Welcome all newbies! :- )

[proudtobeadem]

Hi,
I just wanted take the time to acknowledge that there are a lot of new DU'ers here now. And to welcome all of you and invite you to post how you got here. Also, I want to post this link to a dictionary so that you can all know what all those acronyms and strange terms mean.

http://216.239.63.104/search?q=cache:IT95GFuYFUcJ:dug.seattleactivist.org/+seattle+activist&hl=en&client=firefox-a
- Welcome and have fun! :)

[New Earth]

1. welcome n00bs

i'm still a n00b too i guess :o

[proudtobeadem]

4. So am I but I remember someone doing this a couple of weeks ago

and i thought it was nice.

[RedCheckShirt]

13. Thank you very much

[SueZhope]

2. Thank you very much

Great information to know.

[Miami Liberal]

3. Thank you!

The link is very helpful. :)

[seito]

5. Thank you

I feel very welcome here, and I am so glad to have found you great people.

:grouphug:

[NMDemDist2]

6. the good news is AmyStrange has re posted the DUGlossary

http://DUG.amystrange.com

I PM'd him and he didn't even know the seatlleactivist site was down

bookmark the new site :)

[Visiongirl]

7. thanks!

not sure how I got here... somehow I was linked here to the great world of DU, then started casually reading headlines, which led to obsessive lurking, and now for the first time (actually 2nd time) posting.

I hope to say more soon.. it's hard to get used to having a voice after spending so much time just reading...


No cool tag yet...

[Coexist]

8. newbiest of all

Hi. Since I only have single digit posts, I guess I am the infant. Was linked here from RR boards for several issues. Love the forum. Lurk a lot!

Spell check rocks.

[mamalone]

10. LOL I know what you mean about "obsessive lurking"!

I spend waaaay too much time here..but I just can't help myself! I don't post too much..guess I'm afraid I'll inadvertently say something amiss and have everyone think I'm a "freeper", eeek!:scared: Anyway, thanks to you proud for the warm welcome..and thanks for the link too! This is an awesome site!

[suziedemocrat]

19. I'm afraid too - don't want to say the wrong thing!

I found out about this place from www.astroworld.us. I lurked, but didn't get an ID - posted on kos mostly. But then kos seemed to want to tone down the voter fraud issue, and voter fraud was on my mind even BEFORE the election, now I'm obsessed with it all coming out, and this place is the best place to stay informed!

BTW - for some good (non-election) news check out this article from a German paper dated 12/6/2004.   http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/18/18953/1.html

A conversation with Brian Apple of Changing World Technologies who was invited by the Canadian P.M. to meet with the P.M. and Bush in Canada.  Changing World Technologies has a process to convert just about anything, from turkey remains to sewage to trash, into oil, water, minerals, natural gas and carbon.   They currently have a 250-ton plant that turns turkey offal into oil at approx. $15/barrel.  The minerals created from the process are used for fertilizer.  check them out:   http://www.changingworldtech.com/

Forgive me if I should have posted the article on a more general forum, but renewable energy is my other obsession!

[SammyWinstonJack]

86. Welcome to DU

Being labeled a freepers doesn't happen only to low posts newbies. So feel free to speak your mind. :hi:

[zann725]

96. Thank you! And thank you to Admin, "Elad" for her post today...

re: welcoming Newbies. I too at times feel hesitant to 'chime-in' with more 'veteran' posters. If I accidentally forget a rule in the future, my apologies in advance!
Thank you all very much for your welcome! :hi:

[mom cat]

92. Lurk no more! You are home now! Welcome to DU

:hi:

[newyawker99]

102. Hi Visiongirl!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[dogindia]

9. TY

Thank you. I have been watching for a few weeks. I go constantly to the 2004 election threads. It has helped me feel so much better to read such thoughtful and committed text. I warmly thank you all DUs.

[proudtobeadem]

11. Your welcome everyone, it's a great place, helped me a lot

especially right after the selection when I just Knew it was stolen.
I came here and lurked for a while, people here have made me laugh and cry countless times. I'm glad I'm here. :)

[Festivito]

12. ..and stay cool, calm and on message.

Don't get upset if you get called a name. Even if they call you a disruptor or worse a RepubliCON.

When you have something to say, post it. And, feel welcome.

[mamalone]

21. Thanks for the encouragement..

and the welcome:)

[labouchet]

14. Hey thanks....

Found this place through Smirking Chimp, via the Plame threads. Been lurking since then, and began posting after the so called election.

I must admit, this place is pretty hectic - but there are so many with good hearts and intentions, it kinda restores my faith in democracy.

[loritooker]

15. thanks, now I know what eom means!

[Turbineguy]

16. 60209

What a circle!

Wonderful!

[blueatheart]

17. thank you

found Du by some link, do not remember. I haven't had much to offer but do find the info useful. Its led me to do some research (haven't found anything useful yet,sorry) and sign up for petitions, send emails, write media, etc..

Its great to know there are others out there that care so much about democracy.


:hi:

[annabanana]

18. yup, blue at heart......

