Go here...
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/manage-blocks
disable ALL blocks but Breaking News. You’ll see a boost in speed right away.
Thanks, I’d forgotten you could disable all that stuff.
Maybe if everyone on FR did so, the entire site would be speeded up enough to make the message board more usable during heavy traffic periods.
Perhaps if they could suspend the FREEPATHON built-in delays for the election, it would help?