Free Republic

OK, I am back. Not that anyone missed me, but I really needed a time out after last November.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Charles Murray prevailed upon social conservatives within the Republican Party to de-emphasize their opposition to issues like abortion and same-sex marriage in an effort to attract younger voters. Murray, the controversial political scientist perhaps best known for his book The Bell Curve on IQ and class structure, said his experience has been that younger voters, like his four children, are reluctant to support GOP candidates even though they may agree with the party on a host of conservative issues.

Editor's note: Editor's note: Douglas Rushkoff writes a regular column for CNN.com. He is a media theorist and the author of the upcoming book "Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now." (CNN) -- I used to be able to justify using Facebook as a cost of doing business. As a writer and sometime activist who needs to promote my books and articles and occasionally rally people to one cause or another, I found Facebook fast and convenient. Though I never really used it to socialize, I figured it was OK to let other people do that, and I benefited from their...

First, please click on this music link. This is a necessary part of the effect. Got it playing? Good! Now proceed with my Opus. I have finally decided that enough is enough. This is my "oh,piss".The reasons I am leaving Free Republic are three:WAYCISM: Everyone is so RACIST on Free RepubliKKK. You all constantly post "Must be the Amish" and "Oh, those Amish again" or "Definitely the Amish" when some inner-city hoodlum starts with the shenannigans. That is so WAY RACIST that I call it "WAYSIS"!I happen to BE an Amish, and I am tired of being blamed for everything....

Here is your chance to write that Opus ! And it wont even count ! Yes! You can post an Opus and not have to leave, its just a contest. The finest Opus posted by Friday Feb 1, as judged by me and this thread, will have a donation made by me to the fundraiser of $200. Let your inner Opus out !!

While the title says it all, I thought a goodbye was in order. While I've been a FReeper for well over a decade, I must declare that it is time to part ways. While I have the greatest respect for a great many of you, the days where I can in good conscience remain silent about the issues that set me apart from the rest of FReeperdom have past. For clarity, or perhaps catharsis, I'm not entirely certain which, I'll lay them out on the table an call the ZOT™ down upon myself. The racism: I just can't handle it...

Two Maine news anchors resigned together at the end of Tuesday’s broadcast after “a longstanding battle with upper management over journalistic practices” including being expected to do politically unbalanced news, the Bangor Daily News reported. Cindy Michaels and Tony Consiglio announced at the end of WVII-TV’s 6 p.m. newscast that it would be their final broadcast together. “And finally tonight, this will be Tony and my final show together here on ABC 7,” Michaels said. “The last six years have been an interesting and enjoyable time for both of us as we have been the longest running news team in...

Well, you didn't vote for Romney and we have 4 more years of Obama. Feel good? I feel that I've wasted too many years among a bunch of spoilers. No more.

I know FR may be getting a lot of these, but I am taking a leave of absence from FR. I don't know what to say about yesterday's election, except it fell way below our expectations. I usually come in and observe in here, and I was very hopeful we would win. But when results came out and we would not win, I just wanted to cry. Where has our country gone? This is not the country I know. In the meantime, I will leave FR until I feel the need to come back again. God bless you all for...

After MONTHS of letting posters write horrid things about Mormons and bash Romney to no end, after SWEARING he would NEVER in a million years vote for a MORMON for the Presidency- is it any wonder that Jim Robinson, when realizing his "FREEPATHON BEGATHON" wasn't going quite so well following the exodus of members, changed his tune. After weeks of being told he was aiding Obama, he FINALLY changed his tune. And where did he choose to announce his "EPIPHANY"? In his FREEPATHON thread. Robinson no more cares about principles or conservatism than Obama. The MINUTE people jumped ship (MANY...

The moderator didn't think you guys were intellectually savy enough to see through the title of the post despite the body of the thread shining light on it. Personally, I think you guys are smarter than that, but obviously, he doesn't think so. So I'm done at FR. See you guys on the other side! Keep up the fight for the America we have know and love! Arcy out.