We are ALL in it together!
Cheers and Welcome to you all
:toast:

[proudtobeadem]

30. Everyone does what ever they can

you shouldn't apologize, what you're doing is good for right now. :)

[sympa]

20. Thank you for that :)

That's a very kind gesture proudtobeadem. thanks so much

i think i heard about DU from the liberalsfortruth irc chatroom, which i heard about just before the election fiasco.
i stayed up until 6:30 am election night, hoping to get the good news that John F Kerry would be our next president. while listening to the round the clock coverage provided by AAR (and calling into the Laura Flanders show around 3:30 am) I found the irc chatroom and people kept referencing DU and DUers. i asked what the heck DU was and they directed me here. i've been hooked ever since, making DU part of my morning ritual.
Election night, I was desperate for connection with like-minded people. people who were outraged and passioniate and scared and then planned to do something about it.

i had never voted in an election before (i'm 27 and was previously of the mindset that absolutely nothing i could ever do would change anything, including voting because that would encourage an enormously flawed system and it wouldn't touch the prevailing problem of our nation and the world that the human mentality has to change entirely, it isn't merely about policy) and was never an activist, had never attended a rally (political party affiliated or otherwise) but the Bush administration has had me in tears.
on 9/11 i wanted nothing more than for Bush to stand up and do the right thing, to lead us forward, to succeed in making the world a better and safer place for people everywhere. instead, i've seen what all of you have seen, secrecy, dishonesty, arrogance, gross abuses of power, negligence, incompetance, and a war that borders on genocide (if it isn't outright genocide). i didn't want to be so pissed off, but if i weren't then i'd just be fooling myself.
i had to do something and i had to find people to guide me about what i could do.

i volunteered for the Kerry campaign and knocked on doors. i figured that even if it wouldn't make a difference in the election, i didn't want to set myself up to feel regret afterwards for not doing anything.
i boycotted sinclair and many tons of phone calls and sent hundreds of emails. i felt good about the eventual outcome. sinclair had received pressure from their shareholders because of what thousands of people (including me) had done.
and then when i woke up on november 3, Senator Kerry was giving his concession speech. my husband and i had our front door open and the mailman came to the porch to drop the mail in our box and he noticed our tv. he just stood there and asked "is this happening now?" and we said yes and proceeded to explain about the provisional ballots and the margin. the three of us watched it together with our jaws dropped and our hearts broken. after it was over, our mailman said "ooooh man, i cannot believe this, i can't believe it" and we just said "we know" as tears filled our eyes.

i needed to find others. i needed to find some good people to give me hope. introspective, compassionate, progressive but seriously angry people. i needed to find people who wanted BIG changes, not just in our government (though that is a pressing issue) but in the world. i needed to find those people who "get it", that we do not achieve success in oppressing others, that we do not need a threat or promise about the afterlife to make our local and global community better but that the reward for that exists within itself,
i needed (and still need) those like-minded people to teach me what i can do, because i want to do something. those with experience in going up against the oppressors not so that they can replace them with themselves, but so that the oppressors and the oppressed no longer exist.

that's why i come here and read the discussions and the articles and occassionally post when i think i have something to contribute.

thanks DU for bringing together the people i've been needing and looking for and thanks for letting me participating. thank you for teaching me something new on a frequent basis.

thank you

[Aus10tech]

22. thanks

Thanks for the Welcome !!!

[proudtobeadem]

41. Wow! what a post

you moved me, that's what I like about coming here, that at least once a day and often many times someone posts something that gets to me. I think that, along with finding out the truth, is the best part of coming here. It reminds me of why we're fighting so hard. We need the passion, energy and anger(constructive) that you have. Hang around.

[SharonRB]

81. You made me cry

Just making me think about November 3 again made me tear up. I had already planned to take the day off of work, since I knew I'd be up most of the night on the 2nd, and I was a mess all day and still am. Hopefully all of the work everyone out here on DU is doing will pay off and we will turn this around and get rid of that "smirking chimp"!

[CantGetFooledAgain]

23. Hi! Been here a few weeks now...

...ever since the "election", and I have become seriously addicted. I'm serious, I'm getting almost NO work done. I've learned so much, especially about the vote fraud but also just in general about what is happening to this country. It's very alarming to me.

I think a community like this is exactly what is needed right now. And it will keep growing and growing. Long live DU!

[illflem]

25. Still don't know wht n/t means

[New Earth]

it means 'no text'

people put it in the subject of their post when they don't put text in the BODY of the post (like right here).

It means the point they are making is simply in the subject line.

"eom" means basically the same thing. (End of message) - in subject line.

[proudtobeadem]

33. Same thing here, I think I'm addicted.

Thank God right now I'm not working, so I have some time, but even so my husband (who also believes it was stolen) gets annoyed that I'm spending too much time here. But I can't help it!!!!

[New Earth]

37. i'm addicted too

best message board i've ever been on. it was hard to get used to at first, it moves so fast.....and then learning all the lingo....like n/t, eom, freepers, pukes, etc.....lol

i spend 90% of my time on this board since my first day here :o

[Lisabtrucking]

24. How I got here.

I was looking for news. I knew something was wrong with this election, and came looking for answers. I do a lot of soul searching on the Internet. There is a lot of false information out there, but if you keep up the search you will find the truth. I no longer watch any of the major news media's, or local. I get my news from the Internet. I know not everything is true, and can usually find the truth out surfing the net. The Media outlets are government controlled, and right now I don't trust the government. So that is how I got here. I am also a huge Kerry fan, and believe he won this past election, but realize people don't want him to be president bad enough, or there would be hundreds of thousand in the streets.

