Who few here pre-date Will Pitt and me with our 5/2001 seniority dates at DU?

[DemoTex]

Most of those early DUers are long-gone. Name a few, if you can.

I remember HegemonyCricket (the best ever DU name) and Lonstar (the first freeper and .. IIRC .. the first use of the tombstone).


Lonstar RIP

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. I remember the late great monkeyman and some others

who were here before me, but you predate me by 2 years.

[DemoTex]

2. RIP Monkeyman.

He was a great one.

[TomInTib]

7. Hey, Mac....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3354133&mesg_id=3354163

[lovuian]

117. MonkeyMan was my Hero

I made a You Tube dedication to him

http://youtube.com/watch?v=la3nA_WnE6g

He loved the Bees like me

[TomInTib]

3. I am so glad that I saved all of monkeyman's PMs to me.

I go back and read them every once in a while.

Like this past Memorial Day, for instance.

When I read them, I can hear his voice over the telephone.

He was something else - one of a kind.

RIP, Dale.

[DemoTex]

17. 10-4 Bud!

I can't listen to the Traveling Willburys but what I think of the Monkey Man. Tweeter and the Monkey Man (Dillon wrote it!).

[w8liftinglady]

53. my letter memorializing Monkeyman

To the Editor,

We have lost 100 soldiers this month so far. This makes the third month in a row that the death toll has exceeded 100. In June, there were 299 soldiers wounded, unable to return to duty. In the meantime, we are oblivious to the suffering that our brave troops have to endure silently. There are many instances of soldiers and Marines being discouraged from seeking treatment for the horror they have witnessed. My good friend, Dale Peters, was instrumental in creating mental health resources for military with PTSD. Dale also founded the first shelter for homeless veterans in his state in Illinois. Dale died a few weeks ago. He was a veteran, a hero, a Republican and I loved him as my friend. In Dale’s memory, I invite you to consider a small donation to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. You can learn more about them at www.nchv.org . Until we acknowledge the trauma and suffering our troops are enduring through multiple deployments, poor equipment and poor planning, the number of homeless veterans will continue to grow. Help these heroes who need us. They were there for us.

Printed Thu Jul 05th 2007 in the Waxahachie Daily Light

[lonestarnot]

70. LWL

Monkeyman was not a pug, and wouldn't like being called one from everything that I read that he wrote.

[mmonk]

61. Wow, didn't know.

Shows what happens you're away for a couple of days.

[King Coal]

234. Do you remember Bob Boudelang? What a piece of work he was.

I heard he ended up in the joint after setting his landlady's house on fire. By accident, of course. I met him once, and he smelled like fish, and was loud, but looked just like his picture. He is my all-time favorite.

[mmonk]

241. Oh yes. Who could forget?

[hlthe2b]

249. Is that for real? I think his real name was Ed(ward) Pell

[diane in sf]

287. I really miss Bob Boudelang--I used to tune in to DU especially for him and the top 10

[leftofthedial]

290. he is NOT your favorite,

so stop saying that

[Triana]

116. I was here in 2001 but not sure if before Will Pitt. I do remember H. Cricket...

...and monkeyman.

[whyzayker]

161. I was here the afternoon DU opened

1/20/01 - here's an early thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=62&forum=DCForumID35&archive=yes

[kentuck]

285. You were here when I came on board...

I remember your posts as being some of the best of early DU. :hi:

[Generic Other]

324. I lurked from day one and when I finally spoke after 9/11 you welcomed me aboard!

It took all the courage I could muster to make the first post.

[maddezmom]

4. Not me, I'm a newbie compared to you all

2003

[kentuck]

5. I was slow to get started on the discussion boards but..

I was posting articles as early as March or April, as I recall. There weren't a lot of us around at that time. I remember Crewleader and Khephra and a few others from those early days. I remember what a big deal it was when we broke the 10,000 mark in members. Will Pitt was a ravin' maniac when he came on the scene. And I remember some of the discussions about Vietnam veterans...We were little but we were loud. :-)

[DemoTex]

13. Yep. Crewleader welcomed me on-board. I remember you from early on, too.

Khephra was a prolific poster and DU anchor. Maybe we need another thread on the long lost DUers .. sad as that might be.

[shugah]

125. Crewleader = TEH AWESOME!

Keph... he really was the DU anchor back in the old days.

[PVnRT]

167. Crewleader was pretty much the welcome crew for a while

She was very dedicated to this place during the first few years.

As khephra, I was the first DUer to meet him IRL, along with 5thGenDemocrat and his SO. Then we went to a Tool concert but didn't even get a contact buzz from all the weed being smoked, which sucked.

[Gman]

183. Wasn't it Underpants that posted the Welcome threads

or maybe I'm thinking of milestone posts threads like for 100 or 500 or 1000 posts for people?

[SidDithers]

195. I think that was (and still is?) newyawker99...nt

Sid

[Gman]

197. Of course, newyawker99

[Hippo_Tron]

294. Anyone know about her whereabouts?

[Rowdyboy]

361. I asked a cuple of months ago and was told by a friend she was unable to continue

for health reasons. No other details. Sorry, she, Crew and Jitterbug were the heart of this place to me during my first years here.

[ensho]

222. I remember underpants being there

nt

[JCMach1]

203. Love Crew... Actually met her in 2002.

[kentuck]

286. I remember the valuable input of JCMach1...

in those early days. Good to see you're still kicking. :hi:

[JCMach1]

291. I am-- teaching the next generation of terrorists democracy before it's too late

:sarcasm:

[kentuck]

292. Are you still in the Middle East, JCMach1?

Seems I recall you were over in that part of the world?? :-)

[JCMach1]

367. Yes, in the UAE... have moved into Uni Administration now

[Lydia Leftcoast]

310. I remember your political campaign

Frankly, you're probably better off in the Middle East being well paid and enjoying the life of an expatriate.

[JCMach1]

368. My salary is 4x a Florida Legislator, so yes...

I plan to be an activist again when I 'retire' back the U.S. I can't see fronting a campaign again, however I plan to be very active in the running of them.

[Jackpine Radical]

359. My # is 105859. You've got seniority on me.

I don't know exactly what month I started using this name; maybe about June '01--I had started earlier with another name but forgot my password & re-registered.

[KoKo]

18. I lurked from April, 2000 and joined in September, I think. ..

I was a "newbie to the net" and didn't immediately go to the DU "Lounge" to get my "badge" so I could post. I just went ahead and blurbed out my posts without doing that "hat tip," but I was here when Will first came on the scene so maybe my memory fails that I was an earlier poster than memory serves .But I never fit in well here, at beginning, mostly because I though Will was the "cat's meow." I later "turned and fought with him." LOL's...how funny some of us might be from our early days to now. And, folks thought I was a "troll" in those early days...and many still think so! LOL's, sadly...

BTW...Will's early stuff was so good it made the "ladies weep."

But, I'm aware of most of you...and did visit the Lounge in the Early Days...but because I hadn't been "vetted" as a newbie....I mostly never fit in there...but there were a few times it was good to be there in the "old lounge" before the "Yak's and other fun stuff."

Keph....well....we know he gave his life to posting every article he could find to "inform us" before the new "lib internets" could take hold like we have today.

I know Keph has a "pyramid" for his ashes. If I could have carved a Tombstone for him...I would have wished... "I Informed" as what he might have liked put there.

So many years ago...so much has happened since...and so many lost folks who participated and now newbies who are working for change that's gone beyond "Stolen Election 2000."

Well...just chiming in...for whatever.

[kentuck]

282. To KoKo01 :

One of the true jewels of DU. My friend. :hi:

[David Zephyr]

87. Yes, Kentuck was there and Crewleader welcomed me, too.

:hi:

[kentuck]

202. Hey Old Timer !

:hi:

[David Zephyr]

267. Right back to you, Kentuck.

We've been through a lot together. First Bush's stealing the election, the early days of his "uniter" administration, the awful day of 9/11, the aftermath, the war, Dean, Kerry, more Bush and Cheney and...

This thread was a sweet one indeed. And I'm proud to know you.

[WhoDoYouTrust]

111. Kentuck, my hero!

Do you remember years ago when you taught me how to do smilies? I think it was a little different back then.

Even though I don't post much I have learned a lot over the years. Mostly, how to keep my mouth shut.

:loveya:

[kentuck]

304. You do well.

:hi:

[roguevalley]

115. january, 2002. took me that long to find this place. :)

[Hissyspit]

119. I found the Top 10 through a Google Search sometime in 2003

and regularly read the front page but didn't start posting until after the 2004 election. I was scared I would spend too much if I signed up (and guess what...)

Was reading Will Pitt at Truthout regularly since 2001.

I was posting early enough to be shocked by the deaths of Kephra, nostmj and Andy, though. I was just getting to know Andy when the bad stuff happened.

I wish I could find out what happened to newyawker99.

[Runcible Spoon]

6. My first account was "Wex" and that was waaaay back in the beginning...

but I lost access to the associated email account when I graduated and just made a new account.

:hi:

[Catch22Dem]

8. Early 2002 for me - I remember that cat, DemoTex. Dude was a badass!

HAHAHA. Two turnin', two burnin', right?

I also remember Jaicinto or Carlos. Freeper piece of shit that guy was. He had the elaborate mugging story. Remember that? Oh well, they'll always be here, but usually make a mistake sooner or later to out themselves.

[KoKo]

24. The bond many of us early DU'ers have is "Carlos/Jacinto!"

OMG...the memories of that poster...and how much we anguished with him...and spent so much time giving him advice and sympathy! OY! :eyes:

[Catch22Dem]

29. Oy indeed.

What ever happened to NewYawker99?

[KoKo]

37. Last I heard was that after so many years of welcoming new DU'ers...she

got sick...and I've not seen anything since about 6 month's ago when someone posted that. I don't spend any time in the DU Lounge where much of this info about DU get's posted...but someone inquired about her in GDiscussion Forum...and that's where I heard she hadn't been posting much because of that.