I've been a part of FreeRepublic for a long time but recently joined a website where both Conservatives and liberals exchange ideas and opinions. When I joined this website, I did so with an open mind and what a freaking mistake that was. First off...there are very few Conservatives and way too many liberals on this website. There is a code of honor when posting on this website and those who break it are punished through temporary suspension to complete banishment from the website. Well, let me tell you that the liberals get away with code of honor violations way...

Except for his unfortunate go along to get along support of TARP, bailouts, stimulus spending and the increased credit limit, etc, Ryan is a pretty good choice. Probably the best choice of the RINOS that were on Romney's short list. I support Ryan for the vice presidency. Wish he were at the top of the ticket, though. But I still cannot and will not support the grand father of ObamaCare. Romney still loves and brags about his bastard brainchild, RomneyCare, even today when he knows what an anti-liberty socialist POS it is. And the fact that he advocated that abortion...

FR seems to have taken on many of the cult like attributes the cabal of anti-Mormon critics here ceaselessly and falsely subscribe to Mormons. I’ll follow the tactics of these folks in describing why FR is a cult. To start I’ll come up with my own definition of ‘cult’ and then follow up with a series of points selectively chosen to suit my own agenda. I’ll follow this model so as at to not confuse the usual suspects since the pattern of circular logic will be so familiar to them. A ‘cult’ is defined as an organization that: - Bears...

As many of you know I have had a difficult last year+. I lost my mom to lung cancer and I have been dealing with deal issues of my own. I made the mistake of thinking that I could share personal struggles with people I thought were friends online and now I know it turns out I couldnt. That really eats at me. What did I do wrong ? Also. Having "friends" online who have not reached out to me and in some cases have not responded when I have tried to reach out to them. I know most of...

Hi. I'm America. I've decided enough is enough. This is my opus. You know, I've been on this continent for about 236 years. I've had some really great moderators (George Washington, Ronald Reagan, Thomas Jefferson) and some really awful ones (Jimmy Carter, Lyndon Johnson, Woodrow Wilson). But I just cannot take the administration that is currently in power. This Obama, or as I like to call him, OTrauma.... he's killing me. He's killing me and he's doing it on purpose. At this rate, if he is given another term, I'm dead! Not that the opposition is much better. I saw...

Here I am to say goodbye. After reading Jim's latest screeds, after translating from the original German, I have decided enough is enough. I am no longer going to associate with a site that refuses to admit Romney is the duly-elected nominee of the Republican Party. Palin is not going to descend on the convention and chop his head off. The site has been descending into cultish behavior for years, and I still can't figure out where all the money goes each quarter. Having been invited to leave earlier this week by Jim, I am taking up his offer. Goodbye....

How can I do this? I've become annoyed with all of you as a Libertarian and want out. Can I call out the mods to delete me? I'll admit that I was a good freep member for years (since 2006) but I can't take you all anymore. You are all way too naive--until you all realize this, we are all doomed. John Stossel, Ayn Rand, and Nick Gillespie are my heroes not big government George Bush (I and II), Ronald Reagan, and Bill O'Reilley. Grow up. You are all great people, but I'm done. Out.

This may be the post that gets me zotted, and if so, so be it, but it would be a nice sign of respect for free speech, and just plain old maturity if that doesn’t happen. I won’t lose sleep either way though. All through the Clinton years FR played a key role in helping me really come to appreciate the wisdom of the founding fathers as Clinton violated their principles in so many ways. I found here a large community of wise, informed posters from a diverse background that added depth and clarity to the news of the day....

Wellllllll Jim, Enjoy The Bed You’ve Made . SUMMARY: . IN COMPLEX INTERPERSONAL SITUATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS—WHO CAN KNOW WHAT IS “REALLY REAL?” APPEARANCES ARE WHAT IS REAL TO THE OBSERVER CONCERNED. So, in many respects, the REAL might be the opposite of the statements below. However, the statements ARE PERCEIVED TO BE—APPARENTLY REAL ENOUGH for evidently thousands of FREEPERS that only idiots would fail to give such assertions fitting prayerful pondering. 1. Your leadership and leadership culture are consistent with those of a fairly complex person—like many of us. 2. Your leadership and leadership team CAN be quite generous, forgiving,...

