WTF is going on here at DU?

[nomaco-10]

I've been here for a couple of years and I'm trying to figure out what the hell is going on in here every time I log on.

We now have the voice of du replaced by Starpass to members like Mopaul as our spoke's person.

Several months ago a poster here by the name of Starpass thought that multiple deaths of 19 year old military soldiers from this country would benefit the anti war effort and further our cause for this unjust war. But many of us spoke up and challenged her, that no life, whether it be Iraqi or American was no less important to be lost or cut short in this blood lust for oil that was perpetrated by our very own government.

Here we are nearing July of 2004, and WHOSE MINDS AND HEARTS have we changed?

I, for one, find myself more on the side of the Iraqi people and more sympathetic to their plight everyday of the week, instead of planting my ass in the pews of some southern baptist church pew, discussing our moral superiority and the downfall of the gays in this country.

If we don't get on the same page and start railing against some of the rhetoric that is going on around here, we will find ourselves irrelevant and a laughing stock on the internet. We are much more timely and informed than more than half of the crap spewing from this site, such as "Who Are The "Hottest" Dems Today". Who gives a rat's ass about the superficiality of a post like that when our country is killing in the name of moral superiority and losing face in every corner of the world.


Four kids in the Marines were ambushed and murdered in Ramada today. A South Korean citizen faces beheading this evening and the world is watching and the Abu Graib prison torture scandal looms large.

We are in serious trouble as a country and a culture. The world is watching, and I am ashamed.

[Q]

1. Now that you mention it...

...WhoTF are you?

- Mopaul is an individual and a great satirist. He doesn't pretend to represent anyone but himself. If you don't like his or any other threads...ignore or disappear them. We certainly don't need YOU as a net nanny.

[nomaco-10]

53. You're right Q, who am I to dare speak out.....

when we have the end all spokes person that wants to piss on reagan's grave and make sure people that come here in a moderate vein see that this site is all about first amendment rights. Sure, you've got 40 other subject topics with current and completely thought provoking and informative content, but it's all about how you title that subject line, isn't it.

I like Mopaul myself, he is one of those rare voices that just tells it like it is. It's refreshing, but I wish I could come in here and there wasn't the same subject matter titled in 15 different ways, instead of combining them into one informative thread, that there wasn't a balls out, sensationalistic attention getting, shock value subject title. We're better than that.

[Catch22Dem]

2. When was starpass my spokesperson?

I'm not sure I understand the point of this post exactly. I mean, I kinda get the gist of it, but what, in detail, is you current problem with DU?

For the record, mopaul isn't my spokesperson either. Catch22Dem is my spokesperson.

ON EDIT - Frivilous threads are the whole point of the lounge. You can be all kinds of goofy in the lounge and it's a good place to just bullshit with other like-minded people about anything. The threads you mention are lounge threads. If you don't like them, just avoid the lounge altogether. Might save you some headaches.

[Liberal Veteran]

4. I thought NSMA was our spokesmodel...er...person.

:)

[Catch22Dem]

9. LOL...well maybe her. n/t

[Guaranteed]

34. Heh...maybe if she was a liberal. nt

[Selwynn]

42. OOh ooh! I'm for that.

[Andy_Stephenson]

7. Amen...

Mopaul does say things I would say. As did this poster. But as for Starpass and Mopaul being my spokesmen....ppptfa


:loveya: mopaul

[Ironpost]

21. for the record Mopaul

is a person I have a lot of respect for, this is from a 15 month viet-nam vet. what I'm saying is we have serious problem in this march to war

[sniffa]

3. does this thread make me Look fat?

[Jacobin]

10. no no no no

The dress shrunk at the cleaners.

:hi:

[Feanorcurufinwe]

5. WTF?

:wtf:

[Jacobin]

6. I miss Starpass

and her posts.

Sometimes unpleasant realities such as the ones she described are meritorious to discuss and can be twisted by RWers with an agenda.

What's new about that.

The LAST thing I'm worried about is what RWers think about me or us.

They are delusional, evil, bile spewing traitors who are attempting to destroy my country.

[lovedems]

15. The RWers will also find fault in anything liberals say or do

so the truth might as well be told.

I am "relatively new" to DU so I don't know what it was like "in the good ol' days" but for every silly lounge thread there are 5 that are informative! With the depressing news we are hit with every day, a good laugh from a lounge thread is always welcome.

[Blue_Roses]

71. where has Starpass been?

n/t

[WLKjr]

8. Amen to that brother......

I haven't been around for a long long time but been around for a while and have noticed this happening more and more lately. We all need to start addressing the issues more and more and stop with all the vanity posts like the one "Who Are The "Hottest" Dems Today" that you refer to.