I've not seen her around...I think she's one of the GREATEST DU'ERS for all her work...but DU is so large these days and so many "originals" have gotten the "chicklet" or gone here or there, or morphed into different identity that we lose sight of our FOUNDING FOLKS who did so much to build a "spirit" here on DU.

Who knows....I'm kind of out of it these days with what goes on.....but NewYawker99...along with "Crewleader, Keph and many others like the SC DU'er ("84 Something" was his screen name),
who was in his 80's who posted his stories about growing up on the SC Coast who lost his beloved boat in Hurricane Hugo... and others who were "early DU'ers" who inspired us with their "Life Experiences" are going down the "memory hole."

"Bush Years have just about wiped my brain"...along with the vitriol of the '04 and particularly the '08 Elections. I sometimes feel like a very old, decrepit person who has lost their mind wandering down a really weird crossroads in life. Sometimes my "hard drive" functions with the memories...and most times it just wipes it out with blank spots that are so sad that even my "objective computer" knows I can't deal with the sadness ...so it just saves me from it...

Other Days....I'm up and ready for the fight... :shrug: whatever...

[Catch22Dem]

106. I hear ya!

Do I ever? Wow! I think 04 was child's play compared to this. I can't believe you can remember all those names. I'm awful with names, but as soon as I read your list of them, I immediately thought of conversations past. :D

Yes, it's a crazy place these days. I know it makes me a complete ass, but I've often thought it would be cool to have a forum strictly for members who signed up prior to 2004. Does that make me a bad person? LOL!

[PVnRT]

168. 8643, I thought his name was

As in, 86 President number 43.

[blm]

272. the beloved 180.

.

[calimary]

150. NewYawker99! And Mari333. And Khephra and nostamj.

I was a fan of Will Pitt's early-on, having discovered him in Truthout.

I found my way here sometime in 2001, fairly early I think, in a link at a site called "Resident bush," which I'd found at Buzzflash. I remember being so timid. People were already raging away and I was nervous about stepping in. For awhile I wasn't even ready to utter any four-letter words (Wheee! Look at me now!). At the time I remember lurking and noticing a post every so often that started with "I'm new..." so I posted one myself as soon as I was able to, and I've been roaring ever since!

I can remember being surprised and thrilled to find a haven on the net - where there were so many other people who felt the same way I did about Selection 2000 (our main gripe back then). It was the first time I'd felt validated outside my own circle of family and friends - who were all feeling rather battered after that awful election. And it was impossible to express just how much that meant to me. The solidarity and sympathy helped make that horrible time somewhat more bearable.

And I immediately started reading, and learning, and linking, and becoming far more educated and aware. It's from hanging around DU. And I've learned some other things like using smilies and stuff, too - plus, it's been a real revelation to access so many other sources of info. Newspapers and other sites I'd never even dreamed existed.

DU, :yourock: :toast: :hug:

[Mari3333]

159. Mari333 still lurks on here

and i have a new name. i just dont post. hugs.

[calimary]

243. YAY!!! SO glad to see you here again!

I have had you on my mind for so long!

:hi: :bounce: :patriot: :hug:

[October]

381. How are you?

How's your son?

[October]

380. I remember ALL these names and Underpants...newyawker99

Wow! I was never very prolific -- but still continue to read everything.

DU was a haven for those of us who couldn't get over the 2000 election, etc.

[Swamp Rat]

71. "Carlos/Jacinto!"

Man, for a couple of years I wanted to sign up and rip him a new one, but alas my dial-up would not allow it. Sometimes it would take 10 minutes to load a page - I'd leave and come back after it loaded just to read it - especially if I was trying to load "Top 10 Conservative Idiots," and allowed smilies to load (which was necessary for reading the key icons).

:D

[blondeatlast]

108. Hah! I thought I was a relative newbie here, but I remember C/J, um, uh, um--

well, I can't really express it accurately!

Maybe about the same way I would regard a turd...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

263. I lurked here extensively after 9/11

I recognize many of the names here. Especially Jiacinto, and his green eyes.

There was a guy named coralsea. Navy vet, I think. And farmboxer. He must have lived in Tahiti or something because he'd only post late at night when everybody else was asleep. I remember monkeyman. There was another monkey... something or other. I can't remember.

[G_j]

178. Carlos, Carlos, Carlos.....

those were the days..

sort of, almost, miss the dude..

[MuseRider]

33. OMG Jacinto!

I have not thought of him in a long long time. It seems everyone was trying to help him because he asked for help then he denied everything anyone said. I think at that point I stopped caring and he got his stone soon after. Carlos, man oh man.

[hlthe2b]

69. He posted for a while at DailyKos, I think... Maybe still...

I don't know if his DK posts reflected those here at DU, but boy do I remember those....:shrug:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

82. I can tell you my Jiacinto story now

Remember how he was always talking about being a poor college student with no parents who was putting himself through college working at a department store?

Well, back in 2002, I was planning to fly from Portland to Japan, and Delta Airlines had just stopped flying that route, so I asked the Lounge for advice on possible alternatives. (I named several Asian airlines.)

Jiacinto sent me a PM, giving his evaluation of these airlines and telling me that my first choice, ANA, was a good one.

That never quite fit with the image of a poor college student.

I don't think he was a freeper, since he was really interested in electoral politics and getting Dems elected, but I think he was a hardcore DLCer.

[David Zephyr]

89. His Mercedes Benz did not fit his poor image either.

There were a lot of holes in his stories.

[PVnRT]

169. He was a hardcore DLCer, and a troll at that

But, he was still fun to watch.

[kentuck]

293. I recall those conversations Lydia Leftcoast..

:-) He was making minimum wage but he was all for Big Business and never for the poor working guy.

By the way, I have fond memories of your comments and input in those early years.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

309. Why, thank you!

:-)

[JCMach1]

210. OMG the online verbal catfights with Carlos

[MuseRider]

219. Mostly I rememember

just being terribly frustrated with him. I should have known but then Padraig/Cuban Liberal had me fooled for the longest time. So much so that when they were outed as fake I was sad. Ah well, we live and learn. Carlos was a piece of work.

[Catch22Dem]

268. Padraig/Cuban Liberal

Shit, I forgot about that!

There was a rash of "outings" on election night 2004. I remember it quite well.

[shanti]

215. i remember jacinto well!

quite the rabblerouser..

[ieoeja]

251. I remember Carlos/Jacinto. He was fun to argue with.

Actually made an attempt to argue rationally. You can get most of those dipshits to out themselves in half a dozen posts.

Or maybe it's because I have been here since 2001 and have gotten better at spotting them.

[TomInTib]

9. I was here, but it took me three years and a new girlfriend to figure out...

how to post.

[realisticphish]

10. 2004 here

i guess i'm kind of middle-aged, as far as this forum goes.

[FSogol]

11. Oct 2004 for me. n/t

[patrice]

12. 2002 ... I was laid off in Nov 2001, so I started spending time here.

Immediately encountered discussions of W. Pitt's booklength interview with Scott Ritter . . . June?

Cheney came to our city, July?

I went to DC with friends and we met ANSWER, September.

[NewJeffCT]

14. October 2003 for me

And, I haven't been accused of being a Freeper since that first day.

[MuseRider]

35. I got it with my first post too.

The guy even sent me a PM and I could not reply because I had like 2 posts. I was terrified to post, never had done anything like it before and he nailed me good and made me feel bad. I think it was about 3 months before I dared post again. :)

[lonestarnot]

73. Why that SOB! I oughta

:toast: Love dat muserider! :hug: :loveya:

[MuseRider]

98. Ahhhh thanks!

I needed that tonight, really I did and it helps a lot. :hug: :hi:

He just kept sending PM's that I could not respond to and blasting me on the thread that lasted forever since there were only 12,000 members and I wanted to crawl into a hole. He has not been back for a long time, maybe he has a new name and decided to let it be but there is not a tombstone on his name from the way back. LOL, I learned a lot really fast.

How are you? I hope well. :loveya: back!

[lonestarnot]

277. Well I've been listening to wierd music like

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyIq_70SdF0 LOL so I must still be pissed.

[LSK]

224. same month for me

[bigbrother05]

15. Lurked for years, came here after the Horse went down

Really enjoyed reading the back-and-forth of the "old timers". Finally had to join in to keep my sanity after 2004.

[lonestarnot]

75. Horse down?

Horse with no name gone?

[Horse with no Name]

187. I am not gone

and I am sure that dismays many.:)

[lonestarnot]

218. Whew!

:applause: Not me! :hug: I understand after reading the thread it was a site that pooped out.

[ieoeja]

252. Mediawhorseonline

I think I linked here from Bartcop. But it might have been mediawhoresonline.com.

The MSM couldn't bring themselves to say "whores" on air, so they kept calling that site mediaHORSEonline. I believe MWO even went out and got that domain so it would redirect to them.

There was a lot of speculation at the time that they were real insiders. They were one of the early sites scooping the MSM.

[lonestarnot]

278. Thanks for the history.

[BurtWorm]

382. Atrios got his start on MWO. Chris Matthews was dubbed Tweetie on MWO.

That was a great kick-ass site. One of the first that vented the way I thought Dems and lefties needed to vent. Suffered absolutely no fools in the media.

[Canuckistanian]

93. I used to read the Horse

Did anyone ever find out his identity? He used to call himself "Hesiod Theogenes" or something like that.

But the site suddenly ended.

Too bad.

[AlCzervik]

112. i miss them so much! Especially the whore of the week.

[The River]

16. Sometime In 2001

linked in from Buzzflash I think.
I'm more of a reader than a poster and
that probably accounts for the fact that I only
just hit my 1000th post a few days ago when I used
it to swear off playing "Whack a Troll" until after June 4th.

(After then, if she's still in it, all bets are off!)

[tularetom]

19. I lurked for a few months in early 2001 and then went away for a few years

But I remember some of the old timers that are gone like Andy, Monkeyman, Keph, and Nostamj.

I was involved in a somewhat unprofitable cattle raising operation with my kids and didn't have much time for the internets.

