DU Has Empowered Me. DU has opened my eyes. DU has scared the sh** out of me

[Snoutport]

I have always been a news guy...CNN is on when I'm working, I read the NYT and the Guardian pretty much every day. And, I gotta say, even for a news junkie like me, it is very hard to find much liberal leaning news out there anymore. Even the most liberal of news shows are spotty at best and MSNBC is hidden away on channel 128 here.

Joining DU has been eye opening to say the least. Amazing, scary and shocking might be the words I use to best describe the feelings DU brings to me. But there is one thread that runs through many many many of the messages on here. "What do we do?"

Well, I know what we have to do. We have to educate our friends. We need to tell them about "democratic underground" and suggest they spend half an hour just reading some of the posts. My partner and I have been VERY unpolitical in the past. We gave money to relief organizations and environmental clubs but never to politics. I started reading DU and shared it with my partner. At first he was annoyed that I was suddenly getting so political...but now, I've noticed, he is reading up on things I bring up. He comes home telling me about conversations he is having at work about the RW Agenda. I have shared information with my coworkers and now we talk about things more political at work. I have also noticed that they are coming to work with more detailed information. Just before Spring Break I told them about DU. I wonder how many of them looked it up and have had their eyes opened. I am looking forward to a good discussion over lunch on Monday.

But we need to start this on a national level. The RW has FOX. Progressives have.... a few hours on hard to find news programs and some websites like DU. Well, then we need to get people reading how extreme this right wing push is...and that means getting the word out. If you've read this far I'm hoping you'll follow this last little bit of advice: tell two friends to check out DU. I had 26,000 people read my post on Rupert Murdoch's newspapers and phone hacking. What if every one of those people got two friends to check out DU?

DU is giving us voice. I suggest we use it.

[highplainsdem]

1. I believe Keith Olbermann joining Current TV will help give progressives a voice on a national level

and I also like your idea about telling people to check out DU.

Voters need to know about ALEC, too:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x591230

I've been seeing ALEC mentioned more often by the media, which is good. ALEC is a giant lobbying group in the guise of an educational charity, with corporations helping write legislation that conservative state legislators introduce in their own states, often copying ALEC's "model legislation" almost word for word.

[Snoutport]

4. I will do my homework

And I'm seriously thinking of running for the school board!

[WhiteTara]

15. Good. In my last county

there were over 100 board positions vacant. I'm sure it's the same everywhere. You can make a difference.

[grasswire]

2. you've been radicalized

...and you'll never go back.

The situation with you and your friends is exactly why the Pugs are beating us down -- for forty years or so they have invested many hundreds of millions of dollars in an ideological propaganda operation, while liberals and progressives have put their money toward positive causes that ease suffering and save the earth.

Look up the name Richard Mellon Scaife if you want to read about the way they have attacked America.

[FredStembottom]

6. Eye-opening, grasswire!

I, of course, have been well aware of the billion dollar propaganda campaign against us from the Right. Being a target makes you very aware.

But I hadn't considered "Part 2". I did just what you point out, put money towards charitable, positive things as the political machinery was simply removed into private Right-wing hands. Many of us combined this with a withdrawal from all things political (I at least stayed connected here at DU and elsewhere).

And while charity continues, it's time to get dirty. The action all takes place in the political realm. The Right -wing clearly intends to use the levers now in their hands to crush us. To make us a 3rd world country. To bleed all value out before evacuating to China or India.

Charity and withdrawal can't fight these things.

[Snoutport]

9. I think we got used to the unions doing the political work for us

I'm union but have never really participated in any union activity besides paying dues. I think we got used to the unions doing the work and now that they are under attack it means we individuals are going to have to write some checks and make some signs.

The Tea Party might be the spark that gets the Progressives involved in politics again.

[leveymg]

3. Happy to 5th rec such a positive, constructive post.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. During the little demos up around Eau Claire I was out taking pics a lot,

telling people I was posting them online. When they asked how to find the pics, I gave them directions to DU. I suspect a fair number of them checked us out as a result.

[dennis4868]

7. I agree...

if I believed everything I read on DU or watch on FOX News I would be scared shit also....I would hate Obama and probably move out of the country....

[Uncle Joe]

10. There are major differences.

With FOX "News" you can just sit there and absorb the one way, top down communication until you're thoroughly brain washed, however with D.U. you have the power of reason and debate in regards to any perceived unfair attack and issue or policy that you disagree with.

Those two abilities are infinitely different in their scope and affective dynamic.

[Uncle Joe]

8. I agree with your analysis.

Thanks for the thread, Snoutport.:thumbsup:

[azul]

11. One remedy for scared shipless I often enough employ here,

trying to add mirth and perspective to the discussion, is to sing. It balances the brain hemispheres to involve more of your self, and it annoys the heck out of RW hacks that are deathly afraid of joining in the chorus.

It's a challenge to do here, but it sometimes brings courage and laughter out of people that forget about that invincible part of themselves.

[Ship of Fools]

12. Be vewy vewy cawful ...

DU can also be full of BS.

[azul]

13. You forgot, "IMHO".

Welcome to DU!


"While some folks row way up to heaven
I'm gonna sing the pirate's gospel
I'm gonna sow these feet for dancin'
I'm gonna keep my eyes wide open

Yo ho yo ho
Yo ho ho
Yo ho yo ho ho
Yo ho yo ho
Sing the pirate's gospel"
-ALELA DIANE

[tavalon]

21. Smatterings of BS for sure

But I still think that most of the people here are pretty smart.

[WhiteTara]

14. when I first contributed to DU

they asked if I wanted a bumper sticker. I put that on my trusty Isuzu and hope that everyone sees it.

[Snoutport]

20. I'd stick on a bumper sticker!

I didn't buy my membership...someone liked my first posts so much they paid for it anonymously! So I think I can go ahead and splurge on a bumper sticker!

[WhiteTara]

22. That's really a sign of welcome!

It's a good feeling to donate to DU. And you get a cool bumper sticker for what ever amount you donate!

[Canuckistanian]

16. I've always said Dem politicians should read DU daily

There is such a streak of common sense and wisdom here that would help a pol do his/her job more effectively.

If nothing else, the DETAILS that are found here - the local information, the professionals who post here, the mix of artistic, philosophical and yes, even the extremely cynical posters all add to the value of DU.

I'm in awe every day I log in here.

[RainDog]

17. k&r n/t

[malaise]

18. Excellent post

Rec

[freshwest]

19. I feel the same.

Been involved in politics all my life. But I only came here this year and it was a loss to have missed this place.

I connected with online people during the coup of 2000, but hadn't heard about DU until recently.

It was my disgust at what I dealing with the increasingly low level of discourse elsewhere online that encouraged me to make the leap to join DU.

The passion, the intelligence, the willingness to learn and work at what we need to get done, and the tools and info are all here.

Yes, we must network, we must strengthen ourselves. We can evolve to meet any challenge together.

Thanks snoutport, great people like kpete, omaha steve and so many others I've only begun to know and respect, and everyone here.