[Catch22Dem]

13. Once again, those are lounge posts

The lounge is the lounge. It exists for the sole purpose of talking about nothing. It's like the Seinfeld of DU. It's a great meeting place for people who love to be surrounded by like-minded folks but who also NEED to take a break from politics. Even if just for one night. Shit, I do it all the time. As a matter of fact, I might have to visit the lounge now just to take my mind off this thread. ;)

[bloom]

33. unfortunately, "Who Are The "Hottest" Dems Today" was in GD

it seems to have been deleted.

(I ignored it, myself...but I did think :wtf: is this doing here...)

[Catch22Dem]

69. Didn't know

Certainly not GD material, but not an ender-of-worlds either. ;)

[WLKjr]

51. I saw that it was in the lounge

but it didn't need to be on the GD side of it.

[newsguyatl]

11. your profile says you've only been

here just under a year? :shrug:


oh, and it's ramadi (iraqi town), not ramada (hotel)

[wellstone_democrat]

24. oh, and it's ramadi (iraqi town), not ramada (hotel)

laughin' my ass off. Nice correction style you've got there!

[nomaco-10]

31. Why are you minimizing my post and .....

making fun of my spelling? Remember ME! from the Dean days and P4C?

How soon people forget. Especially disapointing when they can get a gratutitous, superflous slam when none is warranted. I'm more disapointed in you, newsguy than anybody, not like you at all.
sigh...

[thebigidea]

70. now you're complaining about gratuitous slams?

Talk about irony.

I must admit, I'm very dissapointed in you. You won't be making spokesperson status any time soon.

[Cleita]

12. As long as the criminal element in charge in the White House

and in Congress aren't brought to justice, aren't indicted and aren't tried for their crimes since the 2000 stolen election, we can't hope for and end to this because we have to start with them, put them away and let the world know and any future criminals know that this aberration will never be allowed and tolerated again in our country.

No one seems to have realized that this isn't about voting out a political party. It's about a cancer that has grown unchecked in the right wing of the Republican party, but we Democrats are not immune either and we need to clean the criminals out of our house too.

[Hoping4Change]

26. Are you saying that mopaule is a criminal????

:wtf:

[Cleita]

32. Did you read my post? Is Mopaul a member of the WH or Congress?

I agree with Mopaul on just about everything. I am even more angry than him on a lot of issues. We have a bunch of criminals running our government and someone has to indict them and bring them to justice.

[Hoping4Change]

37. Your post says "out of our house too" nothing there about

the White House.

[Guaranteed]

40. She meant our PARTY, not DU.

The Zell Miller's and such. Criminy.

[Cleita]

44. Thanks. I guess I wasn't specific enough.

eom

[Hoping4Change]

49. Well the Original Message is about mopaul so how would i

know she was referring to the democratic party? i just wanted to clarify her comment.

[Richardo]

14. Lighten up, Francis

Look, the Lounge is the Lounge and you'll find all manner of serious discussion in most if not all of the other boards. Put the Lounge on ignore and see if your assessment changes.

[fudge stripe cookays]

25. I knew there was a reason i liked you, buddy!

Extraneous Stripes references always appreciated.

[StrawberryPinHead]

16. I've been a lurker for 3 months

Just today I finally decided to get on board :scared:
Mopaul is an interesting guy. I find him to be more sarcastic than anything else. IMO.

[Catherine Vincent]

18. Welcome to DU!

Let me introduce myself...I am Bill Clinton's number 1 fan here!:-)

[StrawberryPinHead]

22. Thanks Cat girl!

I promise I won't hold it against you.
:)

[Droopy]

19. Welcome to DU, StrawberryPinHead

I love that user name. :toast:

[StrawberryPinHead]

23. Thanks Droopy!

I love reading your posts.

[wellstone_democrat]

27. Hey, just jump in with the sharks and swim my friend

(ignore the persistent scoldings some dish out daily)

Mopaul? Love the guy. Even when he makes me cringe he makes me think!

[Hoping4Change]

29. Hey you, strawnerrypinhead

Thank you for jumping in adn welcome to DU.:hi:

[StrawberryPinHead]

38. Thanks Hoping4Change!

It's kind of intimidating. So many smart people and they know their facts. I'm learning a lot though.

[Hoping4Change]

47. The only thing wrong about not knowing something is not

not caring about the lack of knowledge and not having any curiousity to learn. I find this is a great place to get information and its alot of fun, I hope you like it too.

[scarletwoman]

17. ???? NO ONE is a "spokeperson" for DU!

I am my OWN spokesperson, and I think that most everyone else here is THEIR own spokespersons.

