Free Republic traditionally frowns on vanities. I know, I've been a member here since 1999. I too have had my knuckles cracked by the Moderator's ruler and my posts promptly yanked or locked because I could have easily responded on an existing thread. Vanities crowd out the real news. They're too numerous to count, and most vanities do nothing but stoke the poster's ego (ME! ME! ME! I WANNA BE THE NEXT GEORGE WILL!). And most of them are frankly, quite boring. However, some vanities do serve a legitimate purpose. Breaking news, for example is one. When FReepers hear about...