There have been some dull opuses here at FR. It’s no wonder they’re met with such contempt and ridicule by other Freepers. No one likes boring. We like to be entertained, for crying out loud! Opus people, if you’re going to write an opus, make it worth our while.

After being on FR for more than ten years I've finally had enough of the brown shirted fascism censoring valid conservative viewpoints. Enjoy your echo chamber of whining syncophants. I'm off to go help Mitt get elected while you bitch and moan about who is or isn't conservative enough.

Well it's been about 13 years forgot my initial sign in name, so pretty much from the beginning. Never wanted to write a Free Republic Opus, love reading news stories here and commenting every day. Would rather not go out in anger seems pointless. Then today the owner of the site called me a RINO (I'm not), surrender monkey (not) and told me to write my opus and get out. My sin was fighting with someone who suggested Obama losing in the latest poll is "bad news". I could list all the insanity of what is going on here. I've...

I can tell that Freerepublic has started spiraling into hysteria similar to what I sensed around the 2008 election time.... I'll check back in in 2013 to see if things simmered down. "Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is the hallmark of an authoritarian regime..." --Justice Potter Stewart, dissenting Ginzberg v. United States, 383 U.S. 463 (1966)

Ah, yet another "opus" from a disgruntled FReeper. I have been on FR off and on since 2001 (not a founder, I admit) under four different user-names, largely because there are Moderator's here who have more zeal than sense (and no sense of what the '/sarc' tag means). I got busted for saying in January 2008 what JimRob said yesterday - "no RINO's, no WAY". Back then, I got zotted for saying that I'd frankly prefer a Dumb0 election to a McCain one since Dumb0 would finally wake Americans up to what the left REALLY wants: chaos, race-riots and totalitarianism,...

With all of the chicanery that the GOP-E has done over the last year, and helped the media to do over the last year, there's NO WAY I'm surrendering to these creeps. Romney is *NOT* our candidate! He's their candidate, we're NOT REPUBLICANS! We are conservatives and constitutionalists FIRST. We believe in small government! Not this big government crap that Romney has peddled for the better half of the last decade or two, and I certainly can't do any more nose holding at the ballot box. Voting for a big government republican is the real world equivalent of cutting off...

I've been here a year or two.The demands of the fundraisers have gone up and up.While I have no dispute of Jim's numbers as up front, they have gone governmental.Look closely at the budget. Decide for yourself.

Just saw Romney's acceptance speech. Just when you though America couldn't get in the stuff any deeper. How utterly sad that this is the best we can come up with.

Time has come for me to leave the chaos of FreeRepublic. Over the past 13 years I always felt that FR was the home of Conservatives with core values that could not be compromised. This election cycle has shown me that I have been wrong in my assessment. The lack of moral or intellectual commitment by many of the FR members has resulted in the end of my involvement. I'm sure JR and many others are pleased but know that the early years were great experiences. God Bless to all and enjoy the next 4 years of Obama.

I'm sure tonight.. I'm going to be thrown off this forum....so what if I do... I'll go down swinging... Buy before I go... I'm speaking my mind.... Gutless wonder Rush Limbaughs....Hey..Charles Krauthammer... Ann Coulter.. Chris Christie...are you listening... Mark Steyn... the editors of NRO... You are all the coward of cowards... You are all covers for Mitt Romney...You are all his Lackeys.... But let me ask you all something... esp you, Ann.... What was Mitt Romney doing in France as a Mormon missionary...? Hmmmmmmm? He speaks Fench.... Tell us Ann Coulter... what was he doing there? Ask him how many...