[proudtobeadem]

35. No, just not enough people know yet

because of the lack of coverage, and most people think it's over but
it's coming out slowly. The media is starting to turn around but they're doing it slowly -they can't just suddenly change their tune -people will wonder what they knew before and how long they knew it for.

[WMoses]

26. Am I the only Republican here?

I would like to say I am an American first and foremost. I've been registered as a Republican for 30 years, but have been falling away from voting that way now for about the last 12 years. I have just never re registered as a Democrat. Maybe now is the time. I really feel the Republican party has been hijacked by right-wing radicals and I can not find anything in common with them anymore (except maybe being fiscally conservative. Bush however, is bankrupting this country.

I found this place reading an "Off-Topic" forum on a Woodworking Site.

I spend so much time here now, it kind of scares me.

I'm just praying for some kind of miracle and Bush will be gone. I believe Kerry won, and even more, I think Kerry would have made a great President.

Out Bush!

[proudtobeadem]

27. You go WMoses!! No, I've seen a few converts

there are probably a lot more but I'm also kinda new. Glad you're here

[Blue_In_AK]

38. A convert!

Welcome, WMoses. It's so gratifying to know that there are Republicans with a conscience. I KNEW there had to be some, and IMHO I think they are the ones who will help us bring this evil empire down. You rock.

[BlueStateBlue]

45. You're not alone!

I live in New Jersey, and I know of at least a dozen card-carrying Republicans who have seen the light during this election. My 79 year old mother is one (who says "ugh, I can't stand the sight of him") and my 78 year old (wealthy) employer who has never before voted anything but a straight Republican ticket. I got her a "Republicans for Kerry" bumper sticker, and she slapped it right on her Mercedes!

[BlueStateBlue]

46. You're not alone!

I live in New Jersey, and I know of at least a dozen card-carrying Republicans who have seen the light during this election. My 79 year old mother is one (who says "ugh, I can't stand the sight of him") and my 78 year old (wealthy) employer who has never before voted anything but a straight Republican ticket. I got her a "Republicans for Kerry" bumper sticker, and she slapped it right on her Mercedes!

[Dem2theMax]

67. Welcome WMoses. I have to say, your statement here -

"I spend so much time here now, it kind of scares me"
is the first sign.

You are already addicted. Get used to a LOT less sleep, very tired eyes, and a brain full of information that will make your head spin. And when you hear something on the news or read about it, you'll be able to say you knew about it WEEKS earlier and you'll know more than them as well. It will also pi$$ you off because they should be doing their jobs. But at least you'll know what's going on in this world! :)

You're in the right place. Welcome!

[oneold1-4u]

28. A late believer

Before 11/02 I was so sure-----Golly, no one is dumb enough to rob the same bank twice!! But it certainly happened! They must have really worn the right masks this time! Feel that if any fraud is proved it should be thrown out, and should have been the first time(2000). Got here from a message board and wished it had been sooner. Now that I am here, you may hear from me about many years as a Dem., but one who has crossed lines.

[trudyco]

29. Thanks for the welcome and here's how I got here...

I woke up the day after "F" day and felt something wasn't right. We didn't watch the election closely but when I heard about the exit polls it really bothered me. I also thought my homestate of CO would go closer to Kerry. Everything else was looking nice and blue.

Watching the MSM over the last couple of years has gotten more and more disappointing. I tried going to print (Washington Post weekly and Newsweek) and it, too, didn't really meet my needs. Especially with the election coverage. So I tried Freespeechtv and got very disappointed. Democracy Now was good but being a News Junkie it didn't give me enough. I had a million questions.

So I remembered my friend telling me about this new radio station called Air America. Finally found the station and listened to it for days. Then I found Randi Rhodes Bulletin board and I got hooked. Someone had an url for something on DailyKos which had an url for DU and .... let me tell you... each find was just better and better. It was like breathing fresh air again.

I'm not alone anymore.
I'm not alone anymore.

trudyco

[IHeart1993]

31. Thanks...

I was a lurker before I got the guts to post. Everyone on this site has proved me with the truth.

IHeart1993

[DianeD]

32. Thanks!

I found this forum on Nov. 5 and have been lurking constantly ever since! Somebody on a general politics board that I read had a link to a thread here about “Which was worse, 9/11 or 11/2/04” and I came and read it and was really moved by the passion of everybody here.

Living in Dallas, Texas I felt pretty alone in my dismay about the results of the “election” and I was thrilled to read everything on this board! I honestly didn’t know anything about the stealing of votes, electronic voting, etc., but I certainly do now! That first weekend I printed out the exit poll data and showed it to my kids (first time voters who were really excited about Kerry)and we've been following it closely ever since.

Thanks again!

