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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

Posted on 02/11/2005 10:55:36 AM PST by 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.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: 1912election; aliens; alipac; amnesty; blc; callthewaaaambulance; crybaby; desperatedemocrats; dreamact; fr; freerepublic; howtogetbanned; illegals; immigration; immigrationplan; liars; lovejimfr; minuteman; minutemen; openborders; purge; respectjimshouse; tawbbos; whatahornetsnest; whiners; williamgheen
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To: DavidDavid

Don't know what happened to that second colony, it was never found.


2,201 posted on 02/12/2005 12:55:35 PM PST by Luis Gonzalez (Some people see the world as they would want it to be, effective people see the world as it is.)
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To: HiJinx
Precisely!
2,202 posted on 02/12/2005 12:55:56 PM PST by Do not dub me shapka broham ("There is some sugar...It's harder in the case of fires. The tariffs are too high!")
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To: Luis Gonzalez

I have no idea what you were trying to say by that post but none of it even applies to the situation at Roanoke. Of course considering one of the local tribes may have very well taken the colonists in, kind of throws out your whole argument of fear doesn't it?


2,203 posted on 02/12/2005 12:56:53 PM PST by billbears (Deo Vindice)
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To: ngffo

"I hope there's no truth to these stories."

Come on and give Jim Robinson some credit please. If there is any truth to this then where are all of the trolls? Surely they would come here with some evidence. The people that run this board are right to clear out some of the bad news posters. We should not be "condeming President Bush's stance" we should be condemning the stance of Mr. Gheen, that wacko Tancredo, and their buddies over at Stormfront.


2,204 posted on 02/12/2005 12:58:39 PM PST by DavidDavid
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To: el_texicano

The problem with the "guest worker" proposal is in the enforcement, the creation of yet-another bureaucracy to administer same, and then there's the generous 3-year time limit, at the end of which, the "guest worker" will return to country of origin. . . ? There is no guarantee.

Before we even contemplate a "guest worker" program, we need to seal the porous border and face the fact that we have criminals in our midst: persons who entered this country illegally, remain illegally and a great number of whom reside in our prisons.


2,205 posted on 02/12/2005 12:59:42 PM PST by KiloLima (January 30, 2005: A date that will live in our hearts and minds . . .)
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To: Dane
You totally fail to understand the volatility of this issue. Conservatives will not vote for Hillary or any democrat but that won't stop fence-sitters in the middle who could go either way next election, especially if nothing is done to halt illegal immigration.

Oh by the way, I didn't start the blasting of tancredo, the former federal education dept. employee(tom tancredo), started the blasting towards me.

Can you show me a link where Tom Tancredo is personally attacking you, I would imagine he has more important things on his mind or maybe you're referring to something else??

2,206 posted on 02/12/2005 1:00:53 PM PST by Reaganwuzthebest
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Comment #2,207 Removed by Moderator

To: Luis Gonzalez
You need to read the recently published biography of Sir Walter Raleigh, which-I believe-was written by a distant relation.

It includes some fascinating details about this epoch, especially as it concerns the-at times, fitful-attempts on the part of Elizabethen England to settle sections of North and South America.

2,208 posted on 02/12/2005 1:01:46 PM PST by Do not dub me shapka broham ("There is some sugar...It's harder in the case of fires. The tariffs are too high!")
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To: billbears

Look up the word sarcasm when you have a free moment.


2,209 posted on 02/12/2005 1:02:02 PM PST by Luis Gonzalez (Some people see the world as they would want it to be, effective people see the world as it is.)
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To: Luis Gonzalez
Your the one who called it "illegal", Luis.
I'm simply asking you to cite the law that you claim they broke.
There's no rush. I imagine the bandwidth limitations of Ward Churchill's website must be hindering your research.
2,210 posted on 02/12/2005 1:02:24 PM PST by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Reaganwuzthebest
You know you're winning the argument when that's the only thing the other side can throw out.

Actually,it happens because the debater on one side of the argument continues to restate a conviction. He is not really debating and he cannot make any compromises or moderate a conviction. Nobody can! It is the nature of a conviction.

At some point, the argument or actually a lack of true debate causes ulterior motives to be tossed into the mix.

2,211 posted on 02/12/2005 1:03:53 PM PST by Cold Heat (What are fears but voices awry?Whispering harm where harm is not and deluding the unwary. Wordsworth)
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To: bayourod; All
I sense you are sliding around the issue.
It should not be out of the realm to state that illegal immigration is just that. It is prejucidical however to constantly allow one group favoritism over the rest of the world based on their ability to to sneak over the border regardless of the risk. I repeat most of the world would like to live in the US. I don't feel worthy to say who can and who can't.
Who is anyone to say that one nationality is more equal than another. That's exactly what we do when there are three mile long holes in the border and there are way too few border guards. Call it what you want but if it's not open borders it's real close.
2,212 posted on 02/12/2005 1:04:53 PM PST by rodguy911 (rodguy911:First Let's get rid of the UN and the ACLU,..toss in CAIR as well.)
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To: Luis Gonzalez; DavidDavid
There is an irrational fear about immigrant groups changing American culture being spoused by the descendants of immigrants who changed American culture upon their arrival, that unlike the immigrants before them, the ones now will change it for the worse.

