if you find a place to be that's not here...will you email me and let me know where that is?

... if for some reason you leave without use of PM here.

Good gawd!! I just read that (very brief) thread you linked in your e-mail just now, and I am dumbfounded. WTF??? You weren't being inflammatory...I don't get it.

I'm anxious to see what EarlG says. Thanks for the info.

It's one thing to toss actual trolls under the bus, but lately we've seen some of the longest, most prolific, and most insightful members either shut down or tossed out for what USED TO BE a discussion of what one felt was the truth, according to their own predilictions and personal history.

It's an Internet Message Board, THAT'S ONE OF ITS BASIC FUNCTIONS!

When I was a newbie here, I was lectured for believing that the things posted on DU might actually affect anything... conferences, congressional hearings, elections...

And ya know what??? They were right, I was wrong.

It's an Internet Message Board!

Yet, shutting things down seems to be the norm rather than the exception these days. What... Exactly... Are we afraid of???

And...

I do not mean to be hurtful, or overdramatic with this, but many wonderful DUers were here posting right until the ends of their lives. They fought the good fight, both as actual activists, and as part of this online community... until they could post no more. We know their names... Keph, Andy, Nostamj to name a few... one has to wonder what they'd think of all this now. One lately has to wonder if THEY'D HAVE LEFT, OR BEEN BOOTED!

Just barely a couple of weeks ago, I voted almost straight ticket Democrat in our Primary here in California. And curiously... I'll be voting for Jerry Brown this November, just like I did with my very first vote after I turned 18 in 1974.

And in case you did not know it... he's a Democrat. And so am I.

Whatever happens here at DU, to me, or to the Democratic Party... I will be sleeping well.