Not so ‘Free Republic’: The Shot Heard Around the Net

The Conservative Voice ^ | Feb 11, 2005 | by William Gheen, President, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC

[Jim Robinson]

The shot heard around the Internet has been fired on FreeRepublic.com The owner Jim Robinson and his moderators have launched a sniper style purge against members that disagree with the President’s ‘guest worker’ amnesty or support more control of illegal immigration. Free Republic is an amazing tool for those looking for a good debate and news from around the country.

The problem for the administration of the site is that their creation is allowing the participants to learn that the Bush immigration record and plans are shockingly out of line with the views of most conservatives. The management’s answer to this conflict between the majority of conservatives and the influence of the White House on their Web site has become electronic executions and censorship.

Members and readers of Free Republic would be surprised to know that many members of their community have fallen silent on the discussions about illegal immigration lately because free speech is an illusion on FR.com. They are silent because they have been banned from the Web site without warning, cause, or explanation in most cases. For weeks the moderators have been suspending and banning new members that chimed in quickly on the immigration debates.

Now this trend has broadened as the first groups of long-term users were suspended or banned this past week. Although Robinson and his staff removed many members of the Free Republic community in the first few days of the purge, those that religiously support President Bush’s immigration plan, open borders and approve of public benefits for illegal aliens remain on the forum. Those that were banned were the members that wanted more done to control illegal immigration and a strict observance to the President’s Oath of Office.

[Once-Ler]

From what I've seen most of the insults are coming from the pro-illegal members

From what I've seen it is the close the border crowd who start with personal attacks against reasonable debate.

[Poohbah]

"Over the beach entry" is the easiest hole to plug as it is so conspicuous and the volume is realtively low in comparison.

Ahem. Over-the-beach volume is relatively low NOW. The Coast Guard cannot keep up with those relatively low levels NOW. Most of the present illegal immigrant flow will simply move to over-the-beach. A massive increase in those numbers will do two things: (1) make your wall an expensive failure, and (2) make it impossible to do anything to correct that failure to your advantage. (News flash: when you mess up in a spectacularly expensive manner, no one's going to ask you how it should be corrected.)

How many more 9/11's is it going to take to illustrate that point to you?

You know, the only people who masturbate like wild monkeys over the prospect of another 9/11 are (1) islamist terrorists and (2) the illegal-immigration malcontents on FR.

and I believe your number to be Wa-a-a-y low

It stops another 10% from attempting to cross. (Those are the ones who are too stupid to think of finding another way across.)

The remainder simply go to over-the-beach. You still have about 90% of the present flow making it into the country.

[onyx]

MEGA DITTOES AND BUMP!

[dzzrtrock]

I think the permit should be for one year, but renewed yearly by phone verification for a total of three to four years depending on what they are doing.

...and during that year they have a child born on U.S. soil. Now what? So much for THAT idea, huh?

What?

Do you think that they WON'T reproduce? Especially if it means a free ticket into the country? Would it be impolite of me to roll my eyes?

how about we get AMERICANS back to work? We round up and deport from the illegal-prone business. By court order, we force the business to pay a living wage (like they used to before this flood) as a term and condition of keeping the owner(s) and management out of jail. Wages will go up, Americans will go back to work, illegals will be packed off to home one business at a time and the potential of finding a job illegally when they come back will diminish to nothing. If the head of (for example) Green Giant foods is making a mere $20k a year and the rest of his salary is going to bring his worker's wages back up to where they should be, with the alternative being his going to jail, he'll know who to hire next time around, won't he?

[Poohbah]

By court order, we force the business to pay a living wage (like they used to before this flood) as a term and condition of keeping the owner(s) and management out of jail.

How would they be at risk of being put IN jail? Juries routinely refuse to convict employers.

Or do you plan on declaring a "temporary" suspension of the Constitution?

[Poohbah]

Do you think that they WON'T reproduce? Especially if it means a free ticket into the country? Would it be impolite of me to roll my eyes?

It didn't mean a free ticket into this country during the last guest worker program; I see no reason why it must equal a free ticket in a new one.

[RasterMaster]

"Maybe you should have a once a month free for all food fight no holds barred at FR and let them all get it out of their systems."

How about just taking them out to the woodshed?

[Cold Heat]

We have very few family farms. I actually could no tell you where one is.

When I said farming, I do mean crops or trees and the farms are leased by entrepreneur growers. The families are gone and the land belongs to corporations or land development companies for the most part.

Chicken houses are a popular family farm and they are often owned on credit to Tyson.

I don't know how much subsidy stuff they receive. if any. i have never seen unpicked cotton or anything else, and all land is in use for something.

I was against the farm bill. It was far too expensive.

I don't look at things as to how it benefits me. I never have. I never will.

We rake our own damn leaves here. Nobody that I know gets money to do nothing.

But the one fact I pointed out and it is very true, that without migrant workers, what little tax base we have would evaporate.

Arkansas gets most of it's budget from sales tax and government revenue sharing. There is a large underclass. They survive on assistance. I don't know how but they do. Lots of elderly. As i said, the kids must get out.