Luis, you appear to be saying that the irrational fear is theoretical. I may have misread your statement, or you may not have written what you were thinking.

Did you read my post about what my parents and uncle had to do in Phoenix in order to live without fear? This isn't theoretical, it's real. The enclaves of new immigrants, many of whom I know are illegal, in the Phoenix area are changing our culture for the worse.

I, for one, have no intention of standing by and letting that change continue. I will do what I can, whether it be e-mails and letters to my congressmen or an information campaign in my community, or posting and bumping threads on FR, to keep it from continuing to get worse.

2,213 posted on 02/12/2005 1:06:27 PM PST by HiJinx (www .ProudPatriots.org ~ Operation Easter/Passover ~ Coming soon to a tagline near you...)
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To: lemura
It's foolish to think that this will ever change without outside influence. Protecting our borders and stopping the inflow of illegal immigration will have an immediate and conclusive result in Mexico: revolution.

Our only outside influence should be stopping people from coming into this country illegally, and sending the ones here illegally back to their own countries.

The revolution would instantly have over 10 million troops.

2,214 posted on 02/12/2005 1:07:19 PM PST by Syncro
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To: rodguy911; All

Well we can see who these fruit cakes really are now. Not only do they want to penalize infants born on American soil, they want to deprive children that are brought to America an education.

Take a look at this tripe from their manifesto.

5. Oppose amnesty and college admittance for illegal immigrants. Some lawmakers are currently planning to offer amnesty to the 15 million illegal immigrants in the US. This will lead to another decade of unprecedented illegal immigration. Some also want to allow illegal immigrants to enroll at public universities at “in state” tuition rates. The “Dream America Act” will cost legal citizens billions of dollars and encourage more illegal immigration.


2,215 posted on 02/12/2005 1:07:35 PM PST by DavidDavid
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To: staytrue; wardaddy
"You are implying racial quotas on immigration and/or racial quotas on births by citizens. This thread is about maintaining civility. I must say that the logical conclusion to this comment is that your comment smacks of racism.

So, the PC police arrive to play the race card and to smear anyone who sees the multiculturism crap for what it is and wants to preserve American culture rather than continue to stand idly by and watch its slow but steady strangulation by those who advocate and promote unwise immigration policies.

I reject any notion that insisting on carefully crafted immigration policies to stop the flood of illegal aliens and to otherwise control and monitor legal immigration to preserve our culture, is racist. You don't like it--tough. With respect to the Japanese internment, in the context of the times I do not condemn it. You think 9/11 was the end of our terrorist problems in this country? Not if, but when, the next terrorist event comes, lets check back and see how you feel about internment then--or would you like to see the same flood of Muslims into America as we continue to experience with illegal aliens?

2,216 posted on 02/12/2005 1:07:42 PM PST by Czar (StillFedUptotheTeeth@Washington)
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To: Cold Heat
Actually,it happens because the debater on one side of the argument continues to restate a conviction.

That's fine, but the civil outcome as it should be would not end up with charges of racism when is there none but rather a stalemate, or the more polite: "let's agree to disagree".

The frustration from those on the other side comes from the fact popular opinion is not with them, and besides name-calling in the past has proven effective at shutting people up.

2,217 posted on 02/12/2005 1:09:28 PM PST by Reaganwuzthebest
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To: Luis Gonzalez
Has this thread disintegrated into the same ole stuff?
Save me some reading, will ya?
2,218 posted on 02/12/2005 1:10:16 PM PST by onyx ("First you look to God, then to Fox News" -- Denny Crane, Republican...lol.)
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To: bayourod
Nothing is wrong with that if that's exactly the way it happens.

How many terrorists do we allow in in the name of semi-open borders. Remember the terrorists have sleepers who lie in wait for years just for one opportunity to blow something up. We have to be more on guard than ever, open or even semi-open borders are not wise.
2,219 posted on 02/12/2005 1:11:09 PM PST by rodguy911 (rodguy911:First Let's get rid of the UN and the ACLU,..toss in CAIR as well.)
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To: Reaganwuzthebest
Tancredo may be a flawed spokesmen for this cause-I myself still resent the fact that he reneged on his initial pledge to serve only three terms in the House of Representatives-however, he needs to be given credit for being the only Republican-with a few notable exceptions-to stand up to the Bush administration on the issue of curtailing the unremitting stream of illegal immigration into this country.
2,220 posted on 02/12/2005 1:11:17 PM PST by Do not dub me shapka broham ("There is some sugar...It's harder in the case of fires. The tariffs are too high!")
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