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 Presidents 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 managements 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 Bushs 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 Presidents Oath of Office.
I hate when "conservatives" whine like liberals. "I didn't get my way....whah". We're better off without the whiners anyways.
LOL!
He is rather entertaining, I admit that.
This makes, what, number three today that he's been banned?
How much you want to bet?
I watched a lot of the supposed "immigration" battles on FR last year, and the beginning of the purges, if that's what they can be called. The gripes and complaints about Bush's policy began about a year ago, early 2004, just as the presidential campaign was heating up. My observation was that the most egregious comments and opposition to Bush had little to do with his immigration policy. Oh, sure, the heavy-handed Bush-bashers used immigration as an issue to hammer Bush with, but by the tone of their remarks, and their underlying effort, their goal was to undercut Bush in general among conservatives through their incessant naysaying on FreeRepublic. Jim stepped in (which I think we have to admit is an exceedingly rare occurance), and 1) stated the FreeRepublic's management's support for Pres. Bush's re-election, and 2) started banning those whose agenda wasn't simply to oppose Bush's immigration policy, but whose larger intent was to undermine Bush's chances of re-election. At the time, I personally applauded Jim's two-pronged effort to silence those whose main goals were the defeat of GWB and to foment conservative opposition to Bush through the vehicle of FreeRepublic.
As I stated in an earlier post on this thread, my observation over the past year has been that those who have been banned from FR were purged not so much for their position on the single issue of immigration, but because they were jerks whose rabid dissent of Bush in general was causing turmoil on FR.
Hilarious! So, this guy is back over there whining even louder, eh? And we've got current FR members, like stonecoldGOP posting the bogus whine story on their own blogs.
I mean, differences of opinion are just fine, but this whiny nonsense really gets old. It's Jim's site; he can run it as he chooses.
I've never posted TO you; you, however, posted ABOUT me, without doing me the courtesy of pinging me; luckily somebody else did.
By the way, nice dodge on the rest of my post.
It's a little like the way the muxxles are trained to complain that they're being tortured.
I suppose it's like swearing. There are a lot of people lurking on this site trying to find something to hang Jim on and get this place closed down. We have to be intelligent enough to exercise some restraint in posting. Sometimes emotions get the best of posters. Usually I think it is the disruptors who post the garbage, for the above reason.
Conservatives can disagree on issues.
The problem is not so much disagreeing with others as it is how some people react when disagreed with. Those of us who either support the President or at the very least don't agree with people like Malkin and Tancredo are branded as the "Free Republic Open Borders Lobby" even though none of us have ever said anything close to supporting open borders.
As Jim Robinson said, few if anyone here support real "open borders". Everyone seems to agree we need better and more effective border control. The problem lies with a few people who have become beyond obsessed with the issue. I'm sure most are here as disruptors from places like Stormfront, LP, or other such organizations but not all. Some people just seem to be angry all the time and let their anger come out in everything they post. Also, some are just Bush haters who have never supported the President and most likely haven't voted Republican since the 1996 primary.
When someone points out that a border fence/wall would cost billions and would be impractical, they are pounced on and accused of wanting to "flood the U.S. with illegals. When someone points out the massive cost it would take to round up "every single illegal" in the U.S., they are accused of being for "open borders". If the Malkin/Tancredo/Buchanan crowd would actually look, they'd see that what Tancredo has suggested is not that different that what the President has suggested. No where has the President said he is proposing amnesty which would mean every illegal alien would be perfectly legal. (Last President to do that was Ronald Reagan.) The President knows doing so would only encourage more illegal aliens to cross the border. If people are allowed to come here legally and work (meaning they'd be registered, paying taxes, etc.) then the numbers of illegals cross the border would drop but it will never totally go away. There will always be people who would prefer to break the law rather than to work with the system.
There's the gist of what's wrong with so many.
I have never seen a pro illegal immigration post in FR.
To some, if you're not supportive of militarized, "sealed", or "closed" borders, you must then be in favor of illegal immigration.
I oppose the idea of using the armed forces to patrol the borders, I don't believe that borders can be "sealed", and I don't think that they can be "closed" either, and for that I am labeled a supporter of illegal immigration.
I also vehemently oppose ALL entitlement programs--for illegal immigrants as well as for the native born--yet, because I do not agree with the methods, figures, and verbiage used by the supporters of vigilantism, militarized borders, and zero immigration, I am labeled as a supporter of welfare entitlements for illegal aliens.
I do not agree with their ideas on how to solve the problem of illegal immigration, I like my ideas, and I support President Bush's ideas, and for that, just like this guy did, I get accused of being things that I am not.
Having a difference of opinion on the solution to the problem of illegal immigration does not make one a supporter of illegal immigration.
One more thing...
There is free speech in this country, it's Constitutionally guaranteed, but that freedom does not extend itself on to the private property of others, and this forum is privately owned.
For a self-labeled "conservative", the author doesn't seem to understand one the most basic tenets of conservatism.
In my house, I make the rules.
In your house Jim, you make the rules.
No, it is really exciting as shown below:
What part of "don't ever post to me again" did you not understand?
I'm always amazed at people who hate it here, but post just so they can copy and paste stuff onto THEIR web sites.
ATTENTION! From Cantankerous | 02/11/2005 10:59:00 AM PST new Fellow conservative. Please save this info and visit this link. http://www.alipac.us/article206.html FR is banning members for their opinions. Please forward this info and help us warn other Freepers! Cantankerou
Someone just sent me this.
Yeehaw!! Never a dull moment!! LOL!
I've never gotten more than a stern "knock it off" from the Mods. When they talk, I listen. Simple as that.
Interesting discussion: see #81
These guys need to start getting up a leeeeetle earlier if they're gonna try this stuff.
Still, I think there may be a second wave to this attack. We'll know for sure if "Conservative Blogs Clash Over Values" is a headline somewhere in the next day or so.
Can you find the legal American working in the picture above?
Yes there is one, but only one !
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