[billybob537]

20. 2001 for me what month IDUNNO?

[Johnyawl]

21. 3/2001 for Myself and Geniph

We found Du in early March. I was unemployed at the time, and had more time to post. I remember when Will Pitt got here.

Was OSD still here when you got here DemoTex? He was the other original freeper. Called himself Old Style Democrat, and was forever telling us he was here "to keep an eye on the twelve of you"

Ahhh those were the good old days, when we'd have a major freeper investation every saturday morning. When I was moderator, I'd get up early, just so I could "fry" my share. (I think I was one of the first batch of moderators. First or second)


JohnYawl

[DemoTex]

26. JEEBUS CHRISTO! THE LOST DUers!

My two alltime favorite DUers! Johnyawl and Geniph. They welcomed me to DU with opened arms. IIRC, John was 1st or 3rd Marines at Hue in 1968. I think maybe 3rd Tanks .. but I might be wrong. Anyway .. great to see you guys here. Love you both!

Mac

[Swamp Rat]

22. I lurked from Spring 2001, but only signed on after I got DSL.

My computer and dial-up was so slow I could only read text online.

Andy, Keph, TruthIsAll, benburch, Tinoire were great DUers, among many others.

Then there were more notorious posters like: Muddleoftheroad, Cuban_Liberal, Baltimoreboy, Character Assassin, DoNotRefill, Colombia, the many incarnations of Bev Harris, et al. :D

[KoKo]

40. Wow...I thought you joined just before Katrina....! I was "dial up, too." Bev Harris...

:eyes: Oh, Bev...and all that work DU'ers did to help her. They were some "good ole days, though." In many ways.

[Swamp Rat]

44. She tried to hook me, just after I signed on.

Fortunately, I had been reading hundreds of threads about her, and by her, by that time. Also, Andy jumped right in and warned me, PMing me inside info. Since he took such a big chance on me, trusting me even though I knew a lot more about him than he knew about me, I made this for him:



My greatest reward is knowing he saw the pic just before he left us, and it made him laugh at a time when it was difficult to do so. :cry:

[KoKo]

62. Thanks...

that's a good memory. Andy had a great sense of humor...

I left the stuff after trying to help Bev out and getting some nasty, sniping PM's from her...so I didn't get too much into it after that..except for the stuff that went on when Andy got sick...and that was a whole other DU..kind of fiasco....with folks lined up again on both sides...and I just couldn't get into the old game of "Red Rover...Come Over" or whatever.

Both did do so much for Voting Reform...and even the horrible Bev..did start a ball rolling..even though many of us learned not to always trust "Leaders of Movements" who can go wrong. Andy and others took it in a more positive direction ... and in my State Voting Reform Legislation is due to the Legacy of DU'ers who were first involved with Bev...then Andy and then on our own we managed in our Red State to come together and push for reforms that are some of the best in all the States. That's the legacy of Andy and his early days with Bev along with so many DU'ers RESEARCH on the DRE Machines and their GOP involved ownership.

DU'ers who have "branched out" have accomplished so much...but one wouldn't know it to look at "GD Politics" or some other Forums these days. When our "enemy" becomes our own...we lose focus. It doesn't help that so many hopes were dashed by a Spineless Dem Congress that two-timed us once they got back in power, either.

Still...there are some great new avenues of HOPE these days. We only see glimpses of reform...but I have no doubt that as bad as it get's here some days...there are people here who've done much to reform the Dem Party or work towards building a "New" coalition of some kind that will transcend both parties for good in the future. (That's what I believe on my "good days." :D) Other times it can get very down. But, then it's often hard to see progress when one is so involved in the "day to day" armed camp views.

Whatever...

[Stinky The Clown]

23. I was over at The Horse back then ..... and BartCop

I didn't get here until 04.

[johnnie]

25. I just joined today

But have been lurking since 1978

[derby378]

27. Been here since autumn of 2002

Maybe a little earlier than that, I don't remember offhand. But I've definitely been here a while.

[Skittles]

28. I joined in Aug 2001 but lurked almost from the start

I remember Lonstar too, Mac :hi:

[opihimoimoi]

131. Hey there Ole Timer.....

:toast: :hi:

[kentuck]

289. Thanks again to opihimoimoi !

For always giving us all words of encouragement when it was very easy to feel down. :hi:

[Skittles]

313. HOWDY OPI

COME, WE KICK REPUKE ASS :hi:

[JCMach1]

205. logged on the first day up... someone on Salon had tipped people off to the new site

lurked until that Spring. My first post would have been some time between March and May of 2001.

DU often saved my sanity during that time and helped keep my focus on what was important.

[Catch22Dem]

30. Remember when we all had our photos up?

I loved seeing what all the other DUers looked like.

[bvar22]

256. My DU Photo from 2001

On Edit:
rofl....that was soooooo Pre-911

[librechik]

31. me too, 2001

can't pin it down closer than that right now. I think I joined up about April or May, but didn't start posting until later.

Mama Mia! That's a lot of clicks!

Heh--most of the ones I remember are still here! The Magistrate, newyawker99, Stephanie, CatWoman, TrueBrit, Rooboy, Matcom, trumad, Opimoihoi, khephra, nostamj, Andy (RIP thrice) oh, I could go on and on, if I had anything like a memory. Sigh. I am old.

Auld Lang Syne, eh?

[KoKo]

42. Ah...no one talks about " nostamj" and "Question W" Movement...Off Broadway

he put together a show...to try to get folks to join together in the Movement "QUESTION 'W'"......and then he died from that weird rapid "skin infection" that no one had ever heard of...

He was a very good guy...and so were those who worked with him trying to get the first news that Bush/Cheney were LIARS AND CROOKS out there...

Thanks for mentioning him... :hi:

[hlthe2b]

96. What happened with our plans for a DU memorial page?

It has been discussed several times, I know--dating back to Kephra

[Blaze Diem]

32. I arrived at DU during the Clinton/Lewinsky fiasco. Moveon.org was new

and came to prominance in defense of Pres Clinton. Salon.com was , at the time, the only place I could find that exposed the plan to take down Bill Clinton. as the case grew from a stained blue dress, to the likes of Linda Tripp, Paula Jones, the McDougals, to Arkansas land deals, and Henry Hyde's rush to condem a sitting President for a possible b.j., I followed closely and there were only a handful of websites that I knew of where their defense of Bill Clinton helped grow their strong following and keep them strong today.

I've been here since then.
I'm feeling my age lately, since those days.
I didn't realize it had been so many years.

[Elidor]

41. Umm...

The Lewinsky scandal was a couple of years before DU existed.

[uppityperson]

63. shhhh

:rofl:

[Blaze Diem]

269. OK to reiterate & clarify my post.. I began with Salon during the Clinotn/Lewinsky days..

Moveon appeared as a player in defense of Clinton. It was then that I became very much a regular poster and follower of the "vast right-wing conspiracy" that Hillary spoke of. She was correct and as these websites took on an enormous following, I stayed and became a part of the political fighters of justice that carried through the Bush years and today.

The emergence of DU was where I found like minds who gathered to identify and rebuke the likes of Gingrich, Hyde, and the right wing political machine that had been operating for years with one mission. That is what brought us to the Bush 'selection', and the current state of our Nation.

Meaning that, DU was a part of the progression of websites emerging as the right wing conspiracy begin its asent on our political system.

For me, the Lewinsky ordeal was the beginning of my desire to speak my mind against what what was happening to our political system.

Don't need to mock me..I've been in this battle longer than you have.

[Elidor]

355. I did not mock you

I misunderstood you.

[blondeatlast]

110. Um, well, okay, if you say so...

:shrug:

[Beausoleil]

34. Early 2002 for me

around the same time as oneighty, another DUer who has passed.

I remember Khephra and nostamj and some of the other great DUers mentioned.

[chromotone]

36. 2001 for me...

But I don't know what month.

[lonestarnot]

38. OMG

A freeper with my almost screen name tombstoned! eeeeeeeeeeeeeek! I did not know this history. Wonder if I was under suspicion when I first flew into this magnificent place.

[BlooInBloo]

46. You're always under suspicion...

:P

[lonestarnot]

50. Oh boy!

:P

[hootinholler]

99. Nah, you can spell lone.

Unless that e is a happy little accident. The first indicator was the misspelled lonestar.

Me? I'm a late arrival 2004-ish I got pissed at the appearance of total tron voting found Harris' site, got disgusted and landed here.

-Hoot

[hlthe2b]

39. I found DU inauguration day, Jan, 2001, registered shortly after

probably late Feb or March, 2001 after lurking awhile... But, I always remember Will Pitt, Khephra, Crewleader, KoKo1, DemoTex, Kentuck, Tahitinut, SoCalDem and a few others as always being here...

Yes, I remember all the trauma around Jiacinto's cross-country moves and tribulations and the running "affair" between Matcom and CatWoman, when our arguments were heated around non-political issues like whether it was safe for a DUer to have gastric stapling surgery or the eternal round of copycat threads... I remember 911 on DU and all the milestones since... I can not believe it has been this many years, but I do know that i'm glad DU was here for me and for all of us.

[SammyWinstonJack]

43. Feb '01 for me. What a long strange trip it's been.

[hlthe2b]

48. Isn't that the truth.....

Anyone know how to access the old site with the REALLY old archived posts?

[angstlessk]

72. google an oldsters name and you can get some old posts

just do it from the front page since some of these pages did not exist back then.

[hlthe2b]

84. thanks...

:7

[KoKo]

45. It seems so long a time. We could have gone through High School and College plus Masters program

with the time some of us have been in and out of here. Anyway...it's been long and hard and the fun times were the early years...(sort of like childhood) before we realized we weren't kids anymore...and started to splinter off..as adolescents and then adults.

Oh well...I'm getting off track.