[crispini]

60. Welcome DianeD

I live in Dallas too! There are a LOT of us here! Drop by the Texas state forum to keep up with local news and events! We're going to do some REALLY great stuff over the next few years!

[newyawker99]

103. Hi DianeD!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[mattclearing]

34. I'd been lurking for awhile off and on

and then the election happened. I lurked some more, and now I am here.

[Blue_In_AK]

36. Thanks

Thank you very much. I'm not sure exactly how I got here. Surfing the net after the election trying to figure out WTF happened, and found my way here through something posted on Craig's List, I believe.

[George W. Hayduke]

39. muchos gracias

got turned on from link at Headblast blog (www.davidcogswell.com). Check it out if you havn't been. Updates coupla times a week.

anyhow, good to be here. I hate that fuckin smirkin chump.

[liberal43110]

40. Thanks!

Thanks for the welcome and the info!

[Eloriel]

42. Welcome, everyone!

We've had SUCH an influx of simply fabulous new people since the election -- does my heart good.

:toast:

Oh -- but a bit of bad news. For those of you addicted, you DON'T get over it. At least I haven't yet and don't intend to. :evilgrin:

[Paintedlady]

43. Thanks for the welcome

I started coming here a couple of months before the election looking for the truth and for arguments in talking to GA rednecks about why they shouldn't vote for shrub.

I have been devastated ever since the selection and if it wasn't for all the news and evidence posted here I wouldn't know what to do with myself.
I don't say much, but I sure appreciate all the post and hard work from everybody here.

[woodsprite]

44. I'm a member of Repubs for Kerry

So you're not alone. In Delaware, being one party or another doesn't mean much. I think most people vote split ticket. We were also a Gore state in 2000. I didn't feel as horrible over that loss, even though I knew it was rigged too. Maybe because we didn't know the depth that this guy would go to screw us over.

How I came to be here? Well, I watched the polls on the internet until about 2am election night. Kept giving quarter hour updates to my 11yo daughter and hubby. Woke up on November 3rd and feeling like I got the wind knocked out of me after turning on the news and refreshing the pages I had left open. Thank the Lord Delaware was a blue state!!! I think I would have felt even worse. As it is, my daily dose of "redness" is the DBA at work who sits right across from me. He's an intelligent guy on most things. We're in cubbies so I hear it ALL DAY LONG. I JUST DON'T GET IT! I have the DU page up all day just to keep my sanity.

My weekly megadose of "red" is dinner at the inlaws. I *SWEAR* they only voted for GWB because their church told them to. Hubby's Aunt visited the family on Thanksgiving which opened up alot of honest political talk. She had worked in legislature for years, is a lawyer now. Three out of 17 at the table voted for Kerry. IL's had no idea about the underhandedness going on or the proposed bills in congress. They got an earfull from me. Haven't been back since then, so tomorrow night should be interesting. Wait till they find out that hubby and I have seriously been researching what it would take for him to get a decent job (IT) and an equivalent property in Calgary, Alberta. Even though I want this election ruling turned over or the guy evicted from the White House (after all, it's the People's house, not his), I can't really see it happening. I have an 11yo daughter and a 4yo son, I do not want to be forced to drug them up or send them off to war with some country that does not deserve it. My daughter is scared since GWB is ticking off so many countries and Delaware is essentially a sitting duck between Philly, NYC, DC, and Baltimore.

I'm really afraid in 2008 that we will not even have elections and this guy won't vacate the WH. We have GOT to turn the tables in the 2006 elections! I would have thought Biden would have been more aggressive in supporting these efforts. I wrote both of them and I *know* Carper, and while I don't think corruption is an issue there, I do think they don't want to "rock the boat". If we can only make them understand that there will be no boat if this doesn't get straightened out.

Thanks for the welcome AND a chance to get all that "off my chest".

[indigonation]

50. HI

I'm only a few ahead of ya. :)

Welcome. And please don't move north. Can you imagine that table having NO votes for Kerry or any future Dem? I keep imagining that map of "Jesusland" spreading over the blue areas because we all abandoned the swing states. No, we have to stay here to turn some of those red states blue again.

So keep talking to some sense into those red people.

Edit: I see you were a Republican, but not happy with the Shrub. So, at least talk sense into people to vote for any candidate that supports most of our values. W obviously did not, or you wouldn't be here.

[woodsprite]

63. I'm torn

whether to switch to the democratic party OR stay a repub and work to undermine their primaries. Hubby and I both feel that way. I really DON'T want to be associated with them, but if we can help "slip up" the party, then OK. We registered repub way back when Ronnie ran. That was our first voting experience and we voted along our parents lines. After that we were "OK, our votes cancel your votes".

Mike Castle has been pretty good for Delaware and I do support him as he is one of the more sane repubs around. Right now, I'm thinking I'll
vote against him in the upcoming election just to get another Dem seat in the House.

If it was just myself and hubby, I'd tough it out here no matter what. With our two precious kiddo's, I will bail if it gets too bad before my 11yo gets old enough for them to scream "draft dodger". I worked too hard trying to get them here in the first place to let GWB screw them over -- 8 yrs for my daughter and another 7 yrs for my son. They are my life. If he gets as bad as I think he will if he can't be stopped, then the whole world is screwed anyhow. Right now, I'm still hanging onto threads of hope and working at blasting any Senators or Congressmen who will listen.

