Yes, there seem to be an increasing number of sites that are banned not for legal reasons but simply because they have been declared "not welcomed" at Free Republic, regardless that they might host articles which would be of interest to people who spend time here.
At one time FReepers used to be mature enough to understand that while sites such Politico and Salon were bastions of liberal media, they were still allowed to hit the nail on the head from time to time. Not anymore. Today, these decisions are made for us.
And people wonder why this place is turning into Blogpimp Central.
Yes, there seem to be an increasing number of sites that are banned
The First Amendment applies to Congress, not the states, not "The People".