:hi: to fellow "original"...some here don't like the term "Oldie DU'er" thinking it implies...bad stuff or whatever. :D

[hlthe2b]

47. Hey back at ya... I too like "Original".....

That age thing is starting to sting a bit! :toast:

[NuttyFluffers]

151. like OG, ODUer! wait, looks like the French spelling of odor...

no, this won't do. unless one ages like cheese or wine, this might not be the best nickname.

but i'm a young'un, from only around 2004. so don't mind me.

[hlthe2b]

190. Oh, you young fry! I just may put you over my knee!

LOL

[Drifter]

77. Same here ...

I think the doors opened around then.

Cheers
Drifter

[EOTE]

208. I believe March or April of 2001.

I had lurked here since pretty much the beginning. I had done lots of google searches for Democratic sites after the fraudulent 2000 election and this was the most prominent one I noticed. I created an account a few months later, but only posted sporadically. I remember 9/11 especially well, and how the great bulk of us realized what was going on, even as it happened, when just about no one else did. I don't think many of us realized just how bad it would get, but it was comforting knowing that the DU would be there to help get out the word and educate.

[trumad]

49. If you look in your profile

the last four digits---well it was four digits for oldtimers---- that will tell you who came around in the early days.

[NewJeffCT]

51. I don't see it there anymore?

unless I'm missing it.

[uppityperson]

64. Click on your profile, look @ webpage address and you should see it.

Or hover your cursor over id card on screen and the webpage shows up down at the bottom (on my screen). Can do a right click, properties, on that id card and look at what webpage says also, if a PC.

[hlthe2b]

56. I know someone else referred to this but I didn't see it then

either.... I don't see any numbers associated except "member since 2001" and the number of posts..." :shrug:

[hootinholler]

105. Your account number is encoded in the url to your profile...

They are likely assigned sequentially, so a low number is an older account, unless they've been shuffled in an upgrade. Your's is 114409 your account says 2001, mine is 158688 I joined Nov 2004 about 44000 accounts were created in that time, ok 44279. We're at 121,000 or so now, so that's seems to be a reasonable growth curve at first glance.

-Hoot

[Blue_Roses]

127. how does that work again?

[hootinholler]

177. It's they way databases work...

Numbers are much faster to find than random strings of text, like user names. So the DB assigns a number in turn to each account when it is created. The older the account the smaller the number.

-Hoot

[hlthe2b]

148. When I look at url for my profile it says: user_profiles&u_id=103944

I do see the following when I click on your profile: user_profiles&u_id=158688

While I don't doubt there is something to it, why are you seeing something different?

[hootinholler]

175. For some reason, I seem to have copied MuseRider's u_id as yours

Sorry for the confusion! I must have had her profile open as well when I was looking at this stuff and copied the wrong number.

-Hoot

[hlthe2b]

180. Ahh, thanks... I thought I was REALLY SLOW last night!

;-)

[Scout]

261. 107328 is my number ... does that mean i was registered user 7, 328?? n/t

[Art_from_Ark]

52. I made my first discussion board post in April 2001

when I got into a very interesting discussion about education in Japan with Lydia Leftcoast.

But I've been hanging around DU since about the 2nd or 3rd day of its existence.

[Canuckistanian]

54. My profile says Mar. 2004

But I was here long before that. Probably mid-2002.

I was without Internet access for a while and emailed Skinner to re-instate me.

But I remember Kheph and Andy and matcom and Walt Starr and Lisa from those days.

So many names.....

[JanMichael]

55. Wife: Stephanie

"Thtwudbeme."

She still reads DU every day. Unfortunately, due to the drama a couple of years ago, she has been deleted from DU.

[hlthe2b]

57. Oh, I remember THtwudbeme... Why doesn't she request...

reinstatement?

[JanMichael]

58. She has

but, there are issues.

She still likes DU and everyone on it--no hard feelings.

[KoKo]

65. Give her a

:hi: from me. We had some PM's in the early days. I figured she was still here under a different name...so many are.

[JanMichael]

67. Nope. No sock puppets

we have one computer---and besides, if she can't be "Thtwudbeme" or "Misinformed" then she doesn't want to be on DU.

[KoKo]

95. I understand...didn't mean it that way....

just figured when Skinner gave folks chance to change names...she might have done that.

No...I can't see her having "sock puppets." :D She is who she is...and that was what was great about her..

[blm]

273. I didn't know about this. Sorry to hear it.

But, I haven't been to the Lounge much at all since kef and 180 passed away.

[PVnRT]

171. How's she doing?

Sad to see her gone, she was always very nice to me.

[kentuck]

295. I remember Stephanie.

My best to her. :hi:

[lutefisk]

59. I joined before that, but it took me 6+ years to break 1000 posts

There are plenty of good people still around and posting from the first year.

I've enjoyed reading and learning from people such as Pitt and DemoTex over the years and appreciate that they are still posting!

:hi: :thumbsup:

[Bombero1956]

60. been here since 2001

I remember joining just as the Chimp stole office. I forgot how to find the exact date.

[angstlessk]

66. earliest I could find was 07/2001 got booted back then...never GUESS why!!

I was angstless...back then after the 2000 election fiasco I saw repugnicans everywhere and I thought WILL PITT, matcom, and even democraticunderground.com itself was created by repugnicans as a distraction for Democrats to fuss and fume, cause back then I did not think Will Pitt and all the most popular posters were angry enough and did not cuss enough!!! Got myself thrown the hell outta there..I searched for a different site and low and behold...I returned to the flock..sans a tail feather or two!

Been here ever since!

[hlthe2b]

76. Do you still have the link for the old site & those early posts?

Or do you just have the screen shot saved? I'd love to go back in and peruse those 2001 threads...

[angstlessk]

79. I went to the Latest page and put in my old screen name in google and viola

it shows a lot more than just the list it is pages and pages and pages and pages....at the top!



edited to add a pic of how the old DU looked

[Roy]

68. Few days after inaugural 2001

Saw Bartcop on Washington Journal. Logged on their looking for solace and someplace to vent some anger.
Clicked on DU link and began a daily routine for news and information, that is until recent months.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

74. Late February or early March, 2001

I wrote a front page article that appeared sometime in March 2001.

Let's see, so many of the people who were around back then haven't been around for years: Kali (not the current Kali; there was another one before who ran a forum called "The Dirt"), AWD, OSD (a crypto-freeper, I'm sure), susang, zizka, Adam F. Smith (these last two Oregonians), Zan, Khephra (:cry: ), levensonk, Zech Marquis, Lonster, Bluedeminredstate, the moosedogs,sffreeways, Tigerlily, ohgosh, geniph and johnyawl, and a host of others.

[lonestarnot]

85. I remember that Kali.

Liked that Kali. What happened there do you know?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

88. She got into an argument with Skinner and asked to be deleted

That's all I know.

[lonestarnot]

97. Oh crap.

That's too bad. I liked her.

[Catch22Dem]

109. We all miss Khephra (n/t)

[Madolan]

354. I miss Khephra.

I don't pre-date the greats, but I signed up after 9/11. My 2001 join date would be so much more respectable if I commented more, wouldn't it? I lurk often, though, spending most of my time nodding at what others are saying more eloquently.

When I used to be noisier back in 2001 and 2002, Khephra welcomed me in. We had some great conversations on and off the boards about the sci-fi and politics we loved. His death was a tremendous shock. Not quite three and a half years later and I still miss and mourn him.

[Loki]

78. Me

I was here on May 24, 2001 when Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords left the GOP and became an Independent and declared he would begin voting with the Democrats. It was my birthday, and one which I will not soon forget. I don't post a lot, but I'm still here. :hi:

[hiphopnation]

80. seniority???

does your 5/2001 date grant you some kind of special powers? wtf is this?!?!

pffffft

[trumad]

91. You do realize you're the only one who is bitching about this thread?

Now why is that?

[hiphopnation]

94. "react to the title before reading responses" syndrome i guess

:shrug:

[Marnieworld]

81. I was here

I know that I was at least reading the Top 10 in 2001. Maybe posting then. Definitely posting by 2002 because I remember having a convo with Nostamj about 9/11 and a movie on HBO about it.

Remember Nostamj (Jeff Matson)? he was so frickin' talented and such a nice comic relief with his satirical songs, always on topic up to the moment. I miss him still. :cry:

DU is awesome and I am so grateful for it. Love you guys!

:patriot:

[zagging]

83. GOD

The Good Old Days.

I was here along with a few Newsmaxers just about the time this site came up and before Newsmax got their panties in a wad and trashed the forum. We had a grand old time back then. My original name was Howard_Roark, but I think it was killed after a number of years because I didn't use it. There were only a few posters when I first visited. It was like walking into an empty gym on a warm Saturday afternoon during summer break.

HELLOOOO...HELLO...Ello...ello...looo...ooo

A beehive now. I remember some of the old names.

[David Zephyr]

86. Well, I lurked until Spring of 2001 when Crewleader welcomed me.

We were some crazy batshit tin-foil folks and we turned out to be right on the money, too.

Of course, we were all crying in our soup because of the stolen election.

But I'm certain that you, DemoTex, and William Pitt were posting here before me.

And I miss a lot of those original posters, their spirit and their passion.

I wish I knew when my first post was.

[opihimoimoi]

90. Flottz and I joined up in Aug 2001...Crew took us in her welcoming arms..Mountainman also joined us

There were a few of us that came over from the ole DNC Board...which became freeped....

[Mountainman]

104. I just added that, I didn't see your post

[opihimoimoi]

130. Hey There

:hi: :toast: Remember the Wall and the Hordes of Ticks and Fleas of Freepers

[Mountainman]

135. My memory is cloudy, getting up in years. I remember some of Jim Robs little

deputies.

[hootinholler]

92. HedgemonyCricket is good, but I have to pick

HughMoran as the best DU handle.

Maybe we need a poll.

-Hoot

[mitchtv]

100. All I can find is 2001 on my profile, over the years the month went away in several "upgrades"

I continue to miss NSMA and crazy Nighttrain the DJ from the east Coast. Carlos Jacinto called me a "fringe element" for my first time. I had always thought I was a Dem.

