So in the end, Dave was defeated by the swarming horde of political hate-mongering, as David Mauro rode the wave of Progress! to defeat that Mariner-blogging neocon by nearly eight thousand votes. Rest assured, I'd have the good sense to make some big changes if this place ever developed a community like the one that operates at DK, but clearly some people think otherwise, and that's their decision. Anyway, just because Dave isn't getting his $10,000 scholarship doesn't mean you can't still help him out. Go swing by USSM and make a Paypal donation to the cause. Everything but the Paypal Tax goes to Dave, and if only 20% of the people who voted for him donate $5, then he'll beat that $10,000 no problem. Which isn't to say that you should limit yourself to $5. Donate as much (or as little) as you want. Maybe if we exceed the $10,000 mark by enough, Derek can scrape some off the top and buy the site a server free of mouse wheels and string.
Dave said all along that while he wanted to win the scholarship, he wasn't willing to compromise his morals. With the help of the Mariner blogosphere community, he can have it both ways. Let's all pitch in to do a big favor for a brilliant analyst, a thoughtful person, and a guy without whom LL wouldn't exist. He deserves it.