This Thread is Locked...

Me ^ | 9/11/26 | Me

[Openurmind]

So many conversations just gated up like we are Cattle and just livestock.

I saw that happen. The OP realized that there was already a thread to the same topic of interest. But still there were conversations and sentiments being also shared in this second post too and it is rude to just shut it off like that. Doesn't anyone know how to just "forward" any new comments to the older thread? It is not rocket science and only take minimal effort... I can teach you how... That way those conversations are not lost to the wind...

Does anyone care about the members here and have customer appreciation? Or is the arrogance so great that we should feel lucky you even allow us to participate here? If it is the later you are wrong and that is a mistaken perspective. That arrogance will be the downfall of this domain in the end.

[al baby]

Thanks

[Albion Wilde]

In Post 89
https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4395181/posts?page=89#89

...the freeper claims that s/he knows that FR is on cloud servers with a company that also serves China. I do not know if this claim if true.

I reject his/her claim that FR is strictly in it for the money, at least under
JimRob, and Chris has not made his unique views clear as yet; but it’s his/her tech claims that I would like your comment upon:

1) can you verify this claim about cloud servers, and

2) if true, how much does it put our posts at risk of being examined by opponents of conservatism, or FBI under a Democrat, etc.?

Thanks in advance for your opinion.

[T.B. Yoits]

...how much does it put our posts at risk of being examined by opponents of conservatism, or FBI under a Democrat, etc.

???

Eric Snowden already told the world that they're recording ALL OF IT.

And it's not just the FBI under a Democrats, it's the FBI under the Republicans as well.

[Lockbox]

Well since you did not use the Secert FR decoder ring to encrypt your message, I guess you’ll find out real soon.

[Allegra]

One that really ticked me off recently was a “YTD commodity price report” thread that got “Zotted” with the explanation of “Useless”. It was just a YTD commodity price chart similar to this: https://tradingeconomics.com/commodities Some good responses on the thread, and I was in the process of reading them and then “Zot”!

Methinks there is a Mod who takes frequent power trips.

I hope it’s just one, but it might be more.

It didn’t used to be this way.

[sit-rep]

this shit has been happening since day 1 here. there are some here that after 20+ years of posting, STILL have the desperate need for hits. ...and purposely repost a thread because they need another fix.

Ask the question... When was the last time you seen a heavy hitter ping THEIR ping lists to support someone else’s post?

Do what 95% of the rest of us do/did...

Post and be happy if you get 10 responses!

It’s a lot easier that way!

[Albion Wilde]

Well since you did not use the Secert FR decoder ring to encrypt your message, I guess you’ll find out real soon.

I thought about it. But maybe I still believe in “Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow..”

[algore]

id-10T error.

sure, I know what web hosting costs, what 24 hour moderation costs, but at least I can still use this site with netscape.

if you are looking to bash super rich capitalists I suggest you target sites that have ads, that sell your info, that bring in 70k per day or even per hour.

Do I wish the site would get more modern, sometimes but then I realize why it is not and should not be.

do I wish I could correct a typo in a post within 1 minute of posting, yep.

do I wish the mods would send me an email when they disappear something, yep.

but their site their rules.

[dayglored]

> FR is on cloud servers with a company that also serves China. I do not know if this claim if true.… can you verify this claim about cloud servers

FR is hosted on Linode, who I believe is hosted on Akamai. Akamai is HUUUGE and they serve EVERYBODY from Microsoft on down. Probably including some Chinese sites too.

Don’t fret, our own government has access to all of it.

[Albion Wilde]

Don’t fret, our own government has access to all of it.

That is starting to sound like a concensus.

[Albion Wilde]

Updated donors and scoreboard info are not available. Personally, I found it informative.

It might have something to do with the problems with the credit card company that the Robinsons recently addressed by adding Zelle and Venmo, and asking for checks. I assume they will restore the donor info in due time. You can still view donor lists by clicking on Monthly Donors · Dollar-a-Day Donors · 300 Club Donors on the Forum page just under the four lines of keywords across the top.

[Bikkuri]

You should have stuck to your OPUS.