[psychopomp]

101. I read things that blew my mind in 2001

and then signed up in early 2002. I have learned a lot here. Some deep, insightful posts on the mechanations of power can be found here.

:toast: to all DU'ers past and present! :nuke: to the trolls

I used to love farmboxer's one-liners appended to some of the best threads... usually about "Junior making money for all of his rich pals!" Loved the spirit of the place in those days.

[kskiska]

129. Inauguration Day 2001

I was watching that dismal day and saw a couple guys holding a big banner: "DemocraticUnderground.com." I typed it in and the rest was history. Before that there was no place to go.

In the beginning, the site was infested with Freepers. Then there were a few Dems who hoped for deep intellectual debates, but that didn't last too long.

I loved farmboxer, too. Khephra was a gem. And the Moosedogs…

[kentuck]

301. kskiska...was here

when I arrived. A pioneer! :-)

[kskiska]

339. I remember you, Kentuck!

This was the only place to go back then. Things seemed pretty hopeless after "the selection."

[kentuck]

343. You are right, kskiska..

There really wasn't another place to go. None. Nada. DU was the first where you could actually say what was on your mind. There was such a monopoly of right wing voices. That is why the decision was made to filter out right wing BS and DU evolved into a voice for liberal and moderate Democrats, and many battles were fought on that issue, also. I think a lot of late-comers may not realize that there was not always a place they could speak an opposing viewpoint? They may take it for granted sometimes, I think?

[OpalGal]

102. 2003 before July 6th

I have no idea when I originally signed up. I lurked a long time first. Signed up and my internet company shut down and I lost my email address to get my password that I forgot.

Username: MourningDove


Member since 2003 before July 6th
Number of posts 3

I was going to sign back up and someone had taken my username and added numbers to it so I have lurked ever since.

I did the google search but the MourningDove that shows up isn't me:(

Finally after years of lurking decided to sign back up last night.

[Mountainman]

103. I was here but I changed my name so it doesn't show up.

I don't predate Will but he and Opihimoimoi were the first to welcome me. Opihimoimoi was here just before me. I lurked but did not post then. We came from a DNC board where freepers were aloud to post.

I got pretty good at sticking it to the freeps on the DNC board. So much so that they posted my address in freeperville but they got the city wrong. I was waiting for some damn freeper to come to kick my Vietnam veteran's ass! The chicken shits! Ha!

[Missy Vixen]

107. I saw the DU sign in the Inaugural crowd and ran to the computer

I've been here ever since.

As anyone can see that looks at my profile, I read a lot more than I post.

Julie

[Catherine Vincent]

113. You should post more.

But I understand you've got more important notes to write. :hi:

[tkmorris]

114. Anyone remember Cici the Psychobunny?

One of my favorite DU'ers, lived in New Zealand I believe.

[Gman]

123. What ever happened to her?

She was cool.

[tkmorris]

146. I think she just drifted away

A shame, really.

[PVnRT]

172. I could've sworn she joined Greenpeace

But maybe my memory is frazzled.

Her and athos were fun.

[hlthe2b]

149. Yes...! I've often wondered what became of her!

[kentuck]

296. I loved her!

She was one crazy gal! :-)

[Blaukraut]

118. I came on board in March or April '01

Amazing to see so many oldtimers checking in :) I still read GDP and GD every day but mostly just post in the Kerry group.

[kittykitty]

120. my son, must_be_free, who has since moved on.

[bvar22]

121. Feb/March 2001

I found the link to the Top Ten Conservative Idiots at Buzzflash and I was hooked on DU immediately.
I have checked in here on a continuous daily basis with very few misses.

Back then, there was a special "Underground" that was only open to "special" DU members.
You had to apply for admission.
I was sure that plans to overthrow the illegal Bush government were being discussed in "The Underground", and was impatient for admission. I bombarded Elad with E-Mails begging to join "The Underground" so I could begin plotting the revolution.
I was a little disappointed to find that it was just the early version of "The Lounge".

Du was more fun in the early days. Threads would stay on the Front Page for days, and people had time to compose posts. Today, DU is more like a "chat room" where instant snark trumps intelligence and well constructed arguments.
I still love it, but am nostalgic for the slower, more thoughtful pace.

I remember the first time DU was mentioned by a major media figure.
That was Rush Limbaugh, and he attacked DU on his radio show. I remember thinking that on that day DU graduated from being just a club to a national political force.

If you move your cursor over the icon that represents someone's profile in the upper left corner of a post, a 6 digit number appears on the lower bar of the window. I believe that the lower that number, the longer that user has been at DU.
Mine is 102201.


"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[DainBramaged]

122. I was RoscoeNOBUSH in 2001 till I adopted my current moniker

actually, the old computer blew up and I had changed my email address so I had no choice.

[Gman]

124. March 2001 here

It was like finding life after a terrible storm.

[davsand]

126. You got here just ahead of me, Mac.

Too many people here that I have enjoyed over the years to ever name them all. Opi and Hubert are a couple. You, Mac, are another. I will never forget how afraid I was for you on 9/11 because I knew you were a pilot and I was sure you flew for a major US airline out of Texas. Sounds odd to outsiders, but I actually sat and worried until I saw a post from you. That really is how much of a community DU had become for me.

I am thinking I hit DU in June of 01, maybe? I know Ulysses got here just about the same time I did, but really I was SO freaked out in the early days I have minimal recall of who got here when. Crew did welcome me, and I remember SF Freeways, Pitt and a few others. I had forgotten all about Jacinto until I looked over this thread. He really was a bit of work.

I dunno if she is still around, but IndianaGreen was of that same vintage. I know she pissed off quite few people at one point, but I never had any run-ins with her. I think I remember her being here when I showed up, but again--I'm not certain.

The only person I remember having any real brushes with in the early days was CoralSeas, and it was about Cuba and Castro. CoralSeas took exception to something I said and started giving me crap that she(he?) was the "DU Expert" on Cuba. I dunno whatever became of that poster. I'm still here, so I guess the impact of the whole thing was minimal in the long term.

Keph hit early on, and I remember being amazed at how fast he racked up posts. It was only after being at his house and seeing his computer room with a couple of machines and a couple of TV's running that I realized how he managed to get LBN stories up so damn fast. That man lived at the news sites, and he loved DU. It truly was his passion. It used to be a matter of pride for me on the rare times I had a one in a kerjillion LBN thread I started where I beat Scott to a story. He really was a big reason DU became what it is today.

No way really to explain what DU has been for me over the years. It has kept me sane sometimes and made me crazy others.

Peace to you all.


Laura

[kentuck]

297. Laura, one of the shining stars of DU !

:hi:

[davsand]

336. I think of myself as more of a candle when I'm here, actually, kentuck.

There seem to be a lot of people who are WAY brighter than I am--YOU being one!

:hug:

One of the things that has always left me stunned is the level of intelligence represented here at DU. Yeah, we can all be infantile at times, but overall, there is an awful lot of good writing here and a fairly high level of analysis and commentary. I also value the huge array of life experience and the varied backgrounds represented here. This really is truly an amazing place to be.


Laura

[kentuck]

338. You are a shining star, Laura.

:-)

[ulysses]

315. I think it was July, Laura.

:hi: :loveya:

[davsand]

341. Could well have been July. Maybe a sort of "Independence" from the MS Media.

I know I found DU from a link at a site called "Bare Knuckles Politics" where I'd been hanging after Salon went pay to post. BKP had been started by a guy that got tossed from Salon (Ferguson Foont was his name) and I really liked him so I followed him to his site. I dunno whatever became of him (I wish him well!) or his site but one trip to DU and I was hooked.

As for YOU, Mr Uly, I have adored you from the get-go. I don't see you as often as I might like, but I look for you and that marvelous avatar of your little boy. I count on your passion and sense of fair play and you have never let me down--EVER--in all these years.

Someday I'm gonna load the family up in the car and drive out to meet you and yours.

Peace.


Laura

[ulysses]

352. you're far too kind, my friend.

As far as the mutual admiration society goes, though, I hope to some day be able to live up to your example of labor advocacy and local involvement. You and the family are at all times welcome.

:loveya:

[Lugnut]

128. I've been here since '01

I'm not sure exactly when though. I think it was about mid-year but I honestly don't remember.

[dmr]

132. kali, OSD, JJ, starpass, TygrBright, johnny_red, Olaf_the_White, kskiska,

sffreeways, nothingshocksmeanymore, comsymp, JanMichael, Misunderestimator, johnhorne, Eloriel, stewert, Lonster, newyawker99, trumad, jus_the_facts, rbnyc, Misinformed01, Wonk, LeftPeopleFinishFirst, Stephanie, nostamj, Pocho, DagmarK, Booberdawg, treehugger, cap, whyzayker, bill1x1, Sean Reynolds, BushWhacker, tsstranger, Not_over_it, windy2000, zan, IndianaGreen, LydiaLeftCoast, coyote, bvar22, Paschall - and a whole bunch of others I remember though can't remember their names.

Those were the days .... I miss a lot of these people, some of whom I ended up having real-life friendships with. It's very easy to become emotionally attached to DU. After time, people come and go, and I sorta just took a back-seat to just read - though I am here several times a day. I think the one who had the biggest impact on me was kali, followed by my old friend, johnhorne. I loved their brains and analysis.

It wasn't but a few days after DU opened that I read a few links about the Bush* family that kali pm'd me. It was a Sunday. I broke down at my computer after reading some things about Poppy Bush. I haven't been the same since, nor have I thought of my country the same since. For the rest of my life, I will never forget that Sunday afternoon.

Some DUer's have passed on; I wish the best for those who no longer post here. I wish they'd come back so we can finally celebrate when we get rid of ol' whistle-ass - something we once promised we'd do.

PS: I cheated - I looked in my PMs for old DUers.

[smiley_glad_hands]

137. Whistle ass, haven't heard that in awhile, lol.

[dmr]

138. Do you remember when Symbolman was either

selling whistles or giving them away on a donation to TBTM? I forget which it was. I got two. I hang them proudly on my Christmas tree.

