos from will pitt...and the blogs...it was just great after what seemed to be an eternal silence.

.and then katrina, which i watched on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th day on dial up on du ..and a tv with one local news channel...and i was horrified again at the absolute incompetence..with so many of you...and there was someone blogging from inside a building there during all of it....i sign petitions, get feisty sometimes, lurk mostly, get info and then run to my life..and pass it along..whether they want to hear or ot... I joined the photo group for a while...when I was recuperating ...and I got to know that DU has all kinds of other areas, other than greatest and latest..

.I absolutely love JEFFR's DUZY awards...and I just want to thank you for appreciating DU..because in some ways its a home for us...a safe space where thinking is allowed...imagine that?

[The Witch]

69. I remember that day. I'm re-listening to the mp3 now.

She was so elated today - it was great - and she is so infectious when she's happy.

DU is awesome because of the people. And you are part of those people. So GO YOU. And enjoy your five stars :-)

[bleever]

70. Wow.

For me, one of the greatest things about DU is when people find a voice on an issue and create something that surprises even themselves in how many people are energized by someone formulating what everyone is trying to find words for, or providing missing pieces of a big puzzle, or offering a way to see through the storm.

I count at least three in the OP!

:thumbsup:

[autorank]

71. Byronius, you're one of the very best...

...your a truth seeker across the board. I'm very honored to be mentioned in your post. Here's a special edition, rarely seen;) graphic I'll post in honor of you...



Lets see how thie year turns out but one thing for sure, the "vote villains" are not getting away with their crap anymore!

[Me.]

72. Everything You Wrote

:thumbsup:

[valerief]

73. Congrats and may you have a thousand thousand more posts! nt

[The Wielding Truth]

74. byronius, Congrats! It feels so good to reach that 1000th post.

I remember waiting till it got close and thinking how I would celebrate or if anyone would even notice. I posted in the lounge were I new California Peggy would sweetly give her congratulations with a hug and that would be all I could hope for. When I posted I was so pleased to have an actual thread form and I really knew that I was in a community that stopped to say I was here and they were glad.

Skinner and Elad and EarlG and all the mods over the years have guided this hive of thoughts through the cosmos in an inspired totally responsible form. Thank you all.

Reading my first Will Pitt post was a highlight and Redstone actually sending a reply to my post was big. Removing my Kerry Sticker with the gang here and being able to jump on the Kudzu thread was momentous.

We cried with Binka when Ben was hurt in Iraq,we lost many our favorites DUers and watched Katrina come in over the gulf in fear together.

Listened faithfully as Mike Malloy read 1984 and followed him to NovaM.

We have stayed here and included all those who believed in the golden rule. We depend on Kpete,all those you mentioned and countless more to keep us aware. We look forward to the occasional troll who lets us sharpen our teeth,although we usually feel sorrier for then than want to fight with them.



Happy you're here,byronius.

[Maestro]

75. Great post

Great sentiment! :kick:

[byronius]

76. Thanks, everyone. This has been a great day for me.

The most fun you can have with your pants on.

[Melissa G]

77. I was utterly depressed the Sunday after the 2004 Presidential Theft

I could not believe it had happened. I was googgling for someone who was sane enough to believe what I believed, that our country had been heisted.... Yet again...I was in shock.

Then I found a post by Truth is All and it lead me back to DU, a place I had lurked before but never posted on. I signed up as Faith Truth Trust as a nod to Truth Is All, whose work had uplifted me and brought me to the Community of DU. I will always be grateful to TIA for that and for all the funny, passionate, other activists who were wielding those spreadsheets and links. Tinfoil Hat wearers all!

At The Name Change Time I switched to Melissa G as a nod to my buddy, sonias, who I toil with in Texas.

I remember all the tinfoil hat fashions that were being posted to make us laugh! I remember the beginnings of KOEB and the nightly dial up heavy 300 plus posts. The instructions of the mods that most whatever happened in the 2004 Election Reform and Discussion group was OK, off topic or not, because we were working hard and it was our clubhouse. I remember how hard it was to even have a discussion 'cuz all our threads were being freeped. I remember arguing with Q and the night he was tomb stoned. I remember all those who were arguing with the freepers and the naysayers who kept saying we were wrong and that sorry folks BS that Shrub really won. A big fat Razzberry to them now 'Cuz the Truth Is Coming Out!

TIA, Anaxarchos, auto, Chi, Eloriel, momcat, althecat, berniew1, ignatzmouse, Peace Patriot, wiley 50, dzika, and eomer. Lots of hardworking folks in there I miss and wish were back.

MelissaB and I, reviving the beginnings of the Daily News thread from dzika and others.

The Steve Freeman stuff breaking. The Bleever I believe thread. The KOEB Ties that bind.

All the sweet Andy Stephenson posts and emails I still have.
Sfexpat2000, liberal nurse and so many others who cared for Andy.

And Now the unfolding Story of the Shrub Sinking ship and watching the rats scuttle away...:popcorn:

I love this place. No ERD is not what it was, but neither is it necessary to wear tinfoil to say that are Elections have been Stolen. Thanks to the tireless folks at DU and the admin who helped make that happen! :grouphug: :yourock:

[Melissa G]

78. I shouldn't post late at night... too many edits needed that I can't fix the next morning when

I see what I posted the night before :blush: Anyway, I forgot to toast your 1000th post, Byronius! :toast: Good one! :yourock:

[byronius]

79. That was such a beautiful post.

You remember everything. Q! I remember that.

How could I forget your name?


Perfect ending to this thread. Gracias.

[Kurovski]

80. Kick! (nt)

[sce56]

81. Now can we get an area here where we can talk about crimes with out getting tombstoned!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3484485

[malaise]

82. Fabulous post n/t

[Dr Fate]

83. The man has got class- and he can write!

Great post!

Happy 1000!