My choice for President is Mitt Romney. I just shuddered at that statement. But there it is. There is the reality that 13 debates, months of bickering and intrigue, and countless discussions with conservative brethren have brought me. It is kind of a sad reality. Is this the best conservatives could do? So here has been my calculation for who I would support, from the beginning. First, the candidate must be electable and able to defeat Barack Obama, both electorally and intellectually. Second, they must broaden the base of the Republican Party, both on the conservative and moderate sides. Third,...

I posted a legit article about the President being threatened. Now why was it removed?

Some public figures have labeled the “Mormon” church as a “cult”. Most recently, ABC News reported that Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress applied such a label in an interview following a political gathering where Jeffress introduced a political rival to Mormon candidate Mitt Romney. Use of such a term to describe Mormonism is highly offensive to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Cult” carries the connotation of dangerous, even violent groups whose beliefs are irrational and whose practices are immoral and lawless (Koresh and the Branch Davidians, Heaven’s Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, and The People’s Temple are all...

I leave and heave A sigh and say goodbye

ZZZZZZZZZZZ OOOK! EEEEEK! AAAAAAAK! ZZZZZZZZZZZ (to self: already promised Bucky last word. Must not respond. What are all those angry chimp noises I hear?) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ OOOOOH! OOOOOH! EEEEEEEEH! OOOOOH! EEEEEH! (must not read Bucky's last post. If I do, I'll respond and Lord Jim will emerge from a Joseph Conrad novel and start posting editorials in breaking. Must not. Willpower. Do not read. Must not) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Oh, Bucky! So much is completely beyond you---NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! What? Wha? It was all a dream, wasn't it?

<p>Punks, B*tches and Lying Sacks of Sh*t. You'd think that under the FR posting guidelines, any FR who used these epithets against other people in chat. Others on that particular thread did so, too. I reported three ofthe most vile personal attacks the FR member made who used these word to refer to members whom he was arguing with in chat.</p>

Again, this site "provides" many legitimate options for posting one's opinion. You can even come all the way to bloggers, and then even add weird stuff, all just to warn the average Rick Perry supporter that their false beliefs just might be questioned. But even under weird blogger a simple thread with a simple question gets pulled. Folk's, ive been a registered member of this site for 12 years. i am not someone who lives here, sorry. i registered here because i care. i troll here because i care...and i know my posting "privileges" will be pulled. For this is...

A couple of hours ago receive a hard knock on the door. I answered the door and about 7 or 8 agents all flashing badges (claiming to be FBI and/or CIA) rushed me and pushed me against the far wall. My dog attacked and they would have shot him had I not broken free for a second and covered him by laying him on the floor beneath me. After things calmed down a bit and I received assurances that nothing would happen to him if I placed him in the bedroom and closed the door. I did so and they...

I have been in what I would call a "Serious Survival Preparation" mode for some time now. It is apparent that times are getting rough - in a number of ways - and it looks like they are going to be getting rougher and staying that way for a long time to come. All we can do is prepare as best we can, and to live life to the fullest each day. There is a time at the beginning where it is important to talk amongst ourselves to motivate and encourage each other. But then one day it is finally...

Freeper Friends, I was saddened by JimRob's imperious pronouncement yesterday, and the ensuing comments & zots. Here's why. One of this site's primary pillars is the Bill of Rights which calls for Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Right to a trial by jury. We believe in those things. We believe in them to the point of being willing to sacrifice our lives for them. And yet on this site, when a JimRob cuts people off for what they say or believe Freepers cheer him like Baghdad Bob would cheer Saddam Hussein! That's not America folks! "He owns the site!"...

Forgive me, Freepers, for I have sinned. My sins are many: 1. I linked to my own website, which is a sign of the arrogant belief that people might want to read what I write. Of course, if I didn't think that, I wouldn't write in the first place, so it's hard to see much difference. 2. I "stole bandwidth," though it's hard to see how posting a short exerpt with a link was worse than posting a long article--or how repeated insulting comments don't also "steal bandwidth." 3. I wanted people to "pay" me to be "showered with my...