[smiley_glad_hands]

141. No that was a long time ago. But i'd like one of those whistles.

Its gotta be a collectors item now.

[tkmorris]

147. Starpass. Man, Starpass was one of the best

Eloriel is running about 5 different blogs now. JanMichael and a few of the others are still here. I have no idea what happened to Kali, do you? Paschall is another one that just quietly went away, never really noticed where.

[hlthe2b]

152. wow... I loved seeing some of your fav DUer screen names...

I wonder what happened to so many of them...?

[hlthe2b]

153. What happened to Sean Reynolds, sffreeways, stwert, rbnyc?

So many of these folks, I haven't seen posts from in a very very long time... But when I search their profiles, (e.g., Sean Reynolds) it basically gives nothing....:shrug:

[some guy]

312. rbnyc still posts occasionally.

Mostly in the lounge.

She's busy being married and raising her son.

The others you asked about, :shrug:

[jpak]

207. Starpass was the reason I joined DU

Her "descriptions" of Babs were fucking hi-larious....

:rofl:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

253. I remember Pocho--an old Leftist who had retired to Mexico

He used his dog's name as his screenname.

Bvar22 still posts occasionally. A former Minnesota resident, he bought some land in another state and is living the simple life.

Paschall was a fellow translator, only from French instead of Japanese.

[hlthe2b]

372. I remember Pocho fondly...What became of him?

[kentuck]

383. Pocho was one of the most interesting DUers ever...

Last I heard, he was living down in Mexico.

[starroute]

133. I go back to 2001 -- not sure of the month, though

I think it was after 9/11, but I'm can't recall exactly. I know I'd been reading Top 10 for a while through Buzzflash links before I found my way to the message boards -- and also that I didn't post much for the first year or two.

[struggle4progress]

134. I started lurking a bit after 9/11 but didn't register until several years later

[smiley_glad_hands]

136. Same here.

I got tired of the corporate media after 9/11 and found DU. Didn't register for a year or so. I even got to change my name after the 04 elections.

[On the Road]

139. I've Been Here Since February 2001

Shortly after attending the inauguration protests. Usually stay away from the most emotional flamefests, of which there have been more than I can imagine. There were once a lot of Nader supporters here.

[smiley_glad_hands]

140. I think i got here through a link at symbolman's website way back in the day.

So long ago. I know i was googling for progressive media, found takebackthemedia.com. Lurked for a bit and then joined. I was actually paranoid that I would end up on some master govt list at the time if I joined. Very scary times back then.

Thankyou symbolman and DU.

On edit: I used to be Vadem0557.

[Mz Pip]

142. I joined in the spring of 2001

Don't remember the exact date, but I lost my password and reregistered sometime around April. I remember Crewleader welcoming me.

Later that year we had a barbecue in Golden Gate Park.

Some of us met up again for the pre-war marches in SF.

Proud Patriot, Tahiti Nut, arcane1, kurokami, Tenoire, Jack Rabbit, Terwilliger, sffreeways were some of the Bay Area originals.

Mz Pip

[yorgatron]

143. 412

i read way more than i post.

[tkmorris]

145. Terwilliger has his own site now

You probably know that already huh? Can't mention it here though, I'll get spanked by the schoolmarm.

[WilliamPitt]

157. PM me?

[bhikkhu]

144. Late 2001, then after 9/11 this was my news site and sane refuge

(though that may reveal too much about my definition of sanity!)

I was in college and on the computer all the time working, and you guys did such a good job of keeping things up it was 2003 before I joined up to post. I don't remember what the occasion was...

[WilliamPitt]

154. Jaicinto

;)

[proud patriot]

302. That name just made me reach for my tums

:rofl:

[fla nocount]

155. Spring 2001

I often disappear for months at a time so some of these folks might still be around; RB Ham, Indiana Green, Jitterbug Perfume. I stopped lurking and joined to respond to what was probably the first MIHOP/LIHOP thread posted here, "WHEN WILL SOMEONE SAY IT" by a poster named Frank N Stein who liked to change his name and might still be around.

[ensho]

232. yes I read RB Ham too - enjoyed his posts

nt

[WilliamPitt]

156. THIS IS THE BEST THREAD EVER.

Holy poo...HI!!!

I'm going to refresh this thing for weeks.

*So* good to see so many of you in one place. We need Crewleader. Now.

:grouphug:

:toast:

[trumad]

179. No the best thread is my April Fool prank on your ass...

I still get a kick out of your mom waking you up with congrats for the Pulitzer.

[Breeze54]

158. I was here in 2000 or 2001.....

But I lost all my 'links' when I left that job and didn't have a computer at my home.

I re-registered in 2003? 2004?

I don't remember but I didn't actually start posting until 2006, I think.... (?)

I found this place when I was on 'Liberal Oasis' or one like them...

[murielm99]

160. I started lurking here in 2002,

but I did not have a whole lot of time.

It was wonderful to find this place, since every other discussion board I had ever tried had succumbed to freeperish invasion. There is no reasoning with them.

I joined in late 2003. It is sad that so many of the older members have passed on or drifted away.

[enki23]

162. i thought it was "lonster" or lonester...

ah, the bad old days.

[west michigan]

163. Found in 3/01 registered in 4or5/01

I was a little paranoid about registering at the time. Still like to check in daily and have for years. I should break about 1000 posts by 2014 or so............

[KG]

164. Nov 2001

lurked for a few months before that. DU was actually a progressive / leftist board there for a few wonderful months.

[NNN0LHI]

165. I know there is a way to do it but how do I find my hire in date?

I forgot.

Don

[PVnRT]

174. Check your profile

But if you were here before a certain date (2004?), it will only have your year. Check the address in the title bar, the last set of numbers should be the number of registrant you were.

[NNN0LHI]

176. Thank you very much for the explanation

:hi:

[ProfessorGAC]

186. Unless I'm Doing Something Wrong. . .

. . .that doesn't work for me. I get a number over 100,000 and with 120,000 all time registrants, that would mean 5 out of every 6 has been around longer than me. I'm 100% sure that isn't right.

And, i don't see any date when i click my profile.

Am i doing something wrong? I thought i followed your directions to Don, exactly.
GAC

[Blue Diadem]

196. You're #4893. n/t

[ProfessorGAC]

200. Thanks. Obviously, The Technology Has Eluded Me

The Professor

[PVnRT]

214. Your profile says "Member Since: 2001"

Which jives with when I remember first seeing you around.

I'm wondering if "10" portion of those six digits is common to all, to allow for expansion of the number of members.

[ProfessorGAC]

227. Someone Else Already Told Me My Number

It's under 4900. So i think i'm right that i've been here since early 2001.
GAC

[enki23]

230. thanks for that. guess that made me number 1691 in 2001

.

[PVnRT]

236. Old fart

Didn't your signature line used to say "Jesus is my co-conspirator"?

[enki23]

250. probably... among other things

and yeah, old farts for sure.

[kentuck]

321. enki23, you were an early revolutionary.

:-) :hi:

[PVnRT]

166. April 2001, and I remember HegemonyCricket

I can also recall goldengreek and his promises of the upcoming communist revolution in the U.S.

Then there's jiacinto....whoooo boy was he a live one.

I miss not having ZenLefty around, primarily so I can mock the Colorado Avalanche.

There's also sffreeways and Crewleader. Character Assassin, while an avowed libertarian, was always good to have around. If your argument was not well crafted he would tear you to little shreds.

[hlthe2b]

228. Oh, I miss ZenLefty too.... He rallied the Coloradoans early on...

[Shakespeare]

246. You may or may not be happy to know that CA is no longer a libertarian.

In fact, he's a gung-ho Obama supporter now (he's also my SO). But he'll still tear you to little shreds if your argument isn't well-crafted, which is one of the many things I love about him. :hi:

[PVnRT]

349. I recall you saying that a month or so ago

My heart leaped for joy at that news. One more turned to the dark side.

[Raven]

170. I pre-date Will Pitt... in fact, without me there would be no such thing

as a WillPitt.:rofl:

Actually, I think he hooked me on DU in the Summer of '01

[kentuck]

283. Who are you?? His Mother ??

Now we know that the nut doesn't fall far from the tree. :-) Just kidding, Raven.

[Robb]

333. I still have your tomato cheese pie recipe

...in my recipe binder. The one with the big DU sticker on it. :D

It of course gets rave reviews whenever I make it. And I get to tell a story. :hi:

[JCinNYC]

173. Wow - time flies....

Been here since 2001 tho the exact month escape me
Came from Bushwatch and never left
Read the site almost every day - 2 to 3 hrs of it - rarely have much to add

So - i dont think i'll ever make an impressive post count
But I'm an addict nonetheless- what can i say
It's like one giant online soap opera mixed in with great information and discourse

Here's to DU and its members - past and present!

[hlthe2b]

182. Gee, I'd totally forgotten about Bushwatch...

Time to go google to see if it is still up. I haven't thought of that site since MWO left the "air."

[ProfessorGAC]

181. I've Been Here Longer, I Believe, Mac

I heard Skinner on Washington Journal on a Saturday morning about a month after Silverspoon's inauguration. (Or should i say coronation.)

I've been here ever since. So whenever Skinner was on CSPAN, i've been here the very next Monday.
The Professor

[laststeamtrain]

184. I remember my first post, a long time ago.

I had a different handle.

It was my recipe for Red Beans & Rice.

A woman had committed to bringing Red Beans & Rice to an office potluck & had no idea how to make it!

She appreciated it. (It's a good recipe.)

I remember most of the names mentioned in this thread.

I went away for a long time at one point. It's amazing how losing your job, your house, your marriage can distract one.

I've been pretty constant here for the last few years, I take shorter breaks to work on my 'mental ignore list'. I've never used the mechanical one.

Even through this hellacious primary season I still like DU.

:hi:

[Robb]

185. I joined up last week

...Who the hell are you people?!? :D

[hlthe2b]

191. WHat happened to all your polls, you crazy nut?

and how are the doggies?