DU is not a monolith, there is NO single viewpoint here that is more or less legitimate than any other. Some viewpoints I agree with, some I do not. But there is not ONE of them that I consider to be THE DU viewpoint.

DU is a gathering place, but it's not a consensus. I am often just as disturbed and disheartened by stuff I read here as I am by stuff that comes out of the right wing.

There may be some things upon which there may be general agreement, but there are also many things about which there may never be agreement.

The most important function of DU is the opportunity to increase one's knowledge of various issues. Reaching a consensus of opinion ABOUT a particular issue isn't really the point, imho.

sw

[Guaranteed]

30. That's right.

There are precious few people here that I would allow to speak for me entirely. That's why I'm here- to speak for myself.

[scarletwoman]

35. Damn straight!

No one speaks for me -- but ME! :D

sw

[markses]

20. No Marines were "murdered" in Ramadi today

Four Marines were killed in action against an outgunned and undertrained insurgent force. Asymmetrical? Sure. Murder? Not quite.

[nomaco-10]

41. Don't parse words.....

Four marines were MURDERED and probably THIRTY or more Iraqi civilians were murdered today. I don't make distinctions. Lifes were cut short and snuffed out and I don't distinguish what culture or nationality they came from.

[Dunedain]

72. Murder is a distinction

mur·der ( P ) Pronunciation Key (mûrdr) n.

1. The unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice.
2. Slang. Something that is very uncomfortable, difficult, or hazardous: The rush hour traffic is murder.
3. A flock of crows.

It implies malicious intent. People died is the fact.

[KittyWampus]

28. When Things Get Very Dark, Laughter & Light Hearted Fun

help an awful lot.

[Nevernose]

39. Do not!

n/t

[spanone]

36. mopaul speaks for mopaul - I like mopaul

[madfloridian]

43. mopaul....is mopaul....I like him.

He speaks each day as he sees it, and I don't have to agree.

[Cheswick2.0]

54. Let Mopaul be Mopaul

:7

[spanone]

60. FREE MOPAUL!!!!!!!!

Let my mopaul go...

[madfloridian]

67. LOL

Yes. :D

[tandot]

45. DU has a spokes person? Hey...when was I purged of that voter list?

/sarcasm

The only thing I've noticed is that we have DUers with a diversity of opinions. Nobody speaks for me. I agree with some and disagree with others. I don't think DU is lacking serious discussions of current issues.

I need those Lounge threads every now and then to get some comic relief. I am depressed enough as it is right now. If you don't like them, don't look at them.

[Zen]

46. You used the phrase "Killing in the Name Of"

Love that song...

Killing in the Name Of - Rage Against The Machine

Killing in the name of
Some of those that were forces are the same that bore crosses
Some of those that were forces are the same that bore crosses
Some of those that were forces are the same that bore crosses
Some of those that were forces are the same that bore crosses
Huh

Killing in the name of
Killing in the name of

And now you do what they taught ya
But now you do what they taught ya
Well now you do what they taught ya

Those who died are justified, for wearing the badge,
they're the chosen whites
You justify those that died by wearing the badge,
they're the chosen whites


Some of those that were forces are the same that bore crosses
Some of those that were forces are the same that bore crosses
Some of those that were forces are the same that bore crosses
Some of those that were forces are the same that bore crosses
Uggh!

Killing in the name of
Killing in the name of

And now you do what they taught ya
And now you do what they taught ya, now you're under control
And now you do what they taught ya

Those who died are justified, for wearing the badge,
they're the chosen whites
You justify those that died by wearing the badge,
they're the chosen whites
Come on

Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me
Motherfucker

"Four kids in the Marines were ambushed and murdered in Ramada today."

[Guaranteed]

48. Hell....YEAH. nt

[nomaco-10]

57. Read my post again, I never used the phrase "KILLING IN THE NAME OF"

You're the exact kind of poster my post was aimed at. Dramatic, over the top and too happy to misquote if it suits you for the shock value. It's just not necessary to get a point across here, du posters are much too savvy, my whole point.

[Zen]

61. Please re-read your post...

"Who gives a rat's ass about the superficiality of a post like that when our country is killing in the name of moral superiority and losing face in every corner of the world."

Not only did you say that, but if you understood the lyrics of the song(s) you would see that they respond to the "moral superiority" and "loosing face" issues very nicely. They are precisely the sort of thing we should be discussing here.

So, Francis, get your damn panties out of the wad they're in and step back into reality.

[Rex]

50. People who let others be their "voice" are weak willed.

IMNSHO

[Liberal Veteran]

56. I think Rex speaks for all of us when he says that!

:)

Sorry....but I couldn't resist the irony.

