DU appreciation thread

[Tab]

I'm not a huge touchy-feely guy, but I do recognize stuff around me. In George Bush's economy I haven't been as flush as I have been in prior years, so I don't have a star next to my name, but for a while I did. I've helped as a moderator when I could, but life has given me other obligations recently.

NEVERTHELESS, as absolutely frustrated as we are, as appalled as we are about what GWB "Cheneymonkey" is doing, you have to take a moment and acknowledge that if we didn't have resources like DU, TPM, NPR (to some degree) and others, that we wouldn't even know there was anything to be appalled about. As much as it sucks that Bushco is in power at the moment, we have to appreciate that it's at a moment when we have alternate forms of news dissemmination and communication. If this happened in Nixon's age (particularly with our current media) we wouldn't know half the crap that goes on, or even half of half of the crap. As appalled as we are, at least we KNOW it. We haven't been able to rectify it, or fix it, but KNOWING it is the first, and most important, step to being able to do anything about it. Thirty years ago, with a roll-over-scratch-my-belly and oh-I-have-pictures-you-in-your-underwear press, we would know nothing. Absolutely nothing.

In a weird way, and I'm not one to ascribe "greater meanings" to anything, but it seems fortuitous that this coincided with the openness of information that comes with the Internet. God help us if this had happened ten years early or ten years later. Earlier, there'd be no recourse, later, information probably would have already been locked down. So although I thank DU, I also thank Bartcop, TPM, Kos, whoever... we're the American Samizdat. And if you don't know what that is, look it up. *

- Tab

* And if you do know it and use it for a title of a book, you owe me.

[BeHereNow]

1. I just wonder how long we will have these internet watering holes...

The net has been the biggest impediment to keeping
the masses stupid.
I can't help but wonder if they will one day
shut us down.
BHN

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. That scares me so much. nt

[BeHereNow]

3. It scares all of us who depend on places like DU for sanity.

Just think what life would be like without each other...
Yikes.
BHN

[zabet]

4. My thoughts exactly.

I fear that sites like this and many others will be
deemed 'detrimental to the cause' and 'seized and shut
down'. I may be having a fit of paranoia..:shrug:

[BeHereNow]

6. I don't think it's paranoid at all...not if you keep up with the EOs

coming out of the WH these days.
BHN

[JuniperLea]

5. You have just voiced (typed) my greatest fear...

The day free speech truly dies...

[BeHereNow]

7. I recently met up with some great DUers in my area.

I recommend it highly.
At least if they do seize control of the net,
which I think highly probable given the media
consolidation- I'm glad to
know some of my DU friends.
I'd go crazy if I didn't have some like minded
folks to talk to.
BHN

[babylonsister]

8. Great post! It's hard to feel 'lucky' about what's going on, but you're right. nt

[Rick Myers]

9. DU is a GREAT resource! Skinner, Elad and EarlG created a MONSTER!!!

Think about this... The 'press' in Nixon's time was a REALLY small club! Yet they had things like ethics...

They KNEW they were part of a functional democracy. Today, kids go to college, major in broadcasting and go on to do Jackass for MTV.

As a kid, my family went to Florida from Ohio every summer. I remember my sister and parents going to the beach at Daytona while I dragged the TV on to the balcony and watched the Watergate hearings!

We had heroes back then, and some of them were even 'journalists!'

[monmouth]

12. Wow, I was like that too. Was pregnant, labor began and I just refused

to go to hosp. until the last minute. Watergate, great TV.....

[DeepModem Mom]

10. K&R! I looked it up -- you're right. An excellent, thought-provoking post.

[Tab]

11. And what really pisses me off?

Is that we need one.

Maybe I've been naive, or maybe the America I grew up with isn't here anymore. I don't know. But we are at some kind of a political crisis. It's saddening, but we aren't without tools. Other cultures got through worse. But damn, I'm getting cynical in my old age.

[Mabus]

13. I'm grateful for it everyday

DU and a number of other sites around the internet have kept me both in the loop and sane.

I had to look it up but you are right, we are the American Samizdat. Oh man. It made my head spin. I thought about Thomas Paine and how we, those of us who participate in the discussion are the new patriots. We fight tyranny every time we read a post. We fight tyranny every time we write a post. We pass on information by pasting from the originals or by pointing others to it.

If all we had had to listen to was the corporate media (news, commercials, etc.) since 2000 past we'd be so screwed.

on edit: This deserved an afternoon K&R for all my fellow American Samizdats.