I tell ya'. Hubby is getting a little tired of DU coming to bed with us every night though ;)

[newyawker99]

104. Hi woodsprite!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[stella2cat]

47. thanks! I can't remember how I originally got here.....

think it was right after the nightmare of Nov 2 when I was looking for election fraud news. This forum has been my salvation and sanity since that day.

I'm so glad I found you all!

[indigonation]

48. Thanks

especially thanks for the handy dandy look up. I was wondering when I could get up the nerve to ask about n/t.

Thank you for the welcome, honestly I'm not sure I've felt that welcome since coming here. Many people read you suspiciously if you don't have many posts and say something controversial.

Like so many Dems, I worked the Kerry campaign, subscribed to the newsletters and occasioned the Kerry and democrats.org sites and blogs. I found out about DU by means of those blogs and CGCD.

Depressed like most dems after the election heist, I started lurking here and hoping to share ideas and get answers to my anger over the new Mandate my A$$ and the mounting voting fraud evidence.

I really don't have time for blogs,;) but I find myself drawn back in to find out the lastest news and gossip in regards to the * regime. It serves as a quickie diversion when my RePiggie Rush-worshipers at work start getting on my nerves.

Thanks for being here.

[sagesnow]

49. I've been a long time lurker

who needs to find a DU-Anonymous group. ;)

My computer fixing friend, UpInArms, had made DU my home page when they returned my computer. Now I use DU for all my news and amaze people at work with LBN items that beat CNN to the punch. I am reluctant to post because I rarely have anything up to date to contribute.

I live in the middle of a corn field on the West Coast of Iowa, Up In Arms lives 12,283 corn and bean fields away so DU really keeps me connected to my sanity.

Up in Arms and I made connections through a political Newsgroup called MargiesWin that started following the Stolen Election of 2000.
About 10 of us old liberals ended up in DC for several protests. As well, I have attend as many Peace Protests in the Midwest as possible and still keep my job. I may be too old to attract love, too poor to pay attention , but I can damn can well still raise hell when my democracy is under attack!

[indigonation]

51. Hi there

West side of Iowa? Isn't that emeny ter-tory? Close to solid red?

You were just a post down or two, and I'm new too so just thought I'd say hello. I hail from Michigan.

Welcome, its nice to hear a voice of reason from that part of the country. You must have been going crazy the day after election. Iowa took a couple of days to finish, didn't it?

[Lisabtrucking]

65. It's not like it use to be in the 60's and 70's

I love your reply. I'm from that great stolen state of Florida, and I feel the same way about raising hell. I have been going around spreading the word about the election and wanting to hold protests, down here. People are so darn scared to raise a little hell now a days. It's not like it use to be in the 60's and 70's. I wish it was. We use to raise some hell.

[newyawker99]

105. Hi sagesnow!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[emcguffie]

52. newbie here

Thank you very much.

This is my first experience with a board at all. I've always shied away from them, being a tad bit shy and intimidated by groups in general.

I found DU in those dark hours after Nov. 2. I found myself sitting up in bed about 6 a.m. in utter shock, not having slept. I didn't go to work. I slept the entire day. That Thursday, when I did go to work, my boss sent me an e-mail: Ellen, I do think that staying home over the election is a little much, don't you?

I don't understand why people don't get it. They lack imnagination, or vision, or they are too trusting. I just don't know.

I had the same reaction in 2000, and everybody at work kind of read me the riot act -- "Cut it out, get down to work, leave it alone, you can't change anything," et cetera. I was over-reacting. "We lived through Reagan, didn't we?" And they are all dems or greens or something of the sort.

And everything I feared has come to pass.

Does anyone else remember before the war started, when the polls showed 60 percent of Americans opposed to the war, without the UN? I understand why it changed, as soon as the war started -- you have to support the boys and girls and all that. But it is as if the past vanishes down a rabbit hole or something.

I have a confession, though. I grew up in a house that was pretty darn active in politics. So for me, it was an act of rebellion to ignore the subject. And so I did, for some 15 years or so. And so did everyone I know, pretty much. They were all in theatre. I didn't read the NY Times until I had lived in New York for at least 10 years. So, I can say with some certainty, that there is an entire chunk of american society, who may be liberal, but who do not watch the news or read the paper. Very much. And so they just don't know what is going on. And of course now you CAN read the paper and still not have any idea what is going on. Judith Miller is writing about the UN and Kofi Annan now (and lying, again). So is the entire american media, too.

It was the US almost as much as France and Russia that refused to do anything about the "oil for food" scandal, when it was going on. The secretary-general could not make the security council do a damn thing they didn't want to do. And it was up to them to do something. Not the SG. His hands were tied. And now he is being slaughtered, for what they did. Just as the "UN" is blamed for Rwanda, when it was the US, led by Clinton (whom I admire tremendously, anyway), that refused to go into Rwanda and do anything. Madeleine Albright forbade the use of the word "genocide", concerning Rwanda. No, no, and no.