[noiretextatique]

62. Rex for DU spokesmodel!!!!

:bounce:

[Forkboy]

65. And there it is!

Well said :thumbsup:

[scrotim]

52. What became of this Starpass person? n/t

[LTR]

63. Pushin' up daisies

Shhh.

[welshTerrier2]

55. a few reactions

first, DU is a big tent ... we have lots of members including lots of new members ...

posts on DU run the gamut from the very intense and very useful all the way down to the absurd ... your "hottest dems" observation, to the degree that it calls us all to a more focussed purpose, is a valid observation ... but is that all that we should be ... very intense in every post? i couldn't agree with you more that posts like that are superficial ... they are fine in the lounge but a waste of bandwidth in GD ...

if you want to discuss the "four kids" who were "ambushed and murdered", i see no objection from the current DU community to your doing so ... the deaths of our troops seem to me to be a frequent topic of discussion on DU and bush is frequently blamed for allowing his madness to take the lives of these young Americans ... i guess the point you raised about a post made several months ago does not seem representative of DU ...

and i have no intention of putting DU'ers above the general population when it comes to values ... i am often dismayed by attitudes and opinions expressed here ... two issues that i find particularly onerous are: the hatred of the Greens (instead of trying to forge a coalition with them) and the glee some expressed with Reagan's death ... we gained nothing from his death ... for many years now, reagan was a sick, old man who had lost the ability to recognize other people ... i hated what Reagan did while in office ... until bush, he was the worst person ever to occupy the oval office ... but to rejoice in the death of someone, anyone, who is no longer mentally competent reflects a poorly developed system of values ...

so there are many flavors here ... and not every hit is a home run ... nor does it need to be ...

in conclusion, i appreciate your efforts to make DU more effective but i certainly don't believe DU will become the laughing stock of the internet anytime soon ... there is tremendous value to the information that DU compiles ... and there's a little silliness too ...

[dweller]

58. yeah, me too

i miss Starpass.

others can take a hike.
dp

[Cheswick2.0]

59. namaco-10....nobody can make you look bad. They can only make

themselves look bad. Obviously something has you upset. You should have been here last week for the Reagan hate threads. They were pretty vile and I said so to several people. However I never worry about how other people make "us" look. There are too many different points of view for one person or another to be the spokesperson.

Besides I would nominate TIA if I needed a spokesperson.

[nomaco-10]

66. I should have never singled anybody out....

and label them as a "spokes person" around here. A touchy subject, no doubt and a label that wasn't meant for so much interpretation. I chalk that up to not authoring front any page threads to speak of in my tenure at this site. I support Starpass and Mopaul in their right to free speech, I only question how they go about it, but I guess I've made an error in exercising my own effort in free speech.

You're right Cheswick, I do have something bothering me, the beheading of Paul Johnson, the photo of the four dead marines and trying to make sense of it all the innocent civilians that have perished in Iraq, does make me a little crazy every once in a while, and then it dawns on me, half of this country voted for this asshole that has us living in a repressive regime and that the half of this country that voted for bush* is still OK with it! Yes, it is a little bit daunting some days, and of all people, I shouldn't take it out on du. It's just so mind boggling, and I'm struggling to make sense of it all. It's really hard some days.

[madfloridian]

68. Sometimes there is no sense to it.

In my mind there is no sense. I just cry about it some days, but it does not help.

[noiretextatique]

64. i have been here (almost) since this site started

and i don't recall a single one of starpass's posts :shrug: as to hearts and minds...this site's membership is a testament to that change. i am routinely appalled by some of the stuff i see here, but i figure it's just the nature of the beast. i have watched some incredible transformations of the heart and mind variety here, most notably that of one Q, who as you know, is not one to mince words...thankfully :D and mopaul is a treasure, as are so many posters here. and there have been other hearts and minds transformations...and it's great. DU is a vibrant and interesting place, where opinions run the gamut. and everyone has something to contribute...just ask the people who run this site. thanks for all you DU, folks :hi:

[Zorra]

73. Mo is so far from "Who Are The Hottest Dems" that I fail to get

the intent of your post.

Are you saying we should attempt to silence the more radical element of DU, and/or also the frivolous "Who are the hot Dems" type posters?

We are in serious trouble in this country, in many ways. And not every post at DU is about the same problem or issue.

You ask whose hearts and minds have we changed. Probably quite a few. I know that the free dissemination of diverse information from a multitude of viewpoints here at DU has increased my awareness of the national and world situation and has made me more effective in persuading people about the evils of Bu$h, and in convincing them to vote for John Kerry. I suspect that it works this way for many DUers.

And there is nothing wrong with radicals. Our country was founded by them.

[Moderator]

74. Locking

It's against DU rules to "call out" other members like this, it's considered a personal attack.