So I'm going to leave you with this...
A little background:
I rode the Road King into the garage after work on Tuesday (which seems strange now seeming as how it snowed 4" on Wed) and as I was swinging my leg over to get off of it my Wife dashed out the door yelling "getthecameragetthecameraIcan'tfinditGETthecameraHe's.got.a.FISH!" Mind you, we've seen this Bad Boy (He's the smaller of the two) and his Mate in the trees behind our deck countless times. We've had the distinct pleasure of seeing them fish, together and apart. Never though, have either of them brought their catch to one of our trees. Tuesday though, my Wife saw him catch the fish, and he brought it to the tree right behind our deck and started pulling its entrails out. Try as she might, she couldn't find my camera. By the time I got the camera and got the CF card in it, He was done with the fish and had discarded it.
What a Regal Bird! Thomas Jefferson was wrong... wrong when he said the Bald Eagle was a bird of "bad moral character". I for one think it is the finest bird to grace the sky with its flight. This Bad Boy has a wingspan of probably 5' or more.
And with that, I'm going to say goodbye. I've had the most wonderful time here at Democratic Underground over the last eight years, and I want to thank everyone I've encountered here for it. I wish nothing but the best for EVERYONE at DU. My good wishes know no bounds; whether you like me or not, my wishes for you are the same: May the best of things come to you and those you love.
My time here has been a learning experience I will never forget. I learned things about myself I never knew. I learned that some things I believed were hurtful to others even though I harbored no ill will toward them. I'm sure there are MANY other people like me who, through no fault of their own, and meaning no harm, harbor beliefs that might be offensive or hurtful to others. It's called ignorance. DU opened my eyes to things I hadn't been exposed to before. I don't think there is a way to repay nor a way to single out anyone who might be most responsible for peeling the skin from my eyes in that respect. So, I thank you all... equally.
Lately though, there's an animosity at DU that has sapped my enjoyment of posting. Way back when, when I first found this place, there was a sense of familia. Now, it's like I always imagined a street corner in the USSR to be: Shifty eyes and open ears... always trying to find someone who's going against the grain so as to tattle on them and garner some kind of favor with the powers that be. Now, a post is instantly judged based on its perceived "Obamanosity", or perceived lack thereof. By the same token, a poster's worth seems to be judged by fealty to a politician and/or an administration rather than loyalty to an ideal or philosophy. In addition to that, there seems to be an expectation to hate someone, as if you don't hate the right people, you can't be one of "us". I don't hate. I think I may have said here before that in my entire LIFE, I haven't had a single headache (yeah, I've had hangovers, but they're NOT headaches per se). I believe there are reasons for that, and not having the capacity for hatred is one of them.
I was almost afraid to type that last paragraph, lest it be seen as a GBCW kind of way of checking out. That's not my point at all. I first started thinking I didn't belong here any longer when our resident "Fox News Contributor" openly called for the tombstoning of a long-time DUer in Meta, and not only wasn't castigated for it, but was openly cheered. Then I was called a gun-humper simply because I was a gun owner. For simply owning a gun, I was called an NRA supporter. Those are divisions within Democratic Underground that won't go away. Not only won't they NOT go away, they'll become larger divisions in the future.
Lastly, I want to speak to those who can't shake the feeling that I'm nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing and here to do nothing more than stir hate and discontent... I've stated this here more times than I can remember: I voted for ONE person who wasn't a Democrat in a state-wide or national election. His name was Ross Perot. I voted for him twice. Other than that, you can consider my voting record "pure". As much as I would like to accommodate your "gotcha" or "I told you so" moment, it's not happening. Debate over. If it gets you through the night, tell whoever you need to that I voted the right way but that you don't agree with my reasons for doing so and leave it at that. You were wrong then, and you're wrong now.
I love you guys, and have since the first day I found this place. I wish I could stay. I spent eight fucking years posting here. If you added up the days in the last eight years that I didn't post, they wouldn't add up to a month. Think of that cartoon about the guy up in the middle of the night... "someone's wrong in the internet!" I just re-enlisted for another year... but I'm going to change my password. I'm going to close my eyes and type gibberish then click OK. My Wife is on the couch behind me laughing "it's about time!". My email is my screen name here at Yahoo. There are people I'd love to correspond with and I'm sure they know who they are. So there it is.
I love you ALL, and you've been a large part of my life for EIGHT YEARS.
Thank You More Than I Can Say
Chris
= new reply since forum marked as read
I'm sorry you are leaving and hope you might reconsider in the future. Until then, all the best. 
I totally agree with your observation about new levels of incivility and the sadness in knowing that they are unlikely to improve.
Take care and I hope, in the end, you still post occasionally.
Please..........don't go.
I am so sad to read this.
Take a break and come back......
I will miss you
you will be missed.
I wish you all the best in this life. You will be missed my friend.
Maybe I'll run into you around SoCal one day... 
In more ways than one!
But I did get up to Big Bear and Arrowhead a few times (albeit decades ago, when I was in HS). I'd forgotten about a lot of that until the 80th birthday celebration for a beloved former teacher, when a friend's written tribute included a narrative about my escapades when we sent the girls on a snipe hunt on "the hill." 
We all experience something different and unique here on DU, and when the cons start outweighing the pros one must decide if their time is better utilized in some other way.
I've been here just a few months longer than you, and I've observed over the years that DU is always changing. I think a large part of that is the fact that our body is mostly made up of Liberals and Progressives and it's just in our nature to grow and change, and embrace new ideas and concepts. Unfortunately I've also observed over the past few years a significant amount of posters who, shall we say, adhere to more rigid viewpoints and these posters can sure gum up the works. One of the failings in the jury system is that members that really aren't here to contribute in a positive way are seated in juries where their biased and skewed viewpoints have an adverse effect on what should be a valuable process. But, as is the case in DU overall, I believe the jury system will evolve and hopefully for the better.
Anyway, it has been a pleasure posting with you Brother, and I wish you all the best in your life.
Argh.. nevermind. 
I know you're doing what's best for yourself.
I can only hope you will change your mind and comeback. DU is mostly good. The few rotten apples.. just like in real life, you can find a few of them anywhere.
but ; Jyaaa, dewa mata ne... (well, until we meet again.)
take care and please consider coming back after a long break. A month was good for me...I am actually in the middle of another
break right now...of and on.. mostly off.
See ya! 
Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu
Kimiko yori.
Personally, I hope after a vacation you'll think about returning. The DU community will be much poorer without you.
Personally, I try not to take the trolls seriously. (Except for the pit bull haters; those I can neither ignore nor tolerate.)
But you need to do what is best for you. I wish you well.
and I think you should stay. People post here who voted for that fucking Bush and they don't get shit for it, why should you be castigated for voting for Perot? Stay.
Take a break. Please come back.