[Robb]

330. Pups good, polls few and far between

Thanks fer askin'. :D

[Blue Diadem]

209. OMG, you're #37

You really were one of the 1st here.

How did you find out about DU? I didn't find it until the 2004 election.

[Robb]

334. I met Skinner in this DC leather/S&M bar...

Elad and EarlG had this crazy trapeze act...

Anyhoo. He told me he was starting a website, I checked it out thinking there would be more porn. And there was more, back in the beginning. Lots of crazy porn. Mostly animal stuff and tea-set fetishes.

One day the whole thing went all political. But I had to stick around, in my day web browsers could only visit one site, and didn't have a "back" button. :shrug:

[Blue Diadem]

344. .

:rofl:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

378. Still a dingbat after all these years

:-)

[gasperc]

188. I don't come as often as I used to but I've been around since 2001

[mikeytherat]

189. 2001. January, I believe.

Came here from Bartcop.

mikey_the_rat

[SidDithers]

198. I'm a Bartcop refugee as well...

Lurked for a while before finally signing up sometime in 2002.

My all time fave DU memory? The Walt Starr tombstoning.

Sid

[fight4my3sons]

192. Oneeighty was one that stands out I miss him.

He was one of the first to 'talk' to me. I loved his writing.

and Newyyawker99 for the awesome welcome and didn't she do the birthday reminders too?

[lpbk2713]

212. NY99 did the Welcomes, the Birthdays and the Milestones too.

When a DUer got to a certain number of posts (100, 1000, 10,000, etc) she would offer congrats.

DU isn't quite the same without her. :(



Ed to add: Shout out to NY99 if you're still lurking :thumbsup: :hi: :thumbsup:

[Reader Rabbit]

193. I joined shortly after the selection, but I don't know the exact date.

Is there any way to find it? I searched "My DU," but found nothing.

My post count still isn't to 1000, because mainly I just lurk.

[Bandit]

194. I am from 2001 as well

Mid year if I remember right. I remember talking Nha Trang with Demo Tex as we both spent time there. Took a year off after the 2004 election as it totally devastated me.

[kentuck]

298. Bandit

:hi: I remember NhaTrang.

[Aristus]

199. I started lurking here in March, 2001. Finally joined in September, the week after the attack.

I've never sat at the cool kids table, but I can see it from here. B-)

:hi: DemoTex :pals:

I miss so many of the "early" DU-ers, espcially sffreeways...

[Blue_Roses]

201. I found DU in 2002 when I was working to get Ron Kirk elected US Senator

instead of John Cornyn:eyes: What a good senator he would have been compared to the "other" one. It was through a chat room that I found DU and Buzzflash. It was a great day!:D

[JCMach1]

204. So exactly how many times has WillPitt quit/threatened to quit DU?

:evilgrin: (gentle ribbing intended only)

[davsand]

217. We are ALL Will Pitt.

I still laugh at the idjit who was running around claiming DU was made up of a couple of people and that every other poster on here was actually Will Pitt using a different pseud. We had this BIG long thread with people posting saying nothing more than "I am Will Pitt."

I have to say, Will must be worn down to a nub by now if he's still doing all that work!


:rofl:



Laura

[JCMach1]

238. ROFL

[Generator]

271. My God that is funny

Clearly some of Pitt's diatribes seem long enough. But not quite.

[tom_paine]

276. I remember that now. Didn't that coin a DU "hot phrase" for awhile.

Weren't all of us running around saying "I am Spartacus!" as sort of a catchphrase?

That was also a popular line at the long-defunct Coup2k blog.

[KelleyKramer]

357. OMG! I remember that!

Forgot all about it until just seeing your post.

It may have been before my computer crashed and had a different user name.. but I still remember that thread you are talking about...

That was hilarious!

This thread is bringing back a lot of old memories.

[annonymous]

206. I started lurking sometime in 2001

I registered in early 2002 but have yet to reach 1000 posts. I stopped posting for a while after the 2004 elections. I remember Mr Benchley, Khephra, Crewleader, Newyawker99, Character Assassin, Eloriel, Paschall, Cici the Psychobunny, fromsmalltownamerica, sffreeways, Not Over It, nostamj, Jiacinto, NothingShocksMeAnymore, Starpass, Catpower2000, GodBushandCheney, geniph, 8643, and oneighty. I can't say I miss Jiacinto, Starpass and Character Assassin.

[Pendrench]

211. I'm like you...I've been here since 2002, but I'm still under 600 posts.

[CRK7376]

213. I joined

DU and Smirking Chimp about the same time in the Spring or early summer of '01 is memory serves me right....I read alot, but not much of a poster...It'll be interesting to see the evolution of DU in Jan/Feb/Mar09 timeframe......

[Rhiannon12866]

216. I'm thinking of Andy Stephenson, aka God_bush_n_cheney, and newyawker99,

DU veterans, and two of my first friends here. ;(

I joined in early 2003, well before the invasion of Iraq, which I never believed could happen, and was here for the 2004 election, when DU kept me sane...:grouphug:

[underpants]

220. Not I

October 2001 registered. started posting in December I think


And then there was no shutting me up

[kentuck]

223. What happened to those dancing "underpants" ?

That danced across the bottom of your posts?? :-)

[underpants]

231. The who with the WHAT?

[MuseRider]

279. YAY! Dancing, scowling underpants!

Funny but you have no idea how much I have missed them! They always made me laugh. :hi:

[Bandit]

370. I miss the little pink panties following after the underpants.

People like you made this place comfortable

[ensho]

221. I was here under the name donsu - been here all along

don't know the exact date

[Lex]

225. Here since 2001

but I don't know what month I joined.

[Billy Burnett]

226. I was one of the first 100.

Posted many thousands on the "old" DU (the good ol' days). Not so much now.

:hi:

[T Monk]

229. on and off before

[DinahMoeHum]

233. Whatever happened to "ElementaryPenguin" ???

n/t

[purji]

235. Aug 2001

I truly miss Kephra,and Andy.

[Bake]

237. I came sometime in 2001.

In fact, it was Pitt's and DemoTex's posts, and a few others, that really made me want to stick around.

Bake

[clyrc]

239. I've been here since Nov 2001, lurked before that

I fondly remember many already mentioned, but I must add Salin as a favorite from way back.

[lins the liberal]

240. I've been here since May or June 2001

Crewleader and Art from Ark welcomed me. I had been here just a short while when Will Pitt came along.

I seldom miss a day coming here to read, but as you can see from my post count I very seldom post.

[whyzayker]

244. Me thinks I'll go into me archives

...and find some old DU stuff.

I just posted some of our old threads from 9/11 a few months ago. Like the one where Will Pitt said we should stand behind the president.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=4283&forum=DCForumID35&archive=yes

[Art_from_Ark]

288. Whyzaker

Haven't seen you around for a while, either :hi: . How are things going?

[whyzayker]

314. Things going well, Art

Thanks for asking. It's been a long time. And you?

[Art_from_Ark]

371. Well, things could definitely be better

It seems like the more I work, the less I make. And it's pretty easy to get in a rut these days.

[Art_from_Ark]

281. Hey, Lins

Long time no see! :hi: How are things in your neck of the woods? Any chance of ending the 42-year Republican dynasty of the 3rd District?

[NashVegas]

242. I Was Mostly Lurking In May 2001

I'm not sure when my first post happened or what it was on. Probably Enron / Thomas White, but I'm not sure. I don't think I wrote more than 50 posts before 9/11.

[Hubert Flottz]

245. Hootie Hoooo...

I was here before Yaks and Thongs were the rage...

[Shakespeare]

247. Here since the beginning (originally as Not_over_it)

I saw the boys holding the banner on inauguration day 2001, and started lurking. I officially signed up about two weeks later so I could give lonster a verbal beatdown. :7

And I'm now in a hot and heavy relationship with Character Assassin (who's no longer a libertarian). :loveya:

[Dukkha]

248. 9/2001 for me

yeah, that event brought me here

[ieoeja]

254. Hats off to ElementaryPenguin

I started trolling (sorry) through the profiles by number (100000, 100001, etc) and found ElementaryPenguin as apparently the earliest member still active on this board.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=100013

Most of the earlier ones were tombstoned. Some show low posts because they reset the post count awhile back and they have apparently not been posting since.

Jesuswasaliberal was an earlier one with only one post. I thought that poster was still around?

[DiverDave]

255. uh, who cares?

man, the ego

[hlthe2b]

257. there's always one.....

Ya know you could have skipped right by this thread....

[Shakespeare]

259. We're just reminiscing.

Chill out.

[Scout]

262. apparently you care enough to post :eyes: n/t

[bvar22]

258. Photo from the "Members Gallery" 2001

:rofl:
That was soooooooooo Pre-911

[geomon666]

260. I think I predate you guys by a few months.

I think I came along either January or February of 2001.

[KoKo]

264. Can we get "Another Round?" n/t

[Tatiana]

265. I miss Carlos/Jacinto (LOL!) and GinaMaria and TenneseeVol

There are many others... but those people made for interesting discussions on GD.

[David Zephyr]

266. Kicking this up and in tribute to all the old crazies who became a family.

:toast:

[Blaze Diem]

270. Thank You. Its an honor.

Nice tribute to us diehards.

[tom_paine]

274. *Raises hand* Started lurking in late March 2001. First post in early April 2001.

Discovered DU and Bartcop simultaneously, as well as sites long gone like Coup2K, with a Google search Bush stolen election.

In that first couple months, sometimes you could only hear the crickets chirping and the mad dog Freepers barking, as I seem to recall they sometimes came in waves, and at that time DUs system of alerting and tombstoning was not as advanced or effective, plus our numbers were so small at the start, sometimes early on they almost equalled us in number.

[kentuck]

300. tom_paine ...one of my all-time favorites !

:hi:

[tom_paine]

306. That goes back atcha', kentuck!

:hi:

[Art_from_Ark]

275. "Q" was one of my favorite early posters

I haven't seen him/her around in a while

[ulysses]

318. heh - I remember Q

[kentuck]

319. What happened to Q?

He was always on a roll. I always read his/her posts.