[Bikkuri]

This troll has been doing this back to 2022(maybe before, but I missed it; I have the link, if you need it).

[Bikkuri]

Then BUY THE SITE and kick all of the REAL FREEPERS off so you can run your OWN FR.

[Bikkuri]

"In what way have times changed so that all the customs and rules of FR should now be amended to suit Openurmind?"


THANK YOU.. I have been telling this troll that for 4 years now.

[Bikkuri]

Does NOT surprise me that you didn’t do a courtesy ping when another FReepers name is in the post.

You are just that kind of troll.

You don’t like it here.. then FOLLOW YOUR OWN OPUS and LEAVE.

[Drago]

FR is hosted (on a “virtual server”) by “Akamai” which sounds Asian but is not (founded and run by Americans in Massachusetts with data centers in several states...the FR data center is in TX (Richardson near Dallas).

John, Chris and JimRob got tired of running to San Jose, CA to their co-located hardware server at an “NTT” data center when their hardware server had issues... thus the move to Akamai and a virtual server several years ago.

https://www.akamai.com/company/company-history

https://www.akamai.com/company

Akamai Corporate Headquarters (”AKAM”- NASDAQ)
145 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02142

TraceRoute:
“7 be-2111-pe11.9greatoaks.ca.ibone.comcast.net (96.110.32.242) 24.229 ms
be-3211-pe11.600wseventh.ca.ibone.comcast.net (96.110.33.54) 21.754 ms
be-2111-pe11.9greatoaks.ca.ibone.comcast.net (96.110.32.242) 25.685 ms
8 * * *
9 ae11.r01.sjc01.icn.netarch.akamai.com (23.207.232.34) 39.226 ms * 37.601 ms
10 ae1.r23.lax01.icn.netarch.akamai.com (23.192.3.83) 25.251 ms
ae7.r21.dfw02.icn.netarch.akamai.com (23.32.62.142) 69.854 ms
ae1.r23.lax01.icn.netarch.akamai.com (23.192.3.83) 19.872 ms
11 ae7.r21.dfw01.mag.netarch.akamai.com (23.209.173.64) 66.149 ms
ae10.r21.dfw01.icn.netarch.akamai.com (23.32.62.62) 54.212 ms
ae7.r21.dfw01.mag.netarch.akamai.com (23.209.173.64) 59.233 ms
12 ae1.r21.dfw02.mag.netarch.akamai.com (23.209.172.76) 58.638 ms
ae1.r21.dfw01.ien.netarch.akamai.com (23.209.172.89) 62.185 ms
ae0.r22.dfw02.mag.netarch.akamai.com (23.209.172.70) 58.384 ms
13 ae22.gw2-rin1.netarch.akamai.com (23.203.147.41) 73.206 ms
ae1.r21.dfw01.ien.netarch.akamai.com (23.209.172.89) 61.144 ms
ae22.gw1-rin1.netarch.akamai.com (23.203.147.39) 63.313 ms
14 ae22.gw1-rin1.netarch.akamai.com (23.203.147.39) 53.444 ms *
ae22.gw2-rin1.netarch.akamai.com (23.203.147.41) 57.112 ms
15 * * *
16 * * *
17 freerepublic.com (45.79.56.181) 67.701 ms * 70.960 ms”

Map the route to “FreeRepublic.com” here: https://tracemapper.com/#trace

[MikelTackNailer]

1) can you verify this claim about cloud servers, and

2) if true, how much does it put our posts at risk of being examined by opponents of conservatism, or FBI under a Democrat, etc.?

I strongly suspect that JohnRob has cloud servers in use somewhere along the line as they're so ubiquitous now it's almost impossible to avoid them after the connection goes beyond one's wall. I personally distrust their security and stability so avoid them as much as possible, striving to keep data in-house on redundant media.

I have no doubt that the government can access anything it wants to via the NSA and, when public exposure seems inevitable, threats and blackmail to make businesses allow their networks be scrutinized (banks, internet providers, brokerage firms, etc.). Note how the FBI found and scooped up so many J-6 protesters in an amazingly short time: using technology legally restricted for use on foreign foes.

As pointed out - it's all fine when the Democrats do it.

