The Early Days of DU, Inauguration Day 2001; and F911: These Are Days!!

[VolcanoJen]

During the opening scenes of "Fahrenheit 9/11", I couldn't stop myself from wildly scanning the huge theater screen for the "DemocraticUnderground.com" banner, bravely carried by our own Skinner and EarlG. That banner led me, and many, many others, to this wonderful website on that horrible day.

According to Skinner's account of Inauguration Day 2001, Bush's limo and the Secret Service were in "full sprint" by the time the presidential party reached the sign... it's portrayed quite accurately in Michael Moore's film.

Spotting that banner in among the protesters is literally the only good thing that's happened since Election Night 2000, if you ask me.

Seeing this film and thinking about those awful days only a few years ago made me as thankful for this site as I've ever been. Amazing days, these are... the tide is turning, the tree is shaking, and we're all a part of it.

Anyone who would like to take a trip back into the early DU days, please read this great old piece by Skinner. Something about F911, an amazing film, just brought those awful/joyous/awful/joyous days right back again.

Seven Days Underground

Hey, Skinner, EarlG, elad... thanks for "Shaking the Sign."

:grouphug:

[proud patriot]

1. That Banner is how I found DU

Thanks for standing in the Rain

[VolcanoJen]

3. That banner saved... well, my soul, and my hope.

It led me to my friends here. It made me realize I was not alone.

What a great community... something about F911 has brought us all together, and it's nice for us to "get along" for a minute or two.

:grouphug:

[Jax]

10. That banner has been and still is a light

at the end of what could have been a very dark tunnel for me, when the appointed deserting fortunate son slime boy was really inaugurated.

The cowardly appointed phony highness was absolutely zooming by all in his limo.

Then I saw the DU banner.

Thanks for putting yourselves out there for us on that rainy, crappy day in the first place.

Thank you.

Jax

[Zomby Woof]

2. I admit I am a newbie

That is, I joined later in 2001. ;-) (Started lurking in May or so). Please alert me if you are suspicious of my leanings. :dunce:

Thanks for the link. To me, our best days are AHEAD, when we celebrate Kerry's win on Election Night, and his inauguration on January 20, 2005. :D

[NWHarkness]

4. I remember seeing the banner

and checking out the site. It was a beacon of hope on that terrible day.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. We are ;living the Chinese Curse

"May you live in interesting times."

Now I got to see the reaction from the two sides of the track

The good side, at least in this town is SHOCKED I tell you, SHOCKED!

The tide is turning, hard... all the work we all have put is starting
to pay off... I still worry of a possible hot civil war, after all the hard work.

But the best days are ahead, as the tide turns, and people wake up.

This movie will have an amazing effect...

Oh and how many of you were treated to trailers of the Manchurian Cnadidate before the Manchurian Candidate (F 911) ran? It was eerie yesterday.

[VolcanoJen]

6. Well, at least we're all news junkies, living in "interesting times."

It could be worse, I suppose. This kind of stuff could bore the crap out of us! :+ :+ :+

It's been a good day... a really, really good day. :D

[alittlelark]

13. 'May you live in interesting times'

has been in my cerebral cortex for awhile now.

I have used the phrase for good and ill many times.

I hope for boredom.

[Zomby Woof]

7. your avatar

Has put that damn "Greatest American Hero" song in my head. :dunce:

[VolcanoJen]

8. "Believe it or not! I'm walkin' on air!!"

Damn, the songs were hilarious...

Let the Eagles Soar, my friend. LET THE EAGLES SOAR!!

[fearnobush]

9. Now, we need to teach the sheeple how the CNN etc. media is in

bed with the evil Bush empire. We need to tell everyone that the idea of the Liberal Media is a myth. We need to tell them that CNN is indeed, right wing media. 60% of CNN's viewers say they are dems, yet CNN lies to their choir for the right wing. Their comments of F 911 are proof of this. No one is telling the facts about this movie. No one on TV lest, a small niche few are telling anyone about the emperical evidence, i.e. Taliban in Texas...etc. We need to tell them how bad they look when they whore for Bush. The whole world despises Bush, yet they act as if it's the opposite. Just go ask the Irish etc. Fight the whore media-start with CNN:

<http://www.cnn.com/feedback/>

Thanks to xultar for these: CNN Contacts




<[email protected] >












_________________________________________________________________

MORE:
<[email protected] > Newsweek
<[email protected] > Keith Olbermann
<mailto:[email protected] > Washington Post
<[email protected] > MSNBC Main
<[email protected] > Chris Matthews

[dmr]

11. LOL, I was looking for it too!

Those were the days!