This because it was on the heels of that bad business in Somalia.

I don't imagine anyone will read this entire post. But here it is anyway.

Hey, I'll climb the barricades with anyone that's up for it.

Ellen

[proudtobeadem]

56. I read your whole post

and this is also my first time on a board (and I've been online for 8 years) I never even used instant messaging. I also was so depressed after the election that if I had a job, I would have stayed home too.
I cried quite a few times over the next several days and couldn't find anything to get me out it. I also have always been a liberal but never really paid attention to politics, always too busy with school,and stuff. During the 2000 disaster, I began to get involved, but I just did not think it would happen again. It took 4 years of hell and a 2nd selection for me to really get involved. I'm glad I am now.

[SharonRB]

83. Hang in there

Everyone I know, even those who are just as upset about the election, tells me the same thing. "Get on with it, nothing is going to change. We just have to live with it." I'm not convinced -- I can't let myself believe that yet. The fat lady just hasn't sung for me yet. It's all bubbling under the surface and it's going to come out soon -- hopefully soon enough to do something about it. If they can do something in the Ukraine, they can do something here.

[youthere]

53. How very kind.

I was referred to the site by a friend of mine.:-)

[newyawker99]

106. Hi youthere!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[skids]

54. Thanks, from an old newbie.

It took me a while to figure out what n/t stood for when I first got here.

I came in via the BBV boards, when people kept referring to stuff going on at "DU". Eventually I figured out what "DU" was :-)

[libmeayer]

55. Thank you.

[pilgrimsoul]

59. I discovered this place

through a link at dKos and am now a total DU junkie! Lurked for a long time before finally joining and posting. It has been enormously helpful to have this board to come to. Reading posts of other people as alarmed and angry as I am at the hijacking of our democracy has stoked a fire in me to learn all I can and work toward change. I'm scared to death we're all going to get investigated and harrassed by the government before too long if these guys aren't stopped, especially those brave ones of us who demonstrate in DC on January 20.

Reading your posts gives me hope and helps me feel less afraid about where this country is headed, because I know now there are a LOT of people out there who love this country enough to challenge the lies and corruption. Thanks for encouraging me.

[tamtam]

57. Thank you

I have been lurking here for a while now. I found this place while doing a search for a liberal message board. I've learned so much form this board. DU should be proud of the on line movement it has started.

[Greybnk48]

58. thankyou

I arrived here through a circuitous route Nov 3 and lurked until NOV 20. I don't post much and when I have I've made some blunders, but was graciously forgiven. At one point I asked how to "kick"--duh!

Thanks to everyone on DU. You have saved me froma serious depression--not joking.:-(

Thanks to all of you!!

[Patsy Stone]

61. Thanks! Glad to be here! n/t

[Sideways]

69. Haven't You Been Here 4Ever? LOL

Hi Patsy! Welcome to all the new kids on the block. When I found DU in April 2001 from the Buzz Flash Top 10 Idiots List I cried my eyes out.

[Patsy Stone]

73. No, but it sure feels like it! n/t :)

[housewolf]

62. Thanks for the welcome

I've checked in here off and on for about a year and a half now, but just recently registered so I could join in some of the conversation.

My thanks to YOU for providing such a great forum for us. Keep up the good work.

[FredStembottom]

64. Been lurking since Nov. 3

It's exhilarating and confusing here. Some of the discussions are so far advanced and full of inside references that I can only guess at the general drift.

I have begun posting but fully expect to get pounded soon.:scared: The "number of posts" gauge seems to carry great weight. Combine that with my political opinions - which are somewhat hybridized and... I'm gonna get pounded.......

However, the current attempts to _actually_ establish a theocracy here in the U.S. are so repellent and un-American that I am in complete solidarity with all Democrats. We all need to be! We can discuss the "asterisks" in my political philosophy sometime later.

My special area of interest is union organizing and the blue collar white male. I am, myself, a blue collar white male and swim in a sea of utterly irrational and just plain hood-winked workers.
Thomas Frank's "What's the Matter with Kansas" gives an idea of my daily reality. Although I am in Minnesota, I am surrounded by fellow workers who invariably go to the polls and help re-instate the very people who want nothing so much as to drive them into the dirt!
I keep expecting to wake up someday! I have my own insights into how such bizarre and self-flagellating behavior as this was cultured - but there's space for that elsewhere on the forum.

For now....thank's for the welcome!

[newyawker99]

107. Hi FredStembottom!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[marions ghost]

66. Couldn't live with it anymore...it's a turning point for me

I tend to see things in psychological terms a lot. I think people of all stripes are coming together now to save their sanity. You just can't absorb all this stuff without having some kind of reaction. IMO the people coming here to connect on DU are just not prepared to go into denial after Nov 2. We are the fighters, who have made the decision to deal with this head on. In trying to save ourselves, we may save others. I think this is a healthy response to the monumental lies we are being asked to swallow.

Sometimes obsessions are for very good reasons. Taking action in any way is better than becoming more depressed or buying the victim role. Bushco has abused us severely for 4 years and basically told half of the country (or more than half if the truth be known)--to "put up and shut up." Must be a great power trip for such a band of supreme narcissists to have that much power. Nothing is wrong because they believe they can do no wrong.

