Bookmarking.

We are expecting a significant amount of traffic through election day and beyond. Elad has installed an additional front-end server but we still expect to have to disable certain forum functions once the load on our servers becomes too great. During these times it is absolutely necessary to remove these functions otherwise the servers will crash and the site will be unavailable to everyone.

In order to keep DU running during periods of extremely high traffic we have a system of levels in place. As traffic to the site increases, certain functions are removed at each level. When this happens a notification will appear on the Latest page indicating what level we're on. The effects of these levels are described below.

LEVEL 1
Advanced Search is unavailable
Latest page Milestones are not displayed
The red text that indicates a post has been edited is not displayed
Cool section is removed from the homepage

LEVEL 2
The right column is removed from the Latest page
Latest page customization options are unavailable

LEVEL 3
Some navigational images are not displayed
Posts counts are not displayed
Signature lines are not displayed
Stars are not displayed
Avatars are not displayed
The homepage is replaced with a static HTML file

LEVEL 4
The discussion forum is available to registered members only

LEVEL 5
The discussion forum is available to Star Members only


A word of warning: there is a strong possibility that -- at least for certain periods of time -- we will have to operate at Level 5 on election night. To prepare for this possibility you can purchase a Star Membership here if you have not done so already.

Please understand that under extreme circumstances these measures do become necessary in order to keep the site running for as long as possible, for as many people as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

EarlG, Skinner, Elad
DU Administrators

Easy to believe. There are 18 successful suicides by veterans per day. I know one of them.

Per day.

Eighteen.

Successful, not attempted, suicides.

Squeee?

My new friend from two plus weeks ago, free dog from a family I met at a flea market that cared enough to find a home for her.

Fierce and awesome, we have not picked a name. Probable a Westie/Silky mix...

It is what it is: a better commercial model probably lacking the soul of the original DU.

Original Subject Line: ATTN: Skinner and EarlG who will, no doubt, compose a thoughtful response.










Visitors to the Meta-discussion forum will have noticed a lot of discussion concerning access by former DU2 moderators to their moderator forum.

This is no secret to anyone who continued to visit both forums, something which is possible to this very day.

There are, however, details about the process of moderation and the access that mods might have had to member information that can ONLY BE ADDRESSED by the administrators.

The reasons for this are:

A: The moderator confidentiality agreement posted here and pasted below prevents any of us from discussing anything that MIGHT go a long way toward calming nerves and restoring confidence.

B: Moderators were not insiders, we don't know what the admins think, and in the end they own the site and are the ones who should answer to any concerns of the membership.

In closing, I sincerely hope that the administrators will find time to do their best to answer any and all concerns, especially as they relate membership information privacy and to the transition time between DU2 and DU3, and the access that moderators were provided until yesterday, and why.

Because we can't explain it without breaking the rules we've agreed to abide by, in perpetuity.

Thanks to Call Me Wesley for finding what I believe is the most recent form of the agreement.

Moderator Confidentiality Agreement

Updated August 26, 2005

If you wish to serve as a moderator on Democratic Underground, you are required to complete, sign and return this form. To do so, please print this page, complete the information sought below, and carefully read the Moderator Confidentiality Agreement language set forth below. You must affirmatively acknowledge your understanding of and agreement to abide by the terms and conditions of this Agreement. All of the requested information is REQUIRED. A failure to accurately provide all of the requested information or to abide by the terms and conditions of the Moderator Confidentiality Agreement will result in your request to serve as a moderator being refused by the Democratic Underground.