Lots of retired rich whites come here for the low cost land and homes.

Strange place. I am stuck here however.

[EODGUY]

I haven't read all the responses, so I apologize in advance if I am repeating a previously mentioned thought.

Perhaps the authors of these allegations could spend their time more constructively researching issues involving disparate treatment of conservatives vs liberals by the MSM. For example, the reporter from Talon News who asked our President how he was going to be able to work with the likes of Reid and Pelosi who have clearly separated themselves from reality has had his personal and business activities thoroughly researched by the media. Had he asked a sarcastic, slanderous, snide question of the President aimed at demeaning him, you can bet such an investigation would never have been initiated.

USA Today published the same tripe about our President's National Guard Service based on the same bogus documents used by Rather, but there has never been an apology printed by that publication, nor has anyone associated with the article been held accountable.

The chief of the news department at CNN makes a claim that members of our own military actually target reporters?

Please forgive me for being verbose, but clearly there are issues that warrant research that are far more important than a feeble attempt to demean a website, its owner and the people he has chosen to maintain adherence to the rules of the site and courteous debate.

I suggest the author(s) making the allegation spend some time on FreeRepublic and, if possible, attempt to objectively gauge the quality of the website. If those involved are still upset, I suggest they place their cursor on the "X" located in the upper right-hand corner of their monitor screen, click it once and their problem will disappear.

I, for one, will retain it as my homepage.


God bless and please pray for our military personnel and their families.


EODGUY

[patriciaruth]

If the Democrats had had more children, then those kids would have stopped them cold from turning a blind eye to illegal immigration eating up their job market.

And competion in a global market has been one of the reasons that our employers are hiring people at wages to compete with employers in China, Indonesia, Bangladesh that pay 50 cents an hour if they are really believe in justice, and less if they don't.

It isn't all greed on their parts. Some of it is simple survival.

[Cold Heat]

By court order, we force the business to pay a living wage (like they used to before this flood) as a term and condition of keeping the owner(s) and management out of jail. Wages will go up, Americans will go back to work,

That is the most insane comment I have ever read on a conservative forum.

Where did that come from?

Lou Dobbs?

All the rest was not accurate either. That stuff is all ridiculous, and very much a socialist view of capitalism.

I know you did not learn that here.

[Brad’s Gramma]

ONYX! Did you know that The Committe got together early this morning, and decided that WHOEVER posted at exactly 11:56:10 PM PST is required, YES, required to read this whole thread? Without responding?

:)

How ARE ya my friend? We miss you out here!!!

[patriciaruth]

So you're back to share cropping and serfdom?

[ThePythonicCow]

Well said, Ohio.

Yes, Mr. Robinson. Like she said - thanks!

And thanks to you Ohio for helping bring in a key state.

[patriciaruth]

I felt so desperate about Ohio that I print up some material that I wrote myself and sent it to OhioWfan to pass out if she ran out of election materials.

She was VERY polite when she received it. So polite I suspect she read it and put it in the trash. LOL!

We are all grateful to OhioWfan and all of Ohio for getting out their vote.

This would be a whole different thread tonight if President Kerry was talking with Congress about the problems of undocumented workers.

[Cold Heat]

Global Capitalism has been painful to adjust to.

The biggest problems we have now is in education.

Employers refuse to relocate here, no matter the enticements, because the labor pool is too shallow in people who can run automated machines that require minimum math skills and ability to key in data, measure length and width accurately and the like.

Skill sets are lacking in science, engineering and tech for the service industries that we could get if we had skills to offer.

[k2blader]

Nice new poll! I don't know how some people can "pass" or be "undecided" on such an important issue.

---

Free Republic Opinion Poll: Please indicate whether or not you support or oppose open borders and illegal immigration.

Composite Opinion
I OPPOSE open borders and illegal immigration.	94.6%		1,805
Undecided/Pass.	2.9%		56
I SUPPORT open borders and illegal immigration.	2.5%		47
	100.0%		1,908
Member Opinion
I OPPOSE open borders and illegal immigration.	94.5%		1,489
Undecided/Pass.	3.3%		52
I SUPPORT open borders and illegal immigration.	2.2%		35
	100.0%		1,576
Non-Member Opinion
I OPPOSE open borders and illegal immigration.	95.2%		316
I SUPPORT open borders and illegal immigration.	3.6%		12
Undecided/Pass.	1.2%		4
	100.0%		332

[Once-Ler]

The vast majority of Americans are opposed to illegal immigration.

The vast majority of Americans are apathetic on the issue. If it was an important issue to voters Tom Tancredo would have name recognition, and Pat Buchanan would not have been demoted to MSNBC from CNN and he would be regarded as a serious...whatever he is.

Just because the open-borders shills and trolls are so aggressive, don't let them mislead you into thinking that they have the majority opinion on this forum.

Yeah Willie. You are always calm and reasonable. An excellent counterpoint to the aggressive shills and trolls. I can't speak for others, but I have never claimed my opinion was the majority opinion here or in the general population...I have only claimed I am right.

[Cold Heat]

I guess so....never thought about it that way, but that is what it sounds like.