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I consider the DU my Readers Digest of the internet. I haven't checked out all the different subjects yet, there aren't enough hours in my day. 
My cup of coffee in the morning.
When you are all upset, I get upset too.
It's like my second family.
I love all DUErs even the ones that called me a troll. 
I've found that if you give up on sleep entirely, you can almost keep up with the Latest and the Greatest!
YEE HAW!
This oldie agrees!
Welcome to DU!
Welcome.
Glad you all found DU and joined to add to the conversation!
Julie
We look forward to reading your posts....
Tikki
Ya'll are keeping sane. So glad I found you.
DU is where you realize there really are many sane people beyond the crazies you may deal with every day. 
I too, welcome all the noobs - good to see new interests and voices. While I'm not a 5-figure veteran (yet), DU is my main news source. It's also where I come to ease the fears from Rightist Crazies. I'm strictly a taker at DU, and I love the intellect and camaraderi I find comfort with. Long live DU and those who make it what it is! 
It's really Great to be here!
P.S. Is there a forum here that deals with those of us that are addicted to DU? LOL
and I love it here because unlike over at the Huffington Post (what a disgrace that site is, hardly liberal, in my opinion) here I don't have to worry about censorship or some moderator deciding if my post is "politically correct" enough for them.
Give it more than one post, I think.
Unless you've been here before.
By cracky, this oldster says, where are my car keys?
It takes a bit of gumption to post here on DU, congratulations and welcome all.
Never mind all the paranoid troll hunters, if you don't have half a dozen star members ignoring you then you're not trying.
Im a brand new newbie and glad to be on board. I discovered DU recently, but I used to frequent bartcop and buzzflash. Still do, but my work doesnt allow me to catch up on as much as I would like
Thanks for the welcome
Thanks for making me feel so welcome, and thanks to you all for making this "Election Central" to me. Mostly, I post at MSM sites (i.e, HuffPost)
where I fight their misleading headlines, slanted stories, and ALL attacks on Obama, but as we get closer to the election, it wears me down and depresses the hell out of me to spend so much time in a negative environment. Then I come here, and I get my mojo back to go out and fight some more.
I NEVER watch TV news!!! This is where I go for the real news....Thanks to all DU people....By the way, some of you guys really crack me up 
I am just excited as all hell that there are so many new members, and reading this thread makes me realize how many are here.
Now, get off my lawn! 
Make new friends, and keep the old...
One is silver, and the other gold... (Camp song!)
Now just have to get all the anacronyms figured out
Hope y'all stick around even after the election. Great group of folks here. DU is what keeps me sane!
i have started to form a few friendships here ,this is place you can get a fresh prospective .as long as i have been here no has try to change my belief system . even the disagreements you are given another point of view. welcome all.
And everyone else here for being so nice. 
after getting tired of all the crap on CNN, Huff Post, FB, etc...I had to find another outlet with other sane people, and went searching and found this place. Can't believe it took me this long to find you guys!
So glad to finally feel 'at home' with other non-crazy people!
From another old-timer. If it makes anyone feel any better, I can remember when I was new and they were calling ME "troll." DU wasn't even a year old yet. 
Ignore the self-appointed "troll hunters" and get on with your posting. Most of us are very interested in what you have to say.
Hope you end up loving DU and all the wonderful DUers as much as I do.
This placed saved my sanity during the Booosh years!
Hugs to all...
Not as many of the old timers left anymore. Everybody was new at some point--ALL of us--and it gets easy to forget that after a while, I guess. Taking that first few steps can be really creepy, and somebody giving you crap for a low post count just because they don't agree with your point doesn't help much. That is one thing that has been a constant here at DU, but I really think it is so deeply rooted in our formation and our early days it may never go away.
DU came about at a time when "liberal" was borderline of being a dangerous term, and when most of the progressives out there were feeling pretty low or else really pissed off--neither of which will contribute to being warm and fuzzy. The "selection" of Dubya had just happened, tempers were frayed, and Earl, Skinner, and Elad put together DU. In those early days the disrupters were a constant thing and there was no set of "on call" moderators to deal with them in any kind of speedy fashion. People like me were out there looking for "a home" because places like Salon were no longer possible (they'd gone pay to post right after the selection...) and the other main boards were over run with squawking Neo-cons. People defending their "home" will get pretty vicious. DU was and still is, no exception.
Welcome to you if you are here with a passion for politics and if you carry Dem ideals. Carry them with you here and you'll do fine once you get past the ass-hattery that goes on sometimes. Just keep in mind that some of these folks are kinda like those guys you saw in photos of returning war vets--they have that 1000 yard stare and some of them are wrapped a little tight. Oh--and don't fer Pete's sake, say you love Olive Garden or Circumcision. You'll start one hell of a brawl.
Laura
Added on edit: You all DO realize you can see when people joined DU? Click on the Member icon in any post and it will take you to info about them--like how long they've been here. You can't tell just by looking at number of posts because we've had people that have been members here forever, but they maybe are not prolific writers or maybe don't get into the social stuff.
...that have truly blown my mind. Normally, people step in carefully to check the temp. Others take the high dive! 
to our brave new members!!