As a multi-year participant in DailyKos, I feel it necessary - for me, not for any of you who may read this diary - to say something about what's happened to 'My Fave Site' since "we" took back the Congress last November.
Sure, there's lots of befuddling weirdness going on in those hallowed halls that seems absolutely designed to make us cynical about congresspersons of any variety, but as a long-time Will Rogers and Mark Twain fan, it's not like I didn't already know they're a bunch of cheap sell-outs. The only objectively criminal class and all. The let-down - of REASON why We The People voted as we did in such great numbers in that election - is palpable. They're not going to do a damned thing to stop the crippled duck-dick and his gun-happy puppeteer from doing exactly what they always planned to do in the ME. Something we just have to "live with," while our children and grandchildren get to die with it.
Over my dead body. That's what I've told my grandsons, both of whom are being obsessively targeted by recruiters as they approach college (which we all know the criminal class would like to prevent at all costs). Not even Bushie's second "Mandate" depressed me so much. Now 'my own' - you know, the ones who email me daily begging for money and such - have turned. What's left to fight for?
DKos appears to be tightening its membership base of late. So many trolls, so little time! It wasn't bad enough that we've got pro-nuke and pro-insurance shills paid to troll any diary on the subjects, now some of the old-timers are assuming mantles of "Purity Troll" proudly to thin the ranks and drive us off the site. I must presume Markos has blessed the effort, or maybe he's no longer in charge. Big Bucks does have a way of changing people. I've seen it before.
A recently new diarist who may or may not be dyslexic has generated a ridiculous amount of troll intervention in the past few days, to the point of call-out diaries not-cleverly disguised as concern by the usual Concern Troll contingent. Who are apparently terrified that we might be fooled into contributing a few bucks to an as-yet unvoiced appeal to an as-yet unlinked PayPal account, when we MUST save those bucks for the daily onslaught of money-begging appeals from the cowards and jerks we were just fooled last November into electing to office. I'm sick to death of it.
Note to the Wannabe Mind-Tyrants who want so desperately to police my sympathies and my bank account - Fuck off. I am a full-grown adult human being, my sympathies and my bank account do NOT belong to you, and I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions based on my own concerns.
I sent $5 to Cindy Sheehan when she was camped out in Crawford, to feed the troops. I sent money to Heath Shuler, who isn't perfect but is a whole heck of a lot better than Chainsaw Charlie was. Even campaigned on his behalf, raising more than my measly ten bucks for the cause. I've written more than a few letters to my Senators on important issues I knew very well neither one of them would actually support, begging them to actually represent me. Framed their mealy-mouthed responses to hang right next to my nice letter of thanks from Bill Clinton back when I was afraid he'd give up on us because his enemies were so tirelessly evil.
I haven't yet contributed a dime to any anonymous Kossack in dire straits, whether or not I believed their plight was real. But I sure as heck resent attempts to cut that option off at the pass as if the Kos cavity-search squad (demanding valid ID, which is as Neocon as they come) has been given authority BY ME simply by virtue of my registered participation on this site to govern my thoughts and actions through simple fiat or obsessive insult.
Fuck off.
My question to fellow non-elite Kossacks - is it worth staying if I have to put up with this presumptuous crap? Mega-meta garbage comes and goes in waves, it seems, so I guess I'm wondering if this is just another wave. Or if there's a concerted effort to diminish the ranks. As is reflected in the stats since the recent election (and may be attributed to election year participants moving on). Should I waste time and effort countering trolls in my own diaries, and trying to talk sense into the various concern trolls and purity trolls in other people's diaries, or should I move on as well?
Could be cynical post-election depression talking, and I'll get over it after the new war becomes as genocidal as the old wars. Could be that I'm onto something. Is it time to throw in the towel Kos gave me years ago, the one that's starting to fray around the edges but still holds a lot of meaning? Is all that hard work mining election diaries as if it mattered in the run-up to the election just more wasted time in my life? Must I acquiesce to any and all Wannabe Mind-Tyrant jerks with lower UIDs than me, or can I still tell them to fuck off?
*[I don't really care. I'll tell 'em to fuck off anyway. Just want to know if I'm all alone here, so should probably go ahead and leave.]