An introspective look at 100,000 posts:
It was tough times in 2001, after the election was stolen by the Supreme Court.
We were aware of DU from their banner they were holding up at Dubya's Inauguration. They were looking for people to write, so I wrote a few articles under my real name, until I changed to "kentuck" in about March or April of 2001. It was a good place to rant. 
Unlike today, General Discussion might take 2 or 3 days for the posts to rotate off the page. Now, they can all rotate in a matter of minutes on a busy day.
We never imagined there would ever be a worse president than George W Bush. We were put into "free speech zones" when we protested. The invasion and the torture were more than the conscience could bear. Or so we thought.
We have seen a lot of great people come and go. There are too many names to mention. Many have passed on in the last 20 years.
As we fast forward to today, we see an illegitimate president sitting in the White House, moping and whining because he lost the last election, and is threatening "martial law" and whatever extraneous means he can imagine to destroy our democracy, as the criminal Senate stands by and does nothing. We see a president ignore people dying from a terrible pandemic and the economy collapsing around us and all he can think of is how can he stay in power?
I really don't know how much longer the "old blood" can hang on here at DU?
= new reply since forum marked as read
For a long while, I thought you might be Al Gore?
Great post - Happy Holidays 
And thanks to everyone for your kind words.
I salute you!
👍🏼
-Laelth
on the same day I posted about my measly 10K. Just kidding, of course. Congratulations on your milestone A always enjoy your posts.
Particularly coming, as you do from Colorado Springs. It gave me hope years ago that we'd turn CO blue and now it gives me hope we'll eventually bring more Dems/progressives throughout the state--even the red bastions.
Hard to believe it has been 20 years, isn't it? A 
to you and to all those we had the opportunity to interact with (and receive some comfort from) over these long years.
But it takes a while. I supported Gary Hart when I first moved to Colorado. I wish he could have been President.
We're none of us out yet, and we have a huge duty to make sure the nation we pass on is an advance on what we inherited from our parents.
Fortunately, in spite of our enormous climate problems, we have everything we need to make future wellbeing better than people have ever known.
Notably, all our great advances have been thanks to fairly few of us. They happen in spite of most who go to work but are really just along for an amazing ride. So our first and most important contribution is to simply do no harm, vote to put good and smart people in power and keep bad out, and otherwise stay out of the way and wonder at what we see.
If so, I truly apologize.
You help to keep us informed.
You're one of my favorite posters, always provoking thoughtful conversation. Keep on posting!
I joined DU sometime in late summer 2001. I found my way here via a re-post on another site of "Top Ten Conservative Idiots".
I've always been more of a reader here than a poster, so I'm pretty sure I'll never hit 100,000 posts before I join the "passed on" group.
However, through the years it's always been a comfort to me to see you still posting and to read your insights. I'm so happy and grateful you're still with us!
My numbers are rather low compared to some of our prolific DUers/
We can't stop now. We are the majority. We have to take back the reins. We may have to struggle, but we will win. One more harrowing month with that lunatic and his spawn at the helm. After that, they are regular citizens. No protection. Millions in debt with the law coming after them. We will shut the lingering supremacists in Congress down, too, cause we're going to win in GA. Maybe even convince a couple of not as horrible rethugs to become independents. You are a leader kentuck. Your just a little tired right now. Rest up. We need you to stand with us. 
Congrats on 100,000 interesting posts!
You have the power.
We’ll all just hang in there. 
As the President-elect would say, that's a big fucking deal.
If I'd been brave and joined when I first found this site I'd be in the Class of 2001 too. Alas it would be another 16 years before I found the courage.
I try to post mostly original thoughts.
I came sometime in the summer of 2001, brought by some mentions of a "Top Ten" list that was hilarious and too-true. DU was a great source of comfort, especially during 9/11 when so many news sources were frozen by power issues. Dark days.
No, we couldn't foresee a conman taking the White House or the complicity of so many willing to place party ahead of country. But it is the steadiness of DUers like yourself that help stabilize the rest of us in these troubled waters (lord, the mixed metaphors! Sorry about that). You are one of the posters I tend to look for; thank you for what you have contributed over the years.
And here's to many more! 