I am not buying the validity of the 2004 selection. I want answers. I want Truth. I want a standard of ethics in government and in society that is higher than this garbage. I reject the "moral values" argument --Bushco has no business talking morality in any sense. I see that it is going to be up to We The People to lead now. I'm inspired by all the diverse individuals on DU, coming here to share news and info and to help turn this thing around. I think we have strength in numbers, but everybody counts...against such powerful hijackers of our democracy.

PS****This is a great article for anyone who wants to consider the abuser/victim analogy in all this:

http://mathewgross.com/blog/archives/001041.html

[Election Mess]

68. What does it take to be able to initiate a thread?

I keep getting the message that I have not posted enough to start threads. What are the criteria?

email me at: [e-mail]

[proudtobeadem]

84. Ask administration, I think its not much more. I can't remember exactly

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

70. Thank you Proudtobe! How I migrated to DU........

I visited DU every now and then over the past 2 years, but not the Forums. Just for news. I posted during that time, and still occassionally now, on the AOL News boards. I found my way there once I was politically re-awakened. I was one of those who became comfortably numb, and then 9/11 happened. Once the election was held on 11/3 I needed more and more info on vote fraud. I was at DU looking for news, and then all of a sudden I decided to look at the posts. And here I am! :)

As to my political re-awakening....

In the late 60's I protested and assisted in helping friends with draft counseling. I remained somewhat politically aware afterwards, but eventually slipped into middle class complacency. Of course I was appalled by Watergate, cheered Daniel Elsberg on. Knew that Bush Sr. had to have been involved with Iran-Contra. Thought the Gulf War senseless...Knew that Gore was the real President, Etc, etc, and would continue on in my daily life. Involved with my marriage, with having children and raising them, divorce, the love of my life dying, starting a business,etc, etc, etc.

Then on one absolutely glorious September morning, hardly a single cloud in a perfect azure sky, the city of my birth, the city that I played in, worked in, grew up in, fell in love in, was brutally attacked. Although I had moved out of, and stopped working in the city 14 years earlier, relocating to Westchester County (a suburb of the city), I have never stopped being a NYer.

I was of course in shock then, but I was born with an excellent sense of sifting through crap, and when Bush stood there with that bullhorn in his hand amongst the ruins, my stomach turned.

A few months later I had an epiphany. I don't know what I was doing at the time, but it came to me. I had a feeling that 9/11 was in the least allowed to happen, and at the most, an inside job.

I started to do my own research on the net, and then needed to find others to discuss what I found with..that led me to the AOL boards, which eventually led me here. :)

Thank you again, and everyone, please continue your work in getting the word out there, for once it starts to creep into the collective consciousness, Truth Will Out!

BTW...one more thing that I would be remiss not to mention. This government has not been ours at least since before I was born in 1951. There is a shadow government that allows we the masses some limited freedom, but I seriously believe that those limited freedoms are going to be taken away from us if we cannot reverse this election. There will be no Presidential Elections in 2008 if it is allowed to stand as it is now.

[Hamoth]

71. Thanks!

Kinda scary coming in here. Lots of hard hitters.

I'm from over at the Randi Rhodes message forum. A lot of DU links kept showing up there, and eventually I just HAD to chime in on one. So here I am!

[Lost Dutchman]

72. Thank you for the welcome n/t

[newyawker99]

108. Hi Lost Dutchman!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[mod mom]

74. Denver Rally organizers suggested posting

After CASEOhio decided to hold the 12/4 Rally, I needed to draw a crowd. After contacting Denver organizers, they suggested posting and DU. I must say a big THANK YOU to all the people who came to Columbus, and all who were here in spirit. How many of you have come across progressives who have moved on? Here in Columbus, because of the attention given us during the campaign, had a vast network of volunteers to contact. I was very disappointed in the people who did not show up. I am very proud of the travelers who continue to demand a full investigation. I hope the attendees were happy with the Rally Program.

[carlagirl]

75. Thanks for the welcome...

I really needed that as I am kinda shy and....all of you seem to know each other so well. I have been lurking around since the selection and have found a place to feel comfortable here at DU. Here I can dare to get my hopes up without being laughed at!

Like most others here, I am certain that JK won the Presidency. I worked very hard on his campaign, spending many hours each day in a swing state not far from my safe blue state. There really was a sense that things would be different this time around--everywhere I turned, there was another Republican expressing hate for W. Through all the phone calls and canvassing of neighborhoods, in registering new voters, and finally,in the GOTV on election day, there was a quiet optimism that the good guys would win this time around. I remember driving home from working at a staging area on 11/2 with my daughter. We got a few phone calls on the way home and everyone was saying we were winning in a landslide. My other daughter called to tell me that her good friend, who works for a Dem U.S. Senator in D.C., came home at 6 p.m. to change clothes and get ready for the parties all over Washington.

Two hours later, everything started to unravel, and we just knew that Karl Rove was working his magic again.

I spend hours every day here at DU, trying to catch up on all the info--it is truly an amazing place. Thank you for being there! I have been spreading the word to everyone who will listen.

