Apropos of nothing, take this diary as you will.
This site is a tremendous social force.
It has many dissenting viewpoints, even given bannings and mass-bannings and un-bannings and forgiveness as time has gone by and people have come to their senses and perhaps come back a little more thoughtful.
This is a place where people come together to plan, to vent, to speak out, to bring awareness, to share, to learn.
People's lives have changed forever, some people have found their voice here and gone from being down on their luck to being kick ass activists with a real presence on a national platform.
None of us is bigger than this site. Not even Kos, although we'd be up a creek without a paddle without him to host us all here.
It is up to us to find a way to get along in a reasonable fashion.
If you have trouble getting along, especially if you are publicly called out for it, you should consider taking a self-imposed break to reflect on things, life, love, politics. Take a walk in the woods. Consider what it means to have perspective. Go read some Thoreau.
I take umbrage to people who suggest that this site has been taken over by right wingers, or that this site has given in to special interest, or brooks no debate. That's simply not true. I don't blame Markos Moulitsas for not wanting to moderate "he said, she said" arguments over who was meaner to whom. I don't blame him for not wanting to hire staff to do that.
I don't even blame people who are supposed to believe in group moderation who stayed out of certain diaries or threads to avoid moderating never-ending pie fights.
If you can't get along and need to be moderated on a regular basis, I think on a whole it's time for a break, where one might consider if this place is the best venue for your voice.
Even if you are brilliant, passionate, devoted, concerned and sincere.