Capitol Hill Blue Forums Thread Like Summary - Hope was not enough for ReaderRant

This is a sad day that I knew would come, but one that I never wanted to face. ReaderRant will shut down on Saturday, Feb. 26. I had to come to the decision after realizing that I could not keep it running with the cutbacks in web operations that are a discouraging fact of life in today's profit is all that matters environment. The service where I relocated Capitol Hill Blue says it cannot handle a discussion forum program, and I cannot afford to use another service or server just for it.

RR has been part of CHB since shortly after the site started in 1994. It has hosted thousands of members and had a lot of good discussion over much of the past two decades. I think those of you have kept it running in these later years when I have been too much of an absent landlord. You deserve the thanks of all of us. I have been away too long, and my time left of this earth is now too short.

I will back up all the data and files from RR with the hope that someone might one day want to revive it or archive online somewhere. My daughter may keep CHB going after I am gone. A couple of universities in Virginia are talking with us about archiving my collection of writings, photographs and video work and RR could be part of it.

My thanks, so much, to all of you for what you have done to keep this going for so long. I wish it could have continued.

Doug

Haven't been very active here lately, most haven't I guess. But I share the universal sentiment that all of you are regarded as friends in one way or another. I've met three of you in person, and have always wanted to go visit Greger, to eat his cooking and enjoy the company a real grounded native philosopher.

I'm more short on time than at any other period of my life, but RR is a rock to come back to often. I'd chip in, too, if that was the ticket.

It's like the vanpool - the more the riders, the less the fare.

This is heartbreaking news. Capitol Hill Blue's Reader Rant was my first foray into online political forums.
I'd seen a couple of email listservs before that but nothing like the Rant.
I never expected (at that time) to become so attached to everyone here and this feels like losing family all over again.

I used to be "Checkerboard Strangler" here until real names became the option to pick, but I am still Checkers elsewhere on other
forums. I hope I can find all you good people.

But most of all, I want to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Doug for the most enlightening journey of my political life.
I think I would have been an uninformed lost soul had it not been for Doug's hard work here at CHB-RR.
Now I'm going to feel lost, and rootless.

But I will be around and easy to find.
I hope the rest of you, including Honcho Doug, will be too.

I'm out of words to express my feelings, all too common with me these days...my mushy COVID brain isn't able to
make my grief flow to the keyboard the way I want it to.
I want to stay with all of you somehow, this is not the kind of thing where I see it as "Oh well, nice chatting with ya" and then
it all disappears.

I have been an infrequent contributor for some time, and greatly regret it. This is by far the best discussion site I've ever been involved in, which is why I was willing to agree to be a Moderator all those decades ago, now.

I have had conniptions the last couple of times there was a hiccup on the server - I follow, even when I don't post. I am in the process of setting up a website for my family. I might consider the same process for us, here, but it would take some pretty quick manipulation to get it set up before Saturday! I just have a hard time thinking of y'all not being a part of my life as you have been for nearly half of it.

For those of you who might be interested, I'm going to do something dangerous and post an e-mail here for communicating. ANWGuy2d@gmail.com. I don't know how we might share the registration list or set up an announcement for invitations, given some pretty serious privacy concerns, but given the relatively small membership at present, I think we might be able to figure something out.

I am not a site administrator of any kind, and I have no idea how big the archives are, but I can see the prospect of at least having a mail group for the most die-hard of us. I know the administrators, especially Doug, have taken the bulk of the labor in keeping the Rant going, and it is tremendously appreciated.

[So should I just go through the "Donate Button" then you can refuse the one that's got the hold on it?]

The donation came right through. I asked them to refund the original amount and I was told that it could not be done until the hold clears. It is supposed to expire 48 hours after it was posted, so it should clear Monday afternoon and I will send a refund through when it does.

OK with you? You been so much help, I don't want to abuse it.

Doug