[newyawker99]

109. Hi carlagirl!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[propagandafreegal]

76. Thank you :)

[dissenting crone]

77. Appreciate the welcomes

Having the forums here, with the diversity of expression, has been empowering for me, a progressive native Floridian whose been watching her state deteriorate each year. The bush influx here (especially these last few months) has been more than distasteful.

After the F-Day, I shaved my old head, and doing so gave me some minimal satisfaction I could wear.

DU is one of the many sites I've found that at least ventilates a lot of what I've felt. The freepers are like roaches, of course, but thanks to the bug patrol, get bounced frequently.

Great to have access (and a welcome mat) for believers in the First Amendment.

[newyawker99]

110. Hi dissenting crone!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Blue State Blues]

78. Thank you

It's good to be here.

[dalloway]

79. thanks for the welcome!

I came over with a link from dkos when Elizabeth Edwards posted. Have been watching the threads ever since, but just decided to register today--my first post on the "I believe" thread and my second post here. Thanks for welcoming us newbies!

[SharonRB]

80. Thanks for the welcome

I think I got here from a link off of blackboxvoting.org, but I don't remember for sure. I've become addicted -- need to get my fix a few times a day just to keep up with what's going on and link to other important information. My husband calls me his "little subversive." I'd like nothing better than to tell everyone "I told you so" when this is all over and Kerry is inaugurated on January 20.

[JunkYardDogg]

82. Call it Moving UP

I have been a poster at Move-On Action Forum and CommonGroundCommonSense where DU was often referred to
Was a prime motivator at my College in the'60's-we turned it into
one of the top 5 most Radical Campuses in the country
Dissident /Confrontational Politics is my background
"Let's Git'er Done!!"
Went to the Local Dems meeting on Nov3 to confirm my morbid curiousity-they just don't have a clue what's happening to America
I'm just starting to post my good stuff here
DU has the best replies -good intelligent feedback, dialogue, and research (links) I got real good response to what I have posted so far
However, I have my own Dissident "Dictionary" to post to add to the DU Dictionary

[ohio_liberal]

85. Thanks for the welcome!

:hi:

[lakelly]

87. Thank you!!

Thank you so much for your warm welcome. I really don't remember how I found my way to the Democratic Underground. (I'm terrible with directions) I started lurking here last October (I think). I just started posting very recently. Just wanted to let you all, this site has helped to keep me sane (relatively speaking) during all the election shenanigans.
Again, thank all of you for your insight, intelligence and humor.Don't know what I'd do without you guys.

[Chi]

88. Thank you...

and Dang! If I had this last week I wouldn't of had to ask what N/T meant. hehe

[FloridaCrat]

89. thank you, sooooo glad to be here,

I arrived from Blackboxvoting and RandiRhodes - you guys have all the sources and information in one place - and intelligent conversation to boot!!!

:yourock:

[Kellis]

90. Hello~

and


Welcome to all of the new members!

[mom cat]

91. Thanks for posting the link to the DU-dictionary. It really helped me

when I firts came on board.

[UVASAM1]

93. how i got here

Thanks! I got here b/c a friend of mine always looks at the top 10 conservative idiots of the week!

[Scout1071]

94. Thanks everyone!

I've been obsessively lurking as well, although staring to post a bit more. I appreciate this board so much and I believe we are making history. Boards like this are effectively a public think tank. They are the future of democracy. So, forgive me if I don't post as often as you'd like, but sometimes in nice to take a step back and watch democracy in action. Trust me...when you make a plea for a call to action...I'm with you and trying to do my part.

Thanks for being such a great community. You've given me hope again.

[buddysmellgood]

95. DON'T FALL FOR THE WELCOME POST! It's a trap!

It might look like a welcome, but it's really a sinister conspiracy designed to draw you into an endless circular welcoming scheme. In the process, you will be drained of spirit and thought, your mind emptied into the endless void of the internets.
LOOK AWAY, LOOK AWAY!
And welcome.

[IAMREALITY]

99. LOL

Sorry, that is too friggin funny.

[jamboi]

97. Thank you!

[villagechild]

98. Thank you

I had lurked for 6 months before I decided to "join". I sat with this forum through the entire pre and post election. I have little math sense, but am truely grateful for those that have applied hard research and the facts - to striking at the root of the election problems. Thanks you all for your hard work here! ~Disabled Woman Veteran from Northern California.

[trillian]

100. Thanks

I got here from a link on the Clark Blog.

No surprise there eh. :hi:

[Withywindle]

101. Thanks so much!

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I've been lurking for quite a while - I tend to do that at a lot of boards until I hit the gotta-register tipping point.

[hoosierblue]

111. Thank you!!

I've watched DU for months, watching the front page for all updates. After realizing that you guys really know how to ferret out the best info, I decided to join.

Since the election I have noticed a change in tone, however. I'm pretty sure emotions are high. I do miss all the people welcoming others to DU. I kind of thought that was what made DU special. Hopefully, when things get settled, with JK as Prez, we'll all calm down a little again.

And thanks for the dictionary. Every once in a while a new one pops up and I have no idea what it means.

Thanks again.