The man who likely has done more than anyone to put the libertarian philosophy of freedom and small government on the political agenda probably will make another run for the presidency: U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. Paul is always upbeat, but lately he's had more reason to be, as he sees libertarian ideas bubbling up from the grass roots. "People outside of Washington are waking up," he told me, "and they're getting the attention of a few in Washington." Paul has been in Congress more than 20 years, and much of that time he's played a lonely role, often being the...

Well, I'm new here. A long time reader and admirerer of some of the insight here. I'm definitely a Republican, although I must confess that I'm probably more moderate than many regulars here. That said, I'm no "DU" person. Yes, I've been informed about what that means. :) So here I be, hopefully able to contribute here and there as I have plenty of insight to share. I guess that's it. Here's hoping I'm not zotted away. J

Yes, it's all about me, somebody please post the attention whore picture of the girl doing the cartwheel on the beach, that will complete this thread. But before I begin my respite (I'll be back after the 2012 election) I thought I would outline the coming events about to unfold on the FreeRepublic. 1) Undoubtedly, a RINO, probably Romney, will win the GOP Nominee spot. This will all be decided by mostly liberal states before any conservative states get a say in it, as Rove has designed the process. 2) A true Conservative Tea Party Candidate will have to run...

Freepers... I am the son of a son of immigrants, a working class stiff, who came from a poor family. I've never known wealth and am unlikely to. However, I see the endless refrain to attack freedom to be in your own business, to do as you see fit, and to direct your own fate and your own energies very much in danger. As one person with many talents, and capabilities I know that are greater than the sum of just hours and hands, it seems to me at days, that it really is time to "go galt", and just...

It seems that for whatever reasons Free Republic has now become an "anti-birther" website, and dedicated itself to protecting those who shielded Obama by mocking and insulting the people who questioned his obviously fraudulent qualifications. Since my thoughts are no longer in sympathy with those of the management of this website, I'll be finding a different Internet venue to post on in the future, where I am not censored in a manner I find unreasonable. Thanks to all sharing your thoughts with me over the past several years. Whether you agreed or disagreed with me, it has always been stimulating...

So Sorry but have to say Zot me. Before you zot this account I would like to leave our email. cglangley@gmail.com I love so many here but the "cliques" and unfamily curse wordes;power trips; mentally unbalanced posters who feel they run the forums are just creepy. I Love so many for their years of advocating even those I huge lee disagree with. Salvation;Quix;tubebender;anamerican mom;bd476 are just a few that I felt family with since 1998. Good Luck Jim Robinson. May God Bless you into and beyond 2011 Bye.

Top RNC aide quits, blasts Steele By: Jonathan Martin November 16, 2010 01:06 PM EST Republican National Committee political director Gentry Collins resigned from his post Tuesday morning with a stinging indictment of Chairman Michael Steele’s two-year tenure at the committee. In a four-page letter to Steele and the RNC’s executive committee obtained by POLITICO, Collins lays out inside details, previously only whispered, about the disorganization that plagues the party. He asserts that the RNC’s financial shortcomings limited GOP gains this year and reveals that the committee is deeply in debt entering the 2012 presidential election cycle. “In the previous...

The manager of Don Otto’s - a recently shuttered food market in the South End - is blaming neighborhood patrons for its untimely demise, cooking up an angry message to fair-weather fans of the Tremont Street eatery. “Don Otto’s Market wants to say we had few customers that understood customer loyalty and its importance to our business,” a message on its Web site reads, later adding: “If you came in only for baguettes, the occasional piece of cheese, the occasional dinner . . . you can not tell yourself you were a supporter of our market.”

"Farewell, DUmmieland! I must leave you now! This place is not what it once was. No, don't beg me to stay! I know you will miss me terribly, but I must make my dramatic exit now. Why, I remember the golden days of yesteryore, when this was such a magical place, and we oldtimers all were one big happy family--not like what this place has BECOME, which is why I must take my leave. No, really, I WILL NOT STAY, no matter how much you sing my praises and beg me not to go. . ." Thus DUmmie Hekate...