[rlmorel]

Heck, the way I see it, they would examine our posts no matter in a man-trapped server facility here in the USA or on Chinese cloud servers.

I try to post as if every word I post is being read by not only my family, but both my personal friends and enemies as well as our ideological friends and enemies.

I think anyone who does NOT assume that is delusional crippled and seriously should not be posting on the Internet. You must accept that everything you post is being read by hostiles, foreign and domestic, including hostile (or to characterize them generously, protective) elements in our own government.

I occasionally write things I am not proud of, and if I were pressed, would say that I was writing under the duress of emotion and anger, and I reject what I wrote. A good example is some years ago, I posted something about people who get militant about peanut allergies and want everyone to change their life to accommodate some minority of people who have an allergy problem with peanuts. I forget what I wrote, but I recall when I read it later, it sounded like I didn’t give a damn if some six year old with peanut allergies died from an allergic reaction, and it was up to the kid’s parents to educate and protect the kid, not the responsibility of every Tom, Dick, and Harry out there to change their eating habits.

I couldn’t pull the post back, but I would never wish a thing like that. But when I read it later, I saw there was room to interpret it that way.

Another time, I posted something about a famous black jazz musician I admired, and I included a rumor I had read that he didn’t like white people. In retrospect, it was unkind, and I didn’t need to include that. I had never observed it personally, it was just something I read somewhere. And I couldn’t pull it back.

And I do get angry and occasionally, irrationally angry and I have lashed out at people who I think deserve it.

In the end, I always try to promise to myself to do better. To be more civil. To engage in polite and rational discourse. And I try.

I read where I have started 200 threads and posted 117,400 replies. I realize that, like someone who has a microphone on them 24x7, I am absolutely going to say stupid, irrational, and hurtful things. Sometimes inadvertently. Sometimes purposefully.

But I try not to. And that is the best I can do. I really appreciate this forum, and I don’t want to contribute to anything that harms it. I like that we generally try to avoid excessive profanity, and most of that is self-policed, and I admire that.

I contrast it with Leftists who appear to be unable to express even the simplest thought without lacing it with gratuitous profanity. I like that we set ourselves apart in that simple way.

I have been giving about $500 per annum to Free Republic for at least 10-15 years, so I feel I have some skin in the game and should be entitled to have an opinion about these things, because...I view myself as a “paying customer”.

But I keep in mind, in the end, this is not MY web site, it is Chris Robinson’s, and I can accept viewing my participation here and the money I spend to support it as a donation, and not a fee. Some people have an issue with that, but that is how I view it. If I were bounced tomorrow and my account terminated, I would dislike it, but I wouldn’t view it as some kind of infringement on my “rights” of some kind.

I DO accept that I am here as a guest.

I had met Jim Robinson on at least three occasions, and I viewed him as a Patriot.

I still do.

I have never met Chris Robinson that I know of, so I don’t know anything about him, and I would like to think he doesn’t view Free Republic as some kind of cash cow. Until I have solid proof to the contrary (and I don’t believe having services hosted on some Chinese cloud servers would count, otherwise there are a lot of entities in this country we should be wary of) I will give Chris Robinson the benefit of the doubt.

If I disagree with the mechanisms of thread and post moderation under Chris’s management, I believe I can do that without disparaging him.

[rlmorel]

Interestingly, for what it is worth...

I have a list of 11 people posting on Free Republic who, day after day after day, post either TDS-worthy material or are irrational and unhinged to the point where I resolved simply to never respond to their posts or even ignore the threads they start.

Some of them I assume have drinking or drug problems, some are mentally unstable, and some, well, they are just nasty people not worth interacting with, especially with so many enjoyable people who can engage in discourse.

In checking the “Monthlies” page, not a single one of them contributes as a monthly.

But many people I regard as valuable, interesting, patriotic, knowledgeable, and pleasant, DO appear on that list.

Most interesting.

Of course, those 11 people who have made it onto that list of mine over 22 years might very well be contributing on a non-monthly basis. I just find it fascinating that none of them appear on the monthly list.

Fascinating indeed. You would think the odds are the at least one of them would show up in the monthlies. But they don’t.