(Cross-posted at TPW, too)

Ever wonder why gas stations and fast food restaurants seem to congregate on the same intersections? Because while they're competitors, they're still working together. My business is in a large building and we do a lot of cross promoting between similar businesses in both our building and the surrounding areas. We have our similarities and our differences and we share resources and find ways to work cooperatively.

So it's in this spirit of inter-site cooperation that I wanted to introduce your newest progressive neighbor; Way of the Bern, and ask and encourage anyone to cross-post your essays for our readers who are more comfortable with the reddit format (different strokes for different folks, I know) who don't venture out as much as others.

While I was a moderator at Kossacks_for_Sanders ("TOP II," "The New TOP") I was encouraging cross posting, and Steven D's posts were always appreciated, but as I noted in an earlier essay here (The Authority Trap) it can be difficult to avoid the traps and seduction of power and control, and it becomes too easy to fall into a "purification" of thought, "for your own good," and any legitimate criticism of the leader is considered an "attack" on all of them. (Where have we heard THAT before?)

I resigned my mod position because too often simple disagreement over tactics was leading to bannings, and for my failure to follow their brand of "group think" (I asked a simple question regarding balancing a facade of "inclusiveness" with the unacceptability of non-disparaging disagreement) I was literally banned. Rules were updated to include; The First Rule of Fight Club - No One Talks About Fight Club.

As anyone who visits KfS might have noticed, the rules sidebar has exploded to include every contingency to justify removing and banning anyone for questions and comments that would have passed as banal at dKos ("disagreement" can and will fall under breaking Rule #1: "No Drama"). Another mod, there from the beginning and a long time established Kossack, was recently removed for a lack of enthusiastic support for their ongoing and accelerating site thought police purges, and together with a long time and very active Sanders campaign person (also banned for public display of disagreement) we've formed a new progressive neighborhood virtual bar where, just like here and TPW, people can talk about issues and approaches and whatever they want and not have to guard what they say or how they say it for fear of any of a dozen vague and inconsistently enforced site rules biting them.

So we're new, and small, and not trying to be in competition with anyone, but we're a chatty and active bunch just trying to offer one more discussion format option working toward the same progressive goals as our friends here across the street.

Lefties and revolutionaries are famous for fragmenting, but we shouldn't let that stop us from sharing our thoughts and feelings across sites.

You have friends and allies who are trying to both expand everyone's reach and bridge the divide. Please feel free to stop over and say 'hi.' Or 'You're Crazy.' Or anything.

Peace!