[ulysses]

320. I've forgotten.

We had our disagreements, but I remember that there was a lot more agreement shortly before he was gone. Don't remember if it was a ts, though.

[kentuck]

322. Maybe?

He didn't hold back very much.

Btw, ulysses, you have been on the front lines a long time. Thanks for your service. :-)

[ulysses]

326. likewise to you, old-timer.

:D

[PVnRT]

350. BTW, the Braves suck

:hide:

[ulysses]

351. you're just jealous because your name isn't "Jair".

:hi:

[MuseRider]

280. DemoTex

this is a lovely thread. I still can't figure out my number but I feel old since it was 2002.

Thanks for starting this. :hi:

[Avalon Sparks]

284. Maybe

I had to post this to check my profile.

[proud patriot]

299. I think I was here about March 2001 , I miss SFFreeways

:hi:

[kentuck]

303. proud patriot has persevered.

I think we arrived at close to the same time? I think sffreeways moved back east to OH or PA or somewhere and stopped posting? "She" was a real trip!

[proud patriot]

307. I got to meet her and her Marine Son

She came to the first SF gathering in Golden Gate Park ..
Felt like meeting a kindred spirit .

Yeah she moved back east somewhere . She has stopped by DU a
couple of times over the years but it is rare .

We got here around the same time , Took me a couple of months of
sleepless nights . Having anxiety about bush kept me up at night .
I found DU and we kept each other company in some of the loniest
times .

the bond is strong ..

[Shakespeare]

308. She stopped posting very much after her son was murdered.

She posted a few times about the murder trial, and once in a great, great while, I still see her post here. I hope she's doing well. :hug:

[Solly Mack]

305. I was here in 2001...not all that long after the the war criminal's inauguration

just didn't post much...

[kentuck]

323. Solly Mack...

A great contributor to DU. :hi:

[hedgetrimmer]

311. I do not pre date you ..

Did some lurking from Dec 01 and started posting in Feb 02. Now for the most part I lurk... I do not care much for where DU has gone since the 2004 elections and so I just poke about here and there.

[ulysses]

316. anyone remember ohgosh?

[buddhamama]

327. i do.

ohgosh is a devoted Mother and a remarkable woman.

we joined DU within a month each other. me in May of 2001 and you in June. :)

there are a few DUers from the early days that i miss quite a bit.

Crew, sffreeways, noiretblu, johnny_red...too many to list.

but i am hardly around anymore either, so i guess it doesn't much matter. :hi: :loveya:

[ulysses]

329. noir still posts some.

Mostly in the cancer support group, as far as I can tell. :hi:

[coyote]

317. I can remember when Kali and Bill 1X1 were forum moderators

Christ that was long time ago.

[chemp]

325. I'm from 2001. Not sure of the month

I followed a link from Bartcop to one of the first Top Ten Idiots lists.
Registered almost immediately. Post very infrequently.

[Maeve]

328. Okay, I didn't pre-date Will, but I pre-date a lot of you!

I came in the spring of 2001, drawn in by the Top 10. Crewleader welcomed me, too, as did SoCalDem, newyawker99 and many others. This was one of the most female-friendly sites around. I hosted the Daily Thread in the Lounge for a while, full of trivia and milestone announcements and that got me into my first term as a moderator--head Lounge Lizard.

I modded during the election of 2004 and that just about broke my heart. I helped, then ran the Stock Market Watch thread for a bit and still look in, but stopped posting regularly. Then the call went out for former mods to help during this extended primary season and I came back.

Oh, gee..if I had to name all my favorite folk, I'd never manage without forgetting someone or three! ZombyWolf, Orangepeel, Kheph, of course...Will Pitt even set up a secondary list of people "in case something happens to DU"...but instead of trying, let me offer a round of drinks, a trick taught to me by ZenLefty:

:beer: :beer:
:beer: .......... :beer:
:beer: ............... :beer:
:beer: ................. :beer:
:beer: ................... :beer:
:beer: ................... :beer:
:beer: ................. :beer:
:beer: ............... :beer:
:beer: .......... :beer:
:beer: :beer:

[ulysses]

331. hey, my partner in mythology!

:hi: How in the world are you, Maeve?

[Maeve]

335. hey, uly! Busy as never before

I've got a son in the Air Force now, and a daughter graduating from HS tomorrow (plus one son still in college and another daughter in HS). I'm working part-time as a storyteller and a tour guide, keeping my eye on LBN and generally running as fast as I can to stay in one place.
And yourself? :hug:

[ulysses]

353. not as much going on as you.

Thankfully. :D We're fine - trying to negotiate potty training these days.

[kentuck]

332. I recall in the early days...

That we were averaging about a 1000 new members per month. Skinner did a "congratulations" post, as I recall, when we hit the first 10,000. I think that must have been around January, 2002? Just a guess that might help in estimating month and year that you arrived in 2001?

[Maeve]

337. The old archives are still around in read-only

I even have a link for those who want to go researching:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=lobby

[seaglass]

340. Came here in Aug/Sep 2001 after someone from DU was on Washington Journal

Skinner maybe? Crewleader and WillPitt were the first to welcome me.

There was one point when Skinner let people change their names without losing post count, so possibly some of those I remember are still here under a different name.

A few I remember who haven't been mentioned yet - Absynthe, Maine Mary, Cora Rose (Lady Democrat and a hundred iterations). Then there was a woman named Night something who wrote and posted erotic poetry (that was very good) in the lounge.

[buddhamama]

342. Ab was/is one of my faves

a good person with a kind heart, although he kept it well hidden under his rough exterior.

your username reminds me of another poster i adored and miss to this day: KeepHopeAlive. :)

[Shakespeare]

345. Nightshade! That poster turned out to be a male freeper!

A lot of folks were mighty surprised when that tombstone (plus explanation) happened. :rofl:

:hi:

[seaglass]

348. I totally missed that...lol. Were the poems stolen, I can

remember a lot of heavy-breathing guys over that one :rofl:

[KittyWampus]

346. how do I find out what month I joined? Does anyone have the link to the old DU?

[buddhamama]

347. according to your profile

you were the 8575th person to join DU. :)

old archives: http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=lobby

[TygrBright]

356. Coupla days after seeing those two funny-looking dweebs with the banner....

...on teevee coverage of the National Catastrophe...er...first * term inauguration.

I also supplied God with a written critique of the new product "dirt" and peered into McCain's bassinet and clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from uttering "dear Lord, what an UGLY little sucka!"

nostalgically,
Bright

[kentuck]

363. TygrBright !

One of the originals! :hi:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

377. One of the funniest originals!

:hi:

[PunkinPi]

358. K&R

what a cool thread. :)

[scarletwoman]

360. Hey! I didn't know about this thread until I read the DUzys. I came after you guys, late 2001.

I'm #6679. What a trip it's been. Thanks for doing this thread, I haven't been able to read all the way through it yet.

I wish I could think of something witty or moving to say... but I got nothin'. I've been hanging out in GD-P and my head exploded.

:grouphug:

Peace,
sw

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

362. i have been reading and posting since 2003 under a differant handle

each broken computer brings a new name ;-)

Does anyone know where Mopaul is? I think that was the name, I remember i used to really enjoy his animations back in the day.

[grasswire]

364. 2002 -- from TAP and Table Talk

Some of the old cronies from those sites are here at DU. Stephanie, and Donna Zen, and Gabi Hayes, and Jim Sagle, and Fredda. When Table Talk (Salon) started charging for posting privileges, some people scattered. TAP (American Prospect) was one destination. Eventually that board was shut down, too.

One of my favorite nights here was the night that Will Pitt fought off a mugging with a can of Chef Boyardee. Oh, and his spat with Aaron Brown was interesting, too.

My first experience on a political site was when I first spied the phenomenon of chat, on AOL's ACLU chat called the Free Speech Zone, in the mid 90s. I know of two members of that ancient chat here at DU. Political Amazon (fairly new to DU) and Oeditpus Rex, my ol' pal.

[grasswire]

366. I can't find my user number

111720?

[kentuck]

365. Did anyone here ever participate in the Prodigy Discussion Groups?

I'm curious? They had some good discussions around the mid to late 90's...

[Skidmore]

369. I've been here since 2001, too.

Lotta water under the bridge since then, eh?

[ensho]

373. at first I didn't pay any attention to the posters DU name

never having forumed before.

I was just totally engrossed with what everyone was saying.

then I realized I should note names and remember them. (have never been able to remember names)

it was what you all were saying that captured me.

[kentuck]

375. Was it Donsu??

:-)

[klyon]

374. me

I don't post a lot
early on there was a lot of good people with intelligent things to say so I just read
now I don't post because of all the mean people that attack you for speaking your mind
this place is not the same since we became a place for republican a-holes to be rude
at election time it is the worst
but I still come here every day almost

[Festivito]

376. Plenty of us slow posters since days of email alerts.

The actual date is lost and only a before date is given.

Used to fight with enki23, can't remember why right now.

That was my introduction to DU.

Now I end up posting at the end of posts, as though I kill 'em.

I always liked that email alert dinging to let me know someone had answered one of my posts.

[Vanje]

379. I've been around a while ....since 2001

Dont know what month I signed up.

[kentuck]

384. Probably about August or September...

Judging by your number? Welcome back!

[silverweb]

385. i joined in 2001, but I don't remember what month.

It was either spring or summer, but I can't pin it down more precisely than that. Seems like eons ago. :D

[kentuck]

386. April or May would be my estimate silverweb...

with your number. You are a pioneer. :-)

[silverweb]

387. Thanks, kentuck!

You're a pioneer, too. :hi:

[DFW]

388. I'm so recent

I'm still taking the safety pins off of my diapers.

[kentuck]

389. But most DUers decided a long time ago...

That it doesn't matter how long you have been here, it's what you have to contribute. It's been a gallant pursuit for the truth. Very few avenues are left unexplored on DU...