Forum Username: ___________________________________________________

Real Name, including Middle Initial: ___________________________________________________

Current Home Address: ___________________________________________________

City, State, and Zip Code: ___________________________________________________

Home Telephone Number: ___________________________________________________

Cell Phone Number: ___________________________________________________

Facsimile Number: ___________________________________________________

Email Address: ___________________________________________________


Moderator Confidentiality Agreement: As a moderator, you will have access to privileged and confidential information and data of the Democratic Underground and Forum users that is otherwise unavailable to regular members of the Democratic Underground or third parties. Such privileged and confidential information includes, but is not limited to: registration information provided by visitors to the Democratic Underground website, such as real names, email addresses, hometown, etc.; substantive discussions in the private Moderator Forum; records of behavior, deleted posts, locked threads, and posting habits of visitors to the Democratic Underground; alerts or other correspondence/communications with moderators and administrators; and information about the operation of Democratic Underground and how the Forum is moderated and administered.

By executing this Moderator Agreement, you agree to abide by the terms and conditions set forth herein and further warrant and represent that you shall not, either while serving as moderator or after you have discontinued serving as a moderator: 1) save or use any such privileged and confidential information for any purpose, except as may be reasonable and necessary to fulfill your specific duties as a Democratic Underground moderator; 2) use such privileged or confidential information for your own gain or benefit, personal or business; 3) sell, share, transfer or disclose such privileged and confidential information to/with any third party, except those currently serving as authorized moderators in the Democratic Underground Moderator Forum.

In the event you breach any of the terms of this Agreement, you shall be permanently banned from participating in the Democratic Underground. Furthermore, by executing this Agreement, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Democratic Underground, its officers, directors and employees from any and all claims, actions, causes of action, liabilities, judgments, monetary damages, injuries to persons or property, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs, incurred by Democratic Underground and which arise out of or which are related to your breach or violation of the terms and conditions of this Agreement. In the event Democratic Underground is forced to initiate litigation against you to enforce the terms and conditions of this Agreement and prevails in such action, you shall be responsible for reimbursement of Democratic Underground's reasonable and necessary attorneys' fees and court costs.

I hereby acknowledge that I have read and reviewed the terms and conditions of this Moderator Confidentiality Agreement and that I understand and agree to be bound by the same.


Signature: _______________________________________ Date: __________

Return form to: Democratic Underground
P.O. Box 339
Kensington, MD 20895-0339

~~Peace~~

Can I use a Tapir? With a Tapir, I could take out hundred Biebers, easy.

Fuck that shit, starry messenger. I mean it, fuck. that. shit. Posting to my Journal.

Are we having to put quotes around phases to make clear one thing or the other?

Honestly, I think there may be some willful misunderstanding going on if I can't be accepted as being on the right side of issues.

Without using quotes, FFS. Is there a progressive style guide I should consult???

Catch Phrases and Word Salad from a K-6 LAUSD school.

Thank you, Sheriff Taylor, the dad I never had.

I probably owe more to Andy Griffith and the skills he portrayed as a father on the Andy Griffith show for my upbringing than to any other male figure ever alive.


I came up on a defunct due to death asparagus ranch, raised by grandmother in a home with mom and sister, four years older, and attended a two-teacher eight-grade school.

Like Mayberry, I was raised in a rural setting, without even running drinking water (we had to go to a well to refill what fed a single kitchen spigot).

We had a Black and White TV that my mom bought my grandfather with her first paycheck.

Three years and 14 days younger than Ron Howard, Opie was the boy I longed to be.

And Andy was the dad that I never had, but for lack of any other came to teach me values, and morals, and kindness and goodness, and how to be happy with just the way things are, and without preaching about it.

Thanks, Sheriff. Thanks, Pop.

Rest In Peace.



PS: Fact is, my DU user name is inspired by Barney, who was once heard to say, "Andy, I think we got us an SKP!" (escapee)

Right Fucking Now. Elizabeth Warren for President 2016......

Plan ahead. Nobody else comes close. Elizabeth Warren: "There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own"

[font size=2]"You built a factory out there? Good for you... But I want to be clear:

you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for;

you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate;

you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for."

"You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did."[/font size]



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20110042-503544.html

[font size=4]I declare my support for Elizabeth Warren for President 2016 right fucking now.

http://elizabethwarren.com/?splash=1 [/font size]



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