I was pacing the floor. Back and forth, back and forth. And sobbing.

I had MSNBC on because they were the only ones scanning the protesters, and only ever so briefly. I had it on mute.

When that banner flashed quickly over the screen, I literaly ran to the computer, slipping and sliding in my socks down the hallway on my way.

DU was infested with assholes, but I stuck around and have no plans to leave. DU is my homepage. No matter what I'm doing online or offline, I always have DU open in my browser. DU has changed my life immensely. In fact my whole life would be different if there was no DU. One of my closest friends in the world I met right here on DU.

I've heard stories about what DC was like on Installation Day, but seeing some of the footage in F-911 showed me just how massive the protests really were, and damn sure wish I could have been there!

I've said this so many times to Skinner that I bet he never, ever could have thought DU would have such a life-changing impact upon so many people. People who then turn around to make an impact upon the destiny of this country!

Skinner himself also impacted my life in a personal way. I have plenty of bear hugs for him. Earl makes me laugh so hard sometimes to tears, and Elad with his expertise has made this forum absolutely wonderful, and remembering him from the old days - he is a great debater. He could give OSD and Lonster a run for their money!

Thanks Jen for the opportunity to go down memory lane. Thank you DU!
:) :grouphug:

[imax2268]

12. I'd have to say

that I haven't been a member that long...maybe a year...but I can tell you that ever since I found DU...it has been blast ever since...so much info here and so many great people...

Thanks to Skinner, EarlG, Elad...and anyone else I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet...!

BTW...anyone have a picture of the DU banner on TV...?

[DeepModem Mom]

14. Please note TIA's thread: "Who wrote 'F911'? We did...at DU"

Link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1863072

[anarchy1999]

15. Thanks so much for sharing this. It took us until after 9/11 to find DU.

DU has been our connection to some small part of sanity for the last couple of years now. Skinner, Earl and elad, thanks so much. And to everyone else that are members and have given so much of your time and your hearts.

[Piperay]

16. I'll never forget that dark day of

January 20 :cry: I didn't find DU till a month or so later but I did find another group of Democrats on Yahoo first that lead me to DU. The group on Yahoo had alot of great people but it was so big and disorganized that I felt lost in it, once I found DU I felt right at home and have never wanted to leave. :loveya:

:grouphug:

[Vickers]

17. A bump and a

:kick:

[dbt]

18. Interesting how the CONS were all over DU at the start!

I noticed that they seemed to "own" the Net (they way they really do own AM radio) when I first started working as a webmaster in early '99. Any public discussion, any on-line poll was full of lock-step, on-message "conservatism." Everything looked so carefully coordinated!

I didn't find DU until April or May of 2001 (eternal props to BartCop!), so I missed the initial Attack Of The Cons. But it was, indeed, DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND which showed me that the Internet is NOT a Conservative medium--no matter how much the Cons wish to portray it as such. And if the Net ever truly was a Conservative medium, DU had a BIG HAND in changing that.

On a related note, the Trolls have gotten marginally smarter about their Politics of Personal Disruption, even borrowing the al-Qaeda tactic of planting Sleeper Cells here. But you can still sniff them out.

DU FOREVER!

:bounce:
dbt

[Skittles]

19. I was too sickened by the theft to watch the inauguration

I found DU a few months later because William Pitt referred to it.

[WilliamPitt]

20. .

[VolcanoJen]

22. Thank you Michael Moore, indeed!

And thank you, William Pitt.

:loveya: I Heart This Wonderful Community!! :loveya:

[sffreeways]

21. ahh

memories