Can’t access basic forum from front page articles…

…I am logged in fine, but when I access the forum from a front-page article I am stuck on “Elevate the conversation to premium”–and clicking on the basic forum tab does nothing–it’s grayed out, in fact.  Also while typing this I notice that my browser spell check (Firefox x64 DE) is ignored.  Disqus did everything just fine, imo, when signing on here.  What was wrong with the Disqus forum?  Cost money?